Chapter 110: He Regretted It

He regretted it. He shouldn’t have divorced Yunshu—how could he have just let her go?

Tonight was New Year’s Eve. If they hadn’t divorced, at least she wouldn’t be living at her parents’ house. Even if she was angry, she would be with him. He wouldn’t have made the mistake of getting entangled with Zhou Tingyue and even gotten a marriage certificate with her!

Lin Xiaohu ran out from inside holding firecrackers: “Sister, Sister Yunshu, Brother Xicheng, come out to set off firecrackers!”

Lin Cuiping sat still, unwilling to move: “Don’t bother me, I want to watch the Spring Festival Gala. No, no!”

Lin Hao patted her on the butt: “Go out and watch your brother. The Spring Festival Gala is still on for a while. Yunshu even let you eat all the melon seeds at home! When you get married someday, if you’re this lazy and spoiled, won’t your in-laws despise you?”

Lin Cuiping pouted and muttered: “Xie Yunshu is so hardworking, but she’s divorced now. I’m not getting married to become a maid.”

“You’re just all talk and no action!” Lin Hao was about to get furious. He glanced at Li Fenlan’s face, who was chatting with Aunt Zhao, and relaxed. Then he seriously warned: “If you talk bad about Yunshu’s divorce again, I’ll squeeze your thigh till it swells!”

Lin Cuiping screamed and rushed outside: “Xie Yunshu, aren’t you coming out?”

Xie Yunshu followed behind her with a faint, mocking smile. She suddenly kicked her in the butt: “Lin Cuiping, still want to fight me after New Year’s?”

Lin Cuiping hung her head, itching with anger. Just then, she saw the lost-looking Lu Zhixing standing outside and suddenly perked up, pointing: “Xie Yunshu, if you want to fight, fight him! Just picking on me, an unmarried girl, what kind of hero is that?”

Since it was New Year’s Eve, after dinner Li Fenlan had Xie Yunshu change into new clothes: a goose-yellow turtleneck sweater paired with a light gray wool coat, making her figure look even taller and slimmer. Her hazel eyes glanced indifferently over before settling on the stiff Lu Zhixing.

He felt his heartbeat slow down, and he couldn’t help but take a step forward: “Yunshu…”

Xie Xicheng was also wearing a down jacket, his handsome face usually carrying a faint smile, but when he saw Lu Zhixing his expression immediately darkened. He stepped in front of Xie Yunshu: “What are you doing here?”

Compared to Lu Zhixing, Xie Xicheng’s shoulders weren’t broad enough, but standing tall in front of his sister, he looked solid and protective. He stared tightly at Lu Zhixing: “Get lost!”

Lu Zhixing’s heart was bitter. When they married, he barely exchanged words with this brother-in-law — partly because of their age gap and partly because he thought, with his humble background, there was no point speaking with Xie Xicheng.

Because of his overseas education, he believed marriage was a matter between two people — he was marrying Xie Yunshu, not her entire family. So after marriage, he rarely contacted Li Fenlan or Xie Xicheng.

Even after so long, he had barely visited the apartment complex, but since the divorce, he unconsciously found himself riding his bike there often.

Xie Yunshu could hit Lu Zhixing, but she wouldn’t drag her brother into it. She tugged Xie Xicheng’s sleeve: “Take Xiaohu and the others to play in the alley.”

Lin Cuiping shoved her hands deep into her sleeves, shrugged her shoulders, and bumped Xie Yunshu with her shoulder: “If you can hit, then hit. Xie Yunshu, don’t act like you’ve never seen a man — he was bare-assed with that someone…”

The “bare-assed” part was a sore spot Lin Cuiping wouldn’t let go of. Xie Yunshu had no doubt this woman would mock her forever.

She glanced at her, and Lin Cuiping pursed her lips and walked away: “Go set off firecrackers. When you guys light them, keep away from your crotches. Don’t be like some men — good-looking faces but rotten pants!”

Xie Yunshu: “…”

Xie Xicheng wasn’t worried. He softly called: “Sister?”

Xie Yunshu looked at him: “It’s fine. In our apartment complex, he dares nothing.”

That was true — tonight, on New Year’s Eve, all the men were home, drinking, chatting, and watching the Spring Festival Gala together. No matter how they treated him usually, no one would dare bully him in the complex.

As the children ran off, firecrackers occasionally exploded in the alley. Xie Yunshu’s face showed impatience: “Why are you here again? Are you taking good care of Xiaowei? He’s only five. Don’t tell me you just dumped him at your house and ignored him!”

Lu Zhixing’s eyes darkened: “He won’t get hurt at my place.”

That was good enough.

Xie Yunshu ignored him. The courtyard was public space — she had no right to kick him out, so if he wanted to stand there, so be it.

“Yunshu, I’m sorry…” Lu Zhixing’s voice was soft, his eyes red: “I didn’t mean to appear here. I just…”

He just missed her so much…

Xie Yunshu stopped in her tracks and turned back with a sarcastic face: “Lu Zhixing, don’t force me to slap you hard on New Year’s.”

Suddenly Lin Cuiping appeared out of nowhere: “Xie Yunshu, if you don’t slap him, you’re a dog!”

Xie Yunshu grit her teeth: “Lin Cuiping!”

At last, a desperate expression appeared on Lu Zhixing’s face. Before, she only cared about him, but now anyone ranked higher than him in her eyes. How had things gotten to this point? He only made a small mistake…

But that mistake snowballed, making it difficult for him to even turn back.

When divorcing, he told himself it was okay — Yunshu was a woman who wouldn’t tolerate nonsense; she was just too angry and would forgive him eventually.

But now, he wasn’t sure. She showed no love for him at all. How could she become a completely different person in just one month?

Before going to deal with Lin Cuiping, Xie Yunshu looked back at him once and sighed helplessly: “Lu Zhixing, I can’t say I hate you that much. After all, I was blind before. You go be a good doctor at Lu Hospital.”

No one forced her to marry; she had happily imagined a bright future with him. Back then, she never thought he’d treat her like this. Maybe Lu Zhixing didn’t love Zhou Tingyue either, but he certainly didn’t love her much.

She only realized this after the divorce. He was just too proud, enjoying any admiring look. If someone more pitiable than Zhou Tingyue came along, he’d soften again and sacrifice the one who looked “less pitiable.”

From the alley came Lin Cuiping’s terrified voice: “Xie Yunshu, you pulled my hair again. Don’t think I’m really afraid of you!”

Lin Xiaohu cheerfully said: “Brother Xicheng, my sister and her sister are fighting, are we going to do anything?”

Then came Xie Xicheng’s cold chuckle: “I can’t beat my sister.”

Lin Xiaohu decisively resumed setting off firecrackers: “Then never mind, I can’t beat my sister either!”

Lu Zhixing slowly looked over. Tonight, the warmest, most reunited night, bathed in bright lights, he stood in darkness, lonely, his fists slowly clenching by his side.

Yunshu won’t meet anyone better than him, and he won’t give up…