Qi Sui didn't know why, but anger and malice suddenly burst from the bottom of her heart.
But most of this anger was directed at the man on the wall, who smiled so happily and hypocritically.
Qian Jin didn't love her.
Perhaps Qi Sui had known that a long, long time ago. Qian Jin had actively approached her, dressing himself up as gentle and refined, like a good man. Before her mother passed away, his determined eyes were like a flower in a mirror or the moon in water; he held her mother's hand, expressed his feelings, and swore to give Qi Sui happiness.
She really thought—even without feelings, the two of them could live well together.
But she thought this peace could be maintained, only for recent events to shatter all her hopes.
She ignored the strangely close way the other party asked questions over the phone, because she simply couldn't tell the difference.
She called back and cursed—well, at least she restrained herself a bit and didn't say anything too foul; she just repeated the earlier chat records, almost incoherently.
"Homewrecker, bastard, do you know today is my birthday?"
"So cheap, do you like eating leftovers from someone else's bowl?"
"Stand in front of me openly, and I might even give you a slap."
"..."
The other end of the line remained silent.
Just silence.
Until Qi Sui started sobbing, unable to even form complete sentences. She sniffled, about to hang up, when the man on the other end finally answered.
"Yes, I know today is your birthday."
Qi Sui stood frozen in place, unable to process the meaning of these words.
What did he mean?
Because today is my birthday, he had to call my husband out to flirt with you? Or was it a show of force, that today is my birthday yet my husband isn't by my side?
"Do you want a gift?" The man's voice was somewhat distorted through the phone, but it still retained a husky tiredness. Qi Sui had only seen a photo of him from his youth; she couldn't imagine what this homewrecker's face looked like now.
But she recalled the slender yet upright figure she had seen outside the café just now, and she couldn't match it with this voice.
"What... do you mean?"
The man patiently asked again: "Didn't you say it was your birthday?"
He explained: "Qian Jin didn't mention it to me. Sorry, I kept him for some overtime today. If you mind, I can give him a day off tomorrow so he can go back early to accompany you."
He really sounded like an understanding boss, letting out a low cough before adding: "Or, if you're really upset, I can buy you a gift in my capacity as a boss. What do you want?"
Qi Sui had no idea what the man on the phone was talking about.
She couldn't understand his words, and he didn't seem to realize she was cursing him. He just put forward measures that would seemingly calm a woman down, with a good temper.
From the other end came the sound of shuffling papers, then the sound of keyboard tapping. With a husky tone—and to Qi Sui, it even seemed to carry a hint of comfort—he said:
"I have Qian Jin's public address here. I'll order you a cake. Can you pick it up? Sorry for upsetting you, but I'm a bit busy right now. If anything comes up, just send me a message later, and I'll reply when I see it."
With that, he hung up decisively.
Qi Sui's anger was cut off before it could be vented, like a small balloon that got pricked before it was fully inflated.
She sat there dazedly, then slowly got up from the floor. In her mind, she imagined—
Xiang Yu's voice sounded like he was working...
Then, was Qian Jin there too?
Had he heard her phone call?
Would he be angry? Would he call to scold her? Or would he ignore her like before, and then Qi Sui would have to go and soothe him until things returned to normal?
Thinking of that scene, Qi Sui inexplicably felt less distressed.
Unlike before, when she would constantly cry and complain that Qian Jin didn't love her. Maybe because, at this moment, she finally realized—
That there had never been any love between them.
She propped herself up, grabbed a transparent cup with pink and white bears printed on it, and poured water to drink. Qian Jin had a similar cup, a blue and white bear one. They were a couple's cup set they bought at an amusement park when they were dating, but only Qi Sui had ever used it. Qian Jin's cup gathered dust, she cleaned it, and then it gathered dust again.
It had always been kept in a corner where nobody would see it.
She held her water cup, leaning against the refrigerator door. The hard material supported her sore waist, allowing her to stand upright. Her eyes fell on the dusty cup, and for the first time, she felt the urge to smash it.
She had a mild temper and was very gentle; she naively believed whatever others said. This must be why Qian Jin chose to marry her, right?
What could a cup prove?
Would smashing it prove she had locked her heart away from love?
Qi Sui often watched all kinds of messy soap operas, but when such clichéd plots actually happened to her, she only felt absurd and unreal.
The heroines in TV shows always try to prove their cheating husbands still love them, and sadly, Qi Sui was just like them, still wanting to salvage the relationship.
The phone tightly clutched in her hand vibrated with a new message notification. Exhausted, she looked down to see it wasn't Qian Jin, but a mutual friend of the couple, a classmate from university. This girl had even shared a dorm with Qi Sui back then; half of their marriage was arranged by this old classmate.
She scrolled up. It was a message she had sent an hour ago.
Roughly, it was about her discovery that Qian Jin seemed to be cheating and her intention to divorce.