Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

The atmosphere at the dinner table became inexplicably tense.

Lu Zichuan keenly sensed that Shen Zhiyi was somewhat absent-minded.

She kept her head down, mechanically poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. Even the sweet and sour pork ribs he had specially placed for her, she only poked at lightly with the tip of her chopsticks a couple of times.

He picked up the serving chopsticks and put another piece of food on her plate.

She paused slightly, still not looking up at him, her voice as soft as a feather falling on water: "Thank you."

Polite, courteous, distant.

These three words were like three tiny thorns, stuck in Lu Zichuan's heart.

He tightened his grip on the chopsticks slightly and frowned inwardly.

He didn't know what he had done wrong. Had he scared her by getting too close in the kitchen? Or had he gone too far?

He wanted to ask, but the words stuck in his throat and he swallowed them back.

He had no right to question her unusual behavior.

He was just her... friend? Business partner? Or her ex-husband's annoying nemesis?

None of these identities were enough for him to probe the barely concealed panic in her eyes.

The meal ended hastily in silence.

Just as Lu Zichuan was about to get up to clear the dishes, Shen Zhiyi sprang to her feet as if she were on springs, her movements so fast that Lu Zichuan was momentarily stunned.

She quickly gathered the dishes on the table, hugged them to her arms, and practically fled into the kitchen.

"I'll do the washing!" Her voice came from the kitchen, carrying a deliberately feigned lightness.

Lu Zichuan followed her to the kitchen door and saw that she had already put on rubber gloves and was putting the bowls and chopsticks into the sink.

She turned around, raised her gloved hand, and looked at him with a smile.

But the smile only lingered at the corners of his eyes; it didn't truly reach his eyes.

"You've already cooked for me, it would be so unfair of me to make you wash the dishes."

She shook the gloves again, as if to emphasize something, "Hey, wearing gloves will prevent you from touching the wound, I'm fine."

After saying that, she quickly turned around, her back to him, and began to scrub a plate vigorously. Her tone was gentle but carried an undeniable resolve: "By the way, you've been busy all day, go back and rest. I'm all done here, really."

A gentle dismissal.

Lu Zichuan stood at the kitchen doorway, watching her busy figure.

She washed very carefully, even the tips of her ears were slightly red, I don't know if it was from the steam of the hot water or from nervousness.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say "I'll help you," wanting to say "I'm not tired," and even wanting to ask "What's wrong with you?"

In the end, all the words turned into a barely audible sigh.

He looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his deep eyes, but in the end he just pursed his lips and gave a soft "hmm".

Lu Zichuan didn't linger any longer. He silently picked up his coat from the sofa, his long, slender fingers gripping the collar, and took one last look at the figure in the kitchen.

He knew that what she needed right now was space.

He turned around, grasped the doorknob, gently pulled it open, and then gently closed it again.

"Click".

The very soft click of the lock clicking shut was exceptionally clear in the quiet entryway.

Shen Zhiyi's hands, which were scrubbing the dishes, suddenly stopped.

The water was still gushing and washing the foam off her fingertips, but she felt as if the air around her had been sucked away in an instant.

A bittersweet feeling welled up inside her. She couldn't tell if she was relieved that he was finally gone and she no longer had to face that suffocating thrill, or she felt a sense of loss that the house was suddenly empty of someone who gave her a strange sense of security.

She shook her head vigorously, splashing a few drops of water, as if trying to shake off the jumbled thoughts in her mind.

"I don't want to think about it anymore, I can't think about it anymore."

She lowered her head and scrubbed the dishes even harder, as if she wanted to wash all her worries down the drain with the foam.

The wound on the back of my hand throbbed with pain again after being soaked in water.

She frowned subconsciously. The pain came at just the right time, which was perfect for diverting her attention and preventing her from thinking about how gentle the hands that had just put on the band-aid for her were, or the almost overflowing focus in his eyes when he looked down.

The dishes were washed quickly.

She dried her hands, picked up her change of clothes, went into the bathroom, and locked the door behind her.

Hot water poured down from the showerhead, and the rising steam quickly blurred the mirror.

She stood under the water curtain, letting the scalding hot water wash over her body, trying to flush away all the traces of Lu Zichuan, along with those inappropriate heartbeats, into the drain.

After tidying everything up, it was almost 8:30. She picked up a book from her desk and continued reading. The book still had Lu Zichuan's handwriting on it. She pursed her lips, wanting to put it down, but then felt that she was being pretentious.

It's just a book, what's the big deal?

She took a deep breath and forced herself to turn the cover.

Whether she was trying to fight off the distracting thoughts in her mind or the book was truly captivating, she actually got engrossed in it until almost ten o'clock when a very soft "click" sound came from the entrance hall.

Tan Gui is back.

Her footsteps were very light, with a guilty conscience, but Shen Zhiyi still heard them.

As soon as I pushed open the door, I saw the figure tiptoeing, trying to slip into the bedroom silently.

"Cough cough."

Shen Zhiyi closed the book slowly and coughed twice.

The figure froze on the spot, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Then, Tan Gui slowly turned around, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Oh dear, Zhiyi, I thought you were asleep... Still reading so late?"

"Don't interrupt." Shen Zhiyi crossed her arms, her sharp gaze sweeping across Tan Gui's face. "Tell me quickly, what happened? Last night, you didn't even make a phone call before staying out all night."

Tan Gui's ears turned red at a visible speed. Her eyes darted around as she scratched her cheeks, her guilty expression practically written all over her face: "Oh dear, it's just... I drank too much and spent the night on a friend's sofa. I forgot to tell you."

"Drunk?" Shen Zhiyi narrowed her eyes, her tone full of disbelief, as if to say, "You're kidding me." "You used to be someone who rarely drank, even at social events, let alone stayed out overnight."

Tan Gui, exposed, unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her eyes becoming even more evasive.

Shen Zhiyi was too lazy to beat around the bush with her, so she took a step forward, grabbed her wrist, and pressed her down on the sofa: "I told you everything about Xu Zhesheng's messy affairs, and you kept it from me that you're dating? Aren't we still best friends?"

When that person was mentioned, a faint tenderness unconsciously flashed across Tan Gui's eyes.

How could that expression escape Shen Zhiyi's eyes?

She calmly crossed her legs, folded her arms, and waited for her best friend to confess.

Tan Gui sidled up to Shen Zhiyi with a grin, grabbing her arm like a spoiled koala: "Oh, it's just that recently... this guy suddenly appeared, and he's actually quite to my liking, so we went on two dates. I promise, I didn't do anything!"

She raised her right hand and solemnly made a vow.

Shen Zhiyi stared at her suspiciously: "You didn't do anything and yet you didn't come home all night? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

"Really, nothing happened!" Tan Gui nodded frantically. "You know me, I always save my first time for my wedding day. I'm very traditional!"

"Really?" Shen Zhiyi didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer and went straight to the point, "Who is that person?"

Tan Gui's eyes darted around: "Um... anyway... there is such a person..."

"Hard to say?" Shen Zhiyi narrowed her eyes, sizing her up, her tone slightly teasing. "This person seems to have a mysterious background. Do I know them?"