Chapter 71 I haven't spent time with her in three years of marriage
Seeing her bewildered expression, Xu Bozhou couldn't help but lower his head and gently touch the top of her head with the tip of his nose before draping his suit jacket over his arm and softening his tone:
"I was just kidding."
He raised his hand and gently rubbed her burning earlobes. His fingertips were slightly cool, which just suppressed the burning sensation.
"Go to sleep, you've had a long day."
Su Xiao entered the bathroom almost simultaneously with her hands and feet.
The steam in the bathroom hadn't dissipated yet. Su Xiao clutched the hem of her pajamas and tiptoed to the living room, where Xu Bozhou was dozing off on the sofa.
The warm yellow light from the floor lamp fell on his profile, casting the shadow of his eyelashes under his eyes, softening his features and making him appear gentler.
Hearing the soft rustling of fabric, his eyelashes fluttered, and when he opened his eyes, there was still a faint weariness in them, as if he had just woken up.
Seeing that she was still standing there, he asked:
"What's wrong?"
She dug her fingers into the edge of the sofa, her knuckles turning white, and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, her voice barely audible:
"Um...it's Grandma Su's birthday banquet on Monday, could you...come with me?"
He quickly added something as soon as he finished speaking.
"Don't force yourself if you're busy."
The air suddenly became quiet. She lowered her head and could see her toes curling up inside her slippers.
Awkward and conflicted.
She didn't want him to get involved in the Su family's troubles, but she really needed his help.
Xu Bozhou didn't say anything, but simply raised his chin, gesturing for her to sit down next to him.
Su Xiao dawdled over, and just as she touched the edge of the sofa, he reached out and gently pulled her arm to his side.
"In exchange, will you celebrate my birthday with me next month?"
"Um."
She didn't dare to look up, only staring at his hands resting on his knees, lost in thought.
It's just a birthday...
She thought he would make even more outrageous demands.
Su Xiao spent almost the entire weekend in her studio. Qin Lao's painting was nearing completion; it just needed a few details to be refined before it could be framed.
There are some tricky issues with silver setting; she plans to consult Mr. Tang in a few days.
He enjoyed doing these things when he was younger, so he's very experienced.
It just so happens that she hadn't been there for quite some time and was also thinking about the old man.
Monday arrived in the blink of an eye.
Su Xiao specially pulled out a beige knitted dress with a small pearl adorning the neckline, which was convenient for movement and not too flashy.
If the Su family intends to make things difficult for her, even if she can't beat them, she can still run away.
She stood in the entryway waiting for Xu Bozhou, watching him put on his suit, lower his head, and pin a pearl brooch to his collar, matching her dress.
Let's go.
She didn't expose his little scheme and followed him out the door.
The old house was already crowded with people, and the place was bustling with noise.
Xu Bozhou was stopped by Chen Huai as soon as he entered the door, who said there was new progress in Mengjin and asked him to make a call back.
"Wait here for me for two minutes, I need to make a phone call, okay?"
"Um."
Su Xiao nodded. The birthday banquet hadn't started yet, so there was still time.
Seeing him return to the car, Su Xiao obediently sat by the door and waited for him.
But then I saw a familiar black Bentley slowly come to a stop.
Yan Mingshen stepped out of the car, his custom-made suit perfectly pressed without a single wrinkle, and the watch face peeking out from the cuff gleamed with a cold light.
Xia Zhi followed behind, wearing a champagne-colored silk dress in the same color scheme, but she didn't dare to take Yan Mingshen's arm. She was clutching a small handbag studded with rhinestones in her hand.
The two were about two steps apart, neither too close nor too far.
Yan Mingshen clearly had no time to consider her feelings. He looked at Su Xiao, his brows furrowed slightly, and as he turned away, his tone betrayed his impatience:
"Go inside and find a place to sit. Don't just stand there."
"......I see."
Xia Zhi, clutching her small handbag, glared fiercely at Su Xiao as she passed by.
You bitch!
She's just taking advantage of the fact that Yan Mingshen used to have feelings for her, and now that she's hooked up with Xu Bozhou, she dares to act all high and mighty.
She thought her abilities were nothing special.
Even if she stayed up all night revising the design drafts for the West Coast project, so what? In the end, it still belongs to Xia Zhi...
A cripple doesn't even deserve to compete with her.
The guests had mostly arrived, leaving only the two of them and Xu Bozhou in the car outside the door.
Yan Mingshen took two steps closer to her, exuding an invisible sense of pressure.
"Why didn't you tell me you came?"
Su Xiao didn't respond, but simply gestured with her chin towards the dark purple Rolls-Royce.
She didn't come alone; she had someone with her, so she didn't need him.
Yan Mingshen frowned slightly as he looked at her aloof demeanor.
"Su Xiao."
His voice was low and tinged with jealousy.
"You really want to be with Xu Bozhou that much?"
"Does that mean I should stay with you and Xia Zhi?"
Su Xiao scoffed. She had been married to him for three years, and every time she went back to the old house, he had accompanied her.
Even at her father's funeral, when she went back to the Yan family to invite the elders, she did it all by herself.
Now that she's not bothering him, why is he suddenly unhappy?
“I will break up with Xia Zhi cleanly. Haven’t you made a scene for so long enough?”
Yan Mingshen's gaze darkened and fell on the small pearl on her collar.
He is now almost certain that there was something wrong with the car accident, and now all that's left is the final confirmation.
If it is ultimately confirmed that she was the one who saved him from the car accident, even if she had ulterior motives, he will accept it. He will give her a villa, enough money, and let her live a peaceful life. However, from then on, the name "Xia Zhi" will never exist in his world again.
But what if she fabricated the story of how she saved her life back then, or even if it was related to the car accident itself...?
A cold glint flashed in his eyes; he would never let her go.
Su Xiao felt a chill run down her spine at his silence.
He talks a good game, but how could he possibly break up with Xia Zhi because of her?
She will never trust him again.
She saw clearly how Yan Mingshen indulged Xia Zhi.
She had gotten into such a big mess, and the mastermind was right in front of him, yet he just casually told her to move out and tried to get rid of her.
Now that he's suddenly saying this, it's as if... as if something went wrong with Xia Zhi, making him finally unable to deceive himself any longer.
She looked up and met Yan Mingshen's complex gaze.
Whether you break up or not is your business, it has nothing to do with me.
"Su Xiao, I'm serious..."
"serious?"
Su Xiao turned her face away and looked at the Rolls-Royce not far away. She didn't want to waste any more time with Yan Mingshen.
"Yan Mingshen, I know better than anyone how serious you were about Xia Zhi before. You don't need to tell me these things now. I don't care and I don't want to hear them."
Yan Mingshen looked at her turned profile, her eyelashes trembled, and her clenched hands slowly loosened.
He knew that nothing he said now would make a difference; Su Xiao didn't believe him, just as he himself couldn't fully trust Xia Zhi.
We can only wait for that last bit of evidence.
Only after confirming the truth of the car accident can he truly sever ties with the past.
"Xiaoxiao, please, just give me another chance, okay?"
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