Too Late to Regret, She’s Now With the Big Boss - Chapter 85

“Lu Jingchen, the only punishments I can think of for you are not letting you hold me and sleeping in separate beds!” Ye Qianqian huffed angrily.

“You’ve listed a whole bunch of things, but they’re all things I’d want to punish you with. Aside from these, what else is there to punish?”

“If my wife won’t let me hold her or kiss her, isn’t that just killing me?” Lu Jingchen said pitifully.

Seeing Ye Qianqian so angry that she cursed, the frustration in his heart instantly vanished. He loved seeing her act freely and unrestrained.

He hated seeing her tiptoe around him. Gazing at Ye Qianqian’s simple yet stunning face, which seemed to glow softly in the dim light, her gentle demeanor was like a snow lotus quietly blooming in a secluded valley, instantly piercing through the thick gloom that had clouded his world for years.

He laughed and splashed water at her with both hands. Ye Qianqian immediately retaliated angrily, and the two began a water fight in the hot spring pool.

Amid the splashing, they soon burst into laughter and reconciled, naturally ending up in bed together…

The next day, Actor Lu noticed that the trending topic he had deliberately stirred up was still trending, yet no one had called to scold him.

He couldn’t resist calling his eldest brother. [Brother, what has Third Brother been up to lately?]

[Him? What else could he be doing besides making money for all of us?] Eldest Brother Lu chuckled.

[Brother, Dad, Stepmom… are you all doing well lately? Actor Lu called mainly hoping his eldest brother would bring up the trending topic.

[Your sister-in-law and I are doing great! It’s just that Stepmom recently did something foolish again. She tried to team up with the Li family to scheme against Third Brother, so Dad locked her up.]

[Wow! How could the old man bear to do that this time?] Actor Lu was utterly shocked.

[You know how Dad always favors Stepmom. He was afraid Third Brother would kill her, so he took preemptive action and locked her on the second floor, not allowing her to come down.]

Even through the phone, Actor Lu could hear the excitement in his eldest brother’s voice, and his curiosity was piqued.

[What could be so serious? She nearly took Third Brother’s life before, and he didn’t kill her then?]

[Second Brother, let me tell you quietly, we all know Third Brother had someone he liked long ago. You’ve been guessing for ten years without figuring out who she is. Last month, Third Brother quietly got married to that girl.

Their wedding is scheduled for the 19th of next month. Third Brother treasures her like his own eyes. Offending Third Brother might be forgivable, but if anyone offends his wife, there’s only one path left. If the old man hadn’t locked Stepmom away, the consequences would be unthinkable…]

Actor Lu interrupted his enthusiastic eldest brother. [Third Brother actually went and got married?]

[No way! How could you not know about something this big? Didn’t your wife tell you?] Eldest Brother Lu asked in surprise, firing off questions.

[I’ve been very busy lately, Brother. Have you seen my trending search?] Actor Lu couldn’t help but ask, wanting to change the subject.

He was too embarrassed to tell his brother that he hadn’t been in touch with his wife for two months. He seemed to have fallen for his current girlfriend because they had been dating for two months without breaking up. In the past, he would break up with a girlfriend within a week at most, and he would go home to spend a few days with his wife before moving on to the next.

[I saw it. Your sister-in-law said your scandalous news is everywhere, and you’re trending every other day, nothing new about that.]

[…]

Actor Lu was left speechless. After a whole night of anxiety, was this the outcome he got?

He had wasted his time devising several strategies to deal with his third brother, even considering teaming up with his eldest nephew against him!

If even his rigid eldest brother thought this way, did his wife and children feel the same?

All these years, he had thrived using the money his third brother earned and the connections his third brother provided, yet he had been guarding against him. How despicable!

Early the next morning, Actor Lu bought a ticket back to Rongcheng to be with his wife. He no longer had any interest in promoting some young starlet!

…

At the Song residence.

Song Yuntao, his face dark with anger, dragged Ye Qingyan back to their bedroom and roughly shoved her into the bathroom, ignoring the fact that she hadn’t had a drop of water or a bite to eat all day.

“Brother Yuntao, have someone bring me a glass of water and prepare some food,” Ye Qingyan ordered from behind the door.

“Clean yourself up first,” Song Yuntao snapped harshly, his mind still haunted by Second Brother Ye’s guilty expression.

He couldn’t help but recall the scene from the homecoming banquet, the affectionate way Eldest Brother Ye and Ye Qingyan had been clinging to each other.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Song Yuntao pushed the door open and immediately noticed the bruises, blue and purple, on Ye Qingyan’s wrists.

Before he could say anything, he was met with Ye Qingyan’s furious scolding, “Song Yuntao, have you lost your mind?”

“Who’s the one who’s lost their mind? Or are you just feeling guilty?” Song Yuntao retorted hoarsely.

“Me, guilty? Song Yuntao, have you no conscience? I’ve been locked up by that old witch for half the day, and you haven’t even uttered a single word of concern-”

“Who knows if you were really locked up or if you were hiding there on purpose, scheming with-”

“Song Yuntao, if you’re sick, go see a doctor. Stop spouting nonsense here with your baseless suspicions.”

“If I’m sick, why did you fight to have me?”

“Search your conscience, did I really fight for you? Song Yuntao, I can’t live like this anymore. We’re getting a divorce tomorrow.”

“Divorce?” Song Yuntao’s eyes darkened, his fingers gripping the doorframe until they turned pale.

He gritted his teeth, telling himself over and over that a woman like her wasn’t worth his heartache.

So be it. It was only ten years of loving her, what did it matter?

Besides, he now realized that the one he had truly loved was never Ye Qingyan. If he divorced her, maybe he’d still have a chance to win Ye Qianqian’s forgiveness.

The thought of Ye Qianqian made him think of Third Master Lu. By now, the two of them were probably already tangled up in bed!

And here he was, foolishly arguing with Ye Qingyan, trapped in confusion over who he really loved…

“The moment I mention divorce, you’re already thinking about how to win back Ye Qianqian. When she was within your reach, you handed her over to someone else without a second thought. You never appreciated what you had. Now that you’ve lost her, you’re secretly grieving. Song Yuntao, how pathetic can you be?” Ye Qingyan’s voice was sharp, dripping with scorn.

Her words struck him like a tornado, roaring into his ears with overwhelming force.

Pain instantly washed over his entire body. Hazy spots of light rose before his eyes, distorting Ye Qingyan’s image until she looked warped and unfamiliar.

The infatuation and awe he had felt in his youth because of her face had been utterly shattered within just over a month of marriage.

But after three years of day-in, day-out companionship with Ye Qianqian, he now realized how deeply she had permeated every aspect of his life.

And she would never be as frivolous as Ye Qingyan. With her, there had always been boundaries and distance.

Even after their wedding date was set, they had never kissed, not until Ye Qingyan returned to the country.

Perhaps she was flustered when she hugged him, standing on her toes to plant a light kiss on his cheek and softly asking if he wanted to call off the engagement.

Upon hearing his firm refusal to break the engagement, she slipped out of his grasp, turned, and dashed into her bedroom.

That night, his heart raced so intensely he couldn’t sleep a wink, his mind filled with the sound of her voice and the warmth of her spontaneous embrace.

What a wonderful person she was!