Shen Xiaoxing crouched on the ground, gently holding her hand as he looked up at her, his voice low. "But before I become strong, I can't reveal my physical condition. Only by continuing to pretend to be blind and disabled can I keep them off guard and make my days in the Shen family easier."
An Ruo's fingers twitched slightly. Though she had anticipated this outcome, she hadn't expected that this man had already recovered before she married him.
"So, from the moment I stepped into that villa, your eyes were fine. You could see, yet you just watched me indifferently?"
Watched her make a fool of herself, watched her stand alone and helpless when she returned to the Shen residence, watched her being harassed by Shen Tingfeng, watched all her little schemes she thought were clever...
To be honest, even though she had guessed it beforehand, hearing him admit it with his own mouth still stung a little.
Shen Xiaoxing's eyes darkened slowly. He admitted he owed her for this. At that time, he chose not to reveal himself, sacrificing her to convince Shen Tingfeng that he was blind.
"I'm sorry..." His grip tightened. "Back then... I had no choice."
The only fault was that he hadn't fallen in love with her yet, and he couldn't risk everything he had painstakingly built for a moment of impulse.
An Ruo's heart ached. She knew his struggles and understood his need to bide his time, but... any girl in this situation, no matter how open-minded, would feel a bit wronged inside.
Back then, when he was supposedly blind and she was bullied by Shen Tingfeng, she felt both angry and guilty toward him. But the truth was, as her husband, he had watched another man harass her without lifting a finger.
Not to say how ruthless Shen Xiaoxing was, but at least now it gave her the feeling that the more he could endure, the more merciless he would become later.
"You're really a good actor," An Ruo praised him flatly. "What a shame you didn't become an actor."
"..." The corners of Shen Xiaoxing's mouth twitched. Should he accept the compliment with a smile, or humbly shake his head and throw a few compliments back at her?
"Even though I know you had your unavoidable reasons, when I think about the past..." An Ruo's voice stiffened. "I still can't forgive you all at once."
It was good that his legs could recover. Before, he had no confidence in himself, and every doctor he consulted had shaken their heads. Back then, she had silently vowed that whether his legs healed or not, she would stick with him for life!
She could accept anything, but not deception.
"Shen Xiaoxing, in all the plans you've laid out, what do I represent? What kind of existence am I?"
If he truly had her in his heart and genuinely wanted to spend his life with her, he wouldn't have kept this from her for so long.
This sudden news, hitting her while she was still grieving the loss of their child, left her dizzy and overwhelmed.
Her hand slowly slipped out of his grasp. A flicker of pain passed through Shen Xiaoxing's dark eyes. He had been too hasty, not considering how hard this would be for her to digest.
After all, the child had just left her, and she hadn't yet emerged from her grief.
...
From that day on, An Ruo and Shen Xiaoxing remained in a cold war, sleeping in separate rooms.
The man didn't stop it. For one thing, it sent a message to the second branch of the family; for another, the girl was still fuming, and no matter how he tried to persuade her, she wouldn't listen. After much thought, the only option was to give her space to process.
An Ruo took a week of sick leave. After all, a miscarriage was extremely damaging to a woman's body, and she didn't want to leave lasting health issues. After a few idle days, not knowing how to face the man, she decided to return to work as soon as possible.
Her internship at the school was nearing its end. She finished up her current tasks and tried to draft a resignation report.
An Ruo stared blankly at the dark computer screen in front of her. Yang Sisi handed over some work documents and noticed she still hadn't left.
"Director, it's time to get off work. Aren't you leaving?"
In her memory, the art director never worked overtime; sometimes she even came in late or left early.
An Ruo snapped back to reality and said woodenly, "Oh, I still have some things to finish. You go ahead. See you tomorrow!"
Yang Sisi said goodbye and hurried out of the office.
In the silent office, the clock on the desk ticked loudly. The hall outside was empty too; everyone, afraid the boss might call for overtime, had bolted out right on time.
Her phone on the desk suddenly rang, startling her. She picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number.
Didn't recognize it.
She hung up without a second thought.
But the caller was persistent, calling again and again even after she hung up.
An Ruo rubbed her temples. Unable to withstand the nuisance, she swiped to answer. Before she could ask who it was, a woman's cold, arrogant voice came through.
Zhou Mingyue's explosive tone rang out: "Well, well, An Ruo! I haven't come looking for you in a few days, and you've gotten bold enough to ignore my calls?"
An Ruo was taken aback. Zhou Mingyue had her number? But it wasn't surprising—with her connections, getting her phone number was probably a piece of cake.
She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound less downcast: "Sorry, I thought it was a spam call..."
"Save it. This is my private number."
"Okay."
"You're off work now, right?" Zhou Mingyue leaned back on her chaise lounge, like a noble princess, with two maids doing her nails on either side and another holding her phone on speaker. "I'm sending a driver to pick you up. Get in the car and spruce yourself up. I'm taking you out tonight."
"Where to?"
"Tsk, quit the chatter. You'll know when you get here. I'm telling you, you have to come. If the driver can't find you, you're dead tomorrow!"
She dropped the threat fiercely and hung up before An Ruo could respond.
An Ruo put down her phone and ran her fingers through her long hair in frustration.
Going out might be good. She could take the chance to clear her mind. Going home, she really didn't know how to face the man. He hadn't come to make peace, and every day they sat together awkwardly at meals. She'd rather stay at the office.
With that thought, An Ruo stopped wallowing. She grabbed her bag and coat and walked out of the company. At the entrance, she saw a neatly dressed driver in white gloves standing by the car, waiting for her.
"Miss An, right?"
An Ruo nodded. "Yes."
"My young lady sent me to pick you up. Please." The driver opened the car door for her.
Without any hesitation, An Ruo bent down and got in.
The moment they drove off, Han Chong, who had been sent to pick up An Ruo and take her home, arrived at Lan Zhen Group. He watched helplessly as she got into a stranger's car.
Luckily, he was quick-witted. He immediately checked the license plate and saw it was from the Zhou family, which let him breathe a sigh of relief.
But the young master had specifically instructed him to bring the young mistress home today. And now, right under his nose, someone else had snatched her away. How was he supposed to explain this?
At the Lanyuan International Club.
Gu Chao sat with his long legs crossed, leaning against the sofa, his arm resting on the armrest as he tapped a steady rhythm. "You really told her the truth?"
On the diamond-patterned sofa, the man leaned back slightly. The hexagonal star tie clip on his chest, adorned with a silver chain, gleamed with an air of nobility. His strong, handsome face was taut, and a lingering restlessness clouded his brow.
He picked up the glass of wine on the table and took a few gulps. These past few days, An Ruo had been driving him crazy!
"And she's making you sleep in a separate room over something this small?" Huo Jinyan swirled the diamond-cut wine glass in his hand.