Chapter 7: Too Clever by Half, the Jiang Family is Finished!

"I will stay at the Qin residence for the rest of the day; you all should think it over carefully."

Under the watchful eyes of the Qin family, he turned and walked away. As he passed Jiang Ruxue, his shoulder brushed against her clothing, yet Lu Fan did not pause for even a second. Their eyes met, and in the depths of his gaze, she caught a flicker of disappointment. It was only natural; for the past five years, he had served her with his utmost devotion, only to be discarded and belittled in front of others when it no longer suited her. Jiang Ruxue was somewhat thin-skinned, and a wave of shame washed over her. She had wanted to part ways with Lu Fan amicably, not reach a point of mutual humiliation.

While her father and Shen Qianye continued to lobby the Qin family, Jiang Ruxue chased after him. She opened her mouth, intending to offer an apology, but upon seeing Lu Fan sitting calmly on a stone bench beneath the bamboo grove—not even deigning to look at her, as if she were mere air—the words on her tongue turned bitter: "Why are you still lingering at the Qin house? I told you long ago that the upper crust is not a place for someone of your status. Even if what my father and I said earlier was harsh, it was ultimately for your own good."

"So, should I be thanking you, then?"

Jiang Ruxue met his deep, steady gaze. Whether it was her imagination or not, she could no longer find a trace of his former humbleness or desire to please. There was only a profound stillness, and she couldn't help but feel that Lu Fan was mocking her. She stamped her foot. "What kind of attitude is that?"

In the past, the moment he sensed even a hint of her anger, Lu Fan would have immediately tried to coax her into a good mood. But now, he simply sat on the stone bench and closed his eyes. Jiang Ruxue felt a knot of discomfort in her heart. "You come back to the Jiang house with me right now!"

Lu Fan pulled his hand back and opened his eyes. "Miss Jiang, we are already divorced."

The word "divorced" pulled Jiang Ruxue back to reality, feeling as if Lu Fan had delivered a sharp slap to her face. Seeing her turn deathly pale, Lu Fan offered a piece of well-intentioned advice: "For the sake of the time we spent as husband and wife, you should draw a line between yourself and Shen Qianye immediately—the further away, the better. Otherwise..."

"You little brat! It seems your skin is itching for a beating again. I haven't even settled the score with you for colluding with that little vixen from the Lin family, and now you dare to sow discord between my daughter and Qianye? I’m warning you: you are divorced! From now on, you have nothing to do with each other! Don't you dare stand in the way of my daughter's bright future."

Jiang's father lashed out with a torrent of abuse, and Jiang Ruxue chimed in, "Lu Fan, I know you are unwilling to let go, but our status gap is too wide; we were never a match. Even though I don't love you, you are, after all, Xiaoyou's father. I don't want to see you get into trouble, so stop acting tough and leave at once."

Lu Fan looked at this obstinate father and daughter. Even now, they still believed he was merely jealous of Shen Qianye and Jiang Ruxue. Since they refused to listen to his well-meant advice, it was no longer his concern.

Shen Qianye emerged with a smile on his face. "Uncle Jiang, good news! The Third Master's complexion is flushed; it seems Dr. Huo's medicine is working. He was just shouting that he was hungry and wanted to eat."

Jiang's father was overjoyed. "Truly? This is wonderful news! Heaven must be blessing the Jiang family. Qianye, this is all thanks to you."

Shen Qianye cast a provocative glance at Lu Fan. "I only contributed a meager effort. As for you, Lu Fan, you toad, why haven't you scurried off yet?"

As they left in high spirits, Lin Ziyu looked troubled. "Junior Brother, if they steal the credit and the Jiang and Shen families form an alliance, the threat to the Lin family will be immense."

"Senior Sister, have you ever heard of the 'flash of light before the end'?"

"You mean... the Third Master?"

Lu Fan’s expression was solemn. "Dr. Huo is no quack; on the contrary, he is quite skilled. But he misjudged this case. His medicine was not the correct treatment; instead, it will only trigger a fatal flare-up of the Third Master's condition."

"That’s right—after you left, he added more medicine."

Lu Fan stood up, hands behind his back, looking at the sunset with a soft sigh. "There was originally half a day left, but now, I fear there is only half an hour."

As expected, a few minutes later, the sound of a woman crying erupted from inside. The servants hurriedly begged Lu Fan to enter. The moment he crossed the threshold, the Third Mistress of the Qin family stumbled toward him and, in full view of everyone, knelt at his feet. "Mr. Lu, please, I beg you, take out that medicine! Whether he lives or dies, I will accept it!"

The Jiang family stood deathly pale. When the Third Master had been eating his porridge earlier, Shen Qianye had held Jiang Ruxue’s hand and introduced her as his girlfriend. At that time, the Third Master had looked perfectly normal, even praising them as a match made in heaven and offering to be their marriage witness. Yet, within five minutes of that, his condition had suddenly deteriorated. Jiang Ruxue finally realized the weight of Lu Fan’s warning, but it was too late for regrets.

The Qin Matriarch was furious, declaring that she would not let them off! Jiang Ruxue collapsed to the floor, and her father’s face turned ashen. Even Shen Qianye, who had been the most arrogant of them all, did not dare utter a single word.

Lu Fan bent down to help the Third Mistress up. "Get up first. Let's hurry; the Third Master doesn't have much time."

The Third Mistress wiped her tears as she led him to the bedside. "Mr. Lu, I leave it to you."

Lu Fan took out the medicine, and no one from the Jiang family dared to interfere. The Third Master’s face was gray, like that of a corpse. If he died after taking Lu Fan’s medicine, they could conveniently lay the blame on him. It was their last chance to save themselves. Jiang Ruxue opened her mouth several times, but thinking of the Jiang family, she remained silent. *I'm sorry, Lu Fan. I warned you not to get involved in this mess.*

Watching the Third Master take the medicine, Jiang Ruxue felt conflicted. She hoped the Third Master would recover, yet she also feared it. If he recovered, it would be to Lu Fan's credit—and they had just made it clear to the Qin family that they had cut ties with him. If he didn't, they would be implicated anyway. She blamed Shen Qianye for being so impatient to announce their relationship and dragging the Jiang family into this.

Shen Qianye was far more malicious; he was now praying for the Third Master to die. If he died, he could shift the blame onto Lu Fan and make him the scapegoat. Everyone watched the Third Master, each with their own hidden agenda.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the man who had been at death's door suddenly flipped over and, in front of everyone, spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Shen Qianye shouted, "You audacious Lu Fan! What kind of poison did you feed the Third Master?"

Jiang Ruxue’s vision went dark, and her body swayed. The Jiang family was truly finished!