Chapter 80: A Resolute Decision |
Liu Changqing stood in place, watching the taxi disappear from his view. He didn’t move for a long time, letting the moment linger.
Eventually, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and began walking home, step by step.
The current him… had no right to think about love.
Although his steps were steady, his mind was not clouded by alcohol. His body, after all, could handle drinking fairly well. The act of seeming tipsy was just a pretense, an excuse to make things clear with An Yuanyao.
Liu Changqing didn’t want to dwell on his feelings for her, whatever they were. Rather than allowing their ambiguous relationship to drift further, it was better to cut it off cleanly.
Right now, his priority was raising his two children—not getting involved in a complicated romance.
If he didn’t put a stop to it, he feared he would fall for her sooner or later.
Liu Changqing wasn’t naive. He was acutely aware of An Yuanyao’s increasing closeness to him.
But if her attachment was only born out of his recent care and attention, what if someone else treated her the same way? Would her feelings transfer just as easily?
Reaching his doorstep, Liu Changqing slapped his cheeks lightly and exhaled deeply, forcing a calm expression onto his face.
Hand on the doorknob, he opened the door and called out, “I’m home.”
“Dad… did you drink?”
Liu Zhiyue, hobbling slightly on his injured leg, came over to greet him.
Kicking off his shoes, Liu Changqing waved his son off with a smile.
“I’m not drunk. Don’t bother helping me. Where’s Xiazhi?”
“She went to her room… Do you want some water?”
“Get me a glass.”
Hearing the offer, Liu Changqing suddenly realized how dry his mouth was.
Liu Zhiyue wobbled off to fetch a glass of water, placing it on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Sinking into the sofa, Liu Changqing patted his bloated stomach and let out a satisfied burp.
“Last day of exams tomorrow?”
“Yeah, just two more subjects to go.”
“Alright. Rest up for a few days afterward. Your leg should be healed by then. We haven’t been out running or doing any weight-loss exercises lately.”
“I’ve been doing sit-ups before bed every night,” Liu Zhiyue replied, surprising his father.
Despite his injury, the boy had kept up his efforts.
Looking closely, Liu Changqing noticed his son’s frame had indeed slimmed down a bit over the past two weeks of dieting and exercise, though the change wasn’t dramatic.
“Not bad. Keep it up!”
“Of course.”
Nodding enthusiastically, Liu Zhiyue smiled, though the conversation soon trailed off into silence.
Liu Zhiyue could sense something off about his father. It had been a long time since he’d seen him appear so preoccupied.
The father and son sat in silence, the tension thick in the air.
After a while, Liu Changqing, his head leaning back against the sofa, gazed at the harsh glare of the overhead light. He reached out to tap his son lightly.
“Go study. I’ll rest here for a bit.”
“...”
“Don’t forget to drink the water.”
“Got it.”
Obediently, Liu Zhiyue carried the water pitcher closer to his father’s feet before retreating to his room.
Watching his son leave, the composed expression Liu Changqing had been maintaining finally crumbled.
Fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned forward, placing the ashtray closer to himself.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, he seemed to let go of some of the heaviness in his chest.
In the taxi, An Yuanyao slumped against the seat, looking utterly defeated.
Her face was pale, her body limp, as if all strength had left her. She lay there without even a semblance of proper posture.
The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror, his expression curious but restrained.
Though he didn’t know what had transpired, it was clear to him that the two weren’t a couple.
Their relationship seemed… complicated.
Clicking his tongue slightly, he decided to focus on driving.
When they arrived, the driver pulled up the handbrake and began rummaging for change.
While he did so, An Yuanyao had already opened the door and stepped out, walking straight toward her house without a word.
The driver, holding the change in his hand, turned to the backseat only to find it empty.
Quickly looking out the window, he saw her figure in the distance and called out, “Miss, your change!”
“...”
She didn’t respond, as if she hadn’t heard him at all.
Perplexed, the driver watched her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight.
At home, An Yuanyao absentmindedly changed into her slippers, turning on all the lights in the house.
The sudden brightness illuminated everything.
“Mrs. Li…”
She murmured the words aloud, her mind replaying Liu Changqing’s calm smile as he uttered those words earlier.
Her steps faltered, and she stopped in front of a photograph hanging on the wall.
It was a picture of her and Li Chongming. She was beaming in her white wedding dress, while he wore a stoic expression.
How had she felt back then?
Looking at her radiant, youthful smile in the photo, An Yuanyao found it oddly piercing.
The image of her in the wedding dress, full of hope and beauty, clashed with her current state.
Her thoughts drifted to her memories of Liu Changqing:
The way he had told her to let go, his drunken yet caring demeanor as he brought her home, how he’d stayed up to boil water for her frozen feet, dried her clothes, and even shared her leftover food.
Those simple yet comforting gestures had replaced the presence of Li Chongming during that time.
“Liu Changqing…”
She whispered his name, her dim eyes gradually brightening with determination.
Looking down, her gaze fell on her feet, clad in her pink, embroidered slippers—old-fashioned and unflattering, yet inexplicably comforting.
A soft chuckle escaped her lips.
“Such ugly slippers…”
Her fingers brushed over the ashtray on the coffee table. Grabbing it, she hurled it at the photo on the wall.
Crash!
The glass shattered.
Striding forward, she stretched on her toes to remove the photo from its hook.
Holding the frame in her hands, she stared at the cracks in the glass, behind which Li Chongming’s emotionless face remained visible.
“You were right. This should’ve ended a long time ago…”
Murmuring to herself, she tightened her grip on the frame before throwing it forcefully against the wall.
The room became a mess, broken photos piled in a corner.
In the bathroom, An Yuanyao stood before the toilet, holding the wedding ring she had taken off that morning.
She stared at it, realization dawning that this marriage had been a failure all along—a dream she had clung to out of fear of waking.
It should’ve ended sooner.
Her hand clenched tightly around the ring before she slowly relaxed her grip.
The ring dropped into the toilet.
She pressed the flush button.
Resolute, she stepped out of the bathroom, grabbed her phone, and dialed a number she hadn’t called in a long time.
Holding the phone to her ear, her face was set with determination.
When the call connected, she spoke.
“Li Wanran, I need to talk to Li Chongming.”