"Dudu"
Lin Qinghan listened to the voice coming from the other end of the phone.
After waiting for a long time and not getting a response from Wen Ruan, until the phone said "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable," he frowned, hung up the phone, and planned to redial. But when he looked at the time above, he stopped.
It's so late.
She should be asleep.
When he saw Wen Ruan this morning, her eyes were filled with dark circles, and it was evident that she hadn't slept all night. Facing such a situation and having just moved, she must be very tired by now.
Maybe it's better to contact her tomorrow.
Even though they were divorced, Lin Qinghan always felt that Wen Ruan still loved him. He's not a fool. After all these years, he would know that she liked him. How could you easily let go of more than ten years of feelings? Just a few days ago, she told him that she "missed him."
She has always been so well-behaved for these many years. Maybe this time she's just too heartbroken and wants to pick a fight with him. When she comes to her senses, she will come back to him.
She is his wife and his family.
He can indulge her capriciousness.
In the future.
He will also treat her well.
At least he will try to understand her preferences, for example, what she really likes.
Having made up his mind, Lin Qinghan, whose face had been gloomy the entire day, finally brightened up a bit. He put away his phone, walked into the elevator, and the mirror reflected his sharp and slightly uplifted mouth, not too obvious.
He looked completely composed, as if victory was at hand.
Wen Ruan had no idea what Lin Qinghan was thinking.
She had never lived alone before and felt a bit at a loss. But more than that, she found it novel. She ordered takeout, ate spicy skewers and drank sweet soda. Following Ji Xi's advice, she started watching the most popular soap opera in the "Kimchi Nation" now.
It had been a long time since she had watched such soap operas.
Mrs. Lin wanted an elegant, noble life. She could dress up in traditional clothing and go see a play and a musical. She could even invite musicians to perform at home. However, she hadn't spent days watching soap operas while snuggled on the couch with an iPad for many years.
As she was watching, it was already midnight.
When she heard the phone ring in the room, she was crying due to the on-screen breakup of the leads in the television drama. There were tissues all over the table, and she held one while wiping her tears and trying to control her emotions. Once she paused the show, she put on her slippers and headed to the bedroom.
But just as she was about to reach it,
the ringing stopped.
Only the still lit-up phone screen displayed the caller's name [Husband].
Wen Ruan was stunned, and she forgot to wipe away the tears on her face, just staring blankly at the phone screen until it turned black, then she came to her senses.
Lin Qinghan called her? In the middle of the night?
She brought the phone over and unlocked it to confirm that it was indeed Lin Qinghan's call. They had been married for three years, and the number of times Lin Qinghan had called her voluntarily was few and far between, yesterday being one of those times.
But what was the matter now?
They were already divorced, why would this man call her in the middle of the night?
Could it be...
Wen Ruan's fair face turned pale, as she was concerned about Lin Qinghan's stomach problems. Her fingers hovered over the call back button, contemplating pressing it, but then she withdrew her hand.
She was no longer Lin Qinghan's wife.
Even if he was in trouble, there were plenty of people around him to take care of him. She was never the most special or necessary one.
Wen Ruan furrowed her brow and left with the phone in her hand.
The television was still stuck in a high point of the plot, but she no longer had the mood to watch. Sitting on the couch, holding the phone in silence for a while, she changed all the contacts related to Lin Qinghan back to their original names. Just like their marriage certificate had become a divorce certificate, Lin Qinghan's exclusive title of [Husband] became just plain and simple [Lin Qinghan].
Actually, there was still some lingering attachment.
She had liked that man for so many years but never dared to reveal her love for him. It wasn't until three years ago when she obtained the marriage certificate that she could openly express all her love. When she added [Husband] to his contacts, she was so happy.
Even after all this time, she could still recall the emotions of that time.
Wen Ruan looked at her reflection in the phone screen and gently tapped her cheek, pulling herself out of those jumbled thoughts, whispering, "I mustn't think about it anymore, even if I can't let go, I mustn't think about it anymore."
Since she had already chosen to divorce, she wouldn't look back again.
It was late into the night. She turned off the iPad, took out the trash, and when she was about to tidy up the table, she saw a stack of drawing paper that Ji Xi had placed aside. Initially, she was planning to leave them at Lin's place.
But she had left, and occupying so much space there didn't seem appropriate.
However, she hadn't figured out how to dispose of these portraits, whether to cut and discard them or not. It was difficult for her, from the first time she had picked up a paintbrush until now, a total of nine years.
Even though it was because of Lin Qinghan that she wanted to pick up a paintbrush, it was still her own time and years.
It was a pity to just throw them away like this.
Let's find a place to put it first.
***
When Lin Qinghan returned home, it was already very late. Aunt Li was still awake. Today something like this happened, Mr. couldn't be contacted, and she didn't dare to contact him. She could only sit there, hoping that Mr. would come back. When she heard the movement outside the door, she immediately got up and called out, "Mr., you're back."
Aunt Li was an old person in the house, taking care of them since she was young. Although Lin Qinghan was a bit indifferent, he was still polite to her. This time, he looked at her and said unexpectedly, "You haven't slept yet?"
"How can I sleep?" Aunt Li sighed. "Mr., what happened between you and your wife? She left early this morning with a suitcase, saying she was divorcing you."
"Mr.," she hesitated, "Are you really getting a divorce?"
Lin Qinghan smiled, although it was still a shallow curve, but it was clear that he was in a good mood. "Don't worry, she'll be back in a few days." After that, he handed the overcoat to her and said, "Go to bed early," and was about to go upstairs.
After a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around and asked, "Do you know what flowers Wensoft likes?"
Flowers? Aunt Li was stunned and said hesitantly, "I saw several pots of gardenias on the lady's balcony. If she likes them, the lady should like gardenias."
Gardenias? Lin Qinghan nodded. "Got it." Then he went upstairs. By the time Aunt Li came to her senses, Lin Qinghan was long gone. She took a few steps, shouting, "Mr.," but no one responded. She held the coat and stayed in place, thinking that Mr.'s confident statement about Wensoft coming back in a few days didn't seem right. Today, when the lady left, she seemed very determined, and she even took away the paintings that the lady had cherished in the studio for so many years.
Is Mr. misunderstanding something?
Lin Qinghan was indeed in a very good mood. He even thought about taking a day off tomorrow. Then he could have a good meal with Wensoft and bring her back. Of course, if she didn't want to come back temporarily, it was okay. He could move over. This good mood lasted until he entered the room.
He saw the dark room.
Lin Qinghan frowned, and the smile on his face also diminished. Although he had known that Wensoft had left, seeing the empty room was still somewhat uncomfortable. Whenever he returned late, Wensoft would leave a light on for him and have his clothes ready. Sometimes she would rub her eyes, sitting up from the bed, with a confused look on her face but her voice was sweet and soft, "Qinghan, you're back."
But today, there was nothing.
No night light, no prepared clothes, and no sign of her.
Lin Qinghan was silent for a while, then turned on the light and closed the door. He didn't think much about it. After all, Wensoft would always come back. However, when he caught a glimpse of a yellow paper bag on the dressing table, his eyebrows furrowed.
That was prepared by Li Ze.
Although Wensoft didn't take any shares or other property, he couldn't let her be wronged.
She didn't take it?
Did she want to come back soon, or did she not want it at all?
Whatever the reason, Lin Qinghan still walked over, opened the bag and took a look. Not a single key was missing, and the bonus card he gave her was also placed in the bag by her. His eyelid twitched slightly. His first thought was, "She didn't take anything, so where is she staying tonight?"
Based on his understanding of Wensoft, she would never bother Ji Xi.
That girl had never lived outside since she was young, and now no one knows where she is. Lin Qinghan suddenly felt anxious. Even his eyebrows, which were usually sharp, tightened with worry. He had originally planned to contact Wensoft directly, but after checking the time, he chose to call Li Ze instead.
Soon, someone picked up on the other end. Li Ze's voice came over, "Boss, what's wrong?"
"Can you find out where Wensoft is for me?" Lin Qinghan held the paper bag, his brows furrowed with genuine concern, and his voice was somewhat heavy. "She didn't go to any of those houses you prepared. I'm worried that she might be in trouble outside by herself."
Li Ze was taken aback and hesitated, "Boss..."
Lin Qinghan didn't have time to listen to anything else. Frowning, he rebuked, "Hurry up and find out."
He had even started to consider whether he should pull some strings to directly check if Wensoft was staying in a hotel or elsewhere. If it was a hotel, it was fine, but if it was elsewhere, what if she, a girl who had never lived outside and didn't know anyone, got into trouble?
No. A hotel wouldn't be good either. It's too chaotic. A pretty girl who's never had a job, what if she gets cheated?
During his boundless contemplation, Li hesitated for a moment and said, "Boss, you can take a look at Madam's Moments, she should be fine." Not only was she fine, but also she seemed to be living very comfortably, something he dared not say.
Moments?
Lin Qinghan was taken aback. He didn't have the habit of posting Moments, nor did he often browse others' Moments.
Furrowing his brow, he opened Warm's Moments. The first post read, "New life, new look, let's be happy like this every day from now on [Spicy hot pot, chubby otaku water. Image attached]." Lin Qinghan held his phone, looking at the post, but remained silent.