After The Divorce, My Dad Was Abused and Cried - Chapter 35

It was Duan Qianhao.

Xi Peijue stayed silent for a moment before finally picking up the call.

“Xi Peijue, what’s going on with Jian Muyu?” As soon as the line connected, Duan Qianhao’s voice rang out, full of confusion.

“What do you mean what’s going on?” At the mention of Jian Muyu’s name, Xi Peijue instinctively glanced out the car window.

There was already no trace of her.

His brows instantly furrowed.

“He just sent me a red packet, said it was your cab fare,” Duan Qianhao explained.

“Red packet?” Xi Peijue’s grip on the phone tightened.

“Yeah, two hundred fifty yuan. Said it was for your cab fare. Is she… calling you an idiot?” Duan Qianhao struggled to hold back his laughter.

Xi Peijue: “……”

Two hundred fifty?

Well done!

He deeply regretted letting her walk away so easily just now.

“But bro, is your ‘driving skill’ that bad? You managed to piss the beauty off so much she had to send me money just to insult you.”

“I told you before, you need to come out with me and see the world more often. But you wouldn’t listen. And now look—got rejected, didn’t you?” Duan Qianhao’s tone was dripping with mock sympathy.

“Get your filthy mind out of the gutter. She literally meant cab fare!”

Of course Xi Peijue could hear the innuendo in his words. His teeth clenched as he spoke.

“I know, I know. Purely just cab fare,” Duan Qianhao deliberately dragged out the last few words.

Know your ass!

Xi Peijue cursed inwardly and hung up the call.

Ooh, he’s mad.

On the other end, Duan Qianhao’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

It had been a long time since he’d seen Xi Peijue this flustered.

Jian Muyu…

Duan Qianhao savored the name, his gaze flickering with something unspoken.

When Xi Peijue first brought Jian Muyu back, he’d thought the same as everyone else—

That Xi Peijue must’ve been heartbroken, gone self-destructive, and married some random nobody.

But Jian Muyu had been gone all these years, and he still hadn’t married Liu Yinyin.

Now, upon their reunion, based on his understanding of Xi Peijue—

After what Jian Muyu did, the mildest outcome should’ve been him grinding her bones to dust.

And yet, she was still alive and kicking.

Xi Peijue had even willingly played chauffeur for her.

Maybe they had all been wrong.

Maybe Xi Peijue’s feelings for Jian Muyu had never disappeared at all…

If his guess was right, then…

Duan Qianhao’s eyes flickered. He forwarded the 250-yuan red packet Jian Muyu had sent him straight to Xi Peijue.

After sending it, he kept staring at his phone screen.

But the other side stayed quiet.

Did he guess wrong?

Duan Qianhao’s eyes narrowed.

And then, the red packet was accepted.

He burst out laughing.

So much for self-control.

After pocketing the money, Xi Peijue’s expression didn’t relax in the slightest.

Jian Muyu had deleted his WeChat, but kept Duan Qianhao’s.

In her heart, was he really beneath Duan Qianhao?

Xi Peijue clenched his jaw, then promptly blocked Duan Qianhao’s WeChat.

——

When Xi Peijue returned to Chengyuan, he found an uninvited guest waiting.

“What are you doing here?” His brows furrowed at the sight of Liu Yinyin.

The last time she drugged him had already drained away the very last of his patience.

“Peijue, I didn’t mean it last time. I was just too anxious…” Liu Yinyin softened her voice.

She had given in.

Before, she thought that getting He Jinyu to intervene would make Xi Peijue forgive her.

But he still hadn’t contacted her.

She had lost.

So now, she had come to apologize!

“I already made it clear to you. If you want to stay in the Xi family, the Xi family won’t mistreat you. I’ll treat you according to the standards of the Xi family’s eldest daughter-in-law.

“If you want to leave and remarry, I’ll prepare a generous dowry for you.

“But beyond that, don’t expect anything else. I can’t give it.” Xi Peijue’s tone left no room for negotiation.

His tolerance toward her stemmed only from the guilt he felt toward his late elder brother.

Liu Yinyin’s teeth nearly cracked from clenching so hard, but she forced a smile anyway.

“Alright, I understand. I won’t overstep again.” Right now, the most important thing was to win back Xi Peijue’s forgiveness.

As for the future, she could think about that later.

“You’d better remember what you said today. If there’s a next time, I’ll send you back to the Liu family without hesitation.” Xi Peijue’s words were sharp and final.

“…Okay.” Liu Yinyin tightened her fists and nodded.

Just then, the butler came in.

“Young Master…” His expression was hesitant.

“What is it?” Xi Peijue shifted his gaze from Liu Yinyin to him.

“Young Master Xiao has been in the study all day. Perhaps you should take a look?” the butler said cautiously.

“He’s causing trouble again?” Xi Peijue frowned.

These past couple of days, Xi Xiaoyan had been unusually well-behaved. He thought maybe the boy had turned over a new leaf. But apparently, it hadn’t lasted.

“Not exactly. He’s just been sitting in the study reading.”

And that was even more worrying.

Previously, their young master was the most restless kid around.

He couldn’t sit still even three seconds at the dining table.

But today, he had sat in the study reading all day long without moving once.

The butler had peeked in several times—he hadn’t even shifted positions.

It was downright uncanny.

Xi Peijue’s eyes darkened slightly at the words. He was about to head upstairs when Liu Yinyin spoke up.

“Why don’t I try?”

Xi Peijue glanced at her.

“I’m Xiaoyan’s mommy. He’ll open up to me more easily.” Liu Yinyin said softly.

In truth, she couldn’t care less whether that brat lived or died.

This was just an excuse to worm her way back into staying.

“Go ahead then.” After a moment of consideration, Xi Peijue nodded.

“Great!” Liu Yinyin’s eyes lit up with delight, and she quickly went upstairs.

When she pushed open the study door, she immediately saw Jian Xiaozhan sitting quietly on the carpet.

He was silent, holding a thick foreign-language book in his hands.

The study was spotless, with no sign of anything being smashed.

So the brat had changed tactics this time.

At the sight of him, a flicker of disgust flashed through Liu Yinyin’s eyes.

But it vanished just as quickly.

Once inside, she closed the door behind her.

Then, impatiently, she kicked aside the pile of books Jian Xiaozhan had stacked beside him.

Sensing the movement, Jian Xiaozhan looked up.

But when he saw who was standing in front of him, his small brows furrowed in displeasure.

Why was it her again?