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They've completely lost their former elite air.
Duan Xing was preoccupied with his money. Although he had been released, nearly a month's worth of his earnings were nowhere to be found; a middleman had embezzled all of it.
But now that the police have dismantled the entire money laundering operation, he has no way to investigate.
Duan Xing was in a gloomy mood as he opened the car door.
"Wife, what brings you here?"
His expression was unnatural, but he quickly adjusted it as if by reflex.
I'm sorry I made you worry.
"I never expected something like this to happen at an auction."
"Honey, did you come all this way to pick me up? I'm the happiest man in the world."
"Are you tired? Let me give you a massage."
He had just gotten close to Xie Liuzheng when she dodged him.
Duan Xing suddenly realized, "I forgot I didn't shower all night, and my clothes and hair smell terrible."
He found a reason for both sides and automatically explained Xie Liuzheng's behavior.
Xie Liuzheng watched him act with a cold eye. He was very good at sensing people's emotions and handled every unexpected situation with ease.
Is the expression on his face now, as he tries to appease her, his true self, or a mask of pretense?
Xie Liuzheng just watched him quietly, a bitter feeling welling up inside her.
"Fasten your seatbelt first, then we can talk."
Duan Xing sensed something was off. He fastened his seatbelt and cautiously asked, "Honey, are you angry?"
"Is it because I went to the auction?" Duan Xing asked hastily.
"The auction house employee said contacting him would give me an employee discount, and I wanted to buy something cheaper... I never imagined he was part of a money laundering ring..."
"I never expected to be fooled. I've brought shame upon you and the Xie Family."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Duan Xing's attitude in admitting his mistake was sincere, as if he cared more about Xie Liuzheng's feelings than about saving face.
Xie Liuzheng gave him a cold glance.
Silence speaks louder than words.
Duan Xing was stunned by her gaze.
For more than a decade, no matter how angry Xie Liuzheng was, she would never look at him like that, never.
Such disappointed, indifferent, hateful, icy... eyes.
He sensed that something was amiss and frantically searched his mind for what had exposed him.
Money laundering? Asset transfer? Infidelity? Illegitimate child? Contact with Xie Corporation's top executives...
He filtered through all this information, but couldn't find a definite answer.
Xie Liuzheng drove to a nearby coffee shop. Shortly after they entered the coffee shop, the SUV that had been following them stopped as well.
Several people got out of the SUV and followed them into the coffee shop.
Xie Liuzheng wanted to talk to Duan Xing alone and declined Xie Zhiyu's suggestion to accompany him. He had no choice but to take plan B and have bodyguards protect him secretly.
Xie Liuzheng believed that Duan Xing would not harm her, but Xie Zhiyu understood human nature better than she did.
You can't predict how a deranged person will react when they're cornered.
Even at this Duan Xing was not yet at his wit's end.
"Wife, aren't we going home? Why...?" Duan Xing asked, observing his surroundings.
"Let's go inside and talk." With that, Xie Liuzheng walked straight into the coffee shop.
She started this ill-fated relationship, and she wants to end it herself.
Duan Xing realized that something had gotten out of control.
What did Xie Liuzheng find out? What did the Xie Family find out?
"Stay calm, stay calm," Duan Xing told himself, forcing himself to remain composed as he stepped into the most crucial test of his life.
He sensed what was about to happen; fate was challenging him once again.
Xie Liuzheng found a quiet private room. "Duan Xing, please have a seat."
Hearing this address, Duan Xing's heart sank further. "Wife, what's wrong with you?"
Even now, Duan Xing is still pretending.
Xie Liuzheng suppressed the surging emotions within her. Looking at the familiar person beside her, she felt as if she were looking at a stranger.
Things have changed, people have changed, and everything is unrecognizable.
"What's Little Sheng's real name? Duan Sheng?" Xie Liuzheng with a frightening calmness.
With a loud "clang," Duan Xing's disguise was ripped off. As soon as Xie Liuzheng uttered the name, Duan Xing knew he couldn't get away with anything vague.
He knelt down immediately, his knees slamming heavily on the floor with a crisp sound.
Duan Xing couldn't control the pain on his face, and his tone was so sincere that it seemed as if he wanted to cut out his own heart to show the other person.
"Wife, I'm sorry!"
"It's my fault, I was bewitched! I shouldn't have gotten drunk and mistook another woman for you... I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore, so I didn't dare tell you..."
Duan Xing's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in his eyes, filled with deep affection and apology.
Xie Liuzheng really liked Duan Xing's eyes. His eyelids were thin, and the corners of his eyes were slightly upturned. When he smiled, they were like her treasured gems. Occasionally, when he was emotionally agitated, his eyelids would turn red and look wet, just like a little deer.
He cried so beautifully, so incredibly beautiful, like a porcelain doll that would shatter at any moment.
Xie Liuzheng liked to deliberately make people cry, and then patiently coax them back; the two of them never tired of it.
Duan Xing knelt on the ground, crying as he explained, while Xie Liuzheng watched numbly, wondering what other words he would come up with to soften her heart.
Duan Xing slapped himself hard Duan Xing, leaving bright red handprints on his fair face, showing how forceful the slaps were.
Xie Liuzheng didn't say anything, just watched him repent.
"... She took the money and left, and a few months later, heavily pregnant, she showed me a pregnancy test and said she was carrying my child... I was bewitched. You know our family has been a single-son lineage for generations; my parents dreamed of having a grandson... I even got sick because of this during that time..."