As a chill swept across my chest, I knew I must be barely dressed and looking quite indecent.
The instigator of this situation didn’t seem to care at all and even tried to bury his head again.
I pressed my hand against Pei Heng’s chest, my expression cold as ice. “Are you testing me again?”
These words acted like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing most of the desire in Pei Heng’s eyes. He stared at me for a few seconds before lying back down beside me. The entire process was swift and detached, as if what had just happened was merely an illusion.
Silently, I turned onto my side, sleeping back-to-back with Pei Heng, my heart filled with endless melancholy.
There was a time when I had considered seducing Pei Heng, fantasizing about having children with him and living a simple, happy life.
Now, my only wish was to wait for him to divorce me so we could go our separate ways.
Since I hadn’t fallen asleep until early morning, I slept until noon before waking up. Only then did I notice several messages on my phone.
One was from my mother-in-law, saying they had to return to C City unexpectedly due to some matters.
Another was from Li You, asking if I wanted to take on a concert commercial performance.
There was also a message from an unfamiliar number that shocked me greatly—it was a photo of me pulling Qi Zhouyang away from the parking lot last night. From this angle, we looked like a couple, though Qi Zhouyang appeared battered and pitiful.
I pondered for a minute, running through all possibilities in my mind. Had I been photographed by paparazzi? Or did those three fat guys from last night have accomplices who took the picture secretly?
Although both my father and husband hold rather special positions, I’ve always kept a low profile—especially after marrying Pei Heng. Even Deng Jing’er and the others couldn’t get me to go out. How could I have attracted the attention of paparazzi?
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. So I simply dialed the unfamiliar number, but the call was ruthlessly hung up as soon as it connected.
I had no choice but to send a message: May I ask who this is? Could you tell me your name?
If that photo were to spread, even though Qi Zhouyang and I are completely innocent, the gossiping masses would misunderstand without knowing the truth. I just want to discreetly date handsome guys—I don’t want to end up trending on social media.
Soon, the other party replied with three words: Yu Yifan.
I nearly spat blood in shock. Was he at the parking lot last night too? And he secretly took a photo of me and Qi Zhouyang!
Back at the hospital, he had already suspected there was something between me and Qi Zhouyang. Now, even jumping into the Yellow River couldn’t wash me clean of these suspicions.
I immediately replied: The person in the photo is indeed me, but you’ve definitely misunderstood something. How about I treat you to a meal and explain what really happened?
After that, Yu Yifan went silent, as if he had vanished into thin air.
Unable to contain myself, I dialed his number again. This time, he answered. “Just decide on a time and place for the meal and send it to me.”
He agreed so readily, it was as if he had been specifically waiting for me to invite him to eat.
“Alright,” I said before hanging up. After thinking it over, I chose Yundian Hotel—where the misunderstanding began, there I would explain myself.
Yu Yifan replied with an “Mm.”
Carrying this anxious feeling, I spent most of the day in suspense. By seven in the evening, I changed clothes and went to Yundian Hotel, selecting the Peony Hall—the highest specification venue—and ordered eighteen courses from the menu.
I refused to believe that after eating so many dishes, he still wouldn’t be convinced by my explanation.
“Miss Xu, this is the surveillance footage you requested.” The hotel manager appeared before me once again, respectfully presenting a USB drive containing the copied parking lot surveillance recordings from last night.
“Alright, thank you.” I accepted it with a faint smile.
After a while, Yu Yifan’s figure finally appeared. Dressed in a coffee-colored shirt, he carried an elegant yet aloof demeanor.
He sat down across from me and got straight to the point, “You can explain now.”
“Don’t rush. Let’s talk while we eat.” I offered what I thought was a composed smile.
“What’s your relationship with Qi Zhouyang?” Yu Yifan seemed incapable of following social cues, completely ignoring my attempt to set the pace and pressing sharply instead.
I replied leisurely, “We’re friends. We wouldn’t have met if we hadn’t bumped into each other. I even know his girlfriend!”
Yu Yifan’s eyes flickered slightly, “He has a girlfriend?”
I nodded, though she wouldn’t be his girlfriend for much longer. Soon enough, you and Pei Heng would be fighting over someone else’s girlfriend.
Looking at this unattainable flower before me and recalling Pei Heng’s peerless beauty, these two exceptional men could have their pick of admirers anywhere. Yet they’d eventually fall out over some common dandelion by the roadside – a scene I hardly dared imagine.
“Look at this!” Seeing Yu Yifan lost in thought, I quickly connected the USB to my phone and placed the surveillance video before him, brimming with confidence. “This angle shows all my interactions with Qi Zhouyang after I entered the parking lot, plus everything I said. We’re completely innocent!”
Whether we’d remain innocent in the future was another matter.
The angle of that photo Yu Yifan had probably didn’t capture my confrontation with the fat guys. It seemed more like it was taken after I’d pulled Qi Zhouyang along for some distance – even had motion blur.
Yu Yifan took the phone and watched carefully while I subtly craned my neck, observing the changes in his expression.
When he saw me slapping the three fat guys, his eyebrows clearly twitched upward, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. After finishing the video, he returned my phone, “You’re quite bold.”
“Heh, can’t let myself be bullied, right? After all, I am Pei Heng’s wife, and my father is someone of some standing too.” I chuckled dryly, swiftly putting my phone away.
“Does Pei Heng know about Qi Zhouyang?” Yu Yifan asked again.
Between the lines, he seemed terribly concerned about his good friend potentially being cuckolded.
I’d only known before that Pei Heng and Yu Yifan were childhood friends, the closest in his circle. But since we were completely unfamiliar, I never understood what made their bond so strong.
Now I understood – Yu Yifan had practically worried himself sick over Pei Heng’s marriage.
Yet such good friends would eventually become sworn enemies over a woman. The thought made me sigh.
I shook my head, “He doesn’t know. He’s not an important friend anyway, so whether Pei Heng knows or not is meaningless.”
Yu Yifan took a sip of plain water without responding.
I couldn’t tell whether he actually believed me or was just pretending to, but he didn’t speak to me again after that. After sampling just two of the eighteen courses, he left.
“What a waste,” I murmured, watching as delicious dishes continued to arrive. I summoned a server to pack everything up, then headed home carrying several bags of food containers.
On the drive back, an address suddenly surfaced in my mind—the home address listed in Liu E’s records. Her family were locals of City A, living in the area bordering City A and C City. Though technically still part of City A, the area was significantly less developed, with much lower housing prices.
Wei Lan’s family situation was slightly better than Qi Zhouyang’s, as Qi Zhouyang’s home was in a small town in another province.
Today, my in-laws had returned to C City, and Pei Heng would undoubtedly feel less restrained. He would definitely try every means to get close to Wei Lan. It would be extremely easy for him to access Wei Lan’s records, and he must have already known her home address.
Wei Lan hadn’t taken on any part-time jobs these past couple of days, and with the school term not yet started, she would likely return home to rest for a few days.
In that moment, I made a U-turn and headed straight for the address of Wei Lan’s residential area.