“Haha—”
Zong Yanxi chuckled suddenly as she was amused by Su Zhan’s words. “Which part of Uncle Shen looks like a duck?”
Lin Xinyan took her daughter into her arms and asked her to quiet down.
She patted lightly on her head and said, “Be a good girl.”
Zong Yanxi nodded obediently.
Su Zhan regarded Shen Peichuan as a simpleton. “Did your superior also wish for you to marry his daughter?”
Shen Peichuan nodded in agreement. He could sense that. Besides, it was also what Captain Song said himself.
Su Zhan snickered, “If he really wanted you to be his son-in-law, why did he still marry his daughter to someone else?”
“She didn’t agree.”
This made Su Zhan’s animosity toward Song Yaxin even greater. “Not agreeing earlier but finally realizing how good you are after she divorced?”
He paused for a moment and continued with an even icier tone, “Are you a substitute?”
“Watch your words. Don’t be so mean.” Shen Peichuan took a sip of the water.
“I’m not being mean. It’s a fact. She wasn’t interested in you and now that she has divorced, she has developed a fondness for you all of a sudden? What kind of a person is she?” Su Zhan had a deep contempt for this sort of woman. “Shen Peichuan, there are no outsiders here, just tell us the truth. What is in your mind? Do you really like her? If you do, then we have nothing to say.”
Shen Peichuan was a little uneasy and kept pouring water for himself.
Lin Xinyan gave Su Zhan a look and said, “Stop it.”
“I couldn’t care less about him. I’m just worried he would be taken advantage of and regret it in the future.” Su Zhan chugged a mouthful of water as well. “You’ll be spending the rest of your life with this person, so you make your own choice. I’m not having this dinner anymore. I’ve met your girlfriend and I still have other things going on. I am leaving now.”
With that, Su Zhan pulled his chair and turned to Shen Peichuan. “Forgive me but I have a distaste for this woman.”
He left right after splurting that sentence.
Lin Xinyan was also not impressed by the fact that Song Yaxin had never considered Shen Peichuan before but decided to be with him after her divorce.
It was just like what Su Zhan said; she was treating him like a substitute.
But what did an excellent man like Shen Peichuan do to deserve this treatment?
“Xinyan, what do you think?” Shen Peichuan looked at Lin Xinyan with his baffled eyes.
He was completely lost.
He knew there were a lot of incompatibilities between him and Song Yaxin but he supposed that was how his life could be. Having someone to spend his life with was all he needed.
“She can’t help you decide on your relationship, so it mainly depends on what’s in your mind,” Zong Jinghao replied on behalf of Lin Xinyan.
Shen Peichuan did not respond.
He had just convinced himself on accepting Song Yaxin but what Su Zhan said caught him up in a mess and his heart wavered again.
It felt to him like he had made a very wrong turn.
On the other hand, Su Zhan who just left the private room bumped into Song Yaxin who was coming back from the washroom.
Seeing him, Song Yaxin smiled and asked, “Are you leaving now? We haven’t even had dinner yet.”
“Something’s up which I need to attend to.” After saying that, he passed her by and was preparing to leave. But before he took another step, he paused in his tracks and called out, “Ms. Song.”
Song Yaxin was wearing her smile all the time. “Is there anything I can help, Mr. Su?”
“I have a question for you, Ms. Song. What do you like about Peichuan?”
Song Yaxin answered right away without even giving it a thought, “He’s a good man. I like everything about him.”
“Then why didn’t you like him before? Why does your affection for him have to wait till after your divorce?” Su Zhan asked shrewdly.
The smile on Song Yaxin’s face was starting to fade. “What are you trying to imply?”
“What am I trying to imply? How could such a smart person like Ms. Song not know what I meant?” With a scornful note in his voice, Su Zhan added, “One should always be kind and never pick on an honest man. Otherwise, retribution has its way of coming back to you.”
Song Yaxin’s face darkened completely and the last trace of elegance she had been keeping vanished into thin air. She asked with a frosty tone, “Do I have no more right to happiness just because I’m a divorcee?”
“Do you really feel happy being together with Shen Peichuan?” Su Zhan found it ridiculous.
“Yes, I’m very contented to be with him.”
Su Zhan replied with a laugh, “If you really think he’s good, why did you reject him previously? You’re contented to spend time together with him, but have you asked whether he feels the same? Is Ms. Song someone selfish who only cares about your own feelings but neglects other’s feelings?”
“You…”
“I’m feeling very sorry for my friend, that’s all. Please don’t mind me, Ms. Song.”
He strode away after that.
Song Yaxin was rooted on the spot and glared at Su Zhan bitterly. “You’re such a busybody. Just mind your own business.”
Su Zhan heard her but he was not bothered. Pacing out of the restaurant, he fished out his car key and pressed the unlock button. The headlights of his car parked on the roadside flashed immediately. He walked toward the car door and pulled it open. He was getting madder as he thought about it. The reason he was so furious was because Song Yaxin had not considered Shen Peichuan as befitting for her earlier. Now that she is divorced and has become a used item that she comes to him. How could anyone be so thick-skinned?
After starting his car, he searched for the route to C City with the GPS in his phone before leaving.
The lighting at night wasn’t very good so Su Zhan was driving rather slowly. Since it was an impromptu plan, he did not bring anything with him either.
It was four o’clock in the morning when he crossed the border of C City and when he finally arrived at Qin Ya’s place, it was already five.
It was the same house she had stayed with Lin Xinyan and the house was now only occupied by Qin Ya alone. She was still asleep at five in the morning but the doorbell woke her up. Blurred and half-awaken, she came to open the door in her pajamas. “Who is it?”
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Su Zhan standing there in his crumpled shirt, with deep, dark bags underneath his eyes. He mentioned coming to see Qin Ya last night which she had regarded as just a wisecrack. After all, it had only been two days since she came here.
“You… you’ve really come?”
Su Zhan replied with a smile, “I miss you, so here I come.”
Qin Ya was a little touched. “Come in…”
Su Zhan held her close in his arms suddenly which took Qin Ya by surprise. Her eyes widened in astonishment as he buried his head into the crook of her neck and whispered, “I miss you.”
Qin Ya did not reply and just stood there in silence. After a while, she uttered, “Come in first. It’s not a good sight standing at the door like this .”
It was only then that Su Zhan let go of her.
Closing the door, Qin Ya asked, “Do you want to catch up on some sleep?”
With such big dark circles under his eyes, he clearly hasn’t slept all night.
However, Su Zhan shook his head. “I’m not sleepy yet.”
Qin Ya poured a glass of water for him and sat down on the sofa beside him. “What is Shen Peichuan’s girlfriend like? How did they meet each other?”
“Ugh, don’t even bring it up.” Su Zhan took a gulp of water. “She is a divorcee. She had never laid eyes on him previously. Now that she is divorced, she came to him. Shen Peichuan is still a virgin; what did that woman even do to be worthy of him?”
Qin Ya rested her chin on her hand and blinked. “What about you?”
“What do you mean ‘what about me’?” Su Zhan was confused.
“Are you a virgin?” Qin Ya curled her lips. There seemed to be glee on her face but there was not a trace of joy in her eyes. It was creepy.
Su Zhan almost choked on the water. Why does it feel like I’ve shot myself in the foot?
“Ya, let’s not talk about matters that have passed, alright?” Su Zhan tugged at the sleeve of her pajamas fawningly and feigned aggrievement. “If I knew back then that I would meet you, of course, I would have kept my virginity. I promise you, from now on, I’ll never touch any woman other than you.”
