Chapter 15

Li Xiao had searched all the nearby hotels. He had grown up in the county town and knew it like the back of his hand, including even the small hotels tucked away in corners.

Starting with the nearest hotel, Li Xiao checked them one by one, paying particular attention to the cheaper options.

Considering Jiang Rou’s frugality, he thought she would be unwilling to spend much on accommodation.

Although the county had not developed quickly in recent years, it was quite large, and searching through several streets left him quite exhausted.

He had not seen Jiang Rou.

The more Li Xiao searched, the more anxious he became. By the time he reached North Street, Zhou Jian was already waiting there. He saw Li Xiao and anxiously shook his head.

“She’s not at the school. The security guard said he hadn’t seen anyone enter. I also checked the back door, but the big iron gate was locked.”

Li Xiao’s heart sank, and his expression became serious.

Zhou Jian couldn’t help but feel scared. “Could it be that big sister encountered something on the way?”

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xiao’s face instantly turned gloomy, and his gaze turned cold towards him.

Zhou Jian was so scared that he quickly shut up.

Li Xiao pressed his lips together. “Let’s check the Sunshine Hotel first. If she’s not there, you can find a few brothers to help later.”

When saying these words, there was a subtle tension in his voice, and he mentally prepared for the worst.
He thought of Qin Wenguo. The only person in the county who had a conflict with him was Qin Wenguo. Although theoretically, the other party would not dare act against him, he was still worried.

Thinking about this, his steps quickened.

Zhou Jian followed, feeling doubtful about the Sunshine Hotel.

The Sunshine Hotel is relatively far from the Li family home, located behind North Street. If Sister-in-Law really wanted to stay in a hotel, there would be no reason for her to come all the way there. Moreover, the Sunshine Hotel is extremely expensive, costing 20–30 yuan per night. It was the only three-star hotel in the county, with government involvement in its construction to attract wealthy outsiders and encourage investment in the county.

Most people cannot afford to stay in this hotel.

As they walked towards North Street, it was much quieter and nicer compared to South Street. The ground was clean cement, and the buildings on either side were well-maintained, with whitewashed walls.

There were also shops around, including bookstores, barbershops, clothing stores, and restaurants.

Zhou Jian looked around enviously. “It’s nice to live here; you can buy anything you want just by walking a few steps.”

He was looking around and didn’t notice that Li Xiao had suddenly stopped, bumping into Li Xiao’s back. He rubbed his shoulder in pain and asked, “What’s wrong? ”

Looking up, he noticed that Li Xiao was staring across the street. Without much thought, Zhou Jian followed his gaze and saw a familiar figure emerging from a high-end restaurant across the street.

He knew that the restaurant had once been state-owned; it wasn’t as large as the one across from the county government, but its business was very good, and many people came from afar to eat there.

But who could tell him why his sister-in-law was there?

Jiang Rou was walking leisurely, one hand supporting her stomach and the other holding a cake.

From her demeanor, it was hard to tell she had run away from home in anger.

In Zhou Jian’s impression, when a couple in the neighborhood had a fight and Jiang Rou packed up to leave, she would either be crying and sobbing uncontrollably or unable to eat or sleep.

She’s not like them; it feels like she doesn’t really care.

Not only Zhou Jian was stunned, but Li Xiao, who was in front, was also taken aback for a moment. His expression darkened as he said, “You should go back.”

After he said these words, he quickly walked to the other side.

Zhou Jian, feeling uneasy, stood there for a while. He then saw the boss trying to pull Jiang Rou, only to have his hand brushed off.

His sister-in-law didn’t even glance at their boss and turned around and left.

Something didn’t seem right.

He looked at them again, the two had already walked far away, disappearing around the corner.

After that, Zhou Jian could see nothing more and felt a small pang of regret in his heart.

(T/N: Oh, Zhou Jian also likes to gossip.)

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On the other side, Li Xiao followed Jiang Rou. Noticing that she was walking quickly, he became concerned that it might be too hard on her stomach and reached out to grab her arm.

But before he could touch her, his hand was swatted away with a sharp “slap.”

Jiang Rou turned her head and glared at him, saying it coldly. “Don’t touch me.”

Keep moving forward.

She continued walking forward.

“……”

It was the first time Li Xiao had been treated so coldly.

Feeling embarrassed, he watched her back, and after a moment, he rubbed his face and followed. This time he refrained from reaching out and instead asked awkwardly, “Where are you going? I’ve been looking for you all morning. Whatever it is, let’s talk about it at home.”

Jiang Rou continued walking forward as if she hadn’t heard anything.

He was really hot-tempered.

Li Xiao glanced at her cold face and cursed in his heart, “Damn it.”

Both Aunt Wang and Zhou Jian had said she had a good temper, but why can’t he see it?

Yet he continued to follow her, thinking for a moment before lowering his head. “Alright, I’ll do as you say. I’ll return the money. It’s no longer ours; I don’t want a single cent.”

He then looked at Jiang Rou’s expression, but she remained unmoved, not even blinking.

Li Xiao felt a bit embarrassed and grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving. His tone turned colder as he said, “What do you want? Speak up.”

Jiang Rou took two puffs before looking up at him. Li Xiao was a whole Jiang Rou. She tried to pull her arm away twice but couldn’t. Only then did she look up at him. Li Xiao was a whole head taller, looking down at her with a stern face, his thin lips pressed together. His dark, sharp eyes were tinged with impatience and irritation as if he were enduring something.

If Jiang Rou had encountered such a person before, she would have been afraid. However, she was also angry now and didn’t care much about it. Moreover, since their relationship had already soured, his anger meant little to her—what could he do?

She met his gaze and said calmly, “I don’t want anything. I simply believe we’re not suited for each other. I made it very clear this morning that I wouldn’t cling to you anymore. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. You can do whatever you wish; it’s up to you.”

Li Xiao’s face darkened instantly upon hearing this, and his gaze grew more menacing. “Say that again. What do you mean there’s no relationship between us? The child you’re carrying is also my child.”

Jiang Rou had always had a good temper, but when she was truly angry, even her entire family would be cautious.

Even when facing Li Xiao, she dared to strike back with a stern smile and say, “Not anymore.”

She tried to pull her arm away again, but with his strong grip, she couldn’t free herself.

Jiang Rou looked at him, and she said with a neutral expression, “Sir, please let go. Thank you.”

“……”

This was the first time Li Xiao had encountered such a situation. Growing up, his understanding of women had been shaped mainly by his mother, who either cried or nagged endlessly, which he found very annoying.

So much so that, after starting school, he never interacted with girls and didn’t even exchange a few words with them. He only played with boys, and it was normal for boys to be rough when playing. Even if he said or did something, he didn’t have to pay much attention to it. A simple meal out would resolve everything.

So, he doesn’t even know what Jiang Rou is angry about or why she wanted to break up with him just because he had taken that money.

But didn’t he already promise to return the money?

Li Xiao watched as Jiang Rou glared at him, feeling a bit overwhelmed. It was as if she was a hedgehog covered in thorns, pricking him painfully.

Recalling what Zhou Jian had said about pampering women, Li Xiao felt like cursing. Who the hell knows how to pamper a woman?

He has never pampered or coaxed anyone in his life.

Watching Jiang Rou lower her head and forcefully twist her arms, Li Xiao’s expression became somewhat uncomfortable, and then he stiffly lowered his voice and said, “Don’t be angry.”

Before he could finish, he caught sight of someone approaching from the corner of his eye. Li Xiao instinctively released his grip on Jiang Rou’s arm, straightened up quickly, and stepped aside, clenching his fist to his lips as he cleared his throat. He turned his head to the side, pretending to look at the surroundings.

Jiang Rou didn’t hear what he was saying either. His voice was so low, it sounded like a mosquito’s hum. She cast him a disdainful glance, turned around, and walked away.

After the passer-by had left, Li Xiao looked at Jiang Rou, who had already walked a considerable distance, touched his nose, and quickly followed her.

Jiang Rou went directly to the Sunshine Hotel, the largest hotel behind North Street. She wasn’t very familiar with the county, but she knew that it currently had the best accommodations. A new, better hotel was being built, but it wasn’t finished yet. Over the past couple of months, she had heard people talking about it and knew that many wanted to apply there.

Jiang Rou was not one to settle for less. After leaving the Li family home, she came straight here, buying breakfast on the way—a couple of fried sticks of bread, two meat buns, and a bowl of tofu pudding.

Her appetite was pretty good.

After taking a nap in the morning, Shiyi came out of the hotel for lunch around 1 o’clock and picked up the cake on the way. She had ordered it from the cake shop she passed by this morning.

When she’s in a bad mood, she always wants to eat something sweet.

Li Xiao watched with a complex expression as Jiang Rou walked calmly inside the Sunshine Hotel.

Li Xiao followed a few steps behind and was stopped at the staircase. “Sir, you need to book a room first before you can go up,” he said.

He followed a few steps behind and was stopped at the stairs. “Sir, you need to book a room before going up.”

Usually, there weren’t many guests, and the staff were familiar with everyone who checked in.

Li Xiao explained, “I’m with her.”

He pointed to Jiang Rou, who had already turned the corner.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou calmly told the staff downstairs, “I don’t know him.”

Li Xiao: “……”

The staff quickly stepped forward and blocked Li Xiao, smiling as he said, “Sir, would you like to book a room? ”

Li Xiao rubbed his head in frustration. “I’m her husband. She’s just mad at me.”

The staff glanced at the already-vanishing Jiang Rou and continued to smile. “Sorry, sir. Please understand.”

Li Xiao, annoyed, clicked his tongue and had no choice but to turn and leave.

A short while later, while Jiang Rou was eating cake in her room, she noticed the light suddenly dimmed. Looking up, she saw Li Xiao’s angry face peering in through the window.

She stood up to close the window, but Li Xiao was quicker. As her hand approached the window, he grabbed the glass and pulled it open wider before swiftly climbing inside.

Jiang Rou’s face was a bit unhappy. “Why are you so annoying? Didn’t you want me to leave?

“……”

Li Xiao felt like a lump of blood was lodged in his throat. He suppressed his temper and asked, “When did I say I wanted you to leave? ”