Сhaptеr 18: Shе Рrоvоked Me
Ноw could this bе?
Had sоmеthing hарреned tо sоmеоne?
Hеr hands clenchеd tightlу, nails digging dеер intо hеr pаlms аs shе stepреd inside. It wаs Lu Beixun’s funеral—thе thing she fearеd and drеadеd mоst…
Cen Wаn collaрsеd tо thе floor, stаring in disbеliеf аt everуthing befоre her. Нadn’t she bеen rebоrn? Lu Beixun hаd bееn by hеr sidе all along, sо how соuld this…
That vоice еchоеd in hеr mind agаin, telling her shе hadn’t beеn rеbоrn at all—that Lu Beixun had beеn killеd by her own hands аnd wаs gone. Thе tеnderness of the past few days had been nothing but a dream, all of it false.
This was reality.
Cen Wan could no longer distinguish truth from illusion. Tears blurred her vision, and she couldn’t find her way home.
She had forgotten—she no longer had a home. Neither her own home nor the one Lu Beixun had given her remained.
Tears and sweat soaked her pillow as she remained trapped in the nightmare, unable to wake.
Faintly, she caught the familiar scent of sandalwood. A gentle kiss brushed against her lips, tender and lingering, bringing her a sense of peace.
In her dazed state, a soft voice murmured, “Why are you crying like this? It was just a dream, not real. I’m here.”
In her sleep, Cen Wan kept calling Lu Beixun’s name, as if by repeating it endlessly, he would never leave.
Hearing that familiar voice, Cen Wan’s heart finally settled. She opened her eyes, lashes damp, to find Lu Beixun’s face close to hers, his brow slightly furrowed as if worried about her.
The warmth of his lips still lingered on hers. Cen Wan froze for a moment. “Lu Beixun…”
“Weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow…?”
She wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming, but the person before her felt incredibly real—yet she feared he might vanish in the next second.
Quietly, she pinched her thigh and winced at the pain. Lu Beixun was truly here.
A wave of sorrow washed over her. Her delicate brows knitted together, eyes welling with tears as she pressed her lips tightly, the corners downturned, looking both aggrieved and pitiful.
Lu Beixun had been worried about her. Ever since arriving in Haicheng, his mind had been filled with the memory of that night when she had nightmares, sobbing uncontrollably and calling his name repeatedly. After finishing his meetings and handling his affairs, he flew straight back.
When he landed and saw her missed call, he considered calling back but worried she might be asleep and didn’t want to disturb her.
Gently wiping the tears from the corner of her eye, his voice was low and weary. “There’s someone at home who worries me. I finished my work and came back.”
He had just arrived home and hadn’t even had time to change his clothes when Cen Wan threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. “I had a nightmare. Hold me, hold me tight. I’m scared.”
Her voice was thick with a nasal tone from crying.
Lu Beixun lowered his gaze, tightening his embrace and patting her back softly as he whispered words of comfort.
Gradually calming down, Cen Wan rested in his warm embrace for a while. In the quiet of the night, emotions ran high. “Lu Beixun, do you still love me?”
Usually, she pretended not to care about this question, but that wasn’t the truth. She cared—deeply. Ever since the day Lu Beixun handed her the divorce papers, she had felt uncertain.
She feared his concern for her was merely out of a husband’s duty, and even more, she feared that after a year, Lu Beixun would insist on divorcing her—that agreeing to the one-year arrangement was only out of respect for their past as husband and wife.
She was afraid. Every day, she lived in fear of losing him, especially when she was alone and quiet.
Lu Beixun’s lips tightened slightly, remaining silent.Not receiving a response from Lu Beixun, she didn’t press further. Stepping out of his embrace, she looked up and saw weariness in his eyes. “You must be exhausted after a long day of travel.”
Cen Wan got out of bed and slipped on her slippers. “You should rest for a bit.”
She went into the bathroom, adjusted the water temperature, and started filling the bathtub. After fetching a set of pajamas from the closet and placing them on the shelf beside the tub, she lit some scented candles.
Once everything was arranged, she stood before Lu Beixun, untied his tie, and helped him remove his suit jacket. Shedding her usual pampered young lady demeanor, she now appeared as a gentle, caring wife concerned for her husband.
Lu Beixun’s gaze softened, and something within him stirred.
Cen Wan smiled at him. “Go ahead.”
Lu Beixun gave a quiet “Mm” and entered the bathroom. Cen Wan found a hanger and hung up his suit.
Not getting the answer she wanted left her feeling disappointed.
But it didn’t matter. She comforted herself, thinking there was still plenty of time left in their one-year agreement…
An hour later, nestled in his arms, Cen Wan hesitated, wanting to ask whether he had rushed back from Haicheng out of concern for her or for some other reason.
She opened her mouth, wavered for a while, but ultimately swallowed her words.
“Did you drink?” Lu Beixun, who had been quietly holding her without speaking, suddenly asked in a low voice.
Cen Wan didn’t deny it. “Yes, a little. Not much.”
In her previous life, Lu Beixun never interfered with her drinking. As long as she didn’t get completely drunk or harm her health, he wouldn’t say anything more.
By Lu Beixun’s side, she had always been free—disobedient, unruly, constantly stirring up trouble and opposing him, doing whatever she could to make him unhappy.
Looking back now, she had simply taken advantage of his affection to act recklessly. Lu Beixun had every means to bind her to his side and force her to be obedient and sensible.
But he never did. He would rather endure his own unhappiness than treat her that way.
“I ran into Shen Jianyv today.”
Lu Beixun looked at her but said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
“She provoked me,” Cen Wan lifted her chin slightly. “But I didn’t let her get the better of me.”
A faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Lu Beixun’s lips. Cen Wan caught it and pouted at him. “Aren’t you worried your wife might be bullied by your admirer?”
Truthfully, Lu Beixun wasn’t concerned about the two of them meeting—one acted with restraint, while the other was like a feisty little kitten who never let herself be taken advantage of.
Remembering Xu Zhi Tang’s words, Cen Wan blinked at Lu Beixun. “Lu Beixun, is Shen Jianyv really your admirer?”
“What makes you ask?”
“Never mind.” Cen Wan didn’t know how to explain it. Whether or not she was a rival in love, any woman who frequently showed affection toward Lu Beixun was automatically considered one.
Cen Wan lightly poked Lu Beixun’s chest with her slender finger. “Mr. Lu, you’re a married man. You should keep yourself pure and stay away from those bad women, okay?”
As the words left her mouth, a flicker of unease passed through Cen Wan’s eyes. After all, she was the one who had been the worst and most cruel to Lu Beixun…
Lu Beixun took hold of her restless hand, his deep voice tinged with affection. “Okay.”
Cen Wan’s eyes brightened, and she smiled. “As a reward, I promise to get up at six sharp tomorrow morning without fail. I won’t make you drag me out of bed.”
Patting her head gently, Lu Beixun said, “Go to sleep.”
Cen Wan sat up, leaned closer to him, and pressed her warm lips lightly against the corner of his mouth in a soft kiss. She wanted to deepen it, to be greedy, but didn’t dare, afraid that Lu Beixun might feel uncomfortable and push her away.”Goodnight, Professor Lu.”
After saying this, Cen Wan settled back to sleep, closing her eyes. A dozen seconds later, something soft touched her forehead, lingering for two seconds before withdrawing.
Then she heard Lu Beixun’s deep voice: “Goodnight, Wan Wan.”