Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Qiao Lu Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Qiao Lu hadn’t expected the village chief to refuse, so she offered more money, only to hear him say, “The Han family isn’t around, and we can’t touch their things, so the house can’t be rented.”

Knowing these folks meant trouble for the Lu family, the village chief couldn’t stop them from showing up, but he was dead set on blocking any funny business—especially since the Han house had already been quietly taken over. Though he didn’t know exactly what it was being used for, anything tied to the Lu family got his full protection without hesitation.

Lu Hang and Lu Ming had left early, so the village chief wasn’t aware of the situation. Now, faced with Qiao Lu’s persistence, he was clearly losing patience.

Qiao Lu hadn’t realized the real reason she couldn’t rent the house was because the Han family wasn’t there.

Just as she was figuring out what to do next, she ran into Lin Nannan, who was in a bad mood. Seeing her chance, Qiao Lu approached with ill intent: “Lin Nannan, you know I’m close with Lu Hang. I’m new here and don’t know anyone—I need his help with something. Could you point me in the right direction…?”

If she couldn’t stay at the Han place, she’d just move straight into the Lu household instead.

That was Qiao Lu’s plan—but not only was it unrealistic to begin with, she also happened to run into Lin Nannan at the worst possible time. Her plan went up in smoke.

“You’re asking a cripple for help?” Lin Nannan shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Normally, if Lu Hang were there, she wouldn’t have minded him stepping in. But now that he was gone, her mood had shifted—especially with this woman acting like she had some kind of claim on him. It made Lin Nannan want to smack her into next week—how dare she go after *her* man? She was asking for it!

Qiao Lu was momentarily stunned by Lin Nannan’s bluntness, then, as if trying to seize an advantage, exclaimed while putting on a show, “Nan Nan, you and Lu Hang are married! How can you talk about him like that? Even if he’s injured, in my heart, he’s still a hero.”

She said it loud enough to get people looking. The villagers loved gossip, and they already knew the new girl had it out for Lin Nannan—she was clearly after Lu Hang. So they gathered round, some even calling others over to catch the drama.

Lin Nannan saw right through Qiao Lu’s act, but in her current mood, she wasn’t playing along. She fired back, “Oh, a hero, huh? Then *you* stay and marry him!”

Qiao Lu, who had been trying to stir up trouble between them, was completely thrown—this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

Weren’t they supposed to be deeply in love? Why was Lin Nannan acting like this?

“But you’re already married…” Qiao Lu tried to argue, but Lin Nannan didn’t let up. “Actually, *you* met him first. I should give you the chance. Go ahead—say it! Will you marry him or not?”

“Yeah, you chased him all the way here! Will you marry him or not?” Some sharp-eyed aunties, seeing through Qiao Lu’s little game, egged her on.

“Pfft, she’s all talk. Who’d actually marry a cripple? Not everyone is like Lin Nannan, strong enough to take care of a paralyzed man.” The crowd looked at Qiao Lu like she was dirt, their opinion of her sinking fast as she hesitated and made excuses.

They weren’t stupid—who would willingly tie themselves to someone like that?

Now cornered, Qiao Lu sputtered, humiliated, “Lu Hang doesn’t even like me! What difference does it make if I *wanted* to marry him?”

“If you know it makes no difference, then why bother looking for him? He’s just a cripple—what could he possibly do for you? Or do you think the village chief treated you poorly?” Lin Nannan’s sharp words left Qiao Lu with no good answer—anything she said would only dig her deeper. Furious, she was boiling mad at Lin Nannan.