Chapter 27 "What do you say, honey?"
Qiao Shu apologized to Ethan and introduced Yu Zeheng as her "exhusband".
Oh, ex-husband.
At that moment, she remembered that he was her ex-husband.
“My friend, Ethan.” Qiao Shu rested her right hand on the table, pinched the round pearl on her earlobe with her left hand, and looked at Yu Zeheng with a stiff smile, as if asking, “What’s wrong with you?”
Ignoring her displeasure, Yu Zeheng extended his hand and said, "Hello."
Ethan smiled and warmly shook his hand: "I've always been curious about who Joyce's ex-husband is, and now I've finally met him."
During her two years in Australia, Qiao Shu did not wear her wedding ring. When friends asked about her marital status, she frankly stated that she had experienced a short marriage and moved to Australia after the divorce. At that time, she could not have foreseen that her father would be hospitalized and that she would maintain a superficial relationship with Yu Zeheng.
Yu Zeheng asked in a flat voice, "What are you curious about?"
"I'm curious what kind of man would be willing to let Joyce go, and I even wondered if there was something wrong with the situation." Ethan smiled and nodded twice. "It's just a joke, don't take it to heart."
Yu Zeheng's lips curled into a cold smile.
There's a sense of helplessness, like an honest person being falsely accused. Who actually wanted the divorce?
Qiao Shu crossed her arms. Ethan often used jokes to express his true feelings. She put her hand on her forehead, turned her head to look at Yu Zeheng, and asked him in Chinese, "Don't you have anything else to say?"
"You really want me to leave?" Yu Zeheng replied in Chinese.
"Otherwise what?"
Qiao Shu opened her eyes and blinked deliberately. Wasn't she being obvious enough?
Yu Zeheng said in a calm voice, "I think I can get along with your friend. Since we've already sat down, we might as well chat a bit more. Otherwise, she might think that my ex-husband not only has mental problems, but also lacks basic manners."
"..."
Does he think that his sudden appearance makes him very polite?
Qiao Shu had no reply, but gestured for him to proceed.
Ethan, a naturally outgoing person, told Yu Zeheng that when he was in class with Qiao Shu, at least five boys in the class had asked Qiao Shu out for meals.
“But in the end, only I have this honor.” Ethan looked at Qiao Shu, his deep blue eyes focused and affectionate.
Yu Zeheng sneered: "Speaking of food, Xiao Shu is very picky about it. She looks like she's lost a lot of weight in the two years she spent in Australia."
She's lost a lot of weight.
Qiao Shu's weight has remained stable year after year, strictly controlled to fluctuate within two pounds.
Ethan said yes, he saw Qiao Shu in Australia and she seemed very happy, and he thought it was because she was genuinely happy to be free from her marriage.
Qiao Shu couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted the two men's conversation: "How about we talk about something else?"
Ethan smiled and said, "Joyce, thank you so much for showing me around China these past two days. With such a great guide like you, I have indeed gained a new understanding of China. I don't know how to repay you enough."
“We Chinese are always warm and hospitable. It’s normal to keep friends company when they come from abroad. Since you’re Xiaoshu’s friend, you’re also my friend. If you have time, I’ll take you to some interesting places.”
“It’s okay, the places Joyce took me to were interesting enough.”
"..."
Qiao Shu leaned back, and with the two men talking back and forth, she couldn't get a word in edgewise.
She crossed her arms, suspecting that Yu Zeheng had taken a liking to Ethan. What could two grown men who had just met possibly have to talk about?
Qiao Shu reached forward with her right hand: "Should I ask the waiter to prepare an extra set of cutlery for you?"
It means, "Aren't you leaving yet, buddy?"
Yu Zeheng looked at her and smiled gently: "No need, I have an appointment with a friend."
Qiao Shu didn't know what he was laughing at, but she felt a chill.
Ethan generously suggested, "Why don't we invite President Yu to come with us? We can also ask the waiter to come over. I wonder what President Yu would like to eat?"
He said we were so natural.
Ethan talked about their time together in Australia, mentioning how they would check the weather, surf at the beach, sunbathe on the sand, have barbecues in the yard at night, and go camping together. Everyone had a great time.
"Barbecue at night, is that right?" Yu Zeheng asked.
Ethan nodded; this was a frequent gathering they held.
Yu Zeheng said, "She must have eaten very little; she held a wine glass almost the entire time."
That is indeed true.
Qiao Shu would attend dinner parties, but he ate very little, usually just some salad with a glass of white wine.
Yu Zeheng explained, "Because Xiao Shu eats very little at night, she is used to eating light and easily digestible foods. Barbecue is too greasy and hard to digest for her. And you just mentioned camping at home, right? She must not be in good spirits the next day. She is used to having the lights on and is sensitive to sound. Any noise could wake her up."
Qiao Shu frowned and stared at him with a puzzled look. What exactly was he trying to do?
Everything he said is correct.
Ethan had never paid attention to the reason, nor had he heard Qiao Shu mention it. These habits were something only lovers who shared a bed could know.
Yu Zeheng curled his fingers on the table, the ring on his left ring finger gleaming with a cold metallic light.
Ethan paused for half a second.
Yu Zeheng leaned towards Qiao Shu, his eyes fixed on her, and said softly in English, "I'm going to have dinner with my friends first. Message me when you're done. Have Uncle Qin take Ethan home first, and you can ride in my car. We'll go back together later."
Just as Qiao Shu was about to refuse, Yu Zeheng stood up, said goodbye to Ethan, and then gently placed his hand on her shoulder: "I won't disturb you any longer, you can continue."
Ethan, maintaining his composure, said, "See you next time."
Those who shouldn't have disturbed them have already done so. Why pretend to leave nonchalantly now? His appearance is as jarring as the chair left at their table, disrupting the pleasant and relaxed atmosphere.
Ethan took a sip of his drink and asked, "I saw the ring. Have you two remarried?"
Qiao Shu wanted to say no, but their relationship was complicated to explain, and she didn't want to talk too much about family. She vaguely said, "It's possible."
“I understand.” Ethan raised his glass, his smile handsome and charming. “To Joyce, to you who are always the center of attention.”
Near the end, Qiao Shu sent Yu Zeheng a message, saying that she had done her part in informing him, and whether or not he could see it was his problem.
Ethan insisted on paying the bill, only to be told by the waiter that it had already been paid in advance.
As for who it is, it's obvious without even guessing.
Qiao Shu was slightly annoyed. What exactly was Yu Zeheng up to?
"It's getting late, and you're already very tired today. Let's go back to the hotel and rest early," Qiao Shu said.
Ethan, with his suit jacket draped over his arm and his muscular physique visible beneath his shirt, gave a charmingly roguish smile: "How about we go somewhere else for another drink? Let me treat you this time."
Qiao Shu smiled and said, "Next time."
She had already seen Yu Zeheng emerge. He walked towards the car parked by the roadside and did not come over again. Instead, he lit a cigarette while waiting, his fingers holding the silver lighter. The scarlet tip of the cigarette flickered. He took a deep drag, his cheeks slightly sunken, and then slowly exhaled a thin mist.
Qiao Shu rarely saw him smoke.
One of the few times she accidentally bumped into him, she made up her mind to win him over. For many days in a row, she planned to check in at his hospital room. He got out of bed, wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown with long sleeves and trousers. He opened the window, leaned over, and had half a cigarette between his fingers.
Qiao Shu dislikes men smoking, but she has to admit that Yu Zeheng's smoking has a certain charm.
Cold eyes, slightly pursed lips, shrouded in a thin layer of white smoke.
Most importantly, he doesn't smoke much. When he's finished smoking, he has a faint, almost undetectable tobacco smell on him, which, combined with the woody and bergamot scents on his body, creates a unique aroma.
Qiao Shu withdrew her gaze, saw Ethan into the car, and told Uncle Qin to be careful on the road.
Uncle Qin always drives smoothly, and he nodded, saying, "Don't worry."
Qiao Shu watched the car drive onto the main road.
She turned around, and Yu Zeheng had only half a cigarette left between his fingers. He lowered his eyes and stubbed out the half cigarette in the cigarette box.
"Get in the car."
Qiao Shu sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.
After driving for a few minutes, Yu Zeheng looked ahead and asked, "Is this Ethan one of your boyfriends after your divorce?"
Qiao Shu raised his eyelashes. This was the second very personal question after discussing sex: did he even know what a sense of propriety was?
Instead of answering directly with a yes or no, she casually said, "You know my account, right? You were spying on your ex-wife's miserable life after the divorce. You must have seen him."
Yu Zeheng gripped the steering wheel, his tone indifferent: "You've been with so many men, who could remember?"
Qiao Shu chuckled in exasperation. She wasn't a lovesick fool who would post photos of men like crazy on social media, but she would post some group photos, photos of meals or camping trips. That was reasonable, just like most people. It wasn't like Yu Zeheng was talking about, with so many men.
Holding her phone, she didn't even bother to look up: "Yeah, but Ethan is one of the best-looking ones in the group."
Yu Zeheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
Qiao Shu believed she had achieved her goal, and she continued, "Tall and handsome, rich and witty, he also comes from a good family with a beautiful castle."
"Since you have a castle, why don't you stay and be your duchess?" Yu Zeheng suddenly asked again.
Qiao Shu said casually, "Because I'd rather have my own castle than move to someone else's. Yu Zeheng, don't you think you're meddling too much?"
"I just don't want to have overly close contact with the opposite sex during the cooperation period, and get photographed by the media. Even if you didn't do anything, they can make up a story, which will only implicate me in the end. This is clearly stated in the contract."
"Now you've remembered the contract." Qiao Shu curled her lips.
The black car silently moved forward in the night, merging into the traffic, and gradually moved away from the bustling city, entering a quiet villa area.
Qiao Shu put down her phone and crossed her arms. She didn't look at him, but stared straight ahead: "You're quite interesting. When I have dinner with someone of the opposite sex, it's considered a breach of contract, but when you're in bed holding me, kissing me, and having feelings for me, it's not considered a breach of contract?"
His tone was light and casual.
The car suddenly stopped in front of the house. The iron gate had been slowly opened, but the car did not drive in for a long time.
In the cramped space, the air seemed to have stopped circulating.
There was an undercurrent flowing between them.
Things that had been deliberately forgotten for so many days were suddenly brought up, as if they had just happened yesterday.
Yu Zeheng leaned back in his seat, his arm resting on the steering wheel. He turned and stared intently at her with his dark eyes: "Why didn't you dodge when I kissed you? Even if you didn't have time to react, a kiss lasts a few minutes, enough for you to slap me twice. Why didn't you? I'm a patient. You could have pushed me down at any time."
Qiao Shu was stunned by his repeated questioning; she had never seen someone so capable of distorting the truth.
She sneered, "You're as shameless as ever, as if it's my fault for being kissed by you. Do you even know what victim-blaming is?"
Yu Zeheng reacted even calmer. His calm tone made his words sound clear and logical. After Qiao Shu finished cursing, he called her name: "Qiao Shu".
"You're sick." Qiao Shu sneered twice.
"Can I take that as you want to sleep with me too?" Her voice rang out almost simultaneously.
It is not a question, but a declarative sentence with a straightforward tone, stating a fact.
This is insane!
"I think you're really quite ill. Sometimes you can't just focus on making money; you should also take a look at your brain."
Qiao Shu was so angry she lost her mind. She got out of the car and leaned against the door, saying, "Even if all the men in the world died, I would never sleep with you. I would rather play with my little toys for the rest of my life, until I am buried, they will be my burial objects. I would never want to touch a single finger of yours."
Small toys are great; you can pick them up and use them when you need them, and put them away in a drawer when you don't. Emotional value and emotional entanglements are all irrelevant.
Yu Zeheng's voice came from inside the car: "Really?"
Qiao Shu sneered and slammed the car door shut. When she finally made a fortune, the first thing she would do was take her ex-husband to get his head checked.
—
Qiao Shu and Yu Zeheng resumed their previous way of getting along.
She had no time to deal with her troubled ex-husband for the time being. Ethan's team arrived in China on Tuesday, and Guan Han, representing the company, received them. Under Guan Han's guidance, she acted as a lubricant, handling everything from start to finish, which took a lot of effort and time.
This busy routine was interrupted by a news report.
No one knows who's been relentlessly pursuing Qiao Shu, but they managed to take photos of her and Ethan. The photos show them visiting various tourist attractions and dining at restaurants. Although there were no inappropriate actions, their postures suggested that their relationship was more than just casual. There were also some ambiguous angles in the photos, with Qiao Shu smiling and Ethan gazing at her affectionately.
The handsome man and beautiful woman, just by being in the same frame, are enough to conjure up romantic love stories.
Qiao Shu was speechless. Ethan's eyes were full of affection when he looked at their Xiao Xi.
The news discussion is still difficult to define as either infidelity or divorce and finding a new love. The comments below tend to suggest that they are already divorced and the couple has long since gone their separate ways.
The matter caused quite a stir, with several versions being fabricated.
This led to a lot of trouble. Starting with her uncle and aunt, she received a series of messages questioning her, which she was too lazy to even open. In the end, the matter reached the old man, and she had to repeat her explanations eight hundred times.
After discussions between the Qiao and Yu families, it was decided that Qiao Shu and Yu Zeheng, the two parties involved, would hold a press conference to clarify the rumors and officially announce that the two had not divorced, in order to prevent the matter from being repeatedly brought up by the media and causing negative information.
Qiao Shu had no problem with it.
The only troublesome point is Yu Zeheng. When they were discussing cooperation, he said that he didn't want to have to explain to the media if she was photographed by them.
So at the press conference that day, Yu Zeheng's face was beyond just being sullen. He pursed his lips, his jawline was taut, and he was expressionless and silent backstage. The temperature around him dropped to zero, like a walking refrigerator.
On stage, Qiao Shu rested her arm on the table, her makeup exquisite and flawless, every smile and gesture lively and beautiful.
Yu Zeheng leaned back in his chair, his expression somewhat more relaxed than when he was backstage, but he kept his lips pursed and his expression indifferent throughout.
The two people, who were less than half a meter apart, did not interact at all. The lights kept flashing, illuminating their seemingly estranged but actually distant relationship.
Qiao Shu first clarified her relationship with Ethan: "We are indeed more than just friends. Recently, Zhongcheng has been working to reach a cooperation agreement with the Australian online retail platform CN. I was just doing my duty as a host, entertaining friends and future partners. I didn't expect it to cause so much controversy. Today, CN has officially signed a five-year cooperation agreement with us."
Releasing this news will be beneficial and harmless to the Qiao family.
A reporter asked, "Are the rumors about your divorce true? They say you've already divorced and are now living separate lives. Will this affect the cooperation between the Qiao and Yu families?"
"It's fake, please don't believe the rumors."
Qiao Shu tilted her head, her earring swaying gently. She looked at Yu Zeheng with a bright and captivating smile: "What do you think, husband?"
"Um."
Yu Zeheng leaned back and looked back at her, his eyes cold and his tone distant as he asked, "Otherwise, who would call their ex-husband 'husband'?"
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Author's Note: My ex-husband's teeth keep breaking.
50 red envelopes, kiss kiss!
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