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墨書 Inktalez
I sensed something and smiled as I asked her, "Hmm? How many married men have you been with?"
She shot me a glare and playfully retorted, "What do you take me for?"
I laughed heartily.
She sighed, inexplicably troubled, "What are we tonight?"
"What do you think we are?"
She pursed her lips, seemingly hesitating, "How long will you stay in Lin City?"
The implication was that she wanted something ongoing with me. I certainly had no objections, but it was limited to my time in Lin City. Her question indicated she understood this.
"About a year or two, possibly longer. The company here is just starting up and needs some time to get established."
"Then..."
"We'll keep in touch." That was my answer.
She smiled brightly upon hearing this, "Okay."
Women are strange creatures; there are so many things about them I can't comprehend. For instance, they might be willing to give themselves to a handsome man upon first meeting, yet scoff at someone who has genuinely pursued them for years. It's absurd how a one-night stand can lead to unnecessary and illusory emotions, making them desire companionship and love.
Fortunately, with my looks, I don't have to ponder these matters too deeply.
Speaking of Xiao Ran, ever since I arrived in Lin City and met Li Hua, her originally calm and introverted nature suddenly became aggressive. During the first few weeks, when she returned to the apartment on weekends, I intended to strengthen our father-daughter bond by canceling my weekend work and coming home early for dinner. However, she always glared at me gloomily, no matter where I went.
"What do you want to say?" I set down my dishes and placed the packed meal aside, looking at her seriously.
"Dad," she rarely called me so seriously, making me feel as if I were having a conversation with an adult, "can you not let Teacher Li come to our house anymore?"
I felt a sudden panic. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't like them coming to our house." Her eyes were frighteningly dark. Her beautiful eye shape was entirely inherited from Liu Ya, but at such a young age, her gaze seemed deeper and more inscrutable than Liu Ya's, making it hard to read her thoughts. "This is where I live with Dad and Mom. I don't like other people coming in."
In Zhaotong, I had never brought women into Liu Residence. Out of respect for my father-in-law and because I had more than one place to stay, I had a separate house for those casual encounters.
I thought Xiao Ran didn't know about these things; she had always been so quiet.
"Who told you all this?" I asked her seriously.
She shook her head. "Teacher Li smells like the shower gel we have at home."
I sighed in relief. "Do you think your dad is so rich that what we use at home can't be used by others?"
She stared at me. "She also smells like a mix of Dad's cigarette smoke and perfume."
I was at a loss for words, meeting her gaze while an inexplicable cold sweat broke out on my back. This child frightened me.
"This is Dad's private matter; you don't need to worry about it." I avoided her gaze and opened the takeout box.
"Dad can take her out, like before."
I remained silent, lowering my head to set down the chopsticks.
"Okay?" Her voice was pleading, and after a moment of not hearing my agreement, she even threatened, "Otherwise, I'll change classes!"
“Xu Xiaoran!” I threw down what I was holding in anger. “You have no right to make demands of me. This is my personal life, and you have no authority to interfere!”
“But…”
Before she could finish, I turned and walked into the bedroom. “You can eat by yourself.”
I admit I was furious, feeling as if someone had stabbed me in the back. I felt guilty towards this daughter, but not deeply so. To be cruel, she was born merely as a pawn, a weak connection between me and the Liu Family.
She was born from Liu Ya, and I had no feelings for Liu Ya. She merely occupied the position of a wife, and the child she bore—forgive me, but I could not love her wholeheartedly.
After that argument, I grew increasingly indifferent towards Xiao Ran, even intentionally avoiding her.
When she came home for the weekend, I booked a hotel room under the guise of business and called Li Hua over. When she wasn’t home, Li Hua and I would stay at my place whenever we had the time.
It’s hard to believe, but at that time, I was motivated by a desire for revenge, acting childishly.
One night, Li Hua casually mentioned that I should pay attention to Xiao Ran’s recent activities. Principal Liu had been spending time with Xiao Ran, and she suspected that the balding middle-aged man had inappropriate tendencies.
I didn’t take it seriously; perhaps out of avoidance, I deliberately chose not to care about Xiao Ran’s matters.
Li Hua wisely didn’t press further. Her delicate fingers traced across my chest. “There’s a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow. You’ve never attended one before; why don’t you go this time? You don’t know how it feels during those meetings—other students have their parents sitting beside them, while Xiao Ran sits alone in the middle, looking so lonely it’s heartbreaking.”
I sighed and grabbed her playful fingers. “Since you’ve brought it up, how can I refuse?”
She giggled as I pinned her beneath me.
The next day was Saturday. After school at noon, Xiao Ran could come home for the weekend. It’s embarrassing to admit that since moving to Lin City, I had never once picked her up or dropped her off at school.
Around ten o'clock, I finished my company affairs and drove to the school.
The campus was very quiet, with staff members walking leisurely along the pathways from time to time.
I sent a message to Li Hua, but she didn't reply. Due to last night's excitement, I forgot to ask about the specific time of the parent-teacher meeting. Worried that I might delay my work and end up achieving nothing, I decided to give her a call.
The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering. Was she in class? Just as I was about to hang up, the call connected.
"Hello, are you at school?" She sounded out of breath, and in the background, I could hear the rapid clicking of high heels on the tiled floor; she was walking quickly.
"Yes, I'm here. Are you able to come down?" I looked at the window of Class Three, Grade Five in the teaching building.
"Sure, I'm free at this time; I don't have class. I'm over by the administration building, come over here. The parent-teacher meeting won't start for another hour. We'll go over once their class ends."
"What were you doing just now?" For some reason, I asked.
"Ah?" She paused for a moment. "Oh, I went to the restroom; my phone was in the office."
My intuition told me she was lying. At that moment, I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but looking back now and recalling her breathlessness, I realize it was a unique weakness after intimacy—a sound quite different from that of someone who had just been running.
But I didn't press further. A man's possessiveness made me uncomfortable; however, I remained rational. What does it mean to play around? It means both parties are free and do not interfere with each other; getting too involved is crossing boundaries.
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