The Wife From the Contract Marriage Does Not Want to Get Divorced - Chapter 8

The moment Lu Yanqing’s hand clasped hers, Xie Siyu’s heart visibly skipped a beat. A flash of astonishment crossed her downcast eyes, and her fingertips involuntarily curled half an inch within the other’s palm.

The chandelier projected their shadows onto the wall, looking like two vines forced to intertwine.

This was the first time in three years they had held hands in a public setting.

Yang Yi, wearing a lotus-pink bubble-sleeve dress, shrank further into the corner. Seeing Lu Yanqing take the initiative to hold Xie Siyu’s hand and even using the word “family” she suppressed her internal shock and spoke with a smile, “Sister Qing must be joking; of course you can bring family.”

Another wealthy heiress sitting by the window, surnamed Zheng, usually hung out with Zhong Wanyi. Both were avid celebrity fans who spent actual fortunes on their idols; over time, their Weibo accounts had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.

The news of Lu Yanqing finally returning to Rongcheng after a three-year disappearance was absolutely explosive within their circle. She quietly snapped a photo and posted it to Weibo.

“Sister Siyu.”

Zhong Wanyi also knew Lu Yanqing’s temperament. Lu Yanqing maintained a sliver of gentleness even toward strangers, let alone her legally wedded wife.

With a sheepish shrug, Zhong Wanyi sat down beside Xie Siyu and pushed a glass of iced lemonade toward her. Cold condensation droplets slid across Xie Siyu’s fingertips. “For the brand collaboration event at Shuangqi Yunjing this March… can I recommend someone?”

Xie Siyu stirred the lemon slices in her glass with a silver spoon. The clinking of ice cubes masked the thumping of her heart. It took her several seconds to react to the subtext in Zhong Wanyi’s words: “Are you referring to the spokesperson?”

Zhong Wanyi blinked. “Mm-hmm. Is it okay? It’s just a recommendation.”

She was merely asking for a slot for her idol; whether they actually landed the endorsement would depend on their own merit.

Xie Siyu nodded slightly. “Send the materials to Liu Yao later.”

Flattered by the unexpected favor, Zhong Wanyi picked up her previously started cocktail and clinked it against Xie Siyu’s glass. “Thanks, Sister Siyu. Let’s have a toast.”

In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to act so boldly in front of Xie Siyu, much less ask for a “backdoor” favor. Today was only because Lu Yanqing was present. She had actually been prepared to be rejected and hadn’t expected to succeed.

Lu Yanqing was leaning against the booth peeling an orange-flavored candy. Noticing that Zhong Wanyi had added ice to Xie Siyu’s lemonade, her brows furrowed slightly. She immediately called the waiter at the door to exchange it for a room-temperature glass.

Zhong Wanyi watched the whole thing without saying a word, silently swallowing her cocktail. She then snatched the candy wrapper from Lu Yanqing’s hand and said crossly, “What happened to the three promised shots of Tequila?”

Lu Yanqing smiled, pulled a wet wipe from the coffee table to clean her hands, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Fine, I’ll drink. And then we let this matter drop.”

Just as her hand touched the glass, it was suddenly pressed down by a warm palm. Xie Siyu’s soft, gentle voice sounded in her ear: “Three glasses is too many.”

For a moment, the booth fell into an eerie silence.

Zhong Wanyi truly felt there was something wrong with these two. Ignoring her two friends who were winking at her from the other side, she leaned in close to Lu Yanqing and whispered, “Back then, you vanished the day after getting the marriage license… were you really hiding from.”

Before she could finish, Lu Yanqing used a silver fork to stuff a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth.

“Zhong Wanyi.”

Lu Yanqing’s gentle voice held a hint of warning. “If I hear words like that again…” She pinched Zhong Wanyi’s cheek. “…I’ll sell that racing car you’ve been hiding in the south of the city.”

With her mouth full of cantaloupe, Zhong Wanyi’s speech was garbled: “Don’t touch my car! I won’t say it anymore, okay?”

Lu Yanqing tilted her head, meeting Xie Siyu’s concerned gaze, and replied with a smile, “It’s fine. Just three glasses.”

Only after receiving that promise did the hand pressing down on the back of hers slowly withdraw.

After finishing the first glass, Lu Yanqing’s gentle, harmless gaze swept over the two girls to Zhong Wanyi’s right.

The two girls were quick on the uptake and nodded in unison. “Don’t worry, Sister Qing. We definitely won’t talk nonsense anymore, and we’ll tell our friends too.”

After Lu Yanqing finished the three shots of Tequila, Zhong Wanyi leaned over to grab her arm and whispered in her ear, “You won’t leave again this time, right?”

Lu Yanqing pulled her arm away, maintaining a distance from Zhong Wanyi, looking quite helpless. “I’m not leaving. I never planned to leave.”

The incident of suddenly leaping across three years of time surely couldn’t happen a second time.

Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open, and the scent of irises filled the air.

“I heard Blue Note got a new mixologist?”

Seeing Lu Yanqing in the booth, Su Man walked in with practiced familiarity. She wore a white floral maxi dress, her straight, silky black hair braided and resting naturally on her right side. She had thin eyebrows, a delicate nose, and an exquisite face adorned with light makeup.

Her aura was elegant, her smile warm. She was truly the “National Goddess.”

She placed a gift set from her new drama’s wrap party on the coffee table, her red-soled heels stepping over Lu Yanqing’s shadow. “It really is Qingqing. When did you get back to the country? Since we’ve run into each other, why don’t you come to the next room and try some of my celebration wine?”

The moment Lu Yanqing saw Su Man, the faint smile in her eyes vanished. Her fingertips traced the rim of her glass, over and over again.

She acted as if she hadn’t heard Su Man at all, keeping her head lowered throughout.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room dropped to freezing point.

Zhong Wanyi stood up and nudged her inconspicuously. Only then did Lu Yanqing coldly spit out two words: “I’ve quit.”

“You’ve really quit?”

Su Man wasn’t annoyed by the rejection. A gentle, composed smile remained on her lips. Taking advantage of the space Zhong Wanyi had cleared, she sat down next to Lu Yanqing and held out her wine glass. “It’s just one drink, Qingqing. Are you really going to refuse?”

Before Lu Yanqing could speak, the previously silent Xie Siyu suddenly took the glass from Su Man’s hand. “Congratulations, Miss Su. I’ll drink this for Yanqing.”

The Tequila, mixed with lime juice, slid down her throat. A burning sensation exploded in her stomach.

Lu Yanqing snatched the remaining liquid and downed it in one go, slamming the base of the glass heavily onto Su Man’s gift box. Her brow was tightly knit. “Your stomach hurts and you still dare to drink?”

The neon lights flickered overhead.

Looking at the leftover lemon slice in the glass, Xie Siyu suddenly remembered how, over these past three years, she had swallowed pills with lemonade countless times, watching videos of Lu Yanqing’s flight streaking across the horizon on repeat in their marital home.

She smiled. “It’s just a little bit.”

Xie Siyu’s indifferent attitude made Lu Yanqing extremely uncomfortable, and her expression grew increasingly dark.

Su Man watched the interaction between the two. From an angle others couldn’t see, her fingers gripped her dress so hard her knuckles turned white.

Suddenly, she laughed. “President Xie is quite fortunate. Qingqing is still as gentle and considerate as ever.”

That one sentence made the hearts of Zhong Wanyi and the others leap into their throats. Zhong Wanyi sat down next to Yang Yi, her face fallen, utterly speechless. “How did she know Yanqing was back?”

Yang Yi shook her head, but Zheng Xue, sitting beside them, bit her lip and explained guiltily, “Maybe… she saw the Weibo post I made?”

Zhong Wanyi couldn’t help but glare at her.

Zheng Xue hurried to explain: “I just wanted to let everyone know Sister Qing was back in Rongcheng. I didn’t think Su Man would see it.”

Lu Yanqing’s temper was generally mild. When Su Man had cheated back then to pursue the fame and success she craved, their breakup meant the past had vanished like smoke.

But now, Su Man was causing a scene in front of Xie Siyu. It was incredibly awkward.

Lu Yanqing’s gaze toward Su Man was cold. “My wife has a stomach ache; I’m afraid she cannot partake in Movie Queen Su’s celebration wine.”

Before coming to the room, Xie Siyu had taken stomach medicine in the car. Now she was drinking what if something happened?

She grabbed Xie Siyu’s wrist and stood up, not looking at Su Man again. She said to Zhong Wanyi and the others, “We’re heading back.”

Zhong Wanyi nodded and waved her phone. “Sure. You and Sister Siyu get home safe. I’ve already called a designated driver for you.”

Su Man was left sitting alone in the booth. She, too, got up and left the room shortly after.

The forgotten gift on the coffee table was tossed directly into the trash by Zhong Wanyi. Zheng Xue leaned in: “I heard Su Man’s love life hasn’t been smooth lately. Now that Sister Qing is back, do you think she regrets it?”

Zhong Wanyi scoffed. “Yanqing doesn’t go back to old flames. The person standing beside her now is Xie Siyu.”

On the other side, Su Man didn’t return to her room after leaving. Instead, she leaned against the fire hydrant glass cabinet in the hallway, looking at her phone.

That person hadn’t acknowledged her for half a month.

Heh. A self-mocking smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Back when she was dating Lu Yanqing, even during their worst arguments, Lu Yanqing had never used the “cold treatment” on her.

Possessed by some strange impulse, she opened Weibo again and found Zheng Xue’s latest post: Long time no see, Sister Qing, still as beautiful as ever. (Heart)

In the attached photo, Lu Yanqing was holding Xie Siyu’s hand. Zooming in, the wedding ring on Xie Siyu’s ring finger was clearly visible.

“Sister Su Man, where did you go? Director Qin is looking everywhere for you.”

The assistant’s voice came from around the corner. Su Man turned off her phone screen, and her face once again donned an impeccable smile. “Let’s go.”

Since Lu Yanqing was back in the country, they would have plenty of opportunities to meet.

At the same time, in the outdoor parking lot behind the bar.

It was almost 9:30 PM, and the sky had completely darkened. Rongcheng was prone to rain in the spring; thick dark clouds were piling up mid-air, looking as if a storm was imminent.

The designated driver Zhong Wanyi had called was a plump, middle-aged woman. She was very professional, showing Lu Yanqing her credentials and driver’s license before sitting in the driver’s seat. “Where to, ladies?”

In the backseat, Lu Yanqing and Xie Siyu sat side-by-side with a gap about the size of two fists between them. Lu Yanqing held the box of medicine Xie Siyu had taken earlier, flipping it over several times. The search results on her phone were a chaotic mix of various medical opinions.

“Since someone took medicine and then drank, let’s go to Huakang Private Hospital first.”

Xie Siyu caught a glimpse of the content on Lu Yanqing’s screen. Her chest felt both warm and tight. Her eyes flickered beneath her lids as she took a deep breath, explaining for the third time tonight, “I’m really fine. There’s no need for the hospital.”

Lu Yanqing squeezed the medicine box hard, her tone becoming a bit heavy. “How do you know you’re fine? Unless President Xie has done this sort of thing before…”

She looked up and collided with the complex gaze in Xie Siyu’s eyes. The rest of her words caught in her throat.

Wonderful. So it wasn’t the first time.

“Back to Jianghai Lanyuan.”

With a dark expression, Lu Yanqing exited the web page and tossed her phone into the cup holder, turning to look out the window.

However, just as the driver started the engine, she tapped the back of the driver’s headrest again. “Go to Huakang Hospital.”

She didn’t want to hear Xie Siyu say she was fine anymore. With a grim face, she reminded her, “Xie Siyu, your gastric ulcer isn’t healed yet. The probability of gastric bleeding after drinking is as high as 30%.”

“So, please don’t be stubborn, okay?”

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