"Mom, you take care of her for me, I'll be back as soon as I've handled everything."
"Lu Jianshen, make it clear to me, Nan Xi is your wife, I command you to immediately give me..."
Yun Shu's words were cut off when Lu Jianshen hung up the phone.
"This little bastard, I'll see how I can deal with him when he comes back."
Nan Xi's fingers were almost digging into her flesh, but she seemed to feel no pain.
She was indeed the one who had been abandoned.
Between her and Fang Qinglian, he seemed to have made his choice without a second thought.
Fool, it was your own wishful thinking.
She should have known the answer long ago, so why did she still hope for it once more, only to let herself be disappointed again?
Seeing that Nan Xi was obviously feeling low, Yun Shu took her hand, "When he comes back, Mom will lecture him on your behalf. Don't think about anything now, just get some good rest upstairs."
"Okay."
At that moment, there was another knock on the door.
Nan Xi quickly spoke up, "Mom, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'll just lie down and rest for a bit. There are still many guests waiting for you outside, please go attend to them."
"Alright, then I'll go down first. If there's anything, have someone inform me."
"Mhm," Nan Xi nodded obediently.
After Yun Shu left, Nan Xi had everyone serving in the room leave as well.
The spacious room immediately felt empty, as if even the air had become colder.
Yes, so cold.
Nan Xi hugged herself, resting her head on her knees, staring blankly ahead.
She didn't know what she was looking at; she just felt a heaviness in her heart, like she wanted to cry.
But when she really tried to cry, the tears wouldn't come.
It was a sunny day, warm and cheerful, but for some reason, she felt exceptionally cold.
She took off her coat and wrapped her entire body in the quilt, rolling it up tightly so that no air could get through.
Yet Nan Xi still felt a draft, her body shivering with cold.
She had always been frail, with severe bodily coldness, especially her hands and feet which were perpetually icy.
In the cold winter, even with the heat on in the room, her hands and feet might still be frozen.
In the past, when she felt cold, she always liked to snuggle up to Lu Jianshen. Although she didn't dare to burrow into his arms, she dared to get a little closer.
Strangely enough, every time she got close to him, she would feel her body warm up, and then she could sleep well.
But today, having been lying in the quilt for half an hour, she still lay there with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling and the chandelier above, without a trace of sleepiness.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
It was Lu Jianshen's call.
The tears that Nan Xi had been holding back uncontrollably fell as soon as she saw the words "Husband" on the screen, dropping with a plop, utterly unexpected.
Turns out, she was not without pain.
She was not without heartbreak, without sorrow.
It was just that she was desperately holding back, telling herself over and over not to cry, absolutely not to cry.
And his name was like a switch that instantly unleashed the floodgates of her tears.
All her tears no longer stayed put, falling wildly onto the screen of the phone.
To answer?
Or not to answer?
She didn't know.
Then her fingers, out of control of her will, preemptively pressed the "answer" button.
Nan Xi pressed the phone tightly to her ear, and soon, she heard his familiar voice from the other end, "Have you seen the doctor? How are you feeling now?"
"Mhm, I have."
She lied.
"Rest up top for a while, get some sleep, and I'll be back soon."
"Okay," Nan Xi nodded.
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On the phone, there was a lull in the conversation.
Just then, Fang Qinglian's voice suddenly came through, her tone dripping with conspicuous coquetry, "Jianshen, I want some grapes, can you peel them for me?"
"Hmm, just lie down, I'll peel them for you."
After Lu Jianshen finished his response, he said to the phone, "If there's nothing else, I'm going to hang up."
Normally, she would have, like countless times before, gently replied with a "No." and then smiled warmly and hung up graciously.
But today, what happened?
Clutching her phone, she called out somewhat eagerly, "I have something."
"I'm so cold, I've piled on so many blankets. In the past, when I hugged you, I'd warm up in a moment, but today I just can't get warm. I can't sleep without you by my side."
After Nan Xi finished speaking, the other end of the line went dead silent.
On the phone, even the breathing of both parties became piercingly clear.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
A whole ten seconds passed, and Nan Xi didn't hear his reply.
It was certainly her words that had put him in a difficult position.
Her bright and sparkling eyes finally dimmed during the prolonged wait, and she felt like a clown who had lost miserably and was left in utter disarray.
"Sorry, I'm hanging up now."
Having said that, Nan Xi almost hung up like a fleeing soldier.
After hanging up, Nan Xi instantly regretted it.
You idiot, what were you doing just now? It was like a pampered concubine vying for the emperor's favor.
It was insane, she'd just brazenly and unabashedly competed with Fang Qinglian for favor over the phone.
Nan Xi, you're really losing your dignity.
After lying in bed for a while without falling asleep, Auntie Zhou came up and said, "Young Madam, the lady says the feast is about to start and asks how you are feeling? Whether you'd like to have dinner with the old master at the banquet, or shall we bring it to your room?"
Nan Xi almost didn't hesitate before answering, "I'll join Grandpa at the banquet for the meal."
Grandpa's eightieth birthday celebration was so grandiose; she must not dampen his spirits.
"Auntie Zhou, wait for me a moment. I'll wash my face and tidy up my hair."
"Alright, Young Madam, no rush, I'm waiting right outside for you."
After tidying up her clothes and hair, Nan Xi was about to go downstairs with Auntie Zhou when something suddenly occurred to her, and she hastily asked, "Auntie Zhou, what about Jianshen? Has he come back yet?"
"Not yet."
The lunch was the main course of the banquet, and if he, the grandson, was absent, it would surely give rise to gossip.
Even if people didn't say much in front of the Lu Family, they'd undoubtedly gossip behind their backs.
Moreover, if Grandpa knew that Fang Qinglian had returned and that Jianshen had delayed the banquet to see her, he'd certainly be furious.
If Grandpa really got angry, she might not be able to appease him.
After much thought, Nan Xi called out to Auntie Zhou, "Let's wait a bit longer; I'll go once he returns."
"Young Madam, if we delay the start of the meal, everyone will say you're being thoughtless and lacking propriety. You're taking all the blame for the young master with such good intentions."
Auntie Zhou looked at her with pity in her eyes.
Such a good Young Madam, why won't the young master cherish her properly!
It's the same with Madam and Master; they have such an outstanding wife but don't live well with her, instead seeking out other temptresses outside.
In her opinion, the old master and old mistress were the best, having been deeply in love since marriage, never arguing, with the old master always indulging the old mistress.
Even though the old mistress had been gone for so long, the old master never remarried and has always loved only her, his one and only wife.
And that wait lasted for over a decade.
Nan Xi called Lu Jianshen several times in a row.
But in her wildest dreams, she never expected that Fang Qinglian would answer the last call.
What's going on?
Wasn't he already on his way back?
Why was Fang Qinglian answering the phone?
Could it be, he was planning to bring Fang Qinglian to Grandpa's birthday celebration?
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