"I... I..."
Shu Yao hesitated, her lips pressed together, suppressing the sadness in her heart. "Answer my question."
She just wanted to know why Qing Sihui had deceived her. There were things she needed him to say himself.
"I have nothing to say to you."
Qing Sihui withdrew his gaze from Shu Yao and continued to work, saying, "Go out, I need to work."
With that, he truly began to look at the documents intently, ignoring Shu Yao.
Facing his indifference, Shu Yao felt both heartache and annoyance. She stepped forward, snatched the documents from his hand, and put them aside. "Tell me, what's wrong with you?"
This time, Shu Yao raised her voice and shouted hysterically.
Qing Sihui seemed shocked by her reaction, looking at her incredulously, speechless for a long time.
"Did you get cancer? Did you get cancer half a year ago, and that's why you didn't answer my calls after Anthony captured me, just to make me disappointed in you? Is that it?"
Unable to get an answer from Qing Sihui, Shu Yao was anxious.
Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face. Her tearful appearance was pitiful.
For a moment, Qing Sihui was shocked and moved by Shu Yao's reaction to his supposed 'cancer'. However, images of his interactions with Anthony involuntarily flashed through his mind.
That night, it was because Shu Yao had falsely accused him to Anthony that he was captured and subjected to humiliation.
If it weren't for the woman in front of him, how could he have been humiliated by Anthony?
Driven by his male pride, Qing Sihui felt deeply insulted. He then projected all the humiliation he had suffered at Anthony's hands onto Shu Yao.
Because of this, any trace of emotion, any hint of guilt or moved feeling that had arisen from Shu Yao's reaction, vanished instantly.
All that remained was hatred.
But even so, he had to play out this scene perfectly. This was the moment to demonstrate his 'actor's self-cultivation'.
"No!"
Qing Sihui stood up, reached for the documents he had just had snatched away, sat back down, and buried himself in his work.
"Impossible, it's not true!"
Shu Yao shook her head like a rattle, unable to accept what Qing Sihui said. "Why, why did you lie to me? Why?"
She cried heartbrokenly, sobbing incessantly, and finally slowly crouched down, burying her head in her hands and weeping helplessly.
Qing Sihui, feigning composure, pretended to be engrossed in the documents. Noticing Shu Yao squatting on the floor, he glanced sideways, a subtle curve forming on his lips.
Shu Yao, you brought this upon yourself!
From now on, all that you suffer will be the retribution you deserve.
After a long silence, he took out a few tissues and handed them to Shu Yao. "Stop crying... you're affecting my work."
Shu Yao was stunned. Looking at his slightly sad expression, he spoke the most heartless words, all couched in terms of 'it's for your own good'. Shu Yao was deeply moved.
Frustrated, she suddenly stood up and punched his shoulder repeatedly. "You bastard, you bastard, why did you lie to me, why, sob... Ah Hui, you're a bastard... sob..."
She hit Qing Sihui as if to vent her frustration. The man didn't resist at all, slowly standing up, letting her fists rain down on his chest.
When Shu Yao grew tired, she slumped against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Sob... Ah Hui, after all that's happened, why didn't you tell me, why?"
At this point, Qing Sihui felt his act was complete. He said in a deep voice, "Because, one person's suffering is enough."
Finally hearing his answer, Shu Yao slowly looked up, her red and swollen eyes filled with concern as she gazed at Qing Sihui. "Why... are you so foolish, so very foolish..."
How could anyone be so foolish?
Qing Sihui had done so much for her silently, and she knew nothing of it.
If it hadn't been for a phone call yesterday, she might never have known the truth.
"How come I feel you're the foolish one?"
Qing Sihui put an arm around her waist and used his other hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Yao Yao, we've broken up. Do you understand? Once you've broken up, you shouldn't look back. You're still young, and you have a better future."
His gaze was tender, and his words were the most heart-stirring. Even though he was advising Shu Yao to break up, they held a kind of magic for her, making her desperately want to be with him.
"No, I don't want to, I... I only want you."
Shu Yao raised her hand, held Qing Sihui's hand that was wiping her tears, and placed it directly over her heart. "My heart is too small, too small to hold anyone but you. Loving you has already taken all my energy, and I... I don't want to love anyone else."
Qing Sihui was genuinely touched by her confession, but he merely held her tightly in his embrace. "Yao Yao, what am I to do with you? You're still so young, and I... I will only hold you back."
Shu Yao leaned into his embrace, inhaling his familiar scent with great satisfaction.
Even though Qing Sihui had cancer, she felt fortunate to have met such a good man in this life.
"Ah Hui, having you... is enough."
Shu Yao said this, stood on her tiptoes, cupped his face with both hands, and kissed his lips.
The kiss was deep and lingering.
Qing Sihui did not resist.
He had to admit that facing Shu Yao, her figure was exquisite, her body was excellent, and she often practiced yoga. Compared to all other women, she was the best to be with.
As they kissed, Qing Sihui led Shu Yao, opened the door to the lounge, and brought her into the small lounge, then gently placed her on the bed.
As he leaned over her, Qing Sihui asked in a deep voice, "Silly Yao Yao, you... you really don't regret it? You should know, I... might not be able to accompany you for very long."
He was essentially telling Shu Yao that he wouldn't live much longer and that if she regretted it now, there was still time.
Tears trickled down Shu Yao's cheeks. She shook her head, raised her hands to twine around his neck, and initiated a kiss. "Ah Hui, I only want to be with you forever."
One could ask, where else in the world could one find a man as good as Qing Sihui?
Shu Yao secretly made up her mind. In this life, even if it meant exhausting all her resources, she would find a way to cure Qing Sihui and stay with him until his last breath.
"Yao Yao, you... are truly foolish."
Qing Sihui leaned down, his arm around her waist, and with his other hand, he picked up the remote control from the bedside table and closed the curtains.
Then, a period of passionate revelry ensued in the small lounge.
Initially, Shu Yao was the initiator, but eventually, Qing Sihui took the lead.
They were both consumed by passion. Shu Yao, concerned about Qing Sihui's health, asked several times, "Ah Hui, your body isn't well, you can't push yourself too hard."
Qing Sihui, however, maintained a tender demeanor, "My physical condition is very good, I'm fine."