A faint, bitter aching rippled through Lin Anqiao's heart.
Though she had not spent much time with Song Yu, this little dumpling of a child, much like Song Hanjiang, had unwittingly brought healing to her soul.
Yet, the time she had left to stay with them was running out...
After taking a shower, Lin Anqiao finally managed to calm down.
Song Hanjiang had returned late today; by the time he finished coaxing Song Yu to sleep, she had not even caught a glimpse of him.
Feeling entirely devoid of sleep, she took the art supplies she had bought in the afternoon, sat on the second-floor balcony, and began conceptualizing a new painting.
Her bedroom shared only a single wall with Song Hanjiang's, and many noises could easily be heard through it.
Yet tonight, there was not a single sound.
"Painting looks good."
A casual yet gentle voice fell softly beside her ear.
The voice came so suddenly that Lin Anqiao was startled, her legs, resting against the easel, trembling abruptly.
The tremor caused the entire drawing board to slip from her lap.
She instinctively reached out to catch it, but missed, and the board—along with her unfinished artwork—crashed onto the floor.
Lin Anqiao turned her head to see Song Hanjiang leaning against the doorframe, watching her with a lazy, mocking smile.
"Frightened?" he chuckled, the trailing end of his voice low and languid.
The man strode closer.
Dressed in a black suit, his peach-blossom eyes were long and narrow, his facial features exquisitely bewitching.
As he drew near, Lin Anqiao caught the faint, cool scent radiating from him, mingled with a trace of lingering alcohol.
Lin Anqiao pressed her lips together and shook her head.
The next instant, Song Hanjiang stepped right up to her, placing one hand on her shoulder while using the other to pick up the drawing board from the floor.
The palm of the man's hand felt searingly hot—so hot that she couldn't help but yearn for this touch of tenderness.
However, her time was running out.
At the thought, a sharp, intricate pain twisted in her stomach, and Lin Anqiao bent over in quiet discomfort.
Her brows furrowed tightly.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught in a firm grip.
She raised her gaze, colliding with Song Hanjiang's cold and piercing eyes.
Beside her ear, the man's deep, magnetic voice sounded: "Where exactly are you hurting?"
His movement was almost forceful, and a sudden panic surged in Lin Anqiao's chest.
He must never find out.
If he were to discover the truth...
He would probably go out of his mind.
Lin Anqiao forced a smile and feigned composure, saying, "Brother, there is nothing wrong with my body."
As she spoke, she didn't even dare to lift her eyes.
Even without looking at him, she could feel the heavy weight of his gaze.
The next moment, Song Hanjiang cupped her chin.
The man's slightly heated breath brushed against her face as he said at a leisurely pace, "Let me check, so your brother can be at ease."
Lin Anqiao's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she bit her lip, struggling to suppress the pain in her stomach. "I'm fine."
"Is that so?" Half-convinced, Song Hanjiang picked up the drawing board with deliberate slowness, placed it back on the easel, and spoke with an undeniable, forceful authority: "If you're in pain, you must say so, understand?"
The profound depth in his eyes made Lin Anqiao somewhat flustered. She twitched the corner of her mouth and fell silent for a moment.
At that exact moment, her phone rang.
She picked up the phone and glanced at the screen—it was a call from Fu Jingzhou.
Like grasping at a straw, she found an excuse to escape the topic, turned away, and answered the call.
To her surprise, the voice on the other end didn't belong to Fu Jingzhou, but to her son, Fu Xiaochuan: "Hello, come back and cook for me! I want shredded pork in garlic sauce!"
The commanding tone instantly caused Lin Anqiao's brows to knit together.
In the past, she had always worn herself out, busy handling every household chore, big and small.
Now, did Fu Xiaochuan actually believe that her kindness toward them was nothing more than her natural duty?
A trace of irony washed over her heart.
Her tone was flat and her voice cool: "Go ask Auntie Yusu to make it for you."
"How can you be like this? I'm your son, raising me is your obligation!" Fu Xiaochuan said, growing angry out of shame. "Besides, this is the only thing you're good for anyway. Now you're even refusing to cook?"
Above all, the dishes made by Auntie Yusu simply didn't taste as good as his mother's.
Fu Xiaochuan furrowed his brow tightly. He refused to believe that his mother would truly wash her hands of him.
Besides, he really did miss his mother a little, and he longed for the food she cooked.
"My obligation? I already said, I am no longer your mother."
Lin Anqiao lowered her voice considerably, her face etched with displeasure.
"I don't care!" Fu Xiaochuan shouted, his small face flushed with anger. "You have to come home and cook for me, or else I won't eat and I'll stay hungry!"
Suddenly feeling a wave of panic wash over him at the chilling voice on the other end, Fu Xiaochuan began to feel a bit frightened.
He tossed his phone aside and threw a tantrum.
*Clatter—*
Lin Anqiao heard the sound of the phone being flung onto the desk, immediately followed by the sound of running footsteps.
Just as she intended to cut the call, Fu Jingzhou's cold, sharp voice suddenly came through the speaker: "Lin Anqiao, do you have any sense of a mother's obligation at all? Is this how you act like a mother?"
Lin Anqiao's hand holding the phone involuntarily paused.
The intricate pain began to spread through her stomach once again.
Her brows furrowed deeply.
She hadn't expected Fu Jingzhou to be there as well.
Of course, if he hadn't been by his side, how else would Fu Xiaochuan have dialed this call?
Yet they were already divorced, and they were still tangling her up in such trivial matters.
Didn't they find it laughable?
Abruptly, a slender-jointed hand reached out and took the phone from her grip.
Song Hanjiang's previously gentle and casual eyes were now layered with wisps of biting cold, and his voice was low: "President Fu, even shamelessness has its limits. Surely you aren't trying to resort to moral blackmail?"
"Why is it you again?" Hearing the familiar male voice on the other end, Fu Jingzhou's expression darkened abruptly, a layer of frost seeming to coat the depths of his eyes. "I am talking to my wife. What business is it of an outsider like you?"
"Wife?" Song Hanjiang let out a cold laugh, his tone still unhurried. "It seems President Fu has a poor memory? You are already divorced. There is no need for you to call here ever again."
"My sister has no regard for the likes of you."
His tone was faintly chilling as he enunciated each word with deliberate slowness.
On the other end of the line, Fu Jingzhou gripped his phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Just as he was about to speak, the call was abruptly disconnected by the person on the other end.
Furious, Fu Jingzhou hurled his phone onto the desk.
*Bang—*
The marble surface was far too slick, and the phone slipped straight off, crashing onto the floor.
The screen shattered into a spiderweb of cracks in an instant.
His mood was already extremely poor, and seeing the shattered screen made that wave of irritation instantly surge higher.
Lin Anqiao!
Could it be that she was with this man every single minute of the day?
How could that be...
Lin Anqiao had loved him so deeply, how could she be together with someone else?
A wave of restless heat churned in his chest, making his frown deepen.
She was putting on quite an act—far too much!
Lost in thought for a moment, Fu Jingzhou pulled out the work phone from the study drawer and dialed his executive assistant.
The assistant answered almost immediately: "President Fu, you called for me?"
"Send someone to keep an eye on Lin Anqiao, and look into the background of the man who has been appearing around her recently."
"Yes, President Fu."
Just as he hung up the phone, the sound of the door opening came from outside the study.
Qiao Yusu walked in: "Brother Fu, what's wrong with Xiaochuan? It looks like he's throwing a huge tantrum out there."