When Xu Tingyu got home, she had no idea that she had once again made it onto the hot search list.
She looked a bit dazed. After entering the door, she even stood in front of the fridge in a trance for a while.
The window in the kitchen was left open. A flash of lightning, accompanied by a wild gust of wind, illuminated the unlit kitchen.
It also illuminated her bloodless face.
Then came the deafening "rumble" of thunder, as if it was right above her head, startling her into taking an involuntary step backward.
And then she bumped into a cold embrace.
A large hand, carrying the refreshing scent of snow pine, supported her waist and gently glided across it inch by inch.
"Xu Tingyu, explain why Qi Ye was the one who brought you home," a deep voice sounded above her head, cold and laced with hostility.
The moment she moved, her already aching waist was pinched painfully by him.
She didn't even need to look at his expression to know that he was seething with anger.
Xu Tingyu's heart seemed to tremble slightly.
In the hazy light, she stared at him for a long time.
His fair complexion, his well - defined eyebrows and eyes, his high nose bridge, and his somewhat thin lips...
A face that still made her heart flutter even to this day.
But when she thought of what he had done, she couldn't help but tremble all over. She tried to break free from his embrace, but it was in vain.
"Answer me," Qi Shifeng had waited for her answer for a long time, but instead, he felt her deep - seated resistance.
When he spoke again, there was an indescribable gnashing of teeth in his cold voice.
Under his intense gaze, Xu Tingyu felt as if she couldn't catch her breath.
But she wanted to look into his eyes to see how much calculation and cruelty was hidden there.
She took a deep breath. A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Finally, she spoke, but not to answer his question.
"Qi Shifeng, my father met you the day before he jumped off the building," it was a definite statement.
Qi Shifeng was stunned for a moment.
Taking advantage of this moment, she hunched her shoulders and struggled to get away from him.
"What did you say to him?"
"Refusing to lend him money?"
"Or was it that marrying me was all part of your plan to break up the entire Xu family and offer it to the Xie family as an apology?"
On her way back, she was almost heart - broken to the point of losing all her senses.
She couldn't hear what Qi Ye was saying to her, and she couldn't see the torrential rain outside the car window...
She just kept asking herself one question over and over again—what exactly did Qi Shifeng say to her father when they met?
"You still suspect me?" Qi Shifeng seemed quite surprised.
He thought this matter was long over.
It turned out that she had never believed him and had been secretly investigating this matter.
"I'm the one asking you!" Xu Tingyu was so angry that her head ached. She had never shouted at him so loudly before.
"Fine, since you won't answer, I'll answer for you."
"Qi Shifeng, three years ago, you fled the wedding but then came back obediently before the ceremony. It wasn't because you had a change of heart."
"Instead, you came back with hatred for the Xu family, determined to 'endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden' by marrying me and then ruining everything about me."
"Then, stepping on my tears and blood, you would offer the fruits of victory to the Xie family, right?"
...
When Xie Yu and her agent went to complain to Qi Shifeng, Xu Tingyu received an anonymous email.
When she opened it, she felt as if she had fallen into an abyss.
There were several photos in the email, showing Xu Jianmin and Qi Shifeng talking to each other.
Behind them was a digital clock in the coffee shop, clearly showing the date and time.
It was exactly the day before Xu Jianmin jumped off the building.
In the photos, Qi Shifeng had his back to the camera.
And Xu Jianmin's face was ashen, looking extremely embarrassed.
"So what if I met him? Do you even deserve my explanation?" Qi Shifeng was annoyed by her questioning.
He took a step forward, lowered his head, and grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to look up at him.
She was brought home by another man, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she started questioning him.
Who gave her the nerve?
Xu Tingyu closed her eyes painfully.
Those three words again.
Today in the practice room, she had read that email over and over again.
She still couldn't believe it was true.
Finally, she convinced herself to give Qi Shifeng a chance to explain. Maybe there was a misunderstanding?
So she ran home like a crazy person.
But when she got outside, she found that it was pouring rain.
Just as she was about to rush into the rain regardless, Qi Ye's car suddenly appeared.
He invited her into the car. Seeing that she looked unwell, he thought she was tired and started chatting with her.
As a result, he accidentally let something slip.
"Three years ago, when I brought Shifeng back, it was also raining this heavily."
"Thankfully, it didn't rain on your wedding day."
These words sounded very strange and immediately caught Xu Tingyu's attention.
After some questioning, Xu Tingyu learned for the first time.
It turned out that a week before her wedding, Qi Shifeng didn't go on a business trip. He had fled the wedding.
He would rather give up everything in the Qi family and flee to a desolate island than marry her.
Moreover, he deliberately concealed the news, intending to make her the laughingstock of all of Jingdu on her wedding day.
A famous socialite whose fiancé fled the wedding would become the most disgraced person in this circle.
By then, the entire Xu family would also be nailed to the pillar of shame along with her.
It was the old man who noticed something was wrong and found Qi Ye overnight, asking him to bring the man back.
If you looked closely at the photos from the wedding day, you would find that there were faint dark circles under both Qi Shifeng's and Qi Ye's eyes...
Xu Tingyu's discovery that Qi Shifeng had fled the wedding panicked Qi Ye.
He repeatedly emphasized.
"Shifeng was just a bit confused at that time. He didn't really want to flee the wedding."
"When I went to pick him up, he cooperated very well and came back with me voluntarily."
But Xu Tingyu didn't listen.
She remembered the fake ring that cost only 200 yuan.
She remembered what Qi Shifeng had said to the best man, "She doesn't deserve it."
"Yes, I don't deserve it. If you had fled the wedding back then, you should have fled completely."
"With your means, you could have taken over Xu's even without marrying me."
Her marriage had been a huge mistake from the very beginning with that 200 - yuan fake ring.
This man clearly wanted to punish her through marriage.
He also always thought that back then, when he was forced by his family to marry her, she was the one behind it all.
The man looked down at her.
Her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her skin look even fairer and her lips even more colorful.
She was like a seductive fairy, born with charm.
Qi Shifeng grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him.
The look in his eyes as he stared at her face was not the least bit diminished in its power; instead, it was even more oppressive.
"I don't want to discuss these meaningless things with you."
"You just quit the show and be the Second Young Mistress of the Qi family that you begged for."
He endured the urge to strangle her and decided not to argue with her.
Xu Tingyu stared at him with a strange expression for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing.
But the smile didn't reach her eyes; it was even a bit crazy.
So, everything she had said meant nothing to him.
He didn't even bother to explain what he had said to her father.
He thought she didn't deserve to question him.
Nor did she deserve to know what he had done.
If only she hadn't married him.
Such a desolate thought was like mold after the rainy season.
Accompanied by the sweltering heat and humidity, it spread and clumped wildly in her heart, rotting even her soul.
Pain and clarity slowly emerged from the watery depths of her eyes.
Amidst the overwhelming pain, she heard her own voice.
"Let's get a divorce."