Chapter 62: The ideal outcome we all want
"Young master, I'm confused. Why didn't you accept Xiao Xiu's offer?" When Elder Wu heard Ye Meixiu's proposal, it made him really happy. The proposal is very beneficial for Lu Chen in the long run. Not only would Lu Chen be tutored by the smartest student, but it would also give him an advantage in Lu Chen's plan to break his engagement with Liu Fei Fei.
By having Ye Meixiu stay by Lu Chen's side, Lu Chen could say he and Ye Meixiu are a couple. Since Liu Fei Fei is going out with Long Shen, it would have been a valid reason for Lu Chen to break the engagement.
"Elder Wu, I know your thinking about using Ye Meixiu in my plans, but it might have a different outcome than what you imagined."
From the expression on Elder Wu’s face, Lu Chen knew Elder Wu wanted to use Ye Meixiu in his plan, and Lu Chen had the same thought of using Ye Meixiu. But he immediately shook off the idea of using her.
Lu Chen had already thought of the worst and best possible outcomes that would have come out if he uses Ye Meixiu.
Elder Wu wanted to explain his plan about how Ye Meixiu is beneficial for Lu Chen in breaking the engagement. However, Lu Chen interrupts him,
"Elder Wu, your thinking that once Ye Meixiu is in the mix, it would look like Liu Fei Fei and me are dating somebody else. Then our break up would be mutual, and both our families will allow it. Am I right?" This is the first idea Lu Chen had thought up of as it is the most obvious one that he had planned.
Nodding his, Elder Wu agrees with what Lu Chen said. That is the exact plan he had mapped out at the spur of the moment. Since the two of them have other significant others, their families would have to give up on the two of them being together.
But Lu Chen had other thoughts on this matter. He shakes his head as he continues, "That's the ideal outcome everbody wants, but there is a higher chance that it won't happen at all. Elder Wu, you did a background check on Long Shen, right?”
“Yes, young master. But from what information that I gather, it wasn’t anything important.” From what Elder Wu had gathered on Long Shen, it was pretty average. Long Shen is the son of middle-class workers. There is one thing that is unordinary about Long Shen, which is his grade. The only reason why he got into First High is because of his excellent scores. Besides his intelligence, everything else was pretty ordinary."
Lu Chen nods, agreeing with everything that Elder Wu had said about Long Shen, “All of your information about Long Shen is accurate, Elder Wu. But there is one thing that you are undermining in the information.” It was the same thing he almost overlooked when he was about to go with the plan.
“Hmm? What am I-” Elder Wu begins to ponder, but before he asks Lu Chen what he was undermining, his mind clicks as he realizes what it was.
Noticing the change in Elder Wu’s expression, Lu Chen continues, “It seems that you realize the problem; his social standing.” His standing is so normal and ordinary that it made Lu Chen ignore it.
People had always liked the cliche of the princess and the commoner falling in love with each other. Then they would get the blessing from the princess’s parents. Finally, getting married afterward and live happily ever after. Yes, this cliche was something that every girl and guy wishes, but this is reality. Those who want to marry into a wealthy family out of love are less than one percent in Lu Chen’s eyes.
“Would the prestigious Liu family allow Long Shen to marry into their family?” Lu Chen asks Elder Wu.
Most certainly not. Even though Liu Fei Fei won’t be the one to inherit the Liu Corporation when she gets older, she is still the only princess of the Lius. Naturally, even if her parents allow Liu Fei Fei to get married to whoever she wanted, it doesn't mean they will like him. Her parents would be cautious of what type of background her other half would have.
Hey there, I've been following/ghosting this story since its first incarnation and I would like to add my two cents about the story. I'm more in agreement with TDM than lehur, the other two frequent posters. Unlike lehur, I don't think that Lu Chen should act like a stereotypical villain in a XianXia novel. There's a saying in Chinese, 'Killing With A Borrowed Knife'. Just because Lu Chen doesn't take action directly doesn't make him any less culpable in the torture and murder of Long Shen if he orders it.
Then again, I don't quite agree with TDM either when he cited The Count Of Monte Cristo. We haven't seen much of Lu Chen's life when he was an adult and married to Liu Fei Fei, and what little we do have is from the mouths of Long Shen and Liu Fei Fei. But given that Lu Chen doesn't deny that he forced her to marry him threatening to commit suicide, then there's at least one thing that Lu Chen did that was wrong.
Don't get me wrong, there is no justification for her cheating on and then later taking everything away from him and murdering Lu Chen, none. But if you see it from her perspective, Lu Chen is a creepy, crazed stalker that won't accept no for an answer no matter how many times she said no and showed that she meant it too. Basically Lu Chen was the one who ruined her life by making her marry someone she doesn't love and even hates by that point for years while Lu Chen himself damn well knows it. He threatened to commit suicide in the first place after all. Liu Fei Fei's family itself probably doesn't know about this since in the first incarnation of the story, I remember Lu Chen saying that the other members of the Liu family were kind to him from the very beginning.
As for those saying why didn't she just break the marriage agreement with Lu Chen, the marriage agreement was made by their grandfathers, plus one side was madly in love with the other. Do you really think that if she voiced out her disagreement with the marriage agreement, that her family would agree? Especially if Long Shen's background is true, with a family background and social status that doesn't match up with hers? The more likely outcome would be that she wouldn't be allowing to even meet Long Shen while Long Shen would probably be quietly 'disappeared'.
The fact of the matter is, there is SOME grey area in the entire affair. Liu Fei Fei is following her heart and taking actions, no matter how reprehensible, in order to be with the one she considers her destined one, and while we don't know about Long Shen's actual motives yet, I think it's safe to say that he is merely a pawn, used by another party to destroy the Lu family. And now that Lu Chen came back in time, there's even less justification if he directly plots revenge on the two of them. You cannot punish someone for something that hasn't happened yet, especially if you are not entirely innocent in the matter.
Now saying all that, I don't mean that Lu Chen should just forgive them, just be wary of them and prepare for the eventuality of them coming after him. If they act against him, THEN he should retaliate. 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.' or 'An eye for an eye.' Lu Chen is no saint after all. I'm just saying that the matter with Liu Fei Fei herself shouldn't be so clean cut, as for Long Shen himself he's probably a bit*h in sheep's clothing.
To summarize, I think that a more ambiguous situation with Liu Fei Fei and Lu Chen realizing his own role in his downfall and treating at least Liu Fei Fei more civilly would be a better display of his own maturity. Plus it leaves the possibility of Liu Fei Fei coming to regret her attitude regarding Lu Chen, and maybe, just maybe, allow her to become a harem member, WAY WAY down the line?
To add onto what I wrote, I like these types of betrayal plots more when the villains or bad guys are not mustache twirling stereotypes, or at least some of them aren't that way, I think it makes for a more interesting plot overall.
Hopefully Mr. Author sees this and takes it into consideration.
So you basically are rooting for the bit*h got it ?
I agree with everything expect for Lu Fei Fei to become harem member she need to go through redemption sort of. Because she hated him to the point of killing him. So, not easy to become harem member at this point in story.
Unless she too got knowledge of her previous self and after killing MC and she realized that MC loved her very much and Long Shen is not as she thought.So, more drama plot coz in this life MC loved for Lu Fei Fei died with his previous life.
Yeah i agree for getting revenge to Liu fei fei is no no when they not knowing anything about past lives, but well i'm not agree with adding Liu fei fei to harem. But i wanna see how Long Shen plan failed "Greatly" and became laughinstock. So author-sama pliss hear my request!!
Blob Nutural
Ugh. . . . this isnt releasing fast enough lol, too good
hello
Thanks for the chapter!