Chapter 10: Sleeping in Separate Rooms "Wait until you fall asleep... I'll come find you...

The braised lion's head is shiny and oily, the stir-fried seasonal vegetables are green and emerald, and the steamed fish is refreshing and tender... Xiaoxu's small dining table is covered with a floral tablecloth, and the dishes in Zhui Lian's bowl are piled up like a small mountain, full to the brim.

"Sister Lianlian, you should try this too!"

Wen Xu picked up another braised shrimp and put it in Zhui Lian's bowl, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't it delicious? I just made this for my mom!"

Zhui Lian peeled the shrimp, took a bite, and nodded sincerely, "Mm, it's really delicious! Auntie's cooking is really good, and Xiaoxu, your cooking skills are also good."

Mother Wen smiled from ear to ear: "If you like it, eat more! Come often in the future, and Auntie will make it for you!"

Father Wen beside him also nodded in agreement: "Yes, Xiao Lian, don't be embarrassed, just treat it as your own home!"

The orange light hung overhead, filling the entire room with warmth.

The three smiling faces in front of her were full of pure kindness, and Zhui Lian felt warm in her heart, and the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously.

The warmth Xunli had given her before was also a similar feeling...

I wish... I wish this time could last a little longer. I wish... I wish this warmth could belong to her forever.

Maybe, I can go home later?

Zhui Lian couldn't help but think.

On the other side, unknown to Zhui Lian, she and Yu Peizhi were in their apartment.

There was only a chandelier above the restaurant, emitting a thin, dim light.

There were four carefully prepared dishes and a soup on the table, and the most eye-catching was the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs placed in the middle of the table.

The dark amber sauce had already solidified, forming a dark film.

The edges of the white porcelain plate are clean.

There was no one at the table either.

In the shadow of the entrance hall, a tall figure stood quietly, motionless, facing the door that was slightly opened.

The lighting was so dim that it could only outline his silent silhouette.

Can't see the expression clearly.

He raised his hands from his sides.

"Tap", "Tap", "Tap".

He bent his knuckles and knocked on the door.

The voice-controlled lights in the corridor, which had been off for a long time, lit up, and pale light poured in, piercing the dimness of the room and falling on Yu Peizhi's still gentle face.

He sighed softly, and along with the ticking of the second hand of the wall clock, it became the only sound in the dead silence.

Turn around and go back.

He picked up the phone on the table, which still displayed the text message he had sent not long ago:

[Brother Pei Zhi, Sister Lianlian is having dinner at my house. Please come back later!]

He looked at the message for a long, long time.

Then, he licked his lips and gave a faint laugh.

*

Dinner was almost over, and Zhui Lian looked around.

She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Xiao Xu, where's Lulu? Why can't I see her?"

"Lulu, this wild kid did it again this afternoon..." Wen Xu hadn't finished her words yet -

“Crash!”

There was a slight sound from the direction of the kitchen, followed by the sound of a window being pushed open.

A ball of orange-white jumped in nimbly from the open kitchen window. Its fur was covered with dust and dead leaves, making it look a little tired.

It’s Lulu!

It trotted straight towards the dining table, jumped onto Wen Xu's knees, and seemed to have something in its mouth.

"You wild child! You finally know how to come back!"

Wen Xu raised her hand as if to hit it: "Where have you been picking up trash again? You're all dirty!"

"Plop", a small round metal object fell on the tablecloth.

“What are you going to do with the bottle caps?”

Mother Wen took one look at the small object, picked it up and was about to throw it into the trash can. She muttered helplessly, "Lulu, how many times have I told you not to bring any dirty things home!"

"Auntie, wait!"

Deep black paint, four-petal outline, and faintly visible relief patterns.

Unique design, familiar pattern, brand in memory...

Zhui Lian spoke with difficulty, begging, "Auntie, can...can you let me see that?"

Mother Wen was stunned for a moment. Although she was puzzled, she still handed the metal bottle cap that was stained with a little dirt and Lulu's saliva to Zhui Lian.

Touch and caress.

Found it.

That concave and convex relief pattern——

A golden feather.

And "Absinthe" in tiny letters below.

In Chinese, the meaning of this word is absinthe.

Zhui Lian's fingertips dug into her skin, preventing her from screaming out.

She didn't know where Lulu had found this bottle cap... an abandoned warehouse? Or...?

At this moment, three knocks on the door, neither loud nor soft, penetrated the orange light in Xiaoxu's house.

"Tap", "Tap", "Tap".

It sounded suddenly.

"Who is it? Why come at this time?" Wen's mother put down her chopsticks in confusion and got up to open the door.

The door was pulled inward.

A cold wind blew in from outside.

Yu Peizhi stood outside the door.

He wore a well-tailored dark grey coat, an off-white fleece sweater underneath, and a red scarf tied around his neck that was a couple's style with Zhui Lian. He had an impeccable and proper smile on his face.

"Hello, Auntie."

His voice was gentle and polite, but his eyes had passed Wen's mother and were fixed on Zhui Lian who was sitting at the dining table.

Zhui Lian's body stiffened instantly, and the hand holding the bottle cap subconsciously shrank behind her back. Lulu let out a low whimper from her throat, jumped out of Xiaoxu's arms, and quickly hid under the sofa.

Yu Peizhi at the door smiled slightly and said, "I'm here to take my wife home."

*

On the way home, the car was dead silent.

The heater was on high. Zhui Lian leaned against the car window, and the lonely night scene of the small town flew past the window. It was raining, not heavily, but not lightly either.

Her eyes were fixed on the fine falling raindrops, she stared at them motionlessly, but her hand kept stroking something on her ring finger.

Yu Peizhi didn't say anything, nor did he play music as usual.

He was driving intently, and in the flow of light and shadow, the gentle lines of his profile appeared somewhat cold and hard.

Silence hung between them.

After returning home, Zhui Lian’s first thing was to go into the master bedroom to get some clothes and prepare to wash up.

When she came out of the bedroom, Yu Peizhi came out from the shadows of the living room and called her. "Baby."

Zhui Lian turned around to look at him.

"You seem unhappy." Yu Peizhi lowered his eyes slightly.

Zhui Lian was stunned for a moment, but finally asked: "Pei Zhi, did you receive Xiao Xu's message?"

There were very few moments like this for her, and she stared straight at Yu Peizhi.

"Got it, baby." Yu Peizhi's voice was low and calm, even a little aggrieved, "But I saw it was raining, and you didn't bring an umbrella when you went out today, so I thought of picking you up."

"Did I disturb you and Xiaoxu's meal? Is that why you're unhappy?"

He wanted to shake Zhui Lian's hand, but just as he touched it, Zhui Lian dodged to the side.

"No, I just didn't expect you to come so suddenly."

Zhui Lian stopped looking at him and quickly walked towards the bathroom with her clothes in her arms, almost knocking the door open. "Pei Zhi, I'm too tired today. I'm going to wash up first."

With a soft "click", she closed the bathroom door and locked it tightly.

In the bathtub, warm water wrapped around Zhui Lian's whole body, but every gap in her vision was squeezed and there was no way out.

Walls. Tiles. Ceiling.

——Square edges, light blue paving, cold and hard reflections.

She actually rarely takes baths in the bathtub, but today, she hopes to extend her bathing time.

My body sank into the hot water, my arms slid down unconsciously along the edge of the bathtub, my fingertips touched, touched...what did they touch?

A tile.

The edge of the gap seemed to be slightly raised compared to the sides.

*

"Wife."

Coming out of the bathroom, Zhui Lian paused when she heard the sound.

Yu Peizhi sat at the dining table, his face expressionless, his voice calm, "From tonight on, I'll sleep in the guest room."

This time Zhui Lian finally turned around and looked at him.

She was stunned, a little confused: "...Why?"

Yu Peizhi stood up and slowly took a few steps closer.

He stopped in front of Zhui Lian, lowered his eyes slightly, and looked very lonely: "You know, I am a sick person..."

"I'm afraid you won't be safe sleeping with me." He sighed softly, "Wife, I can't hurt you anymore. You'll hate me."

Zhui Lian looked at him.

But my mind flashed back to the second half of today’s dinner at the Wen family.

When Wen's mother found out that Yu Peizhi was her husband, she warmly invited him to come in and sit down, and Yu Peizhi agreed.

At the dinner table for five people, Mr. and Mrs. Wen were still very lively.

They obviously had a very good impression of Yu Peizhi, thinking that he was well-spoken, humble, and friendly to everyone.

As for her, he was even more attentive—he would pick the bones from the fish, debone the chicken, and devein the shrimps for her.

Impeccable.

He is like a perfect husband who deeply loves his wife.

"Xiao Yu, you and Lianlian have such a good relationship, it's really enviable." This was the sincere sigh of Wen's mother.

"Yes, young people should be loving like this." This was Wen's father's gratified agreement.

The camera turned and she saw a smile on Yu Peizhi's lips.

He looked at her tenderly and said, "Being able to marry Lianlian is the good fortune I have cultivated in three lifetimes.

During the second half of the dinner, Zhui Lian felt very uncomfortable.

The warmth she had finally obtained...was shattered just like that.

So at this moment, Zhui Lian raised her eyelids and glanced at Yu Peizhi with an attitude that was rare to be calm and indifferent.

"Well, that's fine." She smiled at Yu Peizhi, "Then let's sleep in separate rooms today."

Then, she turned and walked straight into the master bedroom.

With a light "click", the door closed.

The light from the door faded into the corridor, and a dark and dead silence fell.

The dead silence fermented, the air was sticky, and Yu Peizhi remained facing the master bedroom door, motionless.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Sudden--

"Oh……"

An extremely cold sneer escaped from between his tightly pursed lips.

"Okay, she said okay, hehe...hahaha..."

He lowered his head and muttered to himself in a hoarse voice towards the closed door.

"Okay...sleeping in separate rooms...very good..."

The wedding ring on the ring finger shone with a cold light, reflecting into Yu Peizhi's eyes, revealing the gloom deep in his pupils.

But the ring finger of Zhui Lian that he had just looked at was no longer as bright as before.

"Are you ready to abandon me again?"

So who are you going to go to? That clueless college boy? Do you like him very much? Do you need him very much?

Why do you talk so much to him? Why do you smile so tenderly at him? Why, why, why?

Is it because... he is more like "him" than I am?

Like a murmur in a dream, low and erratic.

His voice became softer and softer, but his cheek was almost touching the cold door, and his expression was a mixture of pain and intoxication.

"Go to sleep...my Lianlian..."

"Sleep well..."

"Wait until you fall asleep..."

Yu Peizhi closed his eyes, as if greedily absorbing the faint breath coming from behind the door.

But the corners of his mouth curled up very slowly.

A little moonlight shone in, and there was no warmth in that smile, only emotions that did not belong to humans, more like an evil ghost crawling out of the abyss.

"I'll come find you again..."

The last few words were as light as a whisper, yet they carried with them an endless chill and twisted expectation.

The author has something to say:

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Rebuilt it again~