I was startled.
“What’s wrong? Don’t panic.”
“Ginny and Hugh Pei are about to get into a fight! Hurry up, I’ve already sent you the address. Quick, quick!” Ella Li hung up hastily after she finished speaking.
I was full of exclamation points.
How could Ginny get into a conflict with Hugh Pei?
And besides, as bad as Hugh Pei’s temper was, he wouldn’t hit a woman, would he?
Without time to think, I threw on some clothes and rushed out.
By the time I arrived at the bar, Hugh Pei and Ginny had already been persuaded into a private room.
Otherwise, given their status, it would have definitely been another trending topic.
When Ella Li saw me, she quickly pulled me to sit next to Ginny.
Ginny was still fuming, her large eyes glaring at Hugh Pei as if he were her sworn enemy.
Hugh Pei, of course, was even angrier.
He sat on the other side, the pressure around him extremely low.
Next to him, Lucas Lu looked like a terrified little eunuch, glancing at Hugh Pei, then at me.
“Sister-in-law, I’m really sorry. Your friend must have misunderstood something today. I was actually the one who called those girls over, it has nothing to do with Hugh…” Lucas Lu was four years younger than Hugh Pei, and this was the first time he had ever called me sister-in-law.
“Pah! That woman’s chest was practically pressed against Hugh’s face, about to breastfeed him! And you call that nothing to do with him!?” Ginny pointed at Lucas Lu and roared.
Lucas Lu almost burst into tears.
It was his first time face-to-face with a tigress.
It was terrifying.
Hugh Pei’s sharp, dark eyes swept over Ginny, then landed on me, as if waiting for me to make a statement.
I pretended not to see his gaze and just comforted Ginny.
“Ginny, it’s okay. You must be overthinking it. Lucas Lu definitely called those women. Hugh Pei’s standards aren’t that low, he doesn’t like big-chested women.”
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Ginny was the one whose husband had betrayed her.
The room fell into silence.
“Zoe, are you serious?” Ginny and Ella Li exchanged a look, then stared at me in astonishment.
Of course, they knew I was planning to divorce Hugh Pei, but they never expected me to be even calmer than a bystander.
Tonight, Ginny couldn’t even stop herself from going up and cursing Hugh Pei, while I, who had loved him for so many years, was as calm as still water.
“Of course I’m serious. Alright, let’s get up. Let’s go, let’s have a few more drinks before we head back. My treat.” I pulled Ginny up with one hand and Ella Li with the other, my gaze never landing on Hugh Pei for a second.
“Hugh, Hugh, they’re leaving. Sister-in-law, she—” Lucas Lu was clearly stunned, reminding Hugh Pei dazedly.
“What sister-in-law? Is she worthy?” Hugh Pei’s icy voice was filled with anger.
The words clearly reached my ears just as the door to the room closed. Get faster updates on g.com.
My heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle.
It hurt a little, but it was bearable.
I wasn’t worthy.
That title of “sister-in-law” should be reserved for Lila Wei.
After finding a few empty seats, the three of us started drinking.
Ella Li had just returned to A-City after finishing a commercial performance, so Ginny had invited her out for a drink.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Hugh Pei drinking with a few women.
Ginny, fueled by alcohol, had rushed over to stand up for me.
If it weren’t for the fact that she was a woman, she might have gotten a beating today.
Ginny asked me again and again, “Zoe, have you really, completely gotten over Hugh Pei?”
I nodded.
I was sure of this.
“Good. I admire your guts, my friend. Ten years of feelings, and you can let go just like that!” Ginny raised her glass and downed it in one go.
“A true warrior!” Ella Li also toasted me.
Just as the three of us were drinking happily, Ella Li’s boyfriend called to check on her.
Her love life was the smoothest of the four of us.
Her boyfriend was around her age, they had met each other’s parents, and they were already at the stage of discussing marriage.
Ella Li, ever the obedient girlfriend, immediately got up to say goodbye.
“Sisters, my puppy is waiting at home for me to feed him, so I’m leaving first!”
“Damn, are you going home to breastfeed too?” Ginny deliberately teased her.
“You pervert!” Ella Li laughed and cursed, then quickly disappeared.
After Ella Li left, I paid the bill, and Ginny and I also went our separate ways.
Back at Mapleview Manor, I sniffed the smell of alcohol on myself and prepared to take another shower.
As soon as I entered the bathroom, a wave of hot air mixed with the scent of shower gel hit me.
A figure emerged from the mist, naked from the waist up, with a black towel wrapped around his waist.
His tall, well-proportioned, and firm body was on full display, absolutely perfect.
I stared at Hugh Pei as if I’d seen a ghost, my eyes uncontrollably scanning his entire body.
It was pathetic, really.
We had been married for five years, and this was the first time I had seen him so exposed.
“This is my bathroom,” I reminded Hugh Pei after a few seconds of silence.
When he came home, he would sleep in the guest room or the study.
This bathroom was the master bedroom’s en-suite.
“Do you have a problem with that?” Hugh Pei asked, his tone calm as he dried his hair.
“I don’t have a problem with it. You have such a great body, it’s not like I’m losing out,” I said, and I meant it.
Even if Hugh Pei were a pauper, with his looks, he could still be a lady-killer.
Hugh Pei gave me a long, deep look.
He suddenly took two steps forward, forcing me to take two steps back.
The steam in the bathroom had started to dissipate, and I could even see the fine texture of Hugh Pei’s pectoral muscles, perfectly toned, paired with his well-defined collarbones.
It made one wonder what it would feel like to touch them.
But I had to restrain myself.
“Alright, I need to take a shower too. You can go out now,” I said, turning to the side to let him pass.
The next second, a hand cupped the back of my head, and my whole body was pulled forward, forcing me onto my tiptoes.
Without even blinking, Hugh Pei lowered his head and kissed my lips.
A faint minty scent passed from his lips into my mouth.
I was so shocked that for a moment, I just stood there, frozen.
Seeing no reaction from me, Hugh Pei deepened the kiss.
His kissing skills were unquestionable, while I was a complete novice, almost completely at his mercy.
Men’s bodies are always warmer, and now I was struggling to breathe.
I was soon sweating, and the ambiguous atmosphere in the bathroom grew thicker.
I had wanted to push him away, but he grabbed my hands and held them above my head, a position that brought our bodies even closer.
Should I just give in?
It was a wish from my past life.
Fulfilling it in this life wouldn’t be a loss.
Anyway, Hugh Pei hadn’t been idle before meeting Lila Wei.
Sleeping with his legal wife was both reasonable and logical.
With that thought, I closed my eyes and tried to cooperate.
A certain feeling that shouldn’t have been there was stirring.
Just as everything was about to spiral out of control, Hugh Pei suddenly stopped.
He let go of me, the desire in his eyes receding like the tide.