After bringing Jiang Shiyu back last time, seeing that she wasn't very happy, I didn't bring her along for the next few times.
During this period, I seemed to have neglected her feelings.
Murong Cheng knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.
He had no choice but to go downstairs.
When Che Che saw Murong Cheng coming down, he stopped watching his favorite cartoon and leaned on the back of the sofa.
"Daddy, is Mommy feeling better? Mommy is so strange today, she won't let me call her Mommy anymore, saying she's an aunt. I don't like Mommy like this. Che Che feels so unfamiliar..."
"Although the woman who claims to be my mommy looks good, in my heart, no one is as good-looking as Mommy. I still prefer Mommy. I don't want Mommy to be unhappy. Daddy, quickly comfort Mommy."
The next day, when Murong Cheng woke up, he knocked on Jiang Shiyu's room door.
No response. He tried the doorknob.
The room door opened.
It was empty. The quilt still held residual warmth, but the person was gone.
Murong Cheng frowned. He tried to reach Jiang Shiyu, but several calls went unanswered.
Knowing she was throwing a tantrum, he sent several apology WeChat messages in one go, then called An Yan and asked her to order a bouquet of flowers.
Changning Villa.
Si Han did not expect Jiang Shiyu to arrive so early.
When the attendant came to report, he was still in the pharmacy mixing medicine. Upon hearing the attendant's words, he frowned and pushed his wheelchair.
Jiang Shiyu stood under the corridor, looking up at the fine dust dancing in the air.
Hearing the creaking sound of the wheelchair, Jiang Shiyu turned her head.
He caught a fleeting hint of sadness in the girl's eyes.
Then, the girl's face broke into a radiant smile like a rainbow.
"I'm here to bother you again, you don't mind, do you?"
Every time she saw Ruofeng, her restless heart seemed to find peace.
"Of course not. It's just so early, have you had breakfast?"
Si Han instructed the attendant to prepare some breakfast.
Then he turned to look at Jiang Shiyu again.
"Come in and sit, it's cold outside."
Jiang Shiyu held the hot tea and took a shallow sip.
The warm tea had not yet slid into her stomach
when she heard footsteps outside.
The small leather shoes stepped on the wooden corridor, making a crisp sound.
Jiang Shiyu's hand trembled, and the hot tea almost scalded her fingers.
She put down the teacup, stood up abruptly, and before she could dodge, a tall and imposing man had already rounded the screen and entered the inner hall.
"You are indeed here."
A subtle hint of anger loomed in the man's brows.
Jiang Shiyu clenched her fist, "What does it have to do with you?"
"Don't be difficult. Come home with me. Che Che is still waiting for you at home."
Murong Cheng walked towards her step by step.
Jiang Shiyu looked at the man before her, finding him a stranger. "I'm not going back. I'm fine here, without so much trouble. Since you like your ex-wife and daughter, then go be with them! Anyway..."
Jiang Shiyu gritted her teeth and stopped herself.
The words, "Anyway, you are the real family,"
remained unspoken.
"Stop being difficult. I've explained to you, I have no feelings for Su Ziyue. Ruo Ruo is my biological daughter, and I must be responsible for her. Once the children adapt, I will bring both of them back."
"Bring them back? Murong Cheng, you've thought of everything. What do you want to bring the two children back for? For me to be a stepmother? I don't have that much free time. Their biological mother is here, there's no need to bring them back!" A sudden impulse surged in her heart.
Jiang Shiyu pressed her tongue against her teeth, desperately suppressing that impulse.
The man fell silent abruptly.
He stared intently at Jiang Shiyu for a long time, his eyes shifting, glancing at Si Han.
Si Han put down his teacup and said faintly, "Shi Yu, go back. With Ah Cheng's personality, if you don't leave, he will linger here forever."
At this moment, an attendant came and said, "Sir, the medicinal bath is ready."
Jiang Shiyu gritted her teeth, "I'm leaving!"
Before the words had even landed, she turned and left.
Stepping outside, the cold wind blew, and Jiang Shiyu shivered from the cold.
She had come out too hastily in the morning, wearing only two thin layers of clothing, still too scant.
Her shoulder felt a weight.
A coat, carrying the man's body temperature, was draped over her shoulders.
The coat still carried the man's scent.
Jiang Shiyu's nose stung, and she didn't make a sound, getting into the car directly.
The man stood for a while before opening the driver's door.
They remained silent the entire way.
The man stopped at a traffic light and then glanced back through the rearview mirror.
He saw the little woman curled up on the back seat, fast asleep.
She seemed not to have slept well last night, sleeping soundly, not waking even with the slight bumps.
Parking in the garage at Jingyuan, Murong Cheng got out of the car, lit a cigarette, and waited slowly.
Jiang Shiyu woke up groggily, found no one in the driver's seat, and quickly sat up. Then she saw the man smoking outside the car.
Ever since the incident with Haohao, this man had become increasingly silent and taciturn.
The sound of the car door opening.
Knowing she was awake, Murong Cheng stubbed out his cigarette and was about to speak when Jiang Shiyu walked past him expressionlessly.
She walked up the steps, opened the door, and closed it with a bang.
Less than a minute after Jiang Shiyu entered the house, her phone rang.
"Wife, I don't have my key."
*Click.*
Jiang Shiyu hung up the phone.
"Auntie, go open the door for Murong Cheng."
The cold war continued for several days. It wasn't until the third day that Jiang Shiyu, lounging on the sofa watching a drama, felt restless and couldn't focus.
The doorbell rang.
Was it Murong Cheng?
Murong Cheng had a key to the house and had never rung the doorbell before.
It must be a delivery.
Jiang Shiyu got up, didn't look through the peephole, and opened the door.
The wind, carrying the faint, rich fragrance of the woman, swept into the room.
Su Ziyue was wearing a plain long dress made of wool, a light beige color, and a woolen coat over it, also in a plain cream color. Her long, curly black hair, which had not been dyed or permed, cascaded over her shoulders. Paired with her gentle and serene face, she seemed to be bathed in tenderness.
Let alone men, even women would find it hard not to feel drawn to her.
"Ah Cheng, this is Che Che's change of clothes..."
Su Ziyue was taken aback when she saw Jiang Shiyu. "Why are you here? Isn't this Ah Cheng's residence?"
As she spoke, she glanced at the door number to confirm she hadn't gone to the wrong place.
Her demeanor suggested she truly didn't know she was Murong Cheng's wife.
Jiang Shiyu found it amusing. She had been drowsy moments ago but was now wide awake.
"Miss Su, your words are quite interesting. I am Ah Cheng's wife, so of course I live here. Where else would I live?"
Jiang Shiyu's tone carried wariness, hostility, and sarcasm.
Su Ziyue clenched her fist and lightly hit her head, with a hint of coyness and self-reproach.
"Look at my head, it's not working well. I almost forgot. It's my fault, don't be angry."
After Su Ziyue spoke, Jiang Shiyu almost felt as though she had been too harsh on Su Ziyue.
She felt like taking back what she had just said.