Chapter 43: Her Rival Will Only Be His Work

When they got home, it was just about quitting time, and to Su Taotao’s surprise, there was an unexpected visitor standing at the door.

Su Taotao raised an eyebrow, her gaze towards Xia Xiyin carrying a certain meaning.

Ever since she stopped actively seeking her out after crossing over, the original female lead’s presence had been quite faint. If it weren’t for her sudden appearance today, Su Taotao might have almost forgotten she existed.

She had a crush on Fu Zhengtu.

Su Taotao suddenly remembered this thought, and she couldn’t help but look up at Fu Zhengtu.

Fu Zhengtu’s calm and handsome face remained unchanged. Xia Xiyin’s arrival didn’t stir any emotions in him.

Actually, if it weren’t for a certain special moment when contraception was needed, Fu Zhengtu would have been eager, tilting his head back in passion as he reached the peak, his eyes closing, suppressing a soft moan. Su Taotao would have thought he was always impeccably composed, like a noble gentleman.

Su Taotao wasn’t worried at all. Xia Xiyin wasn’t even her rival.

A man like Fu Zhengtu, if he didn’t love her, would certainly not love any other woman. Her rival would only ever be his work.

In fact, Fu Zhengtu was a very good partner. He was self-disciplined, loyal, responsible, and respectful of and cared for his family. Aside from his job nature, which made it impossible for him to spend too much time at home, his character was almost flawless.

Of course, his strong physique and excellent skills in bed made him a great lover as well. As long as she wasn’t too demanding about eternal, unwavering love or constant companionship, there was nothing wrong with their marriage.

“Is Xia Zhiqing here to see me or my husband?” Su Taotao’s tone was a little pointed.

She had appeared as soon as Fu Zhengtu came back. Wasn’t that obvious enough?

Xia Xiyin’s gaze shifted from Fu Zhengtu, lowering her head to cover her loss of composure.

She honestly didn’t know why she had come here. Yesterday, when she heard he had returned, she couldn’t help but come over to see him as soon as she was done with work today.

She didn’t even have a proper excuse ready.

Fu Zhengtu, carrying some things and holding the child, walked into the house without even acknowledging her.

The goddess had a dream, but the king was indifferent.

Su Taotao knew it would be like this.

But then again, if Fu Zhengtu had been asked to choose between “Su Taotao” and Xia Xiyin back then, she was sure Fu Zhengtu would have chosen Xia Xiyin. But no matter what “Su Taotao” did to take Mrs. Fu’s place, there would be no place for Xia Xiyin in Fu Zhengtu’s heart.

Why should women make things hard for other women?

The little quarrels of the past were nothing more than specks of dust in the long river of life.

Even though Fu Zhengtu had already entered the house, Xia Xiyin still didn’t know.

Su Taotao said, “So, is Xia Zhiqing just passing by? Would you like to come in for some water?”

Xia Xiyin suddenly looked up, but Fu Zhengtu was nowhere to be seen. Her disappointment was visible, but she couldn’t understand why Su Taotao was helping her out.

They clearly didn’t get along.

But when she looked at Su Taotao’s flawless, jade-like face, her brows slightly raised and her lips curled into a spring-like smile, she suddenly lost focus.

She was, after all, a woman of this era, and her modesty and self-respect wouldn’t allow her to lose composure or indulge in foolish fantasies.

Even if Fu Zhengtu stood right in front of her, what could she say? What could she ask?

Xia Xiyin smiled and shook her head, pointing at the SUV behind Su Taotao. “No, during work today, everyone was talking about this big car. I was curious to take a look, and it’s really quite impressive. I’ll be heading back now. You go ahead and take care of things.”

True to her role as the female lead, her reaction was incredibly quick.

She instantly came up with an excuse that even Su Taotao couldn’t refute.

Su Taotao, being understanding, turned and looked at the car, nodding. “It is quite impressive. We’re leaving tomorrow, so if you want to take a good look, do it now. Who knows when you’ll get the chance again next time.”

Xia Xiyin’s smile froze slightly. “You… are you both leaving together?”

Su Taotao nodded. “Mm, but my mom plans to leave in a little while.”

The answer would surface tomorrow, and there was no need for Su Taotao to hide anything.

Xia Xiyin wandered back to the youth point in a daze, unsure how she ended up there.

Today, it was Wang Xiaohong’s turn to cook lunch. Xia Xiyin knew she was going to see Fu Zhengtu, and when she returned like this, it was clear something was wrong.

She asked another female youth to watch the fire while she went inside to check on Xia Xiyin.

Xia Xiyin was biting her arm, lying on the pillow, silently crying.

Wang Xiaohong closed the door and gently put her hand on Xia Xiyin’s shoulder. “What’s going on? What did Fu Zhengtu say?”

Xia Xiyin shook her head, still biting her arm, her tears streaming down uncontrollably.

Wang Xiaohong became anxious. “Is it Su Taotao? Did she bully you? I knew she was no good, let me go find her!”

Wang Xiaohong started to walk toward the door.

Xia Xiyin reached out and grabbed her, shaking her head. “No, it’s not her. It has nothing to do with her. I’m just sad.”

She was a youth with a good appearance, a decent family background, and excellent academic performance. She graduated from high school and was forced to go to the countryside, living a life that felt endless, waking with the sun and resting with the sunset, facing the dirt and working in the fields day after day.

Her soft, fair skin and delicate hands had become rough and dark from the daily labor, no longer resembling herself. She didn’t even dare to look in the mirror, and what was worse, she didn’t know when it would end.

Her youthful passion for contributing to rural development had cooled down, and over time, it had turned into numbness and indifference.

Her labor skills were worse than a ten-year-old child who had grown up in the countryside. How could she talk about changing and building the rural areas?

She admitted that when she saw Su Taotao today, she was jealous. Both of them had been in the countryside for over three years, but Su Taotao had married Fu Zhengtu first, and had a two-year-old child. Yet, Su Taotao’s face showed no signs of aging. Her skin was still tender, and her hands remained delicate. Even if she didn’t know about the intimate details, one could tell what Fu Zhengtu had done for her just by looking at her demeanor.

No matter how she compared, she felt that she was superior to Su Taotao in every way, except that she didn’t have the shamelessness to throw herself at Fu Zhengtu and become his wife.

Now, she had to watch as Su Taotao left with Fu Zhengtu, while she was still trapped in this endless life, unsure when it would end. How could she not feel sad?

Wang Xiaohong was silent for a moment. “Yin Yin, actually, if you want, I think Fu Zhengtu…”

“Don’t mention him anymore!” Xia Xiyin wiped away her tears. “I never had any relationship with him in the first place.”

Wang Xiaohong said, “But if it wasn’t for Su Taotao…”

Xia Xiyin interrupted, “There’s no ‘if.’ The fact is, Su Taotao is Fu Zhengtu’s wife, and they have a son. Please, don’t mention it again. I still care about my reputation.”

Wang Xiaohong sighed. “Alright, alright, I won’t bring it up. The meal should be about ready. Let’s go eat.”