Xu Tingchuan had a strong urge to dig her up and interrogate her properly.

But in the end, they didn't do that.

Everyone has a past; he understands.

Since Ni Sitian has seriously said she wants to spend her life with him, why should he dwell on that past?

But is that past truly over?

Xu Tingchuan frowned slightly, looking carefully at her sleeping face, his focused and deep eyes seeming to try to see through what was going on in her little head.

Actually, Ni Sitian wasn't asleep; she was regretting her slip of the tongue.

Even if there was no love between her and Xu Tingchuan, mutual respect was still necessary. How could she make the mistake of comparing him to her ex-boyfriend? That was really inappropriate.

Perhaps seeing Qin Mubei again today reminded her of those messy and disgusting scenes, and her mind wasn't quite right.

With such a clumsy attempt at concealment, Xu Tingchuan should have noticed something.

But she wasn't sure if he would care. Before they got married, he had said that he could fulfill all the responsibilities of a husband, but he might not be able to give her love.

If she suddenly brought up Qin Mubei to him, wouldn't it seem abrupt and unnecessary?

Whatever response she gets from him, it's probably not what she wants.

That night, although the two slept in each other's arms, they were each preoccupied with their own thoughts, and even with their eyes closed, they could not fall asleep for a long time.

The next day, they both tacitly avoided mentioning the previous night.

However, the hearts that seemed to have grown a little closer these past few days have drifted apart again.

They all seemed to have their own protective circles, and none of them stepped out of that safe zone.

The two didn't exchange many words. After breakfast, Xu Tingchuan went to work.

Ni Sitian glanced at her get out of class schedule and realized she didn't have any important classes for the next two days, so she decided not to go to school.

She claimed it was because of a foot injury that she needed to recover, but in reality, a large part of the reason was that she didn't want to see Qin Mubei.

Qin Mubei became a guest lecturer at Yihai University, which means she might appear at the school from time to time. She didn't want to be bothered by the lecturer at the school, lest she get caught up in a new wave of gossip.

Unfortunately, she didn't go to the student dormitory to retrieve her laptop after twisting her ankle last night.

It's so boring to just sit at home and not be able to work.

So I called Xiang Zhilan and asked if she had time to come over.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang, and Ni Sitian hopped on one foot to open the door.

"Your Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg technique is quite good," Xiang Zhilan said with a smile, glancing at her bandaged ankle.

"The slippers are over there, change them yourself," Ni Sitian pointed to the shoe cabinet.

Xiang Zhilan changed into slippers, helped Ni Sitian back to the sofa, and looked around the room. She couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Although the furniture in the room was simple, it was all from luxury brands.

She gained a new understanding of the wealthy man Ni Sitian was dating and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Didn't you say he was the owner of a small investment company? Houses in this area are more expensive than those in villa districts."

"Um, it seems my previous understanding was a bit wrong." Ni Sitian hadn't paid much attention to Xu Tingchuan before, and what he did seemed to be none of her business.

When Xiang Zhilan asked her about it, she just gave that casual answer because she saw something about a financial company on Xu Tingchuan's business card, and she had no idea about that kind of industry.

"You, you're so careless about getting married, aren't you afraid of being sold off?" Xiang Zhilan poked Ni Sitian's forehead.

Ni Sitian chuckled foolishly, but in her heart she thought that since she was going to be sold by her mother and daughter sooner or later anyway, she might as well sell herself first, at least she would have the upper hand.

"However, there's something strange about this house of yours." Xiang Zhilan got up, strolled around the living room, and frowned slightly.

"What's strange about it?" Ni Sitian asked, puzzled.

“I’ve got it.” Xiang Zhilan walked back to the sofa and sat down, looking directly at Ni Sitian: “It seems like there’s no trace of your life here, and there don’t seem to be many of your belongings.”

She paused for a moment, then said sharply to Zhi Lan, "Even if you're a tenant, you don't need to be so formal, do you? Are you planning to pack up and leave at any time?"

Ni Sitian opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found that she couldn't.

"Aren't you too insecure about this marriage?" Xiang Zhilan raised an eyebrow when she didn't speak.

Ni Sitian didn't know how to answer. She both loved and hated Xiang Zhilan's sharp tongue.