Chapter Eight: Adultery in the Bedroom
Behind him, Xia Zhi was sitting on the ground, her off-white dress all wrinkled.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes, like those of a venomous snake, were fixed intently on Su Xiao.
The air was filled with the rich scent of roses, mixed with the familiar cedar scent emanating from Yan Mingshen's clothes.
It creates an eerie and ambiguous atmosphere.
Su Xiao's gaze swept over Yan Mingshen's disheveled collar and finally landed on Xia Zhi behind him.
It paused for half a second on Xia Zhi's wrinkled skirt.
He then curved his eyelashes, his smile as faint as the morning mist, yet it felt as cold as a needle when it landed on Xia Zhi.
Why is Miss Xia sitting on the floor?
Her voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh, and she took half a step forward, reaching out to help.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch Xia Zhi's arm, he withdrew them as if remembering something.
She turned to look at Yan Mingshen, her eyes filled with just the right amount of worry.
"Did you fall by accident? The floor in the guest room is cold; you'd better not catch a cold."
Xia Zhi felt a tightness in her chest from her completely oblivious and docile appearance, and was about to say something.
Su Xiao had already turned and was walking towards the stairs, but she turned back halfway down, her gaze falling on Yan Mingshen's slightly open collar.
Her tone was gentle and considerate: "Ming Shen, remember to button up your shirt. It's windy at night, don't catch a chill."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the messy bedding in the guest room before finally settling on Xia Zhi.
The smile deepened, like a knife dipped in honey:
"If Miss Xia feels unwell, just let me know. There's a first-aid kit at home. After all, you're living here, and I can't let you suffer any injustice."
The final "ya" sound rises gently, carrying an innocent warmth.
But this made Xia Zhi clench her fists tightly.
Su Xiaoming saw everything, but she insisted on pretending to be innocent.
The hostess's demeanor made her disheveled state seem like a joke.
Yan Mingshen looked at the fluttering hem of Su Xiao's clothes as she turned around, then at Xia Zhi, whose face was pale on the ground.
My throat suddenly felt tight.
Su Xiao's words, "I live here," were like a fine needle.
It gently punctured the ambiguous bubble in the air, revealing the embarrassing truth beneath.
Xia Zhi's fingertips trembled with anger. She wanted to rebuke Su Xiao for being hypocritical, but she met Yan Mingshen's suddenly darkening gaze.
All the words stuck in his throat.
For the first time, she realized that Su Xiao's gentle and sensible demeanor was more heartbreaking than her hysterical crying.
The high heels clicked crisply on the floor tiles.
It's like the drumbeats that bring this farce to a close.
As Yan Mingshen watched Su Xiao's retreating figure, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by something.
The pain was so intense that he could barely breathe.
He wanted to chase after him to explain, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot.
Xia Zhi got up from the ground, walked to his side, and gently grabbed his arm.
Yan Mingshen abruptly shook off her hand:
"Xiaxia, this time it's really over."
Xia Zhi was taken aback by his shout, and then her eyes welled up with tears of grievance.
"Ming Shen..."
Yan Mingshen stood there, his chest heaving violently.
He looked at the stairwell where Su Xiao had disappeared, feeling as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, with a cold wind rushing in.
He knew that this time, he might have really gone too far.
In the master bedroom, Su Xiao leaned against the cold wall.
He gripped the recording pen tightly in his hand.
Tears fell onto the gleaming floor tiles, leaving a small wet patch.
So this was the man she had loved for five years.
So this was the home she was willing to give everything to protect.
That's... utterly ridiculous.
I slept without any dreams.
The next day, Su Xiao got up very early and went out while the two people downstairs were sleeping.
She still needs to go to the site today to finish cleaning up the remaining paintings.
Yesterday, Qin Yu had his studio take over the gallery's security arrangements.
When Su Xiao arrived, Qin Yu's two apprentices were squatting by the second-floor balcony, carefully sweeping the broken bricks off the painting with small brushes.
"Didn't your master come today?"
Su Xiao put her bag aside, skillfully put on her work clothes, and greeted the two people.
"Master was called away by Sister Xu An as soon as he arrived at the studio this morning, and he probably won't be back until the afternoon."
When Su Xiao came over, one of the boys wearing glasses stood up and handed her a small metal box.
“What we found in the second-floor workshop is probably not a painting or calligraphy work. Take a look.”
The tin box was blackened by smoke, but the patterns on it could still be vaguely seen.
"It's nothing important..."
Su Xiao said it wasn't important, but she still inexplicably wrapped it in a paper bag and put it in her bag.
It was a coming-of-age gift from that person, which she had never opened.
I never expected that even though the gallery is gone, this thing could still be found.
The three of them worked all morning and only managed to clean less than a third of the second floor.
Yesterday, Qin Yu brought all the paintings and calligraphy that weren't so badly damaged back to his studio.
Now all that's left are things that need to be deducted gradually.
Su Xiao's back ached from exhaustion, but these paintings had to be sent to the studio for processing as soon as possible; otherwise, the longer it was delayed, the greater the losses would be.
"Senior sister."
Qin Yu, carrying several bottles of ice water, waved to Su Xiao from downstairs.
“I brought the rest of the studio to relieve you. Ask them to come downstairs together so we can get something to eat.”
"......good."
Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Although she could manage, it wouldn't be right to make the other two people work on an empty stomach with her.
"Let's go, your master is treating."
Su Xiao smiled and watched the two of them take off their work clothes while joking about how they were going to rip off their boss with an expensive meal. For once, she felt a little more relaxed.
As soon as Qin Yu got in the car, he shoved the ice water into Su Xiao's arms.
"Senior sister must be so hot, let's cool her down."
"Thanks."
It's been hot in Beijing lately, and there's no air conditioning in the abandoned building, so Su Xiao's face is all flushed from the stuffiness.
She wore her hair in a high ponytail again today, and sitting with the other recent college graduates, she looked like one of their peers.
You wouldn't guess she's been married at all.
Su Xiao placed the water bottle around her neck to cool it down. When she raised her hand, a small section of her fair wrist was exposed, and the water from the bottle flowed down her wrist bone into her sleeve.
Qin Yu glanced at it and then looked away, following his two apprentices' request to go to a well-known local stir-fry restaurant.
As soon as they entered, they saw Xia Zhi walking arm in arm with Yan Mingshen into a private room.
The two were chatting and laughing with their backs to the door; they looked like a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match.
Su Xiao paused for a moment, but didn't stop. She gripped the canvas bag tightly in her hand, the edge of the strap digging painfully into her palm.
It felt like a blunt object had struck her heart, leaving Su Xiao feeling suffocated.
Qin Yu, on the other hand, kept looking at her, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"Hey? Isn't this Miss Su?"
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