154 Care

Oldland Bar

Shao Minghan and Lu Yichen sat at the counter.

"Hey, why are you starting to drink like this again?" Shao Minghan found it unbearable to watch Lu Yichen drink glass after glass. Fine wine was meant to be savored, not wasted like this!

Lu Yichen ignored him and just kept on drinking.

"What? Did you run into some other setback with your Yuwei?" Shao Minghan held his wine glass, taking only a small sip as he teased him. He patted Lu Yichen's shoulder. "Don't get discouraged. You two have only met a few times; you need to be prepared for a long-term battle. I believe that with your capabilities, you're bound to conquer every obstacle and emerge victorious. Have some confidence in yourself! Even if she didn't remember you, you could still win her over, let alone the fact that you used to be husband and wife."

"She is married. She has a husband. She has a child," Lu Yichen said blankly. Another glass of wine went down his throat.

That single sentence left Shao Minghan speechless. He certainly didn't expect a woman in modern society to act like Wang Baochuan, bitterly guarding a cold cave for eighteen years just to wait for a man to return with a princess and still harbor no resentment. In fact, even eight years was impossible. Having never cared much for romance anyway, he found Lu Yichen's situation quite normal upon hearing this.

"Are you sure? Do you want to have someone investigate and find out for certain?" Shao Minghan asked after a moment.

"There's no need," Lu Yichen said. In the middle of the night, a man called her on the phone, and then a child called her mommy—how could there be any mistake? And the way that man called her Yuwei, Yuwei, so affectionately and naturally. The three of them were clearly a family.

Lu Yichen felt as though a thorn was lodged in his heart. He forced down another glass of liquor, attempting to numb his nervous system, but he remained painfully sober. How could that woman be so lucky? After just two drinks, she was utterly plastered, completely out of it, leaving every problem for him to deal with...

He had no right to blame her, did he? This was all his fault; he had caused it. Yet even with amnesia, he had managed to make her his only one. Why couldn't she do the same? Exactly what had he missed over these past eight years?

"So what if she is? Are you still going to fight for her?" Shao Minghan saw that he was drinking a bit too much and reached out to take his glass away.

How was he supposed to fight for her? Tear apart her family? Become her lover?

Was his Yuwei, resting in another man's arms, beneath another man... just as passionate as she used to be with him?

How could he possibly share a woman with someone else? Absolutely not! He cared; he cared deeply whether her body belonged solely to him... Otherwise, he wouldn't keep asking her every single time...

***

Nightfall, Xia Yuwei's Residence

"Jinxi, why are you back so late today?" Xia Yuwei had already set the dinner table when Lin Jinxi knocked on her door. Knowing that Jinxi had left work, gone to the bar parking lot to get her car, and then driven back, Yuwei had thought she herself was returning quite late, but Lin Jinxi was even later.

"Yuwei, you have no idea. Everyone in the entire company was in such a foul mood today," Lin Jinxi said as she stepped inside. Xia Yuwei set out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, and the two of them sat down at the dining table to eat. "Even our administrative department couldn't escape unscathed. I honestly don't know what kind of overtime a receptionist is supposed to have."

"Oh? What happened?" Xia Yuwei asked while using her chopsticks.

"I heard the CEO was furious today. His expression was as dark as ink and his temper was explosive. The senior executives from various departments went to the routine meeting and got chewed out for being utterly useless, their faces dark as thunderclouds. Naturally, they didn't bring good tempers back to their departments either," Lin Jinxi complained.

Xia Yuwei smiled. Imagining Lu Yichen acting as a corporate CEO brought a smile to her face. In her memory, he had always been like an impulsive child. How on earth had he managed to put a whole crowd of people through the wringer?

"You can still smile..." Lin Jinxi pouted in dissatisfaction, scooping a spoonful of soup into her bowl. "I haven't even gotten to you yet. Last night when I came looking for you, you weren't around. Did you go to see him? Did you do something to displease our CEO, causing everyone in the company to suffer along with him? I strongly suspect you are the chief culprit. Confess immediately..."

"Ha, you can eat your words, but you can't just throw accusations around like that, Jinxi. How could I possibly have that kind of influence?" Despite saying this, doubt gnawed at her heart. She had displeased him? You've got to be kidding me! She hadn't even started throwing tantrums yet, and he was beating her to the punch! Could it be that last night she got drunk and accidentally raped him, causing him distress? ...The infuriating part was that she had zero recollection of it. Even if the two of them had accidentally rolled in the sheets and made a mistake, he shouldn't go this far...

"So what on earth were you two doing last night?" Lin Jinxi pressed, noticing the faint blush blooming across Xia Yuwei's cheeks, which only made it seem more suspicious. "You—don't tell me—you stayed out all night... and did that with him..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Xia Yuwei put down her bowl and chopsticks. "I'm done eating. You clean up the dishes, and I'll go take a shower."

Lin Jinxi actually started clearing the table.

"I think my brother is pretty great. You should really consider him!"

"Consider what?" Xia Yuwei walked toward the bathroom.

"Are you truly clueless or just playing dumb? Consider whether to make Yufan your daddy, of course!"

"Ha, if I wanted to do that, I would have done it long ago, why wait until now? I don't think there are any men willing to be a father to someone else's child," Xia Yuwei joked.

Through six years of getting along, Lin Chenxi had always deeply respected her. They were as familiar as family, and he often took care of her, but he had never crossed any lines or made any excessive gestures. He was always gentle and steady, making people feel comfortable and secure. She had never considered him romantically, and he deserved to find an even better girl.

In the bathroom mirror, there wasn't a single trace of passion left on her body.

In her memory, he was always overly passionate, never stopping until he had left marks all over her body. Every time she endured his relentless energy, her back and waist would ache for a whole day... Perhaps nothing at all had happened between them yesterday?