Chapter 449: 449: Love is a Kind of Poison

In those days, Shen Chi truly never came back, but it was Xu Chaomu who took a trip to Shen Group.

She went to participate in a second interview after receiving the notification, tsk, Shen’s really is strict, Shen Chi didn’t give her any backdoor favors.

When she went to the group for the re-interview, she didn’t see Shen Chi, so she teased the handsome guy at the reception desk once again.

When mealtime came, she sat in a milk tea shop next to the group’s office, sipping on milk tea.

While drinking her milk tea, she stared at the lobby of the first floor of the Shen Group building.

She didn’t know how long she watched, but finally, she saw the executives of Shen Group come out from the building.

Walking at the very front was Shen Chi.

This was the first time she saw such a serious, earnest, and stern Shen Chi, with not even a trace of a smile on his cold face, imposing without anger.

A tailored black suit accentuated his perfect figure, and he strode out of the lobby and down the steps with his long legs.

Several men in black suits followed him, all with stern looks on their faces, none of them laughing or joking. Among them was Xiao Mo.

When he descended the steps, someone opened the door to a Maybach for Shen Chi, and he got in.

The car started, and a row of black cars drove away.

From the moment Shen Chi appeared, Xu Chaomu watched him unwaveringly, this man, truly different in front of others and behind their backs.

A hypocritical beast in a gentleman’s clothing.

However, having not seen him return home for several days, she felt an unexpected sense of loss.

Now, she sat in the milk tea shop, and his car had left a long time ago, but only then did she retract her gaze.

Her finger slid across the phone screen, flipping through the contacts.

As it landed on Shen Chi’s number, she looked at it for a long time.

The contact name for Shen Chi’s number was saved as “Husband,” which he had changed himself when he took her phone back in the day.

Xu Chaomu always thought about changing it, but after a long time, she gave up.

While flipping through the contacts, she saw Nie Chenglang’s name.

After the last call, they hadn’t been in contact again.

Xu Chaomu thought, maybe she had been a bit too unfeeling.

During those five years in Paris, if it weren’t for Nie Chenglang, she would have frozen to death on the streets long ago.

She always believed that time is the best medicine, and that one day, she wouldn’t love Shen Chi so much, that one day, she would come to love Nie Chenglang too.

Unfortunately, she had overestimated the healing power of time, as five years passed without avail.

Love is a poison; only when it seeps into the marrow do you realize it’s incurable.

Her finger pressed the familiar number, and she dialed it.

After a few seconds, the call connected.

“Chenglang,” Xu Chaomu’s voice conveyed hesitation.

“Chaomu?”

“It’s me, how have you been recently?”

“Pretty good, just a bit busy with work.”

“Oh…” Xu Chaomu lowered her head, fiddling with the straw in her milk tea cup, suddenly at a loss for words.

In those five years in Paris, they could talk about anything.

He would tell her many interesting stories and take her to many intriguing places. Whatever interesting people she encountered or events that happened at school, she would share with him as well.

Perhaps because she hadn’t let go of her past scars during those five years, she always regarded him as her most sincere older brother.

It wasn’t until one drunken night, thinking she had become intimate with him, that she agreed to his marriage proposal.

Both ends of the phone fell into prolonged silence, especially Xu Chaomu, not knowing what to say.

“Chaomu,” Nie Chenglang broke the silence, “Our company recently released a batch of new jewelry, quite beautiful. I know you like them. Come take a look when you’re free.”

Xu Chaomu felt choked up.

Back in Paris, every time he went on a business trip, he would bring her something fresh and fun.

No matter when, she was always the first one he thought of.

Now, it was still the same.

“Chenglang,” Xu Chaomu lowered her eyelids, a touch of sadness in her eyes, “I’m sorry.”

There was a gentle chuckle from Nie Chenglang on the other end, “What’s there to be sorry about? If you’re happy, that’s the best. If you face trouble at the Shen family, come find me. I’ll help you settle it.”

“Chenglang…”

Xu Chaomu’s voice shook, and she felt helplessly overwhelmed.

He had been very kind to her, from the first time they met to those five years in Paris.

“If you can’t make it, I can send a bracelet to you; it’s very pretty,” Nie Chenglang said.

“Thank you.”

“You’re still so formal with me?”

“Chenglang, can I ask you something, and you answer me truthfully?” Xu Chaomu slowly began.

On the other end, there was silence once again, for a very long time.

Only after a sigh did Nie Chenglang speak, “You don’t need to ask. I’ll tell you truthfully. That night at the Paris hotel… it wasn’t me.”

For a moment, Xu Chaomu’s eyes held a complex emotion, and her hand gripping the phone tightened.

She was afraid that with a slight slip, the phone would fall from her ear.

“Chaomu, will Shen Chi treat that child well?”

Her heart skipped wildly, and it took her quite a while to calm down.

“He said, he would treat this child as his own,” Xu Chaomu said flatly.

So it turned out that Nie Chenglang claimed it was him that night, and that the child in her womb was his, just to spare her from sadness and heartbreak.

“If that’s the case, then nothing could be better.” Nie Chenglang’s voice held no particular emotion.

“Chenglang, thank you,” Xu Chaomu’s heart finally settled.

“Why thank me…”

“I…” Xu Chaomu hesitated, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Alright,” Nie Chenglang chuckled, “when I’m free, I’ll come to give you the bracelet.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t feel burdened, if Shen Chi truly loves you, he will love everything about you.”

Xu Chaomu fell silent, always quick-witted with words, today she kept not knowing what to say.

Nie Chenglang had been really good to her, taking her into consideration in almost every aspect.

“Well… I’ll hang up then.”

Nie Chenglang hung up first, and Xu Chaomu took a long time to snap out of it.

Sunlight shone through the window onto her table, illuminating a pot of red flowers on it.

The milk tea shop was filled with an enticing aroma. She put down her phone and turned to look out the window.

Not far outside the window was Shen Group, and she stared at the building, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile.

She didn’t know how long she gazed at it, as Shen Chi’s car had long since left.

She slowly lowered her head, found Shen Chi’s number on her phone, and picked it up.

She typed a text message: I miss you.

After sending it, she placed the phone on the corner of the table. The clear screen displayed that message, those three words drifting away like a gentle breeze, carrying with them her faint longing…

The light streamed in, casting prismatic colors.

Xu Chaomu extended her hand, palm up, letting the light shine on her palm lines, warmth slowly spreading.

Like joyous sprites, the light danced and fluttered at her fingertips.

A day apart feels like three months have passed.

At this moment, she particularly missed him.

She thought, she herself wasn’t as proud as Shen Chi.

Writing “I LOVE YOU” smaller than ants — she just couldn’t do such a thing.