Chapter 44: How Capable of You
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Thinking that it was a good idea, Mrs. Jin said, “Yes, we have to be secretive when observing someone. If it’s really your personality he’s in love with, then we would be fine with you dating him.”
Noticing that her parents did not seem to disapprove of her relations.h.i.+p, she nodded and said, “I think he’s pretty good-looking, and he’s rather generous with me as well. He seems to come from a wealthy background — he often brings me to dine at cla.s.sy, exquisite restaurants, and he gives me expensive gifts.”
As soon as she finished her words, her mobile phone rang. .
Looking down at the caller display, she realized it was a call from s.h.i.+ Shaochuan. “Speak of the devil. Mother and Father, I’ll get going,” she said, grimacing at her parents.
“Go ahead. Come home earlier,” instructed Mrs. Jin.
“Got it.” Jin Qingyue waited until she had left the house before answering the call. In a sweet, gentle voice resembling that of a young girl in love, she cooed, “h.e.l.lo, Shaochuan.”
“Where are you? I’ll come to pick you up,” s.h.i.+ Shaochuan said over the phone.
“You don’t have to. Where are you? I’ll go look for you.”
“I’m waiting for you at our usual haunt.”
“Alright.” Jin Qingyue hung up the phone, filled with excitement. Instead of driving, she hopped onto a cab and made her way to a five-star hotel.
Clad in a face mask and cap, Jin Qingyue entered the elevator and arrived at the 12th floor. She then headed to room 1232 and pressed the doorbell. Shortly after, s.h.i.+ Shaochuan opened the door and carried her into the room before closing the door shut with his foot.
The overly-excited pair began smooching each other, from the door all the way to the bed, as they began to breathe harder and quicker.
At last, they stared deeply into each other’s eyes while Jin Qingyue began to speak in between breaths, “I told my parents that I have a boyfriend now.”
“What did they say about that?”
“What else could they have said? They just asked me some basic questions, nothing out of the ordinary. Shaochuan, what does your family do?”
“They run a business. I’m the only child, with no siblings at all,” he answered as he rubbed the tip of her nose affectionately.
“I have a brother, but he’s already married,” said Jin Qingyue.
“Then, do you think I’m husband material?”
“Well…” Jin Qingyue said with a smile as she looked down, “We haven’t known each other for too long, yet. But I’ll know if you’re husband material once I get to understand you deeper.”
“Don’t we already understand each other deeply enough? I guess we’ll have to explore each other, tonight,” he said as he began touching her inappropriately.
“You’re naughty…”
“Isn’t that what you like about me?”
“…”
An hour had pa.s.sed, and the pair snuggled up against the bedhead. “Do you believe in fortune-telling?” asked Jin Qingyue.
“Not at all, those things are sheer nonsense. They’re all just a bunch of swindlers,” s.h.i.+ Shaochuan answered in disdain.
Recalling what his ex-wife had told him, about his grandfather asking for his fortune to be told — which revealed that he would never have a successful marriage, no matter how many times he tried, and that An Xiaoning would be the only one who would’ve stayed with him until death did them part — he could not help but find it ridiculous.
Jin Qingyue continued, “I didn’t believe it too, at first. But the incident with my mother had really convinced me. If my mother hadn’t experienced it firsthand, I guess she would’ve been skeptical too.”
“What happened to your mother?”
Jin Qingyue then spilled the beans about her mother’s incident. “Your sister-in-law must really be something, then,” said s.h.i.+ Shaochuan in response.
“Yeah, my brother wouldn’t have married her otherwise. She’s nothing other than just a pretty face who’s capable of fortune-telling.”
“Perhaps she’s great in bed.”
“Maybe,” said Jin Qingyue, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled.
The pair spent the day at the hotel and settled their meals by calling for room service. After an entire day of clinging on to each other, they checked out of the hotel in the evening, all rejuvenated and energized.
“It’s only seven something now. I have about two to three hours more until my curfew. Shall we go to the dance club?”
“Sure.” s.h.i.+ Shaochuan then brought her to the most popular dance club in town, and they entered, hand in hand.
——
Just as Long Tianze and Jin Qingyan took a seat, the cheerful expression on Long Tianze began to dissipate all of a sudden. “Hey, look who’s there,” he said.
A sullen look formed on Jin Qingyan’s face as he turned..
They were greeted with the sight of Jin Qingyue holding onto the arm of An Xiaoning’s ex-husband with one hand while grasping his hand with the other.
Long Tianze was not too familiar with s.h.i.+ Shaochuan, though Jin Qingyan had recognized him right away, simply for the fact that he was his wife’s ex-husband. It was only natural for s.h.i.+ Shaochuan to be deeply etched in Jin Qingyan’s memory because the latter had once investigated about him in secret.
Not noticing them at first, Jin Qingyue walked towards their direction. She stopped in her tracks the very moment she saw them. “Yueyue, what’s the matter?” asked s.h.i.+ Shaochuan.
“I just saw my brother here. Perfect, let’s go say hi, you’re going to meet him sooner or later anyway,” said Jin Qingyue as she continued to walk towards them.
“Where is your brother?”
“Over there, in front of us.”
s.h.i.+ Shaochuan received a great shock the moment Jin Qingyue pulled him forward.
What was he thinking? He would never have expected for her brother to be Jin Qingyan, his ex-wife’s current husband!
“Brother, this is my boyfriend.”
Noticing how startled he was, Jin Qingyue gave him a tug and urged, “Quick, say ‘Hi’ to my brother.”
“H… h.e.l.lo.”
Jin Qingyan shot them a deadly glance and sneered, “How capable of my wife’s ex-husband, to have become my sister’s boyfriend in the blink of an eye.”
Upon hearing his words, Long Tianze knew straight away who s.h.i.+ Shaochuan was. “Brother, what are you saying?” asked a confused Jin Qingyue.
“Why don’t you get him to explain?” said Jin Qingyan coldly. He stood up and left instantly. Long Tianze stared at Jin Qingyue and s.h.i.+ Shaochuan deeply, then left together with Jin Qingyan.
As if she had been struck by lightning, Jin Qingyue finally realized what was going on and turned to ask him, “You’re actually sister-in-law’s ex-husband?”
“Well, I didn’t know you were his sister,” said s.h.i.+ Shaochuan, who was struck dumb and at a loss for words for a clear explanation. With stirred feelings, he hurriedly chased after Jin Qingyue, who had stomped off quickly.
He caught up to Jin Qingyue outside the dance club and profusely tried to explain himself, “Yueyue, hear me out. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. It’s just that that marriage meant nothing to me at all. Our relations.h.i.+p is what matters the most to me now.”
“You actually hid such a serious matter from me. Why do you have to be my sister-in-law’s ex-husband? Think about it, will my parents approve of our relations.h.i.+p when they find out?” said an exasperated Jin Qingyue. She had thought that she had finally found true love, yet it turned out to be not only a second marriage but also…
“You think I wanted this? I swear I don’t want to have anything to do with An Xiaoning at all. Yueyue, I love you. Although we haven’t known each other for long, you make me really happy. Don’t get angry, let’s talk about it calmly. Though I was married to An Xiaoning for two years, I’ve never been intimate with her,” s.h.i.+ Shaochuan continued to explain.
“Never?” asked Jin Qingyue, startled at his confession.
“Never. So we’re only married in name. I’ve never been intimate with her because I didn’t want to treat it like a real marriage. If it hadn’t been for my grandfather who insisted I marry her, I would’ve never given in.”