Chapter 351 To Be Your Strongest Supporter

Lu Haochen had been suffering from insomnia almost every night ever since Du Xiaoxian left. He would toss and turn for ages before finally falling asleep in the wee hours.

But tonight was not as bad as usual. What Xiao Meiyuan said had done its stuff. He thought for a long time and found the situation laughable. Was it hereditary? Why did both he and his father fall in love with women they should not have fallen in love with? But if his father could get over the heartbreak, why couldn’t he? He had always seen his father as a role model. The man had been strong and independent since he was young. He maintained strict self-discipline. He hoped he could become an outstanding person like his father when he was older.

Since his father could get over it, he would be able to as well!

He stopped his imagination from running wild and was able to sleep better that night. The next morning, he woke up early and went out for a morning run in high spirits. He returned to take a shower, then went downstairs to have breakfast.

Lu Dingshen and Xiao Meiyuan were already at the dining table. Xiao Meiyuan smiled when she heard his footsteps as he walked down to join them. “Haochen, come and have breakfast,” she called out.

“Good morning, Dad, Mom.” Lu Haochen sat down and drank half a glass of milk in one go. He picked up a slice of toast and flipped through the morning newspaper. Before he could swallow his toast, his eyes widened. He dropped the toast on the plate and frowned as he read the news carefully.

Xiao Meiyuan said, “Haochen, focus on having your breakfast. You can read it when you finished your breakfast.”

“He’s gone too far! What a bully!” Lu Haochen slammed the newspaper on the table in anger.

Her son rarely lost his composure like this. Xiao Meiyuan was shocked. “What’s wrong, Haochen? Did something happen?”

Dingshen took the newspaper and read it carefully. He pointed to a news article and said, “Haochen, is this what you just read? It’s just gossip about some celebrity? Why are you so angry?”

“The man in the photo is Niannian’s biological father.” Lu Haochen said angrily, “Xiaoxian left to be with him, but he’s still flirting with other women. How can he treat Xiaoxian like that?”

Lu Dingshen faltered. “Are you saying that Gu Nianbin is Niannian’s father? You’re fighting with Gu Nianbin over a woman?”

“I’m not fighting with him,” Lu Haochen said resentfully, “I helped him. But he doesn’t appreciate Xiaoxian at all! No, I can’t let him upset and humiliate Xiaoxian like this!”

“Please don’t be like this, Haochen.” Xiao Meiyuan became anxious when she heard what Haochen said. “It wasn’t easy for you to let go, so why are you sticking your nose into this again? Isn’t that just asking for trouble? Did you forget what I told you last night?”

“But I can’t bear to watch Xiaoxian suffer because of him. She’s tender and all alone. She… No, I have to go to G City and bring her back.” Lu Haochen grew more anxious the more he thought about it.

“Haochen, please don’t do anything stupid.” Xiao Meiyuan became even more anxious. She looked at her husband and pleaded, “Dingshen, say something!”

Lu Dingshen’s eyes were fixed on Gu Nianbin in the photo, and he looked as if he did not hear Lu Haochen and Xiao Meiyuan’s conversation. He came back to his senses when Xiao Meiyuan called out his name. He looked up to say, “Son, I support you. I’ll be your strongest backer if you go to G City. Just tell me and I’ll give you anything you want or need. Even if we go bankrupt, I’ll help you get her back. I won’t let the Gu family get the upper hand any longer!”

“Dad…”

“Dingshen…”

These words were extremely surprising. Xiao Meiyuan never expected her husband to react like this. She stared at him, completely dumbfounded. Lu Haochen was also stunned into silence. A long time passed before he recovered from his shock. “Dad, what did you mean when you said you won’t let the Gu family get the upper hand any longer?”

“Dingshen, is he part of the Gu family of G City?” Xiao Meiyuan figured out, and her gaze landed on Gu Nianbin’s photo.

Her reaction shocked Lu Haochen. “Mom, you know the Gu family as well?”

Xiao Meiyuan smiled bitterly. “The president of Gu Corporation was your father’s college mate. We’ve not been in touch with each other for many years.”

“The current president of Gu Corporation is Gu Nianbin.” Lu Haochen said, “Is the person you’re talking about Gu Nianbin’s father?”

“Yes, I mean his father.” Xiao Meiyuan looked at the photo carefully. “He does look a lot like Gu Guangxian.”

Lu Haochen asked again, “Dad, do you have a grudge against the Gu family?”

“I guess you can say that. Haochen, don’t ask about the past. In any case, you have my complete support. I’ll make sure you get what you want!” He paused for a moment and said, “I really like Niannian. It would be great if she could be my granddaughter.”

“Thank you, Dad.” Lu Haochen was a lone fighter, but now that he had his father’s strong support, he suddenly felt as if they were united against a common enemy.

“Dingshen…” Xiao Meiyuan looked at her husband worriedly.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” Dingshen waved a hand at his wife. His expression was grim.

Xiao Meiyuan sighed. She knew better than to argue with him.

She waited until Lu Haochen left the room before saying, “What are you doing, Dingshen? You should be encouraging him to get over her instead of getting himself into trouble again!”

Dingshen sat on the rattan chair and smoked his pipe. The smell of tobacco permeated the corridor. Through the faint smoke, he could almost see himself when he was young. He saw the girl who shook his world. He fell head over heels in love with her at first sight and never got over her.

They had a tryst in the forest. The girl lowered her head shyly, her long black hair hiding her face. Her hair looked like black satin under the moonlight, gleaming with a dim light. Her eyes were as black as ink, and her smile made everything pale in comparison. He could not describe her beauty with words. It was mind-blowing. He was intoxicated…

She rarely spoke in front of him. Back then, he thought to himself that he was going to marry her even if she was mute.

But she was not mute. He saw her swear an oath under the moonlight with her hands clasped together with a solemn expression on her face. Her words rang out clearly.

She said, “I swear to the Moon God that Gu Guangxian will be the only person I love in this life. I promise that I’ll never regret my decision nor will I ever change my mind!”

He stood by the wall, frozen in place. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. He felt a chill that seeped into his bones. He did not know how he managed to get home that night. It felt like he was walking on cotton. The ground felt uneven beneath him…

As Lu Dingshen remained silent, Xiao Meiyuan sighed. “Dingshen, what’s the point of this? What’s the point of revisiting the past now?”

“So, you know about it?” Dingshen exhaled, sending out a stream of smoke as he looked up at Xiao Meiyuan.

Xiao Meiyuan smiled bitterly. “Even though you never told me the reason, I can’t think of any other reason that could cause two close friends to fall out so suddenly.”

Lu Dingshen smiled bitterly. “Meiyuan, are you mad at me? I still can’t let go even though it’s been so many years.”

“Everyone has someone in their heart that they can’t let go of. The feelings you have for this person will not fade just because of the passage of time. I won’t be mad at you. Even though you’ve never said it, I know that she has always been in your heart. You always say that I’m a very generous person. That’s not correct. I’m just an ordinary woman. Ultimately, I’m the one who has spent most of my life with you—not her. Besides, you also have me in your heart, don’t you?”

“Meiyuan, I owe you so much because I can’t give you all of my love.”

“No, Dingshen. You’ve been very good to me all these years. I’m perfectly happy.” Xiao Meiyuan took the tea from the maid and handed it to her husband. “But I think you were a little hasty with your decision regarding Haochen’s matter.”

“How so?”

“Miss Du was willing to leave with Gu Nianbin because she loves him.”

“Maybe she just wants her daughter to have a complete family.”

“Women are only willing to have children for the man they love. Moreover, this child was born after they broke up. Isn’t that enough to show you what the problem is?”

Lu Dingshen drank his tea in silence. Steam engulfed his face, condensing into water droplets instantly. It looked like tears clinging to his face. His voice was deep and heavy. “But Gu Nianbin isn’t treating Miss Du well, isn’t he? Besides, feelings can grow. I believe that Haochen will make Miss Du happy.”

The Lu family’s men were all stubborn. They would not easily change their minds once they made a decision. Xiao Meiyuan knew that it was useless to say any more. She sighed faintly. “Are you going to personally get involved?”

Lu Dingshen shook his head. “No, this is Haochen’s problem. He should solve it himself.”

This was good. Xiao Meiyuan was afraid that Dingshen would get involved. If he did, things would definitely get out of hand. She could not bear to imagine the situation.

Lu Haochen had been dispirited in the past few days. Today, he finally cheered up. When he arrived at his office, he quickly and efficiently cleared a huge backlog of work. Then, he called Rose in and altered the schedule for the days ahead. After that, he summoned several members of the upper management to the office for a meeting. He made decisions, delegated work, and did everything that needed to be done. Several of the managers who worked under him were wide-eyed with shock. It had been a long time since they saw President Lu being so shrewd and decisive. Everyone had a smile on their face.

Lu Haochen was still busy with work in the afternoon. He instructed Rose to book two tickets to G City for that night. When it was almost time to get off work, he called Du Huayue to the office and told him about his decision.

When Du Huayue heard that Du Xiaoxian was being treated badly by Gu Nianbin, he nearly lost his temper right in front of Lu Haochen. He regretted allowing Du Xiaoxian to leave with Gu Nianbin. He was extremely protective when it came to Du Xiaoxian. Therefore, when Lu Haochen said that he was hoping to trouble Du Huayue to go to G City with him, Du Huayue almost rolled his eyes. “President Lu, of course, I’ll go. I’m Xiaoxian’s elder brother. How could I sit tight when my sister is not being well-treated?”

Lu Haochen asked Du Huayue to go with him because he was worried that if he went down alone, Gu Nianbin would make things difficult for Du Xiaoxian. After all, what right did he have to call Gu Nianbin out for his actions? It would be more appropriate for Du Huayue to confront Gu Nianbin. At the very least, this would not negatively impact Du Xiaoxian.

They took an overnight plane to G City. They were back in the city for the first time in five years. Du Huaye was a little emotional as he recalled the past. If he had not met Du Xiaoxian five years ago, perhaps his life would not be like this now. However, he was glad that he had met her. He experienced what it was like to be in love. It was a love that was all-consuming and felt like it was burning him up. It was a love without regrets!