Chapter Seventy: Luckily, she was divorced.
Looking at her serious expression, Xu Bozhou raised his hand and ruffled her hair, his fingertips brushing against the soft texture of her scalp, his tone very gentle:
"Xu An and I will both help."
Su Xiao was a little stunned. Yan Mingshen had never allowed her to keep small animals at home before, thinking it was unhygienic and that they would damage things and cause trouble.
She said she couldn't even keep a cactus alive, and that she should spend more time reading books.
Perhaps in his eyes she was just a cripple with a broken wrist, and could never compare to Xia Zhi.
Fortunately, she got divorced and no longer has to be at someone else's mercy.
*
The black Bentley sped through the night, its windows tightly shut, the air pressure inside the car very low.
Yan Mingshen leaned back in the back seat, his fingers gripping a newly delivered document, his face ashen.
The assistant in the passenger seat had his head down, sweating profusely.
"Mr. Yan, the car accident back then was real. After you lost control and crashed through the guardrail, you were unconscious on the roadside for nearly forty minutes. However, the surveillance camera was too far off and couldn't capture Ms. Xia's condition. We can only see that a female student who was passing by called for emergency help."
"Female student?"
Yan Mingshen's voice was terribly low and hoarse, as if it had been chilled to the bone, and his gaze fell on the blurry surveillance screenshot in the document.
The only thing in the picture is a slender figure in a white dress, bending down to pat his shoulder in a hurried motion.
The hand gripping the document tightened suddenly, the paper making a shrill "rip" sound.
"What about Xia Zhi's medical records? We still can't find them?"
"Cannot be found."
The assistant lowered his head even further, and his voice betrayed his nervousness.
"The hospital's emergency room records were very clean, and we obtained the surveillance footage from nearby shops after several attempts."
Fortunately, the other party had a habit of storing records, and the location was remote; otherwise, we would still have no clues.
"However, I have found out that the Zhou family is not simple. I will send you the details to your email later."
The carriage was completely silent, with only the low hum of the engine.
Yan Mingshen closed his eyes. At the time, Zhou Manyun only said that she found out that something had happened between them because she couldn't get through to him on the phone, and she didn't mention anyone else at all.
This matter is becoming increasingly suspicious, yet he cannot find any concrete evidence.
"Check Xia Zhi's call records."
He paused, then suddenly raised his hand, tapping the back of the seat in front of him with his fingertips, his voice utterly cold:
"And that female student from back then, we'll find her even if we have to go through all the surveillance footage in the city."
"Yes!" The assistant didn't dare to delay and immediately took out his phone to make contact.
It was late at night when the car drove into the courtyard of the Yan family villa.
Yan Mingshen opened the car door. The motion-sensor light in the entryway was only lit by a small night light, and the warm yellow light fell on the living room sofa, outlining a curled-up figure.
Xia Zhi was wearing a light-colored silk nightgown, covered with a thin blanket, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders, her cheek resting against the sofa armrest, her breathing shallow, clearly having fallen asleep while waiting.
In the past, Yan Mingshen might have gone over, carried her back to the bedroom, and covered her with a blanket.
But now, he stands in the entryway, a few steps away, looking down at her.
Her eyes were filled with disgust. Even though he had found her a new villa and sent her new maids these past few days, she still refused to move out.
She brought her disreputable mother and caused a scene at the Yan family home.
If it turns out that everything from back then was a lie, then he wouldn't mind destroying her with his own hands...
*
It was already late at night when I left the pet hospital.
The vet said the kitten needs to stay in the hospital for observation for two days, and its recovery will be assessed after the IV fluids stabilize its condition.
Su Xiao peeked through the glass of the consultation room twice before reluctantly getting into the car with Xu Bozhou.
The elevator in Luofengyuan was quiet. After the two got off the elevator, Su Xiao took out her keys to open the door.
The living room lights were off; Xu An hadn't come home from filming a night scene.
The house was so quiet you could hear each other breathing.
She bent down to change her shoes, and just as she slipped on one of the fluffy slippers, a figure approached from behind.
Xu Bozhou was also changing his shoes, and the two were very close to each other.
As he bent down, his warm breath landed right on her head. The scent of cedar mixed with disinfectant was both refreshing and intimate.
Su Xiao paused, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and the memories she had just suppressed resurfaced.
The sudden, unexpected touch in the car, the hard abdominal muscles under his fingertips, lingered in his mind.
She couldn't help but glance up slightly; the black sweater clung to his body, and his silhouette could be seen in the shadows as he moved.
Su Xiao's cheeks burned even more, and she quickly lowered her head, her fingers frantically reaching for the other slipper.
Still thinking about the kitten?
Xu Bozhou's voice suddenly rang out above her head, soft and husky, with a hint of amusement, clearly noticing her distraction.
Su Xiao exclaimed "Ah!" Her fingertips didn't catch the slippers, but instead accidentally bumped into the leather shoes he had placed on the shoe cabinet.
The cool touch of leather made her recoil as if burned, her ear tips turning bright red.
"No, no... I was just wondering if it would be better tomorrow."
Xu Bozhou looked at her flustered appearance, a faint smile spreading across his eyes.
After changing his shoes, he didn't straighten up immediately; his breath still fell on her head, and his tone became even softer.
"The doctor said that as long as I get through tonight, I'll be fine."
He paused, his gaze falling on the tips of her reddened ears.
"Or...are you thinking about something else?"
Su Xiao's heart pounded in her chest, and she didn't dare to look up at him.
She quickly slipped on the other slipper, and just as she was about to straighten up and back away, her shoulder gently bumped into his chest.
Xu Bozhou had already straightened up at some point and was standing half a step behind her.
Her warm breath enveloped him, and she could even feel the slight rise and fall of his chest beneath his shirt.
Her ear tips were already burning red, and when he suddenly got close and wrapped around her, her body instinctively froze on the spot.
Xu Bozhou didn't move. Instead, he slowly lowered his head, his lips no more than half an inch away from her ear.
His warm breath gently brushed against her earlobe, tickling Su Xiao's eyelashes and making her instinctively want to back away, but he gently nudged her waist with his elbow.
The refund was unsuccessful.
"What's the panic?"
His voice was extremely low, his breath falling into her ear like a feather gently tickling her.
Su Xiao's face was burning hot enough to fry an egg. Just as she was about to open her mouth to defend herself, she saw Xu Bozhou raise his other hand.
He was carrying the black suit jacket, the same one that had been used to wrap the kitten and then gotten stained with milk.
The suit fabric was crisp, and the light white milk stains on it had dried, like some kind of ambiguous trace.
Xu Bozhou's fingertips lightly pinched the collar of his suit jacket as he brought it close to Su Xiao's face, his gaze fixed on her flushed cheeks with a hint of deliberate teasing:
"How about you consider buying me a new jacket?"
"......good"
Xu Bozhou looked at her flustered appearance, a smile spreading across his eyes. His breath brushed against her earlobe, carrying a soft, coaxing tone:
"real:?"
He paused, twirling the patch of his suit jacket between his fingers, making the dried marks even more noticeable in the warm light.
"But you made these marks. If you change to a new one, these marks won't be there."
Su Xiao was stunned, not understanding what he meant. She only felt his breath on her ear, which tickled her heart and made her fingertips curl up.
The living room was quiet, with only the sound of their breathing. The warm yellow motion-sensor light cast their shadows on the entryway floor, making them appear as if they were stuck together.
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