Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Li Xiaoqin seemed to be retaliating for his earlier act of drawing the curtains; after giving him a fright, she made no further sound.

As the night deepened, Man-Eating Crocodile didn’t dare to stir any further. Clutching Qiao Yu’s sleeve, he leaned against the bedside and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

In the depths of the unknown night, Li Xiaoqin, carrying that dripping kitchen knife, slowly walked to the door of Room 4001. Her blood-drenched figure melted into the darkness. She stood there silently for a long time before finally departing…

When the sun slowly rose from the horizon, Li Xiaoqin stood motionless in the living room, bathed in sunlight as her appearance gradually transformed.

The blood on her body dissolved at an incredible speed under the sun’s rays, and a healthy color slowly returned to her pale face. When she opened her eyes, the thick darkness within them dispersed into a moist luster, and she returned once more to the appearance of a normal human.

Lowering her eyelashes, a soft smile played on her lips as she gently nudged the little girl lying on the sofa. “Yuanyuan, it’s time to get up. Why don’t you come to the market with Mommy?”

Hou Yuanyuan rubbed her eyes and gave a compliant response, following behind Li Xiaoqin as they headed out the door.

Not long after they left, Qiao Yu was jolted awake by a loud pounding on the door. He frowned and opened his eyes, meeting the gaze of Brother Crocodile, who had also been woken up while slumped by the bed.

Indeed, it was the exact same scene as yesterday morning. This kid had spent the entire night sitting on the floor with his face buried against the edge of the bed.

Look at this. How far had life pushed a dignified young master from a wealthy family?

Qiao Yu sighed inwardly. Amidst the sounds of Hou Yong’s cursing outside, he slowly got out of bed and performed a simple morning wash in Li Xiaoqin’s home.

Meanwhile, Hou Yong spat out a few more curses outside, grumbling about forgetting his keys or something similar, before stomping away from the apartment.

Qiao Yu pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth and tossed it into the trash can. Then, his eyes fell upon the crumpled balls of paper he had noticed yesterday.

The light brown paper was identical to the paper in the diary.

Qiao Yu frowned, feeling conflicted.

What was this? Was the game really making him dig through the trash again?

At that moment, Man-Eating Crocodile let out a yawn and walked over while rubbing his aching arms. Adhering to the principle of “putting waste to good use,” Qiao Yu grabbed the other man’s collar and commanded, “Take those paper balls out of the trash. Those should be the missing pages torn from the diary.”

Initially, Brother Crocodile was reluctant, but upon hearing it was related to Instance clues, he cast aside his disgust. He crouched down and dutifully began picking out the paper balls.

When pushed to the brink, a person really could do anything. If his life weren’t on the line, he could never have imagined a day where he would be rummaging through a garbage bin.

Man-Eating Crocodile took out the three paper balls and smoothed them out bit by bit.

They were stained with a bit of kitchen waste, and the handwriting was quite blurred, but it was still legible if one looked patiently.

Qiao Yu didn’t touch them himself; he simply crouched down next to Brother Crocodile and squinted, trying his best to decipher the contents.

October 9, 2016

I’m still reeling from yesterday’s terrible news. Hou Yong comforted me; he didn’t blame me. He really is a very, very good man.

October 20, 2016

Hou Yong treated Doctor Zhuang to dinner today to thank him for helping with my check-up last time. During the meal, Doctor Zhuang prescribed some medicine for me to help regulate my body and told me not to be too sad. But how could I not be sad? I’m an orphan; I just wanted a blood relative of my own. Why won’t they give me that?
October 21, 2016

I chatted with my boss today. She’s thinking about selling the flower shop and moving up north to live with her son. She asked me what my plans were, and I told her I wanted to take over the shop. Business here is actually quite good. If I can make it work, maybe I’ll be able to afford a house soon if I work hard enough.

November 1, 2016

I signed the transfer contract with the boss. Before she left, we talked about her son. Apparently, she hadn’t been able to conceive for several years after she got married. It turned out she had abnormal egg development. She asked me what was causing my issues, saying that if it was just a lack of ovulation, the hospital could provide medication to help, but if it was an ovarian problem, it would be hard to say. I was stumped. Doctor Zhuang never actually told me what the underlying cause was.

November 2, 2016

Hou Yong seemed to be in a pretty good mood when he got off work today. During dinner, I remembered what my boss said and suggested going to a larger hospital for a check-up to find the root cause. Maybe it could be cured. But Hou Yong’s expression soured instantly. He told me not to be so obsessed and tried to patiently talk me out of it, saying he’d been busy at work lately and couldn’t get away. But I really held onto a glimmer of hope and insisted on seeing a specialist at a big hospital. Hou Yong got angry and snapped that I was being difficult.

November 7, 2016

Hou Yong and I are in another cold war. Just as I was planning to go to the hospital for a check-up on my own, Doctor Zhuang contacted me. He said my situation was the worst-case scenario. He told me I was showing signs of premature ovarian failure; even if I could get pregnant, I wouldn’t be able to carry to term, and it would only make my health worse. Learning this nearly made me have a breakdown.

January 3, 2017

Hou Yong and I have been fighting more and more frequently lately. He’s always working overtime to avoid me. I know my state of mind hasn’t been right lately, but I just can’t control my temper. The medicine Doctor Zhuang prescribed is becoming less and less effective. I wonder if I’ve developed a resistance from taking too much.

February 7, 2017

Ever since Doctor Zhuang started giving me psychological counseling, my mental state has improved a lot, and I’m gradually able to keep my temper in check. However, Hou Yong is still very busy. What is he so busy with?

March 18, 2017

Is Hou Yong seeing someone else?

No, how could I doubt him?

April 12, 2017

I had a nightmare.

April 19, 2017

I had another nightmare. Blood, so much blood…

May 21, 2017

Hou Yong is never home. He keeps saying he’s working late, but I don’t believe him.

June 2, 2017

Hou Yong hasn’t been back for four days. Where is he?

Has he really had a change of heart?

I had another nightmare. I was holding a knife, and the whole room was covered in blood…

I woke up terrified by the version of myself in the dream. Thank god it was just a dream.

When Man-Eating Crocodile saw the words “psychological counseling,” he asked in surprise, “Li Xiaoqin had psychological issues?”

Qiao Yu stood up and massaged his numb legs. He let out a cold sneer. “Whether Li Xiaoqin was sick or not is a question for that quack.”

Brother Crocodile stared with wide eyes, his gaze filled with a sense of pure, unadulterated stupidity.

Qiao Yu didn’t expect much from him anyway. He stretched his legs and left Li Xiaoqin’s home.

“Dad, where are we going now?”

“To eat.”

“To eat?”

“Aren’t you hungry?” Qiao Yu looked at him suspiciously.

“Starving~”