Chapter 4: Wedding Night, an Iceberg and a Grave
After Huo Tingxiao slammed the master bedroom door shut, the loud noise echoed in the empty house for a long time before being gradually swallowed up by silence.
Su Wanqing stood there, her bare feet touching the cold floor. The chill crept up from her soles, spreading through her limbs and bones. The composure she had forced herself to maintain during her brief standoff with him now faded like a tide, leaving behind a near-collapse of exhaustion.
She slowly walked to the bed and sat down, the soft mattress sinking slightly. A hint of his chill lingered in the room, a faint scent of gunpowder and dust, its presence too strong to ignore.
This was her wedding night.
There were no festive candles, no tenderness or affection. Just her and her "husband" who slammed the door and left, cold to the bone.
An iceberg, literally.
The cold and sterile master bedroom she was in now looked to her like a magnificent tomb, burying any glimmer of hope she might have had about marriage and a part of her self as Su Wanqing.
She raised her hand and gently stroked the cool silk sheets beside her. The bed was large enough to accommodate four or five people, but now it seemed empty and cold.
Huo Tingxiao's words "Pack up and go to the second bedroom" and "I'm used to being alone here" were still echoing in his ears, with an imperative coldness and an arrogance that did not allow for questioning.
He didn't even bother to maintain false politeness, and simply labeled her an unwelcome intruder into his private territory.
Okay.
Such straightforward coldness made her completely sober and no longer have to hold any unrealistic expectations.
She stood up and walked into the master bedroom's bathroom instead of the second bedroom. The mirror reflected a pale yet remarkably calm face. She splashed cold water on her cheeks, the biting chill giving her a shudder and making her more awake.
Having chosen this path, there was no turning back. Whether it was to repay the pitiful kindness of raising her, for her grandmother's peace, or to secure a future completely separated from the Su family, she had to keep going.
Her husband is an iceberg, and she is the tough grass growing alone on the ice.
The new house was a tomb, and she bloomed her own flowers in this tomb.
She returned to the bed, lay down, and pulled the quilt over her. The quilt had a sun-kissed smell, probably prepared by the orderly. It was incompatible with the coldness of the room, but it gave her a slight warmth.
There was no sound coming from the second bedroom next door.
It was as if there was no one in there at all.
But she knew he was there. That invisible, powerful sense of oppression, even through a wall, was clearly permeating her, making it impossible for her to truly relax.
This night is destined to be sleepless.
She opened her eyes, looking at the vague shadows on the ceiling, but her ears were uncontrollably capturing any slightest sound from next door.
However, there was nothing.
Huo Tingxiao seemed to have completely merged into the dead silence of the darkness. There was no sound of water washing, no sound of footsteps walking, not even the slightest movement of turning over.
This extreme silence was more suffocating than any sound he could make.
In this way, he silently declared his rejection and indifference, and clearly drew the line between Chu and Han.
In the second half of the night, a drizzle began to fall outside the window. The raindrops hit the glass, making a monotonous and depressing sound.
Amidst the dead silence and the sound of rain, Su Wanqing fell into a light sleep for a while. Her dreams were bizarre and chaotic. Sometimes she saw the anxious and oppressive faces of her Su family's parents, and sometimes she saw the pitying and mocking eyes of everyone at the wedding. Finally, they all turned into Huo Tingxiao's pair of cold, deep eyes.
She woke up suddenly, feeling a tightness in her chest.
It was still dark outside, and the room was filled with a grey gloom.
She stood up and gently opened the curtains. The rain was still falling, the yard was wet, and the trees and buildings in the distance were shrouded in a gray rain mist, which was so oppressive that it made people feel breathless.
She took a deep breath of cool air, trying to dispel the tightness in her chest.
Pushing open the bedroom door, the living room remained deserted. In the hallway, his combat boots were neatly placed beside a dusty black backpack, hinting at the owner's recent journey.
The door to the second bedroom was closed tightly, like a silent fortress.
She walked quietly into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of warm water. She held the warm wall of the cup, but the warmth seemed to be unable to reach her heart.
Just then, the door handle of the second bedroom turned.
Su Wanqing's body stiffened slightly, and her fingers gripping the water cup tightened.
The door opened.
Huo Tingxiao walked out. He had changed into a crisp dark green military uniform, meticulously ironed and even the disciplinary buttons buttoned tightly. His face remained expressionless, save for a hint of bloodshot deep in his eyes, a sign of not having fully rested. But this did nothing to diminish his icy aura.
He didn't even look at Su Wanqing in the kitchen, but walked straight to the entrance, bent down and put on his military boots neatly.
The whole process was silent, quick and efficient.
As if she was just an insignificant background.
Su Wanqing stood there, neither moving nor speaking, just looking at him quietly.
After putting on his shoes, Huo Tingxiao stood up and finally glanced in her direction. His gaze swept over her very quickly, without any pause, more like completing a procedure to confirm the presence of the item.
"We have a family dinner tonight. Assistant Chen will pick you up at six in the evening." He spoke, his voice colder than the autumn rain outside the window. It was still a businesslike tone of command, without any hint of inquiry or negotiation.
After saying that, without waiting for her to respond, he opened the door and walked out.
The black car was already waiting downstairs, and the orderly respectfully opened the door.
He bent down and got into the car with quick and decisive movements.
The vehicle drove away quickly, rolling over the wet road and disappearing in the gray rain fog.
From beginning to end, there was no looking back.
Su Wanqing stood at the kitchen door, listening to the sound of the car engine fade away until it completely disappeared, and the surroundings returned to dead silence again.
Only the glass of water in my hand still retained a trace of insignificant warmth.
She lowered her head and looked at her blurry face reflected in the water in the cup.
Family dinner?
It seems that the challenges beyond the iceberg have just begun.
And for this tomb called "marriage", she has to chisel out a small gap herself to let the light in.
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