Chapter 6736
Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain
The warm yellow light gently spilled onto the dining table, illuminating the steaming dishes.
Xiao Chen and Yun Yuyan sat facing each other, their mouths never idle, bickering back and forth, as if they were venting all the "little tempers" they had accumulated over the days during this meal.
Meanwhile, their chopsticks never stopped; they ate heartily, enjoying their meal immensely.
Xiao Chen picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs that was bright red and glistening with an enticing sheen. He took a bite, and the sweet and sour sauce burst in his mouth instantly. The meat was tender and juicy. He ate with his mouth full of oil, his cheeks bulging out like a greedy little hamster.
Even so, he didn't forget to retort to Yun Yuyan a few times, his ambiguous words full of teasing.
Yun Yuyan, on the other hand, leisurely picked up the soup bowl beside her, gently blew on the steam, and sipped the soup slowly, a faint smile on her face. As she drank the soup, she laughed and retorted to Xiao Chen. Her crisp laughter and banter intertwined, filling the room with joyful sounds, as if even the air itself had become exceptionally cheerful.
However, halfway through the meal, Yun Yuyan suddenly stopped what she was doing. The chopsticks that were holding food were slowly placed on the bowl and plate, and the chopsticks gently collided with the bowl and plate, making a crisp sound that was particularly clear in the quiet room.
Her expression instantly became hesitant, and a hint of worry and unease appeared in her originally bright eyes, like ripples suddenly spreading across a calm lake.
She gently bit her lip, turning her pink lips slightly white. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly opened her mouth, her voice as soft as a spring breeze.
"By the way, I'm going home tomorrow. There are some things I need to take care of there."
"You should eat properly at home and stop ordering takeout all the time. The ingredients in those takeout meals are not fresh and the preparation environment is not clean. Eating too much of that is bad for your health."
When she spoke, her eyes were full of concern, and her gentle expression was like that of a wife carefully instructing her husband who was away from home; every word was filled with worry.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's heart stirred slightly, like a small ripple being stirred in a calm lake by a pebble.
But he quickly regained his composure, a forced smile appearing on his face as he joked.
"Why does it sound like you've really become my little wife?"
"You should worry more about your family business and not let me interfere with your important matters."
"You know... it's impossible for the two of us."
His tone carried a hint of helplessness and bitterness, like drinking a sip of bitter tea. Although his words sounded hurtful, he knew he couldn't let Yun Yuyan sink deeper into this fruitless relationship.
After all, he has a wife, and in his heart, he has always only loved Jiang Meng.
The saying goes that a short pain is worse than a long one. He didn't want Yun Yuyan to fall too deeply into the situation and end up heartbroken and regretful.
Yun Yuyan, who had been wearing a playful smile, froze instantly upon hearing Xiao Chen's words, her smile stiffening at the corners of her mouth.
In that instant, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, as if the bright stars had suddenly been obscured by dark clouds. Then, a wave of hurt washed over her, spreading across her eyes and making them dim and lifeless.
She opened her mouth slightly, her lips trembling, as if she wanted to say something to refute or express her inner grievances. But when the words reached her lips, it was as if a tangled mess was blocking her throat, and she didn't know where to begin.
Her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes, her fingers turning white from the force, her eyes darting around the room, unable to look at Xiao Chen again.
Just then, a cheerful cell phone ringtone suddenly rang out in the quiet room. The melody, which might have sounded pleasant on ordinary days, now felt like a sharp blade, mercilessly shattering the already delicate and warm atmosphere. Yun Yuyan seemed to be startled awake by the ringtone, jolting back to her senses and frantically reaching for her phone.
The moment she saw the caller ID, her face turned deathly pale, as if she had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.
Her eyes were wide open, filled with terror, and her body trembled involuntarily, like leaves shivering in the autumn wind.
"I...I have to go back right away! Something terrible has happened at home!"
Yun Yuyan's voice trembled noticeably, each word sounding as if squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with terror and panic.
Her eyes were filled with helplessness, like a fawn lost in a dark forest, unable to find its way and only able to look around helplessly.
She hurriedly got up, staggered, and accidentally knocked over the chair next to her.
With a loud crash, the sound of a chair falling to the ground echoed in the room, like a warning bell tolled by fate, making the tense atmosphere even more intense.
But she didn't care about anything else. She grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and frantically searched for her car keys on the table, her fingers slipping several times in her haste.
Having finally gotten her car keys, she ran out like a gust of wind, her hurried footsteps echoing "thump thump thump" in the stairwell, the sound growing fainter and fainter.
They gradually disappeared out the window, leaving Xiao Chen alone sitting blankly at the dining table, staring at the tightly closed door, his heart feeling as if a huge stone was pressing down on him, filled with worry and unease.
Xiao Chen watched her departing figure, his brows furrowed tightly, forming a deep wrinkle.
His eyes were full of worry, and an uneasy premonition quietly rose in his heart, like a dark cloud hanging over him.
He wanted to get up immediately and follow her to find out what had happened to Yun Yuyan's family and whether he could help.
But the thought of the important things waiting for him to deal with made him feel like he was bound by invisible ropes.
He could only sigh helplessly, the sigh sounding particularly heavy in the quiet room.
He silently prayed for Yun Yuyan, hoping she would be safe and sound and that her family's problems could be resolved smoothly.
Several hours passed quietly, the night grew deeper, and in the stillness of the room, the doorbell suddenly rang out.
The crisp sound, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, created ripples that lingered in the spacious and luxurious living room of Xiao Chen's villa.
At that moment, Xiao Chen was comfortably leaning back on the soft sofa, his slender fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.
His eyes were somewhat vacant, his thoughts drifting off somewhere.
Hearing the doorbell ring, his eyes flickered slightly. He thought to himself, "The batch of rare antiques I carefully ordered from Qin Renxuan must have arrived on time." (End of Chapter)