SFS Chapter 1316 Yun Rui's sincerity: poor check-up
Chapter 1316 Yun Rui's sincerity: poor check-up
Gu Yunxi looked at the dark circles under his eyes and wanted to say something, but swallowed it back when it reached her lips. The grandfather clock in the living room ticked, and each sound seemed to strike a taut string.
She turned and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of warm water. When she handed it to him, her fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand. Both of them quickly pulled back as if they were scalded.
There was an inexplicable awkwardness in the air.
Qi Ruixiang took the water cup, lowered his head and took a sip. His eyes fell on the financial newspaper on the coffee table, but he obviously didn't read a single word.
Gu Yunxi sat down beside him and pretended to tidy up the pillows on the sofa, but she kept an eye on his expression out of the corner of her eye.
We are people we interact with every day, but at this moment, it’s like there’s a layer of frosted glass between us. I can see the outline but I can’t feel the warmth.
Gu Yunxi remembered that when he came back late last night, he had an unfamiliar smell of perfume on him. When she asked him about it, he just said that he got it from a social event.
She didn't ask any more questions, but the faint fragrance was like a thin needle, piercing her heart and causing her dull pain.
Qi Ruixiang put down the water cup and gently rubbed the rim with his knuckles. He knew Gu Yunxi was sulking, but he really didn't have the energy to explain.
Today, I had an argument with Gu Yunqian at the project team's online meeting. The other party obviously wanted to put the "Nightingale" mess on his head. On the way back, I received a call from the police station.
All the things were weighing on him so much that he couldn't breathe, and even forcing a smile was difficult for him.
"Today..." Gu Yunxi was the first to break the silence, his voice as light as a feather, "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie together, but I think I'll give up."
"Well, let's do it another day." Qi Ruixiang's response was so brief as if he was completing a task. He stood up and wanted to go to the study, but was stopped by Gu Yunxi again.
"Dinner's warm in the oven. It's your favorite creamy mushroom pasta." Her voice was cautiously flattering, as if testing the surface of a frozen lake.
Qi Ruixiang paused, without looking back: "Put it aside for now, I don't have an appetite."
The moment the study door closed, Gu Yunxi's tense shoulders slumped. She walked to the French window and looked at the hustle and bustle of traffic downstairs. Suddenly, she felt that this huge house was terribly empty.
Although they are sleeping in the same bed, they seem to be living in two parallel worlds, each with their own thoughts, and carefully navigating around in the space called "home".
Half an hour later, Qi Ruixiang came out of the study with a laptop in his hand.
He placed his computer on the sofa and unbuttoned his suit with some stiffness in his movements.
Gu Yunxi quickly stood up: "I'll go prepare the bath water for you. I'll add bath salts to help you feel better."
Soon the sound of water splashing was heard in the bathroom.
Gu Yunxi squatted beside the bathtub to adjust the water temperature. His fingertips glided across the ripples on the surface of the water, but he felt like a stone was pressing on his heart.
She knew Qi Ruixiang was evasive, just as she was concealing her suspicions. The two of them were like two poorly-skilled actors, performing a flawed play on a stage called "peace."
"The water is ready." She shouted through the door and heard a "hmm" from inside, the sound as dull as if it was coming through cotton.
When she returned to the living room, her eyes fell on the phone on the sofa. Qi Ruixiang had just put it down, the screen dimmed, like a dormant eye. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she took a deep breath, as if making some kind of resolution.
When Qi Ruixiang walked out of the bathroom, he saw Gu Yunxi sitting on the sofa, his fingertips hovering on the edge of his phone. He paused while wiping his hair and said nothing.
"My phone broke today. Can you lend me yours?" Gu Yunxi raised his head and tried to sound casual. "Which client did you meet today? Did you drink secretly?"
Qi Ruixiang paused, the towel draped over his shoulders, water dripping down his jawline. He looked at Gu Yunxi, his eyes expressionless, neither surprised nor angry, as if he were looking at an object that had nothing to do with him.
After a few seconds, he took out his cell phone from his pocket, handed it over expressionlessly, then turned and walked towards the cloakroom without saying a word.
Gu Yunxi held the phone that still had his body temperature, and his fingertips felt a little cold.
When the screen lit up, she subconsciously looked towards the cloakroom. The door was ajar, and she could see his blurry back. She took a deep breath and clicked on the call log.
It's so clean.
Yes, what clues can I find by looking at it this way...
Apart from a few work calls marked "project team", the last missed call was very similar to the harassing calls that are prevalent in China.
She opened her message box and saw the operator's payment reminder at the top. Scrolling down, she saw notifications from the work group, not even a single spam message.
In addition to screenshots of project information, the album also contains photos of the two of them relaxing together a long time ago. The most recent photo was taken three months ago.
She opened the app store without giving up, but found only a few office software in the download history, not even a game.
In the chat list of the social software, her dialog box is pinned to the top, and the latest message is "Remember to eat breakfast" she sent in the morning. Below it are all work group chats.
Gu Yunxi exited the interface and put the phone back in its place, but the doubts in his heart grew bigger and bigger.
How could a normal adult's phone be this clean? It was like someone had wiped every possible trace of it with disinfectant.
When Qi Ruixiang changed into his pajamas and came out, he saw her sitting on the sofa in a daze, with the TV on and playing a boring variety show.
He walked over and sat down, picked up the remote control and changed the financial channel. There was enough space between them for another person to sit.
"Have you checked?" His voice was emotionless.
"Yeah." Gu Yunxi picked up the apple on the table and slowly peeled the skin with a fruit knife. The peel formed a long line. We are all thousand-year-old foxes, and there is nothing wrong with admitting it.
"Yeah." Qi Ruixiang's eyes fell on the TV screen. The stock chart was red and green, but his focus was obviously not on it. "Go to bed early. You have to go to the company tomorrow."
Gu Yunxi didn't say anything, but just cut the peeled apple into small pieces, put them on a plate and pushed it in front of him.
Qi Ruixiang picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The sweetness and crispness of the apple were particularly clear in the quiet living room, but it could not suppress the growing silence between the two of them.
The light and shadow from the TV screen flickered on his face. Gu Yunxi looked at his tense jawline, suddenly grabbed the last apple on the plate, turned around and sat astride his legs.
Qi Ruixiang's body froze instantly, and his hand holding the remote control hung in mid-air.
Gu Yunxi didn't give him a chance to react. She held the apple between her teeth and lowered her head slightly to bring it close to his lips.
The tip of her cold nose brushed against his cheek, carrying the fresh scent of a bath. She could feel his suddenly faster breathing, which sprayed on the side of his neck like warm feathers.
"Gudong..." Qi Ruixiang's Adam's apple rolled violently, and he finally turned his head and bit the other end of the apple with his teeth.
The fruit flesh made a slight sound when they bit it, and the sweet juice flowed down the corners of his lips. Gu Yunxi stretched out his tongue and gently licked his chin, like a coquettish cat.
When the apple was eaten down to the core, Qi Ruixiang suddenly grabbed her neck and kissed her deeply with a long-suppressed forbearance.
Gu Yunxi closed her eyes, inserted her fingers into his wet hair, and gently scratched her scalp with her nails, which earned her a tighter hug from him.
The sofa creaked slightly, as if accompanying this belated reconciliation.
"Stop it." Qi Ruixiang's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. He rested his forehead against hers, his breath filled with the sweet scent of apples. "I have to go to work tomorrow."