Chapter 203 Past Events

The black shirt slipped down with the man's movements, eventually getting caught halfway down in his arm.

It barely blocked the view below the man's waist in the mirror.

With her back to the mirror, Luo Huayi was supported by Xin Que and barely managed to sit steadily on the sink counter.

"..."

"You and that male lead..." Luo Huayi half-closed her wet eyes, her brows slightly furrowed, and raised her hand to comb her fingers through Xin Que's hair, wanting her to look at her.

"Thorns heard that... What kind of marriage of convenience exists between you?"

Xin Que smiled. "You know perfectly well why I'm asking?"

Luo Huayi pulled her close, his voice slightly hoarse from trying to suppress his emotions, "I want you to be widowed."

Xin Que released the sharp teeth that were biting the skin on his neck.

"Wait a little longer." She didn't press Luo Huayi about whether he wanted to cooperate with her. Instead, she softened her expression and gently soothed his emotions.

"It's not the right time yet..."

Luo Huayi was somewhat stunned by the unexpected answer.

He heard the entire conversation between Xin Que and that man.

He didn't even need to compare; he could tell that the conversation between the woman and the man was all perfunctory.

Luo Huayi couldn't quite describe how she felt.

Jealous?

There doesn't seem to be anything to be jealous of.

Xin Que didn't seem to intend to win over the man; instead, she was feigning compliance, her purpose for which was unclear.

Anger?

Luo Huayi had long been tormented to the point of numbness by Xin Que's repeated indifference.

Constantly trying to incite hatred against her is neither effective nor meaningful.

In the end, he became trapped in the prison of his past, torturing himself.

Before coming here, Luo Huayi had prepared herself mentally.

Xin Que is very realistic; every word and action she makes is forcing him to stand on her side again.

Perhaps they were attracted by my current abilities, or perhaps there were other motives at play...

Who knows?

But Luo Huayi didn't expect that from the moment Xin Que accepted his hug until the end... she never mentioned the cooperation again.

Luo Huayi closed her eyes and leaned weakly on her shoulder.

His chest heaved until it calmed down, and his loose trouser legs hung casually on the table beside him.

Xin Que stood in front of him, with one arm around him and the other reaching for a tissue.

Luo Huayi opened her eyes a little, grabbed her wrist as she reached for a tissue, and pulled it back.

“Come back to the villa with me…” He bit Xin Que’s neck. “You dare to use things in this dump?”

Xin Que raised her hand and patted his head. "Let go."

"Go back by yourself, I still have..."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.

Xin Que "..."

Luo Huayi didn't even glance at the thin door panel.

The area behind the door was already covered with dense thorns, so no one could come in and disturb him and Xin Que.

"Don't worry..." Luo Huayi turned her face towards him, "This place is completely sealed off."

"He can't hear anything he shouldn't hear."

Ying Yun knocked on the door to test whether Xin Que would come out and disturb his progress report to the administrator.

The faint sound of running water coming from inside the room quickly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Xin Que's puzzled voice came through the door.

Ying Yun glanced at the data transfer progress on his hand, his voice as usual, "Not done washing yet?"

Xin Que grabbed Luo Huayi by the hair and ripped him from her arms, her voice devoid of emotion, "No."

“No rush,” Ying Yun’s voice faded away, “Let me know when you’re done washing up, and I’ll hand you your pajamas.”

Luo Huayi cupped Xin Que's face tightly, her deliberately lowered voice carrying a sinister undertone, "Try saying one word."

Xin Que brushed Luo Huayi's hand away impatiently, "He's testing me."

The thorns, which had been loosened slightly, now blocked the door completely again.

Luo Huayi immediately realized what was going on, and the sinister look in her eyes softened a little. "Oh... he took the opportunity to inform the prison?"

“That’s true…” Luo Huayi smiled, “After all, his progress in the strategy has increased significantly today… Of course, he should seize the opportunity to take credit.”

Xin Que ignored his sarcastic remarks and said, "Hurry up and go back."

She paused, then glanced at the mess on Luo Huayi's clothes. "I need to clean this place up."

Luo Huayi's face darkened. "You really plan to stay in this lousy place and spend the night with him?"

Xin Que grabbed Luo Huayi's face and said, "If you don't stay here, are you going to go out and fool around with your adulterer?"

Luo Huayi grasped her wrist, his brows furrowed. "Are you afraid the administrator will find you if you leave?"

Xin Que ignored him.

Watching her tidy up the clothes scattered on the table, Luo Huayi finally calmed down, coldly snatching the tissue from her hand that was being used as a rag.

The man's clothes, scattered on the countertop, inevitably got wet in the sink.

Luo Huayi didn't care at all. She casually put on a shirt, grabbed Xin Que's arm, and said, "I can't stop you from suffering here. Go back to the villa and wash up first. I'll take you back."

Xin Que "..."

"Stop fussing," Xin Que pushed the person towards the thorns, "The toiletries smell different, it'll arouse suspicion."

Luo Huayi glanced at the plastic bottle fixed to the wall under the showerhead, the transparent bottle containing cheap three-in-one shower gel.

Finally, he released Xin Que's hand and disappeared into the darkness.

When she pushed open the door and came out covered in steam, Ying Yun was not in the room.

While drying her hair, Xin Que peeked through the gap in the curtains at the city street scene outside the window.

The interrogation plan, from the character portrayals to the setting, showed signs of being rushed.

It seems the prison really did push itself to the limit.

She glanced at the data permissions she had distributed during her escape; there were very few left.

Although she encountered interference from Luo Huayi, things were progressing relatively smoothly. She just didn't know how Cheng Zheng was doing in prison.

"Xin Que?" Ying Yun's voice sounded from behind, "Why didn't you tell me you were done washing up?"

Xin Que ignored the unnatural expression on Ying Yun's face. "I just came out. Where did you go?"

Ying Yun walked over quickly and took the towel from Xin Que's hand. "The bottled water is gone, so I went to the front desk to ask them to change it."

Xin Que took the hairdryer from his hand. "No need to blow-dry it, your hair will dry on its own in a bit."

Ying Yun did not insist further.

He sat down next to Xin Que, hesitating to speak, "What you said in the hospital..."

"A weakness of the Xu family?" Xin Que looked at the man beside her, a troubled expression on her face. "When I was provoked by the kidnappers, I remembered something."

Xin Que paused, pretending not to see Ying Yun's tense expression as she held her breath.

“Even when we were working for the old patriarch Xu, things were not very peaceful within the Xu family. In addition, the old patriarch was getting old, so it was normal for the various factions, represented by those who had the right to inherit the family, to be restless and engage in open and covert struggles.”

"At that time, I felt that the Xu family was a mess, and no matter which side I sided with, a lowly nobody like me would be eliminated. That's why I decided to retire while I was ahead and go abroad to find another way out."

[Emotional fluctuations are normal; brain and bodily responses are normal.]

[The statement is true.]