freezing point
The New Year arrived in the blink of an eye. The house was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the servants wore festive cheer on their faces.
On New Year's Eve, only Li Fuqiang and Zhiwei attended the family dinner. Jiaqi had gone shopping in Paris with friends and stated that she wouldn't be returning for the New Year. The long table was laden with exquisite dishes. The two sat facing each other, exchanging a few polite words, mainly about the taste of the food and their plans for the coming year—polite yet distant. Li Fuqiang drank a few more glasses of red wine. Under the influence of alcohol, looking at Zhiwei's still radiant but increasingly serene face under the lamplight, some thoughts that had been suppressed by the medical report began to stir again in his mind.
After the banquet, Zhiwei went straight back to her own completely independent suite downstairs. Li Fuqiang sat alone in the study for a while, feeling the effects of the alcohol, and finally got up, wearing his bathrobe, and went to Zhiwei's door.
He knocked on the door. Zhiwei's calm voice came from inside: "Come in."
He pushed open the door and went in. Zhiwei was sitting on the sofa by the window, flipping through a thick fashion magazine. She was wearing a soft, light gray loungewear set, her long hair was loosely tied up, and her face, without makeup, was clean and clear. When she looked up at him, her large eyes appeared particularly deep under the light.
"Still not asleep?" Li Fuqiang walked to her side, trying to make his tone sound natural.
"I'll read for a while." Zhiwei closed the magazine, her gaze lingering on his bathrobe for a moment, without any change in expression. There was neither surprise nor welcome; she simply looked at him quietly, as if waiting for him to explain his purpose.
The room was well-heated, but the atmosphere was slightly chilly. Li Fuqiang sat down on the single sofa next to her and started a conversation: "What are your plans for the New Year? Want to go out for a walk?"
“After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, ‘Wei Nian’ has a new product launch event to prepare for. If Mr. Li doesn’t need to go for work, I’ll pass.” Zhiwei answered flawlessly.
A brief silence followed. Li Fuqiang gazed at her serene profile. The courage and warmth he had gained from the alcohol were slowly dissipating before the unfathomable depths of her stillness. He leaned forward slightly, about to say something more.
Zhiwei suddenly turned her head, her clear eyes looking straight at him. Her tone was as calm as if she were discussing the weather, and she softly reminded him, "It's almost been three months since my last checkup."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Li Fuqiang's head. All his movements and unspoken words froze instantly. The effects of the alcohol sobered him up considerably, and a mixture of embarrassment, disappointment, and even a hint of shame and annoyance welled up inside him. She didn't even show any accusation or disgust; she simply stated a fact calmly and objectively.
He looked at her, and she looked back at him, her eyes showing no evasion, only a calm and serene expression. He suddenly stood up, the sash of his robe loosening slightly from the movement. He said nothing, not even a goodnight, turned and left, almost hastily, slamming the door shut behind him.
Zhiwei listened to the receding footsteps outside the door, her face still expressionless. She simply picked up the magazine again, turned to the page she had been reading before, and unconsciously ran her fingertips over the page.
Since that night, the already transparent barrier between the two seemed to have become thicker and harder.
Zhiwei continued to fulfill her duties as "Mrs. Li." When accompanying him to important business events and charity galas, she remained impeccably made up, dressed appropriately, and always smiling and chatting. She linked arms with him, exchanging pleasantries with various celebrities—her demeanor was impeccable. Her affable manner was a professional and unquestionable display of politeness.
Once, at an industry cocktail party, Li Fuqiang brought along a newly popular young starlet. The girl was young and flamboyant, practically clinging to him, and even pulled Li Fuqiang to Zhiwei, chatting with her with a hint of provocation and boastfulness. Zhiwei, however, didn't even change the curve of her lips, calmly chatting with the girl about the season's trending colors, as if the girl were just an ordinary female companion brought by a business partner, completely unrelated to her.
The calmer she remained, the more pent-up anger in Li Fuqiang's heart burned. He knew perfectly well that they had drifted further and further apart, not only by age and background, but also by their differing understandings of the true nature of their relationship. She had long since placed herself firmly in the position of a "work colleague," calm, professional, and maintaining a safe distance. He, on the other hand, was unwilling and felt no need to restrain his habitually indulgent private life in an attempt to close the distance, and naturally, he was even less willing and disdained to force himself on her.
Thus, a peculiar, cold balance formed between the two. Occasionally living under the same roof, they were like two parallel lines that did not interfere with each other, each running along its own trajectory. When they occasionally intersected, all that remained was a formulaic collision, without igniting a single spark of warmth. The luxury of Rong Mansion remained, but the human touch that belonged to "home" had, imperceptibly, dissipated silently.
Zhiwei now spends most of her time living in Yayuan, busy with her own clothing brand, and occasionally visiting her mother in Shanghai. Xu Anyi's fluctuating health has made Zhiwei prepared for the possibility of her mother's passing at any moment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
