TFS | Chapter 50

She got off work a little late.

Xu Linruan stood at the door, unlocked it, and found the living room pitch-black. She thought Qi Yue still hadn’t come back. He had been busy lately, and she didn’t really know the details of his work.

After closing the door, Xu Linruan fumbled along the wall for the light switch.

“You seem to be back a little late today?”

The deep male voice from the darkness was still a little hoarse. Only after the light came on did she see Qi Yue leaning on the sofa. He must have just woken up, because his black hair hung low over his brows and eyes. He reached back to brush it away twice, then looked at her with those dark, quiet eyes.

Something about that look seemed off.

Xu Linruan changed out of her shoes at the entryway and walked into the living room. She gave him a very natural smile. “If you were sleepy, why didn’t you go sleep in the bedroom?”

Qi Yue lifted his chin slightly and smiled back. One hand rested on the sofa, his long legs crossed, giving off a lazy sort of sexiness. “I was originally planning to wait for you so we could eat together, but now it seems a little late. You’ve already eaten, right?”

Xu Linruan looked up at the wall clock. It was actually only around eight o’clock. It wasn’t that late.

She set down her bag, her expression as usual. “I ate a little. If you haven’t had dinner yet, I can keep you company and eat a bit more.” Her tone held a hint of reassurance.

That made the smile on Qi Yue’s face soften a little. He rubbed his brow and staggered to his feet from the sofa. “Okay. But why did you come back so late today? I waited for you for ages.”

“There was something at the hospital at the last minute, so I worked overtime for a while.” Xu Linruan replied with a smile, brushing the hair at her cheek aside with her fingers, her tone still gentle.

“Is that so…” Qi Yue walked over and touched her face. His movement was very gentle, and a trace of a smile showed in his eyes too. “Then all right. I’ll go wash my hands first, and you’ll eat with me, okay?”

Xu Linruan smiled and agreed.

Qi Yue was silent for a few moments, then turned and went to the bathroom. Under the light, his gaze was calm and still, and his face was expressionless. No one could tell what he was thinking.

He splashed water over his face, and his mind cleared a little. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, reflecting a cold glint under the light. He knew she was lying to him. She hadn’t worked overtime. She had been with Xu Zhou that afternoon.

But why lie to him?

Qi Yue lowered his lashes. Was it because of Xu Zhou?

Because Xu Zhou had spent more time with her?

She had promised not to have contact with him, so why was she still with him? Was she that concerned about that guy, enough to deceive him?

Qi Yue swept his damp hair back from his forehead. The black strands, still wet with water, soaked the front of his shirt. He felt a little weighed down, and in irritation he tugged open the button at his collar.

He was thinking about how to make her stop contacting those people. Lock her up, or confine her?

…

After washing up, he adjusted his mood. Hearing her calling from the living room, he answered as if nothing were wrong, then went to the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks.

Xu Linruan looked at the breakfast on the table. It actually looked pretty good. When she turned and caught the eager little look across from her, she picked up a piece and tasted it, then nodded. A little face-saving praise was still necessary.

“Mm, it tastes pretty good. I thought you only knew how to make breakfast, but I didn’t expect you’d be this amazing. You can make all kinds of dishes.” She gave him a satisfied smile, then thought of something and continued.

“By the way, did you learn all this overseas?” Xu Linruan took a few more bites, then set down her chopsticks and propped her chin on her hand while looking at him. “Come to think of it, when can you tell me what exactly happened to you overseas?”

Qi Yue paused at that. Looking a little troubled, he served her a bowl of soup. His long brows knitted slightly. “You want to know about that? It’s not impossible, but I’ve been a little busy lately. Can I tell you when I have time?”

He handed her the soup and looked at her expectantly. “Try it and see if it’s good. I simmered it for a long time.”

Xu Linruan obediently drank the soup. The man across from her smiled. “Actually, there’s nothing much to say about overseas. I was just locked up, then made to go through all sorts of random reconditioning. But Ruanruan, did you hear something from someone? Why are you suddenly interested in this?”

Xu Linruan looked at him. “I just feel like you’re a little different from before.”

Qi Yue lowered his head and smiled, then tilted his head slightly as if puzzled. “Is that so? Then where do you think I’ve changed?” His tone was unhurried.

Xu Linruan lowered her eyelashes. “Then why did you have someone watch me?”

Qi Yue hadn’t expected her to ask that.

The atmosphere went quiet for a moment.

Xu Linruan watched the smile at the corner of his mouth slowly fade. He put down his chopsticks, resting his long fingers lightly on the tabletop. There wasn’t a trace of guilt on his face from being caught. Instead, he looked relaxed, as if he no longer needed to keep suppressing himself. “So you found out. Who told you, Xu Zhou?”

He didn’t need to guess. It had to be him. No one else would meddle in this kind of business. Qi Yue found it somewhat troublesome. He admitted his actions were a little excessive, but he didn’t want to change.

Xu Linruan looked into those dark, ink-black eyes.

“Why are you doing this? Don’t you trust me?”

Don’t trust her?

It wasn’t exactly that.

He just felt annoyed that someone was coveting what belonged to him. He hated this feeling of being on edge all the time. It made him feel uneasy.

Qi Yue moved his fingers on the table and tucked the hair away from her ear. His expression softened quite a bit too. “All right, I admit I was wrong. This was my fault. Let’s not fight, okay?”

That careless attitude of admitting fault clearly showed he wasn’t taking it seriously. Xu Linruan frowned. “Qi Yue, be serious.”

“I am being serious!”

“You were the one who lied to me first, weren’t you? You clearly promised me, so why did you go meet him? Do you think I’m not normal, or do you trust what he says more?”

Xu Linruan caught the finger that had been wandering over her cheek and slowed her tone, speaking gradually. “Qi Yue, don’t you really think there’s something wrong with you now? In a normal relationship, who would monitor their girlfriend every day? That kind of behavior is wrong.”

“So, you trust what Xu Zhou said more?” He looked up at Xu Linruan, and all of a sudden there was a hint of lazy amusement on his face, as if he had become a different person. His gaze burned as he stared at her.

“What did he tell you? Let me guess.”

He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said lightly, “…Did he say I was different from before, that I’m an imposter pretending to be Qi Yue, or that you should leave me?”

Xu Linruan said, “You knew about this?”

Qi Yue didn’t answer directly. He slowly straightened up and said in an even, unhurried tone, “Actually, he wasn’t wrong. It’s normal for you to doubt me. After all, we haven’t seen each other for five years. And now that cosmetic surgery is so advanced, impersonating someone’s identity isn’t that hard, much less when I’ve changed so much, right…”

He walked over, and his tone suddenly turned very serious. “But Ruanruan, I want to hear what you think. Do you think I’m fake too?”

Xu Linruan stood up. She wanted to say no, but for some reason, she suddenly felt a little dizzy. “…I just think your current state is a little off. Is there something you can’t tell me? Or do you never really believe that I truly like you?”

Seeing that she was unsteady, Qi Yue immediately stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t rush. How could I not believe you? Ruanruan, I believe everything you say.”

“But there’s one thing I really hate. I hate the way you and Xu Zhou spend time together every day. I hate the covetous look he gives you when he looks at you. Why can’t you be a little more obedient? Wouldn’t it be better if you just stayed by my side and listened to me? Why do you have to believe what he says…”

Xu Linruan reached up to rub her brow. Her gaze fell on the empty bowl on the table. She bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to stay somewhat clear-headed. “What did you just give me to drink?”

Qi Yue gave a soft “mm” as if only just remembering, his tone feather-light. “Nothing. It was just ordinary soup. I made it very clean, don’t overthink it. If you’re sleepy, should I carry you back to the bedroom? Come on, don’t struggle. Be good, sleep for a while and you’ll be fine.”

Qi Yue held her in his arms and couldn’t help lowering his head to kiss her forehead. Xu Linruan could barely open her eyelids. She only felt herself being carried the whole way, then placed on the bed in the bedroom.

When he turned to leave, her fingers lightly hooked onto a corner of his clothes.

Qi Yue stopped. He rarely got to see his girlfriend looking this weak, and it made him want to bully her. In the past, she always liked teasing him, leaving him hanging and frustrated, and yet he had never been able to do anything about it. But now it was different. His girlfriend was lying dazed on the bed, her soft fingers curled around his clothes. If he wanted, he could do anything to her.

Qi Yue’s lips curved. He stroked his girlfriend’s soft little face, like he was soothing a newborn cub, then lowered his voice and leaned close to her ear. “Don’t worry, I’m not fake. I wouldn’t lie to anyone, and I’d never lie to you.”

His fingers tangled in the hair over her chest, his gaze intensely focused. “I’m just a little hurt that you actually believed Xu Zhou. Don’t you know he likes you? Everything he said was just to make you misunderstand me…”

“But since you didn’t fall for his lies, I won’t bully you this time. Let me ask for a little compensation first, okay, Ruanruan?”

“Mm…”

Warm breath lingered by her ear.

Xu Linruan was forced to part her lips and accept a kiss that was gentle to the extreme. Qi Yue kissed downward all the way, pressing kisses to her neck, then used a little force to bite her collarbone, like a kitten biting someone, sometimes light and sometimes heavier, deliberately nibbling at her as if it were a game, leaving marks on her skin.

When he heard her tiny sound of pain, he couldn’t help loosening his strength. He let go of her wrist and slowly came to a stop.

…He actually hadn’t intended to do anything. Desire was there, but not now. They could do this sort of thing sooner or later, but only when she was conscious. Even if he was shameless, he still couldn’t bring himself to bully the woman he liked while she was helpless.

Qi Yue bent over and kissed her forehead, then turned and left the room. He still had some things to deal with.

………………………