Ling Chuxia’s hand, clenched tight, was breaking out in a cold sweat, despite the room’s temperature being constant. She couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily.
Once a lie was told, it inevitably had to be covered up with countless more lies. Since she had already said she was accompanying Ji Xinxin, she could only brazen it out and continue with her fabrications.
Ling Chuxia swallowed hard, managing to squeeze out a semblance of a smile while restraining the trembling in her voice, she slowly replied, "No, Shen Qian just dropped Xinxin off at home and left. Xinxin had quite a bit to drink tonight and remembered some things from the past, so... I went to accompany her."
As soon as Ling Chuxia said this, Shi Che’s dark eyes slightly tensed. The past affairs concerning Ji Xinxin had been so sensational back then; Ling Chuxia had mentioned them to Shi Che before, and he knew a bit about them.
Feeling sorrow after becoming drunk on memories seemed almost inevitable. Shi Che understood this sensation himself. His gaze grew heavier, his thin lips lightly pursed, but he said nothing.
Although Ling Chuxia wasn’t looking at Shi Che, she knew his gaze was fixed on her, making her scalp tingle intermittently. She didn’t know whether he believed what she said or not, only that her heart was wildly pounding, almost leaping out of her chest.
Just as Ling Chuxia thought she might have given herself away, Shi Che finally spoke.
At the sound of his voice, Ling Chuxia unconsciously tightened her grip on her hands, and her breathing involuntarily ceased.
Shi Che’s voice was deeper and huskier than before, but instead of questioning her, he simply said, "In the future, if it’s this late and you need to go somewhere, wake me up. Don’t go out alone."
His words entered Ling Chuxia’s ears, one by one, her dark eyes suddenly widened in shock and surprise.
Did Shi Che... believe what she had said?
And... were those words of concern for her?
Did he fear for her safety if she went out alone at night? Is that why he asked her to wake him?
Ling Chuxia’s gaze drifted unconsciously toward Shi Che, and Shi Che’s dark eyes were also watching her. Their eyes met, and despite the dim surroundings, despite the difficulty in discerning each other’s faces, Ling Chuxia felt as though she could see clearly into his eyes.
Ling Chuxia’s heart felt as if it had been harshly poked, stirring up a prickly ache. To be fair, these past days, Shi Che’s attitude towards her had slowly changed; he no longer lost his temper at her on a whim, his mood was no longer as capricious, and more often than not, he was quite gentle with her.
Although it couldn’t compare to the early days of marriage, it was much, much better than the former coldness and disdain.
But she... was secretly scheming against him, calculating his moves...
In that instant, Ling Chuxia couldn’t bring herself to look into Shi Che’s eyes; she fiercely lowered hers as a sourness welled up in her throat, making her terribly uncomfortable.
"Since there’s nothing wrong now, let’s continue to sleep," Shi Che said. Stretching out his hand, he pulled Ling Chuxia to lie down, then he pulled over the blanket, covering her, and even tucked in the corners gently.
Ling Chuxia watched dumbly as Shi Che did all this, the sourness in her throat growing more intense, rising to her eyes and bringing a mist before her eyes.
Fearing that Shi Che would notice her discomfort, she quickly closed her eyes.
After covering her with the blanket and giving her one last look, seeing that her eyes were closed, Shi Che slowly withdrew his hand, lying back down with gentle movements, he too closed his eyes.