Chapter 26 â Nothing Feels Right
Then she rememberedâXie Chengyu and Li Jingting had a decent relationship.
Because of that connection, Lin Yan had actually seen Xie Chengyu more often than she had.
Nan Xiao gave a bitter smile, walked over, and asked, âYanyan, whatâs wrong?â
âNothing.â Lin Yan said sarcastically, âItâs just, finally getting to have a meal with my boyfriend, only to have a âyounger sisterâ show up pretending to be sick and acting spoiled. What bad luck. I shouldâve checked the almanac before going out today.â
Li Jingtingâs expression darkened. âSo you really canât tolerate Jiayi?â
âThatâs right, I canât!â Lin Yanâs voice trembled with emotion. âWhat woman could tolerate a so-called âyounger sisterâ with no blood relation?â
Li Jingting gave a cold laugh. âThen you can go find yourself an unrelated older brother. Did I stop you?â
ââŠâ
Just that one sentence made Lin Yan falter, her face going pale.
YesâLi Jingting never truly loved her. He had never hidden that fact. She was really no different from Xiaoxiao.
So what was she supposed to do?
âYanyan, donât be sad.â
Nan Xiao gently touched Lin Yanâs head, whispered a few comforting words, then turned to Li Jingting and said coldly, âShe needs to rest now. Please leave.â
Li Jingtingâs face grew darker, looking dangerous.
He had met Chengyuâs wife twice beforeâonce at their wedding, and once at Old Madam Xieâs funeral.
His impression had always been that this woman, Nan Xiao, was timid, quiet, insecure because of her ruined looks. But now⊠why was she so bold?
âWhat right do you have to make me leave?â he demanded coldly. âThis is my girlfriendâs home.â
Nan Xiao stared at him icily. She wanted to ask, If you call her your girlfriend, why do you keep hurting her? But she thought it meaningless to say aloud.
Instead, she walked to the door, opened it, and repeated, âPlease leave. If you donât, Iâll call the police.â
ââŠâ
Both Li Jingting and Xie Chengyu looked momentarily shocked.
What had gotten into this woman? Her personality really seemed different from before.
Although they were full of resentment, they were men of âstatus.â With Nan Xiao being this firm, they couldnât just stay there shamelessly. They left with dark expressions.
Nan Xiao noticed that Xie Chengyuâs gaze toward her was cold and shadowed, different from a few days ago.
She felt that, while their relationship had never been good, it had never been this bad. Why had Xie Chengyu changed toward her?
She didnât dwell on it. Instead, watching Lin Yanâs tears fall the moment Li Jingting left, she suddenly understood what Xiao Zekai must have felt years ago.
With a sigh, she hugged Lin Yanâs shoulders and said, âYanyan, if you really canât go on, then just end it.â
Lin Yan looked up, tears streaming, shocked.
Nearly two years togetherâand this was the first time Nan Xiao had ever advised her to break up.
Nan Xiao thought for a moment, then added, âIf this were before, I wouldnât say this.
âBut now Iâm going through divorce myself. I know what it feels like to cut rotten flesh from your body. It hurtsâhurts terribly.
âBut once the pain passes, thereâs freedom. Thatâs why I want you to think about it too.â
Lin Yanâs tears fell again. Hugging Nan Xiao, she said, âXiaoxiao, only you really care about me.â
Nan Xiaoâsuch a timid, timid person. Yet just now, when Lin Yan quietly said she didnât want to see Li Jingting, Nan Xiao had the courage to drive him out.
Given Nan Xiaoâs nature, that was something she would never normally have done.
Nan Xiao patted her friendâs shoulder, comforting her. Seeing Lin Yanâs fragile state, she decided not to mention her own pregnancy just yet.
An hour later, Nan Xiao left the apartment.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw a tall, straight figure leaning against the wall. Dark eyes fixed on her, cold and intimidating in the dim stairwell.
Nan Xiao startled. She hadnât expected Xie Chengyu to still be there, watching her with such a chilling lookâit hurt.
She was about to ask what was wrong when Xie Chengyu grabbed her wrist. âI need to talk to you,â he said, dragging her downstairs.
With a bang, he yanked open the car door and shoved her inside a bit roughly.
Then he got in too, shut the door, and his gaze turned sharp and cold. âYou donât want to divorce?â
ââŠâ
What was he talking about?
âI do want to!â Nan Xiao immediately protested.
Without answering, Xie Chengyu pulled out his phone. His long fingers tapped a few times, and suddenly a familiar voice played back.
Nan Xiao froze.
It was her voiceâher saying she didnât want to divorce him. How did Xie Chengyu have that recording?
Her scalp went numb, her back went cold. The car felt like it had shrunk to half its size. She could hardly breathe.
âThat was when Xu Ruoxin was provoking and slandering me again. I only said that in anger!â Nan Xiao hurried to explain.
âI only said it to spite herâit wasnât real. I truly want to divorce!â she said nervously.
âAnd besides, that recording isnât complete. The earlier part is missing. Itâs just a fragment, not the truth!â
Nan Xiao desperately tried to make him understand. At this moment, she hated Xu Ruoxin more than ever, and she hated the person who had recorded and sent it even more. Who had betrayed her like this?
Sitting against the light, Xie Chengyuâs expression was unreadable in the shadowy car. Only the hard lines of his face and the colder edge of his voice could be felt.
âNan Xiao, I donât care whether your words are true or false. I donât have the energy or interest to investigate.
âIâm only telling you thisâIâve already resubmitted the divorce agreement. In one month, we will be divorced.â
No insulting words. No accusations. And yet, hearing it, Nan Xiao felt chilled from head to toe.
Lowering her head, she gripped the edge of her skirt, trembling.
She thoughtâit would almost be easier if he shouted at her, accused her in fury. That would hurt less than this cold indifference.
âI understand,â she whispered. âIn one month, weâll be divorced. There wonât be any mistakes on my side. Donât worry.â
After saying this, she couldnât bear the suffocating car another second.
The air felt too thin, the temperature too low. She yanked the door open and hurried away.
Watching her leave, Xie Chengyu slowly withdrew his gaze and drove back to the company.
He entered his CEO office, but his heart felt like it was weighed down by a heavy stoneânothing felt right.
Loosening his tie, he stared at the lines of French text on the documents before him. He could understand every word, but couldnât focus on a single one.
In his mind, all he could see was Nan Xiaoâs face from just moments ago.