quarrel

The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out even the slightest breeze. The quiet living room seemed deserted, but the two owners were currently in a standoff. One sat on the sofa while the other half-squatted in front of him. One of them, squatting on the floor, stared intently at the woman opposite him who refused to look at him. The woman's head was down, making her expression unreadable. The atmosphere grew tense, and the air seemed to freeze.

Finally, the woman spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Chen Peiyuan, do I need to report to you wherever I go?" you said casually.

The man froze, then spoke softly, "I thought... I thought we were already in a relationship where we could talk about anything."

“I don’t think we have that kind of relationship, Chen Peiyuan.”

You pushed away his tightly clenched hand. You believed that whether before or after marriage, you had your own free time and the right to be alone. No matter where you went or when, you didn't want your partner to intrude too much into your space. In reality, your things were kept separate from Chen Peiyuan's, and you always had a place in your heart that belonged only to yourself. You never interfered too much in Chen Peiyuan's affairs, and you hoped that Chen Peiyuan would do the same. You gave Chen Peiyuan free time and hoped that he would understand and give you the same. But now it seems that Chen Peiyuan is not quite what you thought.

“We are already engaged, and as your fiancé, is it too much for me to just want to know what my fiancée is doing? I usually report everything to you.” The man was puzzled and tried to explain.

Hearing these words, you couldn't help but sigh. You thought Chen Peiyuan was different from other men in the world, which disappointed you greatly.

“Chen Peiyuan, I don’t need you to report everything to me, and I won’t report everything to you. Even if you are my fiancé or family, I hope you understand this.”

"I don't understand, Chen Yulan." The man, unable to contain himself any longer, finally roared. He truly didn't understand. Was it wrong for him to worry about his fiancée's safety? He was clearly concerned, so why didn't Lanlan understand? The man's heart was twisted.

"I really don't understand, Lanlan, please don't be like this. I'm not angry anymore, so please don't be angry either. Let's go back to how we were before, okay?"

You closed your eyes, took a deep breath, stood up, and looked down at Chen Peiyuan's expression, which was on the verge of collapse.

"Chen Peiyuan, this is the last time I'll say it. I won't report to you this time, and I won't in the future. If there's a next time, I'll still give the same answer. I'm a person, a person who can walk and think. We weren't a normal married couple to begin with. I don't care what you do outside, and I hope you won't interfere with what I do outside either."

"Although I don't think what I'm saying is of any use to you, you should get some rest. Thank you for your concern about my safety."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his room, a deep sense of exhaustion washing over him.

You don't want to get entangled with Chen Peiyuan anymore. This conversation is pointless. Perfect, you're so angry you can't eat, so you don't have to think about what to eat.

The next day.

You went downstairs and didn't see Chen Peiyuan in the living room, but there was a breakfast and a note on the table.

You pick up the note; the handwriting is round, strong, and beautiful. You've always known that Chen Peiyuan's handwriting is very nice.

"Lanlan, I'm sorry I lost control of my emotions last night. I've already made breakfast, but I have to go to work."

You chuckled, knowing his words were just an excuse and that he was starting to avoid you. You put down the note, ate a couple of bites hastily, and went to work.

I always feel that eating alone is not fun.

By the end of the day, you had walked nearly 20,000 steps, and your heels, clad in high heels, were starting to ache slightly; your heels were protesting.

Every year around this time, we have to go offline to check the revenue and on-site conditions of each branch. Assistant Li is busy running around with you, and the two of you barely have time to eat a few bites of food before rushing to the next store.

Even if you only spent a day visiting a dozen or so places in one district, it would take three or four days or more to see the whole city.

At this point, you feel both hate and love, wondering why you opened so many branches in the first place. But the good news is that, currently, the profits outweigh the losses.

"Please wait a moment, the food will be served shortly."

At a night market stall by Wenhua Elementary School, the owner, carrying two small dishes, walked through the gaps between the seated crowd. Some customers couldn't wait any longer and started urging the owner to serve the food. The owner responded and placed the dishes on your and Assistant Li's table, and a fragrant aroma wafted over.

"Here you go, stir-fried beef rice noodles and egg fried rice. I've added extra greens for you, and a stir-fried pork liver will be served shortly."

The boss came in a flurry of activity and left just as quickly.

Assistant Li pushed a bowl of fried rice in front of you, then took apart a pair of bamboo chopsticks, rubbed them together to remove the splinters, and handed them to you.

"Thanks."

You took it and ate two bites. After the food entered your mouth, your stomach felt a little better. It still tasted the same as before.

Tired from walking and seeing that it was getting late, the two were starving. They asked Xiao Li what to eat but couldn't decide. So you took Xiao Li here for a simple late-night snack. When you lived in this area before, you often came here with your friends after school. So many years have passed, but the owner is still the same owner, and the cooking skills are still on point.

"How does it taste?"

Assistant Li nodded quickly when he heard you speak, burying his face in the bowl so much he almost couldn't get out; the taste was really good.

"Haha, I used to eat at this restaurant all the time. It was incredibly popular back then, and it still is now."

You watch as a table at the stall becomes empty, only to be immediately filled by another group of people, and you sigh with emotion.

"With such excellent skills, it's no wonder it's so popular." Assistant Li took off his glasses and prepared to dive into the culinary battle.

Neither of you noticed the white car that had been parked nearby since you sat down at the stall. The lights inside were off, so you couldn't see anything. If someone had approached, they would have seen a man sitting inside, slumped in his seat, his eyes fixed on the two of you eating.

After you finish eating, you drop Xiao Li off at home and then drive home. Although he declined to go home on his own and didn't need you to take him, you persuaded him to safely drive him home, adhering to the principle of ensuring the safety of your employees.

As you turn to leave, you brush past a man wearing a black hoodie and a mask. You smell a familiar incense. Turning around, you see a man with his head covered by the hoodie hood, wearing a black mask and sunglasses, looking mysterious. He walks forward with a hunched back, and his figure doesn't resemble someone you know. He's a strange person.

When you got home, you saw Chen Peiyuan sitting on the sofa watching TV. You glanced at the content and saw it was another melodramatic soap opera. It was quite strange, since neither of you were fond of watching TV dramas and you had bought the TV just to display it.

"Chen Peiyuan, I've already had dinner, so you don't need to prepare my portion."

Chen Peiyuan smiled at you when he saw you come back. You saw him getting up to go to the kitchen and assumed he was going to cook dinner, but you stopped him and told him he didn't need to prepare anything.

Chen Peiyuan didn't stop with his back to you. Hearing your words, he simply nodded and then stepped into the kitchen.

You felt he was acting a little strange, but the smell he picked up from the night market made you feel uncomfortable, so you went upstairs to take a shower without thinking too much about it.

You all tacitly moved on from what happened last night.

Life returned to normal, and Chen Peiyuan continued to accompany you home from get off work.

But you have a vague feeling that something is not right.

Assistant Li asked for leave, saying he needed to go home, but this leave has lasted for almost a week.

Even if you're slow to notice, you sensed something was wrong. You finished washing your hands and were about to leave the restroom, thinking you'd call him later to ask when he'd be back, when you heard people chatting in the break room.

You had no intention of eavesdropping and were about to leave when you suddenly heard a familiar name. You stopped to listen to their conversation.

"Oh my god, Assistant Li has been in the hospital for almost a week. Are you going to go see him today?"

"I went to see him yesterday, and the injuries looked very serious. His head was wrapped in a huge bandage, and his hands and feet were still wrapped in bandages. I don't know who could have done such a thing."

"It's that serious? I haven't heard of Assistant Li having any conflicts with anyone, and he was beaten so badly."

Therefore, Assistant Li took leave because he was injured and hospitalized; he did not go home at all.

You immediately thought of the reason why he took so long off work, but why did he tell you that he needed to take leave to go home, which is something everyone knows? Why couldn't he tell you about his injury? And who hit him?

As you ponder, your eyes inadvertently drift to the white tiles on the toilet wall, where your reflection is faintly visible. The break room is now silent, but you remain standing there.

Why can't I say it? Unless, unless it's related to you! You suddenly realized.

When did Assistant Li take leave? It seems like it was the day after we had dinner. You suddenly remembered Chen Peiyuan's unusual behavior after you got home.

Could it be that Assistant Li's injury was caused by Chen Peiyuan?! This thought sent a chill down your spine.

No, no, when you got home that night, Chen Peiyuan was already home, and you heard him close the door to his room. The next day, he was in a normal mood, made breakfast, and went to work with you. You didn't notice any signs that he had stayed up all night.

You return to your office with a heavy heart, only to see the person you were just thinking about.

When you saw him sitting on the sofa, your eyelids twitched. Sure enough, you can't let people talk badly about you behind your back anymore; what you think about comes true.

"Why are you here?"

She gave him an awkward smile and returned to her seat.

Chen Peiyuan looked at you with amusement, slowly tidying up the mess on the table. You always forget to tidy up when you're busy. In the past, Assistant Li would wash the teacups you drank from and put them back in their place for you to use the next day. But since Chen Peiyuan came, he has taken the initiative to tidy up, and now it has become a habit.

"Lanlan, have you forgotten? We've made plans to have dinner tonight. We need to get there early, or we won't be able to get a table."

Oh, I remember Chen Peiyuan said last night that he went to the restroom to tidy himself up because it was almost time, but he didn't expect to overhear the secret in the break room.

You glanced at Chen Peiyuan. The man was currently gripping the glass of water that had just been rinsed and vigorously shaking it downwards, trying to shake off the excess water. His movements were fluid and graceful, his expression focused and serious, and his posture extremely elegant. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was doing something very important.

He doesn't seem like the person you'd imagine who would injure Assistant Lee so severely.