He couldn't believe that Tao Yunjia would do such a despicable thing. But when he said that in front of Director Wang today, half-testing and half-jokingly, Chu Mu knew that his guess was absolutely right.
She actually used someone as old as her father to climb into her life, all under the guise of love! Ha! She really knows how to be shameless.
It took Shu Yi'an an hour to sort out the clothes in the box. When she opened the second box, she was immediately overwhelmed by the boxes and bags inside. She picked up a square piece of kraft paper to see which category it belonged to and where it should be put. As soon as she turned to the first page, Shu Yi'an felt her hands go cold as she held the thick booklet, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed by a hand.
At that moment, the lock on the study door clicked sharply as it was opened from the outside.
Shu Yi'an's hand holding the album trembled, and the album, filled with old photos, suddenly fell to the floor with a dull thud. At that moment, their eyes met.
Author's Note: What to do?! I bet Miss Shu is currently thinking, "Holy crap, I've discovered my husband's secret! What do I do?! Will he kill me to silence me?!"
And also... to give a unified answer to the girls' confusion about maternal grandfathers and paternal grandfathers, what I actually wanted to write was the meaning of grandfather, because the term "paternal grandfather" sounds awkward to me, and the terminology varies from region to region, so just get the gist of it.
There are fewer words today, but I have to risk saying it: there will be no update tomorrow, and I will update the day after tomorrow. I know you all look forward to it every day, but I will be going out with my mother during the holiday, and I can only guarantee one update a day at most. Please understand, ladies. Also, after the National Day holiday, my update speed will generally slow down. I may stop applying for rankings and maintain a speed of two or three updates a week. Because there are less than two weeks left before the qualification exam, I need to focus on preparing for the exam. After all, besides being an author, I am also a student.
(I'll raise my head and accept all the eggs and tomatoes you throw at me!! Come on!!)
Finally, I hope the girls can understand and have the confidence and expectation to stay with me until the very end.
Chapter 43 Happy National Day
Shu Yi'an stared at Chu Mu with wide eyes for a while before slowly bending down to pick it up and place it on the table, her voice hoarse.
"I didn't mean to..."
Chu Mu didn't know what to say to explain the existence of this thing, and Shu Yi'an's suddenly lowered eyes made him feel a sudden pang of panic. He wanted to explain something, but in the end, he could only reflexively ask another question: "Where did you find this?"
These words undoubtedly added the final mental shackle to Shu Yi'an; such an obvious question was truly hurtful.
Perhaps realizing his tone had been too harsh, Chu Mu awkwardly turned his gaze away and stiffly explained, "It's not what you think... I... I didn't mean that..."
The photos lying on the ground stung Shu Yi'an's eyes like needles. The two people's images, no longer appearing in the same way as before, were forcibly replayed in fragments of film, leaving her feeling utterly powerless. The emotions and facts she had deliberately ignored overwhelmed her. At this moment, even if Chu Mu said anything, Shu Yi'an would feel it was the weakest defense. For some reason, the usually compliant and gentle Shu Yi'an suddenly felt incredibly tired.
She wasn't in a hurry to leave. Shu Yi'an's fingers lightly traced the brown cover, her tone indifferent. "What could I possibly be thinking? I'm not so bored as to go through your stuff, and besides, I'm not interested. But you, since you can leave such private things so openly out there, you shouldn't be afraid of others seeing them."
Chu Mu had never met Shu Yi'an so sharp-tongued, who actually threw the question back at him with a rhetorical question. His initial desire to explain himself vanished at her current demeanor, and besides, Chu Mu never thought he could lose in a verbal battle.
"Why are you so flustered if you didn't think about anything? It's just a photo album." For some reason, Chu Mu found Shu Yi'an's calm expression particularly irritating and couldn't help but speak sarcastically.
Shu Yi'an took a deep breath, feeling a buzzing in her head. She felt like she was about to lose her mind as she argued with the man, "I find you disgusting." She casually flipped through two pages, and a photo of the two of them camping together immediately appeared. In the photo, Tao Yunjia was still young, smiling radiantly as she linked arms with a handsome, tall man beside her. "Since you can't let go so much, why not openly keep him by your side? Why put on this charade of a loving couple traveling thousands of miles back home?"
Shu Yi'an stood stubbornly in place like a child, her eyes red, confronting the man opposite her, determined to lay bare the truth she feared most between them.
He never expected her to misinterpret his purpose for returning to the country like that. Chu Mu laughed angrily, "What did I do to disgust you? Shu Yi'an, you shouldn't impose your fears and anxieties on this place. Sometimes being too self-deprecating is not a good thing."
"Who's afraid or uneasy? Don't be so presumptuous! I don't need you!" As if her secret had been exposed, Shu Yi'an's face flushed red, and she stormed out of the study. As she brushed past his clothes, Chu Mu instinctively reached out to grab her arm, but only for a moment. Realizing his mistake, he forced himself to stand stiffly in front of his desk, letting her slam the door shut as she left. He was completely enraged by her words, "I don't need you."
Admittedly, Shu Yi'an's behavior tonight was quite unexpected for Chu Mu. He was shocked when he saw the photo album upon entering, and he couldn't understand how something he had tossed into his office storage bin had ended up here. "Damn it, this is infuriating..." Chu Mu irritably loosened his tie, cursing as he looked at the door Shu Yi'an had just slammed shut.
Thus began the first cold war between the two in two years.
That night, Shu Yi'an took a pillow and moved it to the guest room. The sound of the door locking was clearly audible. How could she possibly sleep? Shu Yi'an curled up on the empty bed, hugging her knees, large tears falling unconsciously from her empty eyes. In that instant, she felt an intense hatred for herself—for being completely controlled by Chu Mu.
When she saw the two people in the photo, she had to admit that the most unspeakable jealousy and anger in the girl's heart surged up all at once. Seeing their past, she desperately wanted to confront him like other women, demanding to know how such a thing could exist. But when she opened her mouth, she realized that despite being the most qualified and confident, she lacked the courage to ask such a question. And the reason why was that was what Shu Yi'an hated most about herself.
She was afraid he would readily admit it, afraid he would be so indifferent as to offer no explanation whatsoever, which would make her look like a complete clown. So she tried her best to pretend she didn't care, to ignore the good things she had once secretly admired about him. But some words, once spoken, can never be taken back.
Unexpectedly, their first argument after marriage ended in such a cold and abusive manner... What should she do? Shu Yi'an thought silently.
The vast lakeside villa was eerily quiet. Chu Mu lay fully clothed on the bed, staring blankly at the bedroom chandelier, unable to fall asleep. His mind replayed the words Shu Yi'an had yelled at him a few hours earlier: "What do you mean, 'It's not like I can't live without you'?!" Ha, he hadn't expected to underestimate this woman.
The next day, as if in a fit of pique, Chu Mu got up early and left. Having not slept all night, he was in a much worse state of mind. Before going downstairs, he took one last look at the still tightly closed door, then calmly withdrew his gaze and resolutely went downstairs.
Shu Yi'an didn't fall asleep until three or four in the morning, but it was a light sleep. She frowned and woke up when she heard the door downstairs close. Barefoot, she quietly hid behind the curtains and watched his car drive away, a deep sadness lingering in her heart. She just stared blankly in the direction where the car was long gone, completely oblivious to her thin clothes.
Chu Mu's expression turned grim as soon as he entered the office. He tapped on his secretary's desk with one hand, signaling him to follow him in. On the way to Chu Mu's office, the secretary mentally calculated his recent work performance thousands of times per second. He remembered that he had handled everything his mentor assigned him immediately and without a single mistake. Feeling slightly relieved, he followed Chu Mu into the office.
Taking off his suit jacket and tossing it aside, Chu Mu sat down behind his desk and pointed expressionlessly to the drawer on the left side of the desk. "Tell me in detail what personal items I asked you to pack yesterday."
Although the secretary's heart trembled, she still tried her best to recall. "There was one of your ties...and a few handmade notebooks, and two fountain pens brought back from Germany."
That's it?
The secretary shook her head thoughtfully. "No... Ah! Right!" As if remembering something, the young man suddenly clapped his hands. "I saw a brown cardboard box in your storage basket, on top of the drawer. It looks like you put a parcel in your luggage too."
Chu Mu felt a throbbing pain in his temples. With a sullen face, he waved his hand towards the outside and said, "You can go out now."
This morning, while changing clothes, I saw the clothes hanging neatly in the closet, clearly the ones I brought back yesterday. Now that I think about it, Shu Yi'an must have accidentally seen that photo album that the secretary carelessly put in while tidying up for me. Chu Mu unconsciously rubbed his hands on the table, feeling a deep sadness in his heart. Coincidentally, both of them were stubborn and unwilling to back down first.
Chu Mu has been staying with Ji Hengdong for the past few days. The young master Ji, who used to enjoy entertainment every night, is now confined to the private club to drink tea with Chu Mu, and is suffering terribly.
After three days of this miserable existence, Young Master Ji finally couldn't take it anymore and slammed his fist on the table, jumping up and down. "Why do you two always use this place as a refuge when you argue? That bastard Jiang Beichen is like that, and you're like that too? Are you taking advantage of my loneliness?!"
Chu Mu picked up his cup and asked calmly, "Are you all alone? I've heard that you've had someone with you on your recent trips back there."
Ji Hengdong's hand trembled as he poured water, and he dared not continue shouting. Chu Mu's skills were too profound; this sentence was a clear reminder that this topic absolutely could not be discussed until he had grasped Chu Mu's weakness. Quietly calming himself, Ji Hengdong decided to subtly change the subject.
“You can’t keep giving Shu the cold shoulder like this. It’s good to talk things out. You can’t keep avoiding her like this.”
Chu Mu sneered, "You make it sound so easy. What do unmarried people know?"
Ji Hengdong was furious. From childhood, what he hated most was being told he didn't understand relationships. Wasn't he a verified "friend of women" on Weibo?! A large portion of his massive following were married women! He'd been the darling of many wives in his compound since childhood! To say he didn't understand women?! That was slander!! So, he quickly rolled up his sleeves, preparing to deliver a passionate, impassioned speech on the spot.
"This is all your fault. You're too proud to admit your mistake to your wife. What kind of big shot are you pretending to be? Let me ask you, you're the one who took that photo album, aren't you? Did you watch it and then not throw it away? And did your wife just happen to find out? Let me tell you, you can't expect Shu to take the initiative to make up with you first. Men, even though I'm being a bit blunt, women are the easiest creatures to coax. Just take the initiative to apologize to her and tell her how you feel now. It's not enough for me to know that you've let go of the past and want to live a good life with her. You need to let your wife know."
Chu Mu paused, his hand holding the teacup still, and composed himself, remaining silent. Ji Hengdong snorted inwardly, thinking he should strike while the iron was hot, intending to get rid of this troublemaker to free himself and unleash his trump card.
"After all... a prolonged cold war damages relationships, and you might end up with the other person filing for divorce before you even have a chance to back out..."