Chapter 22 (Stopping the Lips)
Qiao Shu shut up and didn't speak again until she was put on the bed.
She pursed her lips and kept a straight face, clearly upset by what he had just said.
Yu Zeheng covered Qiao Shu with a blanket, avoiding her swollen legs. When his gaze fell on her face, his tone softened: "If you need any help, you can send me a message, and I'll come over when I see it."
“Not at all.” She hugged the blanket and uttered those three words with an air of aloofness.
He already disliked her after just one trouble; how could she dare to?
Yu Zeheng noticed her emotions. He didn't leave but asked about her foot: "Does it still hurt?"
Qiao Shu, a man of few words, replied: "No."
"Given your current symptoms, it's best not to get out of bed for the first three days, as it will worsen your condition. I'll have Aunt Chu prepare a cane for you. You can move around a bit after the swelling goes down, but it will take more than a week to fully recover."
Qiao Shu had already heard these words from the doctor. She stared at him sullenly and asked, "Who's talking more now?"
Princess, you are truly vengeful.
Yu Zeheng ran his fingers along his brow bone, a half-closed smile hidden at the corner of his lips: "My problem, I'm sorry."
Qiao Shu was always one to respond to gentle persuasion but not force; she gave a cold snort.
"Message me if anything comes up." After settling Qiao Shu in, Yu Zeheng headed out.
A low, awkward voice sounded from behind: "...Something comes up right now."
Yu Zeheng turned around. Qiao Shu's face was flushed, and her voice was even lower than before: "I need to use the restroom."
She had originally planned to hop across on one leg, but her leg was swollen the most, and she was afraid it would get worse. After thinking it over, she decided to go to Yu Zeheng.
Yu Zeheng turned back and bent down. Qiao Shu cooperated by reaching out her arms to wrap around him. She wasn't as awkward as she had been at first. After all, they had done intimate things two years ago and had seen each other naked. Once she understood, she accepted his help with a clear conscience.
This is normal; it's a form of humanistic care that makes society harmonious and loving.
As Qiao Shu was lost in thought, Yu Zeheng carried her into the bathroom. He paused when he saw the toilet, as he had no experience in this area. He carefully helped her sit down, her soft arms sliding down her neck, her slender fingers clutching his clothes. He lowered his head, her soft hair brushing against his face, and he smelled the fragrance that belonged to her hair.
It's elusive, like an invisible, entwined thread.
Yu Zeheng said in a low voice, "I'll go out first. Call me if you need anything."
Qiao Shu's face flushed, unsure whether it was from embarrassment or from what had just happened. She hummed in response.
The excruciating pain of a sprained ankle is just the tip of the iceberg; the real torment comes from the inconvenience in daily life that follows.
Because she could only put weight on one leg, she wasted a lot of time on taking off and putting on clothes.
Once everything was completely settled, Qiao Shu took a deep breath and called out to Yu Zeheng.
Qiao Shu lay on the bed, feeling utterly hopeless. Even Xiao Xi couldn't heal her pain. Aunt Chu brought ice packs and painkillers and stayed upstairs with her for a while.
At nine o'clock, Yu Zeheng received a message in his bedroom.
Qiao Shu: [I want to take a shower.]
Yu Zeheng replied: 【Okay.】
When they arrived at the room, Qiao Shu directed him to bring her swimsuit. Yu Zeheng searched everywhere but could only find a bikini with very little fabric. She pretended to be calm and put it on; something was better than nothing.
"alright."
Yu Zeheng pushed the door open again and came in. Qiao Shu was already sitting upright on the bed, with her back to him and one toe on the ground.
A mint green swimsuit, with a thin strap wrapped around a slender white neck, revealing her entire back. Between her cascading black hair and thin white skin, there are delicate and petite shoulder blades. The swim trunks have ties on both sides, hanging down on the pure white snow.
She was barefoot, and the swollen area on her ankle was a bright red, which stood out starkly against her delicate, snow-white skin.
Yu Zeheng felt inexplicably irritable.
It wasn't the first time they'd met; he even remembered the small mole under her left shoulder blade clearly. In fact, he knew her body better than she did.
Their eyes met, one reached out a hand, and the other raised an arm, their movements perfectly coordinated.
When they arrived at the bathroom, Qiao Shu sat on a stool with one leg propped up in the bathtub. Yu Zeheng held the showerhead and washed her hair, while she lathered up her hair and washed the area below her neck.
There was little conversation between them, only the soft patter of the showerhead.
As she rinsed her hair, Qiao Shu closed her eyes, the water flowing over her face and wetting her eyelashes.
Yu Zeheng's movements can be described as gentle, his fingers running through the hair and rubbing the scalp. He is not quite as good as a professional nurse, but he is meticulous.
After rinsing, Yu Zeheng dried her hair with a towel. Her vision was completely black, and she could only feel the pressure of his fingers.
It wasn't uncommon before. If we did it a couple more times that night, and it got too late, she would be too tired to do anything else, and she would let him wash her without any qualms. She would close her eyes, and he would wrap her in a clean towel, carry her to the bed, and since he had taken off her pajamas, he should put them on as well.
Just like now.
The past overlaps, but the positions and relationships between people are no longer the same, and everyone is somewhat dazed.
A large bath towel was roughly wrapped around her body by Yu Zeheng.
He looked away, turned around and grabbed a hairdryer, drying her long hair with less-than-gentle movements. His eyelashes were lowered, and he seemed to have no emotion, just focused on the task at hand.
Feeling uncomfortable with her hair sticking all over her face, Qiao Shu frowned and brushed it away.
She had just washed her face and was clean. Her usually bright appearance was less aggressive. She had a pair of large, bright eyes. When she propped herself up on her arms and looked up at people, she was quiet but also lively.
Slow down the process of blow-drying your hair.
Yu Zeheng felt the hair blowing down his back, the damp, cool touch enveloping his fingers.
He hated Qiao Shu for two years.
Yu Zeheng despised her casual beginnings and endings, her capriciousness, selfishness, egocentrism, as if the whole world should revolve around her, and her frivolity and pretentiousness.
He should have remained indifferent, or, if he had been even more ruthless, become the shadow itself in her world.
But when she actually ended up in her current situation, Yu Zeheng had no feelings of watching from the sidelines or feeling smug. The reason why a princess is a princess is because a princess should always be glamorous, hold her chin high, and never bow her head.
Qiao Shu reached for the towel on her chest with one hand, the hot air blowing on her face, her brain feeling as if it had been washed by water, her nerves soaked and dulled, a little broken. She blankly thought, wasn't it rather strange that they were acting like this after the divorce?
Once his hair was almost dry, Yu Zeheng turned off the hairdryer.
Qiao Shu looked at him and said, "I owe you a favor this time. I will repay you whenever you need me."
She doesn't like owing people things, especially favors.
Yu Zeheng took a step back, leaned against the sink, and said calmly that he could.
"I might need your help again later to keep track of everything."
"good."
Since it was in the form of a debt, Qiao Shu felt at ease troubling Yu Zeheng. For the first three days, she lay in bed, receiving greetings from friends and being taken care of by Aunt Chu. Bored, she watched one movie after another. After waking up, she remembered a Japanese restaurant that did not do takeout and sent a message to Yu Zeheng asking if it would be convenient for him to bring a meal when he came back.
Yu Zeheng is at the company.
He is currently working on an acquisition deal, in which Bocheng will acquire a 65% controlling stake in GC Asset Management. This is a key step in his strategic plan after returning to the company. For Bocheng, it will directly gain access to the platform and customer base built by GC over the past thirty years, making it easier to enter the Southeast Asian market.
The meeting lasted until the afternoon.
Yu Zeheng saw the message from Qiao Shu. He typed it out expressionlessly, then deleted it, and finally called her directly.
"Hello." Qiao Shu had fallen asleep while watching a movie and was woken up by the ringing phone. Her voice was lazy, and even though you couldn't see her, you could imagine her half-opening her eyelids and rubbing her eyes in a languid manner.
Yu Zeheng asked her what she specifically wanted to eat.
Qiao Shu's voice was sweet and cloying: "You're off work?"
Yu Zeheng tugged at his tie and gave a mumbled "hmm".
"Tuna belly sushi, sturgeon roe and crab meat steamed, shirako vinegar..." Qiao Shu casually rattled off a few dishes. "I can't eat all of this by myself, shall we eat together?"
"good."
"That's great! I'll wait for you to come back." The voice on the other end of the phone became excited.
Yu Zeheng hung up the phone. He should have been annoyed, because Qiao Shu meant trouble, but he wasn't in a bad mood. The autumn wind outside blew into his chest and then gently brushed past him.
She is a patient.
He didn't argue with her.
Three days later, Qiao Shu's ankle swelling had completely subsided, and the red had turned into a bluish-purple bruise, which was still shocking to look at. Fortunately, she was able to get out of bed and walk without having to awkwardly use crutches. She changed her high heels into flat shoes, slowed her pace, and otherwise, there was not much difference from her usual self.
The only bad news is that I gained two pounds every day from drinking a large bowl of bone broth and doing absolutely no exercise.
Aunt Chu scrutinized her from head to toe with a stern gaze and concluded that part of the reason for this undeserved disaster was that she was too thin, and that she should drink soup for at least a week.
Qiao Shu used an excuse to avoid going to the company.
After get off work, I took some tonics back to the old house to visit my grandfather.
Qiao Zhenkai sat in a wheelchair and was pushed out by Li Ma to bask in the sun. A thin blanket was placed on his knees. His spirits were the same as before, but being confined to the wheelchair made him increasingly gloomy and unhappy.
“Grandpa.” Qiao Shu walked over.
Qiao Zhenkai nodded, closed the scripture, and gestured for her to sit down.
The leaves in the yard are turning yellow, already showing signs of withering. They are just waiting for a cold rain to fall, the temperature to drop sharply, the leaves to wither in an instant, and then fall cleanly in the cold wind.
The seasons change, and so it always is.
Qiao Zhenkai squinted at the sunset and asked, "I heard from your older brother that you went to the investment department. Why did you suddenly want to go to the company?"
Qiao Shu leaned against him, feeling no warmth at all: "My granddaughter is just bored. My sister-in-law said that my brother is busy and overwhelmed every day, and I thought I could share some of the burden."
"You're not suited for this. You should focus your energy on your auction house; haven't you always done a good job there?"
Qiao Shu gave a soft "hmm": "Following the routine is indeed not suitable for me. Once my granddaughter gets tired of it and it's no longer interesting, I'll let my older brother do the hard work alone."
Qiao Zhenkai turned his head to look at her, his deep gaze too distant: "Your eldest brother is not as smart as you. Of the three of you, you are most like me."
Qiao Shu had heard this sentence since she was a child.
She would also tell her two older brothers.
Qiao Shu kept the old man company while he talked. Qiao Zhenkai mentioned that he had a few collectibles he valued and asked her to keep an eye out for them. If the price was right, she should help him acquire them, as he would need them.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
"There's one more thing I need you to do." Qiao Zhenkai looked into the distance again, his gaze fixed on another direction.
He recently learned from a conversation with his mother that he had made a vow at a temple before his illness, and that the matter had been forgotten after his illness. He doesn't remember what he vowed, but he felt that he was protected by a deity because he was able to escape death. Now that he is in this state, he is unable to fulfill his vow.
“You are my granddaughter whom I raised since she was a child. You go and fulfill my vow on my behalf. I hope the gods won’t blame you,” Qiao Zhenkai said gently.
After surviving a life-or-death ordeal, it's inevitable to develop a sense of faith.
Qiao Zhenkai patted the back of her hand, his face showing more affection: "Let's invite Zeheng along. You've been married for many years and still don't have a child. You're both getting on in years, it's about time you had one."
Qiao Shu agreed verbally, but she didn't actually tell Yu Zeheng that she would never ask for a child in her life, but she could try asking for money.
A temple that even an old man visits must have some spiritual power.
The old man probably figured that Qiao Shu wouldn't tell Yu Zeheng, so he called Yu Zeheng himself and asked them to go to the temple for a vegetarian meal and to add some incense.
Yu Zeheng agreed.
Qiao Shu had a headache, but said sincerely, "It's okay if you don't go, Grandpa won't know."
"Since you've promised, you should keep your word, shouldn't you?" Yu Zeheng said calmly.
The temple is called Qingling Temple. It is located in a remote area, on a mountainside, and it takes four hours to get there one way.
When they actually went, it was already the end of the month. Aunt Chu had planned to go during this period, but she had to give up because she had something to do at home.
The weather has officially entered late autumn.
The mountain air was chilly, and the temperature would only drop lower. Qiao Shu wore a light gold chunky knit sweater and light-colored jeans, a simpler outfit than usual, but in the gloomy weather, she shone like a little sun.
Only Yu Zeheng knew that the warmer it looked, the colder it felt to the touch.
The round trip would take at least eight hours, so Yu Zeheng drove himself, giving Uncle Qin a day off.
The weather was fine when we set off, but after we got on the highway, the sky was covered with large dark clouds. A few minutes later, raindrops started hitting the car windows. At first, they were sparse, but gradually they became dense, and the windshield wipers were running fast.
Autumn brings abundant rainfall; it rains three or four days a week, leaving the rest of the time chilly and overcast.
Qiao Shu looked out the window at the rain: "Maybe the rain will have stopped by the time we get there."
Yu Zeheng drove the car smoothly, the black body cutting through the rain. He hummed in agreement, "We can drive directly to the temple, even if the rain doesn't stop."
Qiao Shu nodded.
She was fine; after playing on her phone, she drifted off to sleep again.
Three hours later, the rain still showed no signs of stopping. After exiting the highway, the car entered the mountain road, which was full of twists and turns according to the navigation.
The car suddenly stopped, as if it had braked hard. Qiao Shu was thrown forward and woke up.
"The car broke down."
At the moment the car broke down, Yu Zeheng turned the steering wheel to the left and stopped by the edge of the road.
Qiao Shu reacted in half a second, turned around and looked around. The car was parked halfway up the mountain, surrounded by dense forests, deserted and uninhabited. Rain was pouring down outside the window, and there were hardly any cars coming from this direction.
"What should we do?" She stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that someone could be so unlucky.
Yu Zeheng remained calm. He had tried restarting the car, but there was no response. "I called someone to tow it, but in this weather, it might take several hours."
After waiting for the tow truck to take them back, all that trouble would take until evening.
Qiao Shu crossed her arms, her mood as gloomy as the weather. She listened quietly as he made a phone call, giving the other person a rough address, her forehead pressed against the car window.
After hanging up the phone, the car became completely quiet.
The two rarely spent time alone together in such a confined space, and the atmosphere became strange.
Yu Zeheng, with his hands on the steering wheel, explained the current situation to her. Due to the weather, there had been several rear-end collisions before them, and they would go to handle the scene first before coming over.
It was worse than Qiao Shu had anticipated.
Since spraining her ankle, she bought a bunch of crystals and lucky beads, hanging them all over her arms, but to no avail.
Patience was gradually worn down while waiting.
Qiao Shu couldn't help but ask, "Don't you race car drivers know how to fix cars?"
In her imagination, race car drivers know the car's structure inside and out. When a car malfunctions, they can find the problem like doctors performing surgery.
This question is like asking a programmer why they can't fix a computer.
"Won't."
Yu Zeheng replied, "The team has mechanics responsible for maintenance and repairs."
Qiao Shu gave a listless "oh".
After a while, she picked up her phone.
Yu Zeheng leaned back in his chair and asked again, "What are you doing?"
"I searched for answers online. The internet said it might be a sensor malfunction, a problem with the sensor or the circuit..." she read aloud.
Qiao Shu was unwilling to sit idly by and wait for her fate. She decided to try the method she found on her phone. Seeing that the rain outside the window was gradually subsiding, she suddenly pushed open the door, braved the rain to get the toolbox from the trunk, and then went to the front of the car to open the hood.
Yu Zeheng got out of the car, took her hand, and pulled her into the car.
Qiao Shu shook off his hand: "Let me try."
The autumn rain, mixed with chill, hit their faces with an icy coldness. In less than a few minutes, both of them were soaked. Qiao Shu had followed the guide but hadn't found a single clue. It was as if she was struggling with the car and with herself.
Yu Zeheng took the toolbox and slammed the hood shut: "Get in the car."
Qiao Shu followed behind him, both cold and angry: "Yu Zeheng, what gives you the right to be so domineering?"
"Who's the domineering one here?" Yu Zeheng didn't even turn his head, tossing the toolbox into the trunk. He turned back and asked, "Qiao Shu, can you stop being so stubborn?"
"You're really annoying!" Qiao Shu's face was covered in cold rainwater, making it almost impossible for her to open her eyes. She wiped the water off her face and said hatefully.
Yu Zeheng turned around and opened the car door: "Get in."
Qiao Shu pursed her lips, her face stiff, and closed the car door without any appreciation: "Yu Zeheng, are you born to bring me bad luck?"
The rain was pattering softly, and it looked like it was about to get dark.
The two faced each other, Yu Zeheng towering over her by half a head. She arrogantly raised her chin: "Since returning to China, I've had nothing but bad luck since meeting you. First, I twisted my ankle, then my car broke down halfway. Nothing has gone smoothly!"
Yu Zeheng leaned on the car roof, laughing angrily, "Qiao Shu, are you being reasonable? Between you and me, who's more unlucky?"
Qiao Shu crossed her arms and sneered, "Yes, getting a divorce is the best thing we ever did."
Yu Zeheng gritted his teeth: "When did you ever make a mistake? Qiao Shu, is there anything you've done wrong?"
Qiao Shu retorted coldly, "The biggest mistake I made was coming to you! And you? Haven't you ever regretted it, regretted not being more resolute back then, then none of this would have happened?"
Yu Zeheng lowered his head, the two of them close together, his hair wet with rain, stray hairs sticking to his forehead: "Did I ask you to come back, or did I come to you? Qiao Shu, have you lost your conscience, or do you not even have one? You use people when you need them, and you turn them away when you don't, you really haven't changed at all."
"Did I disappoint you? Didn't you know what kind of person I was from the beginning? Selfish, hypocritical, and what other new criticisms haven't you given me?" Qiao Shu bit her lip. "If you hate me so much, why did you agree to cooperate with me? What's keeping you from feeling disgusted and spending time with me day and night?"
Qiao Shu was almost completely soaked, rainwater cascading down her face. She stubbornly pursed her lips, her eyes radiating coldness: "Did I lie to you? Didn't we make it clear from the beginning that it was a mutually beneficial arrangement?"
Yu Zeheng's eyelashes were wet with rain. He looked down at her and retorted, "You know it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, not one-sided exploitation."
"Didn't I ask you to use me? Even if we got divorced, I didn't announce it widely. Did I cause any losses to your Yu family?" In the end, she was always swayed by interests. Her little resistance was so insignificant that no one really cared except herself.
Qiao Shu's eyes reddened, as if raindrops had fallen into them: "Why can't I get a divorce? I have the right to choose the life I want to live. What do you take me for? Just a decoration to be Mrs. Yu? Does it matter who I am? You hate me so much, why should I do what you want?"
Yu Zeheng stared at her, his eyes deep and dark, his jawline taut, as if he was trying his best to suppress something. Despite the surging emotions in his chest, his face remained expressionless.
"Is the life you want to sunbathe on the grass, surf at the beach, and flirt with all sorts of men?"
The word "flirting" is undeniably malicious.
Qiao Shu was about to retort when she remembered that Yu Zeheng had never mentioned her life in Australia since returning to China, and she became wary: "Yu Zeheng, did you have someone spy on me?"
Yu Zeheng remained expressionless, his voice cold and hard: "Do you need to be monitored? Don't you know what you post every day?"
Qiao Shu took a deep breath. Her social media account was a new one she had created later, and hardly anyone knew about it: "That's a new account, how did you find it?"
"If you don't want others to know, you shouldn't interact with Mingwu."
"Yu Zeheng, you're a voyeur! Do you even know how perverted you are? Who would look at their ex-wife's social media accounts for no reason? Did my flirting with other men hurt your male pride? Or is it that your possessiveness is so strong that you won't even spare your ex-wife..."
The remaining, even more vicious words were all stuck in her lips, as soft lips mixed with cold rain pressed down on her.
Qiao Shu froze, her eyes widening in shock, forgetting even to struggle.
Yu Zeheng grabbed her arm and pulled her forward with such force that she almost stumbled and fell into his arms. She was then pulled up by a large hand and forced to stand on tiptoe, her hands tightly gripping his sleeve. His clothes were wet from the rain, and her fingers and palms were soaked.
He pressed the back of her head, their noses touching, their breaths mingling.
The rain blurred my vision, and I could only vaguely glimpse the dark, cold light in his eyes.
Yu Zeheng charged in, his momentum overwhelming, seizing the moisture and oxygen from her lips. Only a few soft sobs escaped from her throat, and her lips went from being icy cold to burning hot as if on fire.
The fire would burn from the lips to every part of the body, making even the blood tremble and boil.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Revised and updated. 1300 new entries added. If you don't see it, refresh the page.
As usual, 50 red envelopes
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
