Su Qi looked up, the outside was pitch black, and the raindrops on the glass were exceptionally clear.
Perhaps it was the gradual prominence of her pregnancy and the addition of some flesh, which made her melon-seed shaped face appear even more youthful, like a girl who had just turned eighteen.
"I'm doing very well now."
She was truly doing very well now.
In the days since her divorce from Huo Tingyun, she had figured out a lot.
She wanted to protect the people she wanted to protect.
She didn't want to be someone who needed protection.
She didn't want the people who protected her to be harmed.
She would no longer evade everything in this world.
Even her past, she forced herself to recall it again and again.
Pushing open the door of the cafe, it was already drizzling outside.
Xu Linchuan held open a large umbrella, enveloping Su Qi entirely within its shelter.
Su Qi looked up; the umbrella was still tilted, and the man's upper body was almost entirely exposed.
By the roadside, a Maybach, the color of deep night, slowly stopped.
The cafe lights were bright, clearly visible even in the misty, drizzling night.
"Linchuan..."
Su Qi saw the eyes in the darkness, stopped, tilted her chin high, raised both hands, and directly hooked herself around Xu Linchuan's neck.
Xu Linchuan was startled, frozen in place by Su Qi's sudden action.
The umbrella in his hand almost fell to the ground.
Su Qi stood on tiptoe and brought her lips close to Xu Linchuan's face. The two were very, very close, so close they could feel each other's breathing.
With only a few hundredths of a millimeter left, Su Qi stopped.
From an outsider's perspective, at this angle, the two looked as if they were passionately kissing.
Su Qi let go, and Huo Tingyun's heart was still pounding wildly in his chest, almost leaping into his throat.
"Xiao Su..."
"Goodnight!"
Su Qi, braving the heavy rain, rushed back to the car, rolled down the window, and waved at Xu Linchuan.
Even after Su Qi had driven far away, Xu Linchuan remained standing there, motionless.
The rain grew heavier.
The view became blurry, Su Qi turned on the windshield wipers and drove towards home.
On the passenger seat were pastries packed for Gu Tangxue; she had bought many at the cafe.
Bang.
A loud noise.
The entire car body shook violently twice.
Su Qi, who was wearing her seatbelt, was thrown forward by the immense force, nearly hitting her forehead on the steering wheel.
She slammed on the brakes.
She glanced at the rearview mirror.
It was a luxury car, and due to the late hour and the rain, she couldn't see it clearly.
Su Qi waited for half a minute, picked up her umbrella, and got out of the car.
The sound of rain poured into her ears.
It blurred the road ahead.
"Hey, how do you drive? Can't you be more careful in the rain!"
The door of the Rolls-Royce opened with a click.
The man's long, straight legs landed on the ground from inside the car.
This was the first time Su Qi had seen this man since her divorce a week ago.
The rain was pouring down.
He got out of the car without an umbrella.
The windshield wipers creaked as they worked.
The car's headlights faintly illuminated the man's face.
The autumn rain was bone-chillingly cold.
Yet, the man's expression and the aura around him were colder than the autumn night's rain.
Su Qi took a step back.
The umbrella in her hand fell to the ground.
Then, without looking back, she walked towards her own car.
Her wrist was grabbed with immense force.
Then she was pulled into Huo Tingyun's tight embrace.
The cold rain fell on her body.
It instantly soaked through her clothes.
Su Qi felt no cold, only fear.
What did he want?
"Mr. Huo! Let go!"
The man did not act as he had before; he simply gripped her chin tightly and kissed her.
No, it wasn't a kiss, it was a bite.
Su Qi cried out in pain; this man was insane!
She seriously suspected that Huo Tingyun had been a dog in his past life!
How could he do such a thing!
He bit until she bled before releasing her mouth, then kissed her again.
This continued for five minutes. Su Qi shivered from the cold, almost losing her balance, before the man scooped her up and carried her into the car.
The driver was sensible and got out of the car with an umbrella.
As the car door closed, only the two of them remained inside.
Huo Tingyun locked all the doors. He wasn't in a hurry, letting Su Qi struggle. He took a dry towel, held Su Qi down, and patiently wiped her hair clean, wiped her cheeks clean, and then began to peel off her clothes.
To wipe her body.
"Huo Tingyun!"
Su Qi felt both ashamed and humiliated.
No!
No!
They were already divorced!
Why was he doing this to her!
Huo Tingyun's thin lips were pressed together, his handsome face devoid of any expression, as he manipulated her as if she were a doll.
He took off her wet clothes and changed her into a dry dress.
He had women's clothes in his car, likely bought for Xu Linyun.
As he helped Su Qi into the dress, the man's hand fell on her protruding abdomen.
Five months now, it couldn't be hidden.
Even if she was thin, her bulging belly couldn't be concealed.
Especially not at this moment.
"I... I've been eating a lot lately!"
Su Qi still tried to make a lame excuse.
"Yes, five months, it's time for it to show."
Rumble.
A deafening roar in her mind.
Su Qi almost blacked out, barely able to see the man's face.
How did he know she was...
Pregnant!
And knew it so clearly!
He even knew the month!
He wasn't an obstetrician!
Was it Xu Linchuan?
Impossible!
How could Xu Linchuan tell Huo Tingyun these things?
If he had told him, why would Huo Tingyun have agreed to divorce her?
"Since you're going to be a mother, be virtuous. Don't let me see you with other men, holding hands, hugging, or even kissing."
Su Qi found it both infuriating and amusing. What was this?
"Mr. Huo, could it be that you're jealous?"
"Yes."
The man's magnetic voice replied, almost without hesitation.
Su Qi froze.
What did he just say?
"Su Qi, I am very jealous, extremely jealous. I almost want to kill Xu Linchuan. For his safety, you'd better not contact him again, otherwise, I can't guarantee he won't be beheaded tomorrow." Su Qi swallowed hard.
The man's warm breath tickled her ear.
She knew deeply that he would dare to do it.
Huo Tingyun was capable of anything.
"You're crazy, you're absolutely crazy!"
Su Qi felt like she was going crazy too. What was this man trying to do?
"I also warn Mr. Huo, if you have any more dealings with me, any more entanglements, don't blame me for being impolite! If Miss Xu finds out about our affairs, I don't know if she'll be so stimulated that she'll miscarry!"
Su Qi gritted her teeth, glared at Huo Tingyun, and retorted fiercely.
"You're quite spirited. I hope my child in your belly can have some of your spirit."
Hearing this, Su Qi couldn't tell if Huo Tingyun was praising her or scolding her.
"I'm not pregnant."
Su Qi lacked confidence but still retorted as if deceiving herself.