Volume One, Chapter 26: Su Wanqing! You’d Better Not Regret This.

At seven-thirty in the morning, Su Wanqing finished a night of studying.

After researching and reviewing previous cases, she no longer felt as confused about Xie Kexin’s condition as she did when she first found out yesterday. Her worries had eased considerably.

She quickly freshened up and then went to check on her daughter. Xie Kexin was still asleep. Beside her, Zheng Lu was also resting; due to the unexpected events last night, Xu Jiang had specially granted her leave today, so she didn’t need to wake up early.

With her beloved daughter and best friend nearby, and the imminent chance to break free from Xie Yancheng, Su Wanqing’s spirits were exceptionally high.

She gently closed Xie Kexin’s bedroom door, hummed a tune, and went to the kitchen to prepare a bowl of Xie Kexin’s favorite—tomato and egg hand-pulled noodles.

Zheng Lu had a taste for strong flavors, even at breakfast; she liked something spicy. Plus, after staying up all night, Su Wanqing needed something to perk herself up. Using the ingredients on hand, she made a bowl of double pepper egg noodles.

As she prepared the ingredients for the two noodle dishes, she heard someone come out behind her.

Turning around, she saw Zheng Lu stretching and sniffing the aroma as she approached. “Qingqing, what are you making? It smells amazing!”

Before marrying into the Xie family, Su Wanqing had always enjoyed cooking and often made meals for Zheng Lu.

After marrying Xie Yancheng, although there were servants, when he was away, the servants wouldn’t prepare meals for her and Xie Kexin, so she had to fend for herself. Moreover, to please Xie Yancheng, she had even sought lessons from a five-star chef. Now her culinary skills were so refined that she could easily open a shop and attract a loyal clientele.

As the water boiled for the noodles, Zheng Lu already picked up some double pepper sauce with her chopsticks and tasted it. Her previously sleepy eyes instantly brightened, and she gave a thumbs-up repeatedly. “Wow! This is incredible! These noodles are amazing! I’ll wash up and come right over!”

Her exaggerated reaction was like discovering an extraordinary delicacy and successfully made Su Wanqing laugh.

After a simple breakfast, Su Wanqing glanced at the time—eight o’clock.

Usually, whenever Xie Yancheng set a time, she would arrive early, worried he might be anxious. But today, exhausted from staying up all night and with torrential rain outside, she figured arriving by nine would suffice.

Returning to the bathroom, she looked at her face. The bruises from being hit by Su Guoxing last night were almost gone, but the heavy dark circles under her eyes showed the toll of the sleepless night.

Feeling upbeat today, she applied a light touch of makeup.

“I’m heading out,” she said, picking up her bag and addressing Zheng Lu and her daughter.

Zheng Lu raised her hand to wave goodbye, then caught sight of Su Wanqing’s rare makeup and looked momentarily stunned.

Su Wanqing was naturally striking—fair-skinned with bright, almond-shaped eyes, a perfectly sculpted, slightly upturned nose that even cosmetic surgery couldn’t replicate, and cherry-red, plump lips. Today, the bold red lipstick added an extra edge to her aura.

She disliked curling or dyeing her hair, preferring the simple, sleek black length that perfectly complemented her makeup. Although she wore an ordinary camel-colored suit and a white long skirt, her presence exuded the air of haute couture.

“You look stunning!” Zheng Lu didn’t hold back her praise. “That bastard Xie Yancheng will probably be stunned when he sees you!”

She then picked up Xie Kexin. “Kexin, look at how beautiful Mom is today!”

Initially annoyed at being disturbed, Xie Kexin blinked when she saw Su Wanqing and said, “Mom!”

Though she could only say two words, Su Wanqing understood it as a sign of approval.

She softly approached and stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Kexin, you’ve been good at home with your godmother today. Mom will be back after handling some things.”

Zheng Lu reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of my goddaughter!”

Meanwhile, Xie Yancheng looked as if he had aged five years overnight.

Last night, when he noticed Su Wanqing had blocked him, a strange fury welled up inside him.

In his eyes, Su Wanqing was a dog that came whenever called, and he was its master—how could a dog not recognize its owner?

At first, he forced himself not to care, but the more he tried not to, the more his mind lingered on it.

Besides, her presence was everywhere in the house.

Her skincare products sat on the bathroom counter; her towel hung on the rack; even the sheets on the bed seemed to carry her scent.

Xie Yancheng refused to admit that he was more upset about Su Wanqing leaving first than she was about him. He went to his study to bury himself in work.

But as soon as he sat down, he saw his daughter’s photo on the desk and some scraps of paper with Su Wanqing’s handwriting.

Frustrated, he threw everything away, even tossing his daughter’s photo into the trash.

He was Xie Yancheng, heir of the Xie family. Now that the woman he truly loved, Su Wanning, had returned, Su Wanqing should be sensible enough to pack up and leave his house.

He should be happy.

Yet, until midnight, his chest felt as if a massive stone was pressing down on him, making him miserable.

He opened Su Wanqing’s WeChat profile picture then closed it, and finally couldn’t help but call her.

The phone rang once before he quickly hung up, pretending it was a misdial, hoping she would call him back.

But ten minutes passed with no answer, then half an hour, still nothing.

An hour later, he could no longer bear it and called again. This time, he didn’t hang up—but the line was off.

Xie Yancheng’s face tensed as he realized Su Wanqing had turned off her phone to avoid him.

At that moment, not only was his heart blocked by a stone, but a fire blazed beneath it, a fierce rage surging to his temples.

He kept calling her until his phone was nearly dead, finally accepting she wouldn’t turn it back on.

Furious to the point of laughter, he slammed his phone on the ground. “Su Wanqing! You’d better not regret this!”

He stayed like that until six o’clock, when his phone finally rang.

“Hmph, I thought you really had some backbone...” he scoffed, deliberately waiting until the call was about to drop before answering, his tone dripping with “I knew it.”

Last night, she must have encountered something that prevented her from answering; otherwise, why would she call him first thing upon waking?

“Brother Yancheng, who are you talking to?” came a gentle voice from the other end—it was Su Wanning.

Xie Yancheng’s grip tightened on the phone as he glanced at the screen, surprised it was really Su Wanning, not Su Wanqing.

Irritation bubbled up, but he sat up, pinched the bridge of his nose, and cleared his throat. “Oh, nothing. Why are you calling me so early?”

Su Wanning smiled softly. “I dreamed about you last night.”

She actually wanted to remind Xie Yancheng about going to the civil affairs bureau today to get the divorce finalized, but she chose a subtle way to say it.

Xie Yancheng chatted with her for two hours, then finally said, “I’m heading to the civil affairs bureau now. Talk later.”