"..."
Despite feeling awkward and reluctant, Chu Yi slowly moved over, and Qiao Anchen put his arm around her waist and rested his face on the top of her head.
She gently rubbed her chin against him, her voice soft.
"Good night."
Good night.
The first day of the lunar month is silent.
On a breezy summer afternoon, the dessert shop was filled with the sweet aroma of cream. It was a quiet weekday afternoon with few customers.
Suddenly, a loud female voice came from somewhere in the corner.
"What! You're saying Qiao Anchen and a woman text each other every night?!"
"Keep your voice down!" Chu Yi quickly reached out and covered Cheng Li's mouth, lowered his voice and looked around, whispering, "There aren't any every day, just a few evenings before, but I haven't seen them much lately."
"Didn't you also make a phone call?" Cheng Li frowned as if facing a formidable enemy, looking as if she were about to go to war.
"Just once, and I was the one who answered it." Chu Yi stirred the milk tea in front of him, looking worried.
"Chestnut, do you think I'm overthinking this?" After saying that, without waiting for Cheng Li's reply, Chu Yi sighed again, looking melancholy.
"Sigh, it's all because of a phone call. It's impossible for Qiao Anchen to avoid contact with women. The main thing is that when I asked him, it felt like he was hiding something."
"It's very uncomfortable."
"You need to be careful, little one," Cheng Li warned her sternly.
"Have you forgotten my lesson? I trusted Zhao Qian too much back then. You know what, if I hadn't received the news from that mistress, I probably would never have found out he had a dog outside."
"So sometimes when a man wants to do something, he can completely deceive everyone."
...
Chu Yi originally just wanted to confide in Cheng Li, but instead of easing her worries, she became even more burdened.
She felt that this wouldn't work, so she picked up her long-abandoned dessert course again. She would draw in the morning, go out to class in the afternoon, and then practice yoga for two hours in the evening, filling her days to the brim.
Compared to before when she only knew how to wait anxiously for Qiao Anchen to come home, Chu Yi felt much more fulfilled wandering around outside alone, even though it was a bit lonely. Every day after she came home, she would take a shower and watch two episodes of TV before Qiao Anchen would leave work.
Everything was the same as usual, and he didn't seem to be acting strangely. Chu Yi started to despise herself, thinking that she was too prone to overthinking. There wasn't even this most basic trust between husband and wife.
So, to make up for her previous willfulness, Chu Yi started making soup for Qiao Anchen again.
Although he was still reluctant to drink it, good medicine tastes bitter!
No, the tonic soup tastes bitter, so I just closed my eyes, tilted my head back, and drank it down.
That's how Chu Yi spoke to him, righteously and resolutely.
Okay.
It's not something unacceptable.
Qiao Anchen drank it every few days for a while and actually got used to it. Sometimes when he came home late from work and his stomach was empty, he would miss the soup that Chu Yi made.
Whether the tonic soup was effective or not, Qiao Anchen clearly felt that her complexion had improved a lot, and the fatigue from a day's work seemed to have lessened.
After days of sunshine, it finally rained a little today. After finishing my dessert class, I met up with some classmates for dinner. One of the girls was a foodie who knew all the well-known restaurants within a hundred miles like the back of her hand.
The group discussed it together and decided to go eat beef hot pot.
The weather was just right today, so it was a perfect match. Although the hot pot restaurant was a bit far from where we were in class, my female classmate assured me that the taste would be absolutely top-notch.
To satisfy our taste buds, such a short distance is nothing. Someone drove over, and there was more than enough room for everyone.
The group set off for the hot pot restaurant in a grand procession. As expected of the highly recommended place, the food was indeed delicious. Chu Yi was so full that everyone was holding their backs as they left.
The student driving politely offered to take them home, but since everyone was going in a different direction, he ended up giving a ride to those who were going that way, while the others went their separate ways.
No one was going with her on the first day of the lunar month. After saying goodbye to the remaining people, she looked down at her phone and searched for directions.
It's quite far from her home; it takes about forty minutes by taxi. It's off the city center, and the surrounding buildings and environment have a dilapidated and desolate feel.
This was her first time here. She opened a ride-hailing app and glanced around.
There happened to be a fairly large supermarket up ahead. Chu Yi realized she hadn't made soup for Qiao Anchen for two days, so she decided to go and browse around there to avoid having to make it again when she got back.
So she put away her phone and changed direction.
Although the environment here isn't great, the supermarket has a wide variety of products. Chu Yi originally only planned to buy some groceries, but she accidentally grabbed a bunch of things and ended up having to drag a shopping cart around.
When it was time to pay, with two large bags in hand, Chu Yi kept her head down and walked forward. There was a taxi stand not far away, so she quickened her pace.
The rain was light, like fine silk threads, and you could barely feel it on your face. Chu Yi was too lazy to use an umbrella, since there was somewhere to take shelter ahead anyway.
The area near the supermarket is probably a residential area. Everyone was out after get off work, and there were many people on the street. The neon lights illuminated the night as bright as day, and every unfamiliar face seemed to have the same expression.
Chu Yi's gaze inadvertently swept over a certain spot, and among the many unfamiliar figures, she seemed to see a familiar one. She blinked in disbelief, her gaze fixed on that spot, and finally she could see clearly.
It turned out to be Qiao Anchen.
Chu Yi opened his eyes wide and looked at it carefully.
Just across the street from her, Qiao Anchen was walking side by side with a strange woman. He was carrying two large bags. With her good eyesight, Chu Yi recognized the sign of a supermarket as the bags she was carrying.
The woman next to him was holding an umbrella for him, talking to him. She had a gentle smile on her pretty face and would occasionally turn her head to look at him, her eyes seemingly filled with a bright light.
This is something Chu Yi is very familiar with, something she often sees in her eyes, something only Qiao Anchen can give her.
The bag in her hand suddenly felt incredibly heavy. Chu Yi felt her wrist go weak and her knuckles ache; she couldn't lift it no matter how hard she tried.
With a 'clatter,' the two large bags finally fell to the ground, their bottoms covered in mud and water. Chu Yi took out his phone from the bag, his fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly.
She dialed Qiao Anchen's number.
The receiver beeped twice, and Chu Yi clearly saw Qiao Anchen frown, then hand a bag to the woman and take his phone out of his pocket.
His expression didn't change much, and then the call was answered.
"Hello?" The familiar voice came through the radio waves, but it seemed a little unfamiliar. Chu Yi controlled her emotions and asked.
"Where are you?"
"I'm still busy with some things, what's wrong?" His tone was very calm, and there was no sign of anything unusual. For a moment, Chu Yi even thought that she was overthinking things.
She was about to say that she saw him when the woman next to Qiao Anchen said something to him silently and then took the bag from his hand.
Qiao Anchen dodged for a moment, then immediately spoke to her.
"Chu Yi, I have to go now, I have something to take care of. By the way, what were you about to say?"
Even though his tone remained calm, the urgency in his voice was palpable. Chu Yi's heart sank to the bottom.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask when you're coming back." She felt a buzzing in her ears and could barely hear her own voice.
"I'll be back soon."
"Okay."
"I'll hang up now."
"good."
Chu Yi heard the dial tone of the call being disconnected, then saw Qiao Anchen put away his phone, take the bag back from the woman next to him, and walk forward with her. The two figures walking side by side disappeared around the corner.
The rain suddenly intensified, bringing a slight chill that was still noticeable on this summer night.
Standing there, Chu Yi suddenly felt a chill run from head to toe, and hugged himself, shivering inexplicably.
Author's Note: Anyone who says it's a bad ending will be killed! (Super fierce)
70. Chapter 70
Returning home dejectedly, Chu Yi walked aimlessly, still carrying the shopping bag. Suddenly, as she passed a trash can by the roadside, she snapped out of her daze and remembered the eel and black-boned chicken she had specially bought for Qiao Anchen that evening. Enraged, she stopped in front of the trash can, opened the shopping bag, pulled out the two items, and threw them heavily inside.
Eat it! Dream on!
When Chu Yi got home, she threw the two large bags on the ground and sat down on the sofa angrily. All the grief and sorrow in her heart had turned into rage. She only regretted not taking a couple of photos earlier, catching him red-handed, and seeing what he had to say.
Qiao Anchen returned not long after. Chu Yi was already sitting there thinking about the division of property after the divorce. The two had always kept their finances separate after marriage, but Qiao Anchen insisted on giving her a card for household expenses, so Chu Yi's money was basically untouched.
The house and car were bought by Qiao Anchen before the marriage, and have nothing to do with her. Chu Yi thought that when the time came, they would each go back to their own homes, which would be simple and convenient.
When Qiao Anchen opened the door, he saw Chu Yi sitting there with her back straight. The living room was brightly lit with the lights on. She had a serious expression, her lips were tightly pursed, and her eyes were fierce. He wondered what she was thinking.
"Chu Yi?" He changed his shoes and called out to her in confusion.
Why are you sitting there?
Qiao Anchen watched her walk forward, but unexpectedly kicked a heavy bag. He looked down and caught a glimpse of the supermarket's name on the bag.
It looks somewhat familiar.
Qiao Anchen was thinking unconsciously when something suddenly flashed through his mind.
When I saw Bai Lan today, it seemed to be right in front of this supermarket.
He looked up and met Chu Yi's gaze. Those eyes, which were once full of smiles, were now filled with hurt and anger, glaring at him fiercely.
"Chu Yi, did you see me today?" Qiao Anchen asked, walking over and standing in front of her. Chu Yi looked up at Qiao Anchen's calm face, seemingly resigned to her fate.
"Yes, I saw you with a woman. She even held an umbrella for you. You hung up on me and lied to me, saying you were busy."
“I didn’t.” Qiao Anchen recalled the situation at the time and the contents of that phone call.
“I told you I was busy and that I hung up after asking you.”
Chu Yi was furious at his earnest explanation. Did any of that matter? The most important thing right now is what's going on with that woman!
She was speechless for a long time, her eyes wide open, her chest heaving with each breath.
"So, the person who called and texted you a while ago was her?" Chu Yi asked in a low voice, controlling her emotions. Qiao Anchen glanced at her slowly and answered.
"yes."
"You lied to me about work?" Chu Yixin was completely dumbfounded, looking at him in disbelief.
"It really is a work-related matter," Qiao Anchen said calmly, prompting Chu Yi to immediately question him.
"And tonight? Is it also work-related?"