Liang Si-Yao’s voice was gentle but Xia Lei had no reaction at all. He was heartbroken - how was he in the mood to do that?

“What’s with you today?” Liang Si-Yao could sense something.

“Oh.” Xia Lei forced himself to smile. “Nothing, just... You know. I can’t help thinking about my father.”

Liang Si-Yao did not ask further and she pushed him down on the bed...

They calmed from their passions half an hour later. Liang Si-Yao went to the bathroom again, pinching that dirty thing in her fingers; she was always glad to dispose of it.

Xia Lei had not been curious about that before but he had a great curiosity now. His left eye twitched after Liang Si-Yao entered the bathroom and the situation in the bathroom entered his field of vision.

Liang Si-Yao pulled out a silver-coloured metal tube from the pockets of her clothing and put the condom in the tube. She then tightened the lid of the metal tube and put the tube back in her clothing.

Xia Lei was flabbergasted by that scene. ‘What’s she keeping the used condom for? Is she studying my semen? She... Who is she?!’

If his suspicion of her killing Yevgenia was unfounded guess with no evidence, then this strange action of hers now was an obvious clue. Normal women would not be storing things like this from a man’s body, and not in this strange manner either!

Xia Lei instantly thought of the medicine his father had given him, and the strange way he had gained his X-ray vision. Liang Si-Yao had appeared afterwards, then there was Yevgenia’s reminder, and her death... This was all in chronological order but there was also a secret stringing all these events together!

Liang Si-Yao squatted over the toilet bowl in the bathroom and did her business. She washed her hands when she was done and left the bathroom. Her expression was serious all the while but a sweet smile was added to her face when she opened the door.

“Hubby, let’s buy a big house.” Liang Si-Yao climbed into bed and into Xia Lei’s arms, holding him intimately. “I didn’t dare to be too loud earlier. I was afraid that Xue would hear us. She’ll have a bad impression of me if she heard.”

Xia Lei smiled. “Sure, I’ll buy a big house. I’ll ask Tian-Yin about it. Vientaine Group’s main business is in property and they have property in all major cities across China, and our Hai-Zhu City too, of course. Many condominiums are owned by the Vientaine Group. She’ll give me a big discount for sure if I ask when I buy a house.”

Liang Si-Yao pouted. “I think she won’t accept your money.”

“No way. A house is over a million yuan. Friends are friends but money is important too,” said Xia Lei.

“It’s not as if we need money. Don’t ask Shentu Tian-Yin about buying a house, please? Let’s go to another property company. I don’t want you to be with her again,” said Liang Si-Yao.

Xia Lei spanked her lightly on her buttocks. “Jealous?”

“Yes, I am. You have to do what I want for this,” said Liang Si-Yao domineeringly.

Xia Lei smiled. “Okay, whatever you say. I’ll follow.”

“Nn, Hubby’s the best.” This was the third time Liang Si-Yao was calling Xia Lei ‘Hubby’.

“Time to sleep, Wifey.” But Xia Lei’s heart was hurting.

“Call me ‘Wifey’ again and I’ll go to sleep,” said Liang Si-Yao coquettishly from the folds of Xia Lei’s arms.

Xia Lei kissed her on her forehead. “Sleep, Wifey. We have to go to work in the morning.”

“Nn.” Liang Si-Yao closed her eyes and went to sleep only then.

Xia Lei shut his eyes but he could not fall asleep. His eyes were shut but his left eye could still see normally. He watched Liang Si-Yao quietly. He had loved this woman deeply before tonight and he was familiar with everything about her, yet he felt like this woman next to him was a total stranger now. She lay next to him but he felt like there was a great chasm between them.

Liang Si-Yao breathed evenly and was peaceful, as if in deep sleep. However, in Xia Lei’s eye, her heartbeat had not slowed - it stayed at around ninety beats per minute. This was not the heart rate of a sleeping person; she had been awake all this while.

Two hours later, Liang Si-Yao leaned on Xia Lei with her arm.

Xia Lei did not react. He slowed his breathing and pretended to be asleep.

Liang Si-Yao stretched a hand out of the covers and picked up the ‘Journey to the West’ book on the bedside table. She opened the book and tipped the capsule out, then took out a pill which looked exactly the same from her clothing and put it in the little pit in the book.

So she had come for the pill that Xia Chang-He had left behind.

Xia Lei thought to himself, ‘Looks like she was prepared to switch the pills long in advance. I’ve never showed her this pill before but she had one which looked exactly like it. This means she knew of the existence of this pill and has seen it before. Why is this pill of such great value that she’s risking throwing away her cover to come steal it? And where is this pill from?’

Liang Si-Yao retracted her hand and turned over, pressing a leg on Xia Lei’s leg.

‘Is she testing me?’ This thought flashed through his mind and he followed the thought with a grunting noise. He then turned over in the opposite direction and the leg Liang Si-Yao pressed on him fell away.

Liang Si-Yao did not make any other moves; she lay quietly.

After ten minutes, Xia Lei turned over again to face Liang Si-Yao. He discovered that her heart rate was still around ninety beats per minute - she was not asleep.

Xia Lei thought to himself, ‘She’s been wary of me waking up and discovering that she’s switched the pills all this time, huh? The pill must be extremely important for her to be so wary. I have the real one - should I eat it?’

It was a difficult time for Xia Lei afterwards - two people lay on the bed but both of them were not truly asleep. Liang Si-Yao was waiting for dawn to take the pill and leave. Xia Lei was also hesitating and considering - should he lay his cards on the table?

Matters had reached this stage and Xia Lei could not accept a woman so calculating. Even so, this simple decision was still terribly difficult for Xia Lei to make. He recalled the sweet moments they’d shared. When all was said and done, she was still the woman he’d loved deeply.

So he stalled and dawdled, but dawn still came at last.

Liang Si-Yao shook Xia Lei. “Sun’s up, Darling. I’ll go make breakfast. You should get up too.”

Xia Lei opened his eyes blearily, looking a little befuddled. “My back aches. I want to lie down for a while longer.”

Liang Si-Yao shook a finger at him. “Serves you right for being so greedy. Your back aches now, huh? It’s okay, I’ll go buy you some health tonics. You’ll be fine after getting some nourishment.”

“Nn...” Xia Lei shut his eyes again, affecting dysania.

“You lazy pig! I’m not going to bother with you anymore; I’ll go make breakfast.” Liang Si-Yao got dressed and exited the room.

Xia Lei lay in bed for two minutes. He watched Liang Si-Yao’s every move with his left eye.

Liang Si-Yao did not go to the kitchen but stood in the doorway of the kitchen to fiddle with some settings. She was done quickly and returned to Xia Lei’s room afterwards.

“What do you want to eat, my Lazy Pig?” said Liang Si-Yao, “Porridge, or...?”

“Porridge.” Xia Lei looked drowsy. “Shush. Let me sleep some more.”

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring...

Liang Si-Yao’s phone suddenly started ringing and she took out her phone to accept a call. She then said, “What’s up, Dad? Help you pick up a friend from the airport? Okay, I’ll be right there.”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

She hung up and said to Xia Lei, “Darling, my dad asked me to pick up his friend from the airport. I won’t be making breakfast for you. I’m in a rush so I’ll be going now.”

“Nn.” Xia Lei responded with a grunt and continued sleeping.

Liang Si-Yao didn’t say more; she turned and left.

Xia Lei got out of bed the moment Liang Si-Yao’s foot went over his doorway. He got dressed speedily and also exited the flat.

Liang Si-Yao had already driven her red BMW M6 out the gates of the neighbourhood and was heading to the road on the right.

Xia Lei strode to his black BMW M6.

“Hey!” Jiang Ru-Yi’s voice was suddenly heard. “You two had a fight?”

Xia Lei turned to see Jiang Ru-Yi drinking milk tea from a cup and the old, red VW Polo she had parked next to her balcony. He was struck by a thought and walked over to her. “Lend me your car for a while, Ru-Yi.”

Liang Si-Yao would discover him easily if he followed her in the black BMW M6.

Jiang Ru-Yi sniggered. “You nearly turned my car into scrap the last time you borrowed it - and you’re still asking now? Lend you? As if. No use chasing after her. You two don’t suit each other at all. If she’s gone, she’s gone - she’s not the only woman in this world.”

“I have no time to explain. Lend the car to me for a bit, hurry! Big Sister!” said Xia Lei anxiously.

“No use calling me Big Sister either. Not lending you.” Jiang Ru-Yi took a sip of her milk tea. It seemed she was bent on making Xia Lei hopping mad.

Xia Lei flung his BMW M6 keys at Jiang Ru-Yi. “I’ll switch with you, okay?”

Jiang Ru-Yi narrowed her eyes. “For how long?”

“Till it’s scrap metal! Enough for you?!” Xia Lei was very anxious.

“Deal.” Jiang Ru-Yi took her keys and threw them to Xia Lei.

Xia Lei drove Jiang Ru-Yi’s red Polo in pursuit of Liang Si-Yao.

Jiang Ru-Yi stuck her tongue out and licked the milk tea from her lips as she muttered to herself, “Did that Liang bitch take Lei’s money and run off? I knew she was a liar! Haha! Good, you got scammed. You’ll only know how good a policewoman is after you’ve been scammed. Oh, Chief of Police is even better.”