Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Time flew by after that.

My company invested a massive amount of capital into a new project. I spent the next half-month constantly on the move, inspecting sites and negotiating investments, without a single day spent at home.

Just as things finally started to settle down, Xie Run left on a business trip out of town. She left our daughter in her mother’s care, leaving me a total loner. Even when I went home, I was just staying in an empty house.

That poor bastard Wu Liang was busy playing the dutiful grandson at his father-in-law’s place every day, trying to win back his wife. There was no way to get him to come out and hang.

Since I happened to have a few days of downtime, I simply lied and said I was going on a business trip, taking He Xiaolu to the Maldives instead.

In a place where no one knew us, we finally didn’t have to hide anymore.

He Xiaolu was ecstatic. She clung to my arm, the word “hubby” never leaving her lips. We went surfing, skydiving, and racing; we partied wildly at nightclubs. We stayed glued to each other day and night in our honeymoon suite.

She was bold and unrestrained, nearly draining me dry. Yet, for some reason, on some level, it didn’t feel as good as it used to.

One morning, after a night of heavy drinking, I woke up with a start, my heart feeling as if it had skipped a beat. In the stale air of the room, He Xiaolu lay sprawled awkwardly on the other side of the bed. Her head was tilted back, her mouth half-open, and messy strands of hair were stuck to her oily face. The black rose tattoo on her chest looked garish and distorted.

In that moment, I suddenly felt dazed. A voice in my head asked: What exactly am I doing? And why is she by my side?

A wave of nausea and disgust washed over me. I felt utterly tired of everything in front of me. I cancelled the rest of our itinerary and ended the vacation early.

After returning home, the project officially launched, and I became busy once again. Having not seen me for several days, He Xiaolu actually showed up at my company. She made a scene, demanding to be my assistant.

I looked at her with a cold sneer. “Do you even know what an assistant does every day?”

He Xiaolu traced a circle on my chest with her finger. “I know. While you’re working, I’ll hide under the desk and help you…”

I was so angry at her ignorance that I laughed. I pushed her away and mocked her: “Do you have any idea what kind of universities my assistants graduated from? Why don’t you take a look outside at what they look like, and then look at yourself?”

“You expect me to take an assistant who smokes, drinks, has tattoos, and says ‘holy shit’ every other word to negotiate business deals? Do you think I’ve lost my mind? Get back home, and don’t ever come to the office again!”

He Xiaolu’s face flushed crimson. Tears welled in her eyes as she stood there stunned for a moment before turning to leave.

I thought she would throw a tantrum, start a cold war, or demand I buy her something as an apology like she used to. To my surprise, she never mentioned the matter again. Instead, she became much more submissive than before. She even dyed her red hair black and enrolled in a cooking class to learn how to make meals.

I had a faint inkling that she was starting to harbor ideas she shouldn’t have.