Three Sentences That Made My Ex-Wife Spit Blood - Chapter 43

Wen Huaxi was so startled she nearly jumped.

Then she remembered she needed to be more composed, so she forced herself to stay still.

“You… you really want to shower with me?” Wen Huaxi swallowed nervously and leaned against the bathroom doorframe, peeking her head out cautiously.

Yan Qinglan had originally intended to act properly.

But when she saw Wen Huaxi’s fluffy little head poking out, she couldn’t resist teasing her. She reached out and patted her head. “Yes.”

Before the little kitten could puff up in alarm, Yan Qinglan added, “Xiaoxi, your hair is so thick. It must be hard to wash by yourself, right? I can help you wash it.”

Wen Huaxi immediately relaxed.

So it was just about washing hair. She had thought Yan Qinglan wanted to do something more intimate in the shower.

“Well, I guess that’s not a problem. But there’s no proper sink here for lying down and washing hair. How about you install one at home, Sister Qing?” Then she could take over the job of washing her hair forever.

“…”

She, the dignified heir of the Yan family, the one who made major decisions every day, was now going to wash and blow-dry Wen Huaxi’s hair.

Looking at Wen Huaxi’s bright and sparkling almond-shaped eyes, Yan Qinglan simply closed her own.

“Alright.” She decided to act like she had temporarily lost her mind. She would learn how to wash hair once they got home.

Wen Huaxi had only been joking. When Yan Qinglan seriously agreed, she stood there stunned, unable to believe it.

“Go shower now, Xiaoxi. I’ll blow-dry your hair later.” Yan Qinglan withdrew her hand and decisively left the bathroom.

If she stayed a second longer, she might not be able to resist going in and joining her.

Thinking of the scenes she remembered from her previous life, Yan Qinglan took a deep breath and poured herself a glass of cold water.

Thankfully, she had been reborn. Her Xiaoxi was still alive and safe.

The relief of surviving a tragedy washed over Yan Qinglan. She sat at her desk, quietly sorting through her recovered memories.

So far, she had recalled a few moments from the early days of their marriage, many of their intimate encounters, and the moment Wen Huaxi had her accident.

They had done it so many times. In her past life, she and Wen Huaxi must have ended up deeply in love.

That explained why it had hurt so much when Wen Huaxi was in the accident.

It was obvious that her past self had fallen for Wen Huaxi.

Even now, reborn and without a complete memory, she was still falling for her all over again.

She and Xiaoxi were a perfect match.

But did Wen Huaxi feel the same way?

Yan Qinglan had once been certain.

Back when she didn’t like Wen Huaxi yet. Back when she agreed to a contract marriage.

Now, she wasn’t sure anymore.

She had asked once before, and Wen Huaxi had said she didn’t like her.

Recently, Wen Huaxi had said she did. But that was when she was trying to avoid consequences or cover up after doing something wrong.

But she was the one who had been reborn. Why did things feel different now?

Yan Qinglan thought about Wen Huaxi’s sudden change in personality.

Had she already seen her partying around in advance and given up? Or was it something else?

Yan Qinglan tapped the desk absentmindedly. Then she noticed a design sketch lying there.

She picked it up and took a look. Her little kitten was truly talented.

While studying Wen Huaxi’s draft, Yan Qinglan began preparing to convert it into a digital version. Just then, Wen Huaxi came out of the bathroom.

Yan Qinglan put down her pen and walked over to meet her, taking the towel from Wen Huaxi’s head to help dry her hair.

Wen Huaxi, pleased with the attention, found a seat and sat down.

“Sister Qing, you’re not a clean freak anymore?” Wen Huaxi remembered how recently she had complained about her hair. Now she had completely changed and even offered to wash it.

“I still am,” Yan Qinglan said softly. But when it came to Wen Huaxi, she could throw away all her rules and boundaries.

“How did Xiaoxi know Sister Qing is a clean freak?” Including her sweet tooth and her habit of guarding her food.

Even her close friends and family might not know those things.

At first, Yan Qinglan had thought Wen Huaxi had investigated her.

But there was no way that kind of detail could be discovered through a background check.

She was testing her.

If Wen Huaxi knew what she was thinking, she would definitely want to knock her on the head and tell her to just ask directly.

Although, if it involved her rebirth, she might not answer anyway.

But all this probing and circling around was exhausting.

“I noticed it. I’m a filmmaker. I observe people every day. Picking up on something like that isn’t hard.” What she said wasn’t a lie.

She had noticed it in her past life.

Back then, she had been completely focused on Yan Qinglan. She had studied her likes and dislikes in detail. She just hadn’t had many chances to act on them.

“And Sister Qing, who else but someone with OCD and a cleanliness obsession would wash their hands five times after peeling a mandarin orange?” Wen Huaxi spoke calmly.

Yan Qinglan let go of her suspicion. Being reborn was already a rare and impossible thing to happen once. Hoping it would happen twice was just unrealistic.

And she didn’t want Wen Huaxi to go through that pain. To be neglected. To get into an accident.

It was enough that she remembered it. Let her bear the pain alone.

In this life, she would make sure Wen Huaxi lived happily and without worries.

“You’re very observant, Xiaoxi.” Yan Qinglan said while gently patting her head.

There it was again. That older-sister gesture.

Wen Huaxi looked down. She meant like a real older sister.

But they had just kissed.

The kiss had been so intense that even in the shower, Wen Huaxi had to deal with the feelings it stirred in her.

The more she scrubbed, the more embarrassed she felt. She hadn’t held back at all during the kiss, and to her surprise, Yan Qinglan had even used her tongue.

She was even more skilled than in their past life.

She had covered her eyes and ears.

Shutting off all her senses, making the presence of Yan Qinglan fill her heart completely.

There was no room left for anyone else.

How did Yan Qinglan know she liked that?

Or was it because Yan Qinglan had already been with someone else in this life? Was that why she was so experienced?

Maybe she had mistaken her for someone else in the heat of the moment. And now, sober again, she had retreated back into the role of a responsible adult, treating her like a younger sister.

Wen Huaxi couldn’t feel happy at all. Even her hair seemed to lose its shine.

Yan Qinglan glanced over, puzzled.

Her girl had looked bright and lively just moments ago. Why did she suddenly seem like a wilted flower, drooping all of a sudden?

She reached out and poked Wen Huaxi’s collarbone. “Not happy?”

“No.” Wen Huaxi quickly pulled back her overly obvious expression.

She looked down and reached for her phone, trying to distract herself and stop overthinking.

But her phone was swiftly taken away by Yan Qinglan.

“Sister wasn’t here today, so Xiaoxi definitely went over her screen time. Be good. If you want to watch something, we can use the projector later. Don’t keep staring at a small screen.”

Wen Huaxi pouted. She liked how Sister Qing took care of her, but every time, it reminded her that Yan Qinglan only saw her as a younger sister.

Family affection was nice. But what she really wanted was Sister Qing’s romantic love, her desire.

Just like how she wished Sister Qing would care about whose child it was, or whether she had someone else in her life.

Those were all signs of love.

“I looked at your design draft earlier.” After two minutes of silence, Yan Qinglan, afraid Wen Huaxi might be bored, brought up a new topic.

If Wen Huaxi were a real kitten with ears, they would have perked up by now.

“It was really well done.”

And if she had a tail, it would definitely be wagging.

Wen Huaxi, tail wagging in her imagination, was eager to show off her vibrant red fur. She turned to face Yan Qinglan.

“Say more. I love hearing it.”

“It’s creative. Honestly, it could rival some of the top international designers.” Yan Qinglan, who rarely gave compliments, found herself at a bit of a loss.

But praising her wife? That was something Yan Qinglan was willing to think hard about.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I’m still not at their level. At least not in terms of reputation.”

Wen Huaxi was satisfied. You could almost see her tail lifted proudly in the air, full of confidence.

“In my eyes, Xiaoxi is the best.” Yan Qinglan gave a small laugh, then turned off the hairdryer.

She had completed the difficult task of drying her hair and was ready to get ready for bed.

Before turning away, Yan Qinglan grabbed Wen Huaxi’s hand.

“Sister worked hard drying your hair. Xiaoxi, what do you think? Want to give Sister a little reward?”

Wen Huaxi looked at her.

Those phoenix eyes were brighter than usual. There was an emotion behind them she hadn’t seen before.

There was a flicker of something that made Wen Huaxi unsure.

Was it affection? Love?

Or was it just a trick of the light, a ripple on the surface, something she was only imagining?

Wen Huaxi rose on tiptoe, wanting to see more clearly.

But Yan Qinglan misunderstood. She wrapped an arm around her and leaned in, closing her eyes.

They kissed again.

Wen Huaxi’s hands rested on her chest. When she realized what she might be touching, she quickly pulled them away.

She didn’t resist. In fact, she didn’t want to resist at all.

She had wanted this kiss.

It was just a light one. Their lips touched gently. Neither of them used their tongue this time.

Yet when it ended, the aftertaste lingered even longer than the first kiss.

Wen Huaxi sat back down at her desk, unable to stop thinking about what Yan Qinglan meant by it.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure it out. Nothing felt certain.

All she could realize was one thing.

She really was falling more and more in love with Yan Qinglan.

“Sister Qing, tomorrow… are you still leaving?”

Already lying in bed, Wen Huaxi naturally snuggled into Yan Qinglan’s arms. She didn’t mind the heat, even though she was still wrapped in a blanket.

“I’m not leaving.” Yan Qinglan gently pinched her little kitten who clearly lacked a sense of security.

As expected, no matter how much her personality had changed in this life, deep down, Wen Huaxi was still that pitiful girl who, because she loved her, waited endlessly in silence, stealing glances from afar but never daring to let her know.

“I’ll stay with you.” Yan Qinglan kissed Wen Huaxi on the forehead.

There had been a lot of kisses today.

Wen Huaxi finally felt a little hot, but instead of pulling away from Yan Qinglan, she just lifted the blanket to cool off.

“But didn’t you come here to investigate Gu Lian?”

“It’s fine. I can confirm that he came from that place. That’s enough for now.”

Even though much of her day had been spent struggling with returning memories, Yan Qinglan had still carefully observed the village.

The people there gave her the same feeling Gu Lian had.

Especially that woman with the cane.

“Oh, right. I met two people today, and they also gave me a strange feeling.” Wen Huaxi told Yan Qinglan everything that happened during the meal.

But Yan Qinglan’s focus shifted.

“You went out to eat with Yu Xiyun? Xiaoxi, what about your nutrition meal?”

Wen Huaxi was speechless for a moment. She thought Sister Qing would at least focus on Yu Xiyun, not…

“You and Yu Xiyun…”

There it was.

“I already explained this to you. We were just having a meal. There were two other people with us too.” Wen Huaxi tried to play it down.

“… Baby, your nutrition meal.” Yan Qinglan grew anxious, and the nickname slipped out before she could stop it.

Wen Huaxi clearly didn’t think she was the one being addressed.

She looked down at her stomach. “The baby says no nutrition meal.”

Since the baby couldn’t talk, if she said the baby didn’t want it, then the baby definitely didn’t want it.

“I was calling you,” Yan Qinglan said with a sigh.

“Is the nutrition meal really that bad?” She had specifically asked the chef to make sure it tasted good.

“Well, not exactly,” Wen Huaxi replied, feeling a little guilty. Had Sister Qing really called her “baby”?

Was that a new nickname born from affection, or just something close friends or siblings might say when flustered?

“But sometimes I just want to eat out. Eating nutrition meals every day gets boring,” Wen Huaxi said as she rubbed her cheek against Yan Qinglan’s neck.

“Can you say it again?”

Yan Qinglan let out another sigh in her heart. “Baby. You did take your supplements tonight, didn’t you?”

Wen Huaxi nodded quickly.

“Good girl. If you want to eat something different next time, Sister will go with you.” Yan Qinglan wasn’t unreasonable. In the end, what mattered most was Wen Huaxi’s happiness.

“Alright. I want grilled meat, hotpot, fried skewers, mixed noodles,” Wen Huaxi began listing dishes that sounded far from healthy, then exaggeratedly swallowed. “Just talking about it is making me hungry.”

“What did you eat tonight?” Yan Qinglan didn’t usually crave food that much, except for sweets.

Still, hearing that list made her raise her eyebrows slightly.

“Just a simple rice bowl. Since you hadn’t approved, I didn’t go for anything spicy.”

If she were to eat hotpot, it would definitely be extra spicy.

She knew she had to be cautious, so she only ordered something mildly spicy today.

Yan Qinglan nodded and finally returned her attention to the two people Wen Huaxi had mentioned meeting.

“Did the two people you sat with include a lively one with her hair tied up, and a quieter one with features that looked a bit ethnically distinct?”

“How do you know that? Yan Qinglan, did you install surveillance on me?” Wen Huaxi glared and almost bit her.

Yan Qinglan gently pinched her lips. “I didn’t monitor you. I came out of that village with them. Do you have their contact information?”

“I do. I thought they looked suspicious, so I got the lively one’s WeChat,” Wen Huaxi said, her voice practically begging for praise.

“Our Xiaoxi is amazing. That was a big help.” Yan Qinglan didn’t hesitate to praise her, and she meant every word.

Her Xiaoxi really did bring good luck.

Whether it was choosing uncut jade or shopping, whatever she liked usually turned out to be valuable.

Yan Qinglan leaned closer to Wen Huaxi’s shoulder and collarbone, then took in a small breath.

“What are you doing? I’m clean,” Wen Huaxi said, squirming at the feeling of her breath. Her toes curled, and she held tightly onto Yan Qinglan’s waist.

“You have good luck, Xiaoxi. Let Sister borrow some.”

Wen Huaxi finally relaxed. “Fine. I guess I’ll let you have a little.”

Then she leaned close to Yan Qinglan’s ear and kissed her gently. “Sister Qing, I’m sleepy.”

“Alright. Good night, Xiaoxi baby.”

“Are you putting me to bed like a child? You didn’t have to say it like that.”

Wen Huaxi pulled out of Yan Qinglan’s embrace, covered her head with the blanket, and stopped responding.

Five minutes later, the sound of steady breathing came from her side.

Yan Qinglan adjusted the blanket to cover her properly. She couldn’t sleep, so she lay there quietly, staring at Wen Huaxi’s belly.

She remembered how, the last time she covered her with a blanket, she had instinctively reached out and touched Wen Huaxi’s stomach.

Maybe it was because she had been reborn. Deep down, she kept feeling like Wen Huaxi was carrying their child from the past life.

Yan Qinglan gently reached out and placed her hand softly over Wen Huaxi’s stomach.

Could it really be you?

She asked the question in her heart.

Was the baby Wen Huaxi carried the same one from before? The one who had never been born, the poor little soul?

She couldn’t remember all the details about that child.

Even what she did after Wen Huaxi’s death was a blur in her mind.

Most likely, she had sought revenge.

Her lover was gone. Yan Qinglan didn’t dare imagine how she had kept on living back then.

Maybe she hadn’t. Maybe that was why she had been reborn.

But even if she had returned to life, how had the child done the same?

Usually, children followed their birth mothers.

And Wen Huaxi still wasn’t confirmed to be reborn.

All of the suspicious signs had reasonable explanations that had nothing to do with reincarnation.

But the baby was something Yan Qinglan couldn’t figure out.

Especially since Wen Huaxi acted like she already knew where the child came from.

Yan Qinglan could never feel as deeply connected to the baby as Wen Huaxi did.

If this really was the same child from before, returning unknowingly into Wen Huaxi’s body, wasn’t that a burden?

Thankfully, Wen Huaxi was kind and chose to keep the baby.

She had truly endured a lot.

Yan Qinglan felt even more resentment toward this unborn child.

If they ever had a second one, she would carry it herself.

She could let Xiaoxi go through it once, but not again.

There was no sign of movement from the baby yet. Yan Qinglan lay back down and gently pulled Wen Huaxi, who was about to roll off the bed, back into her arms.

Hadn’t they loved each other in their past life and lived in peace together?

Even if Wen Huaxi had been reborn, that wouldn’t change what they had.

Feeling reassured, Yan Qinglan finally drifted into sleep.

The next morning, she remembered something. She didn’t have to tell Wen Huaxi, but she just wanted to talk to her about it.

“Yesterday, when I was with those two people, it felt like they were looking for something,” Yan Qinglan said while preparing breakfast for Wen Huaxi.

“Looking for something?” Wen Huaxi tried to search her memories from the past life but found nothing.

Maybe she had known too little about Yan Qinglan back then.

Even her suspicions about Gu Lian had started only because she happened to catch him in disguise.

“Not sure what it is. I just feel like I heard something, or maybe it was just a gut instinct.”

Yan Qinglan glanced at Wen Huaxi, and suddenly Wen Huaxi felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

“Yan Qinglan, do you think there’s a high chance Gu Lian is also out there looking for something?”

Yan Qinglan tapped her fingers against the table. “Eighty percent chance.”

Coming from that village and staying hidden outside for so long was already suspicious.

Even she could feel that the atmosphere in that village was strange. The people inside and outside seemed to be heading down different paths, and none of them could stay for long.

She had no idea what method Gu Lian used to remain outside for over a decade.

Or maybe he had been going back from time to time.

Just like recently, when none of her contacts could find any trace of Gu Lian, as if he had disappeared.

If Yan Qinglan had stayed in the village longer and built more connections, she could have looked into the visitor logs from recent years.

But given that the guess was reasonable, she didn’t need concrete evidence to act.

After all, her mother had mentioned his name before. This man had already gotten in her way.

For someone like that, there was only one outcome.

“Then what is he looking for?” Wen Huaxi asked, her concern growing.

If it had been her, and after all this time there were still no results, she would have gone crazy by now.

And once a person loses their mind, they start doing extreme things.

In their previous life, they never solved the mystery behind Yan Mingzhu’s death. Wen Huaxi worried that even in this second chance at life, she still wouldn’t be able to protect everyone.

She didn’t have many people around her.

Her only family was Wen Suxue. Her only close friend was Lu Tong.

As for her lover… she might as well call her the heartless playgirl Alpha wife.

Yan Mingzhu had treated her well. Wen Huaxi naturally wanted to return that kindness.

She didn’t have much that she truly valued. She just hoped that this time, she wouldn’t end up feeling completely helpless again.

“I don’t know. Even if I ask my mother, she might not have an answer.”

The worst-case scenario was something like before, when Yan Mingzhu had been looking for the family heirloom to give to Wen Huaxi and fainted under unclear circumstances.

“But I thought of someone else. Someone who approached me recently, and I think she might also be searching for something.”

Wen Huaxi raised an eyebrow.

“That would be Meng Qingzhou,” Yan Qinglan said, finally pointing out what had been bothering her.

It wasn’t until she was going over all the details with Wen Huaxi that she realized this.

Meng Qingzhou had never been interested in her romantically. It had always been about something else.

The woman had even made it clear that if they got married, she wouldn’t care if Yan Qinglan had affairs.

“Are you sure she’s not just trying to convince you to divorce and then marry her?” Wen Huaxi gave her a look full of doubt.

She stared at Yan Qinglan, her eyes clearly showing a trace of disdain.

Yan Qinglan fell silent. She had completely forgotten about that part.

She suddenly remembered asking Meng Qingzhou to drive her to catch Wen Huaxi that time…

The thought made her almost snap her chopsticks in half.

She felt incredibly guilty now, and it showed.

“I’m sorry, Xiaoxi,” Yan Qinglan said sincerely, lowering her tone. “Sister never wanted to marry her.”

Wen Huaxi rolled her eyes in response.

“But Xiaoxi,” Yan Qinglan added quickly. “Meng Qingzhou had no feelings for me. She just said she wanted to marry me, and that I could go out and do whatever I wanted.”

As soon as she finished saying it, Yan Qinglan realized something was off.

Sure enough, Wen Huaxi’s expression changed. “So what you’re saying is, I’m the one stopping you from going out and playing around?”

“No,” Yan Qinglan replied immediately, trying to fix the situation. “What I mean is, if I marry you, I don’t want to go out and play.”

Wen Huaxi blinked slowly.

Something about that sentence didn’t sit right with her.

Though, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Yan Qinglan go out on a date with anyone in a long time.

For at least a month, Yan Qinglan had been home every night, staying with her, caring for her in every possible way.

“Sister just means that Meng Qingzhou approaching me was probably not about romance. I have a feeling she’s also looking for something. Marrying me would be the best way to stay close.”

“Then why don’t you think I married you to look for something too?” Wen Huaxi gave a cold chuckle.

Today, Yan Qinglan was clearly suffering the consequences of her past actions. All the thoughtless things she had done were coming back to sting her one by one.

“To be honest, I did have my doubts.”
That was after Wen Huaxi showed an uncanny understanding of her, and an inexplicable closeness to Yan Mingzhu.

Yan Qinglan was surprisingly honest and came clean to Wen Huaxi without hesitation.

Wen Huaxi slowly closed her eyes, clearly disinterested.
“So, Yan Qinglan. You think I married you because of your mother?”

“…I’m sorry, Xiaoxi. I tend to be suspicious by nature, especially after what happened with Gu Lian. And my mother’s health hasn’t been great, either. I just… looked into you a little,” Yan Qinglan admitted, almost like a child bracing for punishment.

Wen Huaxi understood.
After her rebirth, she had made sure not to reveal even a hint of her true intentions—afraid that Yan Qinglan would become suspicious and retaliate.

But as their relationship grew closer, her worries had started to ease.

Now that Yan Qinglan had brought it up himself even though she could understand, it still left a bitter taste.

“You have every right to be angry, Xiaoxi. You should be. Because I didn’t trust you,” Yan Qinglan genuinely seemed apologetic.

“You said it yourself,” Wen Huaxi replied, dropping her chopsticks and standing up, clearly about to storm out.

Yan Qinglan (thinking): In our past life, we must’ve had a happy and harmonious marriage.

Wen Huaxi (thinking): Aren’t you confident.