Chapter 109 The Battle to Protect Our Marriage (6)
Three rhythmic knocks sounded on the door, and Cheng Yanjin initially thought he had misheard.
Because it was so light, as if afraid of waking the people in the room, each tap was just right within the range of a polite reminder.
Cheng Yanjin turned his head to look towards the door. He hadn't fallen asleep. He lay obediently to the side, holding the sleeping Lin Langyi, his eyes darting around at the ceiling with boundless energy. His mind was racing with excitement as he thought about how he would use his advantages as a mistress to infuriate the wife if Yuan Chuyu really came knocking on the door.
So when the second knock came, he immediately guessed that the person outside must be the one he was waiting for.
Carefully pulling his arm away from Lin Langyi, Cheng Yanjin sat up quietly, emerging from the bed as if from a pupa, without waking her.
He had been brainstorming for a long time and was now fully prepared to provoke Yuan Chuyu.
The door opened—
Yuan Chuyu stood alone at the door, looking dejected and lonely. A suitcase was placed beside his legs, and his right hand was lightly pressed on the handle. Without exception, the protruding knuckles on the back of his hand were all broken, with faint traces of blood seeping out.
Cheng Yanjin sized him up, and as she had hoped, his dark eyes remained fixed on his bare upper body without uttering a word.
He was only wearing long pants, the drawstring of his casual pants was not tied, and the pants hung loosely on his hips. The tattoo "lin" on his lower abdomen looked like a needle pricking into his eyes.
The navel stud was exaggerated, and there were fresh fingernail scratches around it. Yuan Chuyu's gaze was fixed on it heavily, and he didn't blink for a long time.
"Give me the thing." Cheng Yanjin arrogantly stretched out his hand to Yuan Chuyu, his eyebrows and eyes behaving exactly like a newly favored favorite.
Yuan Chuyu stood still, slowly raising his fingers in front of him, his palm still pressed on the crossbar.
He lowered his eyelashes slightly, gave a gentle push forward, and the suitcase slid forward a short distance, as if he were about to hand the luggage over to the person who came.
That's right.
Cheng Yanjin took a step forward with a relaxed expression, bent slightly and reached out to take it. Yuan Chuyu's face remained calm, without any reaction. Just as Cheng Yanjin's hand was about to touch the handle, his half-relaxed hand suddenly gripped the handle tightly, his knuckles instantly protruding, and the suitcase under his hand remained motionless as if nailed to the ground.
Cheng Yanjin raised his eyebrows, and before he could even stand up straight, Yuan Chuyu had already taken a few steps forward, pushing the box and shoving him into the room in the blink of an eye.
"What do you mean?!"
"Shut up."
As tensions rose, both men lowered their voices, afraid that the noise would wake the sleeping people in the room.
Cheng Yanjin blocked the passageway, his sour face resembling that of a guard dog growling warily: "You didn't think it was noisy when you forced your way in, but now you're worried about waking her up?"
Yuan Chuyu turned and went into the bathroom. Seeing that Cheng Yanjin did not move, he turned his face to the side and said coldly, "Forced entry? Sometimes I really regret that we weren't at the property abroad that night. Otherwise, the moment you climbed onto the balcony, I could have shot and killed the unknown person who broke into my home."
His hand was still on the bathroom doorknob as he impatiently closed the door slightly: "Come in."
Cheng Yanjin followed in with a sullen face. Although he was itching to argue and even wanted to fight, Lin Langyi had looked very sleepy just now, and he couldn't wake her up no matter what.
As soon as the door closed, the already cramped bathroom space felt even more confined. Cheng Yanjin stood with his arms crossed near the door, wondering what tricks Yuan Chuyu would come up with to confront the mistress.
He had already studied it and watched a lot of videos about beating up mistresses. He knew that if someone was beaten after catching their partner in a hotel, he could call the police. He hoped that Yuan Chuyu would hit him hard and beat him to death, so that he could happily take the injury report and send the wife into the palace.
Ke Yuanchu didn't waste any more words. He squatted down, laid the suitcase down, and unzipped it. As soon as he opened the lid, he saw that everything inside was neatly categorized and placed:
The clothes were neatly folded together in transparent sealed bags. The coats were taken out, unfolded, and hung on hangers. They must have been ironed before being put in, as there were no creases and they had a faint fragrance. There were three or four sets of jewelry, all protected in jewelry boxes and placed in the middle of the luggage. There were two soft leather makeup bags, one containing bottles and jars of skincare products, and the other containing cosmetics. Yuan Chuyu even knew the difference between face towels and makeup remover pads, and filled two small boxes, each half with a different type of makeup.
Cheng Yanjin's expression changed with each item Yuan Chuyu took out, until he finally lost all control of his expression and stood there dumbfounded.
He watched as Yuan Chuyu silently took out the items from the suitcase and put them away one by one. These things, which were beyond his comprehension, were handled by Yuan Chuyu as if he were reviewing and approving routine contracts, and he exuded a sense of familiarity with archery.
This is truly eye-opening! So this is what the Empress is like?
As his thoughts wandered, Yuan Chuyu finally stood up, still holding a bottle wrapped in a tissue in his hand. He pointed at the pile of lotions, creams, and creams scattered on the washstand and said, "If you can remember them, remember them; if you can't, take a picture of them."
Cheng Yanjin: "Huh?"
Yuan Chuyu's expression was calm, and even the shadow he cast on the ground had a sharp and stern look: "When she's tired, she doesn't want to move. I have to carry her to wash up. After a hot shower, she'll feel even more sleepy and lazy, so I'll get her skincare products. You have to remember the order. She'll feel uncomfortable if she doesn't apply them while the air conditioner is blowing on her."
Cheng Yanjin looked bewildered and fumbled for his phone, but after a while, he realized that his phone was still charging on the bedside table. He could only bite the bullet and say, "Oh, go ahead, I remember."
Bizarre experience sharing and one-on-one tutoring...
After finishing recounting the pile of bottles and jars, Yuan Chuyu paused, then handed over the bottle he was holding. His eyelids slowly drooped, as if sinking into shadow: "This is essential oil. Use it to massage your legs, lower back, or for muscle aches..."
He spoke in a broken and disjointed manner, as if several chapters had been drawn from a book, leaving jagged gaps.
The lower half of the bottle was wrapped in tissues, and the exposed neck showed faint traces of oily liquid clinging to the bottle's walls. Cheng Yanjin slowly recovered from his shock, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and took it as if it were a piece of cake: "You're really thoughtful—"
With a "bang," the oily bottle, which the two hadn't been able to hold steady during the handover, fell onto the tiles like a pebble and shattered.
The pale pink liquid, like melted wax, spread and flowed everywhere, instantly filling the air with the fragrance of rose ebony.
Yuan Chuyu's hand, which was raised in the air, had not yet been withdrawn. Like a rusty instrument, he stood still, staring at the pale pink mud splashed everywhere on the ground.
After a long while, he slowly squatted down and picked up the broken glass bit by bit.
Cheng Yanjin felt that Yuan Chuyu had also become a pool of liquid squeezed from his bone marrow, mixed with blood and flesh, and was squeezed onto the ground the moment the bottle shattered.
Yuan Chuyu was meticulous in picking up the broken pieces. The tissue that had been used to wrap the bottle was used to wrap the shards. However, he seemed a little distracted. When he clenched his fist, he lost control of his strength, and two shards of glass suddenly pierced his fingertips, drawing blood instantly.
He indifferently tossed the bag of broken glass into the nearby trash can.
Cheng Yanjin finally pieced together a bit of the truth, and he asked hesitantly, "Lin Langyi bought it? Those fancy bottles are obviously things she would bring back from a trip."
Yuan Chuyu did not answer, his brows and eyes covered with a thin layer of frost, cold and indifferent. He took out a tissue and intended to wipe up the mess on the floor.
Cheng Yanjin finally remembered that he should stay true to his original intentions and do what a mistress should do. He quickly grabbed a few tissues, squatted down to help, and said with a hidden meaning, "It's okay if it's broken. I'll buy her some later. Out with the old, in with the new—"
A gust of wind suddenly swept past him. Out of the corner of his eye, Cheng Yanjin saw the person in front of him make a sudden move. By the time he tried to react, it was too late. Yuan Chuyu, who had been holding back, suddenly turned hostile. He raised his fist with the back of his hand facing forward and pressed his knuckles down hard on the knife wound in Cheng Yanjin's abdomen, slamming Cheng Yanjin against the door.
It felt like being stabbed again; intense pain spread from the wound like a tidal wave. Cheng Yanjin couldn't help but hiss and gasp, his vision went white, and he didn't react for the next few seconds.
The action of locking the wrist was completely subconscious. Cheng Yanjin restrained Yuan Chuyu's further movement. After recovering, he frowned and looked in front of him. A hand with protruding knuckles was pressed against the wound covered with concealer, wet and bloody.
Yuan Chuyu glared at him coldly, then pulled his hand away, neither of them showing any good mood.
He raised his hand horizontally in front of Cheng Yanjin, staring directly at him as he slowly separated his five fingers. Blood dripped from between his fingers, one by one, as if it were a subtle threat and provocation.
"Huh?" Cheng Yanjin's temper flared up. He cracked his knuckles, pulled back the strategy guides, and realized that the main wife was just too infuriating. If she wanted to fight, he would definitely be ready to oblige.
But Yuan Chuyu made no further move. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off his hands: "Zhuzhu doesn't like overly gentle people, but she also doesn't need a dog that only cares about its own lust."
Yuan Chuyu's voice was cold and hard, and he spoke these words as if they were factory-set without any emotional fluctuation. His eyes became increasingly dark and unpredictable: "So don't get carried away and ignore everything. She likes oral sex. Even if you're bursting with pent-up desire, you have to take care of her first."
Cheng Yanjin stared wide-eyed, hardly believing his ears.
His anger was completely quelled. He parted his lips slightly and stared intently at Yuan Chuyu once again.
Yuan Chuyu lowered his eyes. He had said everything he needed to say, and there was no longer any reason for him to stay.
Lin Langyi didn't want to see him; this conclusion was bitter to swallow.
He was mentally exhausted, as if after carefully entrusting everything related to her, his soul and spirit had turned into a wisp of smoke blown out of his mouth, dissipating into the air without a trace.
"I'm leaving." Yuan Chuyu stood up. Perhaps he stood up too quickly, and his vision went black for a moment. He used his hand to support himself on the table to steady his swaying body.
He frowned, pressed his temples, closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. Without even treating the wound on his hand, he opened the door and left.
Cheng Yanjin heard the faint sound of the door closing, like a curtain being quietly drawn back as the wind stopped.
In the end, they didn't wake Lin Langyi, as if they had never been there.
Cheng Yanjin looked down at the concealer patch on his abdomen. There were still winding bloodstains on the skin-like surface. He wiped it with his finger and then held it up to his eyes and rubbed it in with his fingertips.
Ha, that kid Bian Shu must be badly injured.
...
Lin Langyi woke up well past mealtime. In the three minutes it took to wake up, Cheng Yanjin asked her if she wanted to eat something. She shook her head and said she would rather continue sleeping.
He quickly wrung out a hot towel and handed it to her, while also holding several skincare bottles and jars in his hand.
Lin Langyi's unfocused gaze fell on the bottle in his hand, her head slowly straightened, and her eyes cleared.
She took the hot towel and covered her face, tilting her head back for a moment before wiping her face to come to her senses and asking, "Did he bring all the essential oils?"
Cheng Yanjin paused for a second before realizing that the room still had the scent of rosewood and ebony, and nodded in agreement.
He had memorized the order of all the skincare products, regardless of their size or shape, and had just finished praising himself. He glanced at Lin Langyi out of the corner of his eye, hoping to see her bright and enthusiastic smile, or hear her praise him as a good dog. However, seeing Lin Langyi's gaze fixed on him, Cheng Yanjin had a sudden realization and abruptly stopped talking, feeling annoyed.
Yuan Chuyu is gone, yet I copy his experience in everything. Isn't this just being used as a substitute to constantly assert my status as the main wife in front of Lin Langyi?
But it was too late. Yuan Chuyu had already achieved his goal. Lin Langyi picked up her phone and scrolled through the messages. The light on the screen was faintly reflected in her eyes: "I'll go to the company around ten o'clock tomorrow. What do you want for lunch?"
Cheng Yanjin temporarily put his things on the bedside table, got into bed and sat cross-legged opposite her: "Go to the company at ten o'clock. Aren't you going to eat lunch in the cafeteria?"
She put down her phone. The chat box only contained messages from the other party. Cheng Yanjin peeked at it several times and found that Yuan Chuyu was asking her what she wanted to eat tomorrow. He was in a stable mood and did not send a long, crazy message.
Lin Langyi explained, "Whenever Yuan Chuyu was home, he would prepare brunch for me before I went to work in the morning."
What a formidable opponent!
Cheng Yanjin processed those words for a moment, his face contorting as he finally found an angle to attack: "He earns so much money but can't even afford to hire a nutritionist for you?"
“He doesn’t like people stepping into his space. The housekeeper and nanny come regularly but don’t live here. He says he prefers doing housework.”
"You like doing housework??" Cheng Yanjin was shocked again. "What a niche hobby."
Lin Langyi curled up the blanket: "I think he really enjoys organizing my wardrobe, as well as making all kinds of dishes and desserts."
Yuan Chuyu is usually so busy at Yingyuan Group, how can he still have the energy to do this at home? Cheng Yanjin thought about it more and more and felt that this person was really a pervert. He knew it. People who can be mistresses must have some skills that others don't know.
Cheng Yanjin felt he couldn't lag behind others, so he immediately made a pledge: "I'll learn right away too!"
Lin Langyi: "You don't need to."
"Why should I?" he said angrily, grabbing the blanket from her. "Is it because you don't treat me like your husband? Here you go again, you look down on me!"
Lin Langyi: "I don't want to eat dry chicken breast nine times in three days with you."
Cheng Yanjin: ...
He was unhappy for only half an hour, because Lin Langyi had just revealed that she had booked a suite for a week, implying that he could at least spend a week with her!
This is the dream of so many mistresses!
Cheng Yanjin was immediately delighted and happily put the skincare products back in the bathroom for her: "Go to sleep, go to sleep, let's continue to get our beauty sleep together!"
*
During Lin Langyi's week at the hotel, Yuan Chuyu personally delivered a love-filled lunchbox every day. The resort hotel was in a very remote location, and it took about an hour to drive there one way from his company, but he delivered it every single time as if he were just casually sweeping the floor at home.
He knew Lin Langyi didn't want to see him, and later she even directly called Cheng Yanjin down to get something.
At first, Cheng Yanjin was on high alert, treating every opportunity to clash with the main wife as a major battle. After taking the things back to Lin Langyi, he even exaggerated the situation, describing how Yuan Chuyu didn't even look at him properly, treating him like someone who had come downstairs to pick up takeout.
Lin Langyi not only didn't comfort him, but also opened the lunchbox every day and ate with great appetite, completely disregarding the fact that he wasn't on Yuan Chuyu's meal preparation list and could only order takeout from the sidelines in a small rage.
When asked if it was delicious, she wouldn't even try to coax him; she sincerely said it was, but he got upset, so she added fuel to the fire by saying:
"I just didn't want to lie to you."
Very well, he had heard this line before when he was being deceived in Switzerland, exactly the same line.
Cheng Yanjin felt that he was similar to that longing wife stone with a bitter expression. Lin Langyi would often make him angry. He was a bit of a wimp, but not much. He would only turn his anger into joy after being ridden with a cold face or having his face sat on. He was very principled.
Gradually, Cheng Yanjin got used to this strange three-way relationship. Perhaps he had been trained by Lin Langyi, and he even felt that it was a good thing to become the middleman and help carry items and love-filled lunch boxes. The mistress should do everything she could to separate the original couple. Lin Langyi should never see Yuan Chuyu again in this lifetime!
But people are afraid of whatever comes their way.
Lin Langyi left work early on Friday. She had just handed her car keys to the valet and walked into the lobby when she turned around and saw a familiar figure on the sofa in the reception area.
Yuan Chuyu was texting on his phone with his head slightly lowered. He was dressed a little thicker than usual for the season, with a thin turtleneck sweater clinging to his long neck and a slightly heavy black trench coat over it. But because of his tall stature, it didn't look bulky at all. Standing there, he exuded a refined and intelligent aura that stood out from the crowd.
There were two or three lunch boxes piled up on the coffee table in front of him. Lin Langyi knew that there were delicious and nutritious foods inside, low-sugar and low-fat desserts and fresh cut fruit. These past few days, no, every day he was at home, he had been doing these things with great enthusiasm.
After looking at her for a few more seconds, Yuan Chuyu seemed to sense something. His long eyelashes suddenly twitched, and he turned his face slightly, slowly raising his eyelids towards her.
Lin Langyi stood still, staring at him from a distance for a long time.
He was still holding his phone, his fingers hovering in the air without touching the screen for a long time, causing the phone to go dark. But new messages kept coming in, and the screen would light up and then go out, then light up again... He was a very busy man who was always busy, but at this moment he seemed to have completely forgotten his business, staring at her intently, as if he had finally seen a ray of light after the clouds had parted.
Lin Langyi didn't move, and he didn't dare to move much either. She saw him holding several bags in front of him but not daring to go forward. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, but in the end, she took the lead and went over first.
It wasn't an illusion; Lin Langyi saw that with each step he took closer, his slightly thinner face gradually came to life. His thin eyelids lifted, and his deep-set eyes, which looked somewhat haggard, began to shine.
She glanced at his turtleneck sweater and said with certainty, "You're having an allergic reaction again?"
Yuan Chuyu should have lowered his gaze and bowed to show weakness. He was most adept at using retreat as a means of advancement and was familiar with various negotiation and scheming methods. However, perhaps because he hadn't seen her for so long, she was very angry and wouldn't even spare him a shadow in his dreams. As a result, in the surprise of this unexpected encounter, he couldn't bear to look away for even a moment, and his brain was like an old radio with a broken wire, issuing repetitive and monotonous commands.
His gaze lingered on her as he said, "A little."
Lin Langyi knew perfectly well that Yuan Chuyu was very careful about his diet, ate clean food, exercised regularly, and was extremely self-disciplined. His allergies usually broke out because he was too busy during this period, his days and nights were reversed, or he didn't get enough sleep, which led to a weakened immune system.
He spends two hours commuting between the company and the hotel, so he has to make up for all that time that should have been spent at work by squeezing in sleep time late at night.
But arguing is like training a dog. If you don't handle it lightly, it may relapse. If you want your dog to guard its food, you have to "beat" it completely. Otherwise, it may just be baring its teeth now, but it may bite people later.
Lin Langyi reached out her hand to him, but when he handed her the bag, she deliberately dodged her fingers, making a clear movement to avoid touching his fingers.
Yuan Chuyu's wrist trembled and fell downwards, as if he could no longer support the weight. His lips were pressed together in a pale line as he stared fixedly at his fingertips.
Lin Langyi took the items and then withdrew her hand, saying coldly, "Don't you know my schedule? It would be easy for you to avoid my time. How come we still bumped into each other? Are you trying to play the 'chance encounter' game?"
He lowered his head, the soft sweater collar around his neck wrinkling into two lines of loss, and said softly, "I don't know, Zhuzhu, I don't have anyone following you anymore."
You can never argue with Yuan Chuyu. He's one of those top students who understands things instantly. Give him a hint, and he'll immediately know what he needs to do and complete it quickly and without fail. Many times, Lin Langyi can't even judge whether the lesson of making a mistake is serious enough for him to remember. So he can only take a one-size-fits-all approach, prolonging the time and intensifying the measures.
She was terrified when she learned that Bian Shu and Yuan Chuyu had met at the old site where the university had relocated, and that Bian Shu had almost been hit on the head by a falling steel pipe. Although Yuan Chuyu calmly and innocently stated that they had finished their conversation and were about to leave, and that he had also been affected by the falling object, Lin Langyi knew that Yuan Chuyu was crazy, so crazy that he didn't care if he bled and got injured himself.
He could fool everyone else, but he couldn't fool her.
When she went to the hospital, the first person she went to was Bian Shu. That was to be expected, since Bian Shu was an outsider and someone who was very likely to investigate the truth of the "accident." Soothing his emotions was the top priority.
It was probably when the two of them were sitting quietly on seats facing each other in a corridor that Lin Langyi called out to Bian Shu first. In that instant, she caught a glimpse of Yuan Chuyu's sudden gaze, which seemed to be shrouded in a gloomy mist, snaking around her like a snake, cold and twisted.
He watched her run across the river and squat down to ask about Bian Shu's injuries. He didn't say a word to stop her from beginning to end. It was as if he was separated by a long river, and he was gazing at her eternally and quietly.
It was Yuan Chuyu who called the police. Lin Langyi remembered that she suddenly turned her head and looked at him warningly, but he only smiled slightly at her. The unspoken barrier between them was easily broken, but it stood firmly in the middle.
The police intervened, found nothing, and ruled it an accident. Bian Shu didn't say anything, but as he signed the papers, Lin Langyi glanced at Yuan Chuyu once more—
He smiled gently at her once again.
Lin Langyi felt that it wasn't a meaningful look at all, but a straightforward and naked confession. He knew what she knew, and he wasn't afraid to lay everything bare in front of her.
Yuan Chuyu has truly gone mad.
At that moment, her first thought was Cheng Yanjin. If Bian Shu was gone, there would be another one. She and Bian Shu had long since broken off completely, yet Yuan Chuyu still held a grudge. So, if she and Cheng Yanjin really still had some connection, what would Yuan Chuyu do?
She immediately booked a hotel and pulled the person in front of her to look at them.
It's to prevent Yuan Chuyu from doing something irreversible without thinking. Protecting Cheng Yanjin is protecting Yuan Chuyu.
"I really won't lay a hand on Cheng Yanjin, I promise. Please give me another chance, okay?" Yuan Chuyu whispered to her as a promise. The lobby of the resort hotel was filled with a rich fragrance, but Lin Langyi could smell a familiar ylang-ylang scent, along with a faint hint of rose ebony.
She thought it was from her own body, but when she twitched her nose again, she realized that the fragrance was actually coming from his wrist.
The hand hanging by her side was never shown to her; several fingers were wrapped in bandages, and fresh, dark red scabs covered the naturally protruding knuckles on the back of her hand, resembling small, irregular birthmarks.
Lin Langyi didn't say a word of concern, just glanced at him, picked up her things, and turned to leave.
*
Lin Langyi saw Yuan Chuyu again four days later, early in the morning from the large French windows of her office, where she caught a glimpse of his car parked downstairs.
Yuan Chuyu wasn't the type to cling on relentlessly, or rather, his methods of pursuing her were extremely clever. When Lin Langyi said she didn't want to see him for a while and that she would contact him if necessary, he would obediently comply, ensuring that she wouldn't truly forget him within a certain limit of not being annoying.
I'm here today because it's our 100-day anniversary.
After giving away the twin lotus flowers, Lin Langyi fixed the bug. To prevent such a deadly question from happening again, she recorded the important milestones in their relationship on her mobile app. Whenever such a situation occurred, her phone would naturally remember them for her.
At that time, she solemnly promised that she would never forget the 100-day anniversary.
But this time, even the twin lotus flowers were gone.
Yuan Chuyu picked her up and took her home. At the company entrance, in front of their colleagues and subordinates, the harmonious atmosphere between the two showed no signs of anything amiss.
But as soon as Lin Langyi got in the car and turned on the navigation to the resort hotel, a mechanical female voice sounded in a monotonous tone.
She inserted her phone into the SIM card slot and said, "Sorry, I didn't prepare any gift. Please take me home."
"Can we have a meal together before going back?" Yuan Chuyu's hands were on the steering wheel, his fingers slightly curled. He tried his best to compose his gloomy expression and forced a broken smile at her.
"I made your favorite dish; all the ingredients were delivered this morning."
"There's also a small cake. Do you remember you said before that the jasmine tea in H City has a very refreshing and fragrant aroma? I made a jasmine tea coconut pudding. The outer shell is a hollowed-out coconut shell, which looks a lot like the private island we took a picture of together, the tree you planted in front of the courtyard. I made a mini version of it on the cake using marshmallows."
"I'm sorry." Lin Langyi interrupted him, seeing the light in his eyes vanish like a rapidly falling meteor.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
On their 100-day anniversary, Yuan Chuyu came to pick them up. During this period of cold war and arguments, he circled the calendar every day, silently counting down the days, clinging to that faint hope that this anniversary would give them some time together. He made a lot of preparations for this, like a believer looking forward to Christmas.
However, the destination I took her to was a hotel.
He personally escorted her there.
He rolled the car window down completely and stared blankly at her receding figure, only to feel his finger, which had been cut by the essential oil bottle, begin to ache again.
He pressed the bandage against the wound; the surface had scabbed over, but the inside was not yet fully healed. So, deep within the pain was an itch that he could never scratch, just like an allergy, a lifelong, incurable disease, and just like her hand that he could never hold.
He knew he was wrong. If he had known she would be so angry, so angry that it seemed she would never forgive him, he would never have put his eyes on the persistent Bian Shu.
He simply couldn't remain absolutely rational when it came to her, to make the right choice as objectively and rigorously as he would when evaluating a business contract.
Like every wife who resents the women who seduce her lover, he directs his overwhelming hatred and jealousy toward those unfaithful men.
There are so many damned wild men who covet her, as numerous as mosquitoes in June, hovering around her like hawks, impossible to shoo away, so numerous that they make one angry and irritable.
He couldn't help but twitch his finger slightly, just a tiny bit, but he forgot that she had incredibly perceptive eyes. He sweetly and helplessly let her see right through him, knowing that she knew everything about him and that he couldn't hide anything from her.
His lover simply didn't realize that her insightful observation and judgment of him was a form of love, much like the line from Titanic, "You see people, I see you." Being seen carefully and attentively is equivalent to "I see you clearly." This kind of gaze and precise perception is like a soulmate to every individual who creates their own life story, and is irreplaceable.
For example, the brand-new box of allergy medication now lying in the passenger seat is enough to soothe his stagnant mood.
When Yuan Chuyu returned home, the vast space was filled with her traces, as if she had boldly painted red, orange, yellow, and blue colors onto white paint. He could not, and could not, return to the black, white, and gray home of the past.
He sat quietly on the sofa for five minutes, then stood up and turned on all the lights in the house, filling the empty room with a bright, warm orange glow.
It's too quiet; so quiet that I occasionally experience brief tinnitus.
Yuan Chuyu turned on the record player and put in an old record that Lin Langyi had bought. She had bought many of them and kept them in the cabinet. He could play them one by one, starting with her favorite song, because she would usually hum along happily when she heard that song.
With light and sound, Yuan Chuyu walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, which contained some fresh produce that he had started preparing early that morning.
Because he was afraid that he wouldn't have time to finish cooking the meal after picking her up in the evening, and that she would complain about being hungry and that he would lose his composure while rushing her, he tried his best to finish preparing, washing and sorting the vegetables early in the morning.
It's their 100-day anniversary, and he doesn't want to make a mistake. He wants to have a perfect date. He's been praised by many people for being "perfect," but he most wants to be the perfect number one in front of her.
Yuan Chuyu prepared a sumptuous dinner without fail, with a coconut shell-shaped cake in the center, topped with three plump candles and a "100".
He set out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, pulled out the chair that belonged to Lin Langyi, and then moved to his own seat.
Something's still missing... Yuan Chuyu paused for a few seconds before realizing, oh, he forgot to light the candles.
He didn't light the white candles on the candlesticks, which was supposed to be part of a romantic candlelight dinner, but since Lin Langyi wasn't there, he chose his own favorite flavor based on his own preferences.
What was taken out was a crumpled handkerchief stained with blood, with large patches of light pink oil stains on it, and a faint scent of rose and ebony.
It was the essential oil that had been broken that day. When he left, he covered his fingers with a handkerchief, which was covered with blood and a lot of essential oil.
The new essential oils were still on their way through a personal shopper, and out of desperation, he resorted to these counterfeit products to quench his thirst when she wasn't around, much like an addict suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
The familiar aroma was what put him at ease. Yuan Chuyu placed the handkerchief on his left and finally began to eat.
Everything was as ordinary as any warm day. He picked up a carrot from the vegetables, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly. After peeling the whole plate of sweet shrimp with gloves on, he arranged them neatly on the plate and moved it to a position closer to the opposite side. He used serving chopsticks to carefully remove the bones from the fish meat...
It was the perfect dinner she had imagined, with her favorite music playing and a delicate fragrance lingering around her nose. It was a very sumptuous meal, so naturally she would enjoy it for a while.
Only after most of the ice under the sweet shrimp had melted, leaving a small portion of clear ice water in the beautiful glass bowl, did Yuan Chuyu finally remove the almost untouched dishes, light the candles on the cake, and extinguish the lights in the house one by one.
Darkness chased him like a giant monster. He turned off the last light, turned his head to look at the flickering candlelight on the dining table, and the record switched to the next song. It was an old song that was played on the shore when she took him on a boat trip to experience opening clams. The lazy, husky female voice sang a lyrical melody, and memories flooded into his mind like a waterfall.
"Make a wish, Pearl." He gazed at the only light in the darkness and said softly.
The candle had burned for too long, and he muttered to himself, "You should have made your wish by now, right?" "I know you're a bit greedy, so I gave you a lot of time to make three wishes," he continued, "I'm going to turn on the light now..."
He turned the lights back on, removed the candles, and then deliberately went to Lin Langyi's seat to start cutting the cake.
The first piece was, of course, for her. She was a kind girl who loved to flatter, and every time she saw him making these new things, she would exclaim "Wow, wow, wow!" while actively trying out every color in the cake.
Fruit pieces, molten filling, chocolate brand, and even the cotton candy shaped like a little tree.
Yuan Chuyu cut some of each and placed them in front of her seat, then cut himself a piece to keep her company.
She's a big fan of food, and every time he brings back some food gifts from others, she'll open each different flavor and try them. After ranking them by preference, she'll present the ones she doesn't like but has already opened to him, racking her brains to say insincere things to promote them.
He found her very cute and happily shared the food with her.
So she'll definitely save some of this cake for him. Yuan Chuyu guessed it might be chocolate, because it's a bit hard; or it might be marshmallows, which she made a little sweet for the sake of appearance; or perhaps...
He sat for twenty minutes, calmly and collectedly taking her colorful cake and slowly finishing off the portion she had left for him.
After the dessert, it was time to give gifts and express goodwill. Yuan Chuyu's gift had already been delivered to the hotel room. It was a share transfer agreement. Although most of the assets were in her name, she had rejected some of them at the time because "you need real power to control the group." But he felt that now was the time to transfer them completely.
“I think I gave you another tacky gift,” Yuan Chuyu said softly, frowning as he looked at the empty chair opposite him. “The gift you gave me was full of heart, because you made it yourself, and it was in a field you’re not good at.”
“I really like this gift… I know you love me.”
He slowly relaxed his brows, smiled slightly, and got up to scoop out a bowl of Solomon's Seal and Dendrobium Pigeon Soup from the casserole dish in the kitchen. It was something Lin Langyi had wanted to make for him before she went to Switzerland. She had even specially learned how to make it from Aunt Qiu. Unfortunately, he had an allergic reaction that time and couldn't eat any of the foods that aggravated his condition, so he didn't get to taste a single bite.
But it doesn't matter, she said there would be another chance next time, so today, he was able to taste this soup.
Yuan Chuyu resembled a pitiful person who curled up and hugged himself when no one was there to lull him to sleep, wrapping his arms around his shoulder blades and gently patting himself to sleep. A few days ago, he specially learned how to make this soup from Aunt Qiu, and today he made a very successful product.
It should be the same as what Lin Langyi made, right? Maybe the taste is a little lacking because she's really not good at cooking, but he actually hoped to drink that not-so-delicious bowl of soup in her hands, which would definitely be a bowl of soup that surpasses all the dishes on the table tonight.
Yuan Chuyu couldn't actually eat pigeon today either. His allergy had lasted for a long time, and if Lin Langyi hadn't thrown a box of medicine on the passenger seat, he probably would have just left it there.
He finished the bowl of soup completely, and even went to the kitchen to get a second serving. This was the most he had eaten that night. The adverse effects of eating allergenic foods during his allergy season soon took their toll; he felt a little unwell, but he went even further and drank a glass of red wine.
This glass of wine made him feel like he was about to get drunk. The physical discomfort, the emptiness in his mind, and the "perfection" in his imagination were almost tearing his mind apart. He didn't know who he was telling, "I'll only drink a little bit," "I won't get drunk, I'll clean up the mess later"... The air was slightly cool, and all he could touch was nothingness.
But he hadn't forgotten his main task. He remembered that he hadn't changed the water for the twin lotus he had to take care of every day, so he vaguely went to the terrace to tend to the flower.
This was a flower that wasn't very healthy, but he saved it by changing its water, adding medicine, fertilizing it, and giving it sunlight. He never thought of giving up on it.
Just like he insisted on bringing Lin Langyi to his side.
He carefully examined the twin lotus blossoms; two new buds had sprouted, but one of them just wouldn't open. He had consulted experienced teachers and diligently followed every step of the process, but—
He gently touched the flower bud and suddenly noticed that part of the unopened petals inside had turned the yellow of withered leaves and looked like it was about to rot.
Yuan Chuyu stared at it blankly, raising his hand and hovering it helplessly in the air. He wanted to touch it but then withdrew his hand, clumsily as if he were shielding it from the wind. The flower he had carefully nurtured seemed to be withering overnight. He didn't know what to do for a moment. The night wind blew, and before he even realized it, tears suddenly streamed down his face.
He tried to take out a handkerchief from his pocket, but when he did, it was still the same bloodstained handkerchief, which had been emitting a faint fragrance for a long time, as if a rose had been crushed and was bleeding pale pink blood tears.
For no apparent reason, as if the last straw had been placed on his back, Yuan Chuyu felt as if his lungs had been suddenly squeezed tightly by a hand, and his throat felt as if it had been blocked. Every deep breath he took to calm himself down was accompanied by a slight tremor, heavy and difficult.
He tucked the handkerchief into his palm, pressed his hands against his forehead, and pressed hard against his eyes, which were streaming with tears.
Suppressed sobs dissipated in the night, like a faint candle flame flickering in the wind, slowly drowned out by the cheerful music from the record player.
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