After The Divorce, My Dad Was Abused and Cried - Chapter 33

For a moment, Jian Muyu thought she saw a trace of hurt in Xi Peijue’s eyes.

He… felt hurt?

How could that be?!

She must have been mistaken!

Xi Peijue didn’t even like her—how could he possibly feel hurt because of her leaving?

Most likely, it was his pride as a man that had been trampled on.

“President Xi, those things are long in the past. I don’t like recalling them, and I hope you’ll forget them soon as well.” Jian Muyu’s tone was icy.

“Forget? You’ve already forgotten?” Xi Peijue sneered.

“Yes!”

“Jian Muyu, I’ve never met a woman as heartless as you!” His gaze seemed as if it could pierce straight through her.

“Right back at you.” Jian Muyu smiled lightly, then added, “My husband is calling me. President Xi, please excuse me.”

With that, she walked away.

As Jian Muyu brushed past him, Xi Peijue’s hand twitched slightly at his side—almost as if he wanted to stop her.

But in the end, he did nothing.

He could only stand there and watch helplessly as her figure moved through the crowd and returned to Pei Yichen’s side.

Standing next to that man, Jian Muyu’s smile blossomed like a flower, her eyes gentle and soft.

So completely different from the sharp-tongued woman she was in front of him.

Once, she had been just as gentle as water when facing him.

Now, she was like a hedgehog, all her barbs pointed at him.

The stark contrast between past and present only fanned the agitation already burning in Xi Peijue’s chest.

Did she really not mind Pei Yichen’s closeness at all?!

“Well, well, our mighty President Xi has turned into a lovesick rock… and for his ex-wife, no less?” Duan Qianhao strolled over slowly with a wine glass in hand, his tone dripping with mischief.

Naturally, his smug look earned him a cold, lethal glare from Xi Peijue.

But Duan Qianhao was long used to it. Instead of backing down, he leaned lazily against the railing, swirling his wine and looking toward Jian Muyu and Pei Yichen.

“They do look rather well-matched,” he remarked, nodding in mock approval.

“If you don’t need your eyes, you can donate them to someone who does.” Xi Peijue ground the words out between his teeth.

“Come on, she’s your ex-wife. No need to get this worked up, right?” Duan Qianhao was most used to seeing Xi Peijue’s unreadable, lifeless façade.

His greatest amusement in life was trying to rip off that mask.

At the mention of “ex-wife,” Xi Peijue’s gaze sharpened into something razor-edged.

“Ahem.” Duan Qianhao coughed, realizing he might’ve pushed too far. After all, a tiger was still a tiger.

He straightened his posture slightly.

“Fine, fine. Not ex-wife then—Madam Xi, how’s that?”

Those three words, Madam Xi, did make Xi Peijue’s expression soften a little.

“By the way, have you gotten to the truth of why Jian Muyu left back then?” Duan Qianhao asked.

“No.” At the topic, Xi Peijue’s eyes dimmed.

He had just tried probing her.

But her lips had been sealed tight—not a single useful clue had slipped through.

“Hah, first time I’ve ever seen you come up empty-handed. Looks like only Jian Muyu has the power to do that.” Duan Qianhao glanced through the crowd at her standing beside Pei Yichen, a playful glint in his eye.

Xi Peijue’s gaze followed.

The two figures side by side made his eyes sting with irritation.

He lifted his glass and downed the red wine in one shot.

But even that couldn’t suppress the storm in his chest.

His dark eyes stayed fixed on her figure in the hall, as if trying to bore straight through her.

Jian Muyu knew Xi Peijue was watching her, but she never once turned back.

She simply stayed at Pei Yichen’s side.

And yet, her thoughts couldn’t help but drift far away.

“Wow, that’s Xi Peijue, isn’t it? He’s so handsome!” A group of women behind her were buzzing with chatter.

“He really is. Standing next to him makes Young Master Pei look second-rate.”

“Of course! Why else would he top Kyoto’s list of most eligible diamond bachelors year after year?”

At that, Jian Muyu’s brows furrowed slightly.

Bachelor?

After all these years, he still hadn’t married Liu Yinyin?

“So what if he’s a bachelor? He’s utterly devoted,” one of them sighed.

“Devoted? You mean you know the inside story?” That perked everyone’s ears up.

“Well, you should know—the Xi and Liu families are two of Kyoto’s four great houses, so naturally they’ve been close for generations.”

“And in the Liu family’s generation, there’s only one young lady: Liu Yinyin.”

“She’s beautiful, well-bred, and by all accounts bewitched both Xi Peijue and his elder brother.” The woman spoke smoothly.

“His elder brother? But didn’t he already…” someone whispered.

“That’s right. Xi Peijue’s brother died—on his wedding day with Liu Yinyin.”

“Their union was supposed to be the perfect match. Who could’ve predicted such a tragic ending?”

“But Liu Yinyin is a woman of deep feeling. Even though Xi Tianze died, she still chose to give birth to their child. All these years, she’s remained in the Xi household.”

“And Xi Peijue has cared for her meticulously, never sparing another woman so much as a glance.”

“Honestly, a man this handsome, and this faithful? It makes you hate him in a way.”

“…”

Everyone sighed at the story.

“So really, no one could possibly steal this man’s heart.”

“Exactly. The reason he’s stayed unmarried all these years is because he’s waiting for Liu Yinyin to say yes.”

“So you mean Liu Yinyin still hasn’t agreed to marry him?”

“Most likely. Even though the wedding back then never happened, Xi Tianze still stands between them.”

“But I heard from my mother that Madam Xi has been checking hotel schedules for a big event lately. What other happy occasion could it be, except their wedding?”

“If that’s true, half the women in Kyoto will be heartbroken.”

“Heartbroken over what? He doesn’t even know we exist. Men born at the very top of the world—we’re lucky just to look.”

“True enough. Let’s feast our eyes while we can.”

“…”

Listening to their chatter, Jian Muyu felt her chest tightening, the air inside her lungs growing heavier.

So, his love for Liu Yinyin was already common knowledge.

So, in their story, she didn’t even deserve to be mentioned by name.

Heh…

How utterly ridiculous.