32 Sharing a pillow

Let's go buy wedding rings!

After returning from Yanzi Reef, Xue Lu went to the group to sign an urgent document. By the time he got home, it was already 10 p.m.

The living room lights were on, but Song Qinggui was not there; the bedroom door was tightly closed.

Xue Lu glanced into her room. Was she asleep?

He wanted to get some water from the refrigerator, and when he got closer, he found a sticky note on the refrigerator in Song Qinggui's handwriting: "I'm too tired from work today, I'm going to sleep now. There's some fresh fruit in the refrigerator, remember to eat it."

Xue Lu washed a few cherries, ate them, and threw the pits into the trash can.

Both Xue Lu and Song Qinggui are very busy with work and spend very little time at home, so they rarely even use the trash can. They are both a bit of a germaphobe; even if there's only a single tissue in the trash can, they'll take it out and throw it away the next day before leaving the house.

The garbage bag was empty except for a few fruit pits and one other thing lying inside. Xue Lu glanced at it and saw that it was an aluminum foil plate used to hold medicine.

He suddenly felt a little uneasy.

He picked up the aluminum foil plate, and on the back it read "Estazolam".

Although Xue Lu studied medicine, he had been away from clinical practice for too long and couldn't immediately recall what the medicine was for. He took out his phone, typed those four words into a search engine, and the explanation that popped up was, "Mainly used to treat anxiety disorders and insomnia, relieving symptoms such as anxiety, tension, and fear..."

Xue Lu's heart clenched.

This medicine was clearly being taken by Song Qinggui, but why was she taking it...?

Xue Lu walked to Song Qinggui's bedroom, tried putting his hand on the doorknob, and opened the door with a little force; it wasn't locked.

Xue Lu walked in. The desk lamp was still on, and the room was filled with a dim yellow light. Song Qinggui was sleeping relatively soundly, but one hand was raised next to his head, holding his phone. The short video platform on the phone was playing news media interviews with Director Zhou Huaizhong on a loop.

Xue Lu sat on the edge of the bed, took the phone from Song Qinggui's hand, turned off the screen, put it on the bedside table, and then put her already cold hands and forearms under the covers.

The long-term raised position made Song Qinggui's hand a little stiff. When Xue Lu moved, her blood circulation accelerated, and her hand began to go numb.

She was awakened by this feeling, her eyes half-open in a daze. She vaguely saw a figure in front of her. Even though she had taken the medicine and was very sleepy, she was still awakened in a flash, her shoulders involuntarily hunching over.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the person in front of her was Xue Lu: "You're back?"

Xue Lu noticed all of Song Qinggui's physical changes, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply touched her face gently and said, "The lamp was on, so I came in to check on you. Don't be afraid."

This was a reason Xue Lu made up on the spot. He didn't want to argue with Song Qinggui about estazolam tonight; he just wanted her to get a good night's sleep.

Song Qinggui didn't think much of it and just nodded. But because of the fright she had just experienced, she was wide awake. All she could think about was that she had finished the last two pills of estazolam and wondered if there was any tranquilizer left in the medicine box.

Just as she was lost in thought, Xue Lu spoke up: "I'm going to take a shower later. I'll sleep with you tonight."

"Hmm?" Song Qinggui became a little nervous.

Xue Lu was amused by her expression and added, "Just like in Cangcheng."

Song Qinggui recalled his "humanitarian concern" at the Cangcheng Hotel, and his emotions gradually calmed down.

Xue Luqing sighed, "What are you going to do on my birthday...?"

"Um?"

That night, Song Qinggui's emotions fluctuated wildly, and she found it difficult to withstand Xue Lu's lewd words. She no longer had the strength to say anything, and only her accelerating pulse brought heat to her body.

Fortunately, Xue Lu didn't say anything, he just reached out and rubbed her head.

Song Qinggui lay in bed, and could faintly hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

Her thoughts were in turmoil; even though she was covered by a blanket, she felt colder and colder.

"If Lawyer Xue knew what you did back then, do you think he would find you dirty and disgusting?"

Feng Zhe's words were like needles, piercing her heart one by one, and her teeth couldn't help but chatter.

She threw away the Lina Belle doll, but she couldn't let go of the past.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and after a while, Xue Lu walked back to Song Qinggui's bedroom in his pajamas.

Hearing footsteps, Song Qinggui quickly closed his eyes, turned over, and faced away from Xue Lu.

Xue Lu watched her retreating figure, knowing it was a defensive posture. He was somewhat annoyed, but more than that, he felt heartache.

Even though they had decided to be a normal couple, and even though they had been indulging in each other's kisses time and time again, Song Qinggui had never trusted him completely.

However, this was not her fault...

It's perfectly reasonable for someone who has been worn down by this world to lack trust in it.

Song Qinggui felt the mattress behind her sink down, and the minty scent of shower gel slowly wafted over. Then, she fell into a pair of warm and strong arms, and her back pressed against a firm chest.

Xue Lu's chest rose and fell with her breath, and she was completely moved by this rhythm.

Strangely enough, despite suffering from insomnia, she felt sleepy at this moment.

Song Qinggui's tense shoulders gradually relaxed, and he fell into a deep sleep in Xue Lu's arms.

...

When Xue Lu woke up early in the morning, Song Qinggui, who had originally been facing away from him, was now nestled in his arms with his arms around his waist, which gave him a sense of satisfaction.

He couldn't help but gently kiss her forehead, and Song Qinggui let out a dreamy hum before falling asleep again.

Xue Lu tiptoed out of bed, covered her with the blanket, and went out.

He has a habit of getting up early to exercise. After washing up and changing into his workout gear, he went downstairs to the community gym.

At eight o'clock on a winter weekend morning, the morning light was just beginning to break, and the gym wasn't crowded. But actually, Xue Lu was already considered late today; he usually arrived around six in the morning when it was even quieter and less crowded.

If it weren't for the fact that I slept quite comfortably last night while holding Song Qinggui... Thinking of this, Xue Lu couldn't help but smile.

The neighborhood where Xue Lu and Song Qinggui lived was called "Shengshi Junlan". It was not a luxury residential area, but the house prices were considered high in Lancheng. The people living here were roughly divided into two categories: one was the middle class, and the other was the pampered daughters of the rich.

Therefore, good-looking young men and women are frequent visitors to the gym in this community.

As Xue Lu stepped off the chest pusher, a voluptuous young woman walked over, followed by several young men and women of similar age watching the spectacle.

"Handsome, can I add you on WeChat?" The girl had her hair in a high ponytail and a confident, radiant smile.

Xue Lu declined, saying, "I'm sorry, it's not convenient."

"Is there anything inconvenient?" the girl persisted, "We're all young people, let's have some fun together."

The girl raised an eyebrow and turned around, and the men and women behind her all raised their hands to greet Xue Lu.

Xue Lu probably realized they had misunderstood; they thought he was also a gigolo being kept by a rich woman and living here. He had indeed been a bit hasty in choosing his place to live, in order to leave the Xue family as soon as possible and become independent. It seemed he would need to find time to choose a new place with Song Qinggui.

Xue Lu still refused: "I'm married."

The girl was visibly taken aback when she heard this, but quickly regained her liveliness. She took out her business card: "My phone number is on it. We usually have a lot of activities, like camping, outdoor cycling, and Werewolf. Contact me anytime if you want to participate."

At this point, the woman paused dramatically, then smiled slyly and added, "Oh, you can come with your wife."

She clearly didn't believe the handsome man in front of her was married.

Unwilling to argue with her any longer, Xue Lu took her business card, casually put it in his pocket, and then left the gym.

"Qiqi, what did he say?" The girls gathered around to gossip after Xue Lu left.

Chen Fangqi tilted her head: "The handsome guy said he got married."

"Ah..." A chorus of disappointment erupted: "Such an incredibly handsome guy, and he actually got married so young?!"

Chen Fangqi smiled and walked to the treadmill by herself.

The gym has floor-to-ceiling windows, and the treadmill is right next to the window. Chen Fangqi just happened to see Xue Lu's back.

marry?

She didn't believe it. She had looked at him carefully just now, and he didn't even have a wedding ring.

I just wonder how rich the sugar daddy must be for a man with this kind of looks...

Just then, the gym owner walked over, and Chen Fang turned to ask, "Hey, boss, what's his name?"

The boss followed Chen Fangqi's gaze.

When Xue Lu first signed up for a membership here, the owner didn't know his identity. However, because Xue Lu's appearance and demeanor were so outstanding, the owner couldn't help but look him up on Baidu. And that Baidu search had a significant impact. From then on, his gym changed its opening time from 8 a.m. to 6 a.m., just to cater to this guy.

The boss, being so perceptive, naturally knew that someone like Attorney Xue was not someone to be offended. He told Chen Fangqi, "We are not at liberty to disclose the client's information."

"You haven't revealed enough?" Chen Fangqi retorted on the spot: "Aren't all the men who added me on WeChat at the gym people you set up with?"

The boss said awkwardly, "I was wrong, Miss Qiqi, but this one is really different."

Seeing her boss's cowardly demeanor, Chen Fangqi guessed that it was probably because the powerful patron behind Xue Lu was too influential for her boss to offend.

So Chen Fangqi compromised: "Okay, I won't ask anymore. Just tell me how many days a week he comes and what time he comes. Is that alright?"

The boss glanced at Qiqi's curvaceous figure and thought that a rich man like Xue Lu must have no shortage of female companions. Qiqi was a well-known beauty in the area, and she might actually win the heart of the domineering CEO. In that case, he would be doing Qiqi a favor.

“He comes four or five days a week, and he always comes very early, around six o’clock,” the boss said. “I don’t usually tell this to just anyone, since you’re asking.”

Chen Fangqi secretly began to calculate in her heart, and the more she calculated, the more she felt that Lawyer Xue was the best of the best.

How can someone who partyes with rich women every night still wake up early? That's extraordinary energy!

Being able to consistently work out four or five days a week—that's incredible self-discipline!

That look! That aura! That height! That inverted triangle physique! Those sizzling biceps!

charming!

"Thank you, brother!"

Chen Fangqi thanked her sweetly, and now she had something to look forward to in the future.

...

Xue Lu bought some food from the convenience store and took it back with him. Song Qinggui had just gotten up and was washing up.

"Come and have breakfast," Xue Lu called out. "I remember you like their meat buns."

Song Qinggui tied her hair into a bun, washed her hands, and walked to the dining table: "Actually, it's just so-so, but the meat buns are readily available and cheap, making them perfect for eating during commutes."

"Oh, is that so?" Xue Lu said with some self-reproach, "The eggs in the refrigerator are expired. We'll make do with these for today. We'll go to the supermarket this afternoon, and I'll make you breakfast from now on."

"No need," Song Qinggui pouted. "I'd rather sleep ten more minutes."

Xue Lu fell silent and stared at Song Qinggui.

Soon enough, Song Qinggui gave in: "Okay, I got it. I'll eat your breakfast from now on."

Xue Lu got up early, drank coffee, and ate a protein bar after exercising. He then sat across from Song Qinggui and watched him eat.

After pondering for a while, he finally asked, "Why are you taking estazolam?"

Song Qinggui paused, recalling last night, and guessed that it was Lawyer Xue who noticed the medicine packaging she had thrown away.

“I was under a lot of work pressure recently and had trouble sleeping, so I saw a psychiatrist and got some medicine.” To make sure Xue didn’t believe her, she added, “I also got diazepam, but I’m too sensitive to it and it makes me sleepy, so I didn’t take it.”

Hearing Song Qinggui say this, Lawyer Xue felt a little relieved.

"Dad just sent me a WeChat message saying we should go back to the old house for lunch," Xue Lu said. "Do you want to go? If you don't want to, then we'll..."

“I’ll go.” Song Qinggui replied immediately, “I’ve been busy dealing with hospital matters lately and haven’t been back for a long time. After all, I’m Xue’s daughter-in-law, and it wouldn’t be good if I didn’t go back. I should go back and see my father.”

Xue Lu nodded, feeling relieved.

He liked Song Qinggui's self-identification as the daughter-in-law of the Xue family, which meant that she cared about his family, and this was an extension of her love for him.

After finishing a steamed bun, Song Qinggui started drinking soy milk.

Xue Lu: "Let's find some time to buy wedding rings."

"Cough cough..." Song Qinggui choked, "What should I buy?"

[Author's Note]

Don't go away, there's one more chapter!