Fortunately, I Met You

At this point in Cheng Xi’s life, she had received countless love letters, and heard many confessions⁠—she was quite pretty, and her temperament was good; it was normal for her to be a target for many people, all right?

But those love letters and confessions rarely ever moved her.

Previously, she had thought that it was because she didn’t love any of the people professing their love to her. However, in this moment, she learned that moving confessions weren’t all that related with love; rather, it had more to do with the person’s character, with how sincere and earnest their feelings were.

Even though Lu Chenzhou’s expression was as calm as ever, just that tiny bit of sincerity from him was priceless.

Because he was suffering from emotional detachment!

Cheng Xi couldn’t speak for a moment, and Lu Chenzhou didn’t say anything either, because he was driving. But he could see that his words had touched Cheng Xi. Secretly, he thought to himself that, given her reaction, they could surely progress further in their relationship tonight, right?

And so, he narrowed his eyes and happily decided to speed up the progression of their relationship. Perhaps after they kissed, they would get into bed together or something. But Cheng Xi’s next words jerked him out of his fantasies. “Let’s go see Shen Wei.”

“……Hmm?”

He suspected that he had heard wrongly, but then Cheng Xi repeated her words, crisp and clear. “Let’s go see Shen Wei. She’s responding badly to her pregnancy, vomiting out everything she eats. You should know that she wasn’t feeling great before, and I’m somewhat worried about her.”

This was the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever been rendered speechless by Cheng Xi’s words. He simply could not fathom how his thinking about her and her worrying about Shen Wei were related.

Cheng Xi naturally couldn’t read his inner thoughts; she just instinctively felt that staying with him alone like this would be somewhat dangerous. And naturally, the best way to avoid danger was to run into a crowd.

She even used his earlier words against him. “Weren’t you okay with going to my house? Then you surely wouldn’t mind accompanying me to Shen Wei’s place, right?”

As she spoke, she slightly tilted her head towards him, purposefully revealing the small dimple on her left cheek that was so cute that it constantly tempted one to poke it. Lu Chenzhou tried to resist but was ultimately unable to do so; he stretched out a finger and poked her cheek lightly. “Did I invite you out so that I could accompany you to see someone else?”

Cheng Xi smiled and tossed out a rejoinder. “Watching a movie is also seeing someone else.”

……He couldn’t refute that!

And so, Lu Chenzhou bedgrudgingly accompanied Cheng Xi to see Shen Wei. Because she was still trying to divorce Fu Mingyi, Shen Wei was temporarily staying at her parents’ place. On the fourth day of the new year, most people’s houses would be crowded and festive, but the Shen family’s was unusually cold and quiet. Shen Wei’s brothers and sisters-in-law weren’t home, but Shen Wei’s parents were. Cheng Xi called to let them know beforehand, and when they arrived, she bluntly took two fruit baskets, two boxes of tea leaves, and a few beautifully packaged gift baskets from the pile of stuff that Lu Chenzhou had bought.

The two of them knocked on the door with their four hands filled with gifts, and when Shen Wei’s mother opened the door and saw them with their hands full, she was even a bit angry. “There’s no need to be so polite!” And then when she saw Lu Chenzhou, who was standing behind Cheng Xi, she became slightly shocked. “You’re from the Lu family, aren’t you?”

Lu Chenzhou was cold, but his behavior and manners were perfect. He nodded calmly. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you.”

It was a very reserved greeting.

Shen Wei’s mother’s gaze flicked back and forth between Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou a couple times, but in the end, she didn’t ask why the two had come together as Cheng Xi was already asking about Shen Wei’s condition. Shen Wei’s mother sighed remorsefully as she replied, “It would be all right if she was only suffering from nausea. However, she can’t sleep well either.” She remained silent for a moment before continuing to say, “The happier she smiles, the more worried I feel. Cheng Xi, is Shen Wei going to recover?”

Cheng Xi could only comfort her. “She’s doing this because she doesn’t want you two to worry. Do you know if she wants to keep the baby?”

Shen Wei’s mother’s face became even more worried, and she glanced at her husband, who was currently exchanging pleasantries with Lu Chenzhou, before sighing and saying, “We don’t even dare to ask. Rather, we don’t dare to ask anything.”

Cheng Xi was silent. She understood Shen Wei very well; Shen Wei liked to take care of her affairs by herself, and even if someone asked, they probably wouldn’t receive any meaningful response. That day, if not for her unexpected emotional breakdown, Shen Wei probably wouldn’t have revealed the existence of a third party in her relationship with Fu Mingyi to Cheng Xi.

Cheng Xi quickly advised, “Then let’s not ask. It’s just that, Mrs. Shen, you shouldn’t treat her like a porcelain doll. Just treat her normally, as Shen Wei.”

Lu Chenzhou and Shen Wei’s father went to drink tea downstairs while Cheng Xi went upstairs to check in on Shen Wei. Once they reached the second floor, Shen Wei’s mother even softened her footsteps as much as she could, whispering to Cheng Xi, “She can’t stand loud noises. She says that they hurt her head.”

Cheng Xi’s heart trembled, as sound sensitivity was a common onset symptom for insomnia. Following Shen Wei’s mother’s example, she also lightened her footsteps as the two of them gingerly entered Shen Wei’s room.

But Shen Wei wasn’t alone. Cheng Xi was extremely surprised to see Gong Hengjin sitting on the bed beside Shen Wei.

Shen Wei was very happy to see Cheng Xi. A perfunctory glance didn’t reveal anything; she seemed normal, with not even a trace of wanness or sallowness blemishing her complexion⁠—she even had a light layer of makeup on.

“Don’t get up.” Cheng Xi urgently stopped her as she tenderly asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yes. It’s just that I can’t eat anything, which is annoying.” Shen Wei smiled and even pouted at Cheng Xi. “Actually, I vomited again just before you came in.”

Cheng Xi clutched Shen Wei’s hand in concern. “You’ll get used to it. And even if you can’t, that’s fine. I know a doctor from the gynecology department. She’s great, and I’m sure that she knows of a remedy for this.”

Her caring words made Shen Wei smile, but as she smiled, she also lightly caressed her forehead. Seeing this, Cheng Xi naturally helped Shen Wei massage her temples. As she did so, she turned and said to Shen Wei’s mother, “I’d like to speak to Shen Wei alone. Is that alright?”

Shen Wei’s mother hurriedly agreed. Ever since she and Cheng Xi had entered, Gong Hengjin hadn’t said anything beyond an initial greeting. At this moment, she also stood up and said, “Shen Wei, since Dr. Cheng’s here, I’m going to go first, ok? Rest well, and I’ll see you again in a few days.”

Shen Wei was blissfully enjoying Cheng Xi’s massage, and she didn’t even open her eyes as she casually waved goodbye at Gong Hengjin.

After everyone left, she finally opened her eyes, looking straight at Cheng Xi. “What sort of gaze is that?”

Cheng Xi curtly replied, “A gaze of disapproval for you.”

She had already forgotten that she had talked about her issues with Cheng Xi a bit, and was somewhat surprised. “You’ve already guessed it? Psychiatrists can really find out a lot from a little, huh.” Shen Wei smiled. It was a faint and cold smile. “Don’t tell the others. I have to make her act nice to me for a few more days so that I’ll feel a bit better about all the stupid things I did in the past.”

“She doesn’t know that you know?”

“Yup. None of them know.”

Cheng Xi looked at her somewhat skeptically. Shen Wei firmly said, “It’s true. The two of them thought that they covered themselves up quite well, and they never expected me to find out. Ha! Unfortunately, nothing that happens in this world is untraceable. Just as geese honk, so too do actions leave traces. No plan is flawless.” After a moment’s pause, she continued. “But I will admit that they hid it pretty well, so much so that I only discovered it just now.”

Cheng Xi’s tone was calm as she consoled Shen Wei, saying, “It’s just that you never even thought of suspecting them before. After all, who would be so small-minded as to suspect her husband and best friend to be meeting in the dark if they don’t act suspiciously?”

As Cheng Xi said this, Shen Wei smiled again. “You always scold people in a roundabout fashion, but why do I feel so much better when you do so?”

“As long as you feel better, that’s good enough.” Cheng Xi put down Shen Wei’s hands and started running her hand through the hair by Shen Wei’s temples. “Shen Wei, you’re extremely smart, but I still have a few words for you. No army can remain victorious forever, and no water stays in a rigid form. Setbacks and failures, just like successes, are all a part of life. Having a failed marriage isn’t unusual, and finding out that your friends aren’t who you thought they were isn’t shameful either. What’s more frightening is if you get trapped in your own thoughts, and suffer through others’ shameless actions to punish yourself. You should know that ruining your marriage is better than having your marriage ruin you. We’re still young, and there’s no need to get fixated on a boring little thing. Once we let it go, our vision will naturally expand.

This was Cheng Xi’s philosophy, so despite how stubbornly she latched onto some things, she would release them just as quickly.