Beautiful Wife: The Cold Boss is My Husband - Chapter 22.2

The light filtering through his eyelids flickered for only an instant before Yan Chengming keenly sensed it had vanished, followed immediately by the sudden, intense sound of footsteps. Yan Chengming cursed under his breath, not even bothering to end the call before shoving his phone into his pocket.

“Trying to rob me, huh? You picked the wrong guy!”

Always brimming with a sense of justice, Yan Chengming charged forward without hesitation. Despite being a pampered rich kid, he never missed a day at the gym, and his physical fitness was exceptional. He closed the distance between himself and the shadowy figure with remarkable speed.

The alley ended in a dead-end wall, leaving the fleeing figure with nowhere to go. Forced to stop, he turned around.

As Yan Chengming drew closer, he could make out more details. The man was wearing a thin hoodie in the dead of winter, the fabric bulging oddly—perhaps stuffed with something for warmth. His face was gaunt, and beneath the hood, little hair was visible, suggesting a buzz cut. His features remained obscured in the shadows.

Seeing Yan Chengming relentlessly pursuing him, the man finally spoke, his voice hoarse and strained. “I’m not here to rob you.”

Yan Chengming scoffed. “If you’re not here to rob me, why were you following me at night? I suggest you cooperate and come with me to the police station.”

Realizing Yan Chengming wasn’t open to discussion, the man fell silent again. He glanced briefly behind him, where a large gray trash bin stood.

After confirming something to himself, he spoke again. “I can’t fight you. Don’t come any closer. I’ll go with you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Yan Chengming let his guard down slightly. Seizing the opportunity, the man leaped onto the trash bin, pressed his hands against the wall, and vaulted over it. As he fled, he tossed back a final remark: “The people around you aren’t what you think they are. I’ll be back for you.”

Yan Chengming tried to give chase but hadn’t even managed to climb onto the trash bin before the man disappeared. Panting heavily, his breath forming white clouds in the cold air, Yan Chengming muttered to himself, “What was that all about? Sounded like something out of a movie.”

Meanwhile, Zhuo Xiao had been sitting on the balcony, a slender cigarette between his fingers, talking to Yan Chengming on the phone while gazing absently at the night sky. The moment he heard Yan Chengming might be in danger, he shot to his feet. “Honey, don’t confront him head-on! What if he has a knife? I’m coming to find you—wait for me!”

As he spoke, he stubbed out his cigarette, frantically pulling on his clothes before rushing out the door.

Just as he was about to start his car, he heard a voice from Yan Chengming’s end of the call: “The people around you aren’t what you think they are. I’ll be back for you.” Zhuo Xiao’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

He would recognize that voice even in death.

Anxiously, he called out, “Honey, are you okay?”

It took Yan Chengming about half a minute to pick up the phone again. “Baby, I’m fine. Don’t worry. He ran off. I’m heading to the police station to file a report. Meet me there, I’ll send you the location.”

With that, he hung up.

Zhuo Xiao froze for a moment before quickly dialing another number. His expression darkened, his voice turning cold and fierce. “He’s in City A. Find him for me, and fast! And what about the evidence from his past misdeeds? I want him locked up again—this time for good!”

Later that night, at the police station.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened,” Yan Chengming finished recounting the incident, squeezing Zhuo Xiao’s ice-cold hand. Zhuo Xiao sat beside him, his worried gaze never leaving Yan Chengming, as if he wanted to strip him down and check for any hidden injuries.

The officer on duty nodded while taking notes. “Alright, sir, we’ve filed the report. With the New Year approaching, public security isn’t great lately. You should be careful too.”

“Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, officer.” Yan Chengming stood up to leave.

The fresh-out-of-college police officer, with his youthful round face, twitched the corner of his mouth.

At the entrance, Zhuo Xiao frowned and began patting Yan Chengming all over. Yan Chengming spread his arms like going through airport security, letting him check. “I really didn’t get hurt.”

Once Zhuo Xiao was almost done, Yan Chengming seized the moment to flip open his coat, wrapping Zhuo Xiao up in his arms for a full embrace.

He shamelessly opened his mouth and leaned close to Zhuo Xiao’s nose. “I just had half a glass of wine. Smell, can you tell?”

Yes, he could.

But Zhuo Xiao looked into Yan Chengming’s sparkling eyes right in front of him and shook his head. “No.”

“Hehe, that’s good.” Yan Chengming shamelessly rubbed his wine-scented lips against Zhuo Xiao’s. “My stomach feels awful, wifey. I want porridge, red date and yam porridge.”

Zhuo Xiao had just smoked and didn’t dare speak. He kept his lips tightly shut and hummed in agreement.

Only after Yan Chengming pulled away did he say softly, “I’ll make it for you when we get home.”

After drinking a bowl of warm, comforting red date and yam porridge at home, Yan Chengming’s eyes relaxed into equal signs.

Before bed, after washing up, Zhuo Xiao felt sure the smell of smoke was gone from his mouth. He lifted the blanket, snuggled into Yan Chengming’s arms, leaving no gap between them, blinked, and looked at him. “Hubby, hold me.”

Yan Chengming wrapped his arms around him, pressing Zhuo Xiao against his chest, and rubbed his back. “How’s your leg? Still hurting?”

Zhuo Xiao shook his head, not talking about himself but instead worrying about Yan Chengming. “Hubby, don’t go out lately. It feels really dangerous.”

Yan Chengming was taken aback, thinking today’s incident must have scared Zhuo Xiao. He leaned down and planted a “mwah” on Zhuo Xiao’s forehead, stroking the smooth hair at the back of his head. “It’s fine. Besides, my company is at a critical moment right now. I have to push through, I can’t just stay in.”

“But…” Zhuo Xiao’s voice was muffled against Yan Chengming’s chest, sounding downcast.

Yan Chengming had a sudden idea. “At most, I’ll hire two bodyguards when I go out.”

Only then did Zhuo Xiao lift his head, pressing his fingers against Yan Chengming’s chest muscles, leaving dents with each press. He played while pretending to ask casually, “Hubby, your phone wasn’t hung up at the time. I think I heard that person say something to you. Do you remember?”

Yan Chengming had drunk some wine this time, but not much. Zhuo Xiao wasn’t sure if his habit of forgetting things after drinking still applied.

Yan Chengming recalled that strange remark. “I do remember… Ouch.”

The fingers on his chest suddenly pressed harder.

Zhuo Xiao silently withdrew his hand. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Yan Chengming grabbed his hand again, placing it back on his chest muscles, even flexing them deliberately. “But I didn’t understand it. I think he might be crazy, talking all mystical.”

Zhuo Xiao looked into his sincere eyes and fell silent. “…”

He had managed to deceive him for so many years, and Yan Chengming certainly played a part in that.

The next morning, Yan Chengming woke up feeling dazed. He hadn’t gotten drunk this time, but there were still some lingering aftereffects. Memories from the night before slowly surfaced in his mind, and he patted his head, which wasn’t working quite right.

His mind still foggy, he went to look for his phone. He checked around his pillow but found nothing. Scratching his head, he walked over to the coat rack and rummaged through the pockets of the clothes he’d worn the day before, but they were all empty. Muttering to himself, he thought maybe his clothes had gotten mixed up with Zhuo Xiao’s, so he went to search Zhuo Xiao’s clothes instead.

Reaching into the pocket of Zhuo Xiao’s trench coat, he didn’t expect to find anything, but his fingers suddenly brushed against something cold.

Yan Chengming paused, frowning as he pulled the object out.

It was a sleek, rectangular shape with clean lines and a subtle black finish—a distinctly business-like lighter, likely from a high-end brand. Yan Chengming didn’t smoke, but he’d seen friends use similar ones, though their designs were flashier. This one, however, exuded sophistication, clearly reflecting the owner’s refined taste.

Zhuo Xiao’s clothes were mostly soft colors like white, beige, and brown, a stark contrast to the masculine style of this lighter.

Besides, he didn’t smoke.

This definitely wasn’t something Zhuo Xiao would own.

Then whose was it? It couldn’t have been some giveaway from a grocery store promotion. Even a fool like Yan Chengming could tell this thing was valuable—no way it was a freebie.

Was it something someone had asked Zhuo Xiao to hold onto? Zhuo Xiao’s life revolved between home and his studio, his social circle was simple, and Yan Chengming knew almost everyone he interacted with. What male friend would be close enough to entrust him with a lighter? Moreover, Zhuo Xiao had always kept to himself, maintaining a polite distance from other men whenever he went out with Yan Chengming.

That could only mean Yan Chengming’s heart began to ache again.

Before he could think it through, he clutched the lighter and started searching for Zhuo Xiao, wanting to confront him. His throat tightened with the urge to cry, but he felt he shouldn’t be so weak, so he stayed silent, moving around quietly in a frantic daze.

Finally, he spotted Zhuo Xiao through the glass door of the balcony.

Zhuo Xiao was in his pajamas. It had snowed the night before, and while snowing wasn’t too cold, the aftermath was. He had draped a soft, snow-white blanket over his shoulders, accentuating the delicate lines of his profile. He stood with his back partially turned to Yan Chengming, frowning with concern as he spoke into his phone, his lips moving silently.

The soundproofing in Yan Chengming’s home was excellent, so he could hardly hear what Zhuo Xiao was saying. Instinctively, he tiptoed closer and caught fragments of the conversation: “…I want to meet him, just him…”

Who was “him”? What “him”? Which other man was this?!

Yan Chengming’s mind spun into chaos. Panicking, he tried to turn and leave but, in his haste, kicked the corner of a table, producing a loud, startling thud.

As they say, the fingers are connected to the heart—so are the toes. Yan Chengming was still in slippers, and an overwhelming wave of pain surged through him. Whether it was physical or emotional, he couldn’t tell, but two tears rolled down his cheeks, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Hearing the noise, Zhuo Xiao immediately turned and saw Yan Chengming hunched over, clutching his foot in a pitiful state. He froze for a moment, then quickly ended the call and rushed over anxiously.

Kneeling down, he examined Yan Chengming’s foot. “How did you bump into something all of a sudden? Does it hurt?”

Yan Chengming stared at the top of Zhuo Xiao’s head, his mouth opening and closing as he found his voice coming out hoarse. He instinctively hid the lighter he was holding behind his back and made up an excuse: “I wasn’t paying attention to the road. Who were you talking to on the phone just now?”

“Ah, no one,” Zhuo Xiao paused for a moment while rubbing Yan Chengming’s toes, quickly changing the subject. “Be more careful next time, okay? Just apply some ointment and it’ll be fine.” He then turned around to fetch the medicine.

Perhaps because he was paying extra attention today, Yan Chengming’s nerves were unusually sharp. The slightest hint of something off could stir unease within him. Zhuo Xiao had been on the phone behind his back, and when asked about it, Zhuo Xiao had evaded the question with a guilty look. The sense of foreboding grew even stronger.

He stared blankly at Zhuo Xiao’s back, which seemed as natural and ordinary as ever.

At noon, during lunch, Yan Chengming was preoccupied with his thoughts and finally couldn’t hold back any longer. He asked, “Honey, do you have any relatives or friends coming to visit you recently? Well, it’s almost New Year’s, after all.”

He thought to himself, maybe he was wrong about Zhuo Xiao. How could he be so sure Zhuo Xiao was cheating based on just a lighter and an ambiguous phone call? What if he was talking to a relative or friend? What if it was just another misunderstanding, like last time? Wait, last time… Could Zhuo Xiao have been lying to him?

Not long after Zhuo Xiao had explained things to him, Mr. Zhuo had cut off contact with him. The startling coincidence made Yan Chengming gasp, his thoughts uncontrollably spiraling into increasingly dangerous territory.

Zhuo Xiao was taken aback for a moment before replying, “No, not really.”

Seeing Yan Chengming fall silent, Zhuo Xiao felt an inexplicable wave of panic. He didn’t know why he felt the need to explain further, but instinct drove him to start covering up: “You know, I don’t have many relatives—only my grandma, and she passed away. As for friends, I got married right after graduation, so I don’t really have any close friends to talk to.”

As he spoke, he lowered his gaze, looking as fragile as if he might shatter at any moment.

In the past, whenever Zhuo Xiao looked like this, Yan Chengming would have comforted him. But today, he was too troubled and distracted to say anything. Instead, he stuffed two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth as if to hide his unease, mumbling, “I don’t know why, but I’m really hungry today.”

As soon as Yan Chengming finished eating, he excused himself, saying he had work to do, and locked himself in his study. Faced with a pile of documents, he couldn’t focus on reading any of them. After calming himself down a little, he took out a blank sheet of paper, hoping to write down everything swirling in his mind and sort through his thoughts.

When he came back to his senses, an A4 sheet of paper was already filled with handwriting that could usually be described as elegant but today could only be called messy:

My wife seems to be cheating! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…?

Apart from the opening line, the rest of the page was covered in variations of “what do I do,” written in different sizes. It looked like a prop from some horror story, reflecting Yan Chengming’s state of mind—confused and teetering on the edge of something unhealthy.

He truly didn’t know what to do.

Swallowing hard, Yan Chengming felt he couldn’t go on like this. If he continued, he might end up in a psychiatric hospital. So, he opened his phone and typed, “What to do if my wife seems to be cheating,” and started searching.

He clicked on several web pages. The first few were ads, but when he opened the fifth one, a mysterious forum popped up. Most of the posts there were about infidelity—people cheating on their partners, wives cheating, husbands cheating, and even more absurdly, people suspecting their casual partners or mistresses of cheating on them.

Yan Chengming felt his worldview cracking a little.

He clicked on a post that seemed somewhat similar to his situation and slightly more normal, and began scrolling through it.

1L: I suspect my wife might be cheating on me. She always takes phone calls behind my back, acts indifferent toward me, and talks less than before—even though she was the one who pursued me in the first place! Most importantly, I just noticed a hickey on her neck. Because of her cold attitude, we haven’t had sex in a long time. What should I do? Waaah…

Yan Chengming’s eyes widened—this situation sounded just like his own! He couldn’t help but recall all the unusual behaviors Zhuo Xiao had shown recently. For instance, the half-bowl of plain congee that left a deep impression on him, leaving without even a kiss—clearly showing indifference. Today, on the balcony, Zhuo Xiao was again taking a call behind his back, acting sneaky. There was another man’s lighter in his pocket, bruises on his body. Although Zhuo Xiao had explained, and Yan Chengming wanted to believe him, he still felt uneasy inside.

He always felt Zhuo Xiao was hiding something from him—maybe cheating, maybe something else.

He knew it was wrong to suspect like this, but he couldn’t help it.

Yan Chengming reined in his wandering thoughts and continued reading.

2L: OP, as someone who’s been through this, let me tell you—you need evidence to catch a cheater. You can’t just assume things, or it’s very unfair to the person being suspected and hurts the relationship. So, I suggest you observe him first and find solid evidence before jumping to conclusions.

3L: Also, once you confirm the other person is cheating, what will you do? Do you still love him? Can you tolerate it? Or will you divorce directly? These are all questions you need to consider.

4L: Professional private detective for catching cheaters, Master Zhang’s contact info: xxxxx.

Yan Chengming hissed, thinking this thread was full of relationship experts.

He needed to observe Zhuo Xiao first!