Snow fell in silence.
As if burying everything in the world.
Inside the car, there was only Lawyer Lin’s advice. “After you got married, was the household’s financial power always in Pei Wendu’s hands? I suggest you first find out about Pei Wendu’s assets.”
Shen Qingli tilted her head in confusion.
Lawyer Lin said, “I suddenly remembered what happened with that head of an internet company before—the one who supposedly took an annual salary of one yuan. But Pei Wendu probably wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t have started scheming against you from the moment you got married.”
Shen Qingli nodded silently. “I’ll investigate it. In that case, take me to the bank first.”
Shen Qingli returned home from the bank.
The moment she entered the house,
she saw Song Mingyan holding a stray dog in her arms.
Pei Wendu was holding a towel and wiping the stray dog’s sticky, filthy fur.
Wrapped around the stray dog was a dark-brown scarf.
It was the scarf Shen Qingli had spent an entire month knitting by hand last year as a New Year’s gift for Pei Wendu.
The two of them were chatting and laughing.
That continued until Song Mingyan saw Shen Qingli. She gently tugged at Pei Wendu’s clothes with one hand while hiding half her body behind him. “It’s Sister.”
Pei Wendu put down the towel.【You’re back!】
Shen Qingli silently walked over.
Her eyes fixed on the puppy in Song Mingyan’s arms, she curved her lips mockingly. “This beast certainly knows how to find a place.”
Song Mingyan blushed.
She looked at Pei Wendu with an aggrieved expression.
Pei Wendu’s fingers flew as he explained,【I found it by the roadside. With snow falling this heavily, it would freeze to death this winter if no one took care of it. Lili, you used to like small animals very much.】
Shen Qingli tugged at the corner of her lips. “People change. Come over here. I have something to tell you.”
With that, Shen Qingli walked straight into the living room.
Song Mingyan pouted and coquettishly said to Pei Wendu, “Sister still hasn’t forgiven me. She’s still blaming me. Otherwise, I’ll take the dog and stay at a hotel. I don’t want you and Sister to argue because of me, and I especially don’t want to put you in a difficult position because of me.”
Pei Wendu casually ruffled the back of Song Mingyan’s head. “I’ll handle it.”
He then went into the living room as well.
Shen Qingli raised her eyes. “I don’t like Song Mingyan. Don’t you know that? Don’t you know why Yu’an is lying unconscious in the hospital?”
Pei Wendu’s expression was faintly irritated.
Only after rubbing his brow did he begin signing,【Lili, the police investigated everything clearly back then. Yu’an becoming a vegetable had no direct connection with Mingyan. Even if Mingyan hadn’t been Yu’an’s girlfriend and had only been an ordinary friend, she still would have stood up after seeing her friend being bullied by thugs.
Yu’an was the one who told Mingyan to hide, so she hid in the warehouse. But when Yu’an ran over, the warehouse door wouldn’t open because it had fallen into disrepair. That was why Yu’an was beaten into a vegetative state. Mingyan was also a victim.
Back then, didn’t you treat her like your own younger sister? You even told me to be kinder to her. She had been sexually harassed by a neighbor and had nowhere to go; we were the only people she knew in Jingbei. Lili, don’t let an unfounded hatred blind you.】
Shen Qingli’s fingertips were icy cold.
She tugged at the corner of her lips, wanting to laugh, but in the end, all that appeared was a curve more horrible than a cry. “Do you really have to be like this?”
Pei Wendu walked up to Shen Qingli and crouched before her.【Mingyan has already paid the price. Back then, she knelt before the Buddha for three days and three nights in the heavy snow to pray for Yu’an’s recovery. Her legs were almost frostbitten.】
Very well.
How wonderful.
Her younger brother had merely lost half his life.
And Song Mingyan had almost gotten frostbite in her legs.
Shen Qingli felt as if all the strength had left her body. “Do whatever you want.”
After all, he had already cheated on her 666 times.
Did she still care about this final month?
Yet her heart still hurt uncontrollably.
Perhaps
cutting out a piece of rotten flesh
came at a price.
Pei Wendu took Shen Qingli’s hand and kissed it beside his lips.【I knew our Lili was the kindest person in the entire world.】
Shen Qingli pushed him away.
She turned and started toward the stairs.
Pei Wendu watched her back. She was wearing a knitted sweater, and her back looked very slender.
He frowned.
Why had Shen Qingli become so thin?
Pei Wendu reached out and caught Shen Qingli by the arm.
Shen Qingli turned around.
Pei Wendu lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.【Lili, don’t forget tonight’s plans.】
Song Mingyan’s voice was clear and pleasant. “Brother, what plans do you have tonight? Didn’t you say you were going to accompany me to take the dog for an examination?”
Shen Qingli didn’t want to hear a single word.
She nodded once.
She pushed Pei Wendu’s hand away.
Then she stepped upstairs.
Pei Wendu frowned. He watched Shen Qingli’s figure disappear around the corner before withdrawing his gaze. He said to Song Mingyan, “There’s an auction in Jingbei tomorrow. The chief planner is Pei Nanyin, the daughter of my Third Uncle’s family. She’s treating everyone tonight and asking us to go to the club to give her some moral support.”
Song Mingyan said, “I want to go too.”
A few creases appeared between Pei Wendu’s brows. “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Song Mingyan stamped her foot and let out a coquettish hum. “Then I’ll go drink at the club by myself!”
With that, she ran out with the dog in her arms.
Pei Wendu paid no attention to Song Mingyan. He sat in the living room and began going over Shen Qingli’s words and actions.
He kept feeling that something was off about Shen Qingli today.
Could Shen Qingli have found out about his relationship with Song Mingyan?
Impossible.
If that were the case, Shen Qingli would have made a scene already.
Pei Wendu irritably rubbed his brow. After thinking it over, he guessed it was probably because he hadn’t accompanied her to visit the grave today.
At worst, he could buy her a few more pieces of jewelry at the auction tomorrow.
Shen Qingli didn’t come downstairs until evening.
When she saw that Pei Wendu was the only person in the living room,
she felt as though her eyes had been cleansed. “Can we leave?”
Pei Wendu hurriedly nodded. He went to the stairs and helped Shen Qingli down, then solicitously picked up her white coat and put it on her.【It’s snowing. It’s very cold outside, so wear more clothes. Don’t catch a cold.】
Shen Qingli let Pei Wendu lead her by the hand and tuck her into the car.
They remained that way until they reached the club.
After greeting Pei Nanyin, Shen Qingli sat in her usual place in the corner.
She took small sips of juice
while watching them sing and fool around.
After three rounds of drinks,
Pei Nanyin remembered Grandma’s previous instructions. She silently took a pill from her pocket and dropped it into a glass of sparkling wine before bringing the drink to Shen Qingli.
Shen Qingli accepted it.
Shen Qingli smiled and nodded.
Pei Nanyin was one of the few people in the Pei family who treated her well, and Shen Qingli cherished that.
She clinked glasses with Pei Nanyin and drained the drink in one gulp.
Pei Nanyin glanced over from the corner of her eye.
Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
She could consider herself worthy of Grandma’s instructions. If Grandma could hold her great-grandchild soon, Pei Nanyin would be a contributor too!
One of the people present was Pei Wendu’s friend, Ouyang Qing.
He had gone out a moment earlier.
When he returned,
he dropped into the seat beside Pei Wendu.
Lowering his voice, he said to Pei Wendu, “What’s going on? You brought the old house along, yet the new house has caught fire. I just saw someone confessing to Song Mingyan in the lobby.”
After saying that, Ouyang Qing glanced at Shen Qingli.
Pei Wendu showed no expression.
He said nothing.
The knuckles of the hand holding his glass had turned white.
Ouyang Qing continued, “Anyway, your little sister-in-law can’t hear us. Just make up some excuse and coax her. Go take a look at your new house?”
Pei Wendu set down his glass and turned to look at Shen Qingli.【Lili, I’m going out to make a phone call. I’ll be right back. Wait here obediently.】
Shen Qingli nodded.
She watched almost the entire time as Pei Wendu hurried away.
Ouyang Qing was soon dragged over to play cards.
As always, they ignored Shen Qingli.
Thus, not a single person saw Shen Qingli leave the private room.
The noisy, heavy music pounded against Shen Qingli’s eardrums. Covering both ears with her hands, she walked into the lobby.
She stood behind the crowd watching the spectacle.
Shen Qingli saw with her own eyes as Pei Wendu kicked over the marriage-proposal setup.
The man who had been confessing flew into a rage from humiliation. “Who are you? What the hell do you think you are?”
Pei Wendu’s sharp gaze was heavy with menace as he looked at Song Mingyan. “Tell him who I am.”
Song Mingyan stubbornly began walking toward the man. “I don’t know this gentle—”
Pei Wendu seized Song Mingyan by the arm and yanked her in front of him. He cupped her small face in both hands and kissed her with punishment and passion, provoking wave after wave of screams.
Shen Qingli took out her phone and recorded the entire scene.
If the person Pei Wendu had cheated with had been anyone other than Song Mingyan, Shen Qingli might not have hated him so much.
Since things had come to this,
he couldn’t blame her for making Pei Wendu lose everything.
She would make him plunge from the peak of his life at the very moment his company went public, its market value multiplied several times over, and he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life.
What kind of expression would Pei Wendu have then?
Shen Qingli wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
She suddenly began to look forward to it.