Oops, I had a ONS With My Secret Ex-husband
Chapter 39 I’ll Take You Home

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 I’ll Take You Home

Since helping Ji Yu handle the online news, Lu Xingchen began heading to another film crew for auditions.

When he finally succeeded in the audition and the official announcement was made, Lu Xingchen had time to return home.

On the day he returned, countless fans and paparazzi were waiting at the airport.

The fans were there to catch a glimpse of their long-absent "husband actor," while the paparazzi were more focused on seeing if they could dig up more news about Lu Xingchen after his return.

After all, in earlier times, Lu Xingchen was never someone who casually helped out a stranger caught in a scandal.

Even if he commented, it would be just two or three perfunctory or diplomatic remarks.

But now, in Ji Yu’s case, he’s said so much, leading the paparazzi to sense that something was amiss.

They suspected that Lu Xingchen might have feelings for his "lifesaving benefactor."

Over the past three years, whenever Lu Xingchen was asked if he planned on getting married, he never refused to answer. But each time, his response was merely that he hadn’t met the right person yet.

Now the paparazzi were speculating that perhaps something had happened to Doctor Ji in those three years. After all, before preparing their reports on this story, they’d done some investigating.

During the past three years, Doctor Ji had refused all patient appointments.

For a doctor who hadn’t taken cases for three years to suddenly return to hospital work, there must be a hidden reason!

"Did everyone wait long? Thank you for your efforts."

After getting off the plane, Lu Xingchen took it upon himself to lead his fans to a large open space, minimizing interference with the airport’s operations.

He instructed his assistants to distribute the small gifts he had prepared in advance for the fans, and, after collecting the handwritten letters from the fans, he carefully reminded them about a few things before finally turning to leave.

The paparazzi watched as Lu Xingchen left, noted the license plate of his vehicle, and quickly informed their colleagues.

"Lu Xingchen has gone. Folks, keep an eye out for the license plate number—Beijing A-7593."

"Understood."

...

After tailing Lu Xingchen to a café, the paparazzi entered and immediately spotted Ji Yu sitting near the window.

Since Lu Xingchen had chosen the location for their meeting, Ji Yu had assumed he would book a private room. However, upon asking, she discovered all the private rooms had been booked up.

Unperturbed by the lack of a private room, Ji Yu simply chose a spot near the window based on her own preference and sat down.

The hot cocoa in her hand had already cooled. She stirred the cup idly as she waited for Lu Xingchen to arrive.

"Yu."

Everyone around Lu Xingchen knew Ji Yu’s real name, but how they addressed her varied according to personal habits.

Hearing someone call her name, Ji Yu raised her head to look at him.

It had to be said—the movie star was indeed handsome.

Even though Gu Qixiao, among the elite circles in the capital, wasn’t considered unattractive, Lu Xingchen’s natural and unadorned movie star charm was far more striking.

Moreover, his entire being exuded a refined elegance, making Ji Yu feel at ease around him.

Perhaps because they were just friends, Ji Yu always felt more relaxed when interacting with Lu Xingchen.

"I couldn’t find where your reserved seat was, so I picked a spot I liked."

Since they were outside the private room, the specific seat didn’t matter much, so Ji Yu chose one based on her own preferences.

"That’s fine, no problem."

Having openly supported Ji Yu previously, Lu Xingchen felt that there was no issue with them publicly sharing a coffee together.

But what he hadn’t anticipated was the team of paparazzi nearby snapping endless photos.

No matter the angle or the position.

The paparazzi focused solely on capturing the footage they wanted.

Their goal this time was to fabricate a scandal between the two. Whether or not there was actual ambiguity between them was irrelevant.

That’s how paparazzi operated—traffic first, profit above all.

Yet, they didn’t rush to edit or release the content immediately. After wrapping up their shoot, most of them left, leaving a couple of people behind to continue monitoring the pair while the rest went back to discuss their next steps.

Unaware of the paparazzi’s actions, Lu Xingchen and Ji Yu began talking about their lives over the past three years. Back then, Lu Xingchen had been aware of Ji Yu’s marriage.

At first, Lu Xingchen maintained a congratulatory attitude. But later, once Ji Yu ceased contact with him, he realized she had gone through with the marriage.

"How have you been these past three years, Yu?"

Lu Xingchen’s heart was brimming with emotions he couldn’t express. Countless questions he wanted to ask ultimately condensed into a simple "How have you been lately?"

He wanted to ask Ji Yu if she was divorced, whether her husband treated her well.

He also wanted to ask if she had children.

If not, if she was divorced, could he...? Could he?

"I’m okay. I got divorced a few days ago. Now I’m focusing again on my career. By the way, today I just saw you finalized a new movie project?"

Ji Yu knew well about Lu Xingchen’s workaholic tendencies. It was actually part of why they later became good friends.

She herself had always been the type to be deeply committed to her work, so she and Lu Xingchen—despite their different careers—often discussed ways to decompress, rest, and improve work efficiency after wrapping up exhausting schedules.

Ji Yu and Lu Xingchen didn’t talk for long; shortly after the paparazzi left, they wrapped up their meeting and left as well.

But this time, they didn’t go their separate ways.

Lu Xingchen had instructed his assistant to leave after arriving at the café, leaving him with their car keys.

He needed some time alone, as there were feelings he was still sorting through.

Especially upon hearing Ji Yu’s mention of her divorce earlier, this need for reflection was only heightened.

"Let me take you home."

Originally intending to refuse, Ji Yu felt her resolve wavering under Lu Xingchen’s earnest gaze. Eventually, she acquiesced, letting him take her home.

After all, some things were bound to be faced sooner or later, weren’t they?

That gaze—she had seen it before, in Ji Yuanzhou’s eyes.

Since Lu Xingchen was the one dropping her off, Ji Yu chose not to return to her own apartment.

Instead, she got into the car and sent Feng Qinqin a quick message, saying she’d be heading back to the Ji family home that night. After that, she put her phone away, inadvertently missing the explosive news that later emerged online.

...

Outside the Ji family residence, the paparazzi had long since given up their pursuit due to interference from the security guards.

As Lu Xingchen opened the car door for Ji Yu, his indescribable expression only served to confirm her suspicions.

Even though they hadn’t seen each other in three years, and even though their conversation on the way to her house had been minimal.

Ji Yu could still make out the fervent affection in Lu Xingchen’s gaze.

Lu Xingchen lingered there, looking at Ji Yu. Though the car door was already open, he remained in place, blocking her from stepping out.

After a moment’s thought, Ji Yu, realizing all this would have to be faced eventually, finally broke the silence as Lu Xingchen hesitated to speak.

"Xingchen, I know what you want to say."

"What I can tell you is that I got married for personal reasons before—I never loved my ex-husband. But..."