Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After a long night, An Xiaoning almost overslept in the morning. Yet, Jin Qingyan had already left home early, leaving his spot on the bed cold and chilly.
It was already past 8 o’clock in the morning by the time she woke up.
Fan Shixin informed her that there was, again, a larger bunch of dead rats mailed to her, but this time, it was from a sender from overseas.
An Xiaoning was enraged by the atrocity of the culprit.
He or she was getting way out of hand.
Clad in a light gray turtleneck sweater beneath an all-black feathered coat, Jin Qingyan entered through the door with a bag in his hand. His nose had turned red as a Rudolph from the cold.
“We’ll know everything once we find this person,” said Jin Qingyan.
“Did you head out early in the morning just to find me this?” An Xiaoning asked softly in surprise.
“Mhmm, though you keep insisting on handling everything by yourself, as your lawful husband, I can’t just sit back and do nothing,” he said as he handed her the bag.
“Was this obtained from the footage of the surveillance cameras from the roads outside all the way to our doorstep?” asked An Xiaoning as she took a look at the document.
“Yes. We only managed to get the footage from that day, after much painstaking effort. We’ve covered the entire neighborhood based on the location of the last stop made by the sender. Shixin hasn’t been getting much rest due to the arduous investigation he had been carrying out. He told me that he had found the two prime suspects behind this matter, and I’ve deduced that he is the one, based on his posture and stance from the footage.” Jin Qingyan went forward and grabbed her hand. “I’ve already ordered for the culprit to be arrested. They’re acting on it way faster than you’d expected.”
An Xiaoning was taken aback, and she began to wonder if this was the advantage of having a husband like him.
“I told you to stay out of this matter, yet you still poked your nose in. Hmm… you ought to be rewarded,” said An Xiaoning as she inched forward on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. She then turned around proudly and walked towards the kitchen, saying, “I’m hungry.”
“Do you still want to meet the courier?” he exclaimed loudly.
“Didn’t you forbid me from doing so? I don’t plan on meeting him anymore.”
“By the way, I’ve also verified that the courier is indeed left-handed.”
“Did you go meet the courier yourself because you were afraid that I would fall for him as soon as I meet him?” asked An Xiaoning, stopping in her tracks and turning around.
“Of course not, I’m not that petty.”
“I think it’d be great if we could keep our relationship this way,” An Xiaoning said with a smile, seemingly hinting at something.
She was indeed a little disappointed to find out after marrying him that he had someone else in his heart. Fortunately, she did not love him either, and thus, it did not matter to her how much he loved Chi Rui’er.
The key to a successful marriage is quality time and effort. Perhaps if she could make him treasure and care about her more and more, she might be able to conquer his heart one day.
She was willing to put in the effort, except, her only fear was that her efforts would not be reciprocated. It would be devastating should the marriage still fail despite everything that she had done.
——
“Ms. Chi, is the breakfast not to your liking?” the cook asked upon seeing Chi Rui’er taking only a few mouthfuls of the porridge reluctantly, appearing to have a poor appetite.
“No, I just don’t quite have an appetite, so I don’t really feel like eating,” answered Chi Rui’er, who was dressed in thick pajamas and looked more forlorn than ever, with her messy and unkempt hair.
“What do you feel like eating, then? I’ll go prepare it for you.”
“I already said I don’t have an appetite and I don’t feel like eating anything,” she snapped impatiently. After dumping the spoon back inside the bowl, she stood up and headed back to her room.
Chi Rui’er had been spending her days staying at home, refusing to go out at all. She opened her closet and put on a feathered coat with leggings before completing her outfit with a pair of boots. She then tidied her hair, put on some makeup, slung her bag around her shoulder, and left the house.
The bodyguard followed closely behind her.
“Ms. Chi, where would you like to go?”
“Your boss’s office.”
“Oh, alright.”
Having arrived at the office of the Jin Corporation, she put on a face mask and proceeded to ask the receptionist at the front desk, “Is your CEO in?”
“Good morning. Our CEO won’t be coming to the office this morning.”
“He’s not coming? Why is that so?” asked Chi Rui’er.
“Well… we’re not too sure, either.”
Chi Rui’er turned around to leave and hopped into the car. “Ms. Chi, where would you like to go next?” asked the bodyguard.
“I’ll go wherever he is right now. Step on it.”
Unaware of Jin Qingyan’s current whereabouts, the bodyguard seemed to be put in a spot as he said, “I don’t know where Boss is now.”
“Since you don’t know where he is, don’t you know how to search every location for him!?! Are you stupid? Head to his house first,” Chi Rui’er glowered at him, her eyes seething with anger
“Got it.”
The bodyguard began driving towards Jin Qingyan’s home with An Xiaoning.
He opened the door for Chi Rui’er, following closely behind while she walked towards the door.
No one had answered the door even after she had pressed the doorbell multiple times. Getting rather impatient and anxious, Chi Rui’er decided to just barge in.
“Ms. Chi, I reckon Chief Fan had gone to report to him, don’t get so impatient,” the bodyguard hurriedly tried to stop her.
Chi Rui’er flew into an uncontrollable rage and shrugged his arm away. “Get lost,” she said, seething.
The bodyguard reluctantly continued to follow her. It was just his luck to be assigned to take orders from someone so unreasonable like her.
After about a minute, Fan Shixin opened the door and greeted her with a smile. “Oh, it’s you, Ms. Chi. Please come in.”
“Is your boss home?”
“Yes, he’s basking in the sun with Young Madam, for it’s rather sunny today,” said Fan Shixin, pointing towards the couple, who were not too far away.
Chi Rui’er turned to look in the direction he was pointing towards and stared at them begrudgingly. He did not give her a single call or pay her a single visit, and neither did he go to the office. Yet, he was home basking in the sun with his wife.
An Xiaoning must have brainwashed him or cast a hex on him! Chi Rui’er thought to herself.
She quickly strode towards them, only to be greeted with the sight of An Xiaoning laying on the beanbag in the backyard. An Xiaoning would have been at the clothing store at the time, if not for Jin Qingyan who’d demanded she stay home and sunbathe while waiting for the culprit to be brought forth to their house.
“Qingyan,” said Chi Rui’er.
“Oh, why are you here?”
She sat down beside Jin Qingyan and held onto his arm tightly. “To look for you, of course.”
“What’s the matter?” Jin Qingyan asked as he rose from his seat and stuck both his hands into the pockets of his feathered coat.
Tears began to well up in Chi Rui’er’s eyes as she tried to force a smile. Completely disregarding An Xiaoning’s presence, she looked up and stared deep into his eyes. “Nothing, I just wanted to have a meal with you.”
“You’d like to have a meal together? Then stay behind for lunch here today,” he said coldly.
Chi Rui’er squinted upon hearing his words. Given how intelligent he was, there was no way he did not understand what she meant. It was obvious that she had wanted to have a meal alone with him, not at home, in the presence of his wife.
FIlled with mixed emotions, Chi Rui’er said reluctantly, “Sure.”
An Xiaoning closed her eyes and relaxed while basking in the warmth of the rays of the sun casting down on her. It was a day of fair weather, which was truly enjoyable.
Chi Rui’er’s arrival had interrupted the couple, who were in the midst of a proper conversation. Jin Qingyan had initially wanted to lie on the bean bag as well, but he decided to head back inside the living room instead after seeing that Chi Rui’er refused to get up.
At this moment, Chi Rui’er was left alone with An Xiaoning.
An Xiaoning had no plans at all to speak a single word to Chi Rui’er, who was still sitting there and staring blankly into space, with the intentions of provoking the former.
“I take my hat off to you. Indeed, I’ve underestimated you,” Chi Rui’er reluctantly admitted.
