Chapter 300 An Unexpected Encounter with an Ex
After Cheng Zhou finished speaking, he stared intently at Shang Wu.
"You won't let me miss it, right?"
Seeing his excited expression, Shang Wu felt even more conflicted.
To be fair, she felt that Cheng Zhou's words made sense.
The 100-day celebration is a family gathering, and Cheng Zhou, as a relative, should be present both out of courtesy and obligation. But what about Lu You's side…?
"Cheng Zhou, don't get agitated."
Shang Wu tried to calm him down, "Sister You is in a bad mood, and she might have said some harsh words. How about this, on the day of the banquet, I'll try to arrange for you to sit far apart to avoid direct contact..."
“This isn’t about the distance between seats!” Cheng Zhou interrupted her, his tone filled with a deep sense of helplessness. “This is about attitude. By doing this, she is clearly drawing a line. Awu, I know you’re in a difficult position, but I hope you can understand me. I really don’t want to give in.”
Seeing Cheng Zhou's resolute expression, Shang Wu knew that there was no point in saying anything more.
She sighed helplessly, "Okay, I understand what you mean. I'll have Lu Rang talk to Sister You again."
As Shang Wu left the teahouse, she felt utterly overwhelmed.
The banquet hasn't even started yet, and it's already this troublesome.
She took out her phone and dialed Lu Rang's number, her voice weary: "Lu Rang, I've talked to Cheng Zhou, but he insists on coming. Could you talk to Sister You again? I really have no other choice."
On the other end of the phone, Lu Rang was silent for a moment before replying in a deep voice, "Okay, I understand. I'll talk to her and tell her not to worry about this anymore. Go home and rest first."
After hanging up the phone, Shang Wu looked at the bustling streets and let out a long sigh of relief, but her heart still felt heavy.
This 100-day celebration is unlikely to be a peaceful affair.
...
On the other side.
Lu Rang went to talk to Lu You, but the result was not optimistic.
No matter how he presented the facts and reasoned with him, Lu You's attitude remained firm and uncompromising.
She insisted that having Cheng Zhou appear at Yu Wu's 100-day celebration at the very moment she was filing for divorce was an extreme disrespect to her.
The siblings' conversation ended unhappily.
The news quickly reached Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng was always stern and taciturn when it came to Lu You's affairs, but this time he directly called Lu You back.
Unlike Shang Wu and Lu Rang, he did not offer gentle advice; instead, he stared coldly at his daughter with a stern face.
"Nonsense! Yuwu's 100-day celebration is a major event for the Lu family. Who to invite and who not to invite is not up to you to decide. No matter how wrong Cheng Zhou is, he is still nominally your husband and Yuwu's uncle! What will others think of our Lu family if you do this?"
"You're saying our Lu family doesn't know the rules and doesn't even have basic hospitality?"
Lu You stiffened her neck, wanting to retort, but Lu Zheng didn't wait for her to speak before abruptly changing the subject: "And what about you and Cheng Zhou! I heard that the root of the problem lies in the child?"
His gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts. "Since you two have fundamental disagreements about having children, why didn't you discuss it clearly before getting married? Is such a major matter concerning the continuation of the family something that can be vaguely discussed and then slowly brought up after marriage?"
Lu You was speechless at this question.
Yes, why wasn't it made clear back then?
Perhaps subconsciously she believed that Cheng Zhou would change for her, or perhaps Cheng Zhou also felt at the time that this wasn't an urgent issue and could be postponed.
Or perhaps they all overestimated the power of love to conquer all.
Faced with Lu Zheng's merciless questioning, she couldn't find any compelling reason to defend herself.
Seeing his daughter fall silent, Lu Zheng's tone softened slightly, but it still left no room for refusal: "In the end, you two are both at fault and both are not at fault. The fault lies in poor communication and in not considering things thoroughly before marriage."
"That's right. Your personal wishes and choices deserve respect. If, after this experience, you find that you can't reconcile or reach an agreement on the most fundamental aspects of your lives, then fine."
"A swift and decisive break is a relief for both of us, and we, as elders, will not forcibly stop it."
Lu Zheng paused, his gaze turning stern again: "However, while you are still legally married, the proper decorum and etiquette for Lu family gatherings cannot be disregarded. Cheng Zhou must attend Yu Wu's 100-day celebration. This is not a matter of whether you want to see him or not; it is a matter of courtesy!"
Lu You pursed her lips tightly, her face turning white then red, then red then white again.
Ultimately, faced with Lu Zheng's powerful aura, she chose to remain silent, which could be considered a form of compromise.
After receiving clear instructions from his father, Lu Rang immediately called Cheng Zhou to inform him that he would attend the 100-day celebration as scheduled.
Cheng Zhou was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then whispered a thank you.
...
The 100-day celebration was held in the garden banquet hall of a high-end hotel.
The venue was decorated in a warm and childlike style.
Aying arrived early, carrying a huge limited edition doll, and kept teasing Yuwu.
Cheng Zhou also arrived on time, dressed in a well-fitting suit and carrying an exquisite gift box containing a finely crafted gold lock symbolizing peace and prosperity.
When he saw Lu You, he visibly paused, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
But Lu You acted as if she didn't see him at all, and went straight to Shang Wu to tease today's little protagonist, Yu Wu.
The atmosphere became subtly awkward for a moment.
Shang Wu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, warmly inviting everyone to sit down and urging the waiters to come up.
Lu Zheng sat in the main seat, a pleased smile on his face.
After the banquet began, Shang Wu tried to liven up the atmosphere by talking about interesting things about Yu Wu.
Lu Rang occasionally chimed in, and A Ying chimed in with jokes, which kept the atmosphere from getting too awkward.
Halfway through the meal, Shang Wu suggested taking a family photo.
Everyone stood up and moved to the front of the backdrop.
Lu You deliberately stood in the position furthest away from Cheng Zhou, with Lu Rang and Shang Wu between them.
The camera froze this moment; everyone had a smile on their face, but behind those smiles lay unspoken emotions that no one could understand.
Cheng Zhou spoke very little during the meal, simply drinking his wine in silence.
After a few drinks, the alcohol amplified his inner turmoil and repression.
He looked at Lu You across from him, whose smile couldn't hide her aloofness, and then at Lu Zheng, who sat in the main seat with an imposing presence. A surge of emotion welled up inside him.
Cheng Zhou suddenly put down his wine glass, his voice not loud, and looked directly at Lu You: "Youyou, in front of Dad and Lu Rangrang, I'll ask you one more time, is there really no possibility for us? You really don't want to reconcile at all?"
In an instant, the entire dining table fell silent.
All eyes were on Lu You.
Lu You's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the chopsticks.
She raised her eyes and met Cheng Zhou's gaze, which was filled with drunkenness and pain. Instead of looking away, she asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time.
"Cheng Zhou, answer me in front of everyone, do you really want a child? A child with both your and my blood?"
Cheng Zhou was taken aback by her question; under the influence of alcohol, his thinking was somewhat sluggish.
But he still spoke on instinct, almost blurting it out urgently: "I want you! We can adopt the child, Youyou. I swear, I will never let you have the baby. I can't bear to see you suffer like that, and I will never let my mother force you again!"
This answer surprised everyone.
Even Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly.
Adoption? That would be a compromise, but it would also mean that Cheng Zhou would need to completely convince his mother and abandon the traditional concept of continuing the bloodline.
Lu You fell silent.
She looked at the urgency, pain, and pressure in Cheng Zhou's eyes and had nothing to say.
She had considered adoption before.
But this is also a major decision, and she needs time to process and weigh the pros and cons.
After a long silence, Lu You finally spoke in an almost inaudible voice under everyone's gaze: "...I'll think about it some more."
She neither explicitly refused nor accepted. This ambiguous attitude dimmed the hope that had just ignited in Cheng Zhou's heart.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end he just slumped back in his chair, shook his head with a bitter smile, and had nothing more to say.
Cheng Zhou ultimately couldn't stay for the entire meal.
He sat silently for a while, then got up, said goodbye to Lu Zheng and Shang Wu, and left early, citing company matters as the reason.
After he left, Lu Zheng put down his chopsticks with a sullen face, glanced at the empty seats left by Lu You and Cheng Zhou, and spoke in an unhappy tone.
"You've ruined a perfectly good 100-day celebration! What kind of behavior is this!"
Although he did not name names, the accusatory tone in his words was obvious.
Lu You kept her head down and didn't say anything.
After the banquet, she found Shang Wu with an apologetic look on her face: "A Wu, I'm sorry, I made such a mess of things today."
Shang Wu took her hand and patted it gently: "Sister You, don't say that. The banquet itself was very nice, and Yu Wu was very happy. What Lu Rang and I care about is not this. We just hope that you and Cheng Zhou can be happy together."
"We hope that whatever decision you ultimately make, as long as it is a well-considered choice that is good for both of you, we will support you."
Looking into Shang Wu's sincere eyes, Lu You felt a mix of emotions. In the end, she simply squeezed Shang Wu's hand tightly and whispered, "Thank you."
After leaving the hotel, Lu You did not go straight home.
She was in a lot of turmoil and needed to find a quiet place to calm down.
She drove to her usual quiet coffee shop, chose a window seat, ordered a black coffee, and stared blankly at the endless stream of cars outside.
After an unknown amount of time, a gentle male voice, tinged with surprise, sounded beside her: "Lu You? Is it really you?"
Lu You snapped out of her daze and turned to look. She saw a man in a casual suit, with a refined air, standing by the table with a surprised smile on his face.
It's Fu Mingyuan.
"It's you?" Lu You was also a little surprised, and forced a smile. "Long time no see."
"Yes, it's been a long time." Fu Mingyuan sat down opposite her naturally, his gaze lingering on her slightly tired face for a moment before he asked with concern, "You don't look well. Are you having coffee here alone? Something's bothering you?"
Lu You simply smiled faintly and did not deny it.
Fu Mingyuan was incredibly clever. Connecting this with some rumors he had vaguely heard recently, he guessed about 70-80% of the truth.
He said, half-jokingly and half-probingly, "I heard you and that guy from the Cheng family didn't have a good time? Sigh, if I had known it would be like this, you would have been better off marrying me. At least no one in my family would dare to pressure you to have children."
Lu You was taken aback.
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