Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Huang Yuanrui sat on the plane with her eyes closed, trying to sort through her thoughts.

She had always considered herself a calm, rational person, capable of compartmentalizing her feelings with ease. Just like this trip, her objective was clear: regardless of Hu Heng, the Guest Room Manager, or any of that other nonsense, she had one goal. She was going to win over Qin Song, get him to divorce, and then they would be together. Money didn’t seem that important; he could always earn more anyway. If He Qian refused to grant the divorce, she would simply convince him to leave with nothing but the clothes on his back.

She hated those inexplicable emotions that always left her inner world in a state of disarray.

She clearly possessed a heart that craved logic, so where did this emotional streak come from? Oh, right. Genetics.

Her mother was always anxious, so it was only natural that she was prone to anxiety as well. It was perfectly logical.

How long had it been since she last saw her mother? It felt like they hadn’t seen each other much since she moved out to rent her own place.

No, that wasn’t right. They had met. She had even told Qin Song about it before-how her mother would occasionally cook for her and drop off the food.

Wait, no. That was just something she had told Qin Song; it hadn’t actually happened.

Had it not happened? Had her mother ever actually cooked for her and brought it over?

Huang Yuanrui opened her eyes, struggling to remember.

Huang Yuanrui was an emotionally detached person, never harboring particularly intense feelings for her relatives. During her years away at school, if her family didn’t call her, she could go indefinitely without contacting them.

Huang Yuanrui closed her eyes again, trying to get a little more sleep.

After landing, she turned on her phone and disabled airplane mode. A call came in immediately.

It wasn’t Qin Song; it was Xixi.

“I couldn’t get through to your phone. Where are you?”

“Oh, I’m in City A. I brought all my luggage. I’m living in City A from now on.”

“Living in City A? What do you mean? When are you coming back?”

“I want to marry Qin Song.”

“Huang Yuanrui, what are you talking about? He has a wife!”

“He can get a divorce.”

“Give me the address of that 302 hotel. I’m coming to find you.”

“…Are you coming to talk me out of it? I’m already here with all my bags. I’m not changing my mind.”

“I’m not trying to talk you out of it. I just don’t feel right leaving you there alone. I have to at least come see you!”

“Fine, I’ll WeChat you the address in a bit. I have to go get my luggage. Bye.”

Huang Yuanrui put the phone down and cursed under her breath. “Nosy bitch. Acting like we’re best friends. You think I don’t know how much you actually hate me?”

When Qin Song received Huang Yuanrui’s call, he was lying in Zhang Qiong’s arms, staring blankly into space.

“Zhang Qiong, she’s back…”

Zhang Qiong’s eyes widened. “Did I remember it wrong, or… didn’t she just leave yesterday?”

Qin Song sighed. “She says she’s moving to City A for good…”

“Oh…” Zhang Qiong replied. “Then from now on, she’s going to be living with you here? This girl has really set her sights on you.”

“It’s just too ridiculous…” Qin Song said. “This isn’t how things are done. I’ll have to talk to her later and convince her she can’t stay here. Otherwise, everything’s going to turn into a complete mess.”
Zhang Qiong asked, “How old is she this year?”

Qin Song thought for a moment. “She was twenty-one when she started following me. She’s almost twenty-four now.”

“Back in our hometown, girls are already having children by twenty-four,” Zhang Qiong remarked. “It sounds like this girl has no intention of getting married.”

“It’s a headache…” Qin Song muttered.

Zhang Qiong helped Qin Song up and patted him on the back. “Alright, get going. You need to pick her up. A girl alone at the airport with luggage-it’s not convenient.”

“I don’t want to go,” Qin Song said. “I just want to stay with you forever. Is that not allowed?”

“Oh, stop it. You’re in your thirties, yet you’re acting like a spoiled child,” Zhang Qiong teased. “Hurry up and go. I have work to do, and I need to go home to supervise my daughter’s homework. She gets far too playful when I’m not around.”

Reluctantly, Qin Song drove off toward the airport.

After picking up Huang Yuanrui and getting her settled into 302, he made an excuse about having work to do and retreated back to his company.

Huang Yuanrui’s mood finally brightened. Anywhere without Qin Song always felt empty, but anywhere he was felt warm and full.

She liked City A. She liked 302.

After sleeping for a few hours, her appetite had returned slightly. She had the hotel kitchen prepare a delicious plate of omurice and enjoyed her meal thoroughly.

A knock sounded at the door. When she opened it, she found Xixi. Her friend had followed her here.

The moment Xixi stepped inside, she pulled Huang Yuanrui into a tight hug.

“You absolute idiot! How could you really come here all by yourself? What do you mean, ‘settling down’? Are you really going to throw yourself at that man and leave us behind like this?”

Baffled, Huang Yuanrui gave Xixi a stiff pat on the back. “What are you crying for?”

Xixi pulled her over to the sofa and made her sit down.

“Do you have any idea what you did? You went to the bar by yourself yesterday! You sat there talking nonsense to yourself, breaking glasses and throwing a tantrum. The bar owner told me everything!”

Huang Yuanrui’s eyes slowly widened. “I clearly went there with you and Nian Gao yesterday. What kind of crap are you talking?”

Xixi began to sob. “Something is really wrong with you. When would Nian Gao ever have time to go to a bar at night? Don’t you know she works overtime every single day? And I’ve been busy with business deals lately; I only went to that bar this afternoon. The owner showed me the surveillance footage of you!”

Huang Yuanrui looked at her, half-believing and half-doubting.

“Let me take you back, okay? Let’s go to a hospital and get you checked out. I think you might be hallucinating. Are you depressed? How did things even get to this point…”

Xixi didn’t look like she was acting.

Huang Yuanrui grew even more confused. “I’ve been a bit anxious lately, but I didn’t think I was depressed. Did I… dream it all last night? Holy crap… Did I actually go to the bar or not? You’re starting to scare me.”

“Don’t be scared,” Xixi said. “Let’s just go to a hospital. If you don’t want to go home, we can find one here in City A. You’ve always been so strong-willed, but I know that your mother’s passing a few years ago was a massive blow to you…”

A string in Huang Yuanrui’s heart suddenly snapped. She asked warily, “Whose mother passed away?”

Xixi looked at her with a strange, concerned expression. “Yours.”