Chapter Thirty-Two: Utterly Perplexed

After hanging up the phone, Luo Yichen felt restless. If Shang Qi’s parents were adamant in their opposition, the situation would indeed be quite thorny.

Liu Yuxin suddenly called Shang Qi, saying, "Can you come out and keep me company right now? I’m so troubled!"

"What happened? Did you have a fight with your husband?"

"Yes!"

Shang Qi was in no mood to work either. She simply called Luo Yichen to ask for leave, claiming she wasn't feeling well. Luo Yichen asked, "You were fine yesterday. Is your heart not feeling well?"

"That’s right!" Shang Qi admitted, "I’m extremely troubled right now, and it’s all because of you!"

With that, she hung up, grabbed her bag, and left the office. On the other end of the line, Luo Yichen felt a trace of anxiety. However, as long as Shang Qi’s heart was with him, everything else was secondary. For now, his priority was to find a way to make a good impression on Shang Qi’s parents.

Shang Qi took the subway to a tea restaurant, where Liu Yuxin had already arrived.

"I’m skipping work today just to keep you company," Shang Qi said.

"Won’t your Luo Yichen have an opinion about that?"

Shang Qi looked troubled. "Don't mention him. What’s going on with you and your husband?"

"This morning, we had a huge fight. He said he couldn't stand the fact that my heart isn't with him."

"He knows?" Shang Qi worried for her friend.

Liu Yuxin said helplessly, "Before we married, I told him: I don't love you, but I can marry you. He didn't have any objections back then! Now, he says he can't go on like this."

Liu Yuxin had held a secret crush on a middle school classmate for years, but it was a case of unrequited love. Seeing him marry someone else, she married her current husband, Shi Wentao, in a fit of pique. Their life after marriage was incredibly dull, and they soon had a daughter, Qiaoqiao. Yet, Liu Yuxin could never let go of her first love.

"What do you plan to do?"

Liu Yuxin said vaguely, "I don't know. Qiaoqiao is only five; I can't afford a divorce. Sometimes I think, if the person I loved also loved me, I never would have married this man."

Shang Qi thought for a moment and said, "What kind of logic is that? What man could stand his wife pining for someone else? Shi Wentao has already been through enough by tolerating you this long. Don't push your luck. Talk to him properly tonight."

"Oh! This is so annoying!" Liu Yuxin, stung by the truth, didn't want to continue. She changed the subject: "Are you and Luo Yichen fighting again?"

"No. He wants to come to my house to visit. But my parents won't let me see him."

Liu Yuxin dismissed this, saying, "Why is that something to worry about? Just take him home and let him handle the rest!"

"How can I do that? Besides, I haven't even made up my mind yet!" Shang Qi looked lost.

"What does that mean? You don't want to marry him? A man like that is hard to come by!"

"I know! Luo Yichen is rich and powerful, and he treats me well. Even if I divorced him later, I’d still get a huge alimony settlement..."

Liu Yuxin interrupted, "Stop talking nonsense! What are you actually worried about?"

Shang Qi said with concern, "I always feel like he doesn't love me as much as he says he does."

"For a man like him, being willing to give so much is already rare. Don't expect him to make you his entire world," Liu Yuxin said, hitting the nail on the head.

"True! I understand that. But that’s exactly why it hurts. Actually, I’m envious that you married a man who loves you with his whole heart."

"But hasn't he reached the point where he can't go on with me anymore?"

"Don't you think that’s your fault? Have you ever given him the love he wanted?"

Liu Yuxin lowered her head and whispered, "I don't know."

At that moment, her phone rang; it was Shi Wentao. Liu Yuxin hung up after only a few words.

"What did he want?" Shang Qi asked.

"He said he spoke in anger this morning and wanted to come pick me up to talk."

"Then I’ll go; I don't want to be a third wheel."

"Don't! I didn't let him come; I told him we'd talk at home tonight. Let’s chat a bit more!"

The two troubled women chatted until the end of the workday before taking the subway home together. It was peak hour; the roads were jammed with cars, and the subway was packed. They struggled to find a place to stand. The carriage was suffocatingly crowded.

Liu Yuxin took a deep breath and exclaimed, "It’s so stuffy, I can't breathe!"

Because she hadn't adjusted her breathing, the last part came out in a particularly "seductive" tone. Hearing this ambiguous sound and words that easily invited "misinterpretation," the passengers couldn't help but glance in their direction. Noticing the strange looks, Shang Qi signaled for Liu Yuxin to keep her voice down.

She whispered, "Your husband said he would come pick you up; why didn't you let him?"

With so many people around, Liu Yuxin didn't want to talk about Shi Wentao. She replied, "I just wanted to keep you company and help you work things out with Luo Yichen."

"You should worry less about my business. Be careful, or your husband might really leave you one day!" Shang Qi retorted.

Liu Yuxin said indignantly, "Please! A mature woman like me has plenty of pursuers, you know!"

"Really? Then why do you have the time to keep me company?"

The remark hit home, and Liu Yuxin looked embarrassed. She complained loudly, "Who told them to all be a bunch of losers? Where have all the good men gone these days?"

The carriage went quiet. The passengers looked over again—the men with contempt and indignation, the women with admiration and shared frustration. Realizing the reaction, Liu Yuxin suddenly felt she had spoken out of turn.

She quickly put on an innocent face, her eyes clearly telling everyone it wasn't her. The train arrived at a station, and she hurried off after saying goodbye to Shang Qi. As the train moved on, the passengers pointed at Shang Qi and whispered. She gritted her teeth in frustration, feeling "framed" by Liu Yuxin, but there was nothing she could do.

A woman in her forties sitting opposite her said earnestly, "Young lady, you look so refined and polite, how could you publicly complain about not being able to find a good man on the subway? A girl should have some dignity!"

Shang Qi’s face turned bright red. Unable to explain, she stood there awkwardly in silence. Just then, a handsome man teased, "Beauty, don't call all men 'losers.' Do you think I could count as a 'prince'?"

Shang Qi glared at him but said nothing. The man pushed his luck, placing a hand on her shoulder and saying, "I’ll take that as a yes! Even if you don't look like a princess to me, out of pity, I could settle for you."

Shang Qi was furious, but suddenly, the "filthy paw" on her shoulder was removed. She heard a familiar voice: "Apologize to her, now!"

She looked closely and saw it was Luo Yichen. He had the scoundrel by the wrist, forcing him to stay still, while the man kept grumbling, "Who are you? Mind your own business!"

"I am her man." Luo Yichen applied more pressure.

The scoundrel saw that Luo Yichen was half a head taller and looked furious. Most importantly, the expensive-looking designer watch on his wrist signaled that he was someone of status. Realizing he couldn't afford to mess with this person, he grumbled reluctantly, "I'm sorry!"

The passengers watched in shock. Shang Qi stared at Luo Yichen, wondering how he had appeared on the subway. The scoundrel slipped away after apologizing.

"Why are you here?" Shang Qi asked.

Luo Yichen had been worried after Shang Qi took leave so suddenly. He had someone follow her and rushed over as soon as he finished his urgent work. He had seen her and Liu Yuxin leave and followed them.

"Secret," Luo Yichen said mysteriously.

The passengers were still staring at Shang Qi, only now with the addition of Luo Yichen. The women in the carriage, in particular, looked at them with a mixture of envy and jealousy, making the couple feel quite uncomfortable. Luo Yichen called his driver, and when the subway stopped again, he pulled Shang Qi off the train.

Once they were off, Luo Yichen said with a mischievous grin, "I never knew you were so eager to find a man?"

Shang Qi’s face turned even redder. "You misunderstood, I didn't say that!"

"Any normal woman would have such thoughts. Why is it so hard to admit?" Luo Yichen looked like a rogue.

Shang Qi didn't want to bicker. "My parents really don't like you. What should I do?"

A dark look crossed Luo Yichen’s eyes. He hadn't found a breakthrough there yet and didn't know how to put her at ease. He calmly changed the subject: "I just helped you out. How are you going to thank me?"

Seeing him bring up unrelated things, Shang Qi felt unhappy. "I didn't ask for your help!"

"Are you saying I'm meddling, or that you actually wanted to be harassed by that scoundrel?" Luo Yichen’s face hardened.

"That's not what I meant. Even if you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have let him take advantage of me."

Luo Yichen wanted to say more but held back, turning to leave. He didn't want to be called "shameless" again. Shang Qi felt she had gone a bit too far; after all, he had just helped her. She hurried after him and said, "Anyway, thank you!"

Luo Yichen ignored her and walked straight toward the exit. Shang Qi playfully added, "How about I repay you by working harder? Why hasn't the company been very busy lately?"

Luo Yichen wasn't a petty man and never held grudges against women. Seeing Shang Qi trying to make amends, his irritation faded. "You know what I want, don't you? Anyone who dares to touch my woman is courting death."

Just then, Shang Qi suddenly realized she had walked to the subway exit. She stopped abruptly and said, "This isn't my stop, oh my!"

Luo Yichen glanced at the crowded platform and said, "You’re that keen on squeezing into the subway? My car is outside; I’ll drive you home."