Chapter Sixty-Four: He never considered divorcing her.
He looked at the medical report on the table, his fingertips lightly brushing over the two characters "Xia Zhi," his tone becoming more complex.
"Also, keep an eye on Xia Zhi's whereabouts, but don't let her find out. I need to know who she's met with recently."
After the assistant nodded and left, the office fell silent again.
Yan Mingshen picked up his phone. On the screen was a message Xia Zhi had sent that morning: "I'll make you some pigeon soup tonight to help you recover."
But as his finger hovered over the screen, he ended up clicking on Su Xiao's profile picture.
Su Xiao's WeChat is very clean; she rarely posts anything on her Moments throughout the year.
The most recent one was half a year ago, when he casually gave her a stack of Xuan paper.
Yan Mingshen stared at the screen, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the phone. Suddenly, he really wanted to go back and take a look.
"Prepare the car to go home."
He spoke coldly into the intercom, his tone revealing a hint of urgency he himself didn't even realize.
The car smoothly drove into the familiar villa area. The lights on the first floor shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, their warmth almost blinding.
He pushed open the car door and stepped inside, only to bump into Xia Zhi, who was walking towards him. She was holding his usual cashmere coat and had a gentle smile on her face.
"Ming Shen, why did you suddenly come back? The food is still warm, let me get you some..."
Yan Mingshen neither took the coat nor responded; he simply walked past her and hurried upstairs.
The home's decor remained the same. The landscape painting hanging in the living room was the one Su Xiao had chosen, and the celadon vase on the entryway cabinet was one of her favorite pieces.
He didn't allow these things to be touched, nor did he even consider touching them.
Just as he never considered divorcing Su Xiao, her place in his heart had long since changed.
The door to the second-floor studio was ajar. He pushed it open, and the familiar scent of ink mixed with a hint of pine oil made him frown involuntarily.
He clearly remembered that it wasn't like this before.
He strode over to the wooden cabinet embedded in the wall, which was where Su Xiao used to store paper.
He paused, his fingers resting on the cabinet door, before slowly pulling it open.
The cabinet was empty, with only a thin layer of dust; there wasn't even a trace of half a sheet of Xuan paper left.
Where's the paper?
Yan Mingshen's voice was a little tense. He turned around and saw Xia Zhi standing at the door, holding a bowl of hot soup in her hand.
Xia Zhi's smile froze for a moment, then softened, her tone carrying a hint of disapproval:
"You mean Su Xiao's tattered Xuan paper? Someone like her wouldn't remember those things when she's gone."
She put down her soup bowl, walked to his side, and reached out to touch his arm, but he turned away.
"Ming Shen, she's cheated on you, can't you forget her and live a good life with me...?"
Did you throw it?
Yan Mingshen's gaze fell on her face, but he showed no emotion.
Xia Zhi felt flustered under his gaze, but she still forced herself to nod.
"Yeah, they take up space, and... she's gone, what's the point of keeping them?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Mingshen felt as if something had gripped his heart tightly, then suddenly released it, leaving him with an empty, aching feeling.
He didn't look at Xia Zhi anymore, but stared at the empty cabinet, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The scent of ink still lingers in the studio, but the person who used to sit there painting and occasionally look up at him with a smile is gone.
"I understand." He finally spoke after a long pause, his voice so low it was almost a murmur.
No, he has to find her.
He can't live without her.
*
As autumn arrives, the occupancy rate of Luofengyuan Garden is gradually increasing.
Many people bought this house because of the autumn scenery. Su Xiao rubbed her temples, got out of the car, and entered the elevator.
After finishing her overtime work that night, she went to the studio to fix some paintings. Now her eyes were hurting badly, so she simply lowered her eyes and waited for the elevator doors to open. She walked towards her front door with her head down, but almost tripped over them.
It was a cardboard box. Su Xiao looked up in confusion, almost thinking she was hallucinating from working overtime.
Chen Huai, who was standing in front of her, was half-bent over and was carrying a rolled-up latex mattress towards her house with two workers.
The dust cover wasn't properly wrapped, revealing a corner of light gray memory foam, which looked quite expensive.
Xu An was squatting nearby, holding a half-open mattress instruction manual in his hand. When she suddenly appeared, he was so startled that his hand trembled and the manual scattered all over the floor.
"Xiaoxiao..."
"Miss Su...?"
The two spoke almost simultaneously.
Chen Huai froze in mid-air, his arm still resting on the corner of the mattress, his face flushed slightly, and his eyes instinctively darted to the side, not daring to meet Su Xiao's gaze.
The two workers stopped working, still holding their tools, and stood there, caught in a dilemma.
The air in the hallway seemed to freeze instantly, and even breathing could be heard very clearly.
"you......"
Su Xiao frowned, her gaze sweeping over the half-raised mattress before settling on Chen Huai's face.
Her mattress was newly replaced; it's the brand she usually uses, and Xu An has seen it before. So, who is this one for?
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at Xu An: "Are you moving in with me?"
"I......"
Xu An swallowed hard, hastily hid the instruction manual behind her back, and shook her head guiltily.
If she were coming to stay, she would have just stayed in Su Xiao's bed; there would be no need for such a big fuss.
Chen Huai was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He wanted to explain but didn't know where to begin, so he could only keep glancing towards the elevator entrance.
Just then, a low laugh came from behind Su Xiao.
She turned around instinctively and saw Xu Bozhou looking down at her, the hem of his black trench coat still carrying a hint of the cool night breeze.
She was so close that she could kiss the tip of his nose if she stood on tiptoe.
"you......"
Before Su Xiao could speak, he gently pressed the hot milk tea in his hand against her cheek. The warmth seeped through the cup, making her eyelashes tremble.
Are you cold?
His voice was low, and his hands were exceptionally delicate, with distinct knuckles but no sharpness. They felt cool as they brushed against my ear, like white jade branches bathed in moonlight.
When Chen Huai saw Xu Bozhou, he seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief. His tense shoulders instantly relaxed. He gave the workers a look, and the group carefully moved the mattress into the room.
Su Xiao held the warm milk tea in her hand, glanced down at the label on the cup: 50% sugar. It was the kind of milk tea she would go out of her way to buy every time she worked overtime.
“Xu Bozhou,” she looked up at him, a lingering question in her eyes, “They’re moving a mattress into my house. What’s going on? I asked Xu An, but she won’t say anything…”
Xu Bozhou leaned against the wall of the corridor, his posture upright, a faint smile on his lips. He reached out to brush a stray hair off her shoulder, his tone carrying an undeniable honesty, yet also a hint of roguishness.
"It's not Xu An, it's me who wants to move here."
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