After Divorce: Why My Aloof Ex Starts Chasing Me?
Chapter 123 Can I Still Lie to You?

Chapter 123: Chapter 123 Can I Still Lie to You?

Jiang Zhixun was impervious to both persuasion and force, leaving Shen Qingqing completely helpless against him.

She wanted to leave, but couldn’t.

The man stuck to her like glue; she’d take a step, and he’d follow right behind.

He had the audacity to act like he was going home with her.

It didn’t take long for Shen Qingqing to feel as though he was driving her insane.

"What on earth do you want?!"

Jiang Zhixun looked perfectly innocent. "Nothing."

Shen Qingqing gritted her teeth. "Then why are you following me? Can you not stay away from me?!"

That was out of the question.

Jiang Zhixun shook his head. "You haven’t eaten yet."

"I’m not eating!"

Jiang Zhixun replied, "Skipping meals will hurt your stomach."

Shen Qingqing snapped, "Do I need to spell it out for you? Seeing you ruins my appetite!"

Jiang Zhixun smirked. "But you seemed to be enjoying your lunch at the state-owned restaurant earlier. Doesn’t look like you had no appetite."

His teasing tone made it clear he wasn’t taking her rejection seriously at all.

Shen Qingqing marveled at his shamelessness.

"Can you have some self-respect?"

Jiang Zhixun looked embarrassed for a moment.

In the past, he would never have imagined himself pestering Shen Qingqing like this.

But he wanted to reconcile, and being passive wouldn’t cut it.

Speaking gently, he said, "I’m catching a night train back to the Northwest."

Shen Qingqing’s eyelashes fluttered, showing she had heard him.

Jiang Zhixun felt a pang of sorrow.

But if he didn’t say that, Qingqing definitely wouldn’t agree to have a meal with him.

He didn’t have much time; he couldn’t afford to butt heads with her.

Sometimes you have to lower your pride.

Shamelessness didn’t matter as long as it kept her by his side.

"Have one meal with me, and then I’ll leave."

Shen Qingqing scoffed. "And if I refuse, you won’t leave?"

Jiang Zhixun: "..."

He scratched his nose. "If you refuse, I’ll pester you until midnight. It won’t matter if you go home—Mom gave me a spare key."

Shen Qingqing’s flushed face hadn’t yet cooled, and with his words, it turned red again.

"Give me the key!"

Jiang Zhixun ignored her protests. "Mom told me to take good care of you. I can’t disobey her orders."

He directly pushed her down onto a chair. "I promise, eat the meal and I’ll let you go home."

Shen Qingqing said nothing, glaring at him coldly.

Jiang Zhixun felt her gaze piercing right through him, sending a chill down his spine.

He had no choice but to go ladle out some pork rib soup for her, urging her to eat first.

Shen Qingqing didn’t budge, making her refusal plain as day.

Jiang Zhixun tried to coax her. "Shi Yu sent you a letter. If you eat, I’ll give it to you."

Finally, Shen Qingqing reacted.

Her eyes held suspicion.

But eventually, she said firmly, "Impossible! She’s never mentioned you before."

Though Shi Yu was far away in the Northwest, she sent Shen Qingqing letters every month.

Sometimes two, sometimes as many as four or five.

Afraid of being forgotten by her.

Jiang Zhixun took a letter out of his breast pocket. "See? Would I lie to you?"

The stack of letters he’d previously sent to Shen Qingqing had all gone unanswered.

Jiang Zhixun had no idea if she’d even read them.

And he didn’t dare to ask now, afraid of receiving an answer that would break his heart.

Shen Qingqing couldn’t quite make out the writing on the envelope. She reached out her hand. "Let me inspect it."

Jiang Zhixun slipped the letter into his pants pocket. "Nice try."

Shen Qingqing glared at him. "I’m not like you—I don’t cheat and lie!"

"You can’t be so sure."

If he hadn’t bent the truth, how had their three-year marriage ended in divorce?

Back when they married, hadn’t they promised to work hard together for life?

Jiang Zhixun said, "Eat, and I’ll give it to you. If you step out of this door, I’ll burn the letter right away."

"You’re insane!"

Jiang Zhixun felt like he was going insane, too, thinking about Shen Qingqing every day.

The longer they were apart, the more he thought about her.

This time, even if he could only stay in Beijing for half a day during his leave, he had come back without hesitation.

He missed Shen Qingqing.

Missed her so much.

Seeing her again made it all worthwhile.

Softening his tone, he said, "Let’s go back to how we used to be, okay?"

How things "used to be" left Shen Qingqing at a loss.

She tried hard to remember, but her mind was blank.

Her memories of Jiang Zhixun were all fresh and fleeting; by tomorrow, they might all be gone again.

Her eyes became distant, as though lost in thought.

Jiang Zhixun took her silence for acquiescence.

He hurried to the kitchen to cook some noodles, splitting his attention between cooking and keeping an eye on her.

If she got up to leave, he’d drop everything and chase after her immediately.

Multitasking didn’t slow him down one bit.

In less than ten minutes, Jiang Zhixun brought a bowl of noodles to Shen Qingqing.

He had already added all the seasonings for her.

With a pour of savory meat broth, it was ready to eat.

"Has the place where you broke your arm fully healed? Have you felt any pain these months?"

Instinctively, Shen Qingqing touched her left arm, surprised Jiang Zhixun even knew about it.

Her mood eased a little.

"It’s fine now."

Bone injuries need proper care. Jiang Zhixun ladled her a few meatier chunks of pork ribs.

"Eat more, for the calcium."

When he wasn’t being a pest, he seemed almost normal.

And now that he’d brought up her injury, it was hard for Shen Qingqing to stay angry.

She asked, "Did Shi Yu really write me a letter?"

"Yeah."

Saying no more, Shen Qingqing picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.

Jiang Zhixun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, tension draining from his stiff posture.

He just sat there, watching her eat.

No matter how long he looked, it wasn’t enough.

She ate gracefully, chewing slowly and deliberately—every movement exuded elegance.

In the glow of the setting sun, her features softened, and an otherworldly beauty enveloped her.

Shen Qingqing had always been naturally beautiful.

Even as a child, people praised her looks, calling her angelic.

Jiang Zhixun had never truly appreciated her beauty before, but now the more he looked, the more smitten he felt.

Shen Qingqing disliked being stared at. Ignoring him, she kept eating.

She finished most of the noodles and a few pieces of pork ribs, but the man across from her hadn’t glanced away even once.

He was holding chopsticks in his hand, but hadn’t touched his food.

The noodles in his bowl were practically congealing.

Shen Qingqing’s delicate brows furrowed. "Can’t you just eat properly?"

Jiang Zhixun snapped out of his daze, his grip on his chopsticks tightening.

In the end, he didn’t ask the question lingering in his heart.

The intensity of his gaze finally relented, allowing Shen Qingqing to breathe normally again.

Maybe it was Jiang Zhixun’s commanding presence, or perhaps his tall, broad-shouldered frame; his solid, lean build created an innate sense of pressure.

When he stared at her, Shen Qingqing felt like prey under the watchful eyes of a predator.

It made her inexplicably tense...

Luckily, Jiang Zhixun was leaving tonight. Otherwise, if she had to keep dealing with him, she feared she might truly lose her mind.

Jiang Zhixun raised his eyes to her. "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Qingqing didn’t answer.

Jiang Zhixun didn’t hope for much. Just having her sit here quietly, letting him share a meal with her, was already a privilege.

He picked up a spoon, ready to serve her more pork ribs.

Shen Qingqing declined. "I’m full."

Jiang Zhixun didn’t push her, setting the spoon down. "I’ll prep the leftover pork ribs later and bring them over to your place. You can have them for another meal tomorrow."

The hot weather meant food would spoil quickly if not handled properly.

Jiang Zhixun wanted to take care of everything for her before he left so he could feel at ease.

Shen Qingqing wanted to refuse.

But Jiang Zhixun was heading back to the Northwest; he couldn’t take it with him anyway.

Wasting food would be a shame...

"Fine."

Her tone was still cold, but it didn’t dampen Jiang Zhixun’s spirits.

He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from quirking up.

"Sister-in-law Wang misses you a lot. She’s mentioned several times how she hopes you’ll come to the Northwest again and teach her how to knit sweaters."

The people and events he mentioned were unfamiliar to Shen Qingqing.

She didn’t bother explaining her condition to Jiang Zhixun.

But judging by his words, they must have spent plenty of time together in the past...

So why did she instinctively reject him?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.