0107 116 The Cicada Reins the Horse
Hearing this, Li Qingshan could only nod. He had no right to interfere in the affairs between husband and wife. However, as an observer, he increasingly felt that their relationship was on the verge of collapse. Many things were acting strangely, and he, as their assistant and secretary, was also eager to know whether they could maintain the facade of a marriage.
Seeing Ling Xingzhi walk to the bookshelf to find a book, Li Qingshan also stood up and prepared to leave.
Just then, his phone rang. He answered it; it was a call from the hospital. Hearing the voice on the other end, Li Qingshan was somewhat surprised.
Ling Xingzhi turned his head and saw Li Qingshan. "What's wrong?"
Li Qingshan held his phone in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Secretary Zhou went to visit...your wife..."
Ling Xingzhi subconsciously asked again, "What?"
"Zhou Xiye went to the hospital to visit Wei Luochen," Li Qingshan repeated succinctly.
Ling Xingzhi put down the book in his hand and walked out without saying a word.
Wei Luochen didn't expect Zhou Xiye and Secretary Zhou to come to see her. She was really startled when they entered the door, but she quickly composed herself. Apart from socializing with Ling Xingzhi, she came from a prominent family and had the ability to handle such situations.
"The vendor said it was very sweet when I bought it, you should try it," Zhou Xiye said, placing the apple he had peeled himself into the fruit plate and turning to wipe the peeler with a napkin. His posture was casual, as if he were visiting an old friend.
"Thank you, Secretary Zhou," Wei Luochen said, taking the fruit plate and poking a piece of apple with a toothpick. The juice was very sweet.
Zhou Xiye placed the knife on the table, sat down in a chair, and said with a kind smile, "I heard from Mayor Ling that you were unwell, and he even took leave for you to take care of you."
Wei Luochen reduced the pressure of her bite on the apple, slowly ate a piece, put down the fruit plate, smiled, and said, "I accidentally miscarried, so I'm in postpartum confinement."
Zhou Xiye nodded. "In that case, you should rest even more. I will help Mayor Ling with some of the work."
“Secretary Zhou is indeed very magnanimous. However, I think you don’t need to worry about Xingzhi’s work ability, and don’t worry too much about me either,” Wei Luochen said with a charming smile. Even without makeup, she was still radiant. “If you, Secretary Zhou, instruct me to help him share the workload, that would be fine. But I’m afraid you’ll also help me share my workload.”
Zhou Xiye almost laughed when he heard this, but he straightened his expression and said, "Your wife should know about my marriage. Although I didn't invite you to the wedding banquet, I think you should know."
Wei Luochen raised an eyebrow. Zhou Xiye's marriage had caused quite a stir in the city, with all sorts of rumors circulating. Even though she was abroad, she had heard about it—Zhou Xiye's sex video had been leaked, and later it was said that it was actually a despicable tactic used by Yi Chenling, who was madly infatuated with Zhou Xiye, to force her to marry him.
Zhou Xiye and Shang Heming eloped, but later said that they had to leave the wedding venue because of official business.
Pei Zhiyu went to Kunming hoping that Zhou Xiye would return to Hangzhou with him, but later clarified that it was just a husband visiting his wife.
Amidst various rumors, Zhou Xiye's story is quite fascinating.
Since Zhou Xiye had already gone this far, Wei Luochen felt it would be a loss if she didn't retaliate against Zhou Xiye. "That's right, Secretary Zhou's wedding was incredibly glamorous. I think not only we know about it, but the common people also know about it and are happy to see it."
Zhou Xiye lowered his eyes, a hint of sadness in them, something Wei Luochen had never seen before.
“Sigh, marriage is about living together. Behind closed doors, it’s all about the trivialities of family life. These things are like drinking water; only the person drinking it knows whether it’s hot or cold,” Zhou Xiye looked up at Wei Luochen and smiled bitterly.
Wei Luochen was taken aback; this tone made her suspicious. She pursed her lips, understanding Zhou Xiye's words and realizing she was also caught in his trap.
Zhou Xiye seemed oblivious to Wei Luochen's emotional shift and continued to pour out her grievances. "After getting married, of course I can't be as carefree as when I was single. I have to consider my husband's family in everything I do, especially the Pei family, a prominent and wealthy family. My every word and action represents the Pei family," Zhou Xiye sighed. "Putting aside my position as the municipal party secretary, as a married person, I also have to be careful about my relationships with men and women. I can't get too close to male comrades." After saying that, she shook her head.
These words sounded very friendly, yet they startled Wei Luochen, forcing her to be on high alert. This Zhou Xiye was different from the one she had dealt with before, completely different inside and out. The previous Zhou Xiye was aloof and cold.
When Zhou Xiye was angry, he became arrogant and unruly.
But now, Wei Luochen couldn't discern any change in her emotions. Her mind was like a bottomless lake; a stone thrown into it created no ripples. Wei Luochen was all too familiar with this feeling; his family members were like this, and Ling Xingzhi sometimes acted the same way.
The taste of power.
Faced with someone like this, Wei Luochen didn't want to beat around the bush. "Zhou Xiye, what brings you here?"
Zhou Xiye seemed startled by Wei Luochen's words, staring at her for a long time before her surprise gradually subsided. Wei Luochen felt very uncomfortable, watching Zhou Xiye's emotional changes as if he were watching her remove her mask.
Just a second before Wei Luochen could speak, Zhou Xiye leaned forward slightly, his tone serious and calm, with a hint of curiosity in his dark eyes, "Did you kill him?"
Wei Luochen bit his lip, avoiding Zhou Xiye's gaze, his eyes fixed on the black hair on her chest. "Who is it? Secretary Zhou, I don't understand what you're talking about. How could I kill someone?"
Zhou Xiye slowly retreated, looking at Wei Luochen without saying a word, with her legs crossed and her hands on her lap, as if waiting for Wei Luochen's explanation, or perhaps for her to admit it.
Wei Luochen blinked, cautiously looking up at Zhou Xiye, his hand involuntarily tightening its grip on the bedsheet. "Secretary Zhou, I don't understand what you're saying. I told you, I just had a miscarriage and need to rest. Please don't scare me... I just lost a child..."
As she spoke, she lowered her head, and beads of sweat were already forming on her forehead.
But Zhou Xiye's words were still so direct, like the cold jade touching the skin, chilling and giving me goosebumps all over: "Is Ye Rouxin's death also related to you?"
It is a declarative sentence, not an interrogative sentence.
Wei Luochen couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere. Zhou Xiye just stared at her, expressionless. Unable to bear it any longer, Wei Luochen swept the things beside the bed to the floor and screamed, "Zhou Xiye, what are you trying to do? What does his death have to do with me?"
Zhou Xiye didn't speak. Only when Wei Luochen looked at her, panting heavily and with his chest heaving, did Zhou Xiye say, "Then why are you so agitated?"
Wei Luochen stared at Zhou Xiye, feeling as if she were gazing into the deep sea—a sense of the unknown and fear that caused her hands to tremble involuntarily.
Zhou Xiye looked at Wei Luochen calmly.
A few seconds later, Zhou Xiye suddenly laughed, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "I was just kidding you. Look at you, you're so scared!" After saying that, he gently patted Wei Luochen's shoulder and advised her, "You just had a miscarriage, you can't be so emotional. What if something happens and the mayor blames me..."
Wei Luochen's whole body began to tremble. She had never seen anything like this before. Even when Ling Xingzhi was giving her the cold shoulder or arguing with her, she had never felt such pressure. Thinking of this, and seeing the guilty smile on Zhou Xiye's lips, she suddenly burst into tears.
Zhou Xiye really acted like her older sister, sitting down on the edge of the bed, pulling Wei Luochen into her arms, and gently patting her back. "Were you scared? I was just joking with you, it's okay... It's my fault, okay? Do you think we need to call a doctor?"
Wei Luochen wanted to scream, but tears kept flowing down his face.
Zhou Xiye took a tissue and wiped away her tears without saying a word. After a while, Wei Luochen finally calmed down, but she was still sobbing. After crying her heart out, Zhou Xiye helped her tuck her hair behind her ear, looked at her profile, and smiled gently, "Ling Xingzhi really has good taste."
Wei Luochen didn't understand, and nudged Zhou Xiye with his elbow, "Stay away from me..."
Zhou Xiye sat back down in the chair, glanced at the time, and said, "Seeing you like this, I really feel a little guilty. When Ling Xingzhi arrives, how am I supposed to explain this to him?" He shook his head, as if he genuinely regretted what he had just done.
Wei Luochen's sobs subsided, and she heard Zhou Xiye's very soft voice, "You and I, we don't necessarily have to be enemies..."
If we're not enemies, then what are we? Wei Luochen thought, you've already slept with my husband, and now you're telling me we're not enemies? Do you really expect me to be your sister?
She dared not say those words aloud.
She wiped away her tears, threw away the tissue in her hand, and felt a little thirsty.
However, with the place in such a mess, Wei Luochen couldn't order Zhou Xiye to get him a glass of water, so he simply held back.
"Zhou Xiye, stop beating around the bush. What do you want from me?"
Zhou Xiye blinked at Wei Luochen, but before he could speak, the door to the ward was pushed open, and his voice was heard before he was seen.
"Secretary Zhou, you're coming to visit my wife, why didn't you tell me?"
Ling Xingzhi walked in and saw two women, one sitting on the hospital bed with bloodshot eyes, and the other sitting innocently in a chair. There were bottles and jars all over the floor... and a bloodstained knife.
Zhou Xiye spread her hands. "Mayor Ling is busy with work, and I was afraid of disturbing you, so I came without telling you." She stood up, looked at Wei Luochen, and then at Ling Xingzhi. "I apologize for being so abrupt."
Ling Xingzhi took two steps forward before he noticed blood seeping from Zhou Xiye's ankle, which he could roughly determine was due to the knife accidentally cutting her ankle when it fell to the ground.
But Zhou Xiye showed no sign of pain on his face.
Ling Xingzhi smiled and shook his head. "Secretary Zhou, you're too kind. The ward is too messy. I'll have a nurse tidy it up." He then beckoned the nurse in, took another chair, sat down, and crossed his legs. When the nurse came in and tidied the ward, she noticed the injury on Zhou Xiye's foot.
"Secretary Zhou, let me bandage you up..." The nurse brought over her tools. She had heard the noise in the ward earlier, but she hadn't dared to come in.
After the nurse left, Ling Xingzhi finally relaxed completely, leaning back lazily in his chair, rolling up his shirt sleeves, and unbuttoning the top button of his collar. "What are you two talking about? You don't mind if I join in, do you?"
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