She stepped out of the room with a small, pained expression on her face.
By coincidence, she ran into Lu Xiuyuan, who was just returning from his morning exercise.
He wore a neat short-sleeve shirt and shorts, his freshly worked-out body still radiating warmth.
His T-shirt was damp from sweat, subtly revealing the outline of his abs.
She swallowed hard:
“You’re up so early.”
“I’ve always been up this early,” he replied.
Lu Xiuyuan picked up a dry towel and wiped his hair, casually saying:
“Breakfast is ready downstairs. I already ate.”
Then he went back to the study to change clothes.
Hearing the voices, Xu’s mother hurried out, yawning:
“Xiaxia, I don’t know what happened last night, but I slept so well I didn’t wake up until now.”
She was a little puzzled could the feng shui here really be better than at the Xu residence?
Here, her stomach didn’t hurt, and her legs felt strong.
Seeing her mother’s rosy face and cheerful mood, Xu Zhixia hurriedly called her downstairs for breakfast:
“Brother Xiuyuan made breakfast. Let’s go eat.”
At the table, Xu’s mother learned that Xu Zhixia would later go with Lu Xiuyuan to visit her grandfather.
She didn’t even finish chewing and quickly said:
“Make sure you don’t wear any crazy outfits later. When we have time, I’ll take you to the department store to shop.”
Xu Zhixia smiled gently:
“Okay, thank you, Mom.”
She subtly pushed the bowl of porridge toward her mother, which contained half a cup of spiritual spring water.
Seeing that Xu Zhixia didn’t resist, her mother finally relaxed.
Heaven knew how much she had loved those strange outfits before, always buying all sorts of chaotic cosmetics—rumored to be expensive items from Yangcheng.
The pricier and uglier, the more she liked them.
Her mother could never understand the appeal flashy, loose, and awkward.
Her face painted ghostly white, her eyes with dark circles.
Nothing like her original moist, rosy skin.
Thirsty from eating, she sipped the porridge Xu Zhixia had pushed over and exclaimed:
“Xiaoyuan, how did you make this porridge? It’s so delicious!”
“Mom, if you like it, drink more,” Xu Zhixia said.
During the apocalypse, she had learned that adding spiritual spring water to meals enhanced the flavor.
Her mother’s body was no longer so weak; she could slowly flush out impurities.
After breakfast, Xu Zhixia went upstairs to put on the outfit she had prepared the night before.
A bright yellow dress, paired with white sandals.
Her face bare of makeup, hair tied in a neat bun.
When she stepped out, Xu’s mother was moved to tears.
It had been so long since she had seen Xu Zhixia like this that she choked up:
“Yes, yes, this is beautiful.”
Lu Xiuyuan, who had come downstairs unnoticed, was momentarily stunned by the sight.
The dress cinched slightly at the waist, demanding a certain figure.
Even with its simplicity, it accentuated her shape, revealing smooth calves in glimpses.
But what captivated him most wasn’t the dress.
It was how she stood there, reminding him of the first time they met.
Back then, she looked like a doll at just three years old, and he had held her, unwilling to let go.
His mother had promised him someone like this.
So when he grew up, he didn’t resist the childhood engagement.
Their marriage vows were to be lifelong revolutionary partners.
Yet fate had been unpredictable, and over the years, Xu Zhixia had become increasingly strange.
Perhaps he hadn’t guided her properly onto the right path.
She had fallen in love with someone else.
He admitted that at this moment, his heart couldn’t help but stir again.
Xu Zhixia noticed him staring and waved her hand in front of his eyes:
“Brother, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
Lu Xiuyuan’s body stiffened; he could hear the thumping of his own heart.
As a child, she had always softly called him “brother.” If this were a dream, he wished he could wake up later.
The higher the hope, the greater the disappointment.
He didn’t want to be that miserable again.
Even as a storm rose in his heart, Lu Xiuyuan’s voice remained cold and calm:
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
As soon as she spoke, Xu Zhixia grabbed her handbag:
“Mom, here’s the key. If we don’t return by lunch, just go to the new little restaurant by the gate.”
“Alright.”
Her mother wiped her tears and happily watched them leave.
Her daughter and son-in-law had such a good relationship she could relax.
Spending one night at her daughter’s house was fine, but staying longer was out of the question.
She decided that after shopping for clothes in the afternoon, she’d go home.
She couldn’t interfere with the couple’s “baby-making.”
As soon as Xu Zhixia got into the car, she frowned slightly.
Her sense of smell was keen; any strange odors in the car could make her carsick.
The car still carried the scent of smoke and alcohol from last night he must have drunk a lot.
She glanced at the man’s profile.
Had he been in a bad mood yesterday?
Good, as long as he had emotional fluctuations.
What worried her was if he became indifferent if he treated everything as meaningless, that would be hopeless.
Lu Xiuyuan pretended not to care and started the car, but his fingers gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles whitened.
Finally, under such intense attention, he could no longer resist and spoke:
“Grandfather… doesn’t know about our divorce. His health isn’t very good this time.”
Before he could finish, Xu Zhixia cut in playfully:
“Don’t worry, brother”
Lu Xiuyuan had intended to distract her, to avoid her fiery gaze, but her words only burned hotter.
He was momentarily speechless.
In the enclosed space, Xu Zhixia’s subtle fragrance wafted into his nose, leaving him trapped.
The soft, lingering word “brother” made his lower abdomen tighten.
For the first time, he doubted his own self-control.
Fortunately, the hospital was approaching soon.
As soon as he carried the supplements for his grandfather from the car and locked it, Xu Zhixia grabbed his arm:
“Let’s go inside quickly.”
She linked her arm with his comfortably, her body close to his.
It was summer, and both wore thin clothes.
Her warmth transferred through the thin fabric, making his body even stiffer.
He even forgot whether to step with his left or right foot first.
Yet his face remained cold and emotionless.
It turned out she could be gentle this was what gentle looked like.
Before, she didn’t even bother pretending with him.
When he touched her in bed, she felt like dying.
Now, as she pretended, did she feel disgusted?
Was she holding onto him just to get him to help with that favor? He would have helped anyway.
Xu Zhixia linked her arm through his, sensing that his arm had completely stiffened.
It simply formed an unyielding arc around her.
She had thought someone like Lu Xiuyuan would maintain a certain distance from women.
Yet he allowed her to hold onto his arm like this.
She couldn’t resist teasing him softly:
“You’re so stiff.”