She seemed to have suffered some heavy blows.
“Is Auntie Xia sick? If there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll definitely do it. Even though Yixuan’s not here anymore and though I’m not your son-in-law anymore either, I’m still the Chu Lui that you know. The ties between our families are still here.”
Chu Lui spoke calmly, his suspicion towards Xia Mingzheng’s true intention growing. He scanned the surroundings discreetly and saw two pairs of new shoes, one belonging to a woman and the other a man.
There were only Xia Mingzheng and Shen Yijun in the Xia household now so where did the other two pairs of shoes come from? He wanted to know.
“It’s nothing serious, it’s just thinking too much due to old age. She’ll be fine with some rest.” Xia Mingzheng’s eyes shifted upstairs from time to time as if worrying about something.
Chu Lui noticed but did not reveal him.
“It’s great if there’s nothing wrong.” Chu Lui’s lips curled. He was just exchanging pleasantries.
“Father, we’re heading out…” The thing that Xia Mingzheng was most worried about happened. There was no concealing the truth, but he never thought that they would be caught red-handed by Chu Lui.
The Xia Yixuan whom everyone thought had died was walking down the stairs at that time, hand in hand with a tall, white man. A white man, a real white man.
“Lui… Brother Lui…” Xia Yixuan’s smile froze on her face. She was actually not prepared to meet him and did not know how to do so. She understood this man. He could tolerate one’s stubbornness, one’s unreasonableness, and one’s little cunningness, but he would never tolerate deceit. Further, she had spun such a huge lie.
A lie of life and death.
“I think you have some explaining to do. What exactly is going on?” Chu Lui breathed in deep, his chest rising and falling. So she was really alive. The woman who made him dead inside for four years was actually still alive and standing perfectly fine in front of him without a single hair harmed.
He was not surprised, just angry from being deceived. The anger burnt through his entire body and pierced his soul.
Xia Yixuan sneaked a glance carefully at Chu Lui and then inched closer to the white man, their hands tightening. Xia Mingzheng’s face was red, and he shook his head continually. It was really a disgrace to the family, but she was his daughter. No matter how out of line she was, she was still his only daughter.
Xia Yixuan hung her head low and rubbed her hands together nervously. She did not dare to look at Chu Lui. He seemed colder and more unapproachable compared to four years ago. She was riddled with unease and did not really know where to start explaining the truth she had hidden for four years.
It was a tremendous lie.
“Yixuan, you can talk now, right?” Chu Lui sat on the sofa and crossed his leg. If he could not get a satisfactory answer today, then no one could even think of leaving. Meanwhile, his eyes narrowed, and he questioned Xia Yixuan. There was no longer any trace of the love he had for her. All that was left were anger and hatred from her deception.
However, his face was cold, scarily cold.
“That…” Xia Yixuan looked at her father, leaning subconsciously towards him. Xia Mingzheng was helpless. Chu Lui was obviously not going to let this go easy.
“Father…”
Xia Yixuan was on the verge of tears. She was really afraid.
Xia Mingzheng was starting to get impatient with her now. There was no use calling him. A dead person was standing here alive and kicking. There was nothing much to hide.
“Father.” Xia Yixuan ducked behind Xia Mingzheng. He pulled Xia Yixuan out from behind him and pushed her forward, suppressing his reluctance.
“Yixuan, it’s your own matter so explain it clearly. You have to say it sooner or later, anyway.
“But…” Xia Yixuan broke out in cold sweat from anxiety. Sooner or later, yes—but must it be now?
However, it was clear what Chu Lui wanted.
He wanted it right now, immediately, at this instant.
Xia Yixuan could not plead her way out of this so she could only brace herself, but she did not know where to start.
“Brother… Brother Lui… I’m sorry…” She looked at Chu Lui only now, but what could an apology do? Could it make the Chu Lui from four years ago return?
“Say it!” Chu Lui took out a cigarette and lit it. His black eyes were dark and emotionless, as calm as a piece of dead water. If a dead person could come back to life in this world, was anything else impossible?
“Four years ago…” Xia Yixuan pulled furtively at her clothes. She looked obviously nervous, and she stammered. “Brother Lui, I thought I loved you at that time because you treated me so well, so dearly, with such love.
“… But before we were getting married, I met Cheryl.” She glanced at the man sitting beside her, a little disoriented by her thoughts. She seemed to be unsure and blur about some things, but she continued after a while. “After I met him, I realized that what we had was not normal because I would think of another guy so much that I have sleepless nights. I had suffered and gave up, but in the end, I still wasn’t able to control my emotions.
“So during that time, I used my sister as an excuse. I said I would go out with Sister, but I was actually out with Cheryl. The car accident at that time was real, but Cheryl saved me. We thought that it would be a good chance so I left the country with Cheryl. I didn’t die; we just left.
“Sorry… I’m really sorry…”
However, the man called Cheryl by her side just widened his eyes. “Xia, didn’t we just met two years ago? We didn’t go out four years ago, and I didn’t save you. Xia, do you have a fever, or did you remember wrongly?”
Xia Yixuan’s body stiffened. “That’s… that’s…” She tried to remedy the situation. “I think I might have remembered wrongly?” She had really forgotten who the man she was so smitten with was or what his name was. She fell in love with many, and she couldn’t recall for a moment.
She seemed to have suffered some heavy blows.
“Is Auntie Xia sick? If there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll definitely do it. Even though Yixuan’s not here anymore and though I’m not your son-in-law anymore either, I’m still the Chu Lui that you know. The ties between our families are still here.”
Chu Lui spoke calmly, his suspicion towards Xia Mingzheng’s true intention growing. He scanned the surroundings discreetly and saw two pairs of new shoes, one belonging to a woman and the other a man.
There were only Xia Mingzheng and Shen Yijun in the Xia household now so where did the other two pairs of shoes come from? He wanted to know.
“It’s nothing serious, it’s just thinking too much due to old age. She’ll be fine with some rest.” Xia Mingzheng’s eyes shifted upstairs from time to time as if worrying about something.
Chu Lui noticed but did not reveal him.
“It’s great if there’s nothing wrong.” Chu Lui’s lips curled. He was just exchanging pleasantries.
“Father, we’re heading out…” The thing that Xia Mingzheng was most worried about happened. There was no concealing the truth, but he never thought that they would be caught red-handed by Chu Lui.
The Xia Yixuan whom everyone thought had died was walking down the stairs at that time, hand in hand with a tall, white man. A white man, a real white man.
“Lui… Brother Lui…” Xia Yixuan’s smile froze on her face. She was actually not prepared to meet him and did not know how to do so. She understood this man. He could tolerate one’s stubbornness, one’s unreasonableness, and one’s little cunningness, but he would never tolerate deceit. Further, she had spun such a huge lie.
A lie of life and death.
“I think you have some explaining to do. What exactly is going on?” Chu Lui breathed in deep, his chest rising and falling. So she was really alive. The woman who made him dead inside for four years was actually still alive and standing perfectly fine in front of him without a single hair harmed.
He was not surprised, just angry from being deceived. The anger burnt through his entire body and pierced his soul.
Xia Yixuan sneaked a glance carefully at Chu Lui and then inched closer to the white man, their hands tightening. Xia Mingzheng’s face was red, and he shook his head continually. It was really a disgrace to the family, but she was his daughter. No matter how out of line she was, she was still his only daughter.
Xia Yixuan hung her head low and rubbed her hands together nervously. She did not dare to look at Chu Lui. He seemed colder and more unapproachable compared to four years ago. She was riddled with unease and did not really know where to start explaining the truth she had hidden for four years.
It was a tremendous lie.
“Yixuan, you can talk now, right?” Chu Lui sat on the sofa and crossed his leg. If he could not get a satisfactory answer today, then no one could even think of leaving. Meanwhile, his eyes narrowed, and he questioned Xia Yixuan. There was no longer any trace of the love he had for her. All that was left were anger and hatred from her deception.
However, his face was cold, scarily cold.
“That…” Xia Yixuan looked at her father, leaning subconsciously towards him. Xia Mingzheng was helpless. Chu Lui was obviously not going to let this go easy.
“Father…”
Xia Yixuan was on the verge of tears. She was really afraid.
Xia Mingzheng was starting to get impatient with her now. There was no use calling him. A dead person was standing here alive and kicking. There was nothing much to hide.
“Father.” Xia Yixuan ducked behind Xia Mingzheng. He pulled Xia Yixuan out from behind him and pushed her forward, suppressing his reluctance.
“Yixuan, it’s your own matter so explain it clearly. You have to say it sooner or later, anyway.
“But…” Xia Yixuan broke out in cold sweat from anxiety. Sooner or later, yes—but must it be now?
However, it was clear what Chu Lui wanted.
He wanted it right now, immediately, at this instant.
Xia Yixuan could not plead her way out of this so she could only brace herself, but she did not know where to start.
“Brother… Brother Lui… I’m sorry…” She looked at Chu Lui only now, but what could an apology do? Could it make the Chu Lui from four years ago return?
“Say it!” Chu Lui took out a cigarette and lit it. His black eyes were dark and emotionless, as calm as a piece of dead water. If a dead person could come back to life in this world, was anything else impossible?
“Four years ago…” Xia Yixuan pulled furtively at her clothes. She looked obviously nervous, and she stammered. “Brother Lui, I thought I loved you at that time because you treated me so well, so dearly, with such love.
“… But before we were getting married, I met Cheryl.” She glanced at the man sitting beside her, a little disoriented by her thoughts. She seemed to be unsure and blur about some things, but she continued after a while. “After I met him, I realized that what we had was not normal because I would think of another guy so much that I have sleepless nights. I had suffered and gave up, but in the end, I still wasn’t able to control my emotions.
“So during that time, I used my sister as an excuse. I said I would go out with Sister, but I was actually out with Cheryl. The car accident at that time was real, but Cheryl saved me. We thought that it would be a good chance so I left the country with Cheryl. I didn’t die; we just left.
“Sorry… I’m really sorry…”
However, the man called Cheryl by her side just widened his eyes. “Xia, didn’t we just met two years ago? We didn’t go out four years ago, and I didn’t save you. Xia, do you have a fever, or did you remember wrongly?”
Xia Yixuan’s body stiffened. “That’s… that’s…” She tried to remedy the situation. “I think I might have remembered wrongly?” She had really forgotten who the man she was so smitten with was or what his name was. She fell in love with many, and she couldn’t recall for a moment.
