Chapter 32
"Something's up," Chu Ci pushed against the man's chest with both hands, "I wanted to say, I—"!! Every time I try to talk about kindergarten, I end up sounding so weak.
Huo Junyan raised an eyebrow: ?
"..." Chu Ci twisted, causing the water to ripple. Pink bubbles clung to her back, feeling cool. "The water's cold." As if to prove it was true, she couldn't help but sneeze.
The man scooped her up, water gushing out. Chu Ci clung haphazardly to his shoulders, screaming as she touched the ground. Her foot slipped, and she clung to him tightly with both hands and feet.
"Heh~" The man chuckled contentedly.
He then turned on the shower, and as the warm water droplets fell, goosebumps suddenly rose on his skin. Only then did Chu Ci realize that the water in the bathtub had long since cooled down.
The showerhead is square, leaving a curtain of rain between the two people.
The man's chest rose and fell, and water droplets moved with his breath.
Chu Ci looked away and reached to remove the curling iron from her hair. He took the curling iron from her head, and she lowered her head to let him remove the other curling irons.
The foam slowly washed away in the water, and her smooth black hair clung to her collarbone. A large hand gently brushed it aside, her fingertips caressing her neck, and she lifted her chin.
Her eyes were closed, and water droplets slid down her face, sparkling with tiny glitters, breathtakingly beautiful.
Their lips touched briefly before parting, and Chu Ci instinctively opened her eyes, seeing the restrained aggression in his pupils at such close range.
Suddenly, their bodies pressed close together, her back against the marble wall. The man bent down and kissed her lips, and she tried to tilt her head back to cooperate until her neck ached. Suddenly, her feet left the ground, and she instinctively reached out to grab something, but instead pressed all the shower buttons.
A sudden downpour began in the shower room, filling the entire space and making the air even thinner.
She was like a kite adrift in a storm, unable to land or fly high, the fishing line always held in the man's hand.
“…Waaah…”
After she begged and pleaded for what seemed like the umpteenth time, the man finally carried her out of the bathroom.
As soon as she came into contact with the air, she gasped for breath, kicked her long legs twice, and was put down.
I almost lost my balance because my legs went weak.
Under the man's mocking gaze, she remained strong and calm, not even glancing at him. She wrapped herself in a bathrobe, took a towel to dry her hair, tied it up, and gave him a slightly provocative look.
Huo Junyan had only a loosely draped bath towel around his waist. He casually picked up the towel she had used and dried his hair a few times. She couldn't help but take a second look and clicked her tongue inwardly. What a vibrant and energetic body he was.
"What? Not enough?" He suddenly turned his head to look at him.
Sensing danger, Chu Ci turned around without hesitation, only to have him grab her towel. She could only hold on tightly to the front of her and continue to be stubborn, "Next time, you're tired today too."
"Put this on." He took down the formal dress and pajamas hanging outside the bathroom.
The dress-like nightgown featured a deep V-neck camisole underneath, with a sheer shawl covering the upper body, making it almost transparent all the way down to the floor-length fringed feather skirt, swaying gracefully with every step.
Chu Ci took the pajamas, not to be outdone, "You go change into something too."
His smile deepened, becoming seductive, as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Wait." He then gently bit her earlobe.
After he came out of the bathroom, Chu Ci waved at the air, hissing, and limped to the leather chair, clutching his aching back.
I never expected him to make a surprise return.
Chu Ci is rubbing his thigh.
Their eyes met.
Huo Junyan raised an eyebrow.
The Chu Ci stands tall and proud.
"Want some wine?" He leaned against the doorframe, a half-smile on his face.
Chu Ci turned around, squeezing out the essence of her words, determined not to lose face, "You decide."
He chuckled and left. Chu Ci moved to the sides, peeked out to make sure he was gone, then sat down with a grin. When she saw the formal dress and pajamas, she burst out laughing.
It was changed in no time.
Hearing the man's voice, Chu Ci turned around and gave him a reproachful look, both charming and lively.
He bent down and reached out his hand. She placed her fingers on his fingertips, and he pulled her closer by pinching her fingertips.
The phonograph in the bedroom played instrumental music. The two held hands, backed away, spun around, bent over, their hair falling loose. Her eyes were alluring, and she just kept hooking him like that.
"I can't dance."
“Lying.” He said sharply.
Chu Ci stood up and stepped barefoot on his instep. "Really, I've never danced before."
He recalled a scene from five years ago on a folk culture tourism street, where she and many students dressed in ethnic costumes promoted the culture, walking and dancing with great enthusiasm.
"Let's believe it for now."
“But you will definitely jump,” Chu Ci said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You will jump with me.”
Huo Junyan kept backing away and turning around. He liked to see the long, fringed skirt spread out behind her, like peacock feathers, just like the proud and flamboyant Chu Ci from five years ago.
"I'm sorry about Xingxing changing kindergartens." He suddenly apologized.
Chu Ci paused for a moment.
Huo Junyan picked her up and placed her on the sofa at the foot of the bed. He picked up a glass of red wine and said, "I didn't discuss this with you beforehand. I won't do it again."
"..." She was blaming him for not discussing things with her and for making decisions on his own. Xingxing was her son, and this behavior was like taking her child away.
But Xingxing really likes the new kindergarten.
Chu Ci took the red wine and said in a refined, literary way, "Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them."
“We are Xingxing’s parents, and we want to give him a complete marriage and family.”
Chu Ci paused as he extended his hand to clink glasses, then slowly withdrew it, smiling slightly. He didn't reply, but was about to drink when Chu Ci extended his glass, clinked glasses with Chu Ci, and downed the drink in one gulp.
The crisp sound of the collision seemed to hit something she was deliberately avoiding.
A complete marriage and family.
The Huo family will not accept her, and she will not bow down to please them.
Without saying a word, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
"But before that, you must first dissolve your marriage with Zhou Yubai."
"Huh?" Chu Ci was taken aback. "I registered my marriage with him using Shen Que's identity."
“Using falsified identity information to register for marriage does not constitute invalidity of the marriage; it only proves that the registration procedure was flawed,” he said through gritted teeth.
Chu Ci was dumbfounded. She thought that regaining her identity was equivalent to cutting ties with Zhou Yubai and completely severing ties with Shen Que. She had even used the false identity of Shen Que to mock Zhou Yubai.
Unexpectedly, she still wanted to use her identity as Chen Que to dissolve her marriage with Zhou Yubai.
"You've contacted him?" she suddenly realized.
He must have consulted a lawyer to know this so well. If Zhou Yubai cooperates, then with Huo Junyan's legal team, there's absolutely no need for Chu Ci to step in.
Huo Junyan snorted coldly.
Chu Ci understood and comforted him, "It's alright, I'll find time to talk to him."
"tomorrow."
"Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?" Chu Ci blinked and looked away. "We should resolve this problem as soon as possible. Wait for my good news tomorrow."
The following day, in a conference room at a third-party hotel.
The entire floor was cleared out, and the curtains of the conference room that could accommodate a hundred people were drawn. Two rows of bouquets were placed on a long rectangular table, one side with lavender that had just been airlifted in, and the other side with fake spider lilies.
It is both bizarre and humorous.
Two teams of lawyers, dressed in sharp suits, sat on either side, each poised and ready, as if this were a life-or-death case.
Huo Junyan and Zhou Yubai sat in the middle, exchanging glances.
Zhou Yubai spoke first, "Chu Ci, your favorite lavender was just air-freighted from Provence."
"..." Chu Ci had long since given up on speaking.
She thought it was just about clarifying things, submitting documents, and announcing the engagement; she never expected the two of them to make such a big fuss.
“Mr. Huo, she doesn’t like artificial flowers,” Zhou Yubai changed the subject. “Neither my husband nor I like these flowers that bloom in the underworld; they’re considered unlucky.”
Huo Junyan casually raised his eyes. "Chen Que has passed away. Please accept my condolences."
Chu Ci glanced at Huo Junyan, her words quite sharp.
This directly binds Zhou Yubai and Shen Que together, and uses fake flowers to remind Zhou Yubai that everything is fake.
He also pointed out that he had been deceiving Chu Ci for many years.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yubai's face indeed darkened. "Mr. Huo should be familiar with the terms of the lawyer's agreement. Why don't you have my lawyer remind him again?"
He gestured to the lawyer beside him to speak: "The discrepancy between the marriage registration information and the individuals themselves does not affect the marriage. The two of you registered your marriage voluntarily and have lived together for many years, so the authenticity of the marriage cannot be denied."
Huo Junyan's lawyer was not to be outdone and immediately retorted: "Marriage registration should be in accordance with the wishes of the parties. My client was coerced and did not live with the other party. The nature of the marriage violates the principle of voluntary marriage, and the marriage is invalid."
The two sides engaged in a friendly exchange regarding the terms of the marriage agreement.
Bored with the Chu Ci, I looked down and scrolled through my phone.
Huo Junyan came over and saw her scrolling through the Xingxing Kindergarten class group chat, where the teacher was sharing equestrian lessons. She clicked on each child's picture and zoomed in to look at them.
Huo Junyan's fingertips were also scrolling through her phone. When he saw the stars, the two looked at each other and smiled.
The laughter, though soft, was utterly discordant.
Just as the defense lawyer finished speaking and his side was preparing to counterattack, Huo Junyan signaled a pause, "Excuse me, Mr. Zhou, there's something going on in my son's class group. Please continue."
To kill someone is to destroy their spirit.
Zhou Yubai's face grew increasingly grim.
The lawyer received a signal: "Mr. Zhou, the facts are clear. Miss Chu was with Mr. Huo five years ago. Miss Chu had an accident on the ferry and was controlled by you through deception and other means."
"Shut up," Zhou Yubai interrupted the lawyer, unable to bear it any longer. He found the scene before him too glaring and stared blankly at Chu Ci. "You see me like that too?"
The Chu Ci remains silent.
He seemed deeply hurt, "Can't you forgive me? In these five years, wasn't there anything good between us?"
He thought that after their rescue of Xingxing, things between them would take a turn for the better, or at least not like they are now.
He repeatedly reviewed the past five years, and regardless of his motives, he had been almost completely tolerant of her.
So much so that even when she was cold to him, he still tried to please her. He probably couldn't even figure out why he was working with her to get the company, or whether he had already fallen deeply in love with her without realizing it.
“Zhou Yubai, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have missed the best time for treatment. I wouldn’t have had to be someone else, I wouldn’t have had to endure Yao Shengjie, and I wouldn’t have had to feel guilty about Zhou Shaoqing’s death.”
Chu Ci's voice was very calm, seemingly devoid of emotion, but Huo Junyan was extremely saddened.
“You’ve made me live in fear for the past five years. I’m afraid every day that they will take my child away.”
She was also afraid of being recognized on the street, even though she didn't know the person.
She could only encase herself in a hard shell, coldly blocking out anyone who might approach her.
She often suffers from insomnia, her mind goes blank, she has no memory, yet she seems to possess various skills, which bring her not satisfaction, but deep fear.
So, "I will never forgive you, but you saved Xingxing for me, so our grudges are wiped clean," she concluded.
Originally, she didn't intend to let Zhou Yubai off the hook. When things came to a head, she wasn't just making threats; she was thinking about ways to retaliate.
Huo Junyan gently held her hand, his gaze filled with tenderness and heartache.
Zhou Yubai suddenly laughed, got up and took a few steps, then came back and signed a document directly.
"I really regret it, I really regret underestimating you back then." He threw down the documents and strode away.
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