0103 112 Closest yet most distant relatives: husband and wife
Ling Xingzhi closed his eyes just as her kiss was about to land. Wei Luochen didn't kiss him; she was very close to his lips, carefully looking at the lines at the corners of Ling Xingzhi's eyes. He had aged too.
He was in the prime of his life when they got married.
Seven years of marriage, they would grow old together. Wei Luochen felt happy at the thought, and a smile played on her lips, just as Ling Xingzhi opened his eyes. Wei Luochen's smile was captivating, and her lips curved into a tender smile. After all, they were still husband and wife; before a complete breakdown, their feelings remained.
"Hug me," Wei Luochen said, wrapping her arms around his neck as Ling Xingzhi gently pulled her into his embrace.
At this moment, Ling Xingzhi felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't been able to resist Zhou Xiye's allure. He didn't love Wei Luochen, but she was, after all, his wife. Morally, he shouldn't do anything wrong again. He sighed softly, his fingers stroking her shoulder.
"Let's not stand here, let's go home."
Back home, Wei Luochen smiled slightly. They were husband and wife, a family, they had a home. What did the other women matter?
Ling Xingzhi opened the door, and Wei Luochen walked in, kicking off his high heels after a few steps. Ling Xingzhi carried his suitcase in, closed the door, and turned on the light. Wei Luochen sat back on the sofa. "Why were you suddenly transferred to Kunming?"
Ling Xingzhi unbuttoned his clothes, walked to the refrigerator, opened it, took out two cans of beer, then walked back to the sofa and placed the beer on the coffee table.
Wei Luochen rested his elbows on the sofa armrests, tilted his head to one side, propped his head up with his hand, and let his smooth black hair fall beside his ears. He glanced at the beer on the coffee table, chuckled, and looked at Ling Xingzhi, "Why are you drinking beer? Didn't you used to only drink red wine?"
Ling Xingzhi didn't care about anything else, picked up a can of beer, opened it, and took a sip.
“I was reported, for some of my business chains and some past incriminating evidence. Since it can’t be resolved cleanly, my father told me to go out and lay low for a while.”
Wei Luochen leaned on Ling Xingzhi's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me? If my editor hadn't told me about your transfer, I wouldn't have known."
Ling Xingzhi smiled and tilted her head. "How are you? Did you have fun abroad?"
Wei Luochen shook her head. "I'm not happy." She thought of Ye Rouxin; his death terrified her. Suddenly, she turned to Ling Xingzhi. "Ye Rouxin is dead. What exactly happened to him? Who killed him? Do you know anything about it?"
When Ling Xingzhi heard Ye Rouxin's name, he couldn't help but frown. Thinking of Ye Rouxin's threats, he felt a complex mix of emotions. "His death has nothing to do with you or me, nor with the Ling family. Don't think about it too much."
"Are you really okay?"
Ling Xingzhi sighed and put down his beer. "The forensic doctor has concluded that Ye Rouxin's accident was caused by drug use, alcoholism, and promiscuity. It was an accident."
Drug use, alcoholism, promiscuity.
Upon hearing those three words, Wei Luochen bristled like a startled cat, slowly straightening up and staring intently at Ling Xingzhi, his voice soft, "Are you talking about me?"
Ling Xingzhi was taken aback, then realized he didn't want to argue with Wei Luochen. He turned over and leaned back on the sofa. But he didn't know what to say. He resented her for this, but resentment wouldn't solve anything. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "It's none of your business."
Wei Luochen chuckled, his laughter alluring, like a monster from the deep sea.
After laughing enough, Wei Luochen's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at Ling Xingzhi sadly, and her expression suddenly became strange. "I don't like Kunming. I don't like the location, I don't like the climate, I don't like the accent, and I don't like your position. I don't want to be the wife of the mayor of Kunming. I want to be the wife of the secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee. I will not stay in Kunming with you. I want to go back to Beijing."
Ling Xingzhi looked at her, his expression unusual and enigmatic, and said, "Okay."
Wei Luochen tilted his head and looked at him, "After I leave, will you sleep with Zhou Xiye? Her husband won't be here either, will you sleep with her every night?"
Ling Xingzhi leaned back on the sofa with his head tilted back and sighed, "No, Wei Luochen, I can't."
Wei Luochen leaned forward, looked at Ling Xingzhi's expression, and chuckled, "You're lying, you two definitely did it in the car... You couldn't resist, could you? How many times did you do it in Beijing? You like her? What about Kong Lingqi?"
He didn't move, his eyes were closed, and he remained motionless.
"Oh, right, on this trip abroad, I also visited Kong Lingqi, the woman you keep saying you love. She already has a new boyfriend, and they're living together in New York and are very happy."
Ling Xingzhi's Adam's apple bobbed.
Wei Luochen became more and more agitated as he spoke, "Ling Xingzhi, you are really ridiculous. You gave her your heart, and look at her, she ran away and found a new, younger man. What use is an old geezer like you? She only wants you to spend money on her." Wei Luochen stood up, picked up a beer from the coffee table, and took a sip.
It doesn't taste good.
"And you? Still here, remaining chaste for her. How long has it been since we last made love, right?" Wei Luochen sat on Ling Xingzhi's lap, his hand slowly moving up Ling Xingzhi's leg, until he reached his crotch and gently rubbed it.
“Now there’s another Zhou Xiye, and her husband, Pei Zhiyu, whose family background is no worse than yours. He’s rich and good-looking. What do you think she sees in you?” Wei Luochen chuckled. “Isn’t it just your power? When you were in Beijing, you were the Party Secretary, and she was just a small-time director of the Beijing Liaison Office. Getting involved with you must have brought her a lot of benefits. And now? In Kunming, she’s the Party Secretary, with no power behind her. She’s just using you.”
Ling Xingzhi opened his eyes and looked at the woman coiled around him like a snake. "You don't know about what happened between her and me."
Wei Luochen picked up a beer and poured it on Ling Xingzhi's head. The beer flowed down his hair, and his hand, which was resting on the back of the sofa, moved. Ling Xingzhi closed his eyes, and before he could open them after she finished pouring the beer, he felt the warm, damp liquid moving on his neck.
Ling Xingzhi opened his eyes, and Wei Luochen sat up, licking his lips. "The wine on you tastes even better."
"What brings you here?" Ling Xingzhi tried to push her away, but paused, suppressing his anger as he asked, "Just say what you need."
"I'm your wife, isn't it only natural for me to come and find your husband?"
Ling Xingzhi pushed Wei Luochen away, "I don't want to argue. You can go wherever you want, I don't care. You know better than me what you shouldn't do."
Wei Luochen tilted his head and asked with the innocence of a girl, "I killed your dead internet celebrity ex. It wasn't an accident. Do you believe me?"
Ling Xingzhi completely lost his patience. "Wei Luochen, is it really that interesting that we're always like this?" His voice became a few decibels louder, and Wei Luochen was somewhat pleased; he was finally angry.
"I've found out how many ex-girlfriends you have. I'm going to kill them all, one by one. From now on, for every girl you date, I'll kill her. What about Kong Lingqi? I won't kill her. I'll have her gang-raped. I want you to see her defiled, to feel heartache, to regret..."
Ling Xingzhi kicked over the coffee table, his eyes filled with crimson light. The loud shattering sound broke the silence of the night.
The two remained silent, and then Wei Luochen began to sob. She didn't know what to do anymore; she didn't want things to be like this, and she wanted to live a peaceful life. She hadn't meant to upset him, so why had she said such hurtful things? Wei Luochen squatted down and cried, her voice filled with deep grievance.
Ling Xingzhi turned around, the beer still sticky on his clothes. He looked out into the darkness, took a deep breath, and said, "Wei Luochen, you should have your own career. Don't just focus on me, okay?"
"Yes, I like my job, but I don't understand why you don't like me? What am I not doing well enough?"
Ling Xingzhi shook her head, looking exhausted. "Wei Luochen, let's not dwell on this anymore, okay? We've been married for so many years, and things between us shouldn't be just about these trivial matters."
Wei Luochen slowly stood up, walked behind Ling Xingzhi, and hugged his waist. "I don't know what to do, I really don't know what to do... I lose my mind when it comes to you. Please don't associate with Zhou Xiye, okay? Yes... I know, even if Zhou Xiye isn't there, there's Li Xiye, Zhang Xiye... but I just want you to see me properly... Beijing is a place full of temptations. I'll stay with you in Kunming, and we can enjoy some quality time together, okay?"
Ling Xingzhi couldn't make her any promises, and this relationship left him feeling exhausted. He could foresee that if they were ordinary people, after breaking up, they would engage in a cold war, remain a couple in name only, and eventually end up like everyone else in their circle, each going their own way. Even if they bumped into each other while doing their own thing, they might at least nod to each other.
Unfortunately, Wei Luochen is an extremely romantic person who needs affection and love. She doesn't like acting and won't be with people she doesn't like.
Ling Xingzhi's Adam's apple bobbed. After figuring things out, he turned around, pulled Wei Luochen away, and wiped away her tears.
“Wei Luochen, if you feel lonely, you can go find someone else... like me.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
