The Wife From the Contract Marriage Does Not Want to Get Divorced - Chapter 5

Lu Yanqiao clenched his fists, pointing a finger at Lu Yanqing. Veins bulged at his temples from sheer rage. “Fine, Lu Yanqing. You disappear for three years and come back just to throw your weight around, don’t you? I’ll see how you explain yourself to everyone at Friday’s shareholders’ meeting.”

“That is none of your concern,” Lu Yanqing responded coldly.

In the crowd of onlookers, someone secretly snapped a photo of Lu Yanqing stepping on the documents. Within moments, the employee group chat was flooded with “President Lu is slaying” emojis.

Lu Yanqiao and his assistant slunk away in disgrace, and the onlookers quickly returned to their posts.

Milk had splattered onto the back of her hand, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. Lu Yanqing was about to head to the pantry to wash her hands when a wet wipe was suddenly handed to her.

“Why bother getting angry with him?”

Xie Siyu stood leaning against the office desk. Once Lu Yanqing took the wipe, Xie Siyu propped herself up against the desk with one hand and took a small sip of milk from her glass with the other.

The rich aroma of milk spread through her mouth. To be honest, she didn’t like it, but her stomach felt warm at that moment.

She wasn’t sure if it was because the milk was hot, or because of something else.

“He just needs to be taught a lesson.”

Deputy Director?

Three years ago, Lu Yanqiao had been transferred from the sales department to the marketing department by his second uncle. Now he had reached the position of Deputy Director; there was no telling how much “water” was padded into that promotion.

While wiping the back of her hand with the wet wipe, Lu Yanqing glanced at Xie Siyu out of the corner of her eye. Finally, her gaze fixed on the scratch on the back of Xie Siyu’s hand. “Are the urgent documents finished?”

Not understanding Lu Yanqing’s intent, Xie Siyu still answered truthfully, “Yes.”

Lu Yanqing tossed the wipe into the trash can by her feet. “Then come with me to the hospital now for a follow-up gastroscopy.”

8:00 PM, Jianghai Lanyuan.

This apartment complex only had 12 floors. Lu Yanqing remembered when the development first went on sale; the Old Master had called her into the study the very next day, saying he had bought the top floor of Building 6.

He planned to knock through the walls, hire a world-renowned designer to draft the plans, and use it as her wedding home.

When she and Xie Siyu registered their marriage three years ago, the original plan was to move in here, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.

The beep of the smart lock broke the silence of the foyer. Xie Siyu opened the shoe cabinet and took out two pairs of slippers.

Lu Yanqing looked at the two shadows reflected in the mirrored cabinet door. Her high heels and Xie Siyu’s flats were placed together, creating an inexplicably intimate atmosphere.

“The fingerprint entry takes ten seconds.”

Xie Siyu placed her bag and car keys on top of the shoe cabinet and set a pair of brand-new slippers by Lu Yanqing’s feet the same style as the ones she was wearing, only a different color.

Then, she took Lu Yanqing’s finger and pressed it against the smart lock. Once the fingerprint registration was complete, she reminded her, “Look up here.”

Lu Yanqing didn’t say a word, following Xie Siyu’s prompt. As the blue light of the iris scanner swept over her eyelashes, she suddenly caught a faint scent of bitter orange blossom.

“It’s done.”

Xie Siyu released Lu Yanqing’s wrist. The phone on the shoe cabinet rang. The caller ID read: Dr. Yu.

A flicker of emotion crossed her eyes. She picked up the phone and walked toward the inner rooms, pointing toward the kitchen. “There’s soda water in the fridge. If you want coffee or juice… sorry, I forgot there’s no juice at home. I’ll have the housekeeper bring some over tomorrow.”

“If you have business, go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

Lu Yanqing rubbed the bridge of her nose. Since she was going to live here from now on, she needed to familiarize herself with the layout.

On the island of the open kitchen sat several unopened frying pans, their warranty cards dated back to two years ago.

She opened the double-door refrigerator; it was empty, save for a few bottles of soda water lined up on the shelf.

It seemed no one had ever cooked in this house.

Lu Yanqing took a bottle of soda and closed the fridge. Looking around, the apartment was decorated in a modern, minimalist style.

The living room featured a straight four-seater sofa and a simple, elegant solid wood circular coffee table. An LCD TV was mounted on the wall, but the power cord wasn’t even plugged in, suggesting it was rarely used.

In a glass vase on the TV cabinet sat several sprigs of chamomile. The small white flowers blooming all over the branches were fresh and charming, serving as the only splash of color in the home.

About ten minutes passed.

Xie Siyu emerged from the study after finishing her call. Seeing Lu Yanqing sitting on the sofa having finished more than half of her soda and replying to WeChat messages with her other hand she asked, “Do you want to wash up first?”

After four consecutive days of IV drips, her gastric ulcer had improved. She didn’t need more infusions, just to take her medication on time.

When she heard Lu Yanqing say she wanted to take her for a follow-up gastroscopy at the office that evening, she had mostly felt surprised.

However, she had ultimately declined.

It’s not that I didn’t want to contact you, there’s a real reason. I’ll explain in detail when we meet tomorrow.

Lu Yanqing was explaining the reason for her three-year disappearance to Zhong Wanyi. Hearing Xie Siyu’s voice, she looked up and subconsciously said, “I’ll just sleep in the guest room.”

Xie Siyu fell silent for a few seconds. “The guest room is at the end of the hallway.”

Uh, did she say something wrong?

Lu Yanqing blinked and stood up, placing her phone on the sofa and following Xie Siyu toward the master bedroom with light steps.

They were in a contract marriage; even if it was extended for two years, there was no need to share a bed, right?

“The guest room doesn’t have a bathroom.”

The implication was that she could only wash up in the master bedroom.

Xie Siyu took a nightgown out of the walk-in closet and handed it to Lu Yanqing. “Wear this for now. I haven’t worn it.”

The pajamas originally prepared for Lu Yanqing had never been opened; undergarments always needed to be washed before they could be worn.

“The guest room doesn’t have a bathroom?”

Lu Yanqing raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Was Grandpa sure he had hired a world-renowned designer for this?

“Yes.”

Xie Siyu nodded slightly, ignoring the other woman’s look of disbelief. Naturally, she wouldn’t mention that when she moved into the wedding home and renovated the apartment, she had told the contractor to remove the bathroom from the guest room.

If there was no bathroom, then there was no bathroom. It wasn’t a big deal.

Lu Yanqing took the nightgown and pushed open the bathroom door. A stronger scent of bitter orange blossom hit her.

The shampoo, body wash, and bath oils all seemed to share this scent.

Lu Yanqing glanced at the bottles and jars on the shelf, then leaned down to open the cabinet under the sink, discovering an unopened set of double toothbrushes.

The storage compartment also held neatly folded couple-style towels, though there was a thin layer of dust on the plastic packaging.

Knock, knock.

“Use this.”

The bathroom door was tapped. Lu Yanqing opened it to find Xie Siyu standing there, handing her a light blue towel. “There are new toothbrushes and mouthwash cups in the mirror cabinet. You can throw your changed clothes directly into the balcony washing machine; it’s set to run automatically at 10 PM.”

Lu Yanqing squeezed the pure cotton towel, which was as soft as a cloud. Her gaze toward Xie Siyu became slightly complicated.

Perhaps Xie Siyu had once intended to properly manage this marriage, but unexpectedly, Lu Yanqing had vanished.

“I…”

Lu Yanqing’s throat felt dry. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she hesitated, fearing she might have misinterpreted Xie Siyu’s meaning.

“What is it?”

Xie Siyu didn’t wait for Lu Yanqing to finish, continuing on her own, “You can use anything in the bathroom.”

2:00 AM.

Lu Yanqing woke with a start from a dream, her heart pounding violently in her chest. She looked at the room’s decor by the moonlight streaming through the window.

She pressed her palm firmly against her brow.

Thank goodness. She hadn’t traveled through time again.

Turning on the small bedside lamp, Lu Yanqing put on her slippers and headed to the kitchen. She found Xie Siyu curled up by the kitchen island, swallowing tablets. The moonlight stretched her shadow very long.

“Is your stomach acting up again?”

The hallway lights turned on automatically at the sound of Lu Yanqing’s voice. She hurried behind Xie Siyu, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist, half-holding, half-carrying her upright.

Xie Siyu leaned weakly into Lu Yanqing’s embrace, her voice soft and apologetic. “Did I wake you?”

As she spoke, she hid the glass of cold water in the shadows. “I just couldn’t sleep. I’ll be fine after taking some painkillers.”

Lu Yanqing helped Xie Siyu sit on the soft chair next to the island, worry flashing in her eyes.

“You… forget it. It’s late, go back to the room and sleep.”

Lu Yanqing was indeed a bit angry, but she had no standing to lecture her, let alone criticize. Much of the reason Xie Siyu was like this was because of her.

The sensor lights in the master bedroom lit up in sequence as they entered.

With Lu Yanqing’s help, Xie Siyu sank into the down duvet. For a fleeting moment, the other woman’s soft hair brushed against her cheek, and she smelled that bitter orange blossom scent the exact same scent she wore.

Watching Lu Yanqing’s silhouette as she adjusted the humidifier, Xie Siyu inexplicably wished this stomach ache would never end.

“Go to sleep.”

Lu Yanqing helped Xie Siyu cover up and tucked in the corners of the duvet. Thinking of something, she simply sat down on the edge of the bed. “No matter how thorny the company’s problems are, there’s always a solution. Besides, haven’t I come back? Don’t think about anything now, just sleep.”

“I’ll wait until you’re asleep before I leave.”

The light in the bedroom wasn’t very bright, but Xie Siyu could clearly see Lu Yanqing’s features. Hearing her concerned words, her breathing grew heavier, taking a great deal of effort to calm down.

She closed her eyes.

But she didn’t want to fall asleep.

Time ticked by. When Xie Siyu reached her 827th breath, she suddenly felt a weight on her right arm.

It was Lu Yanqing lying down.

The person who had just claimed she would wait until she was asleep before leaving had fallen asleep before her.

Xie Siyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Her gaze lingered tenderly on the person beside her, her fingertips tracing the other’s silhouette in the air.

Over the past three years, she had imagined this scene countless times, but she had never dared to close the distance to a single millimeter.

But no matter how careful she was, a dream was just a dream. When dawn came the next day, everything would vanish like bubbles.

The electronic clock on the nightstand jumped to 03:27. The medication began to take effect.

Xie Siyu’s eyelids felt heavy. She gently moved a strand of hair that Lu Yanqing was pressing down on, and her warm fingertips finally touched her beloved’s face. In the silent room, her voice rose in a near-pleading whisper: “Qingqing, don’t ever leave me again…”

The next day, the sky outside was misty.

Xie Siyu woke up slowly. It had been a long, long time since she had slept so deeply. She realized something was draped across her waist.

Seeing that the person lying next to her was Lu Yanqing, her pupils dilated in shock. Then, as her memories returned, she slowly calmed down.

Staring at that fair, slender forearm the blue veins beneath the skin pulsing slightly with the heartbeat Xie Siyu tremblingly pressed her nose against the curve of Lu Yanqing’s neck, letting tears fall from her eyes.

How wonderful. It wasn’t a dream.

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