Li Yundong actually never expected Lu Xiaoqiao to be able to give him an answer.
From her point of view, Xie Xun—and people like them who had once worked for Xie Minghe—were all on the same side.
She had automatically placed them on Wan Bao’er’s side.
No matter how good Xie Minghe had been, Xie Xun had taken all of his people while firing the people who had originally worked for him.
If Lu Xiaoqiao had already built trust with those people at the time, it meant Xie Xun had removed all of her support while strengthening Wan Bao’er’s side.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like Xie Xun had betrayed her.
These were Li Yundong’s guesses.
He was trying to understand why Lu Xiaoqiao had fought with Xie Xun after he fired Song Ming.
But he did not dare tell Xie Xun.
He had never been able to figure out his boss’s temper.
Li Yundong reluctantly took everything back to the hospital.
Xie Xun stared at the broken bamboo dragonfly for a while.
“Pen.”
“…”
Li Yundong handed him a fountain pen.
Xie Xun took it and began signing the divorce agreement.
After writing the character “Xie,” he stopped.
That was too easy for her.
It would be far too easy to simply sign it and let that little liar have her way!
She had taken good care of herself, even setting a high amount of child support. She had never once thought about being noble and refusing to take a single thing from him.
That little poisonous woman who wanted him dead was still trying to take a huge amount of his money.
“Do I owe her something?”
The question suddenly came from the hospital room. It was unclear who he was asking.
But there was only Li Yundong besides him.
Li Yundong gave a bitter smile, not knowing how to answer.
“Madam might be in a bad mood. She never used to smoke, but I saw her buying cigarettes just now.”
“…”
Xie Xun raised his eyes.
“She smokes?”
Li Yundong nodded.
Xie Xun tossed the pen aside.
“Doesn’t she know that my son is only three years old?”
Li Yundong could only smile awkwardly.
Xie Xun said, “Tell her to quit smoking.”
“…”
Was that something he could tell her to do?
Li Yundong wanted to cry.
Xie Xun looked at him, his dark eyes deep and faintly filled with suppressed anger.
“Contact her.”
Li Yundong had no idea what to say.
“That… probably isn’t appropriate.”
Xie Xun’s lips pressed into a thin line. He held out his hand.
“Lend me your phone.”
“…”
Oh.
He had forgotten that Lu Xiaoqiao had already blocked his new number.
But if he sent her a message from Li Yundong’s phone, what difference would it make?
Wouldn’t she know it was him anyway?
After a few reluctant seconds, Xie Xun became increasingly irritated.
“Tell her to come tomorrow.”
“Ah.” Li Yundong quickly said, “Madam is going to the nursing home tomorrow to see Mrs. Xie.”
The words “Mrs. Xie” were like a bucket of ice water, instantly putting out Xie Xun’s inexplicable irritation.
“My mother?”
“Yes.” Knowing that he had become confused again, Li Yundong took the initiative to remind him. “Every Sunday, Madam goes to the nursing home to spend half a day with your mother. She started doing it after you got married and has continued until now. Except for special circumstances, she has almost never missed a visit.”
Xie Xun’s gaze fell on the divorce agreement.
His expression became confused.
He could not remember.
He had no idea what kind of relationship Lu Xiaoqiao had with his mother.
The sun gradually moved westward.
The familiar sound of paper being torn filled the hospital room again.
The divorce agreement ended up in the trash once more.
Xie Xun closed the box containing the bamboo dragonfly and threw it into the trash with a loud thud.
There was one thing he had said that was not wrong.
If they divorced and the child went to her, then the child really would no longer be his.
They were not even divorced yet, and she had already refused to let the child accept the gift he had carved for him.
If they actually divorced, wouldn’t she become completely impossible to deal with?
Lu Xiaoqiao received the new car that Wan Bao’er had given her as compensation.
It was the same model and the same color.
The previous car had been driven for two years, and Lu Xiaoqiao had already gotten used to it. Even though the new car was exactly the same model and its performance was even more responsive, she still felt uncomfortable driving it.
She put her favorite tissue box in its usual place, stuck the little figurine from her old car back onto the dashboard, and hung the safety talisman her mother had prayed for her.
She finally felt a little more comfortable.
She drove slowly to the dance studio and parked downstairs. She left the windows open so the wind could blow away the smell of the new leather seats.
That morning, she had a one-on-one trial class. The little girl’s mother was extremely strict and insisted on supervising the entire lesson. Whenever the girl made even the slightest mistake, her mother would make some very noticeable sounds of disapproval from the side.
As a result, the little girl made even more mistakes.
Lu Xiaoqiao politely asked the mother to leave.
The mother dragged her teary-eyed daughter away and loudly threatened to file a complaint against Lu Xiaoqiao.
Lu Xiaoqiao looked up at the sky.
A colleague sighed, “There are really more and more unreasonable parents these days.”
Lu Xiaoqiao said, “They all grew up from unreasonable children.”
Her colleague added, “And those unreasonable children have unreasonable parents above them.”
“It never ends.”
“They keep causing trouble.”
Lu Xiaoqiao patted her colleague on the shoulder, then went to the changing room to take off her practice clothes. She picked up her bag and prepared to go to the nursing home.
When she reached the entrance, a father stopped her.
He was divorced and single. His child had already graduated from the dance studio, but he had been pursuing Lu Xiaoqiao for quite a while.
“I left some flowers in your car.”
“How did you put them in…” Lu Xiaoqiao suddenly remembered that she had left the car window open. She was already exhausted by these persistent admirers. “I’m married.”
The man said, “I’ll wait until you get divorced.”
Lu Xiaoqiao was speechless.
“Then wait.”
“Can I take a number first?”
“250.”
“…There are already 249 people ahead of me?”
“Mm.”
“My judgment really is good.”
“…”
As if afraid she would return the flowers, the man took his number and walked away. He even turned around and waved at her, thinking he looked particularly charming.
Because the city was carrying out a campaign to promote cleanliness, all the trash cans around the dance studio had been removed.
So Lu Xiaoqiao took the bouquet with her to the nursing home, giving away a flower to everyone she happened to pass along the way.
Until she reached Qin Shuman’s room.
Xie Xun was leaning against the wall outside.
Lu Xiaoqiao was surprised.
“You’ve been discharged?”
He had crashed through the guardrail, fallen into the river, and been soaked in the water. The doctor had prescribed a week of hospitalization.
The man had a slightly wicked look in his eyes. With his sharp, striking features and a faintly curved smile, he looked particularly playful.
His gaze fell meaningfully on the bouquet in her hands, which was now only half its original size.
Lu Xiaoqiao casually pulled out a sprig of baby’s breath decorated with a rose.
“Congratulations on getting discharged.”
Heh.
She gave the roses to other people.
He got the leftovers.
She really was a heartless little woman who wanted him dead.
Xie Xun took the baby’s breath from her. He pressed his thumb against it and snapped it in half.
It looked exactly like the bamboo dragonfly she had broken.
Lu Xue’s words from yesterday—Are you sure he’s not pretending to have amnesia?—had already planted a seed of suspicion in Lu Xiaoqiao’s mind.
She had started observing him unconsciously.
Putting everything else aside…
He definitely had not forgotten how to hold a grudge.
Lu Xiaoqiao maintained her polite social smile.
“Go inside.”
Xie Xun returned the same smile.
“She can’t see me.”
“Oh, right.” Lu Xiaoqiao gathered the remaining flowers and shoved them all into his arms. “Then stay farther away.”
The empty flower wrapping rustled loudly. The dozen or so remaining roses were crooked and messy, and a few cool petals even hit Xie Xun on the chin.
The fragrance was overwhelming.
Xie Xun heard a voice inside himself that wanted to kill someone.
A small card at the bottom of the bouquet stopped him.
There were several words written on it:
I will cherish you with eternal love.
Love, Li Gui.