Chapter 46: I Want Your Life

Although Jiang Ruxue repeatedly stated that Lu Fan was extremely exhausted at the moment, not a single person in the Jiang family listened to her.

First, Jiang's father called Lu Fan, but receiving no answer, he personally brought people to the villa.

Upon entering, he saw Lu Fan fast asleep in the guest bedroom. Enraged, Jiang's father kicked the bedside table and shouted, "Get the hell up!"

It wasn't just that Lu Fan was sleeping deeply; he simply couldn't hear the noises outside at all.

Though he appeared to be asleep, he was actually recovering his energy.

When Jiang's father called out and received no response, his anger only grew. In his heart, Lu Fan was ultimately just a junior, and a useless one at that.

Their perspective was completely opposite to that of Third Master Qin. While Third Master Qin believed Lu Fan was a reclusive master of hidden arts, the Jiang family never entertained such a thought for a moment. If Lu Fan had any genuine talent or capability, he wouldn't have lived a life of mediocrity for five years.

All of this was merely a coincidence.

Despising Lu Fan, he naturally wouldn't treat him with any decency.

"Well, well, Lu Fan, you think you can play possum with me?"

"Dad, he really is just too tired, he's not faking it. Just wait until he wakes up; he promised me he would save my younger brother, and Lu Fan doesn't lie," Jiang Ruxue explained.

The reason she and Lu Fan had reached this point today was entirely because of her family, and she did not want to continue making mistakes.

If the Jiang family continued to show disrespect to Lu Fan, it would only push him further and further away!

No longer playing deaf and dumb as she used to, Jiang Ruxue began to defend Lu Fan, hoping to pick up the pieces of their shattered marriage.

However, because Jiang Rushan's condition had him on edge, Jiang's father assumed Lu Fan's posture was a sign of utter disregard for the Jiang family. He couldn't take in a single word Jiang Ruxue said.

"A woman's heart is too soft. Assistant Zhang, go fetch a basin of water."

Jiang Ruxue's eyes widened in shock. "Dad, what are you going to do?"

Jiang's father sneered coldly, "Isn't he trying to pretend to be asleep? I want to see how well he can sleep now!"

"Dad, you can't treat Lu Fan like this. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Who told him to play dead? I refuse to believe he won't wake up with all this noise."

While they were speaking, the assistant had already brought over a basin of cold water. Jiang's father said expressionlessly, "Pour it down."

"No, you can't!" Jiang Ruxue panicked.

"Eldest Miss, please step aside and don't make things difficult for us."

"You are not allowed to pour it!" Jiang Ruxue snapped, her eyes fierce. What kind of life had Lu Fan been forced to live in the past?

Yet, in the Jiang family, her words carried no weight whatsoever. As the assistant stood in a standoff with her, Jiang's father uttered a low curse, snatched the basin from the assistant's hands, and without a second thought, hurled the water straight at Lu Fan's body.

A piercing chill struck him. While Lu Fan was still deep in sleep, the external force violently interrupted his body's self-healing process. Before he could open his eyes and figure out the situation, he felt a stabbing pain radiating through his internal organs.

"Go on, fake it. Why don't you keep..." Jiang's father taunted sarcastically from the side.

The next second, he saw Lu Fan clutch his chest and spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Terrified out of her wits at the sight, Jiang Ruxue rushed toward him in a panic. "Lu Fan, are you alright?"

Jiang's father remained unimpressed. "You really are a good actor. I just poured a basin of cold water, and you're already coughing up blood. That fake blood looks quite realistic, though. Lu Fan, I'm not saying this just to be mean—we all underestimated you before. You should have gone into the entertainment industry; the way you just spat up blood is far more convincing than many professional actors."

"Dad, stop talking! Please, stop talking!"

Wiping the cold water from his face, Jiang Ruxue asked with a heart full of anguish, "Are you alright?"

Lu Fan sat where he was and regulated his breathing for a moment. Already weak to begin with, coughing up this blood left his face even paler, as fragile as a sheet of paper. With a raspy voice, he said, "I... I'm fine."

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Jiang's father adopted a condescending tone once more. "If you're fine, get your ass up and hurry to the hospital to check on Rushan. If you can't cure my son, I'll take your life!"