Shen Muzhi gently patted her back, without saying a word, silently listening to her cry, and felt that time was passing very slowly.
She cried until she stopped, only her shoulders trembled slightly, and then gradually, she stopped crying too.
Shen Muzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After a long silence, Xiang Zhilan lifted her head from his embrace. Her hair was disheveled and stuck to her cheeks. Her eyes were red and swollen, filled with emptiness and dejection.
The normally hard outer shell seemed to have been pried open, revealing the softest part inside.
Looking at her like this, Shen Muzhi suddenly felt a little scared. She really, really didn't want to marry him at all, and this time she had truly changed her mind.
"Shen Muzhi, I feel so tired." Xiang Zhilan stared blankly at him, the redness in her eyes still lingering, tears welling up again. Her voice was hoarse and nasal as she weakly whispered, "Please let me go?"
Shen Muzhi stared into her eyes for a long time, then looked away, stood up, his throat bobbing, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "This is not good."
Xiang Zhilan received the answer she expected, and surprisingly felt very calm. Perhaps she had never had any hope for him in the first place. She lowered her face, and tears fell rapidly from her eyes like pearls, dripping onto the back of her hand.
Shen Muzhi watched quietly as the tear soaked the back of his hand and slowly dried. He pursed his thin lips, his voice regaining its cool indifference: "You should get some rest."
"I want to go home." Xiang Zhilan had calmed down and pleaded with Shen Muzhi, "I want to spend the night before the wedding with my parents. If you're worried, you can have someone watch over them outside the door."
"Alright, I'll have someone take you back later." Shen Muzhi also knew that according to custom and etiquette, it was best for Xiang Zhilan to go back, as he was going to the Xiang family to pick up the bride tomorrow.
When Xiang Zhilan heard that he had agreed, she was neither happy nor unhappy. Her eyes were expressionless. She simply stood up and walked to the bathroom in the room to tidy herself up and wash. Her eyelids were still swollen.
She couldn't let her parents worry, so she stayed here until the swelling went down before going back.
Shen Muzhi took an ice pack, squatted down in front of Xiang Zhilan, and was about to give her an ice compress.
"I can do it myself." Xiang Zhilan took the ice pack from his hand, leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes, and placed it on her eyelids.
Shen Muzhi picked up another one, sat on the single sofa next to him, and pressed it against his cheek.
The room was quiet. Shen Muzhi looked at Xiang Zhilan with a complex and deep gaze, but she was unaware that he was looking at her.
After applying ice for a while, the setting sun slanted in.
Butler Chen knocked on the door and asked the couple if they wanted dinner brought up.
Xiang Zhilan took the ice pack, feeling that her eyes were not so swollen anymore. She got up and walked towards the door, saying as she passed Butler Chen, "I'm not staying here to eat. I'm going back."
Butler Chen glanced at Shen Muzhi, and seeing that Shen Muzhi did not intend to stop him, he quickly followed Xiang Zhilan and said, "Madam, I will have someone prepare a car for you."
"No need, I'll drive back myself. If you're worried I'll run away, you can send someone to follow me." Xiang Zhilan was somewhat resigned to her fate, and then walked downstairs.
Butler Chen saw her into the car and returned to the second floor of the villa, where he saw Shen Muzhi standing on the balcony, watching Xiang Zhilan's car drive onto the highway.
He stood beside him and sighed softly: "Sir, why didn't you tell your wife that you've been receiving closed treatment at Mr. Xiao's place these past few days?"
"What should we say? Tell her the treatment failed?" Shen Muzhi gave a wry smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
