“Something wrong?” The man on the other end of the phone still sounded lazy and low, carrying the same cold indifference as always.
“Where are you?” she asked coldly.
“Chen City.” His voice remained emotionless.
It was a top-tier hotel, a favorite gathering place for the upper class.
Qiao Xi’s first impulse was to rush straight to Chen City and confront him face-to-face.
But after thinking it over, they still had a year left in their agreement. If she completely tore things apart now, the road ahead would only become harder.
Keeping her expression blank, she said, “Come back early. I have something to talk to you about.”
The man on the other end let out a soft laugh tinged with mockery.
“So if you tell me to come back early, I should obey? Who do you think you are?”
“If you don’t come back, you’ll regret it. That’s all I’m saying,” Qiao Xi replied bluntly before hanging up directly.
Back at home, she sat angrily on the living room sofa waiting for him.
Time passed little by little, but even by midnight there was still no sign of Nangong He.
She was exhausted, yet still filled with anger, feeling as though she were hanging from a suspension bridge—stuck in a miserable state with nowhere to go.
The clock hands slowly crept toward three in the morning.
Unable to hold on any longer, Qiao Xi finally drifted into a groggy sleep.
At three-thirty, the front door finally opened again, and Nangong He walked in reeking of alcohol.
Holding his phone, he was speaking with obvious displeasure.
“I already told you my affairs have nothing to do with you. Stop calling me. The person who married me isn’t you, and the one who has the right to control me isn’t you either.”
His voice was icy and low to the extreme, complicated emotions flickering through his narrow eyes.
The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and the veins bulging along his arms revealed the anger he was suppressing.
Even in her dreams, Qiao Xi had been thinking about confronting Nangong He.
The moment she heard his voice, it was like her DNA activated.
Her eyes snapped open instantly, and she sat upright, blurting out:
“Why are you only coming back now?!”
The words had originally been full of anger, but somehow they carried the faint tone of a wife complaining to her husband.
In the silent villa, her voice echoed especially loudly.
Nangong He deliberately remained silent for a moment, allowing her words to carry clearly to the other end of the call.
Sure enough, Xiao Chuyin’s trembling voice came through with a hint of tears.
“So it’s real? It’s not just an act? Grandpa already told me before… we…”
“The person I truly like now is her,” Nangong He said calmly. “If there’s nothing important, stop calling. My wife will get angry.”
With that, he hung up the phone immediately.
As a husband, he had stayed out drinking until three or four in the morning while talking to his ex-girlfriend on the phone.
If it were another woman, she probably would have exploded in rage already.
But Qiao Xi didn’t care at all.
Even if he brought another woman home right now, she probably wouldn’t even blink.
All she wanted was the truth.
Though Nangong He had just been putting on a show of affection over the phone, in reality he barely even glanced at Qiao Xi.
Taking long strides, he headed directly upstairs.
Qiao Xi steeled herself and rushed forward, spreading her arms to block his path.
Only when she got close did she catch the strong smell of alcohol on him, making her frown involuntarily.
“You’re not leaving. I have something to say!”
Nangong He lowered his gaze to look at her and spoke indifferently.
“Keep it short. Don’t waste my time.”
Forgetting the anger she felt from waiting for him all night, Qiao Xi spoke directly.
“What relationship do you have with my studio boss? Why did you secretly contact him? What exactly are you trying to do?”
She clenched her fists tightly. Because of staying up all night, her eyes were red, making her look like a little beast ready to explode at any moment.
Nangong He looked down at her from above, his eyes full of ridicule.
“You waited for me until now just to ask this meaningless nonsense?”
“It’s not nonsense. Tell me why!” Qiao Xi said firmly. “Were you afraid I’d become famous overnight and escape your control?”