Volume One, Chapter One: Reporting the Itinerary, His Wife's Indifference

During a social event, Shaoqin Rong received a message on his phone: “It’s going to get colder tonight. I asked the driver to bring warm clothes over, and there’s a thick blanket in the car as well. Don’t catch a cold, drink less, and try to come home early.”

It was from his wife, Haining Sang.

He was busy with work.

Whenever he wasn’t home by nine in the evening, Haining would send him messages, specially reminding him.

This had become almost a routine in their marriage of over a year.

Even though Shaoqin rarely acknowledged his wife’s messages.

He usually ignored her.

A man with a receding hairline, sharp-eyed, noticed the message and flattered, “That must be a message from Mrs. Rong. Mr. Rong and his wife seem very close.”

As soon as he said this, the private room fell into an awkward silence.

Everyone in Rong Shaoqin’s circle knew he was cold towards his wife.

Otherwise, they would have had a wedding ceremony.

Besides, there was another well-known fact in their social circle: Rong Shaoqin was keeping a woman on the side, a woman he cared deeply about.

The balding man was clearly an outsider.

Unaware of the inside story, he continued talking, “Mrs. Rong is gentle, unlike my tigress of a wife. Whenever I come home late, she bombards me with calls, worried I’m fooling around.”

At this gathering, all the men, including Rong Shaoqin, had stable marriages at home but affairs on the side.

It was an unspoken understanding.

Someone agreed with the balding man, “Checking up means your wife cares about you. If she didn’t, no matter how many mistresses you had, she wouldn’t care. At most, she’d just fulfill her wifely duties with a few perfunctory words of concern.”

Shaoqin Rong slightly raised his eyelids, his usually indifferent and deep eyes flickering with a subtle, obscure emotion.

He reopened his phone.

The screen still showed Haining’s message, filled with tender concern for her husband.

But Shaoqin’s mind flashed back to the previous conversation.

A vague irritation stirred within him.

He grabbed his coat from behind, using the excuse of feeling unwell from drinking, and left the gathering.

His secretary had been waiting outside for some time.

Seeing him come out, the secretary stepped forward and draped a heavy coat over Shaoqin’s shoulders. “Madam was worried you’d catch a cold and specially asked me to bring this for you. Please put it on.”

The heavy coat on his shoulders did not warm Shaoqin; instead, it made him more agitated.

He frowned and said, “There’s heating in the car. This is unnecessary.”

The secretary felt awkward.

Once Shaoqin sat in the car, the secretary asked, “Mr. Rong, are you going home or staying at a nearby hotel to rest?”

Shaoqin’s dark gaze fixed on the thick blanket beside him.

He didn’t answer but picked up his phone and called Haining Sang, his tone cold, “I’m not coming home tonight.”

When Shaoqin called, Haining had just finished her bath.

Her voluminous curls were half-dry, gently resting against her small, delicate face.

Her almond-shaped eyes, still moist, were exquisite and alluring, like they were coated with a layer of frost.

At that moment, she was facing the mirror, applying skincare products.

To be honest, she was surprised.

Because this was the first time in over a year of marriage that Shaoqin had taken the initiative to call her.

Was he reporting his whereabouts to her?

Haining couldn’t make sense of it.

This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

So, a bit dazed, she said, “Go to bed early. If you have a headache, ask the waiter to make you some hangover soup.”

She didn’t even ask where he was going.

Shaoqin hung up immediately.

Though he showed no expression, the secretary clearly sensed his bad mood.

Well, after all, he had married a wife who didn’t meet his expectations.

Anyone in his position would be unhappy.