"I know what I said to you in the hospital, what I did, was over the top. As long as you can forgive me, I’ll do anything you ask. Could you please stop being angry, alright?"
Lu Yi looked humbly at Shen Heyu, with his tall stature, now appearing somewhat pitiable and aggrieved as he gazed upon her.
Actually, Shen Heyu truly couldn’t understand what kind of mind-set or position Lu Yi had been in to say those things at the hospital, to do what he did to her.
Shen Heyu had agreed to act out this play with Lu Yi based on her trust in him, to ensure Yuexue’s safety, and to make Pei Yansi give up for good, she had let Lu Yi join her in this act.
Initially, she had explained things clearly to Lu Yi, that their marriage wasn’t real, and they were still maintaining a distance as friends.
It was simply to show Pei Yansi their marriage certificate to make him give up finally and engage with Chen Lingmeng. Then, once Chen Wenzhou returned Yuexue to Shen Heyu, she and Lu Yi would get their divorce certificate.
They even signed an agreement before getting the certificate, with each clause clearly written in black and white. Yet, Lu Yi’s behavior today in the hospital was like someone possessed, obsessively believing they were legally wedded husband and wife.
Even putting herself in his shoes, Shen Heyu couldn’t feel the emotions that Lu Yi felt.
"So, this is what you want to talk about? You’re done speaking? If you’re done, then I’m going back to rest."
"Heyu, can’t you really forgive me? Today in the hospital, I didn’t know what came over me to do such things out of line. I promise you, there won’t be a next time. Please forgive me, okay?"
Shen Heyu quietly listened to everything, and without any reaction to Lu Yi’s words, she just said indifferently, "The doctor told you to rest, and that includes clearing your mind. Stop thinking about those troubling matters."
Leaving that sentence behind, Shen Heyu left the study without an ounce of mercy.
After she walked away, only Lu Yi remained, standing there dazed, as still as a piece of wood, feeling as if he had plunged into an icy cavern.
After saying those excessive words to Shen Heyu, he hadn’t immediately realized the gravity of the situation at the time. Only now, noticing Shen Heyu’s attitude towards him, did he truly understand that he had indeed gone too far this time.
A long while after Shen Heyu left, Lu Yi’s phone vibrated. Picking it up, he saw a message from Chen Wenzhou.
"Did you make up with Shen Heyu?"
Seeing this message, Lu Yi only felt the air he breathed in was mixed with shards of ice, piercing painfully into his lungs.
"Her attitude towards me is very cold. I feel she won’t easily forgive me this time," Lu Yi typed out this message word by word, feeling as if his heart was enveloped in a layer of ice.
From Chen Wenzhou’s end, a cold, incessant reply came with just one sentence.
"No matter what it takes, even if you have to kneel, you must win Shen Heyu’s forgiveness."
Lu Yi stared blankly at this sentence. Was he really expected to kneel to Shen Heyu?
But his relationship with Shen Heyu was now a wreck. Although Shen Heyu still spoke to him, her gaze was cold and ruthless, just like looking at a passerby without any emotional connection.
No, he couldn’t let things continue .
If it takes kneeling, then he would kneel.
Lu Yi slowly clenched his cellphone, his jaw set firmly as he personally prepared a candlelit dinner.
By the time the sun set, he personally knocked on Shen Heyu’s room door; actually, Shen Heyu hadn’t been able to sleep at all this afternoon.
Shen Heyu lay in bed, tossing and turning, thinking about Pei Yansi, Lu Yi, and Yuexue’s affairs.
Originally, she thought that she, at least, had an ally—a partner to stage a drama with Lu Yi, capable of deceiving Pei Yansi’s keen eyes. Once the crisis was averted, she could force Chen Wenzhou to return her daughter to her.
But now, with trouble brewing in the rear, Lu Yi had become very dangerous, potentially an even bigger problem than Pei Yansi.
Shen Heyu hesitated for a long time before deciding to resolve the issue with Lu Yi first, to prevent him from turning into an unmanageable issue that could prove more troublesome than Pei Yansi in the end.
Just as she had made up her mind, a rhythmic knocking sounded at the door. Shen Heyu tossed the covers aside, got up to wash, and then went to open the door.
As soon as she opened it, Lu Yi presented her with a tantalizing bouquet of roses, offering ninety-nine blooms. Gazing at them, Shen Heyu was genuinely stunned for a moment.
"What is this?" Shen Heyu asked blankly, looking at Lu Yi, who wore a gentle smile on his face.
"Everyone says that a girl’s mood will improve upon receiving flowers. I hope that after you accept this bouquet, you’ll forgive the excessive things I said to you this morning at the hospital."
"Why are you still dwelling on this morning’s matter? That’s all in the past. Let it go. I won’t hold it against you," Shen Heyu said without reaching for the roses in his arms.
"If you truly haven’t taken it to heart, then accept these flowers. I’ve also personally prepared dinner, hoping that by tomorrow, everything will turn over a new leaf." Without waiting for a reply, Lu Yi pushed the large bunch of roses into Shen Heyu’s arms.
Shen Heyu was caught off guard and found the roses thrust into her hands. After a moment’s hesitation, she did not return them but merely placed them on the table nearby.
"The doctor told you to rest well, didn’t he? Why did you go through the trouble of cooking yourself?" Shen Heyu asked without a trace of mirth, her concern for Lu Yi stemming only from the perspective of a common friend, without any other feelings involved.
"But I realized a significant mistake this morning. If I don’t properly make amends, I won’t be able to live with myself."
"Stop talking. You must be hungry by now, go take a look at the dinner I made and see if it suits your taste."
A smile spread across Lu Yi’s face as he looked at Shen Heyu. He’d expected to see a smile on her face suggesting a thawing of the previous coldness, but it was not to be.
"The meals you make always suit both Yuexue’s and my taste," said Shen Heyu flatly. Chen Wenzhou had taken care of her and Yuexue for so long; even if there were no credits due, there was hard work. Thinking of this, she managed a slight smile.
But that smile did not reach her eyes.
Indeed, Lu Yi’s cooking was to Shen Heyu’s liking, yet at that very moment, Shen Heyu had no appetite when she saw the lavish dinner spread before her.
"If you like it, that’s good."
Shen Heyu and Lu Yi approached the dining table, and Lu Yi turned toward her with bright eyes.
"Heyu, if you’ve truly forgiven me, could you give me a genuine smile? Your expression right now clearly shows you haven’t forgiven me. I realize now the mistakes of this morning, and I promise you, I’ll never make them again next time."
Lu Yi earnestly swore to Shen Heyu.
Shen Heyu took a deep breath, intending to marshal her thoughts before speaking, when suddenly she heard a thud.