Chapter 32

Chapter 32

August 26, 2016

Hou Yong seems very tired these past few days. He hasn’t been in good spirits. I made a few of his favorite side dishes, and during dinner, I asked him when he’d have time to accompany me for a checkup. For the first time, Hou Yong lost his temper with me. He roared at me. “Can’t you see how tired I am? Can’t this matter wait?” I was stunned. With tears streaming down my face, I yelled back, “We’ve been married for four years! What’s wrong with me wanting a child? Why are you shouting at me!”

Hou Yong threw down his chopsticks and left. Looking at the table full of carefully prepared food, my heart felt heavy and stifled.

September 1, 2016

Since that unpleasant fallout, we’ve been in a cold war for several days. Was it my fault? It seems I really was too impatient. After all, his company has been very busy lately, yet I still bothered him with these things. Should I give him a way out tomorrow?

October 8, 2016

How could this be? It turns out I have abnormal egg development. Why? Why!

Qiao Yu’s hand paused as he went to flip the page. His slender fingertips slowly brushed over the binding line in the middle. There were several irregular, jagged edges there. He murmured in confusion, “Were some pages torn out from the middle?”

Brother Crocodile leaned in curiously and guessed, “Maybe she made a mistake while writing and tore them out to start over?”

This wasn’t a homework assignment for a teacher; if you make a mistake, wouldn’t you just cross it out and rewrite it?

Unless Li Xiaoqin had OCD, but based on his observations over the past few days, the probability of Li Xiaoqin having OCD was… zero.

Forget it, this guy is an idiot. His suggestion isn’t worth considering.

Qiao Yu continued reading. The timeline moved to the summer of 2017.

June 11, 2017

Hou Yong is always staying out. He must have had a change of heart. I’m going to kill him!

June 12, 2017

I followed him. To my regret, Hou Yong hasn’t had a change of heart, but he’s actually gambling instead of going to work or coming home. At the gambling table, he had a cigarette in his mouth and bloodshot eyes. His refined face was full of exhaustion, and there was messy stubble on his chin. Is this… really the man I love?

June 13, 2017

He hit me. It was the first time Hou Yong ever laid a hand on me. Because I followed him? Because I won’t let him gamble? Or perhaps… because I can’t give him a child?

August 14, 2017

I went to the orphanage today. They said I don’t meet the adoption criteria. But I really love children. If we have a child, will Hou Yong change his mind? I’ve used many connections and provided bank statements and savings as proof. I hope it succeeds.

August 21, 2017

The director approved my adoption application. I really like that little girl named Yuanyuan. She is so cute and sensible; she even smiled and called me ‘Mom.’ My heart is melting. Life will surely get better in the future!

August 23, 2017

Hou Yong finally came home. The look in his eyes when he saw Yuanyuan was terrifying. I brought up my guilt and apologies for not being able to bear him a child, but Hou Yong’s expression only grew uglier. He hit me again. Yuanyuan was scared to tears. So… was it really my fault?

Living is so exhausting!

December 10, 2017

Hou Yong owes a lot of money… He took all the family savings. The room promised to Yuanyuan is gone. I regret it so much. I really regret bringing her back to suffer with me.

Living is so tiring, so very tiring…
The diary ended there.

Beside him, Brother Crocodile’s expression softened slightly; Li Xiaoqin’s life really was too tragic.

In truth, one couldn’t entirely blame Li Xiaoqin for being so blinded by love. She was an orphan with no one to rely on, her life drifting like duckweed until she met Hou Yong and finally found a place to anchor. To her, Hou Yong was her lover, her family, and her only support in this world. He was the only piece of driftwood she could grab onto. Even if that wood was rotten from the seawater and about to sink, she still couldn’t bring herself to let go…

He sighed and tried to put the diary back where he found it. Perhaps because he was so moved, he was a bit distracted; the diary slipped from his hand and fell face-down on the floor.

He pinched the back cover to pick it up, only to see that the very last page of the diary was covered in crimson writing: *Go to hell! Yuanyuan and I will stay with you. Our family will never be apart again!*

“Oh my god!” Brother Crocodile’s wrist shook in fright, and the diary fell to the floor again.

Qiao Yu glanced at him, picked up the diary, scanned the contents, and then expressionlessly tucked it back under the pillow. “Can you stop jumping at every little thing? I’m scared.”

“…Well, I’m terribly sorry. I almost couldn’t tell you were scared, you know?”

Qiao Yu gave a cold snort. “You have 22 hours and 16 minutes left until the review.”

Man-Eating Crocodile: “…*Sob*~”

Instead of rushing to find clues, all he knew how to do was cry at him. He might as well not be called Man-Eating Crocodile; he should be called the Sobbing Monster.

One punch would be enough to lay him out.

“What are you looking at me for? Go find clues!”

Man-Eating Crocodile hurriedly let out an ‘oh,’ wiped his tears, and opened the washing machine.

“No, what kind of damn clue are you going to find in there? Open the curtains and look.”

There were no clues in the washing machine, so there would be some behind the curtains?

Whatever. Whatever the big shot said went. If you wanted to know how a qualified lackey should cling to a powerful thigh, the answer was absolute obedience.

Man-Eating Crocodile snapped the lid shut, reached out, and pulled open the curtains.

Qiao Yu blinked at Li Xiaoqin, who was standing on the windowsill holding a kitchen knife. Li Xiaoqin also seemed a bit dazed, her lips twitching into an awkward grimace.

But with bits of shredded meat still stuck to her teeth, that smile was absolutely hair-raising.

Seeing this, Brother Crocodile let out a shriek and bolted behind Qiao Yu, moving faster than lightning.

-*Pfft, I’m dying. Li Xiaoqin wanted to give them a surprise, but she ended up getting a ‘fright’ instead.*

-*Life isn’t easy, Li Xiaoqin sighs. To be stuck with such a troll in this Instance, how miserable!*

-*Sadako: I can’t take it, this is too funny. Li Xiaoqin looks so sketchy, hahaha…*

Since she hadn’t managed to scare the two of them, Li Xiaoqin stopped hiding. She decisively climbed down from the window, walked straight into the living room, sat down next to Hou Yuanyuan, and took a small blanket to cover her.

If one ignored the bloodstains on Li Xiaoqin that hadn’t been cleaned yet, the scene should have been very heartwarming.

Qiao Yu raised an eyebrow and followed her. “What was in the torn-out parts of the diary?”

Man-Eating Crocodile stood in the bedroom, hesitated for a moment, and then ran behind Qiao Yu again, secretly reaching out a small hand to pinch the hem of his clothes.

He really felt too insecure. It was nighttime, after all, and they were in the Instance Boss’s lair.

If he weren’t forced into it, he wouldn’t let himself get into this situation even if it killed him. *Sob*~

Hearing Qiao Yu’s question, Li Xiaoqin raised her head and stared straight at him with eyes that had no whites. After a long while, she said eerily, “Do you really think I’ll tell you?”