Hearing the words "Su Family", Xu Tingyu immediately frowned. "No. Why?"
Qi Shifeng nodded. "The Su siblings are not good people. Stay away from them."
These were the exact words Xu Tingyu had said to Qi Ruixi just now.
She had said that because she had a complicated relationship with those two and knew that they were far more despicable than the rumors suggested.
But why did Qi Shifeng say the same thing?
She looked at him with a hint of confusion, but the agitated Qi Shifeng pulled her into his arms.
"I remember telling you not to meet Qi Ye. Why are you always so disobedient?"
He grabbed her waist, his eyes menacing.
Xu Tingyu knew he didn't believe her explanation in the restaurant earlier.
But she had long since given up on trying to please this man, so she didn't struggle. She just looked at him indifferently. "Be fair. I never asked you not to meet Xie Yu."
Who did he think he was to question her? An arrogant man.
Her tone was calm, but her voice sounded a bit sharp in the enclosed car, like a hedgehog desperately stabbing at the man in front of her with all its spines.
Then she waited for him to get angry, for him to strike back coldly.
Just like they used to do when they argued.
She had even thought about how to continue the argument, and the words to hurt him were already on the tip of her tongue, just waiting for him to speak so she could blurt them out.
However, Qi Shifeng just looked down at her and then pulled her into his arms, patting her on the back comfortingly.
"Xie Yu and I are not what you think."
He had confirmed his feelings, so he also cared about his image in her heart.
He used to disdain explaining such misunderstandings. In fact, he even wished she would misunderstand.
But now that he had fallen in love with her, he didn't want such misunderstandings between them.
Xu Tingyu was completely stunned, her body rigid with disbelief.
He actually explained?
Why?
In this marriage, they clearly couldn't stand each other and regarded each other as enemies, wishing they would never see each other again.
But now, why was he holding her so tightly?
As he spoke, his breath fell on her ear, making her heart tremble with the heat.
"Xie Yu is the younger sister of my late friend. My friend owed her a lot and swore to help her achieve her dream, but he had an accident before he could fulfill his promise."
"He died because of me. I can't just stand by. Tingyu, don't read or believe the information online. It's all false."
Qi Shifeng looked down at her. In his usually cold eyes, there was a glimmer of light, like broken ice melted by the sun.
Xu Tingyu was even more shocked.
She never expected Qi Shifeng to voluntarily tell her about Xie Zhen.
Was he showing her his vulnerable side?
This was so sudden that she didn't even know how to react. She just stared at him motionlessly.
Qi Shifeng felt a bit flustered under her gaze.
But his face remained cold and calm. Only his eyes on her were filled with hidden emotions.
It was hard to tell what he was thinking, as if he was trying hard to endure some unspeakable pain.
Qi Shifeng continued.
"I've never done anything beyond the boundaries of friendship with Xie Yu. I've always regarded her as my younger sister."
"I didn't clarify some of the previous rumors because she's in the entertainment industry. These rumors can protect her to some extent."
He was explaining, but not in too much detail.
For example, when he said he regarded Xie Yu as his younger sister, it wasn't entirely true.
The Qi family had a particularly weak sense of family. He and Qi Ruixi had been siblings for over twenty years, but they weren't very close.
To be precise, he regarded Xie Yu as a creditor.
He owed a great deal to Xie Zhen, and he had to repay all his debts to the Xie family.
It was the same for Xie Yu and Xie Shu.
As he spoke, his breath blew across Xu Tingyu's cheeks and ears like a hot wave.
It made her heart flutter, and she could only pretend to be calm.
She had seen Qi Shifeng when he was cold, dominant, angry, and sarcastic.
But she had never seen him like this, looking a bit lonely, a bit wronged, and even a bit pitiful.
It made one's heart soften.
But Xu Tingyu had softened her heart too many times, and she felt strange about this side of the man.
Strangeness brought about defensiveness.
When a person who always confronted you head - on suddenly showed their weakness without warning one day,
There was a high possibility that it was a bigger trap behind.
Xu Tingyu quickly regained her senses, adjusted her expression, glanced at him casually, and said indifferently, "I didn't ask you to explain."
From the beginning to the end, she knew that Qi Shifeng and Xie Yu had never crossed the physical line.
However, he was still different to Xie Yu.
Qi Shifeng didn't expect that after taking someone else's advice and showing a bit of weakness, he would receive such an indifferent response.
She simply didn't care about the relationship between him and Xie Yu.
That's why she never asked and even drugged him and sent him to Xie Yu's place.
Moreover, she wasn't even interested. She didn't even ask who Xie Yu's brother was or what kind of friend he was to Qi Shifeng.
All his confessions and explanations just now seemed like a joke.
He felt like he was falling off a cliff, unable to be freed.
"I just wanted you to know. That's all."
He was silent for a long time. His voice was extremely hoarse. His beautiful eyebrows and eyes were suppressing his emotions, as if he had been seriously ill. He put her back on the seat beside him.
There was a distance of about a palm between them, and neither of them spoke again.
Xu Tingyu didn't look at him either.
Her heart was in a mess, but she still pretended to be calm on the surface.
The street scenes outside the window were constantly receding. She quietly clenched her fists, constantly telling herself.
By now, she must not be soft - hearted and mess up her own plans.
Once you've decided on a path, you have to go all the way. Giving up halfway will only harm both yourself and others.
Qi Shifeng tightened his lips. His handsome and clear face was tense as he stared at her profile.
There was an unfathomable desire surging in his eyes, but in the end, he remained silent.
Xu Tingyu knew he was looking at her. Her heart felt scared, and her heartbeat quickened.
But she sat up straight and never turned her face.
Even when they got home and the car had just stopped, she immediately opened the door.
"I'll go back first."
She didn't even look at him when saying goodbye. She threw the words out in a hurry, slammed the car door, and walked towards the house without looking back.
Qi Shifeng watched her somewhat panicked retreat, and licked his back molars.
She could smile so sweetly at others but act so coldly in front of him.
She really knew how to treat people differently.
"Mr. Qi, shall we go back to the company now?"
The driver in the front seat asked in a timely manner.
Qi Shifeng had appeared in the restaurant today because Jiang Li had overheard Qi Ruixi's phone call with Xu Tingyu in the elevator.
Then Jiang Li had told Qi Shifeng.
He had gone to the restaurant on a whim and also on a whim said he'd give her a ride home on the way.
In fact, he had an international meeting in the afternoon and he should be in the company. It was definitely not on the way to drop her off.
"Yeah."
Qi Shifeng closed his eyes, looking a bit unusually tired.
His wife didn't seem to care about his attentions or his show of weakness at all.