Qiao Anchen paused, and after a moment, said, "No."
Chu Yi was so angry that he couldn't even get into an argument with him. It felt like he was performing a one-man show while the other party didn't care at all.
She kept looking up at Qiao Anchen until her neck ached. Chu Yi was too lazy to continue confronting him. Fine, she'd just do what she had to do and wasn't going to put up with it anymore.
Chu Yi got off the sofa, didn't even glance at him, and walked straight into the room with a cold face.
"Chu Yi." Qiao Anchen suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, "Are you misunderstanding something?"
"Who knows if it's a misunderstanding?" Chu Yi sneered and shook off his hand.
"Bai Lan had some trouble recently, and I helped her out, so she and her mother insisted on inviting me over for dinner," Qiao Anchen explained as calmly as possible.
Don't overthink it.
When Chu Yi heard that woman's name come out of his mouth, his heart felt like it had been doused with sulfuric acid. He was both in pain and angry, and he wished he could pounce on Qiao Anchen and beat him up.
She turned around and glared at him fiercely.
"Don't overthink it. You got so angry just because I drew a picture for Ji Mubai. Look at what you've done now!"
In a moment of impulsiveness, Chu Yi blurted out something he didn't mean.
"I can't live like this anymore!"
“Chu Yi!” Qiao Anchen’s expression changed instantly, his gaze fixed on her intently.
"There's nothing between Bai Lan and me. It's okay if you're angry, but you can't say things like that."
"Then why did you hide it from me in the first place!" Chu Yi cried out, feeling wronged.
“Because it’s not a very important thing, and besides…” Qiao An suppressed her emotions, and Chen took a deep breath to explain calmly.
"I haven't been hiding anything from you."
“Bai Lan was a client in one of my previous cases. Her father had a history of severe domestic violence that lasted for many years. Once, he almost beat her mother to death. Bai Lan was present at the time and accidentally killed her father.”
"Because Bai Lan was also a victim, she was convicted of excessive self-defense. In addition, she was a minor, so the sentence was lenient... She was only released recently."
“Bai Lan’s condition was very bad after she was released. Her mother’s health has always been poor. She called before to inquire about some things from the case back then.”
Qiao Anchen looked at her and said, "Do you remember that domestic violence case I told you about before? You were sad all night back then."
"I'm not hiding anything from you, I just feel there's no need to say these things."
Qiao Anchen's job inevitably exposed him to too many dark aspects of human nature, and he didn't want Chu Yi to know about these things.
Her perception was always positive, and she was unaware of much malice. Whenever Qiao Anchen brought her work-related items, she would always feel inexplicably guilty.
She should be simple and happy.
Little did I expect that it would cause her such a deep misunderstanding.
Chu Yi's mind was in a mess, and he didn't know what to say. As his thoughts drifted, he suddenly remembered something.
"So, what help did you give her?"
Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then replied, "I helped her find a job."
Chu Yi stared at the ground in silence for a while, then finally looked up at him. Her eyes were red, filled with pain and self-loathing, and her voice was trembling with suppressed sobs.
"I'm sorry, Qiao Anchen."
"I'm probably a very selfish person."
"Although she is very pitiful and I really want to help her, hearing what you said still makes me very sad." She sniffed, and tears finally fell, like a small water droplet hitting the ground.
"I don't want you to be nice to her, I don't want you to see her, and I don't want you to have any contact with her at all."
"I'm so bad."
"I must be insanely jealous."
Qiao Anchen stood there looking at Chu Yi, who had her head down, sobbing and crying, her shoulders trembling, as if she was completely overwhelmed by sadness.
And this sadness was brought to her by him.
Chu Yi was pulled into Qiao Anchen's arms. He patted the back of her head with his large palm and pressed it against her cheek without saying a word.
The two embraced in the quiet living room. Time passed slowly, and Chu Yi's tears soaked into the fabric of Qiao Anchen's shoulder as her emotions gradually calmed down.
He felt a kiss on his ear and whispered, "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry to have made you so sad.
I'm sorry I didn't explain it clearly from the beginning.
Qiao Anchen suddenly regretted making things this way, but if he could do it all over again, he probably would have made the same choice.
His mindset and habits are ingrained in him, and no matter how many times he tries, the result will remain the same.
After calming down, Chu Yi sniffed, straightened up from his embrace, and reached out her hand to Qiao Anchen.
Give me your phone.
"What's wrong?" he asked, but instinctively took out his phone and placed it in her palm.
"I want to see what you guys talked about," Chu Yi said, unlocking her phone to go through his message history.
Sure enough, the unfamiliar number from that day had changed its name to Bai Lan.
Qiao Anchen stood there, pursed his lips, and let Chu Yi watch him as she interrogated him with a nasal tone while flipping through his papers.
"What did you all do while eating today?"
"...Let's eat."
"Detailed process," Chu Yi said without looking up. Qiao Anchen had no choice but to answer in detail.
“I parked my car and saw her in front of the supermarket. I helped her carry her things back and chatted with her mother for a while. Because you called earlier to urge me to come home, I quickly ate a couple of bites and came back.”
Chu Yi had already read through all of their chat history. The other party was timid and polite, and Qiao Anchen's style was as concise as ever. The content mainly revolved around work, his mother's illness, and the case from back then.
It's perfectly normal; there's no hint of anything ambiguous about it.
Chu Yi handed the phone back to him and looked directly at Qiao Anchen. Although she tried to appear serious, her reddened eyes made her lack any intimidation.
"You're not allowed to hide anything from me next time."
He cleared his throat and agreed, "Okay."
“Then, don’t keep contacting her.” Chu Yi said awkwardly. Qiao Anchen was silent for a few seconds before clarifying.
"We rarely keep in touch."
"This time, it was her mother who called me personally before I went over."
"Oh," Chu Yi replied, rubbing his eyes and muttering to himself.
She had been crying for a while, and now her skin was a little dry and itchy. Qiao Anchen saw her movements, lifted Chu Yi's head, looked at her carefully for a moment, and then spoke.
"Apply a damp towel for a while?"
"No need." Chu Yi turned her face away and pulled her hand away.
Qiao Anchen stood there somewhat helplessly, unsure of what to do to cheer her up. After a moment of silence, Chu Yi lowered her head, her voice muffled.
"Hug me again."
My chest still hurts so much.
It seemed that only his embrace could dispel the sadness.
Chu Yi was finally held tightly in his arms, her familiar warmth enveloping her. Qiao Anchen hugged her tightly and gently stroked her hair.
"The first day of the year."
"Um?"
"I only like you." He suddenly said. Chu Yi looked up and met Qiao Anchen's clean, dark eyes, which were very bright.
"Hmm?" She seemed to be bewitched, blankly uttering a syllable unconsciously.
“So there won’t be anyone else.” Qiao Anchen emphasized.
"Only you."
Chu Yi had never heard Qiao Anchen say sweet words. Even when the two were most intimate and affectionate, he would just tense his jaw and breathe softly in her ear.
Aside from that awkward "Wife, I love you" line he said to her when he imitated that variety show.
Chu Yi stared at his ears, which were gradually turning red, and felt that this was probably the limit for him.
The grievances and bitterness in my heart subsided a little. Although I was still sad, I could no longer find the overwhelming anger and sorrow that had been there before.
She was about to say something.
"You got caught in the rain?" After saying that, Qiao Anchen didn't dare to look into her eyes anymore. His gaze unconsciously fell on the top of her head, and he suddenly noticed that Chu Yi's hair was wet.
He frowned and asked in a deep voice.
"It's all because of you!" Chu Yi was still angry when the topic came up, recalling unpleasant memories. Qiao Anchen felt a pang of guilt and patted her head.
"Go take a shower?"
Chu Yi didn't answer, but stubbornly hugged him, pursing her lips as if she was sulking again. A faint sigh came from above her head, and then she was lifted into the air.
Qiao Anchen picked her up from the ground and carried her into the room.
"Take a shower first, otherwise you'll feel terrible if you get sick."
"But I'm so angry I can't take a shower," Chu Yi said, kicking her leg angrily.
"Then what do you want me to do so you won't be angry?" Qiao Anchen sighed, looking completely at her mercy.
"Where do you think you went wrong?" she asked, looking up. The two had already reached the bathroom. Qiao Anchen put her down and stared into her eyes.
"The first thing I should tell you without reservation when you ask is..."
"Secondly, you shouldn't go to eat."
"The third one..." Qiao Anchen thought for a moment and asked her.
Is there anything else?
"Of course!" Chu Yi immediately stood up straight, looked up at him, and counted on her fingers.
“She shouldn’t share an umbrella with other women besides me, she shouldn’t give me perfunctory answers on the phone, no…” Chu Yi was a little at a loss for words, racking her brains, and finally managed to come up with one.