Three Sentences That Made My Ex-Wife Spit Blood - Chapter 41

It had been fifteen minutes since Yan Qinglan suddenly blurted out that earth-shattering word: “Wife.”

The car was already close to the set, but Wen Huaxi was still frozen, completely stunned and unresponsive.

Yan Qinglan was annoyed with herself for acting on impulse. She would rather the moment be forgotten altogether.

But just before they arrived, Wen Huaxi finally reacted.

“Was that directed at me?” Her voice caught slightly.

“Wife.” She imitated Yan Qinglan’s tone, deepening the awkwardness and then asked again, “Yan Qinglan, were you calling me?”

Who else could be Yan Qinglan’s wife if not her?

Wen Huaxi thought she should feel happy hearing it.

But no matter how she tried to brush it off, there was a strange, lingering feeling inside. That mixed with her shyness had left her stunned for so long.

“I was just repeating what your sister said,” Yan Qinglan replied, trying to suppress the wave of emotions stirred by Wen Huaxi’s imitation of the word “wife.”

She didn’t want to admit that she had genuinely wanted to call Wen Huaxi that.

“Oh…” Wen Huaxi didn’t know if she was disappointed or not.

Either way, once they got to the set, both of them felt a sense of relief.

Wen Huaxi grabbed her things and slipped away quickly. Yan Qinglan didn’t linger either and told the driver to take her to work.

The next two weeks passed without much change.

Because of that one word, “wife,” Yan Qinglan consciously restrained her thoughts even more.

Wen Huaxi didn’t know what to do either, so she stayed in place, quietly maintaining a delicate balance between them.

The only real difference was that Wen Huaxi’s pregnancy symptoms became more obvious.

Even the slightest issue with her food would send her stomach into waves of nausea.

“Is the food not right today?” Yan Qinglan gently rubbed Wen Huaxi’s back, feeling distressed as she watched her face turn pale.

“Maybe.” Wen Huaxi managed not to throw up.

“I’ll have them make something else.” Yan Qinglan pushed the lunchbox aside, held her in her arms, and offered her warm water.

“I can’t eat.” Wen Huaxi let herself lean against Yan Qinglan, resting her head on her chest. That calmed her discomfort a little.

“You have to eat something. You barely touched your lunch earlier.” It was the second time this had happened recently.

Yan Qinglan glanced down at her stomach. For the first time, she felt a bit of resentment toward the child who wasn’t even born yet.

“Is she always this disobedient?” Yan Qinglan held her tongue and didn’t say more.

“Hey, don’t blame the baby. It’s totally normal.” Wen Huaxi was more accepting of it. After a while, she bounced back.

The baby had already died with her once. Now that it was alive and kicking, causing her a bit of trouble seemed only fair.

If it didn’t make its presence known, she might forget about this little life again and keep pushing herself too hard.

“I looked it up. I’m actually doing better than most.” Some women in early pregnancy vomit constantly every day.

Yan Qinglan’s expression was complicated. “Even so, you still have to eat. Let’s just go with the dishes you had yesterday, how about that?”

“You decide. I don’t even know what I can keep down anymore.” Wen Huaxi turned and hugged her, nuzzling her cheek. “Sister Qing, it’s so nice having you here.”

In her past life, her baby had only lived to one month. It never got to the stage where it made her this uncomfortable, so Wen Huaxi had overlooked how frustrating early pregnancy could be.

Thankfully, this strange, unexplainably attentive version of Yan Qinglan was here to take care of her.

“It’s what I should do,” Yan Qinglan said softly. After all, this child likely carried her bloodline.

She smoothed Wen Huaxi’s hair, already thinking of having someone research safe, side-effect-free medication to ease pregnancy symptoms.

These days, the way she and Wen Huaxi interacted felt no different from actual sisters.

Sometimes, when she heard Wen Huaxi call her “Sister Qing,” it genuinely sounded like “big sister.”

Holding the sleepy girl in her arms, Yan Qinglan accepted it. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.

She shifted some of her workload to her cousins and freed up more time to look after Wen Huaxi.

She also began preparing for an upcoming business trip.

The filming near Shuiqing City was expected to take two and a half weeks.

Yan Qinglan wasn’t sure she could leave her company for that long, so she cleared a week in her schedule.

It was called a “vacation,” but in reality, she would still attend online meetings and handle major decisions remotely.

“You really can’t book your own room?” Wen Huaxi looked at her with mixed feelings. She didn’t want to admit it, but she did want the company.

“No. I’m here to take care of Xiaoxi.” Yan Qinglan refused without hesitation.

“And Xiaoxi, I might not be able to stay the whole time. I’ll need to go back and forth.”

“So what?” Wen Huaxi kept up her act of reluctance.

“So that means the time I get to be with you is limited. If we don’t even stay together, I’ll miss you.”

As she spoke, Yan Qinglan opened the door to Wen Huaxi’s hotel room and rolled her suitcase inside.

Wen Huaxi stood at the doorway, covering her burning ears before stepping in.

“You need to be careful.”

In her previous life, Yan Qinglan had never come to Shuiqing City. Wen Huaxi herself barely knew it either.

She was aware that Gu Lian was suspicious, but she wasn’t about to go out of her way to investigate on Yan Qinglan’s behalf.

“I know,” Yan Qinglan replied, gently touching her forehead. “It makes me really happy that you care about me, Xiaoxi.”

By now, Wen Huaxi was used to this version of Yan Qinglan acting like she was “sick.” She might mutter something like “what’s wrong with you” under her breath, but she never rejected the hugs and touches.

It took Yan Qinglan a couple of days to build her network in Shuiqing City. During that time, she stayed at the filming location with Wen Huaxi.

Yu Xiyun acted like she didn’t see Yan Qinglan at all and continued to stay close to Wen Huaxi.

Yan Qinglan barely glanced at her. Instead, she walked straight up to Wen Huaxi and wrapped her arm around her.

“Xiaoxi, it’s time for us to go back to the room and eat.”

“Oh right, is it that late already? Xiyun, see you this afternoon.”

After being cared for by Yan Qinglan these past few days, Wen Huaxi had become noticeably more obedient.

She didn’t even check the time. She just followed Sister Qing without question.

Yu Xiyun was left standing alone, watching as the two of them walked back to the hotel together.

“Miss Yu, are Miss Wen and that woman really staying together?” her assistant couldn’t help but ask, noticing her expression.

“I don’t know,” Yu Xiyun replied, withdrawing her gaze.

If that woman was Wen Huaxi’s girlfriend, she would have said so. Since she hadn’t, Yu Xiyun chose to treat it as nothing more than someone who was a little closer than usual. Maybe a rival in love, at most.

As far as the public was concerned, Wen Huaxi still introduced that woman as a sister. The kind that made people think of family, not romance.

Later in the afternoon, during a break in filming, Yan Qinglan called Wen Huaxi over. The two of them sat close together, their heads almost touching. No one knew what they were talking about.

Yu Xiyun steadied her emotions, gripped her script, and walked over.

“Xiao Huaxi, I’m feeling unsure about the next scene. Could we run it together once?”

Her voice was calm and natural, as if she was genuinely concerned about her acting. Even Yan Qinglan found it hard to say anything.

“Sure. This afternoon’s scene is a tough one,” Wen Huaxi replied without hesitation. She quickly put away the prenatal education video and followed Yu Xiyun aside to rehearse.

Yan Qinglan watched them for two minutes. Seeing that they were indeed rehearsing lines, she leaned back and closed her eyes, trying not to overthink it.

In her head, she silently counted to five minutes. Then she opened her eyes again.

What kind of rehearsal needed that long?

She turned to look and immediately saw Yu Xiyun with her arm around Wen Huaxi’s waist. The two of them were so close, nearly pressed together. Their eyes were locked in a lingering gaze, intense enough to spark tension.

That breathless, stifling feeling hit Yan Qinglan like a wave. She stared for several seconds, watching every motion slow down in her mind.

Wen Huaxi’s almond eyes sparkled like stars. Every blink sent light outward, carefully directed at the person in front of her.

The person receiving that gaze was clearly enchanted. And yet she wasn’t satisfied. She wanted to regain control.

Yu Xiyun again. Always her.

Why didn’t Wen Huaxi look at her like that?

Why did Wen Huaxi only see her as a sister?

Was it because she already had someone who made her heart skip, someone she wanted to charm, someone she liked?

Even if they had a child together, a child whose origins were still unclear, none of it mattered if Wen Huaxi didn’t care about her.

Yan Qinglan couldn’t use a baby to tie Wen Huaxi to her for life.

Wait. Did she really just think about spending a lifetime with Wen Huaxi?

She looked down and subconsciously clutched her arm.

She wanted to spend a lifetime with Wen Huaxi?

That was such a long time. Could she really handle being bound to one person, constantly thinking about their needs and feelings?

She doubted she could.

Her emotional state was always unstable. In her younger years, she had suffered from mental health issues. It had taken a long time to reach the point where she could function somewhat normally.

Her obsessive tendencies were just one of those lingering signs.

And yet, whether she wanted to or not, she had already begun doing all those things.

She paid attention to whether Wen Huaxi was happy or comfortable.

She bought medicine to ease her symptoms and asked people to prepare her favorite meals.

Even when Wen Huaxi treated her like a sister, she didn’t complain.

As long as Wen Huaxi stayed by her side, it was enough.

Suddenly, a wave of panic surged inside her.

That feeling again. A deep fear and anxiety, strong enough to push her close to another breakdown.

She was scared that Wen Huaxi might leave.

She was scared that Wen Huaxi would walk away with Yu Xiyun and disappear from her life.

She was terrified of losing her.

Before she could catch her breath, Wen Huaxi had already returned.

Noticing something was wrong, Wen Huaxi had ended the rehearsal early. She walked over and immediately saw the scratches on Yan Qinglan’s arm.

“What did you do this time? Look at your arm. Good thing I brought the medicine. Yan Qinglan, snap out of it and come with me to get this cleaned up.”

She tapped her gently on the head.

She didn’t understand why Yan Qinglan kept hurting herself.

She couldn’t watch her every second, so she could only try her best afterward. She cleaned the wounds, applied medicine, and made sure she didn’t pick at the scabs.

Yan Qinglan looked up and gripped her hand like it was a lifeline. She slowly pulled it toward her face and pressed it against her cheek.

The shape of the palm, the warmth—everything felt familiar.

She felt like a parched traveler finally finding water.

“Are you coming or not?” Wen Huaxi frowned. The wound was still bleeding. Why was she stalling?

“Yes.” Yan Qinglan stood up immediately. She couldn’t let Xiao Huaxi get mad at her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the person who had triggered her earlier. Without thinking, she leaned against Wen Huaxi, pretending to need support as they walked.

Of course, she didn’t put any real weight on her.

But Wen Huaxi didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arm around Yan Qinglan and helped her toward the break room quickly.

Now she was even using the old injury card. Yu Xiyun watched the two of them walk away and clicked her tongue. She looked at Yan Qinglan’s scratched arm in disbelief.

No wonder she couldn’t beat her. At most, she could use shared scenes to create some friction, but that was nothing compared to this.

What was that word? Green tea.

She had met a green-tea-style alpha. Rare and dangerous.

Inside the break room, Wen Huaxi locked the door and opened the medicine kit. She took her time, carefully applying ointment to every wound.

“You really need to stop this. Something bothering you again? Even if you’re upset, you can’t keep hurting yourself.”

These scratches were clearly from her own nails. How much anger did someone have to carry to do this?

That was only because she didn’t have a blade. It had been so long since her last relapse that Yan Qinglan thought she was stable again.

“Xiao Huaxi, do you feel sorry for me?” Yan Qinglan lowered her head. Her eyes shimmered with tears.

She didn’t look up, but the weight on her chest was clear. Wen Huaxi felt something twist in her heart.

“If I didn’t care, why would I be the one treating your wounds? Don’t ever do this again. You even cut your hand with broken porcelain last time. Seriously?”

“Alright.” So Xiao Huaxi did care. That made everything she did feel worth it.

“You better remember this. If you do it again, I’ll use alcohol to clean the wound and make it hurt as much as possible.”

Wen Huaxi could tell Yan Qinglan wasn’t taking her seriously, which made her angrier. She bared her teeth in a mock threat.

Yan Qinglan actually smiled. “I’ll listen to you. I was wrong.”

Wen Huaxi didn’t respond. After she finished applying the medicine, Yan Qinglan pulled her down to sit in her lap and wrapped her arms around her.

Only then did Wen Huaxi start trying to figure out what had really happened.

“So Yan Qinglan, what exactly is bothering you?”

Yan Qinglan held her close, resting her head on Wen Huaxi’s shoulder. She didn’t feel like answering.

“What’s your relationship with that woman, Yu Xiyun?”

It sounded like she was trying to change the subject.

“She’s a colleague. My acting partner. Maybe a friend,” Wen Huaxi replied.

Yan Qinglan clearly wasn’t satisfied. “Then why were you two standing so close just now? It looked like she was hugging you.”

It took Wen Huaxi a moment to realize what Yan Qinglan was talking about.

She couldn’t help but sigh. “Seriously, Sister Qing. We were filming a scene. You’ve read the script. My character has romantic scenes in it.”

She even pulled out the script and showed Yan Qinglan. “This is the scene.”

Only then did Wen Huaxi understand that Yan Qinglan wasn’t trying to change the subject.

She was genuinely upset because Yu Xiyun had put her arm around Wen Huaxi’s waist.

She had been so agitated she scratched her arm.

“Qinglan, Sister Qing. Please don’t get upset over something like this on your own. At least ask me about it. I don’t like her,” Wen Huaxi said, looking at the freshly treated scratches on Yan Qinglan’s arm. She couldn’t help but give an extra explanation.

But honestly, she shouldn’t have said that.

Whether or not she liked Yu Xiyun had nothing to do with Yan Qinglan.

There wasn’t anything official between her and Yan Qinglan.

Still, seeing Yan Qinglan look so fragile made her chest tighten. She had to say something to comfort her.

“So it was just a scene,” Yan Qinglan let out a long breath.

She had overreacted. Thankfully, she asked.

Yan Qinglan held her tighter. “Xiaoxi.”

Hearing Yan Qinglan call her that, Wen Huaxi felt even more affected. How could she possibly get too close to Yu Xiyun now?

“Don’t be like this, Qingjie. Next time I have a scene like that with her, I’ll tell you beforehand, alright?” Wen Huaxi sighed.

She turned and hugged Yan Qinglan, gently patting her on the back like she was calming a small, tearful animal. “Filming is about to start. I have to go.”

“I understand. Thank you, Xiaoxi.” Yan Qinglan quickly wiped away the tears that almost fell and gave Wen Huaxi a kiss on the forehead.

It was just a forehead kiss, without any romantic undertone.

Wen Huaxi accepted it. She gave one back before turning to walk toward the set.

“Be careful, alright? Keep your phone on. Did you charge the satellite phone?” It was time for Yan Qinglan to head into the mountains after making all the arrangements.

Wen Huaxi was full of worry. She tugged at Yan Qinglan’s arm, checking that she had packed enough food and water.

Wen Huaxi had never seen what life was like in that kind of environment. Yan Qinglan had only heard about it.

They were both nervous. Yan Qinglan just appeared calmer.

“Everything is ready. You don’t need to worry so much, Xiaoxi. I value my life. I still want to be there when our child is born.” Yan Qinglan smiled as she slung the backpack Wen Huaxi had prepared for her.

That line was too intimate, and Wen Huaxi didn’t know how to respond.

“I might be inside for a few days. Please take good care of yourself, Xiaoxi. The cook will bring your meals on time. If anything comes up, ask Xiao Liu. The bodyguard I hired is also nearby on set,” Yan Qinglan reminded her.

“Alright, alright. What could possibly happen to me?” Wen Huaxi mumbled. But it felt like Yan Qinglan was treating her like a little sister.

Feeling slightly annoyed, she bit Yan Qinglan lightly on the shoulder.

“Don’t be upset, Xiaoxi. I’m just worried about you,” Yan Qinglan said gently as she ran her fingers through Wen Huaxi’s hair one last time.

“It’s time for me to go. Xiaoxi, could you give me a goodbye kiss? Anywhere is fine,” Yan Qinglan asked softly.

Wen Huaxi stared at her face for a moment and hesitated.

Finally, she stood on tiptoe, held Yan Qinglan’s shoulders, and placed a light kiss on her lips.

“Go on now. Don’t look at me. You asked for it. It’s not like I wanted to kiss you or anything.” Wen Huaxi felt overwhelmed by embarrassment.

She covered her face, trying to hide her lips and even her eyes.

Yan Qinglan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and turned to walk toward the waiting car.

“Hey, that Yan Qinglan isn’t here today?” Yu Xiyun looked behind Wen Huaxi on set and asked curiously.

“No, she’s busy. We can go out for dinner tonight,” Wen Huaxi replied. Missing one of Yan Qinglan’s carefully planned nutritious meals didn’t matter. Yan Qinglan wasn’t around to stop her.

Yu Xiyun nodded.

That evening, the two of them went shopping and tried different foods at a nearby mall.

Wen Huaxi hadn’t felt this carefree in a long time.

She was still careful to avoid raw or spicy food.

But with Yan Qinglan not hovering nearby, she could eat whatever she wanted.

Most of the time, Yu Xiyun was very disciplined and respectful.

That was why Wen Huaxi hadn’t thought much of it when they acted in romantic scenes together.

She hadn’t expected Yan Qinglan to get so upset that she’d scratch herself until she bled.

Scenes that were necessary for work were fine. Outside of that, Wen Huaxi decided it was better to keep a polite distance from Yu Xiyun.

Whether she liked someone or not would become clear over time.

Sometimes, refusing to acknowledge or explore those feelings was an answer in itself.

“What are you looking at?” Yu Xiyun handed her the milk tea she bought. She gave Wen Huaxi the hot one with low sugar.

“I’m waiting for a message.” Yan Qinglan had gone somewhere with no signal. She hadn’t replied to a single message all day.

“From Yan Qinglan?” Yu Xiyun asked, hoping for a direct answer.

“Yes.” Wen Huaxi put her phone away.

“I know it’s sudden, but can I ask you something? Do you like her?”

Wen Huaxi looked up in surprise. Her eyes widened. “Why would you ask that?”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to answer. I just think she seems to care about you a lot,” Yu Xiyun said quietly.

Even if Wen Huaxi didn’t respond, Yu Xiyun felt she already knew the answer.

“Ah… I don’t know.” Wen Huaxi stared blankly into the distance. Her eyes were unfocused and dim. “I really don’t know.”

She didn’t want to fall for Yan Qinglan. But the kindness Yan Qinglan showed her was something she had never experienced in her past life.

Still, their relationship was mostly built on warmth and care. Yan Qinglan felt more like an older sister.

Just slightly less close than Wen Sui Xue, but still, a good sister.

Wen Huaxi stood there in a daze for a long time before she finally bit her lip and snapped out of it.

If she didn’t want to take things further with Yan Qinglan, then why had she kissed her that morning?

Would that one kiss break the balance they had maintained for so long?

After all, hadn’t Yan Qinglan said she didn’t like her that way? Even if she asked for a kiss, it could have meant something else entirely.

Seeing Wen Huaxi fall into a gloomy mood, Yu Xiyun felt a bitterness rise in her chest.

She forced a smile and patted Wen Huaxi on the back. “Don’t worry. I think she really does like you.”

“You don’t know her,” Wen Huaxi shook her head. “I don’t want to think about her anymore. What should we eat tonight?”

“I heard this Yunnan-style place is pretty good,” Yu Xiyun replied, quickly collecting herself.

From this point on, she knew she had to step back and return to being just a friend.

“There are so many people. Should we wait in line or share a table?” They had arrived at an unlucky time—Friday evening during the dinner rush.

“Let’s share a table. I’m a bit hungry.” Wen Huaxi hadn’t eaten much of her nutrient-packed lunch. She had intentionally saved her appetite for dinner.

They ended up sharing a table with a couple.

Wen Huaxi could tell that the girl with her hair tied up was an omega. The other woman, who wore silver jewelry, gave off an oddly mysterious vibe.

The last time she had felt something like this was during a family banquet at the Yan residence. That same feeling had come from Gu Lian.

Could these two be from the same place?

Wen Huaxi became curious and tried to engage them in friendly conversation.

In under five minutes, she learned that the girl who could distinguish secondary genders was named Fu Chenyang. She was a body painter and also did tattoos. She ran her own studio.

“Fufu is my… uh, what’s the word?” Fu Chenyang turned to the woman beside her, poking her arm.

Wen Huaxi’s strong intuition told her something about Fu Chenyang was off.

She was clingy to the point of lacking her own opinions. While people in love could act that way, Wen Huaxi still felt that something wasn’t quite right.

“Partner,” the woman beside her answered calmly. Then her clear gray eyes glanced at Wen Huaxi.

Yin Fujun’s gaze held surprise.

She could sense the presence of sacred Gu energy in the world of ordinary people.

As expected, the ancestor’s prediction was right. Coming down the mountain at this time really did have a purpose.

The Five-Nine double shift… it was real.
(Confirmed. Not up for debate.)