“Look, isn’t that your husband?” Jiang Mengyue’s sharp eyes immediately spotted the man standing not far away, his dark gaze fixed on them—or more accurately, on An Yin.
“What should I do?”
“What do you mean what should you do? Go greet him quickly.”
Just as An Yin was about to approach, Han Xuan happened to finish paying and walked over. To her horror, he smiled at An Yin, and this scene was witnessed by Lu Muqian. Could this be considered a confrontation between rivals in love?
“You’re ready to go. Let me drive you back.”
“Hehe~ Senior, no need to trouble yourself. We can take a taxi.”
An Yin now regretted a thousand times over why she hadn’t driven herself today.
“It’s no trouble at all. Besides, we don’t live far from each other.”
“Really, it’s not necessary.” Jiang Mengyue’s tone suddenly turned serious.
“Junior Jiang, we were getting along fine earlier. Now you keep refusing me repeatedly—I’m starting to wonder if I did something wrong.”
Jiang Mengyue actually wanted An Yin to go directly and greet Lu Muqian, or even mention that her husband was right there and could drive them back later.
But judging by An Yin’s hesitation, she seemed reluctant to do so.
In reality, An Yin was thinking that Lu Muqian appeared to be busy with work matters, as the person beside him kept talking to him, and she didn’t want to interrupt.
“Alright then, sorry to trouble you, Senior.”
“Don’t mention it.”
An Yin didn’t even glance back in Lu Muqian’s direction, grabbing Jiang Mengyue’s hand and almost fleeing the scene.
Left behind, Lu Muqian watched them depart with an unreadable gaze. His clenched fists and the surge of possessiveness in his heart betrayed his true feelings.
Evening fell…
When An Yin returned to Wanyuan Estate after work, she didn’t see anyone in the living room. Thinking he hadn’t returned yet, she asked Aunt Lan, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, and learned that the man had already come home but had been sequestered in his study ever since.
An Yin glanced toward the upstairs direction and sighed, hoping she could smooth things over.
“Ahem—” She didn’t knock, pushing the door open directly. The moment she entered, she was assaulted by the strong smell of smoke.
The study was dark, curtains drawn tightly without a sliver of light. An Yin couldn’t see where the man was in the darkness.
She reached for the wall switch, attempting to turn on the light.
But just as her fingers found the button, before she could press it, her hand was seized in the darkness. The overwhelming scent of tobacco filled her nostrils—evidence of how much he had smoked.
An Yin knew it was him and wanted to ask if he was okay.
“Lu— Mph—” The man’s hand slid to her slender waist while his other palm cupped the back of her head, pressing her forward as he captured her lips in a rough, urgent kiss, plundering what little air remained in her mouth.
The kiss carried restraint, jealousy, disappointment, and fear—all unleashed upon her lips.
An Yin didn’t resist. As her body grew increasingly limp, she could only clutch tightly at the man’s shirtfront, allowing him to vent his emotions.
After what felt like an eternity, Lu Muqian finally stilled, though his lips still lingered on her swollen, crimson mouth where he had left his mark.
Click— An Yin turned on the light. Only when she could clearly see the man’s expression did she realize…
His eyes were red-rimmed, bloodshot veins filling his sockets, his face pale. The shirt on his body had become wrinkled from her earlier tight grip, both sleeves rolled halfway up to reveal his well-defined arms where bulging veins were visible. It was evident how much the man had been restraining himself.
An Yin held his hand, speaking softly, “Husband, will you let me explain?”
“Is it him? Has he returned?” He didn’t question her loudly, only asked gently – so gently it seemed he was speaking to himself.
“What? I can explain what happened today.”
The man urgently wanted to hear from her lips the answer he already knew, asking again, “I mean, Han Xuan is the one you’ve liked for many years, isn’t he?”
“……”
“Speak.”
“That was in the past. Now I only like you. Can’t you understand that?”
“An Yin, you’re lying to me again.” She still wanted to deceive him, but he refused to believe her anymore.
“No, I’m really not lying. Everything I said is true. Please believe me, won’t you?”
He laughed coldly, “Someone you’ve liked for so many years – how could you just stop liking them? An Yin, do you even believe that yourself?”
“I really don’t like him anymore. How can I prove it to you to make you believe me?” This was something An Yin couldn’t possibly prove – only time could reveal the truth.
“Yinyin, if you had never given me hope, I wouldn’t have lost my composure like this today. But during this period, you’ve been acting so well, as if you truly loved me. And now, in just a few days, the lie has been exposed so quickly?”
Lu Muqian blamed himself for being immersed in the beautiful dream, truly believing that An Yin liked him, loved him. But dreams remain dreams, lies remain lies – it was nothing but self-deception.
“No, husband, I’m really not lying to you. Please believe me, won’t you?”
“No. I’ll never believe Yinyin again. You’re a liar – you’ve always been deceiving me.”
He took a step back, avoiding An Yin’s attempt to hug him.
“I knew all along that there was someone hidden in your heart, yet I still insisted on marrying you. This outcome is what I deserve.”
The girl felt heartbroken hearing him say this. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes grew increasingly sore, gradually welling up with tears. Choking back sobs, she said, “That’s not true. I won’t have any contact with him from now on. Please don’t be angry, forgive me, won’t you?”
“Yinyin, don’t force yourself. It’s fine. I don’t expect you to cut ties with him. I only want to ask Yinyin if from now on… you could stop being so good to me. I really can’t bear the consequences.”
A few strands of hair fell across the man’s forehead as he spoke with his head slightly lowered, making it impossible to see his current expression.
An Yin, her voice trembling with tears, tried to grab the hem of his clothes but was avoided again. “Husband~.”
“There are matters at the overseas company that require my attention these days. I’ll be going on a business trip tonight. Yinyin won’t have to see me for over half a month.” And won’t have to… pretend anymore.
Lu Muqian pulled An Yin’s body away from blocking the door, opened it himself, disregarding everything else, wanting only to escape this place that was making it hard for him to breathe.
“Don’t go~.”
But the man acted as if he hadn’t heard, or perhaps was unwilling to respond, leaving without looking back.