She hadn't expected him to appear and didn't want him to see her.
Hurriedly, she wiped her face with the quilt, steadied her breathing, and then spoke.
"You're really shameless. Didn't we make things clear? Why are you here again?"
"Who let you in? My brother? How did you find him?"
Lu Mingzhe didn't answer her questions. He casually touched her face, noticing some still-wet tear streaks.
"Crying alone, late at night?"
"Who's crying?"
"Not crying? Then your face must be sweaty."
Crazy. They had already broken up. What business was it of his whether she cried or not?
Xiang Wan wanted to break free from his embrace, but Lu Mingzhe wouldn't let go.
Xiang Wan kicked his leg.
"I'm not feeling well, let go."
He leaned closer, his chin resting on her face. "What's wrong? Where do you feel unwell?"
"Do I need to report this to you?"
Lu Mingzhe thought she genuinely had a stomachache.
He released her, sat up, got out of bed, and turned on the light.
"Is it because you don't eat properly? Did you get a stomach problem? What medicine do you usually take, look for it yourself. I'll go get you some water."
He handed her the bag of medicine, then turned and went out.
Xiang Wan found it baffling.
Suddenly giving her so much medicine, then running to hug her, then helping her get water – was this person schizophrenic?
Sometimes close, sometimes distant, sometimes cold, sometimes warm.
What did he really want?
Soon, Lu Mingzhe came back with a cup of warm water.
He squatted down in front of Xiang Wan.
"Drink. It's warm."
Xiang Wan looked at him coldly.
"Lu Mingzhe. Are you getting married soon?"
Lu Mingzhe met her gaze, his expression indifferent.
"Where did you see that?"
"So it's true. You're about to get married, and you're running behind your wife's back to take care of me. You're quite something."
"So, are you going to drink or not?"
Lu Mingzhe nudged the cup closer to her.
"Whether I'm married or not. As long as I'm still me, the same as before, when I face you, isn't that enough? Why worry about other things?"
What kind of twisted logic was this?
Xiang Wan snatched the cup from his hand and placed it on the bedside table.
"Please leave."
"I don't care how lightly you men view the word 'loyalty.' For us women, unmarried and married are worlds apart."
"When unmarried, you belong to no one. Us interacting in any way is not a breach of morality."
"But once married, the nature changes. Don't expect the red flag to fly high at home while colorful flags flutter outside. I won't cooperate with you. Get out now."
Speaking with such vigor, it seemed her stomach didn't hurt anymore.
Lu Mingzhe stood up and sat beside her.
"Alright. My sense of morality is indeed weaker than yours. I admit that."
"But I don't want to leave today..."
"You!"
"Let me finish."
He held her fingers.
"First, my marriage is just a formality, unrelated to emotions. So there's no issue of morality or loyalty."
"Second, you're not feeling well today, and I want to stay and keep you company."
Xiang Wan knitted her brows, preparing to delve deeper into the meaning of his words.
Lu Mingzhe kissed her lips.
"Don't ask so much. Knowing too much isn't good for you."
"I promise you, this is absolutely the last time. Think of it as drawing a perfect conclusion to our four-plus years together."
"After tonight, I will absolutely not come to find you again, okay?"
Although she had heard this promise countless times, like the boy who cried wolf, it was untrustworthy.
But Xiang Wan, lacking backbone, ultimately let him stay.
Because in the quiet of the deep night, people always feel exceptionally lonely.
She was no exception.
Everyone craves a warm embrace to accompany them, even if only for a moment.
Cherish the moment while it lasts.
Xiang Wan stopped chasing him away and turned to get out of bed.
"Alright then. I'll go remove my makeup and take a shower."
"Can I join you?"
On this matter, they had repeated themselves too many times.
There was no point in feigning shyness and refusing now.
Xiang Wan tacitly agreed.
Naturally, it was another familiar, thrilling encounter.
Afterward, lying in bed, Xiang Wan despised herself inwardly while also feeling curious.
"You're getting married soon, why aren't you being intimate with your wife?"
"Are you planning to save it for your wedding night, or do you think I'm easy to bully?"
Lu Mingzhe hugged her from behind and chuckled.
"What's wrong? Are you jealous?"
Xiang Wan was stubborn.
"It's not worth it. I only see you as a tool. I address needs as they arise, I never overthink it."
"Then why were you crying just now?"
"I wasn't crying for you. I told you I wasn't feeling well."
"Then why didn't you take your medicine?"
"I didn't want to. Don't I have this freedom?"
"Alright, alright, you do. Honestly, are you still feeling unwell? You should still take the medicine."
Xiang Wan remained silent.
Lu Mingzhe smelled her fragrant hair, clasped her delicate wrist, and genuinely enjoyed being with her.
After a moment's thought, he began to have second thoughts and tried to negotiate with her.
"Can we not break up? Let's just continue like this."
"Even if I get married, I'll still be the same me, and you'll still be the same you. As long as you haven't found a boyfriend, we'll continue like this."
Xiang Wan wanted to turn and hit him, but he held her down.
She cursed, "Is this interesting? One woman isn't enough for you? Why are you so greedy?"
"Do I have to spell it out?"
Lu Mingzhe really didn't want to bring up his messy affair with Chen Jiaojiao, but he couldn't leave it without an explanation.
"Fine, then I'll tell you the truth. I won't touch her even after we're married."
"In fact, over the past few years, you're the only woman I've touched."
Xiang Wan was very surprised and turned to look at him.
"What do you mean? It's a marriage alliance, you don't like her?"
She didn't understand the affairs of wealthy families.
Her only imagination came from television dramas.
Lu Mingzhe didn't deny her words and looked into her eyes.
"Just tell me yes or no. Honestly, I quite like how we interact. Since you said you wanted to separate, I've been very uncomfortable."
"I won't stop you from finding a boyfriend. As you said, I'll be a tool. I'll be here when you need me, and I'll leave when you don't. Neither of us will interfere with the other, okay?"
Xiang Wan suddenly felt he was quite pitiful.
He couldn't even decide his own marriage.
"If you marry a wife but can't touch her, then what's the point of marrying her? Aren't you planning to have children?"
Lu Mingzhe retorted, "And you? Are you planning to have children?"
"I'm asking you."
"I'm definitely not planning to have them with her. We'll talk about the future later."
"Your wife is very unfortunate to marry you."
"She brought it upon herself. Can we stop talking about her?"
Xiang Wan sighed, "Lu Mingzhe, I have to say, you're quite a jerk."
"Indeed. I'll find ways to compensate you in the future. Can we not break up? Please, I'm begging you."