Gu Xiyan didn't expect him to stop at the last moment.

  At that time, she only heard him grunt, then he pushed her away with force and quickly walked into the bathroom.

  She didn't know why he stopped, but she clearly saw the disgust in his eyes. Ugh, disgust. How could he look at her like that? As if she was some kind of dirty thing.

  He must have no idea. The power of that one glance on her was even more severe than the cold and harsh words he had spoken before.

  What he said. She can still hypnotize herself. Tell herself that he was just a momentary impulse and spoke recklessly. But, how can eyes deceive people?

  He really dislikes her now. Dislikes to the point where he doesn't even want to touch her. Forget it. What is she still expecting? People can't be too greedy, otherwise heaven will not tolerate it.

  Shang Yiqi's lips were a bit pale when he came out of the bathroom. Gu Xiyen turned her back to him and didn't notice anything was wrong with him, his eyes suddenly deepened. Shang Yiqi stood by the bed for a while before turning off the lamp and going to bed to rest. Throughout the whole process, he didn't say a word.

  Lying in bed, his shoulder blades ached dully. He shifted his body and turned to face the direction of the door. The fatigue that had been building up over the past few days soon sent him drifting off to sleep.

  Back to back. This was their first time sleeping together in this posture.

  Gu Xiyan listened to the sound of steady breathing beside her, and tears flowed down her face like a clear spring. The water slowly seeped into the new pillow on the bed, making it comfortable. She only felt a slight ache in her head, but didn't cry out loud. In her heart, Gu Xiyan slowly recalled how she used to love resting her head on his arm, and he would happily hold her in his embrace.

  What a detestable word.

  Gu Xiyan didn't sleep all night. When Shang Yu woke up early, she noticed it but pretended not to know. She kept her eyes open until dawn. Her eyes were sore and dry at this moment.

  After Shang Yi left the room, Gu Xiyan supported her own body and sat up. Her head was a bit dizzy and heavy. The quilt slid down, revealing her icy skin and delicate bones hidden under the bedding. Gu Xiyan shook her head, but her mind didn't clear up at all. Instead, she felt even more uncomfortable.

  She slumped onto the bed, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over her. She didn't want to go to work anymore. Her hand reached out to the bedside, but she couldn't find her phone. It suddenly occurred to her that she had probably left it in the coat she wore last night. And that coat... she had carelessly tossed it onto the floor of the bathroom.

  Terrible.

  Gu Xiyan had no choice but to get up. Perhaps she was not feeling well. When Gu Xiyan stood up, she almost fell over. It wasn't until she came to her senses a bit that she dared to slowly make her way to the bathroom.

  It's different from what she imagined. The bathroom was no longer messy from last night. It seems that he had cleaned up.

  Gu Xiyan saw her clothes in a blue plastic bucket. After picking up the coat, she let out a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, the clothes were thick enough and only the outer layer was wet. Most parts of the clothes were dry. As for the phone, it was safe and sound.

  If Gu Xiyan could predict the future, she would rather her phone be broken than intact.

  As soon as she turned on her phone, Gu Xiyan received a message. The message came from an unfamiliar number. Gu Xiyan hesitated for a moment before opening it. In that instant, her world was turned upside down.

  The information is a set of photos. Each photo is exceptionally clear. And every person who appears in each photo, she is extremely familiar with.

  This set of pictures expresses the same theme. Gu Xiyan's eyes turned black and she fell to the floor in the bathroom. The floor was cool, but it couldn't compare to the chill in her heart.

  So that's the reason, right? So that's the real reason you got angry... So that's why you didn't want to touch me... So you've already accepted another woman...

  "Hah... Haha..." Gu Xiyuan slapped herself twice and burst out laughing. She laughed very sincerely, with great effort, and with a sense of desperation.

  I thought it was really me who misunderstood you. It turns out that you were the one who did something wrong.

  No, no, you're not wrong. You never promised me anything. What you said was good to me, but it was just my own wishful thinking that misinterpreted your meaning. It's all my own fault for being overly sentimental and having too many wild thoughts. You're not wrong, how could you be?

  But why am I still not reconciled? Gu Xiyan asked herself in her heart. A gentle smile rose on her absolutely beautiful small face. But no matter how much gentleness, it could not conceal the sorrowful pain in her eyes.

  In this world, there are many definitions of "good". And the "good" you mentioned, is it referring to my second half of life being worry-free about food and clothing? But didn't you also say that there will only be me, no other women? Or does your "no other women" mean that you can have many women outside, but at home, there's only me. Don't you think this kind of "good" is even more cruel?

  "I don't want it anymore, I won't take it, never again..." She covered her ears with her hands. The bitterness in Gu Xiyan's mouth was like the most bitter Chinese medicine, and she couldn't muster a smile. Tears flooded her eyes.

  Tears streamed down Gu Xiyan's delicate face, her mouth muttering incoherent refusals. At this moment, she was like a small beast pierced by thorns, her entire body stinging with the desire to hurt others, yet ultimately only hurting herself.

  That day, Gu Xiyan spent the whole day at home. She didn't even take a leave of absence. There had never been a day when she hoped to be isolated from the world and forget everything.

  After turning on the computer in the study room, Gu Xiyan went back to Xiaoyao's room.

  For the entire day, she had been forcing herself to fall asleep, forcing herself to forget, forcing herself to erase all memories of those pictures from her mind. It would be best if not even a shadow remained in her heart.

  She didn't eat, didn't go downstairs, turned off her phone, and stopped stepping out of the house. She lay on Xiaoyu's bed, escaping far away from that man's aura. Gu Xiyuan warned herself that the man was poison, and if she got even a little bit of his scent on her, she would be poisoned and unable to extricate herself. So she had to stay far away from him, and hide as far away as possible before she fell in love with him.

  Could it be... I didn't fall in love? Gu Xiyan doesn't dare to think about this question.

  No one picked up Xiao Yaotou until late at night, around 1 or 2 am. Shang Qi finally returned to the villa. Gu Xiyan had a hard time falling asleep and slept soundly, so she wasn't aware of what time Shang Qi came back, or if he even came back at all.

  Gu Xiyan has now made up her mind that Shang Yueqi will not go anywhere without this villa. Of course, she won't be foolishly waiting for him to come back. Wherever he wants to go, he'll go. Whoever he wants to find, he can go find them. She's just his nominal wife, what right does she have to demand so much from him?

  Shang Yiqi returned home but didn't find Gu Xiyan in her room. A storm brewed in his eyes instantly. If he hadn't seen her sleeping soundly in Xiaotou's room, Shang Yiqi wouldn't guarantee that he wouldn't knock on Wei Zhe's door in the middle of the night. After all, as far as he knew, if she left here, she could only go to Wei Zhe for help.

  Under the lamp, Gu Xiyan slept very cutely, curled up into a ball like a kitten, usually obedient. Shang Qi didn't know that even in her sleep, Gu Xiyan was extremely lacking in a sense of security.

  Considering his own injury on the back, Shang Xi did not force Gu Xiyuan to return to their bedroom. He just gazed at her quietly for a while before walking away.

  Forget it. Maybe they all need to calm down a bit. Just... alas, when will you be able to completely erase the man's mark from your heart? So many years have passed, isn't that enough? Or is it that what's lost is the most beautiful thing? If so, then I'll abandon you and chase you back again, how about that?

  But such a risk, I don't have the courage to take it. If you had half of Weizhe's care and concern for me, why would I be so miserable?

  For several days in a row, Gu Xiyan has been deliberately avoiding Shang Qi. This discovery made Shang Qi feel extremely disappointed.

  Gu Xiyan now sees Shang Qi, her eyes are always calm and peaceful, that feeling is like seeing a stranger, although they live under the same roof, their hearts are going in opposite directions, and gradually drifting further apart.

  Shang Yi had been sleeping in separate rooms with Gu Xiyan for many days. Originally, he also wanted to remind Gu Xiyan not to always run to Xiaotou's room. However, every time he was about to bring up the topic, Gu Xiyan would have various reasons to avoid talking to him.

  "Xiao Qi, it's not that mom wants to say you're wrong. Mom just wants to tell you that there are two things a woman can't forgive: one is when her husband is unfaithful, and the other is when he ignores her. If you like Xiao Yan, then you need to learn how to be considerate of her and trust her. Trust is the most important thing in a marriage. Don't ignore mom's words. After all these years, mom thinks she understands Xiao Yan pretty well. She seems gentle and even-tempered, but when it comes down to it, she has a stubborn streak. You'd better not scare her off, or else one day she'll really stop forgiving you and you'll know what it means to be in deep trouble. Xiao Qi, you're a man, and men need to learn how to care for their wives. That way, your wife will appreciate your kindness...

  The two of them didn't have any intention of picking up Little Ya at the moment. Xiao Qi's mother had some idea of what was going on between the two of them, and she couldn't help but feel anxious about it. So early that morning, Ji Shufen called Xiao Qi because she was worried. That little troublemaker, Yan Er, kept asking to go home every day. She didn't want her son and daughter-in-law to be unhappy for so long."

  "Mom, I know." Gu Xiyan had already left the house with her bag. Shang Qi was also going to the troops. But didn't expect his mother would suddenly call over.

  "Xiao Qi, what do you know? Knowing and yet not going to bring back Xiao Yan." Ji Shufen was helpless. How could her own son be so clueless.

  "Hmm." He chased after him. Shang Zuo was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses.

  After hanging up the phone, Shang Yi didn't even bother to put on her coat and rushed out. She had only been gone for a short while, so she shouldn't have walked too far. Mother was right, he would go and bring her back.

  Author's Notes