Shen Qian looked at his watch on his wrist and then spoke, "Since you’re awake, I’ll be leaving now."
Shi Che responded faintly with a hum; Shen Qian was long accustomed to his cold disposition and thought nothing of it. He turned to walk toward the door but paused before exiting to remind him again, "Don’t forget to come to the birthday party."
This time, Shi Che didn’t even glance at him. Shen Qian shrugged his shoulders and stepped out of the room.
The room fell silent. Shi Che fastened his tie, donned his suit, picked up his wallet and car keys, and was ready to leave. Yet, as he passed by the table, his gaze involuntarily swept over it.
The red invitation card lay quietly on the table, the dim yellow light of the room seeming to refract a bit of luster from it.
Shi Che’s dark eyes intensified, a surge of emotion appearing as if he was struggling with something within. Finally, his hand involuntarily reached out and picked up the red invitation card.
When Shi Che exited the hotel, the sun was shining brightly outside. Perhaps it was because of the hangover, but the sunlight on his body caused a piercing dizziness. He steadied himself, took out his phone intending to call Xiao Zhao, but accidentally grabbed another phone.
On the screen, clean and clear, there were no calls and no messages, just as it was before.
He stared at the phone for a while, then suddenly, his expression turned fierce, and with a flash of anger, he hurled the phone onto the ground. It smashed with a loud crash, breaking instantly into two pieces.
The greeter at the hotel entrance, shocked by Shi Che’s sudden action, trembled with fear. Recognizing this man as Young Master Shi, he dared not act as if he hadn’t seen anything. Instead, he mustered his courage, approached softly, and asked, "Young Master Shi, are you alright?"
The fierceness in Shi Che’s eyes flickered, but the next second, it had completely vanished, leaving behind his usual indifferent expression as if the earlier outburst had been an illusion.
Shi Che’s dark eyes fell on the shattered phone on the ground. He clenched his fists tightly but slowly bent down and sifted through the fragments, picking up the SIM card and clutching it tightly in his palm.
Chuxia had a sleepless night, tossing and turning. Every time she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but recall her elder sister asking her in a low voice, "You and the young master are getting divorced, aren’t you?" Her voice had carried a tinge of anxiety but also a hint of hope, as if she had been hoping for a definitive answer at that moment.
After all, she had finally returned, surely to reunite with Shi Che.
And Chuxia, having fiercely guarded this position for three years, wasn’t it all in anticipation of her elder sister’s return, followed by a divorce from Shi Che, letting everything reset to its original place?
Yet, why now, at the thought of this matter, did she instinctively want to flee, even feeling her heart painfully constricting?
Chuxia pressed her hand against her chest, her eyes open until dawn.
The next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Chuxia’s phone rang. Her spirit was languid after a sleepless night; the ringtone sounded several times before she registered it and reached for her phone.
Her gaze fell on the phone screen, and the two characters for "elder sister" jumped out, causing Chuxia’s hand to pause, and a flicker of unease swiftly crossed her eyes.
Why was her elder sister calling at this time? Could it be that she wanted to ask about the divorce again?