Was it not? Han Muzi wanted to avoid him; she did not want to walk on the same path as him. If Ye Moxuan saw her in that situation, she would only have a harder time.
The corners of Ye Linhan’s smile turned bitter. “Didn’t we clear things out the other day? I thought we could be friends from now on. Even if we bumped into each other coincidentally at the supermarket, you don’t have to avoid me like a viper, do you? Am I that scary?”
Han Muzi was speechless. She bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to explain herself. “I was planning to make a detour. But since you put it that way, I think I should just stay on this path with you. Maybe it’d fix that mindset of yours that you’re avoiding me like the plague.”
Finally, the smile on Ye Hanlin’s face returned with his piercing gaze falling on her face. “Muzi, I’m not a bad person. Nor was I five years ago, neither am I now, and I won’t be one too… in the future. If you’re willing to let me, I can be like an older brother to you, regardless of your relationship with Ye Moxuan. And… I will never do anything that I’ll be sorry for to you.”
It did not matter to her, however, whether he would or would not do something he would be sorry for. For if Ye Moxuan saw the both of them just standing together, that would… potentially bring harm.
At the thought of that, she pursed her lips. Then, she opened her mouth and said helplessly, “Do you have to follow me like this? You say it’s a coincidence, but what about the last couple of days? Were those coincidences too? How can we keep bumping into each other? It has been a while since I last came to the supermarket and I just so happened to bump into you here today. Are you saying you didn’t plan for all of this?”
The intensity of his gaze weakened.
“Muzi, if you came to the supermarket everyday, then you would have bumped into me everyday too. Because I live around here … just next to your neighborhood.”
She paused and her mouth dropped open, as if it lacked the strength to close.
“What… what did you say?”
“Is it a little hard to believe? If you don’t believe me, you can have someone check it out. I moved here earlier than you did. The cashiers at the supermarket should all know me. Since I live alone, I have to come here everyday to get fresh groceries. So after hearing all of this, do you still think I’m intentionally trying to get close to you?”
Her breathing quietened, and her face turned slightly pale.
At long last, it was her who had thought too much and misunderstood him?
“I admit. I do want to stay in touch with you. But there is definitely no other hidden intentions behind that.”
“That’s enough. You don’t have to say any more.” She cut him off, then lowered her eyelids. “I misunderstood your intentions. Let’s just go our own ways now. You still have things to buy, and I need to get my groceries. I’ll head off first.”
Then, she turned to walk back to Mr. Potbelly’s wife, who looked at her and asked, “Everything’s alright?”
Han Muzi pressed her lips together and did not reply. She just pushed the shopping cart and kept walking forward.
Mr. Potbelly’s wife quickly followed from behind her. “What happened? The look on both of your faces didn’t look good in that conversation earlier. Did he say something bad to you?”
“No.” Han Muzi shook her head. “He just said that… he wasn’t following us. We just happened to be on the same path.”
When Mr. Potbelly’s wife heard this, she immediately understood.
“So that’s what happened. But, why do I feel like he followed you on purpose? Hey, does he know that you have a husband?”
Han Muzi stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at the person beside her.
“Do you really want to know?”
She nodded her head eagerly, then laughed. “We’re neighbors after all. Do tell me.”
Han Muzi figured that since Mr. Potbelly’s wife had said all those things to her, there was no point in denying at this point. Straight out, she said, “Actually, he isn’t my husband.”
Initially, Mr. Potbelly’s wife had not comprehended her words. As it sank in, however, her eyes widened. “If he’s not your husband, then, earlier, why did you…”
“Just to go along with you.”
Mr. Potbelly’s wife fell silent.
After a minute had passed, she pulled on Han Muzi’s hands. “Sweetie, you are absolutely amazing. To say that that man was your husband when he isn’t, just to keep going along with me. We should keep in touch more often and go on more outings together. It’s fine that he’s not your husband. Are you two a couple then?”
“No.” Han Muzi shook her head.
“No??” Mr. Potbelly’s wife was stunned. “Then… then what is your relationship with him? By the way he treats you…”
“He is my ex-husband.”
Mr. Potbelly’s wife became speechless.
The weight of the news had hit Mr. Potbelly’s wife hard enough that she was not able to respond right away and was left dumbstruck. When she finally gathered herself, the corners of Han Muzi’s lips curved upward into a self-deprecating smile.
“It’s quite funny, isn’t it? We’re no longer a married couple, but he still keeps me confined like this.”
As she said this, Han Muzi lowered her eyes and looked dejected.
“Hey, it’s not really that funny. Don’t be like this.” Mr. Potbelly’s wife tugged at her arm and continued walking while turning to look back at Ye Linhan. “Actually, it’s better if he’s your ex-husband.”
“What?” Han Muzi did not understand. “If he’s my ex-husband, then it’s better?”
“That’s right. If he’s your ex-husband, then that means he’s pursuing after you now. Does he want to get back with you?”
Han Muzi was dumbfounded for a moment before nodding her head a few times. “Y-Yes, perhaps.”
After all the things he had done, was it not to get back with her?
“Probably. Why is your self-esteem so low, though? If I were as beautiful as you, then mine would have soared through the sky already. He is your ex-husband now, anyway. There is still a chance for other people. For example… the one behind us.”
Behind?
Han Muzi furrowed her brows and glanced behind her. Apparently, Ye Linhan was still walking along their path.
“Two extremely handsome men chasing after you at the same time. Who do you prefer?”
Han Muzi was speechless.
“It’s fine even if you don’t like them. After all, you’re so beautiful. You’ll get plenty of chances, so just take your time and choose carefully. In my opinion, the one who looked cold earlier is not too bad. I can tell he is a successful person just by looking at his face. But… a man should not be too cold. Say when you’re in bed together, if he still maintains his cold demeanor like that and lets you take initiative for everything, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself.”
Han Muzi’s expression changed, and she said in a small voice, “Can we not talk about this?”
“What’s wrong with talking about it? We’re both adults here. Oh… I’m suddenly curious why you two got divorced. Is it because he’s frigid?”
Han Muzi was speechless.
Ye Moxuan? Frigid?
How was that possible? How did he always end up on the wrong side of people’s impressions of him? The last time when he had become paralyzed and ended up in a wheelchair, everyone thought he was hopeless. Only Han Muzi, his wife then, knew that he had the strength within him.
Now that he had overcome that, there was someone who just assumed he was frigid.
It must be his face and expression that had fooled everybody. He always burnt with passion and had never lost in a fight. How could he possibly be frigid?
The reason she divorced Ye Moxuan?
As she thought about it, her eyes turned bleak. Who knew if their marriage even existed? The person she was five years ago was merely a woman called Shen Qi who had married into his family.
