Wen Qingli returned to her large apartment in Jingyuan Estate and saw Lu Zheng standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone.
He had taken off his police uniform jacket, leaving him in a crisp, well-fitted police shirt tucked neatly into his trousers. From the back, his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs gave him a tough, upright, and commanding presence.
When he finished the call, he turned to look at her. “Have you eaten?”
Wen Qingli nodded lightly. “Yes.”
After running into Su Yue and Bai Chuxue, she had completely lost her appetite and had barely eaten anything that evening.
His gaze drifted to the shopping bag in her hand. “Did you buy something for me?”
Wen Qingli walked over and handed the bag to him. “I’m not sure if it will fit. Try it on when you have time.”
Lu Zheng gave a low hum. “Thank you.”
Wen Qingli pressed her lips together. “I need to prepare my lessons tonight. May I use your study?”
Lu Zheng noticed her mood seemed rather subdued, wondering if she was just tired from work.
“Of course.”
Once she had his permission, Wen Qingli turned and walked into the study.
As the door closed behind her, Lu Zheng frowned ever so slightly.
As a criminal investigator, he could keenly sense that something was off with her emotions.
He walked to the door and raised his large hand, about to knock, but in the end, he pulled it back.
Before their marriage, they had agreed to treat each other with respect and not interfere in each other’s affairs. If she was trying to work through her feelings alone, she probably did not wish to be disturbed.
Inside the study, the curtains were drawn shut, blocking out all light, and only a small desk lamp was switched on. Under its soft, warm glow, Wen Qingli rested her slender cheek against her palm, her fine brows slightly furrowed.
The scene that had unfolded at the men’s clothing store earlier that evening kept replaying in her mind—Bai Chuxue’s determined look as she wanted to buy a gift for Lu Zheng, and Su Yue’s smug, taunting tone when she announced she was pregnant.
Her mood had, inevitably, been deeply affected.
Especially by Su Yue’s final words.
A heavy feeling settled in Wen Qingli’s chest, and her heart ached with sympathy for her mother.
When she was little, her father’s business had failed, and it was her mother who had stayed by his side and helped him through those difficult times.
There had once been a time when they truly loved each other. Yet once a man found success and prosperity, he still could not resist temptations outside the home.
Her mother had endured so much just to keep the family intact.
But her father only grew more reckless and unreasonable.
Finally, right after Wen Qingli took her college entrance exams, her mother chose to file for divorce.
Wen Qingli had stood firmly by her mother’s side without hesitation.
Over the years, her father and grandmother had always hoped for a son to carry on the Wen family line. Now that Su Yue was pregnant, their wish was finally going to come true.
Wen Qingli took out her phone and dialed her mother’s number.
After the divorce, her mother had moved back to their hometown in a small town, refusing to return to the city.
Listening to her mother ramble gently over the phone, reminding her not to work overtime too often, to eat well and not let herself get too thin, and to take good care of herself, Wen Qingli’s heavy spirits began to lift a little.
A faint, soft smile touched her lips. “You must take good care of yourself too, Mom. I hope you live to be a hundred years old.”
Once the call ended, Wen Qingli opened her teaching materials and began preparing her lessons.
By the time she finished, it was already deep into the night.
When she returned to the bedroom, Lu Zheng was already asleep.
She picked up her pajamas and slipped quietly into the bathroom.
After her shower, she felt thirsty and walked to the living room to get a glass of water. While filling it, her mind wandered, and the water nearly spilled over the rim. Suddenly, a long, firm hand reached out from behind her and turned off the tap.
The man stood so close behind her that if she took even a small step backward, her back would press right against his chest.
He stood a full head taller than her, and she could feel the warmth of his breath falling gently on the top of her hair.
Her slender, delicate frame tensed involuntarily.
Lu Zheng glanced down at her. Her long black hair was clipped up, exposing the graceful line of her neck, where a few damp strands stuck loosely to her skin.
Fresh from the shower, she carried a light scent of jasmine—clean and pleasant.
He took the nearly full glass, poured out a little water, and handed it back to her.
Wen Qingli lifted her long lashes to look up at him. “Why are you awake? Did I disturb you?”
“Not at all.” He picked up another glass and filled it for himself. “Su Yue is not actually pregnant.”
Wen Qingli had already guessed as much. “Professor Su is the real mastermind behind this, isn’t he?”
The details of the case had not yet been released to the public, and Lu Zheng was surprised by her intelligence and sharp intuition.
He nodded. “That’s correct.”
They talked for a while longer about the case.
Then Lu Zheng suddenly changed the subject. “Did something upset you at work today?”
Wen Qingli looked at his handsome, stern profile. Her slender fingers tightened slightly around the glass in her hand.
“Lu Zheng.”
His Adam’s apple moved gently. “Yes?”
Wen Qingli paused for a moment, biting her lower lip lightly with her small white teeth. Finally, she could not stop herself from asking, “Do you regret rushing into marriage with me and getting our license?”
Lu Zheng’s brows drew together faintly, and his gaze turned deeper and more serious. “What makes you say that?”
Wen Qingli stared at her own toes, her long lashes casting soft shadows. “Bai Chuxue is back in the country.”
Lu Zheng blinked in confusion. “And?”
Wen Qingli lifted her head again and looked straight into his eyes. “If you want a divorce, we can go to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow.”
Lu Zheng’s first thought was that she was the one regretting their impulsive marriage. But in the next instant, his sharp instincts told him that Bai Chuxue was part of the reason she wanted to bring it up.
“Did you meet Bai Chuxue today?” He narrowed his dark, unfathomable eyes, his voice growing low and firm. “What did she say to you?”
Wen Qingli was secretly amazed.
He really was a criminal investigator—his perceptiveness was incredible.
She took a sip of water. “She was also at the mall buying a coat for you—the same one I brought home. If you two want to get back together, I can—”
Before she could finish, he cut her off sharply. “I have nothing to do with Bai Chuxue. There is no going back to anything between us.”
Wen Qingli stood there, slightly stunned. This was not at all what she had expected.
“Isn’t Bai Chuxue your first love?”
Lu Zheng’s expression hardened, his gaze sharp and direct. “Bai Chuxue was just a neighbor at my grandmother’s home. Once, when my grandmother suffered a sudden heart attack and dropped her medicine bottle, Bai Chuxue picked it up and helped give her the medicine—she saved my grandmother’s life.”
“My grandmother did try to match us up in the past, but back then I was fully focused on my studies and had no interest in dating. After I entered the police academy, Bai Chuxue came to see me once. She was being harassed by a wealthy student from her school and asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend. Out of gratitude for what she had done for my grandmother, I went to her school that day.”
“Once I helped resolve the problem with that rich student, I had no further contact with her at all.”
Wen Qingli had never imagined the truth would be so simple.
He had never loved Bai Chuxue; they had never even dated. Everything was just rumors and gossip.
The heavy, bitter feeling in her chest instantly lifted, and a quiet, sweet joy began to bloom deep inside her, impossible to hide.
“Lu Zheng… have you ever fallen in love with anyone before?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “No. I don’t need love.”
Just like that, Wen Qingli’s heart sank all the way to the bottom again.
He did not need love.
She must remember this. She must remember it well.
He was far too clever. She must never let her quiet crush on him show.