For the first time, Cheng Zimiao discovered that when anger reached its peak, blood would flow backward.
And when blood flowed backward, a person would feel a bone-deep chill.
S.
He knew clearly that this man was Shen Lizhou.
The joyful laughter from the living room, the warm and sweet atmosphere, receded like a tide, revealing beneath it the jagged, sharp, unignorable black reef that had been lying there all along.
"…Lulu," Cheng Zimiao said softly, gently. "You should go to sleep now. If you don't sleep soon, you won't be able to adjust to the time difference."
Even a little demon seed had her obedient moments. Lulu looked at Cheng Zimiao's expression and, without almost any hesitation, scurried back into Shi Ran's arms, murmuring quietly, "I'll sleep with Auntie."
Shi Ran picked her up and walked toward Cheng Zimiao, extending one hand.
Cheng Zimiao looked up, as if he hadn't registered what was happening, thinking she wanted to take his hand to go together. There was a dazed confusion in his eyes.
"My phone."
Shi Ran reminded him.
She noticed with some curiosity that Cheng Zimiao was clutching her phone, his knuckles almost white. At her words, he let out a derisive snort, turned his face away, and handed the phone back to her.
Shi Ran took her phone and carried Lulu back to the bedroom.
It had been so long since she'd been back at No. 1 Courtyard that everything looked unfamiliar—even she herself felt a bit disoriented.
Oil paintings hung on the walls whose names she couldn't recall; the crystal chandelier cast a soft, clear glow. But no matter how exquisite the decor, an empty house carried a cold, hollow feeling. Her footsteps echoed through the spacious hallway, seeming somehow out of place.
She thought for a moment, then headed toward the guest bedroom.
Pushing open the door, the large room was spotless, but the two-meter-wide bed was covered tightly with an off-white dust cover, and even the pillows and blankets had been tucked away cleanly.
The housekeeper hadn't made the bed.
So Cheng Zimiao had planned to sleep on the sofa?
Shi Ran didn't bother with that. Carrying Lulu, she turned and headed for the master bedroom.
The master bedroom, by contrast, was arranged to be soft and cozy. A thick cashmere rug lay beside the bed, a monstera plant sat by the French windows, and a vase on the low wooden side table held a fresh bouquet of white lisianthus and lily of the valley, their petals still beaded with glistening water droplets.
The bedding was a warm light apricot tone, with two cream-colored knitted throw pillows placed on top.
One was embroidered with a kitten, the other with a puppy—ones she and Cheng Zimiao had bought together before their marriage, and he'd teased her for being childish about them.
On the vanity nearby were the skincare and makeup sets she was used to, her usual lipsticks, even her favorite hair ties and perfume… all sitting quietly in their corners, giving Shi Ran the strange illusion that time had folded back on itself.
During the early days of their marriage…
The arrangement here had looked just like this.
She and Lulu washed up together, changed into pajamas together, blow-dried their hair together. Then she directed Lulu onto the bed, pulled the covers over her, and picked up the Little Bear Baby picture book from the bedside: "Alright, let's read a story, and once we're done, we sleep. Tomorrow morning, Auntie will take you to buy that Egg Party x Switch collaboration you've been thinking about, okay?"
Lulu, who had been rolling around on the bed, suddenly seemed to remember something at the mention of "Egg Party." With an "Ah!" she jumped up and slid off the bed: "I forgot… Auntie, wait a second!"
Shi Ran watched in confusion as she pattered out of the room. A moment later, she pattered back, dragging behind her a Cheng Zimiao who looked somewhat reluctant.
He had just showered too, his hair not even fully dried, falling messily across his forehead.
During their most passionate days, Shi Ran had once scolded him, saying that while his damp hair looked incredibly sexy, it was very bad for his health—especially since he suffered from migraines that could be absolutely debilitating. She absolutely wouldn't allow it.
But he never learned his lesson, always loving to come dripping wet to seduce her. Eventually, he'd delegated the task of blow-drying his hair entirely to her. When she dried his hair, their gazes would always tangle in the mirror, and tangled gazes would lead to kisses, and then things would get all sticky and sweet, and finally they'd have to shower together all over again.
A damp, cold Cheng Zimiao was dragged to the bedside by Lulu. Shi Ran paused, averted her gaze, and felt a bad premonition. Even her smile turned forced: "What are we doing, Lulu?"
"I want Uncle to sleep with me too!" Lulu announced loudly.
The bad premonition quickly became reality. Shi Ran's vision went dark, and she could only stiffen as she shifted toward the foot of the bed, nearly teetering off the edge. Cheng Zimiao kept a cold face but didn't pull his hand away from Lulu's grip, letting the little girl tug him to the other side of the bed, where he lifted the covers and lay down.
The three of them lay side by side on the 2.2-meter-wide bed, with Lulu sandwiched in the middle. The air was inexplicably awkward.
"Story time now! Each person reads one sentence—no mistakes allowed!" Lulu held the picture book up in the middle like a strict little teacher.
This seemed to be a game Cheng Zimiao's sister and brother-in-law liked to play.
Whether it was a carefully crafted little touch or some kind of passing-the-buck arrangement, the bedtime routine was a joint effort—Mom and Dad each had to read one sentence of the picture book until Lulu fell asleep.
The same rules applied here.
Shi Ran steeled herself and began, "The little bear needs to go to sleep."
Cheng Zimiao continued coldly, "The little rabbit needs to go to sleep too."
They went back and forth like this, and normally it would have been quick to lull Lulu to sleep, but Cheng Zimiao was off today for some reason. He kept losing focus—when it was his turn to speak, he'd accidentally chime in with her, and when it was her turn, he'd inexplicably fall silent for a few seconds, lost in thought.
Stumbling through it, they finally got Lulu to sleep, and Shi Ran was nearly asleep herself.
She yawned and whispered, "What happened with your cousin and her husband this time?"
She hadn't actually seen much of Cheng Zimiao's cousin or her husband. She only knew they fought every three days over small things and every five over big ones, and whenever things blew up, they'd drop Lulu off at their place. Not just the two of them—even Lulu had gotten used to it by now.
Cheng Zimiao's gaze lingered on the chandelier overhead, the light making him shut his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Don't know."
"This can't go on forever," Shi Ran mused. "Kids need their parents around as they grow up. Was the fight really that bad this time? They had to send Lulu back to the country…"
"Annoyed, are you?" Something had set Cheng Zimiao off, his tone icy. "In such a hurry to send Lulu back, in such a hurry to shed your title as her aunt?"
Shi Ran paused, then replied in an even colder tone than his: "Is that what I meant?" Then, even more harshly, "So what if it was? We're already divorced."
Her drowsiness evaporated as she sat up slightly, like a cat with its fur bristling, ready to get out of bed and go have it out in a fight.
Maybe it was better to just lay everything out in the open, Shi Ran thought.
Smash the jar, let it shatter, and once it hit rock bottom, the only way left was up.
But her mother's health…
She clenched the corner of the blanket slightly.
Cheng Zimiao had always been good at fighting.
Countless words had already surfaced in his mind, ready to easily open this battle.
Like.
Oh? In that much of a hurry?
In a hurry to go on a date with your fake boyfriend?
If Lulu hadn't come back tonight, where were you planning to stay—your fake boyfriend's place?
Don't think he didn't know—
She and Shen Lizhou weren't even close.
It was all just a fake boyfriend, nothing more!
But all those words ran through his mind, and in the end, not a single one came out. He just turned over, facing away from her, and let out a deep breath.
This caught Shi Ran off guard.
The sharp-tongued Cheng Zimiao only muttered dully, "I'm tired. Not going to argue with you. Go to sleep."
Who's arguing with whom?
Shi Ran paused for a few seconds, then asked, "You're sleeping here too?"
"This is my home." His voice was frigid, his spine stiff as a board.
Shi Ran rose gracefully. "I'll leave."
He suddenly sat up. "Shi Ran!"
Shi Ran quickly raised a finger to her lips and shushed him. Fortunately, the child slept soundly—good quality sleep, not even a furrow in her brow—which made her inexplicably think of someone else.
In that moment of distraction, Cheng Zimiao caught it sharply, his voice dropping. "What are you thinking about?"
She ignored him and got out of bed, but the moment her foot touched the soft cashmere rug, his hand closed around her wrist.
Cheng Zimiao ran warmer than she did—his palm was hot, but his fingertips were ice-cold. The grip on her wrist was tight, as if he'd crush her bones if she tried to pull away.
Shi Ran turned around and met his eyes.
The bedside lamp cast light from the side, carving his features into sharp relief.
Brow bone, nose bridge, jawline—every line was as handsome and familiar as ever. She saw the shadow his lashes cast beneath his eyes, the taut curve of his jaw, and those peach-blossom eyes, slightly narrowed now, fixed on her without blinking as he demanded, "Shi Ran… do you really have to be like this?"
"Like what, Cheng Zimiao?" The words left Shi Ran's mouth faster than her mind could process them. Before she'd even thought it through, she heard her own voice—haughty, cold, unreal, as if coming from another world. "We're already divorced. Do you think we should be sleeping in the same bed?"
The room was very quiet.
Only Lulu's even breathing and the occasional chirp of insects from outside the window could be heard.
The warm yellow light cast their shadows on the wall—so close together, yet separated by what seemed like an uncrossable chasm.
Only after her words landed did Shi Ran slowly notice that Cheng Zimiao's voice was hoarse, dark circles under his eyes, red threads in his gaze.
The hand holding hers wore a wedding ring today.
The band of the ring pressed into her soft skin—cold, and aching.
His expression right now… he looked like he was hurting.
It made her feel a momentary daze.
This was the man she'd loved since her youth.
The man she'd thought she'd grow old with, walking through countless long years side by side.
A friend, a confidant, a husband, a lover.
…How had they ended up here?
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Cheng Zimiao's gaze slowly turned cold.
He abruptly released his hand, as if touching her had been some great humiliation. Then he got off the bed and walked straight toward the door.
Shi Ran watched his straight back, watched him walk out quickly and heavily without even wearing his slippers, and watched him leave through the door, closing it behind him…
He never looked back the entire time.
…
That's it, then.
They were divorced anyway—what more was there to say?
Shi Ran sat at the edge of the bed, the warmth of his palm still lingering on her wrist.
She slowly let out a breath and got off the bed as well.
All drowsiness had completely dissipated.
A restless agitation she couldn't quite name churned in her chest.
She sat in the rocking chair by the window, gazing at the moon in the sky. After staring for a while, she grew even more unsettled and pulled out her phone.
She happened to see a message he had sent after her reply to him just now.
【S: Did you get home safely?】
【SR: Yes】
About half an hour later.
【S: There are currently no houses for rent or sale in Guanlan Tiandi.】
【S: If you need one, would you like to come see my place another day?】