Chapter 3729

These past few days, Chen Xuehai has also been feeling somewhat distressed. Of course, he has heard the rumors about his wife and Su Xinghui. To be honest, in his heart, he does not believe there is anything between the two of them. He understands Su Xinghui very well; Su Xinghui is a man of open and honorable character. Back in Baozhou, weren't there similar rumors? Yet, facts later proved that those were all groundless fabrications.

During this period, Su Xinghui and Chen Xuehai have met quite often, because Chen Xuehai's auditing work requires him to report to Su Xinghui at any time. Chen Xuehai has never seen Su Xinghui display any sense of a guilty conscience. If a person were having an affair with another man's wife, it would be impossible for him to act that way.

However, Chen Xuehai sees Zhu Yue less and less these days. Zhu Yue is too busy; she often stays at the Industrial Park's Management Committee office because there are too many enterprises coming to invest in the Canglong Electronic High-Tech Industrial Park. Sometimes, when Zhu Yue gets busy, she works until very late, so she simply stays overnight at the Management Committee.

Even when Zhu Yue does return home, she often says she is tired and goes to sleep early. Chen Xuehai cannot find a moment to be intimate with her. Seeing Zhu Yue fall asleep the moment she lies down, Chen Xuehai feels both heartache and a sense of grievance. They are still a young couple, after all; he has physiological needs, too. His work pressure is also very high, and he needs his wife's tenderness for comfort.

Zhu Yue's appearance is very elegant, her voice is delicate, and she looks very gentle. But in reality, Chen Xuehai knows she is a workaholic. Once she gets busy, she ignores everything else. Such a person is certainly a competent, or even outstanding, cadre, but as a wife, she is not quite as competent.

This leads Chen Xuehai to spend many nights in insomnia. Through the long, long nights, his beautiful wife sleeps beside him, yet he can only lie there with eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling all night long.

Under such circumstances, one can imagine what kind of thoughts Chen Xuehai has when he hears such rumors again. A suspicion toward his wife, like an insect that creeps into every crevice, gnaws at his heart, making him unable to stop himself from wondering: are the things said in those rumors actually true?

Did Zhu Yue take the initiative to request a cadre exchange to Linshan, and take the initiative to put down roots in Linshan, because she was as simple as she claimed? In the Management Committee office, she talks with Mayor Su alone for so long—could something else be happening? She often doesn't come home—is she already tired of him?

Chen Xuehai actually feels somewhat inferior in front of Zhu Yue. His family background is average, and his appearance is unremarkable, while Zhu Yue is tall and beautiful. Anyone would say their marriage is like a fresh flower stuck in cow dung. Especially in recent years, Zhu Yue's rank has risen again and again, far surpassing Chen Xuehai's. Even though Chen Xuehai has been promoted by one level now, he is still one level lower than Zhu Yue.

Moreover, according to the development trend of the Canglong Electronic High-Tech Industrial Park, there is a very high hope that Zhu Yue will be promoted to the deputy-department level within a year or two. By then, the gap between the two will widen even further.

When Chen Xuehai thinks about those rumors—saying his promotion is because Zhu Yue gave him a green hat and this is Su Xinghui's compensation to him—his heart feels as if it is being cut by a knife.

Of course, Chen Xuehai still loves his wife; he has always loved her. It was she who, disregarding the huge gap in their conditions at the time, insisted on marrying him. It was she who, for so many years, shared weal and woe with him and bore him a child. When she gave birth, she had a difficult labor and almost didn't make it off the delivery table.

Chen Xuehai is willing to do anything for her and endure any grievance. Therefore, when Zhu Yue requested to go to Linshan for a cadre exchange, he agreed without hesitation for the sake of her future. And, even when his parents didn't understand, he fully supported her decision. Any other husband might not have agreed to such a thing.

Now, Chen Xuehai has heard such things; there is no need to mention how painful he feels inside.

However, Chen Xuehai knows he cannot show even the slightest bit of this in front of Zhu Yue. He also cannot be like other husbands and make an unreasonable scene. He warns himself in his heart that this is just someone else's conspiracy, wanting to spread rumors about Mayor Su, which is why they released such gossip. He must absolutely not fall for it; if he falls for it, then he would be stupid to the core.

Chen Xuehai is certainly not stupid. The process by which he heard the rumors was far too deliberate—so deliberate that he knows all of this was arranged by someone. And as for who such an arrangement is targeting, there is no need to say.

Therefore, these past few days, Chen Xuehai has been silently enduring this distress, acting as if nothing happened, going to work and coming home as usual every day, and working hard.

This day, when Chen Xuehai returned home from work, he saw his wife's leather shoes at the door. He also heard the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen. His heart filled with joy; this must mean his wife is back. No matter what rumors he has heard, his love for his wife is beyond question. His wife's return fills his heart with surprise and joy.

The floor in the living room is mopped clean, and two dishes are already set on the dining table. It seems his wife returned very early today. But isn't she busy today? This leaves Chen Xuehai with some doubts. He carries his briefcase and stands stunned at the door.

Zhu Yue hears the sound of Chen Xuehai opening the door from the kitchen. She calls out, "Hubby, you're back?"

Zhu Yue's voice is very delicate and pleasant to hear, comparable to the voices of professional broadcasters. Her gentle call of "Hubby" makes Chen Xuehai's heart melt. He cannot bother to think about anything else and replies, "Zhu Yue, you're back?"

Zhu Yue comes out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food. Today, she is wearing home pajamas and slippers, but even pajamas cannot hide her good figure. She rolls her eyes at Chen Xuehai and says, "I called you hubby, what should you call me?"