After Xu Tingyu finished speaking, she could clearly feel the man's body stiffen.
But she was so good at acting now. The next second, she kissed him again.
"Oops, I was just joking. Don't take it to heart. Tell me how else I should console you."
Her main strategy was to disgust herself but also make him feel uncomfortable.
She had shown such "sincerity". He couldn't possibly get too angry, could he?
Sure enough, Qi Shifeng stared at her for a long while, and suddenly withdrew all his hostility.
His originally gloomy expression turned into a half - smile, still tinged with a chill.
"So, should I praise you for being magnanimous?"
Xu Tingyu pretended not to understand, raising her eyebrows as she looked at him. "Well, that's not necessary. Anyway, these things won't affect me one way or another."
What she meant was that no matter how intense the online uproar was, those who mocked her wouldn't come right in front of her.
It was fine for her to just watch the show from behind.
But when these words reached Qi Shifeng's ears, they took on a different meaning.
He pinched her earlobe, his gaze sharp. "If it doesn't affect you, why are you so angry?"
Although he was clearly asking why she was angry, his tone was more like scolding her for having no right to be angry.
And that look in his eyes, she couldn't tell if it was mockery or disdain.
Xu Tingyu responded smoothly, "I'm not angry. I just remembered and said it casually. If you don't like it, I won't say it again."
She was really too passive.
When Xie Yu first returned to the country, Xu Tingyu was once extremely nervous.
Qi Shifeng personally picked her up at the airport and took her to a gathering of his friends.
Xu Tingyu had never been part of Qi Shifeng's social circle, so of course she didn't know about it at first.
But there were always people who loved to stir up trouble. They took pictures and posted them on social media.
In the photo, Xie Yu was smiling slightly. A hand was reaching out in front of her to pick up a wine glass.
The caption of the photo read: The only pure land in his heart is where she is.
This caption made Xu Tingyu feel so sour that she immediately grabbed her car keys and went to find them.
Outside the private room where they were having the gathering, she saw Qi Shifeng blocking drinks for Xie Yu.
The others were all booing.
She was the only one standing outside, looking like a clown.
If it had been her old self, she would definitely have rushed in regardless and questioned him.
But three years of marriage had exhausted all her courage.
Only those who were favored had the right to be unrestrained.
If she rushed in and he sided with Xie Yu, she would only be more embarrassed.
So in the end, she chose to swallow her anger and left the bar dejectedly.
That night, when Qi Shifeng came back drunk, she acted as if nothing had happened. She brought him hangover soup and took care of him until he fell asleep.
She looked at the man who was still frowning even in his sleep for a long time.
She could feel that there was something wrong with her marriage, but she didn't have the courage to find out the root cause of the problem.
Now, this problem had grown bigger and bigger. She had long since given up and just let others mock her.
Of course, she didn't think she was giving up. Instead, she comforted herself that it was about being flexible.
Qi Shifeng didn't like her dejected look. Countless pent - up emotions were stuck in his chest, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
But he really couldn't do anything.
It was only now that he had experienced her stubborn and bad - tempered personality.
He couldn't argue with her any longer.
He still exuded a powerful aura, but he took the initiative to give her a way out. "Forget it. I won't argue with you now. But in the future, I'll surely get it all back with interest."
He never shouted at her, let alone laid a hand on her.
But he had plenty of dirty tricks. The punishments in bed were simply too embarrassing to talk about.
Xu Tingyu took a deep breath. In the end, she didn't dare to provoke him anymore.
She didn't respond to his words either. Instead, she just asked him with a smile, "So, can I go to sleep now?"
The transition was so abrupt, as if all that had happened just now didn't matter to her at all.
It was clearly a sign that she was still unhappy.
Qi Shifeng suddenly realized that he had been observing her emotions so carefully. For a moment, he didn't say a word.
She had already lain down on the bed on her own.
She was lying sprawled out, taking up the whole bed.
Her rejection of him was both subtle and obvious.
Having hit a wall again and again, Qi Shifeng's face darkened.
Was she afraid of him or disgusted with him?
Just as he was about to pull her up and get to the bottom of it, Qi Ruixi suddenly appeared outside the hospital ward.
"Sister - in - law, sister - in - law, I've come to see you and my little nephew!"
Xu Tingyu suddenly sat up from the bed, all traces of sleep gone.
Qi Shifeng, who already felt disliked, felt even more depressed.
When Xu Tingyu got out of bed, she even pushed him aside and went straight to the door to greet Qi Ruixi.
He, on the other hand, seemed to have completely lost his strength and sat down on the bed.
But Xu Tingyu had only taken a few steps out when she hurriedly turned back and pointed at his clothes.
"Quickly put your clothes on."
Qi Ruixi wouldn't barge in without permission, but it wasn't good to keep her waiting too long.
Now that Qi Shifeng's clothes were still open, it looked so improper.
Qi Shifeng didn't move. He seemed not to hear her, just looking at her with a gloomy gaze.
Outside the door, Qi Ruixi's voice continued, "Sister - in - law, open the door for me."
Xu Tingyu got anxious. She had to do it herself and shouted to the outside at the same time, "Wait a minute. I'll be right there."
Her fingers flitted quickly as she buttoned up his shirt one by one.
The two of them were very close. One standing and the other sitting. Xu Tingyu could smell his cold - like scent.
In her hurry, her fingers would occasionally brush against his skin.
She didn't seem to react, but Qi Shifeng's muscles tightened more and more.
By the time she finally buttoned him up, she didn't even look at him again and went to open the door of the ward.
Qi Ruixi rushed in with a bunch of gifts in her arms. She was so clumsy that she almost bumped into Xu Tingyu.
Fortunately, Qi Shifeng had somehow come over as well and managed to support Xu Tingyu from behind in time.
"Watch where you're going!"
His tone was very unfriendly, scaring Qi Ruixi so much that she staggered and almost dropped the things in her hands.
"Brother, why are you here too?"
After seeing the online news, she had come to comfort her sister - in - law.
She never expected that the man who was currently in a scandal with someone else would also be here.
Qi Shifeng didn't like this question at all. So he just glanced at her and didn't say a word. Then he turned around and went to the bathroom.
Seeing that he was unhappy, Qi Ruixi stole a look at Xu Tingyu's expression. Seeing that she seemed normal, she couldn't help but move closer and lowered her voice.
"Sister - in - law, did you two quarrel?"
The online uproar was in full swing. So far, Xie Yu's company hadn't issued a clarification statement. It seemed like they were just letting the situation ferment.
For Xu Tingyu, this kind of scandal was a great humiliation.
"We didn't quarrel."
Xu Tingyu shook her head. Those things didn't really count as a quarrel, did they?
Qi Ruixi was shocked and lowered her voice even more. "No way, sister - in - law. How can you be so tolerant? He's still getting all cozy with other women while you're pregnant!"
Not to mention a beautiful woman like her sister - in - law, no woman could accept this.
But Xu Tingyu just smiled and brushed off the topic. "Ruixi, your big brother is coming back."