Flash Marriage: He is a Wife-pampering Addict

Chapter 1426: Next time, I will definitely be more gentle.

Lu Zhiyan’s words had just been spoken when a flicker of sadness flashed through Fang Zhiwei’s eyes, disappearing in an instant.

“Sorry, Xiaocha, I made you worry.”

“Sister Fang, I’m just worried about you.”

Jing Xiaocha pulled up a chair and sat down, speaking with concern, “You went with me to the restroom, but I waited forever and you didn’t come back. I called your phone, but it was turned off. At that moment, I thought something had happened to you.”

Perhaps Jing Xiaocha had genuinely been scared and was still feeling residual fear, or maybe her acting skills were strong. As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly.

Fang Zhiwei froze for a moment. Seeing Jing Xiaocha’s expression, a pang of guilt welled up in her heart. She reached out to hold Jing Xiaocha’s hand, her tone filled with even greater remorse. “Xiaocha, it was my mistake. Next time, I won’t leave without saying anything. At that moment, I suddenly wanted to return to G City, so I didn’t think much before catching a ride to the airport.”

“Sister Fang, let’s go.”

Jing Xiaocha quickly collected herself, a smile reappearing on her face, restoring her tone to its usual lighthearted cheer.

Her ability to shift moods faster than the weather was one of Jing Xiaocha’s trademarks.

Her smile was radiant, warm, and deeply infectious.

Fang Zhiwei couldn’t help but smile in return.

Lu Zhiyan took out his wallet, signaling to the waiter, and paid Fang Zhiwei’s bill. He stood up and turned to both women, speaking gently, “Let’s go.”

Hesitation flashed in Fang Zhiwei’s eyes; it seemed she didn’t want to leave with them.

But Jing Xiaocha pulled her along, forcing her to exit the café with them.

Once in the taxi, Lu Zhiyan asked Jing Xiaocha and Fang Zhiwei, “Are you heading home, or going somewhere else?”

Jing Xiaocha blinked playfully, smiling brightly. “Sister Fang, let’s go to the nursing home. I’ll take you to see Grandma Li and deliver the gifts we bought for her.”

“I was thinking…”

Something was weighing on Fang Zhiwei’s mind, and her instinct was to decline Jing Xiaocha’s suggestion.

But Jing Xiaocha didn’t give her a chance to refuse, interrupting her with a cheerful laugh. “Sister Fang, let’s go. I’ll make sure you get home later.”

“Do you have a car?”

Lu Zhiyan asked, amused, as he looked at Jing Xiaocha.

“Just because I don’t have a car, doesn’t mean I can’t give someone a ride. Don’t I know how to call a taxi?” Jing Xiaocha stuck out her tongue at Lu Zhiyan, a look of determination on her face, as if to say that as long as she wanted to, she’d find a way.

Under Jing Xiaocha’s infectious smile, Fang Zhiwei seemed to waver.

Thinking back to the other evening when Jing Xiaocha taught her how to wrap dumplings, she hesitated briefly before she reluctantly agreed, “Alright, I’ll go with you to see Grandma Li.”

“Sister Fang, Grandma Li is wonderful—you’ll definitely like her once you meet her,” Jing Xiaocha assured. Her eyes softened as she spoke of Grandma Li, who had been kinder to her than her own mother.

Whenever she felt wronged in her family, she would go to Grandma Li to vent. Over the years, she’d come to see Grandma Li as her true family.

In Jing Xiaocha’s view, Fang Zhiwei, given her current state, needed warmth most of all.

Bringing her to the nursing home seemed harmless enough.

“Every time I hear you talk about Grandma Li with so much joy, I can tell she must be a lovable and respectable person.”

Fang Zhiwei smiled softly.

“Mm, don’t laugh at me, but Grandma Li treats me even better than my own mother.” Jing Xiaocha’s gaze dimmed slightly. Mentioning her mother stole the smile from her face.

She pressed her lips together, the rare tone of sorrow seeping into her voice. “My mom was willing to end her life by jumping off a building just to punish me for Zhang Jinlei. Before, no matter how cold she was toward me, I never doubted her. But after she died, I started questioning whether I was even her biological daughter.”

Fang Zhiwei froze.

She couldn’t quite adjust to Jing Xiaocha’s sudden melancholy, unsure whether Jing Xiaocha was looking for someone to confide in or trying to unearth her wounds to console Fang Zhiwei.

Her voice floated lightly in the car, “During those days, I was so, so sad. Later, Grandma Li comforted me. She helped me understand that the sadder I felt, the less I should dwell on things. Otherwise, I’d only become more extreme, more miserable, and might even end up destroying myself.”

“Were you really sad? I heard that after your mother passed, you single-handedly arranged everything and stayed strong the entire time.”

Lu Zhiyan frowned slightly, asking as if it were a casual inquiry.

A faint bitterness curved Jing Xiaocha’s lips. “Who wouldn’t be sad? I’m just stronger than most people. Life only happens once. Since I’m here in this world, I intend to live my life to the fullest.”

“Xiaocha, you’re very brave.”

Fang Zhiwei expressed her genuine admiration.

She thought Jing Xiaocha was incredibly courageous, with a spirit that seemed unbreakable.

“Sister Fang, I’m not brave—I just have to be strong to survive. You don’t know how many times my stepbrother tried to sell me, or worse, tried to harm me.”

Jing Xiaocha thought of those times and couldn’t help but grit her teeth in anger.

“And then…”

Fang Zhiwei hadn’t realized Jing Xiaocha had faced such difficult circumstances.

Jing Xiaocha broke out another dazzling smile. “Someone who’s got nothing to lose doesn’t fear someone who does. Whenever Zhang Jinlei tried to hurt me or sell me, I fought back with the mindset that I’d rather die than let him win.”

If her mother hadn’t been in that household, and if she hadn’t been trapped by too many obligations, she would’ve distanced herself from Zhang Jinlei a long time ago.

Fang Zhiwei felt a complex wave of emotions. Compared to the challenges Jing Xiaocha had endured, her own struggles seemed trivial.

She pressed her lips firmly, silently telling herself to recover.

She wouldn’t let herself be someone she couldn’t respect.

***

Suburban Villa

Gu Kai saw Bai Yiyi walk to the dressing table to grab a comb and fix her hair that had gotten messy earlier. Striding over, he immediately took the comb from her hand, his lips curving into a smile, his voice light and cheerful, “Yiyi, let me comb it for you.”

“You messed it up, so I guess it’s your responsibility.”

Bai Yiyi lifted her eyes and looked into the mirror at his almost-perfectly handsome face. A smile naturally surfaced in her gaze.

Gu Kai admitted readily, “Yes, I should take responsibility.”

As he spoke, the comb in his hand gently brushed through her smooth hair, starting at the top and moving down slowly.

Thinking of something, he asked with concern, “Did it hurt earlier?”

Bai Yiyi’s eyes flickered, her reply stiff, “A little.”

If she had known this man would be so excessive, she wouldn’t have gone along with him.

Hearing her say “a little,” Gu Kai immediately apologized with genuine regret, “Yiyi, I’m sorry. I lost control earlier. I’ll go to the hospital later to get you some ointment.”

“…”

Bai Yiyi’s eyes showed a trace of astonishment. She hadn’t expected him to apologize with such remorse.

Actually, it wasn’t that painful.

Shaking her head, she softly said, “No need, it’s not that serious.”