Chapter 637: Not Even Worthy Of Carrying Your Shoes
Su Qingsang was pregnant, and Xiang Caiping had been taking good care of her during this period of time, so she had grown a little plump. She had talked things out with Li Qianxue, and she looked healthier.
Huo Jinyao now regarded her as a priority for care and protection. He needed someone to follow her everywhere she went, and as long as he was at home, he would always be by Su Qingsang’s side.
Even if Su Singsang only frowned slightly, he would immediately bring her a gla.s.s of warm water. He was showing off PDA without caring that there were other elders and relatives in the living room.
Nian Chunya only felt her gums turn stiff. Her son was originally living a good life, but Huo Jinyao just had to be unforgiving over some trivial matters.
And now? The two of them were so happy, while her son was still in prison.
It was one thing for Huo Jinyao to send him in, but Old Master Huo was also so biased that he didn’t stand on Huo Yifan’s side at all.
Nian Chunya’s expression was very ugly. If it weren’t for the fact that there were too many relatives present, she would have jumped up to point at Huo Jinyao’s nose and scold him.
Her arm was pinched by someone. Huo Manzi sat next to her. She approached her and spoke very softly.
“Mom, calm down.”
Calm down? How could she calm down? Ever since Huo Yifan’s accident, she had been unwilling to appear in this house.
In any case, Huo Mingguang’s family was Old Master Huo’s closest kin. Their family was nothing, right?
Nian Chunya was originally from humble beginnings. She didn’t have any foresight. To her, her husband and her son were her priorities .
She didn’t care about the honor of the family. Now that her son was in prison because of Huo Jinyao, and Huo Jinyao seemed to have everything at his fingertips, it was very difficult for her to accept that he could have anything he wanted.
Especially after she went to see Huo Yifan, the contrast was even more obvious.
It was the holidays now, and yet they were so lively here. But what about Huo Yifan?
He was alone in that cold prison. He had no family, and no freedom.
Nian Chunya hated him in her heart, and she clenched her fists more and more forcefully. Huo Manzi pried open the fingers that were clenched together bit by bit, then gently stretched them out.
“Manzi?”
“Lack of forbearance in small matters spoils big plans.” Huo Manzi’s voice was very soft. “There’s still a long way to go. Now is the time for them to show off. It’s not the right time to go against them.”
Nian Chunya understood the reasoning, but she just couldn’t help it.
“Do you have a plan?”
“No.” Huo Manzi looked in Su Qingsang’s direction. Today, Li Qianxue was also here.
Ever since Su Qingsang got pregnant, Liu Tongjia’s att.i.tude had also changed. Previously, they saw Liu Tongjia making things difficult for Su Qingsang. However, currently, Liu Tongjia and Su Qingsang were like mother and daughter.
The better their lives were, the more uncomfortable Huo Manzi felt. Her mood was the same as Nian Chunya’s.
However, she was smarter than Nian Chunya because she wasn’t in a hurry to do anything. There were plenty of opportunities in the future.
Old Master Huo had been in a good mood recently.
Su Qingsang was pregnant, and they were twins. There were many great-grandfathers around his age, but there weren’t many great-grandfathers of twins.
At a time like this, how could Huo Manzi, who knew how to judge the situation, go against Old Master Huo?
Su Qingsang didn’t notice the eyes of Huo Mingliang’s family at all. She was listening to Liu Tongjia and Li Qianxue talk about how they were pregnant back then.
It seemed that all mothers had this habit. Once they found out someone around them was pregnant, they would be eager to tell them their own symptoms during their pregnancy.
She was a doctor herself. In fact, she knew about these symptoms very clearly since she was in school. However, everyone’s reaction was different. She found their stories quite interesting.
Old Master Huo was in a good mood and chatted with Huo Yangyuan and Huo Yangxiu. Upon seeing Uncle Cheng enter, he stood up with a smile.
“The last guest has arrived. We can eat now.”
Everyone else looked in the direction of the door because of Old Master Huo’s words. The others’ expressions didn’t change, but Li Qianxue’s face suddenly darkened.
She didn’t expect that Old Master Huo would invite Su Chenghui.
“Chenghui is here? Come and sit.”
“Grandpa.” Su Chenghui came to Rong City because he had business to attend to. After finis.h.i.+ng his business, he deliberately chose half a day to visit Old Master Huo.
Old Master Huo knew that he was also in Rong City, so he called him to the mid-autumn festival banquet today.
“I’m late. I’m sorry.” Su Chenghui handed over the gift in his hand as he spoke.
Old Master Huo didn’t open the gift. He only glanced at Uncle Cheng and asked him to keep it.
He looked at Su Chenghui with a faint smile in his eyes.
“It’s good that you’re here. No need to bring gifts next time.”
“It’s good that you don’t mind these little things.”
Li Qianxue sat there. The happy expression she had when she was having a conversation with Liu Tongjia earlier had completely disappeared. She sat there with a cold face and looked at Su Chenghui with undisguised disdain.
However, there were too many people from the Huo family today. They were all relatives of the Huo family, so no matter how unwilling she was, she couldn’t embarra.s.s Su Chenghui directly.
She could only watch as Su Chenghui sat down beside her and squeezed into the seat between her and Qingsang.
“Qianxue.” Su Chenghui looked at Li Qianxue. She was beautiful as usual today. She had always been the focus of the crowd. No matter where he was, he could recognize Li Qianxue at a glance.
“I thought I was going to pick you up, but I didn’t expect you to come with Qingsang.”
Li Qianxue completely ignored Su Chenghui’s self-talk. Her heart had already turned cold, so she naturally ignored Su Chenghui.
“Let’s go together later.” Su Chenghui said quite casually, as if they were still husband and wife and hadn’t yet divorced.
Li Qianxue was unwilling to acquiesce to such a thing. Just as she was about to refute, Old Master Huo had already received word from Auntie Zhou and they could begin the banquet.
“Let’s feast. Today is a celebratory day. I’m happy today so I want a couple of drinks.”
“Grandpa, even if you’re happy, you should drink less. Your blood pressure can’t be too high.”
Su Qingsang’s timely concern made Old Master Huo laugh. He waved his hand. “Let’s not worry about blood pressure today. No matter what, I’m happy. Let’s feast.”
Li Qianxue had no chance to speak after being interrupted like this. Not only that, after they entered the dining room, Li Qianxue found out that her seat was arranged next to Su Chenghui’s.
This made her expression even worse. Wanting Su Qingsang to come over and switch seats with her, she couldn’t help but look in Su Qingsang’s direction.
However, today, Li Qianxue and Su Chenghui came as in-laws. In order to show that they were Su Qingsang’s biological parents, Old Master Huo arranged Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue’s seats next to him.
On the other side of him sat Huo Yangyuan, his wife, and Huo Yangxiu. Further down were Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang.
As a result, Li Qianxue couldn’t change her seat even if she wanted to because it would be too big of a move. It would make people laugh at her.
It wasn’t that Su Qingsang didn’t see the pleading look in Li Qianxue’s eyes. It was just that she couldn’t help her at the moment.
When Old Master Huo was talking to Huo Yangxiu and his wife, Su Qingsang heard Zhang Yichen’s name.
Huo Yangxiu was helpless when she talked about her youngest son. Some time ago, Zhang Yichen volunteered to be an instructor at a newly established base. He probably wouldn’t be back for another two to three years.
“I don’t know what got into him. I heard that he trains for more than ten hours every day over there. Those new recruits are suffering terribly from his training.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Zhang Xinghua looked at her disapprovingly. “It’s good that our son has aspirations. If those people can’t endure it, they’ll naturally be eliminated. The talents we need are the resilient ones.”
“Yes, yes, yes, you’re right. I’m just feeling sorry for my son, okay?”
Su Qingsang turned around at the right time and looked at the piece of fish that Huo Jinyao had put into her bowl.
“It’s very tender. Try it.”
“Okay.” She still felt a little nauseous these few days, but at least she stopped vomiting. She also knew that as the month got older, it would become more and more torturous.
Huo Jinyao looked at Su Qingsang, as if he hadn’t heard Huo Yangxiu at all.
He didn’t expect Zhang Yichen to go so far away, but it was better this way. He believed that by the time Zhang Yichen returned, his child would have been born already. By then, he might already have a woman by his side.
After Su Chenghui saw Huo Jinyao’s actions from the opposite side, he picked up a piece of fish and placed it into Li Qianxue’s bowl.
Li Qianxue looked at the piece of fish, then resisted the urge to pick it up and throw it at Su Chenghui’s face. She gritted her teeth and glared at Su Chenghui with a warning look in her eyes.
Su Chenghui acted as if he didn’t see it. He picked up another prawn and put it into her bowl.
“This prawn is fried well. Try it.”
“I have hands.”
There were other people from the Huo family around her. Li Qianxue didn’t want to lose her composure, and she couldn’t lose it either. She lowered her voice and the warning in her eyes became stronger.
“I can eat by myself.”
“I know you have hands, but I just want to put some food in for you, can’t I?”
Su Chenghui realized that he really made a smart choice by coming to visit Old Master Huo two days ago.
How rare was this opportunity today? Only G.o.d knew that ever since the divorce, he hadn’t eaten with Li Qianxue.
His self-righteous and affectionate look almost made Li Qianxue vomit. She couldn’t pick up the food in her bowl and throw it at Su Chenghui’s face, so she could only force herself to ignore it.
When Su Chenghui put the food in her bowl for the third time, she clenched the chopsticks in her palm.
“Su Chenghui, that’s enough.”
She leaned close to his ear, and her low voice couldn’t hide her anger at this moment. “Don’t think that I won’t fall out with you.”
Su Chenghui revealed a rare smile. He turned his head and looked at the anger in Li Qianxue’s eyes.
The woman he liked was so beautiful even when she was angry.
“If I remember correctly, you’ve already fallen out with me.”
Li Qianxue’s face was red, but she couldn’t have an outburst. Su Chenghui stopped when he saw the situation and finally stopped putting food in her bowl.
Li Qianxue felt very uncomfortable during this meal. Old Master Huo would turn his head to talk to her from time to time and ask about Old Master Li’s situation.
Li Qianxue could only muster up her energy to answer, and Su Chenghui followed by saying a few words.
It was obvious that Old Master Huo thought they were going to remarry. Making up after quarreling, weren’t young people like that?
Those who knew the inside story would think that the two of them were going to remarry. Those who didn’t know the inside story would only think that they were already a loving couple.
Li Qianxue didn’t have the chance to explain at all. Soon, someone held a gla.s.s of wine and toasted the two of them.
After all, they were in-laws of the Huo family. Because of Old Master Huo’s att.i.tude, when the others came to toast, they would toast Li Qianxue and Su Chenghui together.
This made Li Qianxue even more uncomfortable. She endured until it was almost time to end. Almost as soon as it was time, she told Su Qingsang that she wasn’t feeling well and needed to go back and rest.
“What are you going back for? If you’re tired, you can just rest here.”
Old Master Huo waved his hand and made a decision for them. “There are a lot of guest rooms anyway. Tongjia, have you arranged everything?”
“Don’t worry. Dad, everything has been arranged.”
Liu Tongjia was a qualified madam of the Huo family. These small matters were nothing to her.
Li Qianxue wanted to refuse, but Liu Tongjia had already brought her to the guest room upstairs. “If you’re drunk, go upstairs and rest. It’s the mid-autumn festival today. We still have to admire the moon at night. Just rest for a while. Later, we will go to the garden in the back. I have a few mandala flowers that are blooming well. There are also new chrysanthemums. The first batch has already bloomed. Later, we can admire the moon and admire the chrysanthemums together.”
Li Qianxue couldn’t refuse. After entering the door, she had to rest for a while.
When she was half asleep, she was woken up by her ringtone. When she opened her eyes and saw Su Yuxin’s name on the screen, she answered the video call he sent without thinking.
“Mom, happy mid-autumn festival.”
This time, Old Master Li went to accompany Su Yuxin for the mid-autumn Festival. Li Qianxue came to Rong City to accompany Su Qingsang.
It was the first time that Su Yuxin had left home. It was the first time that he didn’t spend the mid-autumn festival with Li Qianxue.
“Happy mid-autumn festival.” Li Qianxue was drowsy. She didn’t know what time it was. She sat up and after she drank some wine, her voice was a little hoa.r.s.e. She was about to go look for a gla.s.s of water.
There was really an extra gla.s.s of water in front of her. Li Qianxue took it and drank more than half of it before she realized that the gla.s.s of water was actually brought over by Su Chenghui.
At the same time, Su Chenghui’s figure naturally appeared on Su Yuxin’s screen. The person on the other end of the screen saw everything clearly.
“Dad?”
When Su Yuxin saw Su Chenghui’s figure, he was completely stunned.
What was going on? Why was Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue together? Besides the fact that the two of them were in the same room, from Li Qianxue’s appearance, it was obvious that she had just woken up from her sleep.
Su Yuxin was no longer that innocent and clueless teenager. He knew what it meant for a woman to wake up in bed with a man beside her.
“Yuxin, happy mid-autumn festival.”
In contrast to the stunned Li Qianxue, Su Chenghui was much calmer. “Are you alone?”
“No, I’m with Grandpa, Grandpa…”
Old Master Li was sitting behind Su Yuxin. As such, he naturally saw Li Qianxue and Su Chenghui.
“Qianxue, Chenghui, you guys…”
In such a situation, everyone would misunderstand.
“Dad, Yuxin, it’s not what you think.”
How could Li Qianxue let such a misunderstanding happen? She was anxious to explain. She was a little agitated and could barely hold the cup in her hand. Su Chenghui took it in time and put it on the other side.
After that, the misunderstanding of the two people on the other side of the screen deepened.
“Then what is it?” Su Yuxin looked at Li Qianxue’s hair, which was a little messy because she was sleeping. “Mom, are you going to remarry?”
“No.”
Li Qianxue answered quickly. Who wanted to remarry Su Chenghui? She hated him. She couldn’t even get over her dislike and disdain for him.
“Qianxue?”
Old Master Li wasn’t blind. He saw clearly that his daughter wanted to drink water, so Su Chenghui poured water for her.
That natural action was obviously quite familiar and well-coordinated. It seemed that the two of them often did this.
Li Qianxue said that she was going to Rong City to see Su Qingsang. He didn’t expect that she was going with Su Chenghui. It was really surprising.
“Dad, stop asking. It’s really not what you think. If there’s anything, I’ll explain it to you when I come back.”
After saying this, Li Qianxue looked at Su Yuxin. “Yuxin, take good care of Grandpa. Mom will fly to see you in two days.”
“Okay.”
Su Yuxin nodded. Li Qianxue quickly hung up the call and turned to face Su Chenghui. She quickly changed her facial expression, and the expression in her eyes were obviously angry.
“Why are you here?”
“What do you think?”
Su Chenghui sat down next to her and watched Li Qianxue’s body move back because of his actions.
“This is the guest room of the Huo family, and we’re husband and wife. Of course they arranged for us to be in the same room.”
“Who is husband and wife with you?” Li Qianxue didn’t accept this excuse. “We’re divorced. There is no relations.h.i.+p between us anymore.”
“But they don’t know.”
“Then why didn’t you explain clearly?”
“Why should I explain?”
Su Chenghui leaned forward slightly and looked at the dissatisfaction in Li Qianxue’s eyes. It was rare for him to show his rogue side.
“You don’t know how happy I am that they misunderstood.”
Crazy. Li Qianxue pushed him away and quickly got off the bed from the other side. However, her shoes were on Su Chenghui’s side.
She wanted to leave without wearing her shoes. Su Chenghui saw it and quickly picked up the shoes. He walked around the bed and stood in front of Li Qianxue.
“Put your shoes on.”
“Put them down.”
“Give me your feet.” Su Chenghui reached out his hand to Li Qianxue and signaled her to give him her feet.
“Are you trying to help me put my shoes on?” Li Qianxue took a step back and didn’t intend to cooperate with Su Chenghui at all.
“Qianxue?”
“Su Chenghui.” Li Qianxue looked at the shoes in his hands, then at Su Chenghui’s calm face, and sneered.
“Who are you pretending to be affectionate for here?”
The guest room of the Huo family was covered with a thick carpet, so she wouldn’t feel cold even if she stepped on it. She simply crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at the man who was half-squatting in front of her in a humble and servile manner.
“Do you know that every time you look like this in front of me, I’m not touched. On the contrary, I feel like throwing up?”
Su Chenghui looked at Li Qianxue, and knew that she had nothing nice to say to him. He also knew that she wouldn’t be polite to him. “I’m not pretending. I’m being sincere.”
“And then?” Li Qianxue bent down and s.n.a.t.c.hed the shoes from his hands without thinking. She found him touching her things unbearable.
“I have to be grateful? Kneel down and thank you?”
“Qianxue, that’s not what I meant.”
“Su Chenghui.” Li Qianxue put on one shoe and bent down to put on the other shoe. After putting them on, she stood up straight and glared at Su Chenghui coldly.
“Have you forgotten? Once, when we went to a banquet, my shoe accidentally got stuck in a crack in the ground. I asked you to help me with my shoe. What did you say at that time?”
Su Chenghui didn’t lose his memory. On the contrary, ever since he divorced Li Qianxue, memories of his life over the past 20 years became clearer.
Of course, he also remembered what she said.
Li Qianxue saw his reaction and knew that he hadn’t forgotten. It was good that he hadn’t forgotten.
“You said: Who do you think you are? Even if I’m the eldest young madam of the Li family, in your heart, I’m nothing. You wouldn’t love me, and you wouldn’t have any feelings for me. You told me not to have delusional expectations about you carrying my shoes. Didn’t you say that?”
Su Chenghui’s expression finally changed a little. He maintained his squatting position and didn’t move.
Li Qianxue didn’t want to bring up the past. Some things were in the past. If Su Chenghui could stay away from her, she would never say these words.
“There was another time when I excitedly bought you a whole new set of clothes. Then I went home and wanted you to try them on. When I took the handmade leather shoes and placed them in front of you, you said –”
“Don’t say anything anymore.” Su Chenghui remembered, and he didn’t forget. Even though that scene had been over 20 years, he still didn’t forget.
He didn’t allow her to say it, but Li Qianxue insisted. “You said: ‘So you’re really that cheap? You’re actually willing to do such a thing as carry my shoes?’ Unfortunately, in your heart, I’m not even worthy of carrying your shoes, aren’t I?”
“Stop talking. Qianxue, I beg you to stop talking.” Su Chenghui closed his eyes. He didn’t want to listen anymore.
Li Qianxue also didn’t want to recall. Those memories weren’t beautiful at all. Beneath surface level superficialities, all that was left were ugly and embarra.s.sing memories.
“Fine, I won’t talk anymore. I believe in your memories anyway. I won’t let you lose your memory.”
“You know what? Yesterday, Qingsang asked me if I had forgiven you. She asked me if I hated you so much because you switched her ident.i.ty with Su Peizhen.”
“Do you know what I told her?”
“I told her no, at least not completely. Knowing that you changed their ident.i.ties was just my last straw. For the past twenty years, your sarcasm, your indifference, and your harshness towards me, time and time again, were all stabbing daggers into my heart. Su Chenghui, it has been twenty-six years. From the time I blindly fell in love with you until now, more than twenty-six years of my life had been spent on you. Now, can I ask you? Can you be magnanimous and let me go?”
“After all, I’m not young anymore. I’m no longer that little girl in her early twenties. I really can’t and don’t have the energy to play this kind of game, where I love you but you don’t love me, with you anymore.”
“I’m already in my forties and approaching my fifties. I can’t afford to do this, and I don’t want to. In the future, I’ll have to request you stay away from me.”
“I really don’t want to hate you, but every time you appear, you’re reminding me of how blind and stupid I was back then. I really hate that stupid Li Qianxue. If you don’t give up and want to see me become that stupid and blind Li Qianxue again, I can only tell you that it’s absolutely impossible.”