3 Follow-up Questions
He said he's never slept with you, is that right?
As Xue Lu drove on the Lancheng Elevated Road after leaving Fuhai International, his emotions were in turmoil.
Yan Fengqian's words echoed in his ears like a broken record, seemingly playing endlessly.
"Damn it... what have I been for these past four years..." Yan Fengqian smiled with red eyes, but the smile contained more self-mockery than resentment.
So... Yan Fengqian and Song Qinggui never slept together...
Why... Xue Lu couldn't understand.
Since Xue Lu and Song Qinggui got married, they have always slept in separate rooms and have not had any real intimate relationship.
The only time we had any physical intimacy was that kiss in the car today.
But this is reasonable.
Xue Lu's marriage to Song Qinggui came with conditions. He was tired of the countless blind dates his family arranged for him every year, so he promised to give Song Qinggui a sum of money each year to play the role of his wife, which he considered as paying for some peace and quiet.
In essence, this marriage contract is actually a legal agreement.
Given that it was a transaction, it's not hard to understand why the two of them treated each other with icy politeness.
But why did she and Yan Fengqian get together? If they were so unwilling, why did they date for four years?
After exiting the elevated highway, at the first red light, Attorney Xue opened WeChat and contacted Song Qinggui.
They are clearly a married couple, but their chat history only shows one friend request verification.
Xue Lu sent a voice message: "Have you finished dealing with things at the hospital? Let's have dinner together tonight."
There was no quick reply from the other end. It wasn't until Xue Lu parked his car and returned to his company office that they sent a simple "OK" message, without even asking him when or where he would eat.
"See you at home at seven o'clock," Xue Lu added.
"Okay." It was still a brief reply.
Xue Lu felt a strange sense of unease. He didn't know how to describe the feeling. He felt an itch all over his body, but it wasn't on the surface. Instead, it was swirling around in his lower abdomen and lungs, making him feel unbearable.
Xue Lu doesn't often eat at home, so he doesn't hire a housekeeper; he just has someone come to clean the house regularly.
After Song Qinggui moved in, Xue Lu originally wanted to hire a housekeeper who could cook, but she refused, giving a reason that he found somewhat absurd. She said she rarely ate at home anyway, and could cook for herself if she wanted to. Hiring a housekeeper wouldn't be cost-effective, and she also didn't like too many people coming to her home to bother her.
In her home...
At that moment, Xue Lu chuckled to himself. Song Qinggui was indeed very much a master of her own destiny, and she quickly and smoothly adopted the identity of Mrs. Xue.
Xue Lu ordered several dishes from his friend's private kitchen and took them home.
Xue Lu had just entered the room when Song Qinggui returned.
The two faced each other indifferently, their faces both extremely handsome and extremely cold.
Attorney Xue spoke first: "Is the dispute resolved?"
"Hmm." Song Qinggui changed his shoes in the entryway: "They're an unreasonable couple, but they've lost their child, so they're pitiful. Out of humanitarian considerations, I gave them 20,000 yuan."
"Hmm." Xue Lu placed the bowls and chopsticks on the table and responded casually.
In today's tense doctor-patient relationship, there is a consensus among hospitals that as long as the demands are not too outrageous, hospitals are willing to pay a certain amount of money to settle the matter, even if it is not the responsibility of the medical staff.
Silence again.
Xue Lu looked up at Song Qinggui. She ate very gracefully, her lips tightly closed, chewing slowly and deliberately.
He recalled her academic achievements at Lan University. Although the genius girl was a bit of a player who was manipulative and flirtatious in relationships, she did not disappoint her talent in her studies.
Due to innate physical limitations, very few women end up working in surgery. However, even in the male-dominated surgical system, Song Qinggui was recognized as a promising surgical talent by various mentors.
When she applied for a job at Jingtian Hospital, which he was in charge of, the head of the cardiothoracic surgery department took a liking to her early on, but Xue Lu ultimately sent her to the medical affairs department.
Xue Lu didn't want to ruin Song Qinggui's clinical career; he just wanted to see her indignant, resentful, yet forced to show weakness to him.
Xue Lu said that men are primal, and he knew he was no exception. He admitted that when facing Song Qinggui, his still-developing animalistic nature would be revealed. He wanted to see her, the center of attention, become prey, and he wanted to see struggle in her calm and unwavering eyes.
However, things didn't go as planned, and Song Qinggui accepted it calmly.
At that time, Xue Lu knew that she would never lower her stance under any circumstances.
His stubbornness is infuriating.
"I just went to see Yan Fengqian," Xue Lu said casually, pulling himself out of his thoughts.
"Um."
Song Qinggui's voice was flat, but Xue Lu clearly saw that her slightly lowered eyes paused because of those words, and Xue Lu felt a tightness in his chest.
Have you thought about marrying him?
Xue Lu didn't raise his eyes, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Song Qinggui finally looking at him.
This question did surprise Song Qinggui, but she didn't hide anything: "Of course I've thought about it. I've been waiting for him to turn over a new leaf, but it hasn't happened."
Before raising this question, Xue Lu had made some guesses.
He knew that Song Qinggui was always stubborn and unreasonable, and he guessed that she would say that she and Yan Fengqian were mutually beneficial, just like she was with him now.
Unexpectedly, Song Qinggui actually considered marrying Yan Fengqian.
Xue Lu felt even more suffocated by this answer.
"Yan Fengqian said...you two never had a relationship." Xue Lu raised his eyes and met Song Qinggui's gaze: "Why?"
Song Qinggui was momentarily stunned, but quickly smiled.
Xue Lu's indignation intensified. This kind of indifferent sneer was the attitude of a victor. But what made her think she had won? What was she so proud of?
Song Qinggui detected a hint of agitation in Xue Lu's seemingly calm eyes. Her smile faded, and sadness crept into her gaze: "Tell the truth?"
Xue Lu frowned: "Can you lie about this?"
“Of course I can.” Song Qinggui’s gaze was frank: “I’m lying. I have no feelings for Yan Fengqian and I don’t want to sleep with him.”
Xue Lu's heart suddenly ached; this lie was truly awful.
"The truth?" Xue Lu forced himself to stay alert, unwilling to lose face.
"I'm afraid of getting sick." Song Qinggui picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Hmm?" This was an unexpected answer from Xue Lu.
As Song Qinggui chewed on his meat, he spoke indifferently, as if he were talking about a stranger: "He's slept with too many women; he's not clean. I won't touch him until he gets a thorough medical checkup."
Looking at Song Qinggui's posture as she spoke, Xue Lu couldn't help but feel a little dazed. He couldn't tell for a moment whether she or Yan Fengqian was the one in control in that relationship.
Xue Lu laughed absurdly: "Heh..."
Song Qinggui wiped his mouth and stood up: "I'm full. I don't like washing dishes. You figure something out."
Xue Lu leaned back against the backrest, scrutinizing Song Qinggui.
Song Qinggui ignored him and went straight to his room.
But when she reached the bedroom door, Song Qinggui suddenly stopped. Xue Lu's gaze had been following her, and because of her pause, he turned his body towards her.
Song Qinggui turned around: "I didn't expect you and Yan Fengqian to talk about these things."
Xue Lu remained silent.
Song Qinggui: "When it comes to love, do you men only think of those white, fleshy bodies in bed?"
Xue Lu stared intently at her: "Song Qinggui, do you still have a soul?"
Upon hearing this, Song Qinggui gave a cold smile: "Lawyer Xue, I've always felt that you're different from others. I'm really looking forward to seeing what it's like when you fall in love with someone. I'd love to see what kind of noble and pure soul that would be. If that day ever comes, remember to give me a bank card, just like Mrs. Yan did back then. I'd be happy to make way for your sweetheart."
After Song Qinggui finished speaking, he closed the bedroom door.
Xue Lu's gaze remained fixed on her direction, his heart pounding because of her defiant remark, "I'd be happy to give up my seat for her."
But perhaps... it's because of that sentence, "Lawyer Xue, I've always felt that you're different from others..."
...
Back in his room, Song Qinggui tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She knew very well that Xue Lu hated her, had hated her for ten years, but when he asked, "Do you still have a soul?" Song Qinggui still lost control and became angry.
How dare someone like Xue Lu, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, arbitrarily judge her life?!
Hasn't he humiliated her enough?
Back then, she broke up with Yan Fengqian because Yan Fengqian's mother broke them up.
Mrs. Yan used the most clichéd and melodramatic way from an idol drama—wearing a modern Chinese-style suit—to invite her to a coffee shop with a history of nearly a hundred years and say, "I'll give you two million, leave my son."
Song Qinggui agreed without hesitation.
Mrs. Yan laughed, first with relief, then with sarcasm: "Fengqian said I was prejudiced against you, but I know I'm not wrong. You're the kind of girl who can be bought and played with with youth. I've seen many people like that. Two million for four years, you probably think that's not bad, right? But Miss Song, let me tell you, that's just the annual salary of a mid-level manager in any random company in Lancheng. That's all you're worth in your life."
Song Qinggui remained calm. She simply put the check into her bag and then looked directly into Mrs. Yan's eyes: "Auntie, I think you've misunderstood. This two million isn't my price, it's your son's price. You know very well that Fengqian may be a womanizer, but he wants a serious relationship with me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have needed to get involved in something as trivial as breaking up. You may seem to be using money to value me, but you're actually valuing Fengqian's true feelings. He's your son, so of course you decide how much he's worth. If you say he's only worth two million, then he's only worth two million."
Song Qinggui ignored Mrs. Yan's furious insults behind her and left gracefully.
As she walked through the revolving door of the coffee shop, Xue Lu entered and brushed past her.
Three months later, Dr. Song Qinggui graduated and applied for a job at Jingtian Hospital. She was originally going to work in the cardiothoracic surgery department, but Xue Lu called her to the president's office and announced that she would be transferred to the medical affairs department.
Two months later, Xue Lu proposed a marriage of convenience, with her receiving an annual salary of 520,000 yuan.
Although Song Qinggui found it strange that the number had both zeros and whole numbers, it was still a considerable income, so he signed the agreement without much hesitation.
Just as the folder was closed, Attorney Xue suddenly said, "Yan Fengqian is worth 500,000 a year. I'll give you an extra 20,000 in the hopes that you will complete the tasks associated with the role of Mrs. Xue with high quality and quantity."
At that time, Song Qinggui knew that Xue Lu was aware of her previous conversation with Mrs. Yan. And the figure of 520,000 was what Xue Lu used to humiliate her.
This is a game that rich people love to play. Neither Cheng Wuliang nor Yan Fengqian, nor Xue Lu, have ever treated her as a human being. She is nothing more than a toy that can be manipulated at will.
The only difference is that Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian are still willing to pretend to love her, while Xue Lu never hides his disgust for her.
He humiliated her, manipulated her, and stared at her from his superior position, constantly trying to break her spirit and crush her dignity, yet he still asked her with a naive face, "Song Qinggui, do you still have a soul?"
"You bastard!" Song Qinggui grabbed a pillow from the bed and slammed it against the door.
Outside the door, Xue Lu was carrying a plate of cut fruit. He raised his hand, ready to knock, when he heard a muffled "thump!"
Xue Lu immediately turned around.
"You're the real bastard!" Xue Lu muttered under his breath, "Song Qinggui, you're the only real bastard in the whole place!"
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