Chapter Eleven: Grand and Majestic

“Zhang Fanfan, you bastard!” Li Ran shouted in fury, never before feeling he was such a scoundrel. He had brazenly brought his mistress into their home—who else could do something so shameless?

“So what if I’m a bastard? Isn’t it true that you refuse to divorce me?”

Li Ran was so angry she was at a loss for words. Zhang Fanfan was clearly resolute. “Zhang Fanfan, I’m warning you! This is my house! I have every right not to allow her in here!”

Zhang Fanfan wasn’t angry; he slowly untied his apron and revealed the truth. “Li Ran, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten—when we got married, you added my name to the property deed. This house belongs to both of us now. You don’t have the right to say that.”

Li Ran was speechless. She had actually forgotten about that. Gradually, she calmed herself.

Three years ago, when they were preparing for the wedding, her father was already gravely ill. He had specifically urged her to add Zhang Fanfan’s name to the deed, so that their future would be secure.

But no one had ever expected things would come to this.

“Very well, Zhang Fanfan. I’ll remember this!”

Zhang Fanfan paid no attention to her anger. He opened the door and called out, “Dinner’s ready.”

An Qi bustled about, helping to bring out dishes and chopsticks, acting as if she belonged in the household.

Li Ran sat at the table, watching An Qi sit beside Zhang Fanfan, eating the meal he had cooked himself. Yet Li Ran found the food tasteless.

“Ran, why aren’t you eating? This is my first time tasting Fanfan’s cooking—it’s delicious! I’m so envious of you, having such a wonderful husband.” An Qi smiled, looking utterly content.

“Oh, you’re envious? Why don’t I give him to you?” Li Ran replied sarcastically.

“Ran, what are you saying? I didn’t mean that…” An Qi hurried to deny it, glancing furtively at Zhang Fanfan.

Seeing the tension, Zhang Nan interrupted, “An Qi, don’t mind her. She’s been acting strange lately, always saying odd things. If you want to eat here, just come whenever you like—Auntie welcomes you.”

While speaking, she served An Qi more food, completely ignoring Li Ran’s presence.

Li Ran watched coolly. Since the day she married into this family, Zhang Nan had never once treated her kindly, let alone served her food.

“I’m full.”

Li Ran couldn’t bear to stay any longer. She set down her chopsticks and went to her room.

“Go tidy up the guest room. An Qi will be staying with us tonight,” Zhang Nan called after her.

“What? She’s staying here tonight?” Li Ran thought she had misheard. “It’s not as if she has nowhere else to go. Why does she have to stay in my house?”

“An Qi is our guest! She rarely visits—what’s the harm in her staying over? Go on, hurry up!” Zhang Nan glared at her in annoyance.

Li Ran suddenly laughed. It seemed this mother and son were very fond of An Qi, eager to welcome her in.

“Fine, I’ll go prepare it.”

Li Ran went to the guest room and took a quilt out of the cupboard, tossing it onto the bed. Although the guest room was rarely used, Li Ran liked to keep things spotless—every corner of the house was immaculate—so there was nothing much to tidy up.

“Ran…” An Qi came in, looking pitiful. “Sorry to trouble you.”

“They’re not here, so who are you pretending for?” Li Ran wanted to slap that feigned look of weakness off her face, but she couldn’t.

An Qi’s demeanor changed; she looked at Li Ran with a smug smile. “Your house isn’t bad. Ran, are you surprised to see me here? Maybe even a bit angry?”

She leaned in, as if deliberately provoking her, and looked at Li Ran’s belly with a sneer. “So what if you have a child? The important thing is that Fanfan and Auntie like me. Sooner or later, you’ll be the one out the door!”

“We’ll see who leaves in the end.”

Li Ran didn’t want to argue and returned to her own room. Alone, she lay on the bed, waiting for a while, but Zhang Fanfan never came. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Li Ran woke, feeling parched. She reached out and touched the empty, cold space beside her—Zhang Fanfan hadn’t come. She got up and went downstairs to the kitchen for water. As she passed the guest room, she heard noises inside. Quietly, she pressed her ear to the door to listen.

“Fanfan, be gentle… mmm…”

“Why are you still so tight?”

It was Zhang Fanfan and An Qi—she didn’t need to guess what they were doing. She just hadn’t expected them to be so brazen, doing such things openly in the guest room of her own home!