36. Taking a bath

Do you want me to blow-dry your hair?

After the meal, many people were unhappy. Some were jealous of Song Qinggui, while others hated him outright.

However, neither Xue Lu nor Song Qinggui were significantly affected. The only ripple in their hearts was the unspoken understanding they had just shared about Xue Lu's birthday.

Song Qinggui sometimes felt that her relationship with Xue Lu was very abnormal and absurd.

Between a man and a woman, physical intimacy should be a natural progression, arising when feelings are at their peak. But are they really making it seem like a boss level in a game...?

Song Qinggui followed Xue Lu with some trepidation. The two of them had already reached the entrance of the old house when Fang Yali, who had run out, called out to them.

Although she is a Filipino domestic helper, Fang Yali has lived in China for decades and speaks Chinese fluently, almost indistinguishable from native speakers. She even uses some Lanzhou accent in her vocabulary.

"Miss Qinggui, Madam requests your presence."

Song Qinggui and Xue Lu exchanged a glance, then turned and walked towards Cihangzhai.

Fang Yali stepped in front of the two and looked up at Xue Lu: "Fourteenth Young Master, Madam only allowed Miss Song to go alone."

Xue Lu wanted to argue, but Song Qinggui reached out and tugged at his forearm, stopping him.

"Let's go," Song Qinggui said to Fang Yali.

Inside Cihangzhai, Wen Shuang sat on a mahogany sofa, her posture unusually upright for someone her age.

As soon as Song Qinggui entered, Wen Shuangjing looked at her with a smile, a smile that held scrutiny but no malice.

Song Qinggui stood there, letting Wen Shuangjing look her over for a while, while at the same time, she was also scrutinizing Wen Shuangjing.

Wen Shuangjing finally spoke: "I don't like you."

Simple, clear, and straightforward.

Song Qinggui smiled: "I know."

Wen Shuangjing's smile widened, and the scrutiny in her eyes disappeared, replaced by the loving kindness of an elder.

She beckoned to Song Qinggui, gesturing for her to sit down next to her.

Song Qinggui readily accepted good advice.

Wen Shuangjing: "Do you know why I don't like you?"

Song Qinggui: "Because you think I'm after Lawyer Xue's money?"

Wen Shuangjing shook her head: "Quite the opposite."

Song Qinggui didn't quite understand.

Wen Shuangjing: "After you and Xue Lu got your marriage certificate, the Xue family investigated you, and so did I. Xue Lu's father is an arrogant man. In his opinion, you married into the Xue family for their wealth. But I know that if you were only after money, you might not have married Xue Lu. Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian, if you were willing to lower your stance a little, you could have won them over. So you're not just after their wealth."

Song Qinggui remained silent.

Wen Shuangjing: "It's that little thing you're really after that makes me feel like my son will be ruined by you."

Song Qinggui lowered her eyes; she knew what Wen Shuangjing was talking about.

Wen Shuangjing laughed again, but this time there was a bitter taste in her smile: "I'm a woman too, and I've had what you're after. But Xue Lu is different from his father. Xue Lu has always been a very stubborn child. Once he sets his mind on something, he has to have it, and if he can't get it, he won't look for a substitute. When he was seven or eight years old, a type of English leather shoe was very popular among little boys from families like ours, and Xue Lu wanted a pair of brown ones. I asked Fang Yali to take him to buy them, but the store only had gray and black ones left. The gray ones were more expensive because they were made of better leather. Fang Yali asked me what I thought, and suggested buying gray ones for Xue Lu. But Xue Lu didn't even try them on; he just dragged Fang Yali home. I asked him why he didn't want gray ones, and he said that if it wasn't his favorite, he'd rather not have them."

Song Qinggui was somewhat moved.

Wen Shuangjing: "Xiao Shisi is not the kind of child who settles for second best. From childhood to adulthood, he has never lacked girls who were willing to fawn over him and fawn over him. So when he showed me your marriage certificate, I knew that he had made up his mind about you for the rest of his life. If you only cared about money, you would have gone along with him, humbled yourself and served him, and he would have been happier. But you also care about love and dignity, so my son can only be tormented by you. He loves you more in the end."

Hearing this, Song Qinggui raised his eyes: "How do you know? It must be that he loves me more?"

Wen Shuang was stunned for a moment, then smiled with relief: "I heard you knew each other in college?"

“Mm,” Song Qinggui replied.

Wen Shuangjing's voice held a hint of teasing: "If you liked each other, why didn't you get together back then? Why did you have to take so many detours all these years?"

Song Qinggui chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Back then, I was good enough to be paired with Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian, but not quite good enough to be paired with Xue Lü."

Actually, it's still a little short.

Song Qinggui couldn't help but think to himself.

She wasn't being self-deprecating. It's just that when people face someone they truly like, their first reaction is often one of inferiority and fear.

It took her many years to understand this principle, which is why she chose Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian back then, but never considered Xue Lu.

She loves the moon.

But the moon should remain in the sky.

While Song Qinggui was still lost in thought, Wen Shuangjing grasped her hand, and the next moment, the jade bracelet on Wen Shuangjing's wrist was on Song Qinggui's wrist.

Although Song Qinggui came from a poor background, he had been mingling in wealthy circles for many years and knew his stuff. This was a bracelet so green it was almost black, priceless on the market.

"Mom, I can't take it."

Song Qinggui instinctively refused, but the bracelet was still put on him.

Wen Shuangjing: "I called you here today for two reasons. First, to thank you for your contributions to Jingtian. Jingtian is the culmination of Fourteen's efforts. Without your two heroic efforts in the public opinion arena, Jingtian wouldn't be so stable. Second, I wanted to set some rules for you so that you would be more sensible and treat my son better. But now, you've put my mind at ease. So, this bracelet is for my daughter-in-law."

Song Qinggui was moved by these words.

"Take good care of yourself." Wen Shuangjing squeezed Song Qinggui's hand: "Don't repeat the mistakes that happened to me and his father."

...

When Song Qinggui left Cihangzhai, he saw Xue Qielu coming towards him.

"Dad," Song Qinggui greeted respectfully.

Xue Qielu's gaze fell on her wrist: "This is the Wen family heirloom. I'm giving it to you, so keep it safe."

Song Qinggui nodded.

The two passed each other. Xue Qielu walked to the corridor, but before he could step into Cihangzhai, Fang Yali came out and stopped him: "Master. Madam, she..."

Xue Qielu knew that after today, he and his wife would return to the way they had lived for the past twenty years, sharing the same place but never seeing each other again.

“I’ve come only to ask her one question,” Xue Qielu said.

Fang Yali was in a difficult position, but she still stepped aside, and Xue Qielu and Wen Shuang looked at each other across the threshold.

A rare hint of pain flickered across Xue Qielu's face: "A-Jing, are you really never going to leave Cihangzhai again? Even if it's just for our son's sake..."

Xue Qielu was a business tycoon his whole life, and this was the lowest level of composure he could muster.

Unlike Xue Qielu, whose eyes were red and whose tone was urgent, Wen Shuang was completely calm, even somewhat numb: "Xue Sheng, you have ruined half of my life. Our relationship ended more than 20 years ago. Take care of yourself. The next time we meet will be either your funeral or mine."

...

Outside the Xue family's old residence, Xue Lu stood under the old crabapple tree, leaning against the wall, waiting for Song Qinggui.

Song Qinggui saw his figure from afar and couldn't help but stop and look at him.

Xue Lu was truly handsome, tall and upright, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Even a very ordinary wool coat looked stylish on him.

Can she really spend her whole life with someone so handsome?

She gazed intently at him, and after a while, Xue Lu also looked back at her.

"What did Mom say to you?" Xue Lu asked with some concern as he moved away from the wall.

Song Qinggui walked over: "He didn't say anything, but gave me a priceless bracelet and told me to treat you well."

Xue Lu's expression relaxed a bit, and he glanced at the jade bracelet. He recognized the bracelet, of course: "Ms. Wen has really gone all out."

Song Qinggui smiled and said, "Ms. Wen is more generous than you and Dad. She bought out my shares with just a bracelet, instead of an annual salary or shares."

Xue Lu took her hand and intertwined their fingers: "Are you happy that Mom gave you this bracelet?"

"I'm happy," Song Qinggui answered honestly, but then suddenly realized something and quickly explained, "It's not because it's expensive..."

Xue Lu couldn't help but chuckle.

...

The Xue family's party was scheduled for the weekend of Xue Lu's birthday week.

Xue Lu's birthday arrived quickly.

Unfortunately, this was a workday, and also the day when Jingtian Group held its monthly shareholders' meeting and Jingtian Hospital held its weekly meeting.

Xue Lu and Song Qinggui's mental state has faced an unprecedented challenge.

They all knew what would happen tonight, and they were all extremely anxious about it, but they still had to handle the work with the utmost rationality.

At the shareholders' meeting, even Chen An, a trusted assistant who had followed Lawyer Xue for many years, couldn't help but frequently scrutinize Lawyer Xue.

Lawyer Xue arrived at the company very early today, even earlier than his special assistant, who always arrives early.

When Chen An entered Xue Lu's office, Xue Lu didn't even notice him. He was engrossed in browsing the webpage, but the images and text on the page deeply impressed Chen An—"Women's/Safety Umbrella Big Review!"

Chen An retreated with lightning speed, fearing that President Xue would discover he had been there.

One of the ironclad rules of the workplace is that the most difficult superior-subordinate conflict to handle, even more difficult than making the boss angry, is making the boss feel awkward...

After the shareholders' meeting, Xue Lu walked up to Chen An and said, "Ahem, Assistant Chen, I have some things to take care of at home today, so I'll be leaving a little early."

Chen An's lips curved into a formulaic smile again: "Okay, Mr. Xue, you go ahead and get busy. I'll keep an eye on things here. I'll call you if anything comes up."

Xue Lu went to the supermarket and bought a small umbrella that was highly praised online, as well as candles and red wine. He also ordered dishes from a private chef that Song Qinggui really liked.

When he got home, Song Qinggui hadn't finished work yet. He went to the bathroom and washed himself thoroughly from head to toe.

After taking a shower, Xue Lu looked at his well-defined muscles in the mirror and felt a little tense thinking about what was going to happen tonight.

He was a little annoyed. He couldn't think about Song Qinggui at all right now. Just thinking about him made him seem despicable and vulgar, and Song Qinggui wouldn't like him like that.

Just then, the fingerprint lock on the door started beeping.

The next moment, Song Qinggui walked in.

Xue Lu quickly pulled off the bathrobe and draped it over himself, leaving only the tips of his ears red.

He wasn't trying to cover his body, but rather his desires; beneath the bathrobe, his lust surged like that of a wild beast.

Song Qinggui was completely unaware of Xue Lu's struggle at this moment.

She put down the cake in her hand and looked at Xue Lu.

He had just finished showering; his hair was still wet, and water droplets flowed down his hair to his chin, then down his straight collarbone, past his barely visible pectoral muscles, and then into the depths of his bathrobe.

Song Qinggui's cheeks suddenly flushed. She clenched her fists, then relaxed them, and looked up at Xue Lu: "Do you want me to help you blow-dry your hair?"

"Hmm?" Xue Lu's heart began to race. He was already imagining the gentle touch of Song Qinggui's fingers running through his hair and caressing his scalp.

Song Qinggui: "If your hair isn't dry, you'll catch a cold."

[Author's Note]

Family! It's tomorrow!