But, she did not blame him. She had no right to blame him. Who would treat others so nicely without any valid reason in this world? If she was not his wife, how could she ask for his protection?

 Why would he protect her?

 That was a fact.

 “Manman, will you stay with me?” He would prohibit Wang Yunxi from going against Lu Man again if Lu Man insisted on leaving him. But, he would never allow her to leave in the first place!

 “Where else could I go?”

 She sounded so sad that Pei Xiuyuan felt bad to see that. It seemed like she had accepted her fate.

 “Manman, don’t be like that.”

 “Then, what do you want me to do?”

 “Be happy and stay by my side.”

 “You are really asking for too much.” She was being threatened by someone else. How could she be happy when she had no choice but to bow down to her own fate. How could she be delightful with how things were now?

 “Your husband is handsome, gentle, and considerate. I don’t have any peculiar or bad habits. I’m always loyal to you and to this marriage. You have this kind of marriage and this kind of husband. How could you have any other feeling than happiness?” Pei Xiuyuan praised himself ceaselessly.

 Lu Man was speechless for a moment. “If you put it that way, I should be happy then!”

 He was indeed an exceptional man. It was her fortune and luck when she married him. The others would think that she was the luckiest woman in the world!

 She should be happy! She really should be grateful for that! If she was dissatisfied with that kind of husband, she would surely be punished!

 She had long given up on love when she decided to search for him and marry him back then. If she talked about it now, it would seem an inappropriate thing to do.

 “Yes, you should be happy indeed!”

 “Yes.” She nodded her head.

 She realized that he was quite a persuasive man. Earlier, she had wanted to get away from him immediately and never to lay eyes on him again. But now, she had decided to stay by his side and to stay married to him.

 Yes, he was indeed an influential man!

 “Why don’t we go out and attend their wedding ceremony?”

 “Fine.”

 They were about to leave the lounge when Lu Man asked him another question.

 “I have one question. Why is her surname different from yours?” They had different surnames so she had never linked them together before. She never thought that they would be brother and sister!

 “Yunxi got her surname from her mother.”

 It was a simple reason.

 Lu Man was quiet.

 “What’s wrong?”

 “It’s nothing.” No wonder they did not find anything about Wang Yunxi when they looked into the Wang family.

 Wang Yunxi and Mu Yunhai did not leave the lounge. They stayed near the entrance. It was clear that they were quite impatient and nervous about the result. They wanted to know what had happened. Why was Lu Man married to Pei Xiuyuan? What would happen to them after they were done talking?

 They quickly looked toward the lounge when they heard the door opening.

 Pei Xiuyuan hugged Lu Man and they appeared quite intimate. She should be happy indeed. They must be lovey dovey too!

 “I know that you’re just pretending! Bitch!” Lu Man appeared calm in front of Wang Yunxi. Wang Yunxi was almost sure that Lu Man was playing fast and loose with her brother.

 “Wang Yunxi.” Pei Xiuyuan looked at Wang Yunxi.

 Wang Yunxi became scared. She could not accept the fact that Lu Man was married to her brother. “Brother, don’t you realize that she’s just pretending in front of you? She never wants to leave! It’s not easy for her to finally be with a man like you. She…”

 “That’s enough! I told you just now. She’s your sister-in-law now no matter what happened in the past. We’re a family now. Be nice to each other. You should respect her!” Pei Xiuyuan interrupted her.

 “I don’t want her as my sister-in-law. I won’t admit that she’s my sister-in-law!” Wang Yunxi was being rebellious now.

 “She’s your sister-in-law whether you want to accept or not.” Pei Xiuyuan was not angry. He explained to her calmly. That was an unchangeable fact no matter what she thought about it.

 Wang Yunxi was so furious that she stamped her feet. “Brother, what did she do to you? What is so good about her?”

 “You don’t have to worry about that. You just have to know that she’s your sister-in-law now.”

 “I don’t want to! I just don’t want to!” Wang Yunxi never wanted that shameful woman as her sister-in-law.

 Pei Xiuyuan ignored her tantrums. “Yunxi, if you don’t go out now, you’ll be late for your own wedding.”

 “Brother, you have brought her along and messed with me on the most important day of my life. Are you really my elder brother?” She should be delighted on this day. How could he treat her like that?

 Pei Xiuyuan went forward and hugged her. Then, he led her away.

 Lu Man and Mu Yunhai were the only ones left there. The atmosphere between them became rather uncomfortable.

 Mu Yunhai could not control his emotion anymore. He grabbed Lu Man nervously. “Manman, what has happened exactly? Why are you married to Pei Xiuyuan? Tell me, that’s not true!”

 Why did she marry someone else when they had broken up only a few days ago. She had even married Pei Xiuyuan!

 How could it be?

 “Why can’t you accept it?” Lu Man felt that he was quite ridiculous.

 “Of course I cannot accept it. You’re married now. You are married to someone else! How could you marry someone else?” Mu Yunhai had prepared himself mentally to let her go when he decided to marry Wang Yunxi. But, still he felt that he would never lose her no matter what he did. That was why he did what he had done. But, he never thought that she would marry someone else so soon. She even…

 She was married to Pei Xiuyuan now!

 “Why can’t I marry someone else? Do you think that I should be alone and lonely for the rest of my life?”

 “No, I never think like that… I just…” Mu Yunhai was so nervous that he did not know what to say. “Manman, I told you that I would compensate for your loss. I would repay your kindness twice as much. I’ll…”

 Lu Man shook him off and interrupted him. “I don’t need that!”

 “Manman…”

 “Mu Yunhai, we’re both married to different people now. The past is the past. From now on, I’m your sister-in-law.” Lu Man clenched her fists tightly when she said that. She never thought that they would end up like this, that their relationship would come to this.

 What could they say? Life was unpredictable.

 She did not want to hate Mu Yunhai. She did not want to meet him anymore but she could not help it now given what they had become.

 It was ironic given how their relationship had turned out to be.

 Mu Yunhai lost control and grabbed Lu Man’s arm harshly. “Manman, how could you marry him? Why did you marry him? Why didn’t you wait for me? Why?”

 “Why should I wait for you? What right do you have to ask me to wait for you?” Wait for him? Why should she? Why?

 “You love me! You love me deeply!” She loved him so very much. She had loved him for ten years now. How could she marry someone else?

 “Is that so?” Lu Man laughed bitterly. “That’s how you ruin my trust in you just because you know that I loved you. You have cheated on me. You thought that you could do anything you want just because I love you. Do you think that I’d wait for you here no matter what you do?”