"Come out."
After a long silence, a rustling sound came, followed by very light footsteps. Chu Yi opened the door, and her face appeared behind him, looking at him calmly.
Qiao Anchen suddenly couldn't say anything.
He paused for a moment, then mustered his courage.
"Can you come back to sleep tonight?"
Chu Yi pursed her lips and didn't answer for a long time. Just as Qiao Anchen's anxiety and anticipation were gradually disappearing, he heard her speak.
"no."
"Why?" Qiao Anchen immediately pressed, concealing the disappointment in his eyes.
“Because we are in a cold war right now.” Chu Yi said quietly, gripping the doorknob, her face expressionless.
"I can no longer be soft-hearted towards you."
Author's Note: I'm not saying anything more, here's eighty-eight red envelopes.
33. Chapter 33
It was another sleepless night.
The next day, Qiao Anchen surprisingly didn't work overtime and went straight home with his bag, much to the surprise of his colleagues.
"This is……"
Jin Ran, an insider, leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Please understand, Prosecutor Qiao has been having some internal problems lately."
The colleague took two seconds to react, then opened his mouth and widened his eyes, "Could it be...?"
Jin Ran nodded solemnly: "Yes, that's exactly what you think."
Qiao Anchen never expected that in just two days, the news of his marital discord with his wife would spread throughout the entire procuratorate. Colleagues who bumped into him would stare at him with sympathetic and wistful looks.
He opened his computer, completely bewildered. His colleague leaned closer mysteriously and whispered, "Prosecutor Qiao, your wife is easy to please, just coax her a bit."
Qiao Anchen: "???"
"Who told you that?"
He frowned and asked. His colleague across from him paused, his eyes darting around nervously.
"Uh, isn't this... well, everyone knows that..."
Jin Ran! Qiao Anchen gritted his teeth inwardly, wishing he could execute him on the spot.
I made sure to leave work on time last night, but Chu Yi's attitude didn't soften at all. Just like the last time the two of them argued, Chu Yi moved out and hasn't calmed down for a whole week.
Qiao Anchen remembers it vividly, and even now, thinking back on it still makes him tremble with fear. He never wants to experience that kind of life again.
However, this time it seems to be coming on even stronger.
If last time he could at least understand why Chu Yi was angry and apologize and try to coax her, this time he was completely lost. Qiao Anchen recalled their argument that night, and the only thing that remained in his mind was the last sentence.
"...and they didn't live together like ordinary couples."
So how do ordinary couples actually get along and live together?
He frowned, feeling as if he had encountered the biggest problem of his life.
There are quite a few married people in the procuratorate, and it seems that everyone gets along well with their partners. Qiao Anchen pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of Jin Ran and immediately dismissed the idea.
He wasn't in the mood to work overtime today, and as soon as it was time to leave, he couldn't wait to get up and leave. Sure enough, he was met with another wave of stares, but unlike the day before, this time they were all looking at him with pity.
Qiao Anchen was almost going crazy. He cursed Jin Ran in his mind again.
When Chu Yi returned, she was serving dishes, and little Li Yan was helping her by holding the bowls and chopsticks. During the meal, he had a proper title to strike up a conversation.
"By the way, Li Yan's aunt is going back to China tomorrow, so we might need to go there," Qiao Anchen said. Chu Yi and Li Yan both stopped eating and looked up at him.
Will she take Xiaoyan away?
“The other party has taken the initiative to request to raise Li Yan.” Qiao Anchen paused and said, “As the closest relative, this is also the most appropriate arrangement.”
The air was silent for a moment. Chu Yi looked at Li Yan beside him, who was also a little stunned, as if he hadn't reacted yet.
After all, they are still young, and suddenly having to go from a familiar environment to a completely unfamiliar place is bound to be difficult for them to accept.
"Xiao Yan, are you familiar with your aunt?" Chu Yi asked after thinking for a moment. Li Yan first shook her head, then nodded.
“I’ve met her twice before, and she always bought me gifts when she came back,” he said softly. Chu Yi patted his head.
"Okay, let's go see her tomorrow. If you like her, we'll go with her. If not, we'll think of something else, okay?" Chu Yi coaxed softly, and Li Yan obediently agreed.
Even so, the atmosphere at the table became unusually quiet; everyone knew that this was the best arrangement.
After putting Li Yan to sleep that night, Chu Yi wanted to talk to Qiao Anchen. She knocked on the door twice, and Qiao Anchen opened it quickly. However, he looked flustered and nervous. Chu Yi didn't think too much about it and asked directly.
"Shall we go together tomorrow when we meet the family?"
"Okay, I'll come pick you up then."
"No need," Chu Yi said. "We can just take a taxi there ourselves."
Qiao Anchen pursed his lips. "Okay."
"Him... Auntie, have you done a thorough investigation on his side? What are his family background and circumstances like?" Chu Yi asked, still feeling uneasy. These things couldn't be discussed in front of Li Yan, so she could only ask Qiao Anchen privately.
"She married a foreigner a few years ago. Her husband is a Chinese American. They have a three-year-old daughter and run a small company together. They are financially well-off and are said to be easy to communicate with."
Qiao Anchen told everything he knew in detail, like a student being interrogated by a teacher. Chu Yi nodded and remained silent.
"Goodnight then." After a moment, she spoke. Qiao Anchen hesitated, then finally hid the expectation in his eyes.
"Good night."
The agreed meeting time was in the morning. Chu Yi took Li Yan directly there. Qiao Anchen was also there, along with several police officers.
A woman in her early thirties stood there. She had a fair complexion with a few wrinkles, long black hair, and light makeup. Overall, she gave off a kind and pleasant impression.
When Li Yan saw her, her eyes lit up. Instead of running over immediately while being led by Chu Yi, she walked up to her and called her "Auntie".
The woman immediately squatted down in front of him, rubbed his head and face, and her eyes seemed a little red.
"I'm sorry, Xiaoyan, Auntie is late." As she spoke, she hugged Liyan in her arms. Liyan did not struggle, but silently released Chuyi's hand and gently patted her back.
The two embraced quietly for a while before the woman stood up, composed herself, and looked at Chu Yi.
"This must be Miss Chu?"
"Hello." Chu Yi nodded.
"Thank you so much for taking care of Xiaoyan these past few days. I am truly grateful."
"It's just a small matter, and Xiaoyan is very obedient." Chu Yi said with a smile, glancing at Li Yan, who was being led by his aunt's hand, looking up at her with a very well-behaved expression.
The woman's eyes were filled with emotion.
"In any case, I still want to thank you. Let me treat you to lunch, otherwise I'll feel really bad."
Chu Yi thought about it for a moment and agreed.
Eating is one thing, but I mainly want to spend more time with this aunt. After all, she's been taking care of my child for so long, and I can't just hand her over to someone else so easily.
After they finished chatting, they found a restaurant nearby. It was clear that Li Yan was still close to his aunt, but they were a little estranged because they hadn't seen each other for so long.
A small detail at the dinner table made Chu Yi feel somewhat relieved.
Li Yan wanted to eat fish, but the dish was a bit far away, so the child had to stretch out his hand to grab it with chopsticks. His aunt noticed this and picked up a piece of fish for him.
At that moment, she was still talking to Chu Yi, and while chatting, she picked out all the fish bones from the fish before putting it into Li Yan's bowl.
His expression and movements were very natural, as if he was used to it and probably often took care of children at home.
Li Yan's aunt stayed here for three days and completed all the formalities. Chu Yi met with Li Yan several times in the past two days, and each time he could see that his relationship with his aunt was getting closer and closer.
Chu Yi bought a small suitcase and packed all of Li Yan's things into it, including every piece of clothing, the little doll she got at the amusement park, and some other miscellaneous items.
The day I went to the airport to see him off, the weather was sunny and the sunlight was as bright as orange candy, shining through the airport glass onto the ground.
Li Yan dragged the small suitcase behind his aunt, being led around, and kept looking back at her.
Chu Yi smiled and waved at him, but the child had a tense face and a pout, as if he was about to cry.
Her small body gradually disappeared into the security checkpoint with the flow of people, along with her small suitcase. Chu Yi could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Qiao Anchen pulled her into his arms. Chu Yi did not resist, but simply buried her face in his shoulder, crying and trembling.
But she quickly calmed down.
Chu Yi wiped away her tears, pushed him away, and her face was expressionless.
Qiao Anchen didn't say anything, he just stood there silently watching her.
Back home, Li Yan took all his belongings with him, leaving the room where he used to live feeling incredibly empty. Chu Yi slowly packed up, her eyes reddening several times.
It was quiet outside. Qiao Anchen didn't make a sound. Chu Yi hadn't spoken to him much these past few days. The man remained silent, quietly doing what he was supposed to do, without making any other unnecessary moves.
For some reason, the sadness of parting suddenly intensified. Chu Yi sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, hugging his knees and burying his chin in them, crying so hard he could hardly breathe, extremely sad.
Originally, with Li Yan by her side, the sadness didn't seem so bad. But after he left, she realized how empty and cold the house was. Chu Yi had nowhere to hide anymore, nowhere to conceal her sadness and forget her grief.
Qiao Anchen stood outside the door, withdrawing his hand that was about to knock. He listened silently to the sobbing coming from inside, and the intense pain in his chest made him feel flustered and helpless.
When Chu Yi finished getting ready and went out, the food was already laid out on the table, and Qiao Anchen was sitting there staring at his phone, seemingly looking at something.
She pulled out a chair, and Qiao Anchen across from her noticed, looked up, and then took off the earphones that were in her ears.
"Dinner's ready," he said, his voice a little hoarse. He then cleared his throat twice and returned to normal.
"Mm." Chu Yi nodded and picked up the chopsticks in front of her.
The meal was unusually silent. Without Li Yan present, the tense atmosphere between the two was evident. Chu Yi lowered her head and picked at the rice grains in her bowl, showing no appetite whatsoever.
That night, Chu Yi slept in the next room again. Not long after she lay down, she heard a knock on the door. Chu Yi lowered her eyes to open the door and saw Qiao Anchen standing there with a bowl of wontons in his hand.
“I noticed you…didn’t eat much for dinner, so I just cooked something.” Qiao Anchen seemed to find it a bit hot, so he switched the bowl to his other hand and rubbed his fingertips on the hem of his clothes.
He looked somewhat disheveled, yet his eyes were filled with ingratiation; these two things were mixed together, and Chu Yi couldn't refuse.
She silently took the bowl and then closed the door.