The Wife From the Contract Marriage Does Not Want to Get Divorced - Chapter 19

The base notes of orange blossom in the car fragrance mingled with a faint scent of iodophor. Lu Yanqing’s hand, resting on the leather seat, paused.

Under the warm yellow glow of the overhead light, the edge of the band-aid on the tiger’s mouth of Xie Siyu’s right hand was slightly peeled back, revealing a dark red bloodstain. Lu Yanqing couldn’t help but frown. “Where did you go this afternoon? What happened to your hand?”

Xie Siyu’s lowered eyes flickered. She didn’t answer immediately, but instead handed Lu Yanqing a pastry. “Did you come straight to the lounge from the office?”

Lu Yanqing sat motionless, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on Xie Siyu’s face, which wore a gentle smile. “President Xie, don’t change the subject.”

Xie Siyu’s movements paused for half a beat as she opened the pastry box. She explained helplessly, “It’s not that I wanted to hide it from you. I went to Huakang Hospital this afternoon. In the corridor of the second-floor outpatient department, I ran into a child throwing a tantrum and refusing an injection. A glass cup he smashed accidentally cut my finger.”

She wrapped the lie in icing, as skillfully as she had promised Xie Mingyuan over the past three years that she would help the Xie Corporation go public.

The truth was that she had returned to the Xie family ancestral home alone that evening. Xie Mingyuan was very displeased not to see Lu Yanqing with her.

She had originally managed to gloss it over with an excuse, but she hadn’t expected Xie Zhiyao to expose her on the spot. In a photo, Lu Yanqing and Zhong Wanyi were sitting in a booth at the lounge, heads down and talking about something.

Her act of public compliance and private defiance enraged Xie Mingyuan. He smashed a ceramic teacup at her feet, and her finger had simply failed to escape being cut by the shards.

Lu Yanqing took the pastry and scooped up a spoonful of cream. The metal handle of the spoon reflected both their figures. “Was it your stomach acting up again?”

“No, I’ve had some insomnia. Dr. Yu suggested acupuncture once a week.”

Xie Siyu remained silent for a moment before confessing. Since she needed to go to the hospital once a week, it would be impossible to keep it hidden for long anyway.

As expected.

She hadn’t guessed wrong.

The reason Xie Siyu was able to fall asleep in the car last night was due to long-term sleep deprivation caused by insomnia.

Lu Yanqing’s breathing grew heavy. The moment the cream melted on the tip of her tongue, she felt a trace of bitterness.

She suddenly remembered seeing Xie Siyu on the first day she returned; there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

“Next time, I’ll go with you.”

Lu Yanqing spoke suddenly. Xie Siyu didn’t understand for a moment, a flash of confusion appearing in her eyes that were filled with a gentle smile. “What?”

Lu Yanqing turned her head to look at Xie Siyu, saying word by word, “The next time you have acupuncture, I will accompany you to the hospital.”

Xie Siyu was stunned. When she realized what was said, she felt a bit flustered. She lowered her eyes to avoid Lu Yanqing’s burning gaze, and her hand on the steering wheel suddenly tightened.

Her breathing was a bit erratic.

From the rearview mirror hung a peace amulet. It was something Xie Siyu had sought at a temple while accompanying Grandma Lu on Lu Yanqing’s birthday last year. The word ‘Peace’ embroidered in gold thread shimmered faintly in the night.

“Afraid I’ll run away during the acupuncture?”

She tried to use a joke to hide the fluttering in her heart.

A car suddenly pulled into the empty parking space to the left of the Bentley. The sound of the car engine perfectly covered her overly rapid heartbeat.

Lu Yanqing took out a wet wipe to dab the corner of her mouth. The lavender scent was the exact same one on Xie Siyu’s dressing table. How could she not hear that Xie Siyu was joking? However, she was very serious: “Regarding your insomnia, I want to personally consult with that Dr. Yu.”

“Because I’ve noticed that whenever it comes to your health, you don’t seem to care much, and you always try to brush me off with vague answers.”

Xie Siyu’s heart stifled, and she took two short, quick breaths.

The neon lights from the lounge sign poured in through the car window. The jumping digits of the time on the dashboard and the faint scent of cedar on Lu Yanqing’s body were all concrete evidence at this moment she was being treated tenderly by someone.

For a moment, her eyes felt stinging and dry. At the moment tears threatened to well up, Xie Siyu rolled down the car window. While starting the engine, she said, “It just so happens there’s time tonight, and the West Suburb branch is nearby. I’ll take you there to have a look.”

Rongcheng Shuangqi Yunjing, West Suburb Branch.

A long corridor connected the tops of the twin towers, featuring more than thirty types of greenery. This “forest in the sky” had become a trending check-in spot in Rongcheng, attracting countless tourists a reputation it well deserved.

“President Xie, President Lu.”

The security supervisor responsible for the mall’s night patrol handed the access cards for the entire building to Xie Siyu. His gaze lingered on Lu Yanqing for a few extra seconds.

He had joined the staff two years ago when the mall opened. Logically, he wouldn’t usually see the group CEO, let alone Lu Yanqing, who had been abroad for three years.

The reason he had Xie Siyu’s private contact information was that she had visited the West Suburb branch late at night many times over the last two years.

“Thank you for your hard work. We’ll be here for about half an hour.”

Xie Siyu took the access cards and signaled for Lu Yanqing to follow.

The security supervisor watched the two enter the mall entrance and couldn’t help but look up at the top floor of the twin towers, feeling quite puzzled. “Is there something special about that top floor?”

It was worth Xie Siyu coming back time and time again.

He, of course, did not know that the blueprints for the “forest in the sky” were drawn three years ago by a design team led by Lu Yanqing. It took two months of painstaking effort before the final version was finalized.

This was one of the few places where Xie Siyu could place her longing.

The twin towers reached up to the 12th floor.

After 10:00 PM, the central air conditioning in some public areas of the mall would automatically shut off. A cold breeze blew in as the elevator moved. Lu Yanqing noticed Xie Siyu was wearing a short blazer, so she took off her cashmere coat and draped it over her shoulders. “You shouldn’t catch a cold after acupuncture.”

The cashmere coat wrapped around her body, and Xie Siyu could still feel Lu Yanqing’s body heat on it. Seeing that Lu Yanqing was left with only a cashmere sweater, she immediately tried to take the coat off. “No, you’ll catch a cold like this.”

Lu Yanqing pressed down on Xie Siyu’s hand to stop her, countering seriously and firmly, “Be good. I don’t want to have to rush you to the hospital in the middle of the night.”

Xie Siyu’s fingertips felt very soft in her palm. Lu Yanqing let go inconspicuously and added, “I’ve been drinking tonight; I can’t drive.”

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the 12th floor.

Lu Yanqing stepped out first. Xie Siyu followed behind her with pursed lips, clutching the collar of the cashmere coat, where she could still faintly smell the crisp scent of cedar.

Seeing her persistence, Xie Siyu could only lower her head and send a text to the security supervisor: Turn on the central air conditioning on the top floor.

The aluminum alloy shutters of the ventilation port vibrated slightly.

Lu Yanqing’s fingertips brushed over the spiral-shaped guide plate this was the model she and the design director had stayed up for three nights to select.

Xie Siyu walked on the terrazzo steps, the slight sound activating the intelligent lighting of the corridor.

Warm yellow beams of light lit up in sequence, projecting the patterns Lu Yanqing had hand-drawn on the edges of the blueprints years ago onto the glass curtain wall.

Lu Yanqing stopped, looking at the corridor she had helped design, her heart filled with a thousand emotions.

“Watch out for the water stains.”

The reminder was half a beat too late.

Xie Siyu accidentally stepped on a water stain on the floor. Her foot slipped, and her body instinctively leaned back. Lu Yanqing stepped forward two paces and circled that warm figure.

The waistline under the cashmere coat was very slender. The minty scent of the acupuncture patch on the back of Xie Siyu’s neck mingled with the orange blossom perfume, leaving Lu Yanqing momentarily dazed.

The control system suddenly emitted a hum, and warm air began to flow from the air conditioning vents.

Xie Siyu’s phone vibrated; the security supervisor’s reply lit up the lock screen.

The overlapping silhouettes of the two were reflected on the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Lu Yanqing suddenly remembered being at the Civil Affairs Bureau years ago. Because the staff members were teasing them, Xie Siyu had blushed deep crimson when she put her arms around Lu Yanqing’s waist.

“This place is just as beautiful as I imagined. Xie Siyu, thank you.”

Lu Yanqing regained her senses and was the first to let go. She stepped back, her fingertips still retaining the delicate sensation of Xie Siyu’s wrist.

Even with detailed blueprints, the difficulty for a construction team to recreate them 1:1 was imaginable.

Xie Siyu stepped out of Lu Yanqing’s embrace, her heart still beating a bit fast. She looked out the window, where half of Rongcheng’s scenery was in full view. She tightened the coat around her again and said very, very softly, “I didn’t want you to be disappointed when you came back.”

Yes, even when Lu Yanqing had lost contact, she still believed she would return.

Therefore, as long as it was related to her, she did her best to make it perfect.

All so that she wouldn’t be disappointed.

By the time the two returned to Jianghai Lanyuan, it was already 11:00 PM.

Coming out of the elevator, the phone in Lu Yanqing’s bag kept chiming. After unlocking it, she saw that Zhong Wanyi had sent her five emojis in a row, but there was only one piece of actual content.

My god, you really pulled five Elis stores! Xie Siyu didn’t make a scene? She even went to Blue Note to pick you up. What kind of sneaky game are you two playing?

Lu Yanqing leaned her back against the cool metal doorframe and typed: Speak properly.

On the other end, Zhong Wanyi was clearly holding her phone, as the reply came quickly.

Okay, here’s the deal. Not long after you left maybe fifteen minutes Xie Zhiyao showed up at Blue Note. She and her friends had quite a bit to drink, and then she started pouring out her grievances.

Apparently, Xie Siyu didn’t take you back to the Xie house for dinner. Her dad was furious, smashing things and skipping dinner. In the end, she got caught in the crossfire and was scolded too. Now she’s still at the bar crying her eyes out, looking quite pathetic.

Xie Siyu didn’t tell you about having dinner at the Xie house tonight?

Probably not, otherwise you wouldn’t have come to the lounge, hahahahaha…

Zhong Wanyi answered her own question on the chat page. Lu Yanqing locked her screen and stopped responding.

The sensor light suddenly dimmed, and the sound of slippers tapping against the floor tiles came from the entryway.

“Come inside first, it’s cold outside.”

Xie Siyu leaned out from the doorframe. A warm yellow glow spilled over her shoulders as her gentle voice reached Lu Yanqing.

Lu Yanqing entered and closed the door behind her. She suddenly grabbed Xie Siyu’s wrist and asked pointedly, “Where did you go after leaving the hospital this afternoon? The injury… was it really caused by a child breaking glass?”

She wasn’t exactly angry, just helpless. She curled her finger and flicked Xie Siyu’s forehead, the strength as light as brushing away a dandelion tuft. Her voice sounded intriguing: “President Xie, the nose of a liar grows longer!”

Xie Siyu’s eyelashes trembled. “You found out? I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to go…”

“Didn’t want me to deal with their unreasonable demands? Xie Siyu, since you don’t want a divorce, then during the contract period, you are my wife. Helping you solve troubles is also my responsibility, do you understand?”

Lu Yanqing interrupted Xie Siyu, her gaze gentle and firm.

“Mm.”

There was a bright and gentle smile in Xie Siyu’s eyes, yet it seemed to be covered by a thin layer of mist, making it hard to see clearly.

At this moment, she was very glad to be her wife.

She was also exceptionally helpless, because she was only her wife through a commercial marriage alliance.

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