Chapter 11: The Truth About the Miscarriage on a Rainy Night, He Only Penalized the Assistant Half a Year's Bonus

She rose to leave, but was pressed back down by Chu Li.

"Chu Li?" Qin Xingwan asked, puzzled.

They had had such an unpleasant time during the day.

She could not accept such intimacy.

She rose again, and was once again pulled back down by Chu Li.

This time, Chu Li used force, and she fell onto him, their posture intimate and ambiguous.

The man's broad, thick palm pressed against her waist, making it impossible for her to rise again.

Qin Xingwan grew somewhat annoyed; she raised her eyes and looked at her husband coldly: "Is this fun?"

Chu Li lowered his head to kiss her, lingering and passionate.

Yet, Qin Xingwan neither refused nor responded.

Chu Li lost interest and tilted his head back, releasing Qin Xingwan's lips.

He raised his hand to gently stroke her long hair, his voice low and hoarse from passion: "Xingwan, isn't it good to be a wealthy lady at home?"

He was willing to grant her such a noble status and supreme wealth.

As long as she obediently listened to him.

Qin Xingwan lowered her head; the book in her hands was already closed, and the two characters for "Perfume Blending" on the cover caught her eye.

She thought that if she truly wanted to be an obedient wealthy lady, she would have quit two years ago when Chu Li secured his inheritance from among all those uncles and illegitimate children.

Having spent three years together, Chu Li still did not understand her.

Or perhaps, he had never deigned to understand her.

He did not know how much she loved perfume blending, nor did he know how much the process of different scents intertwining to create a new fragrance fascinated her.

She sat up from him slowly, her fair fingers running through her black hair, smoothing it out in a leisurely manner.

"Chu Li, I have no objection to you supporting Qin Yun Shu," she said gently and faintly, her expression serene.

It was just like three years ago when they had first married; they were strangers to each other, yet suddenly they had the most intimate relationship in the world under the law.

At that time, she was just like this.

Speaking in soft whispers, smiling gently, yet always maintaining a distance.

Chu Li was expressionless; the orange light faded, the warmth vanished, and in its place was a stifling, suppressed anger.

He did not want to see this version of Qin Xingwan.

What he wanted was a wife with a vivid personality who would reveal her smiles before him.

Qin Xingwan placed the book back on the shelf, her white skirt hem swaying in the dim space before settling into stillness.

She said softly: "I have placed the divorce agreement on the table; you can take a look."

She thought for a moment and added: "I don't want your assets, but I want to take the company's Twenty-Four Solar Terms Perfume with me."

This was her only condition.

She would not leave behind something into which she had poured her heart and soul for Qin Yun Shu.

After a dull sound, the study door was shut tight, and Chu Li's handsome face was so gloomy it seemed ink was about to drip from it.

He raised his hand to cover his forehead and sat quietly for a long time.

Outside the window, scattered raindrops fell, dark clouds rolled across the night sky, and the heavy rain arrived.

After washing up, Qin Xingwan lay down, and there was a message from Lin Qingya on her phone.

Lin Qingya knew Qin Xingwan had resigned and was cursing Chu Li in righteous indignation, and she invited Qin Xingwan to her studio tomorrow, saying she wanted to make two more outfits for her.

Qin Xingwan felt a warmth in her heart, and she didn't feel quite as miserable anymore.

Putting down her phone, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

In the middle of the night, Qin Xingwan woke up with a start.

Lightning flashed, followed immediately by a thunderclap.

Qin Xingwan clutched the quilt tightly, her face turning pale in the dim room; she didn't know where a damp chill had come from, gradually becoming sticky and making it difficult to breathe.

The thunder grew louder, and pain darted through her bones, spreading into her limbs and skeleton.

Qin Xingwan clutched her stomach, curled up on the bed, her teeth biting hard into her pale lips.

It was as if she had returned to that night.

"The child," she murmured in pain, her whole body trembling, "save the child."

"Chu Li, save the child."

"My child..."

Each painful sob was wrapped in despair.

"Wake up, Xingwan."

"You're having a nightmare."

An anxious voice rang out, piercing through the thunder.

Qin Xingwan opened her eyes abruptly, meeting a familiar, handsome face.

Chu Li held her half in his arms, anxiously calling her name: "Xingwan."

Qin Xingwan's mind was still in chaos, and the pain seemed to linger on her body; her fair fingers subconsciously gripped Chu Li's clothes tightly, and she begged him in a panic and agony.

"Chu Li, my stomach hurts so much, please save the child."

A flash of heartache crossed Chu Li's face; knowing his wife hadn't yet recovered from the nightmare, he hugged her even tighter to soothe her.

"I'm here, Xingwan."

"I am here."

Another crack of thunder sounded.

Qin Xingwan's body suddenly stiffened; she had broken free from the nightmare.

With the tear tracks on her face still wet, she pulled the quilt over and lay down on her side.

Chu Li pressed in from behind, wrapped his arms around her waist, and held his wife in his embrace from behind.

"Xingwan, sleep; I am watching over you."

Qin Xingwan shifted her body, moving to the side; she did not want to be so close to him.

But the next second, she was pulled back by Chu Li.

He forcefully gripped her wrists, not allowing her to break free, and leaned down to kiss her.

It was gentle and slow, with a strong sense of comfort.

Qin Xingwan refused.

She pushed him away hard, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Chu Li kissed her tears, his heart feeling stifled.

In the end, he did not continue.

His palm stroked her long hair, and his voice was hoarse with emotion: "I have already caught the people who kidnapped you; do you want to go and see them?"

He thought that perhaps if Qin Xingwan saw their miserable state, she would feel better.

Qin Xingwan turned her back to him and coldly refused: "I won't go."

Chu Li held her shoulders and turned her over, making her face him: "The matter of your kidnapping was because Assistant Xu did not investigate it clearly."

"I docked half a year of his bonus."

Qin Xingwan did not make a sound, her black-and-white eyes quietly watching Chu Li.

She really wanted to laugh.

His assistant failed to uncover the truth about her miscarriage on that stormy night, and he only docked half a year of his bonus.

Then what did the pain she suffered count for?

When it all came down to it, it was still because of him.

He did not value her as his wife, so the people around him were extremely perfunctory toward her.

He did not understand, did not comprehend, and would not even admit his mistake.

Lowering her eyes to hide the disappointment and sarcasm in them, Qin Xingwan turned her head to look out the window.

The lightning continued, making the night sky flicker between light and dark.

She said softly: "I want to sleep."

Chu Li was silent for a few seconds, then said "alright" in a hoarse voice.

He let go of her shoulders and allowed her to lie on her side with her back to him.

His eyes were filled with a chill; he felt guilty about the matter of the child, yet he also felt uncomfortable because of her attitude.

People always have to look forward, but she was unwilling.

The next day, Qin Xingwan woke up very late; when she went downstairs, the servant brought over breakfast.

"Sir has gone out to work, and he instructed me to cook the millet porridge that Madam loves most."

Qin Xingwan nodded and sat at the dining table to eat breakfast.

The servant then brought over a bowl of stewed soup: "The Chinese medicine was sent over by Sir early this morning; he instructed me to decoct it, saying he specifically found an old Chinese doctor to write the prescription to replenish your Qi and blood, Madam."

Her tone was full of envy for Qin Xingwan.

Among couples in wealthy families, few husbands could be so considerate toward their wives.

Moreover, Sir is so young, and women outside are lining up waiting to throw themselves at him, yet Sir is single-minded and loves only Madam alone.