Chapter 358: Won't you explain?

Xia Xuan felt inexplicably anxious, her fingers gripping the phone tightly, she said to the driver, 'Can you drive faster?'

Unfortunately, it was rush hour, traffic jammed for a while, until the sky turned completely dark, and the neon lights became especially bright.

Xia Xuan didn't call again, anxiously looking out the window as streetlights receded; finally, the familiar residential complex gate came into view. She used her phone to scan and pay the fare, then opened the car door and got out.

A few people returning from work dragged their weary steps toward the complex; she didn't see Chen Songbai among them, and she slowly followed in, clutching the access card in her palm.

She swiped the building's main door open, Xia Xuan gripped her bag strap and walked into the elevator.

The elderly lady from the same building, holding a brown little Teddy, glanced at Xia Xuan, recognized her, and said, 'I haven't seen you in a few days.'

Xia Xuan was in low spirits, she gave a slight smile, and politely replied, 'Yeah, I've been staying at my mother's place these days.'

'Oh, is that so?' the elderly lady said with a smiling squint, 'I haven't seen your husband for a few days either; I thought you two went on a trip.'

Xia Xuan didn't know why, but she let out a breath: 'He hasn't come back for a few days either?'

'He came back today,' the elderly lady said, 'Before dinner I went to the complex supermarket to buy soy sauce, and when I came out I happened to run into him, and we greeted each other.'

After exchanging a few words, the elevator stopped; the elderly lady tugged the dog leash, and the little Teddy followed her out of the elevator.

The elevator doors closed, it continued up two floors to the level where Xia Xuan lived. Her breathing felt a bit uneven; she stared blankly for a few seconds before stepping out, the elderly lady's words drifting in her mind.

Before dinner, Chen Songbai had already returned; presumably he wasn't busy, yet he didn't answer her calls, nor reply to her messages.

Xia Xuan fished out her keys from her bag, inserted them into the lock, opened the door, changed into slippers at the entryway, and indeed saw the pair of leather shoes Chen Songbai often wore on the shoe rack. She walked in wearing her flip-flops, making a 'pat-pat' sound; the living room was quiet, with no one present.

'Songbai?'

Xia Xuan called out once, no one responded; she scanned around, her gaze suddenly pausing as several dishes were laid out on the dining table. She walked over slowly; they were all hometown dishes Chen Songbai loved, which she had specially learned to cook for him, but it was obvious these weren't authentic.

For a moment, Xia Xuan thought it was her mother-in-law who had come from their hometown.

Her toe suddenly kicked something, which rolled around with a clattering sound. Xia Xuan looked down—it was a red wine bottle lying on the floor, the remaining purplish-red wine spilling out as it rolled.

Xia Xuan crouched, lifted the bottle upright, took several paper towels, stacked them together, and wiped the floor clean. Her fingers were stained by the wine-soaked paper towels, feeling icy cold. She doesn't drink red wine, and Chen Songbai hardly does either; there was no red wine at home.

Xia Xuan dazed for a moment, stood up, tossed the paper towels into the trash bin, and noticed two sets of chopsticks on the table.

Possibly Chen Songbai and Miao Yijia had eaten dinner together; where are they now?

Xia Xuan temporarily left the leftover food on the table untouched and went elsewhere to look for someone.

On the balcony hung a few pieces of clothing—Miao Yijia's skirt and underwear—swaying in the breeze.

Sweat trickled down her cheeks; Xia Xuan raised her hand to wipe it off, just then a sound came from the bedroom. She was puzzled when the door was pulled open from inside. Miao Yijia stepped out wearing a lotus-pink lace camisole sleep dress, one strap slipping from her shoulder and hanging on her arm.

She looked as if she had just woken up, her hair slightly messy, eyes unfocused.

Xia Xuan stared at her, surprise and doubt appearing on her face simultaneously; she remained silent for a long while, waiting for Miao Yijia to voluntarily explain why she had come out of her bedroom.

She remembered she had prepared a guest room for her. Could it be that during these days she was away, Miao Yijia had been sleeping in the master bedroom?

Xia Xuan felt somewhat angry because of the other's lack of propriety; normal guests know at least basic etiquette when visiting someone else's home. She couldn't even be sure whether Miao Yijia had touched any of her other belongings.

Miao Yijia stayed silent for a long time; Xia Xuan grew impatient, furrowed her brows, and with a somewhat fierce tone demanded, 'Won't you explain? Why are you in my bedroom? Were you sleeping in there?'

Miao Yijia still didn't speak; she shifted a step to the side, her fingers touching her own neck, her eyes looking elsewhere—her expression and movements all seemed unnatural.

Xia Xuan was truly exasperated; was she feeling guilty?

'You...'

Just as she uttered a single word, Xia Xuan looked through the open door into the room and saw a person lying on the bed, far away and with an unclear face, but from the silhouette it was easy to recognize Chen Songbai.

Her throat caught for a moment; Xia Xuan froze, then stumbled back in disbelief.

Miao Yijia's face was very pale; only now did panic show, she blinked and a large crystal tear rolled down. She had a delicate appearance; when she cried she seemed somewhat frail, pitifully endearing.

Xia Xuan still refused to believe the absurd thought flashing into her mind; they were siblings, cousins counted as siblings too—how could this be… she must be overthinking.

Xia Xuan rushed into the bedroom; Chen Songbai was sleeping deeply, his breathing somewhat heavy, as if he'd drunk too much liquor. A corner of the blanket lay over him, he wore only underwear. Xia Xuan's gaze flickered; she called his name several times, but he didn't wake.

At the doorway, Miao Yijia sobbed, saying, 'He... he got drunk.'

Hearing her voice, Xia Xuan snapped her head back, suppressing a surge of nausea: 'You... you...' Her chest rose and fall, the words twisting on her lips, but she couldn't get them out.

Xia Xuan still remembered the doctor's advice: keep her mood calm, avoid extreme emotional swings. From birth to now, she had undergone several surgeries; her fragile heart had been patched up and broken repeatedly, always a burden to her family. When something happened to the family years ago, Xia Xi had sacrificed a great deal to raise funds for her surgery.

She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, ran to the bathroom and fetched a basin of cold water, without worrying that this would wet the items on the bed, and splashed it directly onto Chen Songbai's face.

Witnessing this, Miao Yijia was so shocked she lost her voice, even forgetting to cry; tears hung comically from her lower eyelid.

Chen Songbai was awakened by the splash, his head dizzy and swollen as he struggled to sit up, he shook his head, water went up his nose, he coughed violently a few times, his vision cleared from murky to lucid, and Xia Xuan's ashen face came into view.

'... Xiao Xuan?' he called out in a hoarse voice.

Xia Xuan's hand went limp, the basin fell to the floor; she held back tears, opening and closing her mouth several times, her voice hoarse: 'Aren't you going to explain things clearly to me?'

Just waking up, Chen Songbai's head felt foggy; he had no idea what had happened, he glanced at Xia Xuan, then at the scantily clad Miao Yijia beside him, and his nerves twitched.

Only then did he realize he was wearing nothing but underwear; Chen Songbai pulled the summer-cool blanket from the bed to cover his body. The blanket was soaked, dripping water, but it was better than being naked.

Xia Xuan's gaze fell to the bed; on the light yellow sheets were conspicuous specks of blood. Suddenly her vision darkened, the nausea overwhelming, she felt like vomiting.

Chen Songbai's face was still wet, his eyes full of bewilderment: 'Xiao Xuan, you...'

'Don't call me that,' Xia Xuan said with a numb expression, pointing at Miao Yijia, 'Don't you know what you've done?'

Chen Songbai shook his head, not understanding her words; Miao Yijia suddenly burst into loud sobs, her voice hoarse: 'I'm sorry… I shouldn't have… shouldn't have urged you to drink. I didn't know this would happen, what should I do?'

She spoke while crying, haltingly.

Xia Xuan had already pieced together the whole story from her brief words; the last sliver of hopeful thinking was shattered, forcing her to face the absurd reality. She clenched her trembling lips; the pink of her lips turned paler than her face, she seemed insensible, biting straight through until her lips split, blood beads seeping out, and she tasted a metallic tang in her mouth.

Chen Songbai's eyelashes fluttered wildly, an expression of panic, as if he'd heard something horrifying. He stared intently at the incessantly sobbing Miao Yijia: 'What are you saying?'