Chapter 5

It was three hours later by the time I got home.

I heard something from the kitchen.

For a few seconds, I was surprised.

I hadn’t expected Ji Yan to be home so early.

He came out of the kitchen just as I finished changing my shoes with some difficulty.

Ji Yan walked over, picked me straight up, and set me down at the dining table.

“Thank you.”

He looked at me. “Thank you?”

“You weren’t so polite when you bit my shoulder last night.”

I pressed my lips together.

Folding his arms, he leaned back against the edge of the table.

He looked ready to demand an accounting.

“Mrs. Ji, I need an explanation of why I suddenly have a divorce pending.”

I said quietly,

“The nurse wanted me to call my husband right there. I couldn’t think of another excuse.”

Ji Yan tapped his fingers against his arm.

After a while, he asked, “Do you want to tell people we’re married?”

I couldn’t follow the sudden change in his thoughts.

“Hm?”

“There’s really no need to keep hiding it,” Ji Yan said.

He considered it.

“Cheng Shu is divorced. Her ex-husband has been harassing her and followed her back to China.”

“She asked me to help by pretending to be her boyfriend for a while, until he gives up on her.”

“I didn’t agree, but she doesn’t have many friends. I’ll have to look after her a bit more for now. Can we wait a while before telling everyone?”

He didn’t give me time to answer.

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Shu called.

“Ji Yan… I think my ex-husband is downstairs, waiting to corner me.”

“Could you come over?”

Ji Yan agreed.

After hanging up, he rubbed my head.

“I’ve made dinner. Eat without me.”

“Your leg’s hurt, so leave the dishes. I’ll wash them when I get back.”

Then he grabbed his jacket and hurried out.

I took a few days off work.

Once my leg hurt a little less, I still had to go back to the office.

Walking was just somewhat difficult.

Whenever I ran into coworkers at the company entrance on my way to or from work,

someone would invariably remark,

“Every time we try to set you up, you tell us you’re married.”

“But we’ve never seen your husband.”

“And now that you’re injured, he hasn’t come to pick you up or drop you off even once. Does that make sense?”

“Meng Ning, you haven’t been lying about being married, have you?”

I always gave them the same polite, perfunctory smile.

“He’s too busy.”

Ji Yan really was busy.

Busy at work.

Busy with Cheng Shu’s affairs, too.

So busy that he didn’t notice my leg was better until almost half a month after it had healed.

“Meng Ning, Cheng Shu—”

I was hurriedly tying up my hair as he spoke.

His eyes fell on my leg. He paused slightly and changed the subject.

“Your leg’s better?”

I nodded. “It has been for two weeks.”

“You were about to say Cheng Shu needs you, weren’t you?”

“You should go.”

“My team leader just called to tell me to hurry back for a meeting. I’m leaving.”

Ji Yan’s throat moved as though he was about to say something.

But I left too quickly to hear it.