Mr. Su's Love Investigation Report
Chapter 215: Darkness

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Darkness

Cui Pei’s return home startled Fan Yue awake.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, watching him in his neat formal wear as he approached from the entryway, lit by a single wall lamp casting a warm glow over his shoulders. Suddenly, she remembered the night he proposed—the ambiance was just as dim, unclear. Friends had pushed her into a pile of balloons, and there he was, approaching in a similar outfit, holding flowers and a ring, kneeling on one knee in front of her, promising to always be faithful to her, to care for her for life.

Seeing her dazed expression, Cui Pei quickly walked up and crouched before her, "What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?" He instinctively wiped his lips and checked his fingers—no trace at all.

Fan Yue gazed into his face. The trials of the corporate world had added to his maturity, his youthful tenderness was now replaced by the firmness and ruggedness of a grown man.

"Cui Pei, you’ve aged," she said, reaching out to caress the corners of his eyes and his brows.

He exhaled in relief, his smile tender, "A man stands at thirty; years are a man’s badge of honor. It’s my duty to work hard, make money, so you can stay young and tender. All you need to do is be the proud little Princess."

"Cui Pei..." She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning on his shoulder.

He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, "If you want to sleep, go to bed. Don’t catch a cold on the sofa."

"Cui Pei, will you love me forever?" Loss of friendships seemed to have suddenly made Fan Yue feel insecure and vulnerable.

"Of course, baby." Cui Pei kissed her forehead, "Silly girl, what’s with all these random thoughts? No matter what, you’re still my most beloved."

Fan Yue smiled, feeling much more at ease.

In the bedroom, Cui Pei placed her on the bed, planning to shower first, but Fan Yue held on to him, not wanting to let go.

"What’s wrong?" he asked softly, kissing her.

"I don’t know why," Fan Yue nuzzled his neck. "Lately, I just want you with me, to see you all the time."

"Dummy, it’s because you love me! What else could it be? When you love someone, you want to be with them all the time. Just like me—I’m busy outside every day, but I’m always thinking of you, and the first thing I want to do after I’m done is to come back and see you."

"Really?" Although Fan Yue never doubted Cui Pei’s affection, her asking "really" was more of a coquettish query.

"Of course, it’s true!" Cui Pei pinched her nose, "I know you’ve been unhappy lately. Staying home alone can lead to overthinking. I’ll try to come back earlier to be with you."

"Mm," said Fan Yue, feeling sweet, "Cui Pei, you’re so good."

"Who else should I be good to, if not to my wife?" Cui Pei said as he pulled out his phone and transferred some money to her, "When you have some time, go shopping. Buy whatever you want, don’t just stay home. Didn’t you say you had your eye on a bag last time?"

Hearing the notification sound on her phone, presumably indicating the money had arrived, she nodded without checking the amount.

"There, be good, let go of me, I need to shower. I’m dirty from being outside," he patted her hand.

Fan Yue released her arms, "How dirty could you be from attending a banquet? It’s not like running around a construction site!"

"But it’s still dirty! You meet all kinds of people! The smell of smoke and alcohol..." he said as he got up and headed toward the bathroom.

In front of the bathroom mirror, he stared at his reflection, touched his lips again, frowned, then turned on the tap and began to wash.

The cold water was somewhat chilly in autumn, starting with his face, then his lips, over and over again, until he decided to just rinse his hair, letting the cold penetrate his scalp—a stimulating and invigorating sensation.

He took a long half-hour shower, and when he came out, his hair was dripping wet. He immediately saw Fan Yue playing with his phone.

His expression changed, "Yueyue!"

Fan Yue waved the phone, "Someone called you just now. I picked up and they hung up."

"Is that so? Let me see." He took the phone, glanced at the recent callers, and found it insignificant, "Someone I’m not close with, probably a wrong number."

"I thought so too." Fan Yue got up from the bed, "Let me blow-dry your hair."

"No need, wife, go to sleep. I still have some work unfinished; I’ll go to the study," he said, putting on a robe and holding his phone.

"So busy..." Fan Yue’s voice couldn’t hide her disappointment.

"I’ll be done in a moment," he bent down to kiss her, "I’ll come to keep you company right away. Go to sleep, be good. If you don’t sleep well, be careful you might not look pretty tomorrow."

Fan Yue pulled back into the covers, watching him close the bedroom door, then she closed her eyes. Her heart still felt at peace; as long as he was there, the world was serene. With him, everyone else could be ignored.

Cui Pei entered the study, closing the door carefully and paying attention to any sounds from outside. He redialed the call from earlier, and a woman’s voice came through, "What, back to keep your wife company so soon?"

"Is there something the matter?" he whispered.

The woman on the other end laughed, "What kind of question is that? If there’s nothing, then I’ll stop calling you."

"Heh..." He chuckled softly, "I’m always at your service. If you don’t call, my heart would have nowhere to rest."

"I certainly don’t want to call when your wife might pick up," the woman added.

"That was an accident, it won’t happen again."

The woman sighed, "Was the party tonight fun?"

"Of course, it was an unprecedented success."

"But... what about after the excitement? The loneliness after everyone leaves is the most heartbreaking." She sounded melancholy, "Cui Pei, come and have a drink with me?"

"Now?" He frowned.

"You don’t want to?"

"Of course I do, I’d be honored..."

He went back to the bedroom. Fan Yue seemed to be asleep already. He quietly pulled open the wardrobe and tiptoed in search of clothes.

"Where are you going?" Fan Yue’s voice suddenly arose.

He startled, almost dropping his pants, and composed himself, "Baby, I realized I left something important at the office and didn’t bring it back. I can’t do the work without it, so I need to make a trip there. I’ll need it for the meeting tomorrow."

"It’s so late to be going out..." Fan Yue sat up.

He pushed her back down and tucked her in properly, "Yeah, no choice. If I don’t do well in the meeting tomorrow, I’ll be in trouble. You get some good sleep at home."

"Then... just be careful."

"Don’t worry! I’m off."

Once again, Fan Yue watched him close the bedroom door, leaving her alone in the darkness.

——————————————————————————

Tu Hengsha at home was also growing tired, hugging a pillow and almost dozing off when she heard the door and turned to see it was indeed Shu Hui coming home.

"Mom, why are you back so late?" She checked the time and it was after ten.

Shu Hui was tired too and sat down to rub her wrists, "There was a small test after school, so it was late to begin with. Several students couldn’t pass the memorization part, so I kept them a while longer. Only after they finished did I let them go. Then, I decided to finish grading the essays for tomorrow’s class, and by the time I finished, it was this late."

"You are really dedicated!" Tu Hengsha exclaimed, "Have you eaten yet?"

"After the students left, I had some snacks in the office, so I’m not that hungry and didn’t really feel like eating."

"Do you want to eat now?" Tu Hengsha headed to the kitchen, "I made some egg fried rice tonight."

"Oh, you’re able to eat at home tonight? Didn’t have dinner out?" Shu Hui hummed skeptically.

Tu Hengsha stuck out her tongue at her mother and went into the kitchen, "Mom, I’ll boil some dumplings for you."

"Anything is fine!"

Tu Hengsha was in the kitchen boiling dumplings when her phone vibrated. Shu Hui saw it and hurried her to answer, unable to help but mutter, "All day long at work you’re together, and they still can’t leave you alone at night!"