Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

Chu Lui leaned his back against his chair tiredly and closed his eyes. It was easy to see how exhausted he was. He wondered how much longer he would have to live like this. However, it had been going on for so long he was beginning to feel that he should stop.

His heart was telling him not to continue and subject himself to grievance, to stop forcing himself to do things he was unwilling to do.

In reality, he was only human; not a god. He had responsibilities and obligations.

The weekend came. Li Manni had a hand around Chu Lui’s arm, and both of them were standing at the door outside the Li family’s home. They had been living in a small two-story villa given by Chu Lui after his wedding with Li Manni. Their company was in a huge crisis a few years back. If Li Manni had not met Chu Lui, the Li family might not be what they were now. They might even have to stay at a not-so-decent neighborhood.

Initially, Li Manni had been a home wrecker. If it was any other family with a different background, this definitely would not have happened. Mr. and Mrs. Li had objected to the idea in the first place. However, the subject was Chu Lui. In fact, they had helped to encourage things between Chu Lui and their daughter.

Both of them entered. Mrs. Li beamed happily until her eyes were almost closing as she saw her daughter and son-in-law. She purposely announced in a loud voice towards the people inside: “Zhiguo, Manni and Chu Lui have arrived.”

Mr. Li came out quickly. At the sight of his daughter and son-in-law, he couldn’t help but feel haughty.

“Mom, Dad.” Li Manni’s hand was holding tightly onto Chu Lui’s elbow as she greeted her parents.

“Mom, Dad, how are you?” Chu Lui, too, greeted without much warmth. His expression was also somber. He had always been like this. Perhaps, people might think he was an idiot if he smiled too much.

Li Manni’s parents naturally knew about their son-in-law’s temperament which was why they did not find it abnormal. They continued to smile brightly as they escorted their daughter and son-in-law inside.

Li Manni’s elder brother, Li Manxuan, and his girlfriend were both inside. When Li Manxuan’s new girlfriend—Xu Shiyang—saw Chu Lui, her eyes began to glitter. This man was one of a kind. He was tall with long legs and dashing features. Even his aura was threatening. Xu Shiyang was one who knew what was good. Her attire might look simple, but it was from a renowned international branding. She might have been able to hide the fact that she was wearing branded goods, but not her youth. No one could match her youthful look. She thought Li Manxuan was compatible with her. However, once she laid eyes on Chu Lui, she realized her boyfriend was far from good. One was the swan while the other, a toad.

Li Manxuan was unhappy by Xu Shiyang’s undisguised interest towards Chu Lui. Was she interested in having a relationship with another woman’s husband?

Mr. and Mrs. Li’s expression became awkward, even embarrassed by the exchange between the youngsters. However, Li Manxuan’s expression resembled one who had been slapped across the face. He was truly hurt, and he found it unbearable. He was humiliated physically and emotionally by Xu Shiyang and his brother-in-law, Chu Lui. In an instant, his complexion changed for the worse, and he didn’t bother to be polite with his brother-in-law.

Chu Lui was quiet throughout dinner. He only spoke when Mr. Li asked him a question. In some ways, Mr. Li was trying to direct Chu Lui into a certain direction hoping to gain some business information. Chu Lui was well aware of his intention, and he had divulged a lot of his company’s information to his father-in-law. He knew that Mr. Li had undercut him in many contracts which were half-way through the negotiation. However, he chose to turn a blind eye despite his knowledge.

Recently, the Li family had gotten out of hand as their appetite became bigger. If they were to undertake contracts beyond their resources, they would not be able to manage. This time, Chu Lui had chosen to divulge the details to a few small contracts that the Chu Enterprise was negotiating for. These contracts might seem small, but to a small company like Mr. Li’s, they would suffice for a year. Yet, Mr. Li didn’t seem satisfied as he would intentionally drop a few sarcastic remarks.

“Ah Lui, look. I’m getting old. My health is not as good as it used to be. There has not been any progress in the company for years. I’m beginning to get anxious, too!”

Chu Lui pursed his thin lips. No progress? It was doing better as compared to the company that was on the brink of bankruptcy a few years back. It had recovered despite being on the verge of closing down, and it definitely had made more than one step in improvement.

People had always said that man was greedy by nature. When one was used to having too much, one tended to forget one’s position.

“Ah Lui...” Mr. Li wanted to say more but was interrupted by Chu Lui. “Dad, Brother will be taking over the business in the future. I believe he will have his way of handling things and make the company better.”

Li Manxuan couldn’t take the agitation especially after just now. His girlfriend had shown an obvious interest in Chu Lui. That had irritated him and caused his hatred against Chu Lui to rise in his heart.

“That’s right. Our family does not need to depend on others.” He stuck out his chest as his lips curled into a cold smile, and fireworks could be seen erupting within his eyes. They almost burnt his father. Mr. Li kept side-eyeing his son, trying to hint him; but Li Manxuan clearly was engulfed in his own realm of hatred. Not only did he not see his father’s subtle hints, but he had lost all his basic thinking skills. For a man, what could be more humiliating and disgusting than being presented with a glossy and green hat by his own girlfriend and made a cuckold out of him?

Li Manxuan was disgusted, so thoroughly disgusted by his brother-in-law. Although his girlfriend was disgusting, the culprit was Chu Lui.

“Dad, you can rest assured.” Li Manxuan promised, teeth clenched. “I believe once I have taken over the company, I will be able to bring it up to another level. Our equity will accumulate a few times more than now. It won’t lose out to brother-in-law’s company. Am I right, Brother-in-law?”

“I believe you, Brother.” Chu Lui replied plainly, not taking Li Manxuan’s challenge seriously.

Sometimes, talent was an important thing. Not everyone had the talent to be a businessman, spot a business opportunity at first glance, and grab it or make full use of it. Chu Lui obviously was a talented businessman. Li Manxuan, on the other hand, was not. He became agitated too fast so he wouldn’t be able to achieve much in the future. Such was human nature. To put it plainly, intelligence was important, too.

This was a man’s war; there would be bloodshed, not fire or smoke.

Whereas in a woman’s world, not all seemed peaceful. A woman’s war, at times, was much bloodier than a man’s.

“Sister Manni, you and Brother-in-law have such a cordial relationship.” Xu Shiyang sipped the fruit punch in her glass. One wondered at the sincerity of her remark. Was it mockery, envy, or jealousy?

“When you become my sister-in-law after you have married my brother, you will be more loving than Chu Lui and myself.” Li Manni smiled as her face lit up with bliss. Then, a look of jealousy flashed across Xu Shiyang’s face.