Chapter 118: Felt Nothing

Xu Yi refused the money from Liang Xiujin. She stood up and said, “Ajin is right. Family shouldn’t be so calculative. We never intended to sever ties; sooner or later, we’ll go back. There’s no need to run away.”

She took a deep breath, her expression clearly a forced show of strength. “I’m sorry, then I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Guan Wei, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, didn’t respond. Liang Xiujin glanced at her twice but remained seated.

Xu Yi walked slowly to the door, glanced back at Liang Xiujin with a look full of grievance, then opened the door and left.

After the door closed, Guan Wei finally spoke. “Aren’t you going to see your old flame off? It’s so late; it’s not safe for her to be alone.”

“We got here and nothing happened. Going back should be just as fine,” Liang Xiujin replied, leaning back and exhaling deeply.

Guan Wei snorted lightly, got up, and went to the balcony to look down. The building was too high; she couldn’t see anything below.

Liang Xiujin stared at Guan Wei’s back for a moment, seeming somewhat helpless, then got up and followed her. From behind, he wrapped his arms around her.

Startled, Guan Wei instinctively struggled. “What are you doing? Let me go.”

Liang Xiujin tightened his grip, resting his chin on her shoulder and softening his tone. “Don’t be mad at me. There’s really nothing between Xu Yi and me. If I still had feelings for her, I wouldn’t even let her into the house.”

Guan Wei chuckled dryly. “That night we both drank too much. You might have mistaken me for someone else back then.”

“No,” Liang Xiujin said firmly. “I wasn’t drunk.”

He had indeed had some wine that night and was a bit dizzy, but not enough to confuse who was in front of him.

After so many years in business, if a little alcohol made him lose control, he wouldn’t have so many messy affairs by now.

He turned his head and kissed Guan Wei’s ear softly. “I knew it was you. I just went along with the flow that night. Awei, we’re good together. Don’t be upset over her, okay?”

Guan Wei was taken aback and looked back at him. “You knew?”

Liang Xiujin kissed her again. “Of course I knew. I called your name halfway through. Didn’t you hear it?”

Guan Wei hadn’t heard. She was truly drunk that night and had completely blacked out.

She stared at Liang Xiujin, and she had to admit, her heart softened a bit.

She loved the man standing behind her, loved him deeply. Otherwise, with her temper, she wouldn’t have been so eager.

Liang Xiujin had always been indifferent to her, but she kept approaching, even going out of her way to curry favor with Mrs. Liang for him.

That wasn’t her usual way of handling things; it was love that made her repeatedly lower her pride.

Guan Wei said nothing. Liang Xiujin held her tighter. “It’s because I don’t care about the past with Xu Yi that I can remain calm. If there were still feelings, I wouldn’t even let her into the house.”

He paused and lowered his voice. “I haven’t slept a single peaceful night while you’ve been gone. Awei, I truly want to walk this path with you.”

Guan Wei waited a few seconds before snorting. “I don’t feel it.”

Though she said this, her tone had clearly softened.

Liang Xiujin sighed in relief and smiled, turning her body towards him and kissing her gently. “Whatever feeling you want, I’ll give it to you right now.”

...

In the middle of the night, Qiao Jiu suddenly woke up—not from a nightmare or discomfort, but just by turning over and stirring awake.

Lu Fengzhou was still holding her in his arms, sleeping soundly.

She turned to look at him. The curtains were drawn, and the room was dark, so she couldn’t make out his silhouette clearly.

After a few seconds, she slid her hand off his waist, got out of bed barefoot, and groped her way to the bathroom.

Filling the bathtub with water, she lay down inside, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.

There were bruises on her waist—marks from Lu Fengzhou’s grip. Just now, whether out of passion or anger, he had been rough and fierce, nearly making her curse aloud.

In their two years of marriage, he had never been like this before. She hadn’t noticed it then, but now in contrast, it seemed their past was more perfunctory, or simply a way to satisfy physical needs.

The bathtub was thermostatically controlled, and Qiao Jiu lay there, drowsy.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the bathroom door suddenly rattled, startling her awake. She sat up quickly and looked towards the door.

Standing there was naturally Lu Fengzhou. His brow was furrowed, but upon seeing Qiao Jiu, he visibly relaxed.

Qiao Jiu lay back down and closed her eyes. “Afraid I’d pull up my pants and deny it?”

Lu Fengzhou walked over, shed the sleepwear he’d hastily put on, and got into the tub with her. “You’ve done this plenty of times before.”

Qiao Jiu curled her lips but said nothing.

The bathtub was large enough. Lu Fengzhou leaned beside her and wrapped his arms around her. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just thinking…” Qiao Jiu’s voice was long and drawn out, “how did we end up like this? It’s so frustrating.”

Lu Fengzhou chuckled quietly. “You didn’t say it was frustrating in bed before. I remember you said it felt really good.”

Qiao Jiu kicked his leg lightly. “Get lost.”

After soaking a while longer, Qiao Jiu felt a little dizzy and climbed out of the tub first.

Lu Fengzhou was still inside, looking quite content.

Qiao Jiu dried off and went to change into her pajamas. As she turned, she noticed Lu Fengzhou’s phone on the bedside table, the notification light glowing green, indicating a message.

She glanced at the bathroom; the door was closed. Judging by Lu Fengzhou’s earlier demeanor, he wasn’t coming out anytime soon.

So she returned to bed and, on a whim, took his phone. She didn’t have his fingerprint or password but simply lit up the screen.

The phone showed a new message—likely a report from someone under his command.

The message wasn’t fully visible, but from the snippet, the sender said they were returning to Yun City immediately.

Returning to Yun City meant Lu Fengzhou had previously sent them to another city on some errand.

If it were a routine business trip, the person wouldn’t send a message at such a late hour. So, it was probably something personal.

Qiao Jiu pursed her lips and returned the phone.

She lay back down. Lu Fengzhou must have many secrets. The last time he spoke with Liu Changyong for a few minutes, though they showed no signs outwardly, she could sense they discussed matters no one else should hear.

After a while, Lu Fengzhou came out. Qiao Jiu wasn’t asleep yet. She closed her eyes and curled into a small ball.

From the sounds, Lu Fengzhou approached the bed but didn’t lie down immediately. Knowing him well, he was probably just standing there watching her.

Sometimes, Qiao Jiu felt vulnerable. Lu Fengzhou was heavy-hearted, sensitive, and suspicious.

Their past had been tense, and even though she had softened her stance now, with his occasional coldness, it could still arouse his suspicions.

But she had no other way; this was the only path she saw, so she had to fight for it.

After a while, Lu Fengzhou changed clothes and got into bed, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Qiao Jiu didn’t move at first but eventually turned slowly and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him naturally.