Chapter 16

For several days in a row, Si Yuming had been leaving work exactly at four-thirty to pick up his daughter from kindergarten.

Then he’d buy groceries and cook dinner.

It was so shocking people couldn’t even figure out what was going on.

Lin Ke finally couldn’t help asking Shen Wan,

“Has business been slow recently?”

“Slow?” Shen Wan looked baffled. “How could it be slow? Besides the Russia project we’re handling, the other departments and branches are all swamped too.”

Then why was he suddenly so free?

Lin Ke even thought of the worst possibility—

Could it be he’d discovered he had cancer or something terminal and was trying to make up for lost time with his daughter?

“Um… President Shen, our company does annual health checkups, right?”

“Of course. Every year. Why?”

“N-Nothing.”

Lin Ke laughed awkwardly.

She realized she was overthinking.

Actually, Si Yuming wasn’t free at all.

His daytime workload had merely been squeezed tighter and tighter.

But every time he stood outside the kindergarten watching his daughter run toward him—

Every time he saw the tiny surprised expression she couldn’t hide while eating the meals he made—

Every time he returned home and tidied the little hundred-square-meter apartment Lin Ke had slowly built into a real home—

He realized just how much he had failed the mother and daughter before.

That day, he also left work early.

Coincidentally, husband and wife met in the elevator.

Xu Lin was there too.

But this time, neither of them bothered hiding their conversation.

“Where are you going?” Si Yuming asked.

“The hospital. Getting the cast removed.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“No need.” Lin Ke shook her head. “I already called a car. Removing the cast won’t take long.”

“Call me if anything comes up.”

“Okay.”

Xu Lin didn’t dare breathe.

Thankfully, the elevator stopped on a lower floor and people entered.

Only then did he silently sigh in relief.

Lin Ke got out on the first floor and headed to the hospital.

The doctor said her recovery looked good after removing the cast.

He reminded her not to carry heavy objects for a while and prescribed some medicine.

Lin Ke paid and went to queue for medication pickup.

Hospitals were always packed.

Her ticket showed seven or eight people still ahead of her.

She sat in the waiting area, planning to use the fragmented time to solve a few practice questions.

She had barely finished two when a familiar voice sounded behind her.

Turning around—

She saw Qin Ru.

Beside him stood a young woman in her twenties.

At that moment, Qin Ru had an arm around the girl’s shoulders, gently comforting her about something.

Lin Ke froze in shock and immediately raised her paper slip to block her face.

Qin Ru’s family background was ordinary, far inferior to the Si family.

But Qin Ru was not a live-in son-in-law.

Qin Mancheng carried his father’s surname.

Lin Ke had heard bits and pieces before—

Qin Ru and Si Yun had been university classmates.

A campus romance that eventually entered marriage.

Back when Old Master Si was still alive and Lin Ke still lived at the old residence, Si Yun and Qin Ru had lived there too.

At that time, there had been more interaction.

Qin Ru matched his name perfectly.

Scholarly.

Gentle-tempered.

He took excellent care of Si Yun.

If he had time in the mornings, he personally made breakfast for her.

At night, he’d stew bird’s nest soup for her.

The couple always came and went together and rarely ever fought.

Everyone said they were a model couple within wealthy circles.

So how could this be happening now?

Lin Ke couldn’t believe it.

She secretly shifted the paper again for another look.

It really was Qin Ru.

A storm erupted inside her mind.

She still refused to believe it.

A younger sister maybe?

But she’d never heard Qin Ru had a sister.

Oh god…

She grabbed her phone yet didn’t know what to do.

At a loss, completely confused.

While her thoughts churned chaotically, Qin Ru brought the young woman to the counter to collect medicine.

Lin Ke immediately turned away to avoid being seen.

By the time she looked back again, the pair had already left.

The announcement system called her number.

Suppressing her thoughts, she picked up the medicine and headed home.

By the time she arrived, Si Yuming was still cooking.

Lin Ke played with their daughter for a while.

Only after dinner, once he’d finished cleaning up, did she call him into the bedroom.

Seeing her brows furrowed, he asked what was wrong.

Lin Ke opened her mouth hesitantly, unsure whether she should tell him.

In the end, she still did.

“I saw brother-in-law at the hospital today… with another girl.”

The moment the words fell, the man’s face darkened.

The Si siblings had lost their parents early.

They’d relied on each other all the way until now.

Their bond naturally needed no explanation.

Understanding how he must feel hearing this, Lin Ke softened her voice.

“Does brother-in-law have a younger sister?”

“No.”

“Then…” she said carefully, “maybe I saw correctly, but we still don’t know what really happened. There could be some misunderstanding.”

Si Yuming remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he only said quietly,

“I understand.”

He went out onto the balcony to make a phone call.

Probably to Si Yun.

His tone sounded gentle.

After hanging up, he dialed another number.

Meanwhile, Lin Ke brought Si Xiaotie to shower.

The little girl vaguely sensed the strange atmosphere in the house too.

She didn’t even play with the water much.

“Mommy, is Daddy unhappy?”

“Mhm.” Lin Ke washed her hair gently. “Daddy ran into a problem. Once he solves it, everything will be fine.”

“Okay…” The little girl then naturally shared her own feelings too. “Mommy, I’m unhappy today too.”

Lin Ke looked surprised and quickly asked what happened.

Si Xiaotie puffed out her cheeks sadly.

“Yuanyuan’s mommy is transferring her to another school. Tomorrow is her last day at kindergarten.”

That really was a sad thing.

Lin Ke first asked,

“Which kindergarten is Yuanyuan transferring to?”

“I dunno. I don’t understand.”

Lin Ke comforted her softly,

“It’s okay, baby. Even if Yuanyuan transfers schools, you can still be good friends. Mommy will ask Yuanyuan’s mom where she’s going. If there’s time, we can still go play with her.”

Si Xiaotie’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Really?”

“Of course. After your bath, let’s choose a gift for Yuanyuan together, okay?”

“Mhm!”

Si Xiaotie immediately hurried through her bath.

Then she rummaged through her pile of toys and plushies looking for the perfect present.

After choosing one, she carefully placed it inside her schoolbag so she wouldn’t forget tomorrow.

Past nine o’clock, Lin Ke finally tucked her daughter into bed before returning to the bedroom.

Si Yuming was still outside making calls.

She showered first.

It wasn’t until nearly eleven that he finally finished and lay down beside her.

Lin Ke lowered her book.

“How is it?”

The man’s voice sounded tired.

“Still investigating. But unless something unexpected happened… it should be his student.”

Qin Ru taught at a local university.

Associate professor.

Graduate advisor.

Lin Ke sighed helplessly upon hearing that.

Qin Ru was only in his early thirties.

The reason he became an associate professor so young was because Si Yun had quietly helped behind the scenes.

She’d heard the old professor who introduced him had once been close friends with Old Master Si.

“Does sister know?”

“Not sure.” He paused. “I tested her just now. She probably doesn’t.”

Lin Ke sighed softly.

“What should we do then?”

Si Yuming lowered his eyes toward the worried woman in his arms.

After a long while, he suddenly chuckled.

“Aren’t you and my sister not very close? You’re worried about her?”

“That’s different.”

Only after answering did Lin Ke suddenly realize something.

She looked up in surprise.

“How did you know we weren’t close?”

Si Yuming laughed again.

He wasn’t stupid.

Of course he could tell what kind of relationship his wife had with his sister.

Si Yun’s dislike toward the Lin family had always been obvious.

Her personality was straightforward.

Every emotion showed plainly on her face.

Combined with Lin Ke’s timid nature and the fact she never mixed with Si Yun’s social circle—

The two naturally didn’t have much to talk about.

Still, there’d never been any major conflict.

If they absolutely had to live together peacefully, they probably could.

But there was no need to force it.

After Old Master Si passed away, he decided to move out and give everyone separate space.

On moving day, she hadn’t said much.

But she’d looked visibly happy, occasionally revealing small relaxed expressions.

Lin Ke grew slightly embarrassed.

“It’s not exactly bad…”

Si Yuming watched her evasive eyes.

Then he shifted closer and pulled her into his arms gently.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad,” he said softly. “You don’t need to live with her anyway.”

“But I live with yo—”

The words slipped out before Lin Ke abruptly stopped herself.

After a brief silence, the man asked teasingly,

“Then… is our relationship good?”

“……It’s alright, I guess.”

Lin Ke brushed past the question vaguely and changed the topic.

“Should we tell sister?”

“We’ll see.”

“Mhm.”

Si Yun and Qin Ru were different from them.

For Qin Mancheng, discovering his highly respected father had cheated would be a huge blow.

This matter needed careful handling.

The atmosphere in the bedroom grew heavy.

Lin Ke’s heart felt heavy too.

First Zhang Man.

Now Si Yun.

And then herself.

Marriage really was difficult.

Mutual love and growing old together—

The most ordinary blessings somehow became the hardest things to achieve.

Lin Ke secretly glanced upward at him again.

A strange feeling passed through her heart.

It sounded unbelievable, but—

They rarely had moments like this.

Quietly talking.

Before, they only discussed Si Xiaotie or informed each other of schedules.

They never touched topics like these.

Yet the more she thought about it—

The sadder it felt.

Who lived like they did?

“Wife.”

He suddenly called softly.

Lin Ke startled and immediately shut her eyes.

Before, he only used that title in front of outsiders.

Now, hearing it within this quiet space where they held each other—

Her heartbeat unexpectedly quickened.

He always liked sleeping while holding her.

At first, she thought it represented something.

But later she realized it seemed to be nothing more than habit.

And somehow, she had gradually adapted to that habit too.

Listening to his breathing always helped her sleep better.

What a strange marriage.

Their bodies could become infinitely close—

Yet their hearts never seemed able to draw near.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing…”

Lin Ke came back to herself.

“Si Yuming… can I ask you something?”

“Ask.”

But after saying that, the woman hesitated again.

Only after a long while did she softly ask:

“Would you ever cheat on me?”

He answered quickly.

So quickly it felt as though he hadn’t needed even a second to think.

“No.”

Lin Ke had no further words.

Within the dim darkness, the man lowered his head and kissed her.

His hand gently lifted her chin.

Rough fingertips slowly caressed the delicate skin of her cheek.

Lin Ke let out a soft sound she couldn’t suppress.

His tongue immediately slipped in through the opening.

The arm around her waist tightened further.

Their breathing rhythms shattered.

Neither knew whose panting had grown heavier.

Soft.

Lingering.

    Entangled.