Green-eyed with envy

Xia Zhi was a little slow to react. "I-I brought it."

She was going to Tang Green Tea's home tonight, after all. She had to keep her guard up when dealing with that woman.

Lu Heng said, "Give it to me."

Somewhat reluctantly, Xia Zhi rummaged through her bag and took it out.

Lu Heng tossed the recording watch to Fu Tingyan. "The plot in Heyuan Village goes up for auction the day after tomorrow. If you want the Lu Group to stay out of the bidding against the Fu Group, deal with your brother before coming to see me again."

"Also, the only reason I haven't touched Fu Ting'an is out of consideration for you. If he dares approach my wife again, I'll break his legs."

The executive office fell silent.

Everyone who heard those words was stunned. W-was this really their President Lu, who loathed his wife so much?

Fu Tingyan was dumbfounded too.

Wife?

Since when had Lu Heng started acknowledging Xia Zhi as his wife?

Only after Lu Heng and Xia Zhi left did Fu Tingyan come to his senses. He hurried to follow, but Jiang Cheng stopped him.

"Sorry, President Fu. President Lu has something to attend to today and may not have time to receive you. Please head back."

Thinking over what Lu Heng had said, Fu Tingyan turned the watch over in his hands in puzzlement. Soon, he discovered it was a recording watch.

Xia Zhi let Lu Heng pull her along.

She gazed at his tall figure, and an unfamiliar feeling rose in her heart as she recalled how he had stood up for her in front of Fu Tingyan.

"Aheng, thank you."

Lu Heng seemed not to hear her, but his fingers tightened around her wrist.

Xia Zhi realized that Lu Heng really did attach great importance to Tang Green Tea's family. On the way, he even made a special stop at a mall to buy plenty of expensive gifts. No wonder Tang Green Tea had started harboring improper hopes.

"Oh, didn't you say Xiaojing liked tea sets? I brought a set of cups for her."

Imagining Tang Green Tea's expression when she saw the cups put Xia Zhi in a good mood.

"Aheng, I never thought you'd remember to buy Tangtang cups when you're so busy. You're such a good big brother."

Lu Heng felt there was something odd about her words, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Sure enough, when Tang Fangjing saw Xia Zhi arrive with Lu Heng, her expression changed dramatically. Her smile froze, and she looked indescribably awkward.

Xia Zhi quietly savored the sight, already laughing her head off inside.

But Tang Fangjing was a practiced fake innocent. This turn of events didn't leave her stunned for long, and she soon regained her composure.

"Brother Heng, Xia Xia, come inside."

Xia Zhi deliberately linked her arm through Lu Heng's and leaned affectionately against him, then corrected Tang Fangjing with a smile.

"Tangtang, you should call me sister-in-law."

Tang Fangjing's eyes widened. She stared in disbelief at the arm Xia Zhi was holding, waiting with bated breath for Lu Heng to coldly push that shameless woman away. But instead...

Lu Heng merely glanced down at the triumphant Xia Zhi, then smiled indulgently.

"Let's go inside."

Tang Fangjing couldn't hide her disappointment. Had Brother Heng really gotten together with Xia Zhi?

Impossible.

She didn't believe it.

Brother Heng must have been bewitched by this woman's beauty.

Once inside, Xia Zhi looked around the apartment, which measured a full two hundred square meters. Though it couldn't compare to a villa, property here in the city center, where every inch of land cost a fortune, was far from cheap.

Tang Fangjing's parents were both wage earners, Tang Fangjing was merely a sales assistant at a luxury store, and Tang Fangquan was unemployed. Their family couldn't afford a home in this location.

Unless...

Xia Zhi looked at the man beside her.

The villain was now the head of the Lu Family and had money to spare. Buying an apartment for his uncle and aunt would be effortless.

It seemed the villain really did treat his adoptive parents' relatives well.

Lu Heng glanced at Xia Zhi. He hadn't expected this woman to be not entirely stupid.

He had indeed bought this apartment for his uncle and aunt. Before his adoptive parents passed away, they had been closest to the Tang family, and he believed they would have wanted his uncle and aunt's family to live well.

Tang Fangjing's parents were also startled to see that Lu Heng had brought Xia Zhi.

Her mother, in particular, immediately looked at her daughter.

Only her father behaved reasonably normally, warmly greeting the young couple.

"Xiao Xia, this is your first time visiting us, isn't it?"

"Your aunt prepared this fruit. Have some. Don't stand on ceremony; we're all family."

Xia Zhi smiled graciously. "Thank you, Uncle."

Then she turned to Tang Fangjing's mother, who stood frozen to one side, and greeted her affectionately as though she hadn't noticed anything amiss. "Hello, Auntie."

Lu Heng handed over the bags of gifts. Tang Fangjing's mother immediately beamed. Though she said he needn't have gone to the trouble, she couldn't help looking through the exquisite boxes.

"Brother Heng, why did you buy so much again?"

Tang Fangjing chided him sweetly.

"Mom has barely eaten any of the premium bird's nest you bought her last time. Don't waste any more money."

Her mother hastily said, "Yes, exactly. People like us are used to getting by with very little. I keep forgetting to take such expensive supplements, but then I worry they'll expire. Having them sitting there is a worry in itself."

Lu Heng said, "Xiaojing, your mother is getting older, and her memory isn't good. You need to remind her more often."

Watching this warm scene of their happy "family" reunion from the sidelines, Xia Zhi felt like an outsider.

Still, she wasn't sad or upset. To her, the villain was only a mission anyway. Once she finished the mission using the original owner's identity, she would go back.

But after seeing Tang Fangjing's mother, Xia Zhi finally knew who had taught Tang Green Tea all her tricks.

The villain has fallen into a whole nest of fake innocents.

Lu Heng: "..."

Though he was chatting with Tang Fangjing and her mother about everyday matters, his ears were sharp. When he heard that Xia Zhi was still thinking about leaving once she finished her mission involving him, his smile instantly vanished.

She wanted to leave.

She was thinking about it every moment.

Tang Fangjing was very good at reading expressions. Seeing Lu Heng's darkened expression, she assumed he couldn't stand her mother's rambling and quickly said,

"Brother Heng, ever since your last visit, Dad has been talking about playing another game with you."

Then she called out, "Dad, come play chess with Brother Heng."

Her father, who was watching television in the living room, immediately answered, "Coming."

Lu Heng went to play chess, while Tang Fangjing kept Xia Zhi company in the living room, watching television and eating small tangerines.

Noticing Tang Fangjing repeatedly glancing at her dress and expensive necklace, with undisguised envy in her eyes, Xia Zhi deliberately complained,

"I was in such a rush today that I didn't have time to pick out an outfit properly. I just grabbed a dress at random. Now that I look at it, this color is so dowdy."

"I'll throw it away later."

Seeing Xia Zhi squander things like this, casually declaring that she would throw away a dress worth hundreds of thousands after wearing it once, Tang Fangjing went green-eyed with envy.

When would she get to live the life of a wealthy wife like this?

"And this necklace is so dated. I don't know what's wrong with Aheng's taste. He insisted on spending tens of millions on this antique junk for me. I'm never wearing it again."

Junk worth tens of millions?

What outrageous talk.

Tang Fangjing felt her breathing grow unsteady.

"I think it's beautiful. It's elegant and refined."

Xia Zhi rolled her eyes skyward, her face full of disdain. "That's why you're relatives. You all have the same taste."

Tang Fangjing sneered inwardly. Xia Zhi's tone made it clear she looked down on Lu Heng's poor relatives, little knowing that what Lu Heng detested most was her haughty attitude.