Chapter 160 Let's indulge in this last time, just this once!
"Shuangshuang...why are you standing outside and not coming in?" An anxious call pulled her out of her dazed thoughts.
Zhu Liushuang seemed to wake from a dream: "Mom—"
Impatient to wait any longer, Gu Chunling, who had come out to look for her daughter, called out "Hey, hey!" twice, took her daughter's hand, and frowned, saying, "I've been calling you for ages, but you haven't answered... Oh dear, your hands are so cold!"
Zhu Liushuang lowered her head, letting her mother drag her down to the eaves like a puppet on a string.
With a "splat," the sole of my shoe sank into a puddle, mud splattering onto the white canvas upper.
But she was completely unaware.
Even though Gu Chunling was slow to notice, she realized something was wrong with her daughter and asked with concern, "Why is your face so pale... Are you feeling unwell?"
“No…” As soon as Zhu Liushuang opened her mouth, a bitter feeling welled up inside her.
Gu Chunling asked helplessly, "What trouble have you encountered?"
Zhu Liushuang opened her eyes wide, catching the tears that were about to fall, and said, "No... Mom, don't overthink it. I just wasn't dressed warmly enough today and caught a bit of a chill."
"Sigh—" Gu Chunling clearly didn't believe her daughter's explanation and sighed helplessly, "You child, you've always been taciturn, always keeping things to yourself... How can your mother be at ease if you don't speak up?"
"I……"
The dense rain drifted into the eaves, and the mother and daughter fell silent at the same time.
The atmosphere froze. Zhu Liushuang, her fingers clenched so tightly they had turned white, spoke first: "Mom—I'm really fine, I'm not lying to you... Let's go home quickly. I have to rush to the company this afternoon, and if I'm late, I'll be late for work and my pay will be docked." Knowing that her mother wouldn't give up asking so easily, she resorted to her old trick and brought up the excuse of "being late and having my salary docked."
This trick worked. The mother silently took a thin coat from the duffel bag, shook it a couple of times, and draped it over her shoulders: "If you know it's cold, wear more clothes."
The atmosphere eased somewhat. Zhu Liushuang hummed in agreement and handed the umbrella to her mother, then turned to pick up the luggage leaning against the wall.
The rain outside intensified. The mother and daughter stopped talking, one holding an umbrella and the other carrying luggage, and silently walked towards the open-air parking lot.
————
The roads were slippery due to the rain, and Zhu Liushuang was on high alert on the way back to Donghu.
She thought her hands would shake, but in fact, her hands gripping the steering wheel were as steady as a rock. Even parallel parking, which was her worst skill, went exceptionally smoothly.
Her mother, trying to make conversation, praised her for her improved driving skills.
She forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes, made an excuse that "it's too late," dropped her luggage, and hurriedly ran downstairs.
The road back to the company was clear. When they arrived at the front desk, Zhu Liushuang nodded to Li Jingjia, who was touching up her lipstick in front of the mirror, as usual.
Zhuang Xiaoqian went to the bank to pick up her bank statement, leaving the finance office empty. She mechanically turned the doorknob, opened and closed the door, sat down at her workstation, then turned on her computer and checked her email—all in one smooth motion.
Her inbox was filled with over a dozen expense reimbursement review emails marked "urgent." She opened them one by one, rubbing her temples as she carefully checked them. After methodically processing the emails, she logged into the "e-Tax Bureau" to begin the company's VAT filing. Strangely, the system, which had always been her nemesis, seemed to have changed its tune today; the data was automatically pre-filled, requiring very little manual adjustment from her…
After a busy half afternoon, work became Zhu Liushuang's only lifeline.
She tirelessly completed one task after another, and even had the energy to argue with colleagues who came to the finance office to discuss advance payments.
If Yao Ying's words from that morning hadn't been still echoing in her mind, she would have thought it was just a peaceful and ordinary afternoon.
With her eyes feeling sore, Zhu Liushuang got up and went to the tea room to make herself a cup of jasmine tea.
I didn't look down when I turned my head and accidentally bumped into a colleague's arm.
The water glass sloshed, and boiling water splashed onto the back of her fair hand, leaving several red marks in an instant.
Her colleague exclaimed anxiously, "Liushuang, are you alright? Does it hurt? Quickly rinse it with cold water..."
Does it hurt?
It doesn't hurt.
Zhu Liushuang wiped the back of her hand on her trouser leg, saying nonchalantly, "It's nothing, just a few drops of water."
Compared to the gaping hole in my heart, what is this little sting?
Her colleagues tried to persuade her to rinse herself under the tap, but she quickened her pace and left the break room without looking back.
As it neared the end of the workday, the sound of rain falling on the window grew louder and louder.
It was windy and rainy outside. Zhu Liushuang turned off his computer and slumped on his desk for a while, staring blankly into space.
She didn't sit up until her phone screen lit up and a new WeChat message popped up in the notification center, her expression turning serious.
Honey, the rain is getting heavier. Drive carefully on your way home.
She stared at the words for a long time, a dull pain suddenly shooting through her chest, followed by a feeling of suffocation.
He... knew about that a long time ago, didn't he?
But why didn't he tell her?
He was the one who said it first: the most important thing between lovers is to be honest with each other!
Zhu Liushuang closed her eyes, forcing herself to stop indulging in unrestrained fantasies, but she couldn't control herself.
The sharp thorn in her chest had taken root and was frantically drilling into her body.
Why?
Why was it He Ming's mother who took that bus?
Having lost his mother at a young age, can he really be completely unaffected by the pain?
How is that possible?
Zhu Liushuang gave a bleak smile.
"Buzz—" The phone vibrated again.
A new message popped up at the bottom of the chat box: "Honey, there's been a rear-end collision at the Wenhui Road intersection. It's causing a traffic jam for almost two kilometers. Remember to take a detour."
God really loves to play tricks on people.
Even if he doesn't mind at all, can she overcome the hurdle in her heart?
"She can't overcome it." Zhu Liushuang concluded despairingly.
If reason can overcome obsession, how could she be trapped in this endless torment and pain?
She lowered her head and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, she jumped up from her seat, grabbed her phone from the table, and walked to the window.
The rain pounded against the frosted glass, and the chaotic tapping also pierced through her defenses.
With a tense expression, she pulled out Guo Yang's phone number, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the button heavily.
"Beep beep—" The call connected, and Guo Yang's voice came through the noise.
Zhu Liushuang pinched herself and said, "President Guo, my mother's condition has not been well controlled recently. I need to take three more days off to take her to the hospital for a check-up..." Her tone was soft, with just the right amount of anxiety.
To justify her leave request, she even provided detailed supplementary information on her mother's abnormal health assessment data and the doctor's diagnostic recommendations.
"I understand, Liu Shuang." Guo Yang approved the leave before she could finish speaking.
"President Guo..." she feigned embarrassment to the extreme, "If I take eight days off in a row, plus the May Day holiday, won't that cause too much trouble for the company?"
Guo Yang laughed loudly, "The company isn't just about you managing the accounts. Take a good vacation and keep your phone on at all times..."
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Guo."
After hanging up the phone, a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips.
She got her eight-day leave approved, but she seemed to have nowhere to go.
She held her phone, staring blankly out the window for a long time, long enough for all the streetlights below the office building to come on.
The streetlights cast a soft, warm glow, but they couldn't penetrate her heart at all.
————
We returned to Chunhua Lane two hours later.
As she opened the door, the aroma of food wafted out, including her favorite salt and pepper pork ribs.
Zhu Liu felt a lump in her throat and dropped her backpack to go look for the person. But when she reached the kitchen door, her feet wouldn't move.
My gaze fell on the busy figure not far away. He Ming was cooking while wearing her plaid apron.
He held a spatula in one hand and tossed the wok with the other, his movements much more skillful than they had been a few months ago.
She stared at his back with almost greedy intensity, as if trying to etch everything before her into her mind.
After a long while, she reluctantly looked away and turned her gaze to the kitchen counter.
The few nearly wilted white magnolias in the glass vase were gone, replaced by a bunch of blue tulips glistening with water droplets.
It was raining so hard outside today, and he even went out of his way to the flower shop to buy her new flowers...
A wave of sadness welled up in her eyes. She quietly walked to the stove, stepping on the cold, hard floor, and reached out to wrap her arms around his waist.
He Ming didn't turn around, nor did he put down the spatula in his hand: "You finished working overtime so quickly?"
Zhu Liushuang remained silent, only pressing her face closer to his back, as if only in this way could she plug the gaping hole in her heart.
"What's wrong? Are you tired, or are you too hungry?" the man asked her in a low voice after turning off the stove.
Zhu Liushuang shook her head slightly, then suddenly remembered that he couldn't see her movements, so she perked up and replied, "Staring at the computer for too long makes my eyes hurt a little."
"Then go lie down on the sofa for a while with your eyes closed. There's also a three-ingredient soup. We'll eat as soon as it's ready."
Her hand was held by him, and warmth spread throughout her body. Zhu Liushuang was captivated by his warmth, so she said in a muffled voice, "No, I just want to hold you like this."
The person being hugged was momentarily stunned, then chuckled and said, "Why is my wife being so clingy today?"
"Is that not allowed?" Zhu Liushuang asked in return.
"Of course, I'd love for you to stick to me!" He Ming paused and then instructed her, "Honey, I need to wash a pot by the sink, be careful not to slip."
"Um--"
A moment later, a man with a spatula got busy again.
The overhead lights were bright, and two overlapping shadows were reflected in the dark glass window. Wherever he went, she followed, holding his waist.
The air was filled with He Ming's scent—clean, crisp, and with a faint hint of cooking oil. Zhu Liushuang seemed unable to get enough of it, sniffing it again and again.
She nestled quietly behind him and closed her eyes in resignation.
Let's indulge in this one last time!
She silently warned herself.
...
This night of indulgence began with a long, passionate embrace. It shattered all her reason, driving her to a near-mad frenzy as she entangled herself with him.
From the empty living room to the bathtub filled with flower petals, and then to the single sofa in the bedroom, they were like two intertwined vines, tightly connected, inseparable.
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