Goodbye, Scumbag! The Powerful CEO Is My New Devoted Lover - Chapter 4

He was wearing loungewear with his sleeves casually rolled up. On his wrist, he still wore the watch she had given him for his birthday last year. Under the warm glow of the living room lights, his light colored eyes revealed a rare hint of gentleness.

Xia Zhi was sitting on the sofa. She held a cup of warm water in her hands, and seeing Su Xiao enter, she stood up timidly. “Miss Su.”

Su Xiao placed her bag gently on the sofa armrest, forcing a faint smile onto her face. Softening her tone, she asked, “I hope I am not disturbing you, Miss Xia?”

When her gaze shifted to Yan Mingshen, her eyes seemed to catch a layer of fine light. “I am sorry. My father passed away this morning, and I could not accept it at first. I took my temper out on you.”

Yan Mingshen walked to her side, his amber eyes carrying their usual warmth. “Do not say such silly things.” He paused, then explained, “Xia Zhi just returned to the country and has not found a suitable place to stay yet. She will be staying here for a couple of days.”

“I see. I understand.” Su Xiao lowered her gaze, her long, thick lashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Her voice was as light as a feather. “Whatever you arrange is fine. I have no objections.”

She caught a glimpse of the fruit on the coffee table, which had been changed. Her heart felt as if it had been pricked by a fine needle, yet she still added submissively, “It is a bit of a hassle for Miss Xia, though. The house was not tidied up in advance. I hope you do not mind.”

Yan Mingshen had not expected this attitude from her. His brow relaxed slightly, and he reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from her cheek. “I have already sent people to handle your father’s arrangements. Do not be too sad.”

Su Xiao tilted her head slightly, avoiding his touch, but she did not show the slightest hint of displeasure. “I know you will handle it well.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a perfectly measured sense of reliance.

Yan Mingshen’s hand paused in mid air before he naturally withdrew it to his side. His tone softened. “Why did you not answer my calls this afternoon?”

“I did not see them.” Su Xiao displayed a perfectly timed look of annoyance, her voice sounding genuinely apologetic. “I did not sleep well yesterday, so I set my phone to silent.”

Yan Mingshen’s brow furrowed slightly. He felt something was off, but he could not put his finger on it.

Internally, Su Xiao sneered, but her expression became increasingly docile. She took the initiative to lightly touch his arm. “Are you angry? I will definitely pay attention next time.”

As expected, Yan Mingshen’s expression softened further. “No. The pen you liked at the auction last time, I have had someone pick it up. Take a look tomorrow and see if you like it.”

Su Xiao looked down, masking the turbulent emotions in her eyes. “As long as it is from you, I will like it.” When she looked up again, only submission and reliance remained on her face.

Yan Mingshen’s face relaxed completely, and his tone became much gentler. “Good. Get some rest today. I will keep you company later.”

Xia Zhi suddenly spoke, her voice as soft as cotton. “Miss Su and Mingshen have such a good relationship. It is truly enviable.”

Su Xiao turned and smiled at her, her eyes curving in a way that seemed entirely non-threatening. “Is that so?”

Just as the words left her mouth, the water cup in Xia Zhi’s hand suddenly slipped. Warm water splashed all over Su Xiao. Yan Mingshen reflexively turned to support Xia Zhi, his brow knitting tight. “Are you alright?”

Su Xiao stood there as the warm water soaked into her shirt. The wet patch spread across her chest, feeling somewhat cold.

“Xiaoxiao.” Yan Mingshen looked back at her, his voice full of apology. “Xia Zhi, she.”

“It is fine.” Su Xiao tugged at her wet shirt, interrupting his unfinished sentence. “I will go upstairs to change. You two go ahead and chat.”

She turned toward the stairs, her steps steady and her back looking submissive and sensible. Behind her, Xia Zhi’s aggrieved voice drifted over. “Mingshen, will Miss Su be.”

“Xiaoxiao has a gentle nature.” Yan Mingshen’s voice softened. “She will not blame you.”

Su Xiao’s footsteps paused for a moment, her nails digging deep into her palms. She continued upward, the smile on her lips turning bone chillingly cold. Now, every breath of air in this place made her feel incredibly nauseated.

After showering and changing, Su Xiao sat by the bed looking out the window. Downstairs, she could faintly hear Xia Zhi’s laughter and Yan Mingshen’s low responses. Su Xiao took out her phone and called Xu An to ask about the progress at the law firm.

She did not want to leave this house to Yan Mingshen. He did not deserve to live in her house. The thought of those two being intimate in the bedroom she had personally decorated made her feel utterly disgusted.

“Don’t worry, Xiaoxiao. If it comes down to it, we will go to litigation. Yan Mingshen will not be able to take so much as a single bowl of yours. We Xus are not pushovers.”

The voice on the other end of the phone gave Su Xiao a rare sense of peace. “Also, do not let the Yan family know about the divorce yet.”

“Why? You have not told Yan Mingshen?”

“No. There are a lot of people in the Yan family keeping an eye on me and the Su family.” Su Xiao looked out the window at a small sparrow perched on a power line. She was no different from that sparrow right now. If the Yan family wanted to, crushing her would be as easy as crushing a bird. To her, the Su family was even more of a burden. “I will bring it up after my father is buried.”

“Fine. I will let the law firm know.” Xu An paused, then hesitated. “I do not know if I should say this, but do you want to go see your Youngest Uncle? If you just ask, he would definitely.”

“I do not want to see him.” Su Xiao interrupted, her voice carrying an undetectable trace of resistance. “An’an, do not say anymore.”

The two chatted for a while longer until Su Xiao finally succumbed to sleepiness. She hung up and fell asleep in the master bedroom.

She slept until the next morning. Just as she woke up, she heard the piercing sound of an electric drill from downstairs, mixed with the dull thuds of heavy objects being dragged. The noise was constant.

Su Xiao had a headache. What on earth was Xia Zhi up to?

Rubbing her aching temples, she went downstairs. Just as she reached the stairs, her foot kicked something, a wooden board broken into two pieces. She recognized it. It was a leftover piece from when Yan Mingshen had built a bookshelf for her birthday last year. She had teased him into using the drill to draw a small sun on it, and it had been kept in a storage box in the guest room ever since. Now, it lay on the cold floor like trash someone had tossed aside.

The sound of the drill continued. Su Xiao followed the noise to the guest room door, which was open. Looking inside, she saw Xia Zhi standing on a ladder, directing workers to change the curtains. Beige lace curtains hung down, embroidered with beautiful white roses.

“Miss Su is awake?” Xia Zhi turned around at some point, a perfectly timed look of surprise on her face. “Mingshen said the original gray curtains were too plain. I picked these. Do you not think it looks much brighter?”

Su Xiao’s gaze swept over the storage box in the corner. The lid was open, and her sketches were scattered all over the floor, one of them even marked with a footprint.

“It is indeed bright.” Su Xiao’s voice was very soft.

She walked to the storage box and knelt down, picking through the mess. She took a few finished sketches, patted off the dust, and held them in her arms. Her gaze swept over Xia Zhi, and she felt a wave of suffocating frustration, like a ball of rotten cotton stuck in her throat, unable to be spat out, yet impossible to swallow.

Xia Zhi climbed down the ladder and walked over to her. The rose scent on her was so strong it was stifling. “I also had someone change the bedding. The previous set was too dark. Mingshen said a lighter color would match the curtains better.”

“Whatever you want.” Su Xiao did not care to listen to her nonsense anymore.

She held her drawings and turned to leave, but Xia Zhi suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Su Xiao, stop pretending.”