Gloves - Chapter 6

“Darling, I miss you,” Hu Xinghua returned to the hotel, feeling melancholic knowing that he wouldn’t be able to see Nian Zichun for another half month.

Nian Zichun looked at the late-night text message from Hua San, replying while getting lost in her thoughts.

“I miss you too, get some rest.” For the most part, Nian Zichun responded to whatever Hu Xinghua sent her. It was true that as a gesture of reciprocation, she briefly imagined Hu Xinghua working on the other side, but soon Nian Zichun snapped back to reality and continued browsing through the information on her webpage.

In Nian Zichun’s mind, this marriage was all about what should and shouldn’t be done, without considering what she wanted or didn’t want, except in that aspect. However, although mutual respect is the ideal state for a couple, it is not the norm.

“Lawyer, what are you busy doing?” the mischievous little demon avatar with its fangs and claws danced around, causing the corners of Nian Zichun’s mouth to unconsciously curl up.

“Just browsing the internet,” Nian Zichun replied, continuously refreshing the forum.

“Any interesting news?” Yang Yiluo asked, leaning on the couch and tapping the keyboard rapidly.

“Not really.”

“Do you want me to send you something fun?”

“Sure.”

Yang Yiluo’s feet kicked happily in the air, looking very pleased.

“Look at you, acting like a love-struck teenager. You can get all excited just by chatting, especially with a lawyer, and a female lawyer at that,” Tu Yi exclaimed, poking Yang Yiluo’s head with her finger. She glanced at the screen and added, “And a female lawyer who never replies with more than four words.” Tu Yi gestured with four fingers.

“Stop bickering, you don’t understand,” Yang Yiluo pushed Tu Yi away and continued to focus on the small tablet, swinging her feet.

“Yang Yiluo! We’ve been together for 20 years, we’re practically celebrating our golden wedding anniversary. Do you think I don’t know you? I can give you a… ”

“Porcelain anniversary, thanks. It’s the 20th anniversary, the golden one is at 50. If you want a golden anniversary, go celebrate it alone. I don’t want to grow old,” Yang Yiluo pouted and played with her red hair.

“Fine, pretend I didn’t say anything. After all, you didn’t even finish high school!” Tu Yi said sharply, rolling her eyes at Yang Yiluo before turning around to continue applying makeup in front of the mirror.

Yang Yiluo looked at Tu Yi’s figure. This high-quality male model with a height of 184+ centimeters, how could anyone know that deep down he had a complete queen persona? Yang Yiluo decided to take action. She stood up, ran her fingers through her hair, and pulled down one side of her clothes, revealing her sexy shoulder. Step by step, she walked towards Tu Yi.

“Do you think I’m beautiful?” Yang Yiluo raised her hands in a seductive pose.

“Absolutely, you’re one of my top favorites on my list, baby,” Tu Yi replied, busy patting her face with moisturizer while watching Yang Yiluo in the mirror. But something was off. As soon as Tu Yi turned around, that soft body pressed against her. Tu Yi immediately stopped what she was doing, hunching her shoulders and looking at Yang Yiluo with a skeptical glance. Yang Yiluo had her eyes slightly closed, preparing to rub her nose against Tu Yi’s face. Tu Yi’s neck was almost at a 90-degree angle from the sudden movement. What was even more infuriating was that Yang Yiluo’s hand was still on Tu Yi’s waist. Unable to bear this strange atmosphere, Tu Yi grabbed Yang Yiluo’s hair, yanked it back, and shouted:

“What are you doing? I’m a man, a man! Hey! Yang Yiluo, do you have some undisclosed illness? Is it acting up today? Tell me!” Tu Yi pushed Yang Yiluo away with a disgusted look on her face. Usually, she could flirt with younger girls and let it slide, but today, why was she targeting her? Was she too desperate?

“You’re the one with an illness! Hey, why is Nian Zichun, such a beautiful woman, so cold?!” Yang Yiluo furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully.

“Damn you! Little brat, so that’s what you’re after. Fine, let’s make a bet!” Tu Yi immediately jumped onto the couch, speaking with conviction and determination:

“You, Yang Yiluo, if you can successfully sleep with Lawyer Nian, I, Tu Yi, willingly support you for a whole year, free of charge.”

“You said it’s all on your tab for a year. After all, it’s just a one-night stand and I won’t get pregnant. Deal!”

………………….

Why did he have such a pained expression? Shang Zhuoxi looked at the sleeping An Chujie. His slender eyebrows didn’t relax at all. Shang Zhuoxi reached his hand into the blanket, gently feeling her abdomen. Massaging the abdomen could promote blood circulation and alleviate pain.

Shang Zhuoxi’s movements were gentle, afraid of causing any discomfort or waking her up.

It was only at night, when An Chujie was sound asleep, that Shang Zhuoxi could truly take a good look at this person.

– 7 hours ago –

“You should reduce your workload during your menstrual period, especially if you’re experiencing painful cramps,” Shang Zhuoxi sat on the sofa, looking down at the person on the floor, suffering in pain.

“Please, let me go home,” An Chujie’s forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat due to the pain. Shang Zhuoxi stood up, walked over to An Chujie, crouched down, and pretended to speak in a pitiful tone.

“Now you’re begging for mercy? Fine, I’ll let you go. Go ahead,” Shang Zhuoxi said.

An Chujie struggled to stand up, enduring the pain. Shang Zhuoxi watched her, feeling a sense of excitement. It was like watching the prey that was about to be captured, thinking that it could escape before the hunter had a chance to taste it. Just as An Chujie took a step forward, the weakness in her left leg made it impossible for her to maintain her balance. Her body went limp and she fell into the arms of the person behind her.

Shang Zhuoxi leaned down and whispered in An Chujie’s ear, taking advantage of the situation:

“Look at you now, unable to even stand properly. How are you going to go back?” Shang Zhuoxi said, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eye.

“Do you think you still have a home?” Shang Zhuoxi continued, “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something. Have you ever wondered why you ended up working in such a filthy place?”

Six months ago, An Chujie had returned to this city right after graduating. However, she would often get fired from jobs for various reasons shortly after starting. Even though her interviews went smoothly, and with her qualifications, she was even exempted from some interviews. It was at this moment that An Chujie suddenly realized that Shang Zhuoxi had been playing with her behind her back.

“If I had a knife right now, I would stab you without hesitation!” An Chujie mustered up her last bit of strength to say fiercely.

Shang Zhuoxi lifted An Chujie and placed her on the sofa.

“I’ll be waiting for that day. It seems that kindness goes unrewarded,” Shang Zhuoxi said, then went upstairs to retrieve some homemade pain-relieving medicine.

“Drink this, and you won’t be in so much pain,” Shang Zhuoxi opened the bottle and handed the medicine to An Chujie.

Upon seeing the medicine bottle, An Chujie instinctively resisted. She waved her hand and shattered the glass bottle on the ground. She would rather endure the pain than drink any medicine given by Shang Zhuoxi.

This was the second time she had thrown away something given to her by Shang Zhuoxi. An Chujie was not someone to be patient with when angered.

Shang Zhuoxi grabbed An Chujie’s belt and forcefully pulled.

“Well, then enjoy the taste of pain,” Shang Zhuoxi said, tightly gripping the belt with her white-gloved hand, exerting pressure to restrict and intensify the agonizing pain in An Chujie’s abdomen until she eventually lost consciousness.

An Chujie woke up to find that Shang Zhuoxi had already gone to work. There was a small note on the bedside table, catching her attention.

“There are fresh bread slices in the kitchen, and remember to heat up the fresh milk in the fridge. If you’re in a lot of pain, remember to drink the medicine on the coffee table. Shang.”

It seemed as if An Chujie had already accepted Shang Zhuoxi’s arrangements. Why did these things seem so natural to Shang Zhuoxi? Bread slices and fresh milk were things that An Chujie had loved since she was a child. This house held her most beautiful memories, but also her darkest and most haunting ones.

“President Shang, I’ve found the person you wanted me to investigate. He’s a small leader in the mechanical department,” the person on the other end of the phone sounded quite pleased.

“Good. Make him lose his job,” Shang Zhuoxi had only one objective in mind.

“Well… Isn’t that going too far?” the person hesitated.

“He injured someone I care about and fled after sending them to the hospital. Shouldn’t I ruin his livelihood?” Shang Zhuoxi took a sip of her floral tea, waiting for the response she expected.

“Well, in that case, it’s the punishment he deserves. President Shang, you can trust me to handle it,” the person replied.

“Very well, thank you for your help,” Shang Zhuoxi said.

“No, no, President Shang, it’s my pleasure. It’s my duty,” the person replied.

Shang Zhuoxi returned home to find one less medicine bottle on the coffee table and one fewer bag of milk in the fridge. An Chujie had also washed the plate where she had placed the bread slices and stored them in the cabinet. Shang Zhuoxi was pleased, but she wondered where An Chujie had gone.

Shang Zhuoxi pushed open the small door behind the staircase and sure enough, there was An Chujie squatting in the garden. She was wearing pristine gloves, tending to the flowers and plants that she didn’t even have time to organize herself. The setting sun cast a gentle glow on her face, bringing out a faint blush on her pale complexion. Her long hair cascaded to one side, with strands of black transformed into a captivating shade of grape red under the light. As the girl in the flower bed caught a whiff of the floral fragrance, she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and her lips curled into a smile. Shang Zhuoxi wished time could freeze in this moment because it had been so long since she had seen that person smile. An Chujie used to smile so freely. Lost in her thoughts, Shang Zhuoxi remembered her own mother, who also loved tending to flowers. Her mother once said, “Flowers are the kindest. No matter how ugly and filthy you may feel in front of them, they will always present their most beautiful selves to you.” But that woman who gave birth to me was like a flower, so beautiful, yet her life was too short…

An Chujie noticed Shang Zhuoxi at the entrance, and her previously tender expression quickly turned into resentment and unease. She hurriedly stood up, unsure of what to do.

Shang Zhuoxi approached her and softly said, “I haven’t really been in this garden since you left.” Shang Zhuoxi stood against the light, casting a shadow beneath her eyes that appeared somewhat sorrowful to An Chujie.

“They’re beautiful, just like you,” Shang Zhuoxi gently touched An Chujie’s face and pointed to the lovely flowers. Then she tucked her hair behind her ear, which had become nearly translucent under the evening sun. An Chujie initially wanted to push her away, but…she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“There’s no dinner at home. Let me take you out to eat.”

An Chujie’s feelings towards Shang Zhuoxi were not simply about love or hate. It was a complex mix of seemingly contradictory emotions. On one hand, An Chujie resented her for what she had done. On the other hand, An Chujie hoped that Shang Zhuoxi truly loved her. So, her expression of hatred wasn’t meant to make Shang Zhuoxi taste the bitterness she had experienced. It was a desire for Shang Zhuoxi to love her more. In simple terms, the current An Chujie hated Shang Zhuoxi, but didn’t want to see Shang Zhuoxi in pain.