Li Yuxi gasped at the information. Fear of what Lee Qiang could do had her standing abruptly. She eyed the vase sitting in the dirt and began to think of an excuse to give him. He had never visited any of her sites, so she didn't know how she would walk away from the current problem.
"T-thank you," she stuttered and looked around the site, looking out for someone. When she spotted his back, she ran up to him and squatted beside him. "Lin Wei?"
The man turned his head and his eyes widened behind his glasses, which he adjusted with the tip of his index finger. He swept his gaze over her body before looking past her. Li Yuxi waved her hand in his face to get his attention and scooted closer.
"You look scared. Are you okay?" Lin Wei asked and she shook her head.
"I'm fine. Listen carefully," she said and pointed at the vase in the distance. "Help me clean the vase and send it to my house today, once you're done. Be very careful with it."
"How much am I getting paid for it?" Lin Wei asked and wiggled his arched eyebrows.
Li Yuxi smacked him on the back of his head and got up.
"Just help me pack it and send it to my house," Li Yuxi said and started to jog away. "I need to leave!"
"Where are you going?!" Lin Wei yelled from his kneeling position.
"Home!" Li Yuxi yelled back without looking back as she focused on meeting Lee Qiang.
As soon as she left the site, she looked around, staring at the cars parked. Her heart skipped a beat when she found her husband's car behind hers. She could not tell if he was in the car as the windows were tinted. Li Yuxi took in several deep breaths before walking to the car. Before she reached the car, the door opened and Lee Qiang stepped out and then shut the door aggressively.
Li Yuxi stopped in front of the car and clenched her hands as he marched to her. He stopped in front of her, anger masking his face and features. Feeling too intimidated, she glanced away from his face and waited for his anger to be unleashed.
"Do you not respect my orders now?!" He demanded in a loud voice. "I specifically told you that my parents were visiting and that you have to make lunch, only for me to return, not even five minutes after I left, to find your filthy maid cooking!"
Li Yuxi became ashamed and looked behind her, hoping no one would come through the entrance to the site to see the way Lee Qiang was speaking to her. She looked back in shock when he wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her close.
"If you do not have an ounce of respect and fear for me, the least you could do is respect my parents who have helped your family," he said in her face and tightened his hold around her arm.
Li Yuxi whimpered in pain and tried to move her arm out of his grip but she failed. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and tears brimmed her eyes. Her lips started to wobble as her heart burned from the situation and how she hated being married to him.
"Lee Qiang?"
Li Yuxi gasped when she heard her boss' voice and before she could turn around, she was forced into her husband's chest. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion when he cupped the back of her head and laughed.
"Hello, Mr. Wang." The lightness in Lee Qiang's voice made her want to dig her nails into his chest.
"I see you are here to see your wife," Mr. Wang said and Lee Qiang laughed again.
"Yes but I need to borrow her for today. We have an important family celebration," Lee Qiang said.
Li Yuxi tried to push him away but he pushed her further into his chest and dug his nail into her scalp.
"Li Yuxi, there will be a meeting tomorrow. Please, be early."
Li Yuxi was prepared not to respond but when her husband scratched her scalp, she hummed.
"Yes, Mr. Wang. I will be early."
"Okay. Goodbye."
Li Yuxi counted to ten and Lee Qiang pushed her away. He looked flushed and angry while she wanted to just go home. She turned around to walk over to her car.
"Where are you going? Come back here, Li Yuxi. I am taking you home. And listen, after lunch, we have a long talk," he ordered and she scoffed lowly and continued walking.
Li Yuxi unlocked her car and got in. She strapped her seatbelt and sat in silence for some seconds before punching the steering wheel. She stopped after a while and glared at the car in front of hers.
"The day will come when I put an end to this, Lee Qiang. You will regret everything you have done to me. Everything."
‡‡‡
The moment she walked into the house, she saw Lee Qiang's mother, Lee Yinuo marching up to her with anger visible around her short figure. When Li Yuxi parted her lips to welcome the woman, she was met with a painful slap on her cheek. Li Yuxi stilled at the impact and waited for the pain to ebb away before facing the woman. She bowed in respect and stood straight afterward.
"Good afternoon, mom," she said and the woman scowled.
"You dare call me mother? How can you call me mother after you have been so inconsiderate to my son who has done nothing but love and provide for you?" She asked and pointed at her face. "My son told me how you've been neglecting your duties as a wife because of that work of yours. You have shamed him again and you need to be taught a lesson."
"Lee Yinuo!" A deeper voice filled the room, startling Li Yuxi.
Li Yuxi looked past the woman's shoulder and smiled at the sight of Lee Qiang's father. A disappointed expression stayed on his face as he glared at his wife before shifting his attention to Li Yuxi who smiled wider.
Out of the three, he was the only one who was never rude to her. Ever since she got married to his son, he had been nothing but understanding and kind, unlike his son and wife. Li Yuxi bowed her head and the man smiled for a second before scowling at his wife.
"Did we come here to make trouble? Besides, your son should learn how to take his business friends to the famous restaurants he always brags about," Lee Dong said, his voice full of authority.
"Father—"
"Enough. We came here to have a proper family lunch but it seems this will be nothing but trouble. Let us leave. Now."
A wave of relief washed over Li Yuxi. Cockily, she glanced at Lee Qiang and his mother.
"But we—"
"Enough, Lee Yinuo. I have important things to attend to," the man said and walked over to where Li Yuxi stood. "I am sorry for what my wife did."
"It's okay, Mr. Lee," Li Yuxi said excitedly and the man smiled warmly before taking his wife's hand and walked to the door.
"We will see another time," Mr. Lee said and left the house with his wife.
The house suddenly felt heavy and Li Yuxi didn't want to know what look the man she was married to had on.
"You love the attention you get from my father, right?"
Li Yuxi rolled her eyes and turned around. She crossed her arms and stared at him for a while until he shook his head and walked off. Li Yuxi sighed and sat down on the closest cushion.
‡‡‡
The doorbell rang and Li Yuxi rushed out of the kitchen to the front door. She opened the door and grinned at the sight of Lin Wei. In his arms was a cardboard box, which she carefully took from him.
"Come in," Li Yuxi said while walking away and eyeing every corner of the box.
"By the way, that vase looks very expensive. That would add value to your collection. If I was a bad friend, I would have taken the vase and added it to mine."
Li Yuxi laughed at his words and placed the box on the table in the middle of the living room. She unboxed it and she smiled at the vase sitting amidst the pieces of shredded paper. In slow concentration, she held the sides of the smooth vase and picked it out. She held it out in front of her, taking in the little scratches on it before turning it to where the writing was.
"The writing on the vase is hard to transcribe," Lin Wei said and adjusted his glass right after he leaned close. "It is magnificent too. This looks like a great art piece but at the same time, it could be dated by hundreds of years."
"Hm. I'll have to study more about this. Maybe it could be stolen treasure lost at sea," Li Yuxi said and placed the vase back into the box.
Li Yuxi faced Lin Wei with a bright smile. She chuckled when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Since I brought the vase to you, don't you think you should pay me?" Lin Wei suggested and Li Yuxi laughed.
"What is going on here?"
The sound of Lee Qiang's voice forced Li Yuxi into a state of shock.