"What’s going on?! Didn’t you say you’d text me when you got home?!"
"Sorry, I forgot."
"You forgot?! Where did you go? Ah Su went to find you in the middle of the night and said you hadn’t come home."
"Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well last night, so I went to a nearby hotel, got a room, and slept there. My phone just happened to die..."
"Did you have a fever again?"
Yin Shixiu’s accusatory tone softened instantly, turning into concern.
This sudden change was like a hammer, piercing into the softest and most fragile part of Su Xiaomeng’s heart.
She hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth tightly, holding the phone away, choked with emotion unable to speak, only able to make a muffled sound, "...Yeah."
"Are you better now?"
"...Yeah."
Yin Shixiu sighed heavily, "As long as you’re okay. Call your parents later and let them know you’re safe."
"Okay."
Yin Shixiu furrowed his brows, feeling something was off with Su Xiaomeng, but assumed it was because of her sickness, so he didn’t ask more, just said, "I’ll nap for a while, I have a meeting later."
Su Xiaomeng sensed something was off in his words...
"You... didn’t sleep all night?"
"...Yeah, waiting for your message."
Perhaps knowing that Su Xiaomeng was safe now, he relaxed, his voice becoming lazy and comfortable.
But he didn’t know that at this moment Su Xiaomeng’s heart was wrenched into a knot, the pain indescribable.
"You’re silly... I’m not a child..."
Su Xiaomeng struggled to utter this banter that carried not a hint of humor.
Yin Shixiu chuckled softly, "You’re not a child, but maybe even a child wouldn’t give me such worry."
"No way..."
"Does your heart ache?"
Yin Shixiu asked casually.
Su Xiaomeng’s nose twitched with sourness, "Yeah... Sorry... Sorry, Shixiu... boohoo..."
She bit into her arms, unable to suppress her sobs.
Hearing her cry, Yin Shixiu felt a bit confused too, "Okay, okay, if you feel sorry for me, then next time, can you not disappear on me, dear wife?"
"Boohoo... Sorry! Shixiu..."
Yin Shixiu sighed deeply, unsure of what to say for a moment, he hadn’t even scolded her that harshly yet!
"Girl, if you keep crying, you’ll really make it hard for me to be at ease."
"Uncle..."
"Yeah."
"Come home soon... come home soon!"
"..." Yin Shixiu heard her plea, tinged with some resentment, his heart softened, and he nodded, "Alright, I’ll come home soon."
After hanging up the call with Xiao Meng, Yin Shixiu contacted his secretary to change the flight and return tonight.
The schedule was tight, but no work could be more important than Xiao Meng’s words at the moment.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaomeng burst into tears once more after hanging up the phone.
As if her tears could reverse time, as if crying could change reality...
Her eyes were wet and dry, dry and wet again, repeating like this until her tears ran dry, yet her sadness and pain did not lessen one bit.
She stood under the shower, repeatedly lathering herself with body wash, washing over and over as if trying to scrub off a layer of skin.
When she came out of the shower, she was covered in scratch marks she had made herself, yet she seemed to feel not clean enough...
The reflection in the mirror... How could it be so dirty?
Thinking back to last night, and thinking of Ren Yixuan, made her stomach churn violently, vomiting until she was retching bitterly, nauseous and dizzy.
She stayed at the hotel until night, calling the staff to buy her a whole set of new clothes, from inside to outside, only after wearing the new clothes did she leave the hotel.
Returning home, she turned on the lights; the large house was empty and desolate.
It felt as if all her strength had been drained, she walked tiredly to the sofa and sat down, then slowly curled into the sofa.
Her heart flooded with thousands of thoughts, intertwined into a giant net trapping her.
At this moment, her phone vibrated—it was a message from Ren Yixuan...
She quietly swiped open the message, staring at the simple and clear words, her heart freezing over.
We’re even.
Even...
What does even mean?
He threw her into the eighteenth level of hell, then casually said... Even.
Ha, Su Xiaomeng felt infinite desolation.
Perhaps from the moment she was with Yin Shixiu, it was destined that she and Ren Yixuan would have such an ending.
It’s not even, but a mutual, lifelong resentment that neither will forget!
"You disgust me, I really hate you. Ren Yixuan."
This lifetime, she had never hated anyone like this, hated to the point of wanting to kill him, hated to the point of wanting to dig out his heart with a knife!
She wanted to see what that heart was made of, wanted to see if that heart was black...
When Ren Yixuan read the message from Su Xiaomeng, his heart was only filled with desolation as well.
But perhaps it’s not too bad, such an ending... is better than no ending.
Yin Shixiu returned the next afternoon.
At that time, Su Xiaomeng was cooking in the kitchen, the kitchen counter piled with vegetables and meat.
When he came in, Xiao Meng didn’t hear him, Yin Shixiu quietly entered the kitchen without taking off his coat, and hugged Su Xiaomeng from behind!
"Ah—!"
This sudden embrace startled Su Xiaomeng into a scream, she struggled and fought back!
"Girl! It’s me!"
Yin Shixiu called her loudly, Su Xiaomeng stopped struggling, but still shaken, her body trembling slightly...
"Shi, Shixiu?"
She hurriedly turned and looked up at Yin Shixiu, her eyes suddenly wet.
Yin Shixiu tilted his head slightly, teasing with a chuckle, "What? Did you think a flower thief broke in?"
Su Xiaomeng pursed her lips, looking at him, speechless.
Yin Shixiu sighed, somewhat disappointedly said, "I thought you missed me so much when you said on the phone. I thought... you really missed me... But I come back, and there’s not even a hug."
"Oh!"
Su Xiaomeng snapped back to reality and reached out to hug him, Yin Shixiu quickly stopped her, carefully taking the knife from her hand, "I want a hug from you, not for you to murder me."
Su Xiaomeng awkwardly scratched her head, "Hehe..."
Yin Shixiu reached out to her, "Alright, now you can come hug me, wife."
Su Xiaomeng looked at his open arms, took a deep breath, and slowly moved closer...
"Isn’t this hug a bit perfunctory?"
Yin Shixiu said dissatisfied, then tightened his grip, pinning her in his embrace, murmuring in her ear, "Missed you... Your smell is so nice."
Saying that, he nuzzled his nose against her cheek, turning his head to give a soft kiss...
His husky voice expressed his long-standing longing.
"Is your body still uncomfortable today?"
He asked with concern.
Su Xiaomeng shook her head, "No, no..."
"Glad your cold is over... Tomorrow we will pick up Shuangshuang and Huang Huang."
"...Yeah."
Yin Shixiu touched her forehead with his, "Shall we go to the bedroom?"
The ambiguous and suggestive tone made Su Xiaomeng’s heart skip a beat suddenly.
Understanding what he wanted to do, Su Xiaomeng became stiff...
"Uh... I-I need to pack first, I’ll make dinner."
Xiao Meng gently pushed him away, lowering her head.
Yin Shixiu chuckled, turned her halfway around, holding her small waist, whispered in her ear, "Make dinner later, let’s have the main course first."
"I-I need to take a shower first..."
Yin Shixiu saw her hesitance, frowned and directly lifted her to sit on the counter...
"Why shower? I want you now."
Saying this, he reached to unbutton her clothes, but before he could touch the buttons, Su Xiaomeng slapped his hand away, "No!"