“We’re half-sisters, but we didn’t grow up together. We’re not on very good terms with each other either. You may ask her if I’m married or not, but you’d better not tell her about the relationship we had in the past. I’m going to be very upset and frustrated if you do.”
Although she had now found out that he was not married, nothing could change the fact that she was already married.
Given how prideful he was, he definitely wouldn’t want to have anything else to do with her.
Mu Qixing understood that very clearly.
She knew him too well.
Besides, she was already married now.
Even if he was willing to be her secret lover, she did not wish for him to end up like Xia Banqin, because it was not fair to him.
Unless her parents-in-law initiate for her and Luo Hang to get a divorce, she had no right to do so.
Mu Qixing left the room without uttering another word.
He did not chase after her and instead remained standing, crestfallen and dejected.
He returned to the room that his colleagues were in. As soon as he entered, everyone asked for the reason behind his late arrival. Instead of answering them, he said, “Pingyang, come with me. I have something to ask you.”
“Sure, I’ll be on my way.” Wu Pingyang stood up and exited the room.
Once they were outside, Wu Pingyang stopped in her tracks and asked, “Chief, what’s the matter?”
“How is Mu Qixing related to you?”
Greatly taken aback, Wu Pingyang asked, “Chief, do you know her?”
“My friend does. He wanted me to ask you about her.”
“She’s my half-sister, but we’ve only met a few times. We used to live in different places. Now that she’s gotten married, she rarely comes back to my grandfather’s home either.”
Lu Jingrao’s temples began throbbing upon hearing that she had gotten married. A cold and sullen expression formed on his face.
“Who did she marry?”
“Have you heard of the Luo family? The family known for the furniture that they sell. She’s married to their son, Luo Hang. My cousin was supposed to marry Luo Hang at first. In case you didn’t know, my cousin, Mu Wansheng, is the one whose death was reported in the news after the fatal car accident. However, Mu Wansheng changed her mind and my grandfather wanted to replace her with me. I was reluctant to marry Luo Hang too, so Mu Qixing… agreed.”
He felt that Mu Qixing had married Luo Hang out of her own will and that no one had compelled her at all.
Lu Jingrao nodded and asked, “Do you have her mobile number, then?”
“No, we’re not very close. We don’t contact each other often either.”
“Okay. You may go back in. I still have another gathering to attend. You guys enjoy yourselves and go home early,” said Lu Jingrao.
“Alright.”
Wu Pingyang did not sense anything amiss, for she had long gotten used to his aloof attitude.
Lu Jingrao left the KTV joint and hurriedly got inside the car. Shortly after the car moved off, he caught sight of a familiar figure. Despite the late hour, she was strolling around the sidewalk aimlessly instead of hailing a taxi home.
He pulled over in front of her, alighted from the car, and stormed toward her in a huff. He then pulled her into the car forcefully.
“Are you done verifying it?”
He grabbed her thin wrist, unable to voice his thoughts.
Staring at him, Mu Qixing said, “I haven’t had dinner yet. Let’s eat together.”
She loved him deeply and could not help but yearn to lean closer toward him.
Without another word, he brought her to a restaurant in his car.
He requested for a private dining room in the restaurant.
He ordered a table full of dishes that she enjoyed eating.
They were seated opposite each other, and he chugged some liquor while watching her eat.
He downed the liquor like it was water, not finding it to be overwhelming at all.
Noticing how much he was drinking, she quipped, “Are you planning to kill yourself in front of me via alcohol poisoning?”
He remained silent and continued to chug liquor.
Mu Qixing snatched the bottle away from him and stared at him solemnly. “I’ve already started life anew now. Regardless of whether it turns out well or not, it was my decision to get married. Ever since I decided to leave you, I’ve already let go of all my feelings for you. I didn’t leave without saying goodbye, I actually did send you a text message. Lu Jingrao, we were in a relationship for so many years and yet you had never once brought me home to visit your family and friends. You turned me down repeatedly with the excuse of being tied up with work when I tried to invite you to meet my parents. I did hint that I wanted to marry you, but you’ve never given me a response. Actually, I always knew that you were dating me only because you wanted to have a girlfriend and not because you truly loved me. Perhaps you did fancy me, but you’ve never thought about a future with me at all. Even if you were just lying to your mother and comforting her, it’s all over between us.”
“I just wanted to spend time with you and live a life where it’s just us two against the rest of the world. I’d also been secretly planning for our future, but I never told you about it because I wanted to surprise you! Just because I didn’t tell you about my plans, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t make any preparations. Qixing, I do admit that I didn’t love you at first, but after dating you for a long time, I realized that I really love you. I love you so, so much. Qixing, don’t you love me anymore?” he asked with tears in his eyes.
Mu Qixing poured herself a glass of liquor and downed it, causing a burning sensation to fill her throat.
He probed, “Answer me. Tell me the truth, do you still love me?”
“Does it really still matter? The point is, I’m already married now and I don’t have the right to get a divorce.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Not wanting to hide it from him anymore, she told him the truth. Finally, she added, “Unless my in-laws initiate a divorce, I can’t divorce Luo Hang. If not, my family will have to pay a hefty compensatory sum. Although I’m not close to my family and didn’t live together with them as a child, I don’t have much of a say in my marriage. There’s no difference in being married and staying single anyway.”
She then downed another glass of liquor before slamming the glass down onto the table. A frown creased her forehead, and she rested her chin in her hand while eating the rest of her food, feeling giddy and warm.
“Since I’m already married, I’ll just make do with it. We’ll get a divorce sooner or later anyway. Luo Hang is not as capable or tenacious as me. He’ll be destroyed soon enough. It must feel terrible to have to face a woman he does not love every single day. By the way… he also has a girlfriend whom he loves to bits. I’ve always found him to be such a coward. He clearly loves his girlfriend a lot and yet he doesn’t have the courage to retaliate against his parents. Parents will never outargue their children. If he persists and refuses to concede, they’ll definitely give in at the end of the day.”
She began to lose her sobriety. After all, women were mostly poorer at holding their liquor compared to men.
Although he rarely drank, he could hold his liquor better than she could. Despite him having drunk more than she did, she was already giddy and tipsy while he was still rather sober.
