Lu Xiaoqiao discovered that Xie Xun was really an interesting person.
After losing his memory, he was still picky about what he remembered. He had forgotten some things but remembered others.
He remembered Xie Minghe, but forgot that he had died.
He remembered Song Ming, but forgot that he had fired him.
Of course, the most special cases were Lu Xiaoqiao and Lu Tu. He had forgotten them completely.
Yet he still remembered Qin Shuman and even knew that she could not see him.
In conclusion…
It seemed that he only remembered the people who were important to him and forgot those who were not.
And the “unimportant people” included only Lu Xiaoqiao, Lu Tu, and everything related to them.
Throwing the flowers at him had already been very restrained.
Why hadn’t there been a durian in the bouquet?
She could have thrown it at him and killed him.
Lu Xiaoqiao brought Qin Shuman some sesame-salt baked flatbreads that her mother had made. She reheated them in the oven for a minute until they were crispy, fragrant, and savory.
Her mother’s cooking was excellent, and Qin Shuman happily ate them.
The delicious smell filled the room. Lu Xiaoqiao gave the rest to the doctor and the caregivers who looked after Qin Shuman.
Qin Shuman was a stunningly beautiful woman. She had been born into wealth and privilege, yet she was also incredibly fragile.
Lu Xiaoqiao had lunch with her and then coaxed her into taking an afternoon nap.
Qin Shuman held onto her like a child.
“Xiaoqiao, stay with me.”
“Okay.” Lu Xiaoqiao gently fixed the loose strands of hair beside her temple. “When you wake up, I’ll take you outside to catch ants.”
Only then did Qin Shuman peacefully fall asleep.
While she slept, Lu Xiaoqiao trimmed her fingernails and filed them until they were smooth and rounded. She also used scissors to carefully trim the hair around her forehead that had grown too long but that she normally would not let anyone touch.
Then she carried out the dirty water she had used to clean her hands.
The caregiver had become very familiar with her and always said the same thing.
“Madam asks every day whether Xiaoqiao has come. No one takes care of her as carefully as you do.”
Lu Xiaoqiao sighed, feeling a little sad.
“After some time…” she almost said, “I might not come anymore.”
After she and Xie Xun got divorced.
It would no longer be appropriate for her to keep coming.
But Lu Xiaoqiao swallowed the words.
When she went to the doctor’s office to ask about Qin Shuman’s medication, she suddenly spotted Xie Xun sitting in the garden.
She had no idea where he had been hiding earlier.
It was spring, and the nursing home belonged to the Xie family. Qin Shuman had her own private courtyard. The garden was lush and green, filled with colorful flowers, with bees and butterflies fluttering among them.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
There was a swing in the garden that had been installed for Qin Shuman.
Xie Xun was sitting on the swing, both hands gripping the ropes. His head was slightly tilted back as he stared at the sky, as if lost in thought.
She had almost forgotten.
He was a psycho.
A little psycho who had grown into an even bigger one.
Even a little psycho had a twisted path growing up.
Qin Shuman was afraid of him.
She was afraid of her own son.
Lu Xiaoqiao did not know exactly why. She and Xie Xun were not the kind of couple who could open their hearts to each other and share their childhoods and past.
Whenever Qin Shuman saw him, she would lose control. She would scream, cry, become restless, and refuse to sleep or eat.
Xie Minghe had taken care of her in the past. Later, Lu Xiaoqiao took over.
But neither Xie Minghe nor Lu Xiaoqiao was her child.
Xie Minghe was Xie Father’s illegitimate son.
Xie Xun had gone missing when he was young. It took nearly half a year to find him.
During that time, Qin Shuman suffered a severe emotional shock. Xie Father brought Xie Minghe home and had Qin Shuman raise him, hoping to make up for Xie Xun’s disappearance.
Xie Xun had been accidentally lost while he was out with his father.
When Xie Xun was twelve, Xie Minghe’s biological mother’s family suddenly came looking for him. Only then did Qin Shuman learn that Xie Minghe was actually Xie Father’s son.
He had not been adopted from an orphanage by Xie Father to comfort her.
That revelation dealt another devastating blow to Qin Shuman.
Xie Father lived a reckless life surrounded by women, while Qin Shuman’s mind became increasingly unstable.
It was Xie Minghe who protected Xie Xun as the two brothers grew up in the complicated and dangerous Xie family.
When Xie Xun was eighteen, Xie Father disappeared.
One woman after another came knocking at the door, and Qin Shuman’s mental state completely collapsed. Much of the time, her mind was like that of a five-year-old child.
Those few sentences were only a brief summary of her painful life.
But among wealthy families, stories like this were unfortunately all too common.
She held the position of the lady of the household, but she could neither leave nor accept even a little of the darkness surrounding her.
Her breakdown had probably been inevitable.
Through the scattered shadows of the branches and flowers, Lu Xiaoqiao felt that Xie Xun seemed to glance at her.
His emotions were impossible to read.
Lu Xiaoqiao really wanted to punch him.
She was the one taking care of his mother.
He was sitting there swinging on the swing.
She would have to add a little more property to the divorce agreement.
When Lu Xiaoqiao came out of the doctor’s office, she heard Xie Xun lazily call out to her.
“Come here.”
Lu Xiaoqiao ignored him.
Xie Xun gave her a faint, amused look.
“Let’s talk.”
“…”
Could it be that, with that tone, he was finally willing to discuss the divorce?
Lu Xiaoqiao walked through the flowerbeds and stopped beside him.
The swing swayed gently. Under the sunlight, Xie Xun’s face looked pale rather than flushed, as cold and clear as fresh snow.
“Come closer.”
Lu Xiaoqiao asked, “What is it?”
She was standing while Xie Xun was sitting. His long legs were stretched out, and he looked relaxed and comfortable. Even though he had to look up at her, there was not the slightest hint of humility in his expression. His sharp eyes always seemed to look down at others.
“I heard you smoke?”
“…” Lu Xiaoqiao was stunned. “What does that have to do with you?”
“Smoking is harmful to a child’s health.”
Lu Xiaoqiao: “…”
Before Lu Xiaoqiao could praise him for showing some concern as a father, Xie Xun slowly added, “Quit smoking. Otherwise, you can forget about keeping the child.”
“…”
After holding back for a moment, Lu Xiaoqiao suddenly grabbed the swing’s rope and pulled it hard.
The swing immediately swung sharply to the right.
Xie Xun was caught off guard and almost fell off.
Fortunately, his balance was good. He steadied the swing by pressing his toes against the ground, but his face instantly turned dark.
“Lu Xiaoqiao!”
Lu Xiaoqiao suddenly felt terribly wronged.
Her life was really miserable.
Just a moment ago, she had been taking care of his mother for him. The next moment, she was being threatened by him.
With someone like him around, how could she not spend the rest of her life living in fear that she might lose her child?
The thought immediately made her eyes turn red.
Before her tears could fall, Xie Xun’s heart suddenly cramped.
His back bent forward, and his lips became as pale as his face.
“Don’t cry!”
Lu Xiaoqiao’s voice was muffled with tears.
“What does it have to do with you?”
Xie Xun gasped for breath.
“Go ahead and cry!”
Lu Xiaoqiao blinked, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Xie Xun let out a painful groan.
Still crying, Lu Xiaoqiao bent down to look at him.
“What happened to you?”
Xie Xun was in so much pain that he seemed to have lost his mind. Yet he actually laughed breathlessly.
“Good.”
So…
This was why she was considered “timid” by Li Yundong but dared to act so boldly in front of him, right?
Before leaving the hospital, Xie Xun had specifically undergone a heart examination.
The doctor had praised his heart as being excellent, perfectly normal, and full of vitality. Just as Xie Xun was about to point a gun at the doctor’s temple, the doctor finally reached his conclusion.
“Very healthy.”
Yes.
His heart was perfectly healthy.
Yet when she shed a single tear, he was in so much pain that he could barely breathe.
If she found out about this, this little heartless woman who could stand with her hands in her pockets and coldly watch him die would probably cry all night until he died.
Xie Xun tasted blood in his mouth. He lightly ran his tongue over his pale lips and looked up at her while hunched over.
A flower petal landed on his black hair.
He looked dangerously alluring.
“I was worried about you. I wasn’t threatening you about the child. Quit smoking, okay?”
“…”
Lu Xiaoqiao felt like she had seen a ghost.
After standing there in shock for two seconds, she turned around and ran away.
Damn it.
He was possessed.
There had to be a ghost in this nursing home.