After saying that, Lin Chuluo seemed to remember something and added meaningfully, "By the way, Lu Yan still hasn't come back from the development zone?"
His out - of - the - blue question left Ning Anmiao a bit dazed.
"He'll be back soon."
Lin Chuluo stood up. His voice was calm, and his tone was nonchalant. "Tell him to be more careful. It's not safe to drive at night."
Before Ning Anmiao could fully understand the meaning behind his words, Jiang Xixi raised her head first, looking at Lin Chuluo in disbelief.
Did it mean that he had done something to Lu Yan?
"Miaomiao, Chuluo's right. Remember to call Lu Yan later tonight," Jiang Xixi said, turning her head. It was more like a reminder.
But before she could say more, she was dragged by Lin Chuluo into the car.
Lin Chuluo used so much force that Jiang Xixi accidentally bumped her shoulder against the car door frame. The pain almost made her cry. Just as she was about to shout in pain, she met his cold eyes.
"What do you think you're doing, Jiang Xixi?"
Jiang Xixi felt a chill run down her spine. Her pupils suddenly shrank. Staring at his familiar face up close, she began to feel scared.
Lin Chuluo said, "Why did you call Ning Anmiao? Were you afraid I'd hurt you?"
Actually, Lin Chuluo had been standing outside the bathroom door the moment the call was answered and heard the whole conversation.
This Jiang Xixi was harder to control than he thought.
"… No, hubby," Jiang Xixi tightened her fingers. Her voice was trembling, on the verge of tears. "I was worried that I wasn't carrying a boy and would disappoint you…"
"Does worrying help?" Lin Chuluo felt exhausted. He sat in the driver's seat, rubbing his temples. He didn't want to keep up the pretense anymore.
Since this stupid woman had already sensed his true intentions, there was no need for him to act like a good husband anymore.
He really didn't have the mood for that.
"Jiang Xixi, do you know what your task is now?" Lin Chuluo's voice was cold, and his expression was indifferent. "Congratulations. You're carrying a boy."
"Now you don't need to overthink. Just take good care of yourself during pregnancy and give birth to this child smoothly. Then your position in the Lin family will be secure."
Jiang Xixi gritted her teeth. Her eyes were red. "Is it your position that will be secure, or mine?"
"Jiang Xixi, don't be stupid," Lin Chuluo said mockingly. "You and I are in the same boat now. Do you think the Jiang family will still be okay if you divorce me?"
Lin Chuluo had hit the nail on the head with what Jiang Xixi was thinking.
He had guessed it long ago.
Once the soft approach failed, the only way to make Jiang Xixi obedient was to bring up the Jiang family.
"You know that last month, the Lin family took one - third of the company shares from Jiang Zhou," Lin Chuluo said to her in a disgusted tone for the first time. "It may not be worth much, but it might mean something to the Jiang family."
Jiang Xixi's eyes widened in shock.
She never thought that Lin Chuluo, after showing his true colors, would be so heartless and unfeeling.
His attitude towards her was so cold that it was suffocating.
Her lips turned pale. She trembled as she raised her hand. Her voice was on the verge of sobbing. "Lin Chuluo, so this is the real you!"
She bit her lip so hard that her teeth made a creaking sound. "It was the same last time. You deliberately pushed me out as a scapegoat, didn't you?"
"You were with me not because you had feelings for me but because you were after the relationship between the Ning family and the Jiang family, right?"
Even though she knew the answers, she couldn't help but ask.
Watching her with a ferocious look on her small face, interrogating him word by word, Lin Chuluo found it quite funny.
That's just how women were.
Give them a little bit of sweetness, and they would think they had found true love. They would lose their heads over love and have no defenses at all.
Women were really nothing.
"Xixi, I did like you," Lin Chuluo said casually. He grabbed her chin with his big hand. The faint scent of cedar - note perfume on his arm wafted over.
Jiang Xixi was stunned.
"I really liked how stupid you used to be. You were so easy to control," Lin Chuluo said with a smile, but there was no emotion in his eyes. "If you had stayed stupid, maybe I would have continued to play the loving - husband act with you for a while."
He tightened his grip on her chin. The coldness in his eyes became more and more obvious. "Don't think anyone can come to save you, Jiang Xixi."
"Give birth to this child. Don't have any other delusions. And don't even think about going out recently. I'll have someone watch you."
He paused for a moment. "Oh, by the way, mobile phones have radiation, which is bad for pregnant women. Don't play with yours anymore."
Listening to his emotionless words, Jiang Xixi gasped. She felt her blood flowing backwards, and her hands and feet were out of control.
She was imprisoned.
---
On the way back in the taxi, Ning Anmiao felt uneasy.
The meaningful words Lin Chuluo had said kept replaying in her mind. She always felt that something was off.
It didn't seem like a reminder for her to care about Lu Yan. Instead, it was as if he was telling her that something had happened to Lu Yan.
The more she thought about it, the less daring she was to call Lu Yan.
Thinking of this, Ning Anmiao's eyelids twitched even more. She couldn't help but lean forward and say to the taxi driver, "Sir, could you please drive faster?"
…
When she got home, it was already half - past ten, but Lu Yan still hadn't returned.
Her uneasiness grew.
Ning Anmiao couldn't sit still. She paced back and forth at the entrance, waiting for someone to come back.
At around almost eleven o'clock, she heard the sound of a car engine turning off outside the door.
The stone that had been hanging in her heart finally dropped. She rushed to the door and opened it.
"Lu Yan!"
Seeing the tall and straight man in a suit, looking tired but handsome, Ning Anmiao was overjoyed. Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms.
Thank goodness he was back safely.
Just as Lu Yan stood still at the door, a soft and fragrant body rushed into his arms. Instantly, it dispelled the exhaustion and gloom from his journey. His originally solemn eyes softened a bit.
"Miss me that much?" His voice was deep. He stroked her hair and carried her into the house, closing the door behind him.
Ning Anmiao rubbed against his chest. She smelled a faint burning smell on him and looked up at him. "Why did you come back so late? And, have you been smoking again?"
As soon as she asked, she saw the bruise on his forehead and the blood oozing from the wound.
The smile on her face froze instantly. Her happy expression turned into panic. Her voice was filled with worry. "You're hurt?"