Chapter 17: Betrayal Against Me

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After leaving the hospital, Lu Qiqi wandered around outside for a while to clear her head. She truly did not want to return to that so-called home she shared with Si Qinyu, a place filled with lies.

It was not until the afternoon that she went back. The moment she opened the door, she saw Si Qinyu sitting on the sofa, both hands resting on his knees, looking as though he had been waiting to demand an explanation.

As soon as he saw Lu Qiqi, Si Qinyu rose and strode toward her in a few steps. He seized her wrist with tremendous force, his face blazing with anger.

“Lu Qiqi, what exactly is your relationship with Chu Linchen? What did you two do yesterday?”

“Ah, that hurts, Qinyu. You’re hurting me.” Lu Qiqi hurriedly yanked her hand free. A red mark already circled her slender wrist, slowly darkening to a livid purple.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word.”

“Still pretending in front of me? I have the photographs! I work hard out there, and this is how you treat me? You actually dare betray me, flirting with another man!”

Si Qinyu snatched up the stack of photographs from the coffee table and flung them at Lu Qiqi’s face. She stepped back several paces to avoid them, but caught sight of the images from the corner of her eye. They were photographs of her dining with Chu Linchen the previous day.

The angle had been deliberately chosen. Only she and Chu Linchen appeared in the shots; Bai Yu and Qin Xi were nowhere to be seen. It looked as though she and Chu Linchen had been on a private date, and both the distance between them and the atmosphere were highly suggestive.

“You misunderstood my loyalty just because of a few photographs, and now you’re shouting at me?” Lu Qiqi’s eyes reddened, and tears nearly spilled over. Her voice was both aggrieved and furious. “There were other friends there too—Bai Yu, and Miss Qin Xi. If you don’t believe me, I can call them right now and have them explain everything to you.”

Although she wore an expression of utter grievance, inwardly she found it deeply ridiculous. Si Qinyu was truly a hypocrite. He could carry on however he pleased outside, yet became furious merely because she had eaten a meal alone with another man—and still had the audacity to question her as though he were in the right.

As expected, that scoundrel was rotten from beginning to end. He could not be judged by an ordinary person’s standards. No wonder people said that one measured others by oneself: because he was unfaithful, he immediately assumed the worst whenever he saw someone dining alone with another person.

Upon hearing that Bai Yu and Qin Xi had both been there, Si Qinyu calmed considerably. He had heard of Qin Xi; apparently, she had recently been spending a great deal of time with Chu Linchen, and she had never been particularly close to Lu Qiqi.

Since Lu Qiqi dared to mention her, the matter was evidently true.

“If you trust me so little, then let’s get a divorce!” Tears streamed down Lu Qiqi’s face. She did not wipe them away, merely standing there stubbornly and staring at Si Qinyu as though he had broken her heart beyond repair.

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It was obvious that she had spoken in anger, and Si Qinyu did not take her seriously. He hurried to soothe her.

“Sweetheart, darling, don’t be angry. I only lost my head because I care about you too much. I swear.”

“Please, never divorce me. You’re my life. If you leave me, I won’t be able to go on living.”

Fang Lehong, who had been hiding in her room and listening at the door, rushed out when she heard her son and daughter-in-law mention divorce.

She also saw the photographs scattered across the floor. Even after the misunderstanding had been cleared up, she was still deeply displeased.

“You two only just got married. How can you casually keep throwing the word ‘divorce’ around? Qiqi, Qinyu was too impulsive this time, but as your mother, I have to say that you weren’t entirely in the right either.” She seemed to be trying to mediate, yet every word still carried an accusation against Lu Qiqi.

“You’re married now. Of course you should keep your distance from other men and avoid giving rise to misunderstandings like this. If you ask me, you ought to go out less, stay home, and take proper care of your health. Once your health is restored, you can give me a grandson sooner.”

With only a few words, she had once again turned the conversation toward making Lu Qiqi return to the role of a housewife.

“So what you mean is that I was falsely accused, and I’m still the one at fault? You keep saying you treat me like your own daughter, but I’ve never heard of a mother accusing her own daughter of being shameless!”

Lu Qiqi trembled with rage, but her words left Fang Lehong utterly humiliated.

Seeing that his mother was about to lose her temper as well, Si Qinyu hurried to smooth things over.

“Mom, say no more. Today was all my fault. Darling, don’t be angry. Mom didn’t mean it that way.”

Pretending to be furious, Lu Qiqi ran upstairs. Si Qinyu immediately followed. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and, in an attempt to ease the tension, pushed her down onto the bed.

“Darling, let’s have a baby.”

“No…”

How could Lu Qiqi possibly agree? She struggled frantically, but Si Qinyu was too strong for her to break free. In the confusion, she caught sight of the phone beside them and quickly pretended to reach for it by accident, dialing Shen Manli’s number.

The call was answered almost at once. Seeing the caller ID, Shen Manli was extremely impatient, though she put on an affectionate facade.

“Hello, Sister Qiqi. It’s so late. Is something wrong?”

The next instant—

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Shen Manli heard suggestive sounds coming from the other end, sounds that made one’s cheeks burn.

“Qinyu, no—don’t do that. That tickles. Hubby, please…”

Shen Manli’s entire body stiffened.

What was Lu Qiqi doing with Young Master Si? Why had she called her at a time like this? Could Lu Qiqi have discovered her relationship with Young Master Si and deliberately made her hear this, hoping she would take the hint and withdraw?

As her thoughts raced, Si Qinyu heard Shen Manli’s voice from the other end of the call. All his passion was instantly doused as though someone had thrown a basin of cold water over him. His expression turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Quite apart from the lingering feelings he still had for Shen Manli, he had no particular inclination to do such things in front of an outsider.

Si Qinyu therefore rose and straightened his clothes. Pretending to have suddenly remembered something important, he deliberately spoke with an apologetic tone.

“I’m sorry, darling, but I can’t keep you company tonight. I have to go to the office. I just remembered that there’s an important document I haven’t signed.”

“Hubby, it’s so late. Why don’t you stop working? Or I could wait until you’re finished, and then we can go to sleep together…” Lu Qiqi turned the tables, deliberately reaching out to pull him back while giving him an unmistakable hint. Yet at that moment, Si Qinyu was the one desperate to break free.

“It’s too late. Go to sleep first, and don’t wait for me. Don’t girls need their beauty sleep?” Si Qinyu gently kissed Lu Qiqi’s cheek before fleeing the room as though escaping.

Once he had left, Lu Qiqi let out a long sigh of relief. She truly did not want any intimate contact with Si Qinyu. She had not expected, however, that Shen Manli would still hold such weight in his heart.

And yet, for some reason, she still felt vaguely troubled and bitterly wistful.

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