“Moreover…”
“I love Su Qi, and I want to marry her. Father, if you continue to have any dealings with Su Qi, I will sever ties with the Xu family and wander the world with her!”
Xu Linchuan said angrily, then turned and left the study.
The door slammed shut with a deafening bang.
Xu Qingfeng stood frozen in place.
This was the first time he had seen his son like this.
Ever since he was young, Xu Linchuan had always had a good temper, smiling no matter what others said.
He never expected his son to fall out with him, his father, over Su Qi.
Xu Linchuan knew Su Qi and had feelings for her; this was something Xu Qingfeng had not anticipated.
This child was truly his own.
Even his taste in women was exactly the same as when he was young.
Xu Qingfeng picked up the cigarette pack on the table, took out a cigarette, lit it, and placed it in his mouth.
Downstairs, Xu Ruyun heard the sound of the door slamming and looked up at the second floor, about to go upstairs. Xu Linchuan came down from upstairs.
“Linchuan? It’s so late, where are you going?”
Xu Ruyun frowned as she looked at Xu Linchuan.
“I’m going out for a walk, to clear my head. Mom, you should go to bed early.”
“Oh, and I had the photo appraised; it’s a composite. Mom, you don’t need to overthink it. Dad loves you. Perhaps it was someone with ill intentions who wanted to frame you with that photo.” With that, Xu Linchuan opened the door and went out.
Xu Ruyun watched Xu Linchuan leave with a worried expression, then took bird’s nest soup upstairs.
“Master, what’s wrong? Why did you and your son start arguing as soon as you met? Linchuan likes medicine, so let him pursue it. He’ll come back to manage the company sooner or later.” If these two father and son argued, what else could it be about besides the company?
“Ruyun, come here.”
Xu Qingfeng stood by the window and beckoned.
Xu Ruyun walked to Xu Qingfeng’s side and was pulled into his embrace.
Xu Ruyun’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up, her bright eyes gazing at the man before her.
After the car accident and plastic surgery, her appearance had completely changed. She had spent a fortune, and there were almost no traces of disfigurement, only that her original face had been replaced by an unfamiliar one. Beautiful, yes, but something always felt missing.
Before Su Qi appeared, Xu Qingfeng felt that his love for Xu Ruyun was unwavering.
It was only after meeting Su Qi that he realized he still longed for the past.
He longed for the face of his first love, the one that had made his heart flutter.
“Ruyun, have I grown old?”
“What are you talking about? How could you be old? You’re only fifty.”
“Fifty already.”
When he was with Su Qi, he didn’t feel like a fifty-year-old middle-aged man; he felt like he had returned to his youthful twenties.
“Master, you seem to have something on your mind tonight?”
Having known him for decades, Xu Ruyun understood this man better than anyone.
Xu Qingfeng seemed to be hiding something from her tonight.
He had never looked at her with such a preoccupied gaze before.
Such a look made Xu Ruyun feel a wave of unease.
Even though Linchuan insisted the photo was a fake,
her son was a warm person, and perhaps he was lying to prevent her from realizing something.
At this thought, Xu Ruyun felt an uncontrollable panic.
“Master, have you been at the company all day?”
Xu Qingfeng paused, as if he knew something.
“Did someone say something to you?”
“No, nothing was said. I’m just asking you.”
“Of course, I was at the company. I was very busy this afternoon. Don’t overthink it. You never asked questions like this before. I’m fifty years old, what else can I do?” It was true.
Su Qi was, after all, just a girl in her early twenties.
Linchuan was their only son, and now Linchuan was so infatuated with Su Qi, why would Su Qi still try to seduce Xu Qingfeng?
Xu Ruyun felt reassured and hugged Xu Qingfeng.
“Master, you know, after my car accident, I was always worried that you might not love me as much as before. But now I’m relieved; you still love me very much, as you always have.”
“Of course. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one for me, for life.”
Holding Xu Ruyun in his arms, his mind was filled with thoughts of Su Qi.
When Su Qi fell into his arms, her intoxicating fragrance had overwhelmed him.
It was like a withered tree blooming in spring.
“Ruyun…”
Xu Qingfeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he called her name with emotion, his hand embracing Xu Ruyun’s waist.
Even in her forties, Xu Ruyun was well-maintained, her figure still like a young girl’s, her slender waist fitting perfectly in his grasp.
“Master…”
After so many years of marriage, they were now intimate perhaps less than once a month.
Why did he suddenly feel something for her?
Xu Ruyun reached out. “Master, have you taken any tonics?”
“Ruyun…”
Xu Qingfeng didn’t give Xu Ruyun a chance to speak.
They embraced and became intimate in the study.
Xu Linchuan was driving.
His silver Volvo drove aimlessly through the city’s streets and alleys.
Like a headless fly, he darted about, without direction, not knowing where he was going.
Unknowingly, he drove to a coffee shop.
After late autumn, the coffee shop’s operating hours were extended.
In this cold weather, people liked to sit in coffee shops.
Even at ten o’clock at night, there were still quite a few people inside.
At a window seat, he saw a familiar face.
His pupils contracted.
With a screech, he stopped the car, parked it on the roadside, and got out.
“Welcome… Oh, it’s Linchuan. I don’t think there are any seats available.”
“No need, Sister Xiaoxiao. I have an appointment.”
Xu Linchuan strode towards the corner window seat.
Hearing the familiar footsteps, Su Qi turned her head and saw Xu Linchuan at a glance.
Xu Linchuan’s appearance drew many curious glances.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m contemplating life.”
Su Qi rested her chin in her hands, her palms cupping her jaw, her delicate, flawless face, her fair skin, and her rosy nose, like an exquisite doll. Xu Linchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “You don’t mind if I sit down, do you?”
“Of course not. Please do!”
Su Qi’s almond-shaped eyes curved into crescent moons, smiling.
Xu Linchuan’s heart pounded wildly in his chest.
“Actually, after all this time, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“You might not remember, but that day at Shencheng University, you saved me…”
Su Qi’s beautiful eyes widened. “I remember. So, it was you I saved that day?”
“It was me!” Xu Linchuan was surprised that Su Qi remembered, and a hint of joy surged in his heart. “You saved me that day, and I looked for you for a long, long time. I never expected to meet you at this time. If only I had met you sooner, perhaps I could have protected you.”
Su Qi chuckled. “You’re such a jokester…”
As they spoke, large raindrops began to patter against the glass.