Dongfu Famous City
Xia Cheng's car was parked in the underground parking lot. She called a female housekeeper, and the two of them, with great effort, managed to get the drunken Qiao Xi back home.
After taking her to the second bedroom, Xia Cheng let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Qiao Xi suddenly rolled over and cursed, "Shang Beichen... you bastard."
"I won't... give Little Bean... to you."
"Why... did you... betray me?"
Xia Cheng knew that this was a drunkard's confession. Fortunately, she hadn't let Shang Beichen take her away.
She quickly went out to make some honey water. When she returned, the person was gone.
She was holding a plush toy, hiding in the corner of the walk-in closet, shedding tears.
"Shang Beichen, I miss you so much. When will you come back? *Wuwu*."
She was as fragile as a bird with a broken wing.
The impenetrable disguise she wore during the day crumbled under the influence of alcohol.
Only she knew the hardships she had endured over the years.
She had walked through the gates of hell, risked her life to give birth to a child, and then returned to Ningcheng with the child.
Not for any other reason.
Only to wait for him.
She hated him for betraying their marriage.
He was like a beautiful, potent poison, its fragrance intoxicating her before tearing her apart.
"I want to go... to Luocheng..."
"Go to Luocheng..."
"Okay, okay, go to Luocheng. We'll get up and catch a plane right now." Xia Cheng felt immense heartache and quickly helped her up, coaxing and tricking her back into bed.
Xia Cheng sighed.
In the past two years, Qiao Xi had flown to Luocheng more than twenty times. Half of her hard-earned salary had gone to the airline.
Someone must have spread rumors, perhaps a scumbag classmate, saying they saw Shang Beichen in Luocheng...
From then on, Luocheng became the deepest obsession in her heart.
Alas, Shang Beichen, that damned man, caused so much harm.
..
The next day, Shang Beichen sat in his office with a grim expression.
The air pressure in the President's Office was terrifyingly low.
His heart felt empty. Without that woman, he felt like something was missing, an emptiness.
He wondered how that woman was doing last night.
Su Xiaoke, holding a tablet, nervously reported the day's schedule.
Shang Beichen suddenly looked up, interrupting her.
"The roses that filled the secretary department before, were they from your boyfriend?"
His question was cold and abrupt.
Su Xiaoke froze for a few seconds before reacting.
She quickly shook her head.
"No, no, no, President Shang. Those were... those were from Secretary Qiao's admirer."
Shang Beichen's fingers tightened around the pen, his knuckles turning white.
"She has a boyfriend?"
"Probably... not yet," Su Xiaoke answered cautiously. "But Secretary Qiao probably has someone she really likes. For the past two years, she's flown to Luocheng every time she had a holiday..."
Before she could finish, Su Xiaoke suddenly covered her mouth.
It was over. She had said too much!
Xixi, I'm so sorry. Please don't blame me for my slip of the tongue!
Luocheng.
Shang Beichen's eyes instantly deepened by several degrees.
Meeting her lover every holiday?
Good, very good, Qiao Xi.
He tugged at his tie, feeling a tightness in his chest.
"Get out."
He waved his hand, his voice laced with impatience.
Su Xiaoke felt as if she had been granted a great pardon. Clutching her documents, she quickly fled the scene.
It was past ten in the morning when Qiao Xi slowly woke up.
Her head was pounding.
She suddenly sprang up from the bed. It was over. She was late for work and hadn't requested leave!
"Awake?" Xia Cheng pushed the door open and walked in. "Don't worry, I've already requested leave for you."
"Since you're free today, go see Godmother. She's had a cold for two days. Little Bean will stay with me for a few days to avoid catching anything."
Qiao Xi slowly got up, walked over, and hugged Xia Cheng tightly, resting her chin on her shoulder.
"Chengzi, thank you."
"Come on, why be polite with me?" Xia Cheng patted her back. "You absolutely must not drink again. Yesterday, you almost revealed your bank card password."
Qiao Xi was stunned, then she couldn't help but laugh and cry.
"Alright, I'll give you the card in a moment. You know the password too, so you can withdraw money as you please."
This bad habit of hers was deadly. When she drank, she turned into a secret-leaking machine, unable to keep anything hidden.
On the night of her wedding, she had also been drunk.
Hugging Shang Beichen's neck, she mumbled to him that there was a kind neighbor, an older brother, who had been very good to her when she was little, and had said he would marry her when he grew up.
She also said that she had really liked that big brother when she was young. If he hadn't gone abroad for further studies, it wouldn't have been Shang Beichen's turn to marry her.
What happened afterward was too painful to recall.
Shang Beichen was furious on the spot. He tossed and turned her, and the two of them practically fought in bed all night.
Seeing her lost in thought, Xia Cheng added.
"I'm telling you, that dog man definitely got you drunk on purpose to trick information out of you. From now on, you must never touch alcohol again, otherwise, Little Bean will truly be taken away!"
Qiao Xi's heart clenched in fear. She quickly shook her head, "I won't drink anymore. I'd rather die than drink again!"
At noon, Qiao Xi and Xia Cheng went to the supermarket, bought some gifts, and also bought many dishes that Mom liked. They returned to Anning Yuan together.
Chen Xiuhua's cold hadn't gotten better, her voice was hoarse, but seeing her two good daughters come to see her together made her incredibly happy.
Xia Cheng stood in the kitchen, helping her cook. She called her "Godmother" and "Godmother" constantly, making Chen Xiuhua beam with joy.
Her heart felt warm. This goddaughter was truly thoughtful, unlike her own unfeeling daughter, who was so busy she was never seen.
At the dinner table, Chen Xiuhua kept serving them food.
"Xixi," she put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat. "Do you remember Aunt Jiang next door? She has a young brother who graduated and has been working for six years. He's about your age. I've seen his photo; he's a handsome and talented man."
"He even works at the same company as you. Isn't that a coincidence?"
Qiao Xi poked at her rice, not even looking up.
"Mom, please, let me rest. I've been so tired from work lately."
"Alright, then next month. Next month I'll arrange blind dates for you again."
Xia Cheng suppressed a smile from the side.
"Godmother, don't wait until next month. Get his WeChat now, and I'll take a look to see just how handsome he is."
Chen Xiuhua's eyes lit up.
"Chengcheng, don't rush. There's another one. Godmother thinks he's particularly suitable for you."
The smile on Xia Cheng's face froze. She silently lowered her head to eat, no longer daring to speak.
In the afternoon, a man with the nickname "Jiang" sent a friend request.
Qiao Xi directly ignored it, clicking to ignore.
She picked up Little Bean from kindergarten and took the little one to play on the community slide for a while before taking her home.
After cooking for Little Bean and feeding her, and after washing up, Qiao Xi took out a picture book, pointed to the drawings, and patiently taught her.
"Baby, look, what is this?"
"A duck, quack quack."
"And this?"
"This is a chick, chirp chirp."
"This is... a big tiger!"
"Roar!"
Little Bean followed along in her milky voice, extending her little hands to mimic a big tiger, which made Qiao Xi laugh.
"Ding dong—"
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Qiao Xi thought it was Xia Cheng and opened the door without even looking.
As soon as the door opened, the smile on her face instantly froze.
A stern face appeared before her.
Shang Beichen, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, stood tall and straight at her doorstep.
He spoke first, his voice deep.
"Secretary Qiao, I've had too much to drink. Make me a bowl of hangover soup."
He stepped aside and walked in.
Qiao Xi's anger flared up instantly. She was off today, and he still came to her for service?
Did he think she had no temper?
"Shang Beichen! This is my home, and you're not welcome! Get out!"
Shang Beichen remained unmoved. Instead, he stepped forward.
The man leaned down slightly, approaching her ear. His breath carried a hint of alcohol, mixed with the familiar, crisp cedar fragrance.
"Or, how about you come to my place to cook?"
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