Discovery of Adultery

Li Haonan was truly sincere about giving them money, Zhou Guangtao felt it would be too pretentious to keep refusing and reluctantly agreed.The moment Yan Luoxi saw Zhou Guangtao, she immediately had...Chapter 26: Discovering an Extramarital Affair

Upon hearing Yan Luoxi's words, Xue Liping heaved a huge sigh of relief and sat down heavily on the sofa. She closed her eyes for a moment, not sure whether to smile in relief or out of pain. "I knew he wouldn't be so heartless towards me."

Yan Luoxi looked at her mother's self-deceptive demeanor and sighed helplessly in her heart; no matter how shrewd a woman is, she turns into a fool when it comes to matters of the heart.

Before Yan Luoxi could resolve things with Li An, she couldn't leave her mother. She was afraid that her mother would do something reckless and irreparable, hurting herself or others.

She called Zhou Guangtao and told him that she would stay by her mother's side for the next few days and wouldn't be going to work at the company.

Zhou Guangtao readily agreed and asked in detail about Xue Liping's condition, advising Yan Luoxi not to worry too much. He said if there was anything, she should call him immediately.

After hanging up, Yan Luoxi sat quietly for a while, lost in thought. She wasn't sure whether the hysterical argument with Zhou Guangtao had been resolved because of this sudden incident involving her mother or if it had just been temporarily set aside.

In the evening when she saw that her mother was once again pacing around restlessly in the room, Yan Luoxi took the initiative to hold her mother's hand and suggested they go out shopping together.

Xue Liping, though somewhat shaken by what had happened, wasn't at a point of complete mental breakdown yet. She knew that her daughter was trying to cheer her up by taking her out so she agreed.

The driver from the Sun family dropped them off in the city center; Yan Luoxi suggested treating her to dinner and took her favorite hedonistic mother to an upscale Western restaurant.

The western restaurant had a sophisticated setting and authentic flavors, but Xue Liping didn't have much of an appetite. She generally did not eat at night to maintain her figure, and besides, she was feeling particularly disheartened with her mind in turmoil; she simply wasn’t in the mood for food.

Seeing that her mother had no appetite, Yan Luoxi refrained from persuading her as eating when one’s heart is troubled isn't good for health. She chatted with her mother idly and slowly ate a plate of pasta herself.

After eating, Yan Luoxi told her mother that she was going to the bathroom, but in reality, she ran to the rest area to call Zhou Guangtao.

The phone connected and rang for a long time without anyone answering. Just as Yan Luoxi was about to hang up and redial, Zhou Guangtao's voice came through: "Luoxi, do you have something"

"Ah, no, I just wanted to ask what you're doing."

"I'm having dinner with a client right now. I'll call you later." Zhou Guangtao’s breathing was slightly rapid as if he had just moved from somewhere.

Yan Luoxi paused for a moment, "No need, drink less alcohol and drive slowly when you come home."

Zhou Guangtao made a sound of agreement on the other end before hanging up.

Yan Luoxi felt dejected but was afraid her mother would notice. She took a deep breath, patted her face, put on a normal smile, and returned from the rest area.

When she came back, she saw Xue Liping curled up on the sofa looking out at the street scene through the large window. The bright lights illuminated the clear wrinkles around her eyes and the dejected look in them.

Yan Luoxi's heart ached even more, making her feel that today’s decision to seek Li An's help was absolutely correct.

Xue Liping had been deeply immersed in her own grief and resentment. She yearned for Sun Zhijun but also hated him. If she had initiated the divorce from Sun Zhijun first, maybe it would have ended differently, but when he proposed divorcing her first, she felt a deep sense of injustice.

With decades of life experience, Xue Liping's discernment of people was precise and often foresighted. Yet, despite being so shrewd, she still refused to divorce Sun Zhijun.

In the face of reality, everyone is bound by convention.

Xue Liping felt depressed and frustrated. When she turned her head, she saw Yan Luoxi's red eyes and couldn't help feeling heartache.

"Luoxi, I'm such an irresponsible mother; I haven't brought you any joy and have caused you to worry for me." Xue Liping looked at her daughter with a look of regret.

Yan Luoxi didn't want to talk about these things anymore. She smiled at her: "Mom, it's the perfect time outside. Let's go out for a walk!"

Xue Liping used to love shopping very much, but today she lacked the mood. Seeing her daughter's worried look, she reluctantly tried to perk up.

Yan Luoxi asked someone to settle the bill and then linked arms with her mother as they walked out of the Western restaurant.

This street was a bustling area in the city center. The lights were dazzling at this time, and tall buildings nearby looked like pillars of jade. There were quite a few people on the street; Yan Luoxi held her mother's arm and strolled slowly along the pedestrian street.

One side of the pedestrian street was lined with boutique clothing stores, interspersed with one or two Western restaurants and coffee shops.

Yan Luoxi saw a beautiful suit in a store window display and urged Xue Liping to go inside and have a look.

Xue Liping, though not feeling well, still had some interest in shopping. She followed her daughter into the clothing store.

The dressing room of this high-end clothing boutique was bright with cleverly placed lighting.

Xue Liping put on a new coffee-colored suit and straightened herself up, looking at herself in the mirror. Under the snugly fitting new clothes, her shoulders, back, and waist were all perfectly proportioned, exuding the charm of a mature woman like a rich afternoon tea, lazily showing off its depth.

"Mom, you look really beautiful in this outfit!" Yan Luoxi proudly gazed at her mother.

"Madam, this outfit suits your demeanor perfectly; it looks really great on you!" The surrounding staff sincerely complimented her.

In the midst of everyone's praise, Xue Liping, wearing her new clothes, regained her confidence and joy. Her desire to shop took over her thoughts, and without needing Yan Luoxi's urging, she began browsing and trying on outfits in the clothing store herself.

Yan Luoxi’s phone rang, and seeing that it was Li An calling, she hurriedly grabbed her phone and ran outside, hiding at a coffee shop beside the clothing store to take the call.

Picking up the call, Yan Luoxi greeted twice, but no one spoke on the other end. She could only hear the noisy honking of cars and the hum of traffic; she looked at her screen again and greeted twice more, yet still received no response. It seemed that Li An had accidentally pressed a button.

Yan Luoxi hung up the phone and inadvertently turned around, catching sight of two people through the coffee shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

The moment she saw them, her eyes were glued to the scene.

The two people on the other side of the glass window were someone she was very familiar with—Zhou Guangtao, who should have been accompanying a client for dinner, was sitting there.

Yan Luoxi closed her eyes and then opened them again, certain that Zhou Guangtao did not have a twin brother; the refined and handsome man before her was indeed him.

The woman seated across from Zhou Guangtao, who was stunningly beautiful and flirtatious, was her best friend. She was currently playing with the cartoon rabbit ears on her coffee cup while talking to Zhou Guangtao, laughing so heartily that her eyes curved into crescents.

Zhou Guangtao was also smiling along with her, a genuine smile that overflowed from his heart, spreading to his cheeks and making him appear incredibly relaxed—more at ease than when he was with her. It was a smile of complete openness and freedom.

Yan Luoxi stared at the scene inside the coffee shop, mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

In the deep autumn of November, cold winds blew into her belly, making her want to cough but suppressing it.the shopkeeper with a gentle smile.The shopkeeper thought that the girl felt shy and was unwilling to agree. She said a few more courteous words before letting them leave.Today's weather was pleasant...