"You..."
Wen Zhaoning subconsciously struggled.
"Don't move!" He Huaiqin's low growl was tense and threatening, "If you don't want your legs, then go ahead."
Wen Zhaoning caught a glimpse of the blood-soaked gauze, felt a wave of dizziness, and dared not move. However, this position left her feeling utterly lost.
He Huaiqin's arm was like an iron hoop, forcing her against his solid chest, where she could clearly feel his steady, powerful heartbeat.
Back then, one of Wen Zhaoning's favorite things to do after passionate lovemaking was to lie on his chest and listen to his heartbeat, one beat after another, fervent and uncontrolled. It was the most real proof that this 'high mountain flower' had been plucked by her.
Every time this happened, He Huaiqin would always ask her, "Do you like me, or do you like sleeping with me?"
"Of course, I like sleeping with you," Wen Zhaoning teased him.
He Huaiqin didn't know that she had always believed in the "unity of sex and love"; only with love as the premise could she relax and enjoy physical intimacy.
He probably really believed she just liked sleeping with him, which was why her final words of "I'm tired of sleeping with you" completely shattered their relationship when they separated.
The clinic was about to close.
The old doctor was tidying up the medicine cabinet. When he saw He Huaiqin carrying Wen Zhaoning in, his brows immediately furrowed.
"What is it now?"
"The wound has reopened," He Huaiqin said.
"Quickly, put her on the chair."
"Okay."
He Huaiqin placed Wen Zhaoning on the chair. The old doctor saw Wen Zhaoning's blood-red gauze and the dead leaves and mud stuck to the soles of her shoes, and glared at He Huaiqin, "What kind of boyfriend are you? You know her leg is injured, yet you took her wandering in the mountains. Are you afraid her wound will heal too quickly?"
Wen Zhaoning quickly interjected, "Doctor, it's not his fault. I insisted on going."
"You're still defending him. You young people really don't know what's important!" The old doctor, while re-treating Wen Zhaoning's wound, continued to nag like an elder, "Don't you feel the pain yourself? If this gets infected and leaves a scar, you'll cry."
"My fault," He Huaiqin said.
These three words carried no emotion, more like a compromise to end the conversation, but to Wen Zhaoning, they made her heart tremble inexplicably.
She subconsciously looked up at He Huaiqin, but he had already averted his gaze.
Seeing He Huaiqin admit fault, the old doctor's tone finally softened, "It's good that you know your mistake. Stay here and keep her company. The pharmacy next door is closed. I'll go open it to get medicine and clean and re-bandage her wound."
"Okay, thank you."
The old doctor took a key from a drawer and went out. Only the two of them were left in the office.
He Huaiqin retreated to the wall, leaning against the windowsill, looking outside.
"Ahem," Wen Zhaoning cleared her throat and asked her burning question, "Why didn't you deny that you were my boyfriend just now?"
"Wasn't I?" He Huaiqin retorted.
Wen Zhaoning was stunned, "We were, but we aren't anymore."
"How are we not?" His dark eyes were deep, his gaze locked on her, "Isn't an adulterer another form of boyfriend?"
Wen Zhaoning: "..."
Wen Zhaoning's leg wound had reopened and she couldn't walk for long. Coupled with the fact that it was already dark, it was impossible to go back into the mountains to find the camera.
She could only follow He Huaiqin back to the city for now.
All the way, she was preoccupied with her camera, feeling dejected. He Huaiqin drove on his own, completely ignoring her emotions.
Wen Zhaoning understood that, for whatever reason, Lawyer He had spent most of the day with her, which was already quite considerate. He didn't really need to do this.
They lived in the same residential area. When they parted ways at the elevator, Wen Zhaoning thanked He Huaiqin.
"Thank you for your trouble today, Lawyer He."
"What's there to thank? The item wasn't found."
He dropped this sentence expressionlessly and closed the elevator door, continuing upwards.
Upon returning home, Su Yunxi learned that Wen Zhaoning had lost her camera and generously offered to help her find it.
To be honest, this was indeed a task that Wen Zhaoning felt most at ease entrusting to Su Yunxi.
"Xixi, you must be careful."
"What are you afraid of? I have bodyguards."
The next day, Su Yunxi set off early in the morning.
Wen Zhaoning's leg was injured, so she couldn't go anywhere and could only play with her child at home.
As they were building blocks, Qing Ning suddenly said, "Mom, I'm hungry."
"What do you want to eat? Tomato and egg over rice, wontons, or meat sauce noodles?" These options were all ingredients available in the refrigerator.
"I want tomato and egg rice."
"Okay, then wait a moment. Mom will make it for you now."
"Thank you, Mom, kiss kiss, Mom."
Wen Zhaoning touched her daughter's little head and hobbled into the kitchen. Just as she put on her apron, the doorbell rang.
"Mom, someone's knocking!" Qing Ning called out softly.
"Mom heard you."
Wen Zhaoning came out of the kitchen and walked to the entrance hall. Peeking through the peephole, she saw Chen Yi, impeccably dressed in a suit, standing outside.
She opened the door, "Assistant Chen, why are you here?"
Chen Yi first saw Wen Zhaoning, who was wearing an apron, and then the little girl behind her, who looked about four or five years old, with two cute little pigtails, blinking her bright eyes as she looked at him.
Miss Wen was actually married and had a child?
This realization struck Chen Yi like a bolt of lightning, exploding in his mind. He suddenly seemed to understand why his boss had been moody lately and why he had made so many strange and abnormal decisions.
So, the boss had fallen for a married woman!
The renowned He Huaiqin, such a proud and strategic man, had fallen for a married woman!
My goodness, what a sensational piece of gossip!
No wonder Chen Yi always felt that the boss's attitude towards Miss Wen was subtle; that hint of concern, that hint of self-loathing stemming from that concern – he had been struggling internally about whether to become a mistress for love!
Understood, it's all understood!
Chen Yi suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for his boss. His boss, who was powerful in business, had been dealt such a tragic and illicit love story in his romantic life. It was truly pitiful!
"Assistant Chen?" Wen Zhaoning felt that the expression on Chen Yi's face was so rich it could fill a book, "Is there something you need?"
"Oh, I almost forgot the main business!" Chen Yi suppressed all his outward emotions and handed over a sealed plastic bag, "Miss Wen, Lawyer He asked me to bring this to you."
The sealed bag was transparent, and Wen Zhaoning immediately saw her camera, neatly stored inside.
He Huaiqin had actually helped her retrieve her camera!
"This is..."
"Lawyer He sent his own people to look for this last night," Chen Yi leaned closer to Wen Zhaoning and whispered, "They were all He's trusted men. The video data inside hasn't been tampered with, so Miss Wen can rest assured."
Wen Zhaoning, having found what was lost, couldn't hide her excitement, "Thank you, thank you, Assistant Chen!"
"Miss Wen doesn't need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Lawyer He properly."
"I will!"
After Wen Zhaoning saw Chen Yi off, she immediately called Su Yunxi.
"What? He Huaiqin picked it up?" Su Yunxi shrieked into the phone, "No wonder I almost turned the mountain upside down and found nothing!"
"You worked hard, my dear Xixi! Come back quickly, I'll treat you to a big meal when you get back."
"Okay."
Wen Zhaoning hung up the phone and opened He Huaiqin's WeChat.
After hastily adding He Huaiqin on WeChat in the car, she hadn't paid close attention to his profile picture. Now, zooming in, her heart skipped a beat.
It was an almost pitch-black night sky, with a flowing, velvety green aurora, brilliant and grand. Beneath the aurora stood a black silhouette, its back to the camera, standing there between heaven and earth, appearing incredibly lonely.
Aurora.
He had gone to see the aurora.
Memories surged like a tide, bringing a bittersweet sweetness, uncontrollably flooding back.
"If one day you become very rich, what's the first thing you'll want to do?"
"Take you to see the aurora."
"Why?"
"Because your appearance is the most brilliant light in my life."
..
Wen Zhaoning didn't want to think too much about it. Six years had passed. He Huaiqin might have forgotten many of those past memories. It was just a coincidence, right?
She minimized his profile picture again and quickly typed a message in the chat box: "Lawyer He, I received the item, thank you."
Then, she exited the chat interface.
He Huaiqin replied quickly: "That's all the thanks?"
Wen Zhaoning thought for a moment, "I can pay for the labor costs of the people Lawyer He sent to search."
"How much? Two hundred and fifty?"
Although it was just text, Wen Zhaoning could feel his resentment through the screen.
"Then what do you want, Lawyer He?" she asked.
"Treat me to a meal."
"I'm in a sensitive period before my divorce. If someone with ill intentions sees Lawyer He and me dining together, it might damage Lawyer He's reputation."
This wasn't an excuse. Wen Zhaoning genuinely thought this. Lu Hengyu had many unsavory friends in Shanghai. If someone were to see her and He Huaiqin together, He Huaiqin would truly be branded as an 'adulterer'.
He Huaiqin: "Miss Wen can invite me to your home for a meal."
"The Wen family went bankrupt, and the house has already been foreclosed. I'm currently staying at a friend's place with my child, and it's inconvenient to bring a man home for dinner."
This wasn't an excuse for Wen Zhaoning either; it was her current situation.
The once glorious Miss Wen, now separated from the Lu family, had no place to shelter.
He Huaiqin: "You can come to my place."
"Go to your place, and you'll cook for me? Then how would that count as me treating you to a meal?"
"You cook," He Huaiqin sent a cold message, "The cook is taking leave tomorrow anyway."
So, after all this, he wanted her to take over the cook's duties.
Wen Zhaoning took a deep breath.
Fine! She would cook. She owed him such a huge favor!
"Okay, Lawyer He, send me what you want to eat, and I'll prepare the ingredients."
He Huaiqin was not polite at all and sent over a menu. Wen Zhaoning glanced at it, thinking, "What kind of person is this, ordering a full banquet from me?"
"Lawyer He, don't think too highly of me. I don't know how to cook everything."
"Cook what you know how to make. Not too much, just enough for two people."
Just enough for two people, that was manageable. Five or six dishes, plus a soup, should be enough.
Before Wen Zhaoning could reply, He Huaiqin added, "I'll have someone prepare the ingredients. With your injured leg, don't go to the market and cause trouble for others."
"Thank you, Lawyer He."
She sent a sticker of a person bowing deeply in gratitude.
Tea house.
The evening sun filtered through the bamboo blinds, casting dappled light on the rosewood tea table. Wisps of white steam rose from the spout of the purple clay teapot, and the scent of agarwood silently permeated the air.
At the round table in the private room, a card game was in full swing.
He Huaiqin sat by the card table, leaning back against the Chinese-style chair, silently flipping a chip between his fingers.
Shao Yiyu raised his hand to pour tea. The clear tea soup of the Silver Needle White tea formed an elegant arc. He pushed a celadon teacup towards He Huaiqin, "Huaiqin, the villa you liked before, the property deed has been successfully obtained. When do you plan to move in?"
"Not moving."
"Not moving? Why not moving anymore?"
West City Villa was He Huaiqin's temporary residence after returning to the country. The day he moved in, he had said the environment and facilities were average and asked Shao Yiyu to help him find a house.
During this time, Shao Yiyu had helped him scout many villas, but he wasn't satisfied with any of them. He had finally found a garden villa and spent a large sum to buy it, only to decide not to move in?
He Huaiqin glanced at his phone. Wen Zhaoning's sticker of a person bowing deeply was still repeatedly nodding in the chat box.
"I don't want to move anymore."
Shao Yiyu glared at him, "Are your ideas as changeable as the tea leaves in the pot, tasting different with every brew?"
The others at the card table chuckled.
He Huaiqin didn't reply. The phone screen dimmed, and his thumb instinctively pressed his fingerprint to unlock it again.
"Also, you're acting strange today. Why have you been constantly looking at your phone and chatting on WeChat?" Shao Yiyu leaned over to take a look and happened to catch sight of the amusing sticker, "Who are you chatting with? You're even using stickers?"
Most of the contacts on He Huaiqin's phone were clients. His conversations were usually concise, clear, and efficient. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't use stickers.
Even when they chatted about trivial matters, few people dared to send stickers to He Huaiqin.
"Is it a woman?" Zhou Shi'an, sitting opposite He Huaiqin, raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "Are you in love?"
"Smiling eyes, constantly unlocking your phone – I was like this when I was in love in my youth."
"No wonder. The usual money-making king has such bad luck at cards today. Isn't this a classic case of success in love, failure in gambling?"
"Which young lady from Shanghai is it?"
It was rare to encounter gossip about He Huaiqin, and everyone chimed in, asking with great interest.
He Huaiqin was in a good mood. He pushed his last few chips forward and teased, "You all, it's a shame the Central Intelligence Agency didn't hire you as consultants."
Everyone was still curious, but Shao Yiyu suddenly fell silent.
Shao Yiyu recalled the corner of the chat window he had glimpsed earlier. Something was wrong. The woman chatting with He Huaiqin was using a child's photo as her profile picture.
She had a child?
He instantly guessed who the woman was.
Wen Zhaoning!
It was Wen Zhaoning!
Didn't He Huaiqin say six years ago that she was dead? Was he chatting with a ghost?
Oh no, it's game over. It seems this guy hasn't given up on being a male mistress.
No, he couldn't just stand by and watch his best brother go astray.
Shao Yiyu walked over to He Huaiqin and said casually, "Huaiqin, I heard Yajing has graduated and is coming back soon, right?"
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