Chapter 646: Side Story 059 Encountering Again Late at Night (Second Update)

“If you take the initiative, I am certain, Mu Cidian will come back to you, he will come back to you immediately!” Song Lifei spoke with fervor.

This feeling is fucking awful!

Why must he push the woman he loves into the arms of another man?

This should be the time for him to seize the opportunity!

Xin Zaozao watched Song Lifei’s outburst, she calmly replied, “Song Lifei, I know you care for me, and I am grateful that you worry for me. But I can solve my problems. I am not as fragile as you think. I chose to have this baby not for Mu Cidian. Sometimes a person feels so lonely that they need someone to keep them company. She just so happened to be with me and I couldn’t bear to abort her. As for Mu Cidian…since he chose what he believed to be the best life, I will also choose what is best for me.”

“I once told Mu Cidian, the distance between you two is that you never tell each other your inner thoughts. However, Mu Cidian replied, your distance is simply an issue of time, requiring time to cleanse it. But now, there is no time left.”

“Yes.” Xin Zaozao agreed, “There is no time now, so it is impossible for us. Song Lifei, I am truly grateful to you, and I am also very glad to have you as a friend.”

“Just friends?” Song Lifei asked.

Even at this moment, he was still asking her this question.

“Just friends.” Xin Zaozao gave him an affirmative response.

“Xin Zaozao, have you ever thought, why is it that apart from Mu Cidian, you are unwilling to accept any other man, you won’t even give them a chance?” Song Lifei asked her.

Xin Zaozao chose to remain silent.

“I feel bad for you.”

Song Lifei left these words and walked away.

He couldn’t be their catalyst, he couldn’t take Xin Zaozao into his arms, he could only choose to stay away.

Xin Zaozao watched the direction Song Lifei left in.

She silently closed the door.

As she closed the door and sat on the sofa, her mind echoed with “why, apart from Mu Cidian, you are unwilling to accept any other man…”

Why?

She also wanted to know. Why?

…

Days passed.

After his emotional outburst that night, Song Lifei also calmed down.

After all, the person involved was calm too.

There were no signs of difference in Xin Zaozao, she was still going to work punctually every day with her bulging belly.

She barely worked overtime unless necessary. Since she chose to have this baby, it was her duty to take care of herself too.

Luckily.

All her prenatal check-ups were smooth, the baby was very healthy.

“Chairman.” Secretary Yan came in.

Xin Zaozao put down her work and couldn’t help but stretch her back.

“It’s already 11 p.m.” Secretary Yan said, “Mr. Song asked me to remind you, you must leave work now.”

Xin Zaozao also felt tired.

Every month, there would be a day or two when there were endless matters to handle all at once.

She said, “Okay, I know.”

“Do you need me to take you home?”

“No need, you should clock off early too. Old Li can drive me home.” Xin Zaozao declined.

“Then I will call Mr. Li right away and we can go downstairs together.”

“Are you afraid I won’t leave?” Xin Zaozao couldn’t help but laugh.

“Not me, but Mr. Song.” Secretary Yan quickly denied.

Xin Zaozao didn’t say more. She nodded and took her bag and left the office with Secretary Yan.

In the elevator.

Xin Zaozao initiated the conversation, “Song Lifei is a good man.”

“Huh?” Secretary Yan was a bit surprised.

“What I mean is, if you like him, take initiative.”

“What?” Secretary Yan was even more confused.

“You like Song Lifei, don’t you?” Xin Zaozao was straightforward.

“How did you know?” Secretary Yan blushed.

She wasn’t blind.

“But you two…”

“We are only work partners and friends.” Xin Zaozao clarified.

“But your baby?”

“The baby is not Song Lifei’s.” Xin Zaozao looked at the arriving elevator, patted Secretary Yan’s shoulder, “So you still have a chance.”

Secretary Yan watched Xin Zaozao walk out of the elevator.

She froze for a moment and hurriedly followed her out.

The driver had parked the car at the entrance below, Secretary Yan opened the car door for Xin Zaozao, “Take care, Chairman.”

Xin Zaozao slightly nodded.

She got into the car and asked the driver to drive off.

Without realizing it, the New Year was approaching.

The weather in Jin City had become freezing cold, and now at 11 p.m, it seemed to be snowing.

“It’s snowing.” The driver suddenly said, “Jin City doesn’t snow very often.”

Xin Zaozao looked out of the window, silently watching the snow-covered streets.

Her eyes shifted, “Mr. Li, is there anything to eat at this hour?”

“Are you hungry, Chairman?”

“A bit.” Xin Zaozao replied.

After getting pregnant, she couldn’t eat much in one meal but often felt peckish.

The house seemed to be out of food, so she might as well get something to eat before heading home.

This beautiful snowy evening should also not be wasted.

“Chairman, what would you like to eat? High-end restaurants are probably closed at this hour.”

“It doesn’t matter, anything will do.”

“I know of a place that sells great sweet dumplings in red bean soup, it’s usually open until 3 or 4 a.m. My wife quite enjoys the food from there. I could also get some to take home for her.”

“Okay.” Xin Zaozao nodded, then added, “You treat your wife well.”

“After all, she is my wife. If I don’t treat her well, who will.” Mr Li responded with a smile, “Besides, my wife treats me very well, she waits for me at home no matter how late it is. In the past, when I was younger, I always thought that love should be passionate and that I should earn a lot of money too. But now, at this age, I feel rather grateful for such a tranquil life, without any major ups and downs, but just being together harmoniously with my family feels like true happiness.”

Xin Zaozao chuckled.

While she was laughing, a sudden pang of pain hit her chest.

She thought, what Mu Cidian was seeking now, was likely this type of happiness.

Her gaze shifted, just watching the falling snowflakes outside the car window.

Seeing that Xin Zaozao no longer spoke, the driver tactfully remained silent too.

The car parked in front of a small restaurant, though it was late, there were still quite a few people.

The driver asked, “Chairman, would you like to eat here or should I get takeaway?”

“Takeaway will do.” She didn’t want to delay the driver’s time off work either.

“Then I’ll go and buy it.”

“Thank you.”

The driver quickly got out of the car.

Xin Zaozao watched as he left.

She sat in the car, noticing the snowflakes falling harder outside the window.

She thought for a moment, then opened the door.

The air outside was chilly.

The car’s heater was functioning well, after all.

She thought, standing outside just for a while shouldn’t cause any harm.

As soon as she got down from the car, she felt the countless snowflakes landing on her.

A small smile formed on her lips.

Sometimes, it’s really easy to feel contented.

Her eyes flickered slightly.

At that moment, she felt someone’s gaze upon her, she looked up and saw Mu Cidian.

He was there in his thick down jacket, not far from her, carrying a takeaway bag, seemingly there to buy little soup dumplings too.

The smile swiftly faded from her lips.

She watched Mu Cidian approaching, his down jacket’s hood sprinkled with many snowflakes, all of which bizarrely enhanced his appeal.

When he spoke, a clear warm breath emanated from his mouth.

“Where’s Song Lifei?”

It seemed peculiar for her to be alone at such a late hour.

“He’s away on a business trip.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Mu Cidian asked her.

She was merely wearing a not very thick overcoat, concealing her pregnant belly, but the signs of her pregnancy were still noticeable.

She didn’t put on much weight during her pregnancy, other than her belly, there weren’t significant changes elsewhere.

“Why are you buying brown sugar dumplings this late?” Xin Zaozao quickly shifted the topic.

Mu Cidian nodded.

“Are they for Lei Qian?” Xin Zaozao asked.

Mu Cidian nodded again.

“Is she pregnant?” Xin Zaozao half-smiled.

Typically, only pregnant women would have cravings for specific food.

When she was newly pregnant, she felt a strong urge in the middle of the night to buy and drink cola, she craved so much, yet after taking a sip, she didn’t feel the need anymore, maybe she subconsciously considered it harmful, thus, after tasting it, she didn’t want any more.

“No,” Mu Cidian replied.

Really?

She thought Lei Qian was quite considerate, not likely to make Mu Cidian run errands in such cold weather, especially not this late.

Save for a pregnant woman, of course.

Pregnant women could sometimes be quite capricious.

Xin Zaozao didn’t say much, at that moment, Mu Cidian added, “She’s on her period and has a stomach discomfort. She wanted something warm to soothe her tummy, and we didn’t have much at home, so I came out to get her some takeout.”

Xin Zaozao nodded.

When Mu Cidian truly cared for someone, it was easy to feel an unreal amount of kindness from him.

She vaguely remembered the time they’d spent together, when she was menstruating and had stomach cramps, he would warm his hands and place them on her lower abdomen to comfort her…

Her eyes flickered slightly again.

She said, “You better hurry back then, or the food will get cold.”

“What about you?” Mu Cidian asked her, “Why are you here, all by yourself, at this hour?”

“I’m not alone, my driver has gone to buy me dumplings.”

“Red sugar dumplings?” Mu Cidian asked.

“Yes.”

“Don’t you know that pregnant women shouldn’t consume red sugar?” Mu Cidian looked at her.

She wasn’t aware.

Mu Cidian explained, “Red sugar has properties that stimulate the uterus and promote blood flow, it may induce premature childbirth or…”

Mu Cidian didn’t complete his sentence.

Xin Zaozao pressed her lips together.

“Chairman.” At this moment, the driver returned with the dumplings.

Xin Zaozao turned to look at him.

“I got them.” The driver was holding up two boxes of takeaway dumplings.

“Okay.” Xin Zaozao nodded.

She got back into the car.

It was truly cold outside.

The interior of the car was considerably warmer.

The driver too got back into the car and as he buckled up, prepared to drive off, he noticed Mu Cidian and remarked, “Isn’t that the General Manager… Mu Cidian?”

Xin Zaozao didn’t respond.

“What a coincidence, he’s also here to buy dumplings?” The driver asked.

“Yes.”

“I always thought of Mu Cidian as icy cold, but looking at him now wearing a plush jacket, he seems approachable. I’d wager he’s married.” The driver chuckled as they drove off.

“How can you tell?”

“It’s just that a married man tends to be more approachable, since he has a wife and is obliged to dote on her.” The driver said, grinning.

After so many years, the driver must have thought that any animosity between Xin Zaozao and Mu Cidian has mostly faded away.

Having just seen them chat, he felt he could casually speak his mind.

“Yes, he is married.” Xin Zaozao confirmed.

“I knew it!” The driver looked excited, “I’m sure he’s married, must have been influenced by his wife, that’s why he seems like a different person…”

Xin Zaozao didn’t respond much after that.

She just kept looking out the window.

She watched the snowflakes fluttering outside.

They arrived at her housing complex.

The driver opened the car door for Xin Zaozao, hurriedly handed the dumplings to her and said, “Madam, this is your portion.”

“Thank you, but I’ve lost my appetite, you can take them back for your wife.”

“She can’t finish two portions.”

“I think she’d be pleased if you joined her in eating.”

The driver looked at her.

“The roads are slippery because of the snow, be careful on your way back.”

After speaking, Xin Zaozao turned and walked into her complex.

The driver watched Xin Zaozao’s retreating figure, her moving away in the swirling snowflakes and, for the first time, felt she seemed incredibly lonely.

All alone…