39. Provocation
◎“Why did you provoke me? Now she has to coax me.”◎
Song Chiyu drove the car into the underground parking lot.
From afar, one could see Qi Yanzhou standing at the elevator entrance, wearing a black collared sweater. A section of blue shirt peeked out from the black collar. He was tall and slender, with a sharply defined profile. Even just standing there casually, he exuded an air of refined elegance and noble grace.
Song Chiyu was taken aback by his handsome appearance.
His heart skipped a beat. He heard the sound of wheels, slowly turned around, saw it was her, and naturally raised the corners of his lips, gesturing for her to park the car over there.
Song Chiyu parked the car and got out: "Won't I be taking up someone else's parking space like this?"
"No." His eyelids drooped slightly. "What do you want?"
“Go up and talk.”
Upon entering the living room, Song Chiyu instinctively avoided the brightly lit dining table and sat down on the sofa.
He noticed her embarrassment but didn't bring it up. He poured a glass of water from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table in front of her.
Song Chiyu picked up her drink and took a sip. For some reason, the words that she had thought would be easy to say suddenly became difficult to utter when she saw him. He noticed her nervousness and took the initiative to speak, "Go ahead, what's wrong?"
She tentatively began, "Xie Yunjin came to see me today."
"Mm." His expression was gentle, and his emotions showed no unusual fluctuations.
“He might be a little crazy.” Only now does Song Chiyu realize that this is not a good thing to say. “Just ignore him, I can handle it.”
"What's wrong with him?"
She licked her lips. "You want me to divorce you."
Even the composed Qi Yanzhou couldn't help but show a hint of surprise upon hearing this: "Hmm?"
Song Chiyu vaguely realized that she shouldn't have brought this up with him. Even if they didn't have a strong emotional foundation, he was still her husband after all. She took a deep breath and said, "I don't know what's wrong with him. I'm just worried that he might say something unfounded to you and cause you unnecessary misunderstandings."
“Yes,” he nodded gently, “tell me more about it.”
After hesitating for a moment, Song Chiyu told him everything that had happened at noon that day.
She repeatedly assured him of her position, and Qi Yanzhou remained perfectly reasonable, which relieved her. She was completely unaware of the growing somberness in his eyes as he listened to Xie Yunjin snatch her phone, lure her to his office, and then trap her by the window.
"I'm fine with it, I'm just worried that he might bully you."
"I can't," Song Chiyu shook her head and assured him.
"kindness."
Song Chiyu was completely relieved and stood up from the sofa: "Then I'll go back first."
"I send you."
"Why are you giving me a ride when I'm driving?"
"I'll drive your car, and then I'll take a taxi back."
"That's too much trouble," Song Chiyu blurted out.
"It's a bit of a hassle, so how about we just stay put?"
Song Chiyu stared at that handsome and gentle face, unable to utter a word of refusal.
She bit her lip: "That seems like a good idea."
"Okay, then you go take a shower first, I'll mop the floor."
Song Chiyu, unsuspecting, went into the bedroom and asked, "Where are my pajamas?" He went to open the wardrobe, took out her nightgown from the shirts, and Song Chiyu, embarrassed, carried the nightgown to the bathroom.
The bathroom door was closed, and the sound of running water could be heard coming from inside.
Qi Yanzhou had just closed the bedroom door when he bent his long legs under his trousers, leaned back on his desk, and dialed the number of Teacher Zhao from that morning: "Teacher Zhao, could you please give me Teacher Xie's phone number? It's nothing serious, I just didn't handle things well this morning, so I wanted to give him a call."
Teacher Zhao had no doubt about the truthfulness of his words and even thought that he realized he had handled things incorrectly that morning and wanted to make peace with Xie Yunjin. She readily agreed to act as a peacemaker and immediately sent over Xie Yunjin's phone number.
He dialed quickly. Xie Yunjin didn't answer the first time, but he wasn't in a hurry and kept calling. On the third call, the other end answered. Xie Yunjin's voice on the phone was calm and restrained, "Hello?"
"I am Qi Yanzhou." His voice was cold and deep, revealing a condescending disdain.
There was no response.
"If you have any problems, you can come to me directly. What kind of skill is it to make things difficult for a girl?"
“Since you’ve come to me yourself, I’ll tell you the truth: she has no feelings for you whatsoever. She only married you out of spite of me. You should divorce her, and I can give you some money in compensation.”
Qi Yanzhou curled his lips into a cold smile.
Xie Yunjin didn't care about his feelings at all. In his mind, this so-called "Master Qi" was just a small-time hoodlum with some influence in the Northwest antique business, the kind that could be dealt with by giving him some money. He was no different from the local bullies back then.
He was able to study, which made him more successful than those petty thugs, but his essence remained unchanged.
“You’re mistaken. No one is angry with you. She married me entirely because she loves me.”
"Reason—" Xie Yunjin didn't believe it, but his emotions still became agitated. He forced himself to restrain himself and said, "She doesn't love you, she doesn't love you at all! She married you because she thought you were suitable!"
"She loves me to death. Otherwise, why would she marry me? You know, she's not the kind of person who takes marriage lightly."
"That's because she thought she couldn't marry me, so she just found someone else to marry." Xie Yunjin denied it aloud, but inwardly she was puzzled. Right, she loved her so much back then, yet she wasn't willing to put up with anything for her? Why did she have to marry Qi Yanzhou?
"You said it was casual, so why didn't she get married after breaking up with you for so long? Why did she get married as soon as I came along?"
Xie Yunjin fell silent instantly.
He continued, "That's because she liked me the moment she saw me."
"You're talking nonsense!" Xie Yunjin, completely losing his usual refined manners, suddenly shouted.
Qi Yanzhou knew why he was so agitated: the only thing he could rely on was Song Chiyu's affection for him. Otherwise, what was he? What right did he have to make Song Chiyu divorce her husband for him?
Qi Yanzhou exhaled a wisp of smoke from his high, straight nose: "You've got one more thing wrong. She didn't marry me to spite you. She won't think she's achieved her goal just because you humble yourself and then throw herself into your arms. The reason she doesn't agree to divorce me is because she really can't bear to part with me."
A long silence followed on the other end of the phone.
Qi Yanzhou remained calmly seated at his desk, smoking. Hearing her footsteps outside the door, he stubbed out his cigarette and said, "If you have any questions in the future, feel free to come to me. I'll have time to answer your questions."
A knock came at the door. Qi Yanzhou vaguely guessed what she was going to say and silently hung up the phone. Sure enough, the next second, her head popped in from outside. "Teacher Qi, where's the hair dryer? I can't find it."
Qi Yanzhou remained calm: "I'll find it for you."
Song Chiyu smelled the lingering scent of smoke and twitched her nose: "You smoked?"
“One,” he said, walking up to her and staring at the water droplets that had fallen from her hair to her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Song Chiyu turned around and went back to the washbasin.
Qi Yanzhou's phone rang. He picked it up, and Xie Yunjin, having found his WeChat account through his phone number, sent a friend request. He smiled and accepted it without hesitation.
Xie Yunjin's message came quickly.
He didn't look at it, but instead found a hairdryer for her and started drying her hair. Song Chiyu heard his phone ringing in his bag and thought someone needed to call him urgently. She took the hairdryer from him and whispered in his ear, "Teacher Qi, someone is looking for you."
He took out his phone and looked down at it.
The chat screenshots were all of Song Chiyu and Xie Yunjin's relationship. Those terms of endearment he used to coax her into using were easily visible here; her enthusiasm, her radiance, her clingy cuteness were all laid bare in these screenshots. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Song Chiyu felt a rare unease. His lips curled into a smile, but his eyes held no warmth. He turned the hairdryer down slightly. "Teacher Qi, what happened?"
He didn't answer, but moved closer to her from behind, rested his face on her shoulder, and handed her the screen he was looking at.
Song Chiyu was completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, and continued looking at his head together. Then, when she saw her own image, she exclaimed in disbelief, "This..."
“Xie Yunjin sent it to me,” Qi Yanzhou replied, staring at the screen.
Song Chiyu was shocked: "Has he gone mad?"
He turned off the hair dryer and prepared to find his phone to call Xie Yunjin.
Qi Yanzhou calmly raised his hand and braced himself on the washbasin in front of her. Song Chiyu was trapped in his arms and could not move. She could only watch him roll down.
Before he could say anything, Song Chiyu couldn't stand it anymore.
She raised her hand to cover the screen, saying, "Stop looking."
He stopped teasing her and looked down at her, asking, "What's wrong?"
Although it was something from the past, Song Chiyu still felt apologetic when it was laid bare before him. She lowered her head sadly and said, "I don't know why, but I feel a little sorry for you."
"Why are you worried about me?" He put down his phone and pressed himself against her.
She was forced to turn around and lean against the sink behind her, unable to move. "He shouldn't have done that."
"kindness."
Song Chiyu looked up, about to comfort him, but he had already buried his face in her neck, saying, "It's not good for you."
Song Chiyu was taken aback.
"You only loved someone, you didn't do anything illegal or disorderly, how could that become something like a criminal record?"
He gently stroked her hair, then, finding it still damp, released her and picked up the hairdryer beside him: "It's his fault, not yours."
Song Chiyu's eyes briefly burned with tears.
She suddenly understood why she felt heartache and guilt towards him: she had sensed love in him. Though not intense, it was ever-present.
She slowly took his hand as he rubbed her hair.
Qi Yanzhou looked at her tightly pursed lips and rested his head against her neck: "Why are you crying?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Song Chiyu thought the matter was over, but he picked up his phone on the stage and stared at the screenshot on the screen: "Chiyu."
"Mm." She rarely heard him address her like that, and she pursed her lips shyly.
"You've never called me that before." His sharply defined profile pressed against the skin of her neck, his warm and deep gaze fixed on her. "Right?"
Song Chiyu followed his gaze.
Suppressing the urge to disappear into the ground, I said, "Yes, I have."
"When?" he asked gently.
“Last time, at your house,” she replied in a barely audible voice.
"Hmm?" He moved closer to her lips. "Didn't hear you."
Song Chiyu didn't know what he hadn't heard, but she forced herself to say, "Husband."
"Hmm?" He touched her hair and, finding it dry, put down the hairdryer. "When you called him, was it this abrupt?"
"I never called it that."
"Then what's on this?" he asked, leaning down and pressing his face against her neck.
"Is what you say in a fight the same as what you say in words?" Song Chiyu felt like killing Xie Yunjin. She had always said that this man was her nemesis, always causing her trouble, but she didn't dare to be fierce towards Qi Yanzhou, and replied with a pitiful expression. She hoped that he would let the matter drop as soon as possible, seeing how sincere her attitude was.
"Then what does this little tilde at the end mean?" he asked, pointing with his thumb to the symbols at the end of the chat history.
Song Chiyu: "..."
His hand, which was resting on the counter, silently reached behind and grasped the front of her nightgown. He calmly met her gaze through the mirror.
Song Chiyu looked at her fingers, which were being rubbed through her pajamas, in the mirror and was so embarrassed that she couldn't bear to look at them for long. She subconsciously lowered her head to avoid looking, but he pressed his chin against her face, forcing her to look at her palm in the mirror.
She immediately let out a soft, disgruntled sigh.
"Qi Yanzhou, you just said this wasn't my problem."
“I don’t think it’s your fault now, but you’ve never called me that before,” he gently kissed her earlobe. “I’m the one who’s legally recognized, aren’t I?”
Song Chiyu couldn't stand his words, so she turned her head and covered his lips, "Husband~ I beg you, please don't say that."
It would make her feel extremely guilty.
He smiled faintly, then turned his head away from her finger and showed her the screenshot on his phone again. Song Chiyu didn't want to look at it anymore, pressing her hand on the phone screen. "Master Qi, stop looking, let's go to sleep."
This was the first time he had heard her use that tone to tell him to go to sleep.
A faint smile appeared in her eyes, "I don't want to sleep yet."
She remained silent, gently unfastening one shoulder strap to reveal her fair and delicate skin below her collarbone, biting her lip as she gazed at him.
His eyelids drooped slightly. "What?"
Seeing that he still didn't react much, she pulled down the ruffled collar, revealing her soft, full skin. Her rosy lips were bitten until they were slightly pale: "Really don't want to sleep?"
Qi Yanzhou could tell that she was truly out of options.
Suppressing a smile from his eyes, he pulled up her slipped shoulder strap, held her arm, and pulled her into his arms, saying, "Sleep."
"Then go take a shower."
Qi Yanzhou entered the bathroom, and Song Chiyu immediately picked up his phone, intending to delete the chat history Xie Yunjin had sent him. However, she accidentally pressed the lock screen button. She stared at her reflection on the screen for two seconds in silence, then cautiously approached the bathroom door: "Honey, what's your phone's lock screen password?"
She thought he would be wary, but he didn't hesitate at all: "It's the same as my bank card PIN."
What's your bank card PIN?
She really doesn't remember at all.
This shows that they never even considered using it.
Qi Yanzhou sighed helplessly and gave him six numbers. She logged in, first screenshotting Xie Yunjin's chat history and sending it to herself, then deleting all the pictures he sent to Qi Yanzhou. Using Qi Yanzhou's WeChat, she typed: "What are you trying to prove by sending these? But it's all in the past, it won't affect our current relationship at all."
But then again, it didn't sound like Qi Yanzhou's usual style of speaking, and compared to Xie Yunjin's blatant provocation, this response lacked any real force. Oh well, since Teacher Qi hadn't said anything, there was no need for me to speak on his behalf, lest I make things worse.
She reluctantly put down Qi Yanzhou's phone, but felt unwilling to let Xie Yunjin go like this.
Just then, her phone rang. A text message from an unknown number asked, "Didn't your husband say anything to you?"
Song Chiyu felt even more determined not to give him a second glance, so she picked up her phone, put it on Do Not Disturb mode, and silenced all notifications. After lying down for a while, Qi Yanzhou came out. He was holding his phone, saw a blank chat window, said nothing, knelt on one knee by the bed, and leaned closer to her.
She took the initiative to get up and wrap her arms around his neck.
He tossed his phone onto the pillow and kissed her neck. She was unusually cooperative today, doing many things without needing reminders and appearing remarkably proactive.
Qi Yanzhou glanced at the nightgown she had deliberately tossed aside, then stared at her raised waist, a smirk playing on his lips. Without a word, he pulled her lips to his and kissed her. He told her she didn't need to do this, but in reality, he left no room for negotiation, a stark contrast to his previous gentle restraint at her house. Her soft voice, tinged with a sob, whined, "You, you're coming in so close again..."
"Are you uncomfortable?" He pretended to back away, but instead pulled her onto his waist.
She immediately braced herself against his waist and let out a sob.
"Hmm?" He lifted his leg and touched her swaying waist. "If you're so uncomfortable, what are you doing?"
They're mocking her again.
She bit her lip and said, against her true feelings, "Make yourself feel better."
“Like this,” he shifted and sat up, leaning against the pillow behind him, and picked up the phone that was lying next to the pillow, “Chi Yu.”
"Don't call me that." Not realizing his voice was unusually deep at that moment, she felt a shiver run through her heart just hearing it, and couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him and nuzzling him.
"You're not allowed to call me that either." He put his arm around her waist, opened a screenshot saved in his album, and said, "Read this sentence to me."
She turned her head to look.
I was so surprised that he had a backup that I clenched my fist tightly: "How come you have one?"
He blinked gently. "I haven't finished reading it yet."
"Don't look." She reached out to block him from view.
He held her waist firmly, saying, "Don't stop."
She angrily stopped continuing.
He immediately pulled her down, placing himself in front of her. Song Chiyu finally understood the fleeting meaning in his eyes; having him come was not the right thing to do.
Song Chiyu finally understood the truest thoughts hidden beneath his gentleness.
She gripped his arm tightly beside her: "You're just jealous!"
"No," he replied gently. But he was clearly still in the mood to complain about her, so he grabbed her wrist with one hand and pressed it above her head, silencing her completely, a faint look of displeasure appearing on his lips.
At first, she still had the strength to fight back against him, but later she was completely defeated and begged him for mercy with a sob in her voice.
"I know." He lowered his head to kiss her soothingly, but he didn't stop. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck: "Can't I read to you?"
"For whom is it read?"
"Master Qi."
He let her sit on his waist for the time being.
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, a tender pang of heartache appeared in his eyes: "Can't you really take it anymore?"
"You're bullying me," she seized the opportunity to accuse.
"No." How could he admit to such a crime? He stood up, pulled her face close, and kissed her. "How do I know if you really want me to stop, or if you want me to continue?"
"I really want you—" He held her lips and kissed the tip of her tongue, silencing her accusation.
...
Xie Yunjin never expected that her blatantly provocative message would end so quietly.
He picked up his phone, intending to send Qi Yanzhou some old photos of him and Song Chiyu together.
Unexpectedly, Qi Yanzhou sent another voice message. Xie Yunjin clicked on it with great interest, wanting to know if he could still be as confident and composed as before. But what came through was Song Chiyu's helpless and soft voice: "Honey, can we not watch it?"
Then came Qi Yanzhou's gentle, smiling voice: "Who is your husband?"
She immediately responded in a coquettish tone, "Master Qi, Qi Yanzhou."
The voice message ended there, followed by another message from Qi Yanzhou: "Why did you send me all that stuff? She still has to put in the effort to coax me."
Xie Yunjin's hand holding the phone instantly dropped, and she looked helpless and desperate.
Qi Yanzhou sent a second WeChat message: "Don't send it anymore. It's not easy for her to coax me."
He seemed completely unfazed by Xie Yunjin's provocation, but felt particularly sorry for Song Chiyu for going to such lengths to coax him.
Xie Yunjin didn't say anything, and threw her phone onto the bed.
He didn't say a word, but every sentence he uttered conveyed the message, "What do you have to compare with me?"
He picked up his phone again and sent a voice message, enunciating each word slowly and deliberately, through gritted teeth: "Qi Yanzhou, you're awesome."
Qi Yanzhou listened intently to the sound and replied, "You flatter me."
Song Chiyu rarely saw him looking at his phone after turning off the lights. She groggily opened her eyes and asked, "Who are you texting?"
"Okay," he put down his phone and kissed her on the cheek. "After you've finished replying, go to sleep."
**
Xie Yunjin was still awake at 3 a.m.
So he got out of bed and ran downstairs to wait for Song Chiyu and her parents in the apartment complex. But after circling around, he couldn't find her car and realized that she was staying with Qi Yanzhou.
They really are a married couple.
Xie Yunjin slammed his hand on the steering wheel, which immediately produced a piercing horn sound, causing other cars parked on the side of the road to flash their lights.
He drove out of the residential area.
Looking at the photo of him and Song Chiyu on his phone's screensaver, he couldn't figure out what was wrong. It wasn't like this back in Suzhou. When he told Qi Yanzhou he'd wait for her to get a divorce, Qi Yanzhou didn't react much. What was different now compared to then?
He buried his head in thought for a moment.
He suddenly realized that the reason why Qi Yanzhou was so silent was very likely that even if Song Chiyu really didn't love Qi Yanzhou at that time.
He knew what he had missed, but he wasn't upset.
She could forget him and fall in love with Qi Yanzhou, so why couldn't she hate Qi Yanzhou and fall in love with him again?
He slept in the car for a while and went to work before dawn, only to be told that Song Chiyu had asked for leave that day.
[Author's Note]
No angst! No melodrama!! Xiao Xie will ultimately have to swallow the bitter fruit of his arrogance!!
I peeked at the comments [sprinkling flowers][sprinkling flowers] Thank you everyone for your support and for reading!
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