Xu Tingchuan squinted, watching the cigarette burn down to his fingertips before extinguishing it, throwing the butt into the trash can, and turning to go back inside.
He had just stepped from the balcony into the house when the sound of the door unlocking rang out, and Ni Sitian pushed the door open and entered the house.
Their eyes met, and he saw that her eyes were red and swollen, like two walnuts.
Ni Sitian snapped out of her daze, avoided his gaze, and squatted down to untie her shoelaces.
Xu Tingchuan walked over, pulled her up, pinched her chin, and lifted her face. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was made more noticeable by her swollen eyes, which looked like walnuts.
Seeing her like this, he sighed helplessly and asked in a low voice, "Why are you crying like this? Did you go to see Ni Tianzhen?"
Ni Sitian looked at him, nodded, her voice still a little hoarse: "They're divorced."
Upon hearing this, Xu Tingchuan wasn't too surprised. With things escalating like this, divorce was to be expected. How could this silly girl be more upset than she was about to get a divorce herself?
When she gave him the divorce papers, she didn't shed a single tear.
He reached out and touched her head, saying softly, "For Ni Tianzhen, divorce is the best solution. You have to believe that she will get back on her feet."
Ni Sitian pursed her lips, sniffed, and nodded.
Xu Tingchuan squatted down, untied her shoelaces, and put slippers on her feet.
When Ni Sitian saw Xu Tingchuan so gently squatting down to help her change her shoes, she remembered how angry he was this morning and felt especially sorry for him, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Xu Tingchuan looked up and saw that she was crying again. He thought she was still sad for Ni Tianzhen, so he reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently comforting her: "Don't cry, everything will be alright."
Ni Sitian leaned against Xu Tingchuan's chest, her hands gripping his clothes tightly. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what she wanted to say. Finally, she choked back tears and murmured repeatedly, "Please don't hate me, don't hate me..."
Xu Tingchuan sighed deeply, patted her back gently, and said softly, "How could I possibly hate you?"
Ni Sitian felt a little more at ease. She sniffed again, and after smelling the cigarette on him, she lifted her head from his embrace, stopped crying, and frowned slightly: "You smoked?"
Xu Tingchuan assumed she didn't like the smell of smoke, so he released his grip on her.
"The doctor said that in addition to eating regularly, you should also abstain from smoking and drinking. How did you start smoking?" Ni Sitian picked up his fingers and sniffed them to make sure that there was still a smell of smoke between his fingers, so it was not something he picked up at a social event.
Her brows furrowed even more, and she held out her hand in front of Xu Tingchuan, saying earnestly, "Where are the cigarettes? Hand them over."
Xu Tingchuan was amused by her serious expression; her swollen eyes were so big and round, she looked adorable no matter how you looked at her.
"Give it back." Seeing that he was still smiling, Ni Sitian's cheeks puffed up with anger: "Do you still want your stomach? Even if you don't, I still do! As long as we are still husband and wife, it belongs to me too."
Xu Tingchuan patted her head again and chuckled helplessly, "Okay, I'll go get it for you."
He walked to the coffee table, opened the drawer, took out the cigarette case, and handed it to Ni Sitian.
Ni Sitian took out the cigarettes, broke them all in half, and threw them into the trash can.
After throwing it away, she looked up at Xu Tingchuan and asked in a low voice with some concern, "I've never seen you smoke before. Is something bothering you?"
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