Shu Qingqing returned home and threw herself onto the bed.
Now that the impulse had passed, she suddenly began to regret it.
She and Lu Bochuan hadn't even had a proper romance yet. They hadn't watched the sunrise together, seen the ocean, or chased the auroras. There were still so many things they hadn't done together.
She shouldn't have said it so soon.
Watching the time slowly tick by on her phone, Shu Qingqing started to feel afraid again.
Lu Bochuan must still be processing the matter. What if he came back in a while and brought up divorce?
Her mind uncontrollably obsessed over it, making her head feel like it was going to explode.
Shu Qingqing changed into her sportswear and went out, planning to jog a few laps to vent her frustrations.
When she returned, she saw three missed calls.
Lu Bochuan had called... Was he going to bring up the divorce?
Just as she was thinking this, a text message arrived.
After reading it, Shu Qingqing grew nervous again.
Lu Bochuan was going on a business trip at this time—did that mean he didn't want to see her?
He said they would talk about it when he got back. Did that mean... he would ask for a divorce upon his return?
No, she regretted it. She didn't want a divorce.
Shu Qingqing turned and went into the walk-in closet to start packing.
She had to go hide somewhere. That way, even if Lu Bochuan came back, he wouldn't be able to find her, and he couldn't ask for a divorce if he couldn't see her.
Right, she also needed to block his phone number and WeChat, cutting off all possible ways for Lu Bochuan to bring up the divorce.
Shu Qingqing packed her luggage and prepared to leave.
Nanny Li saw her holding a suitcase and found it very strange. "Madam, where are you going so late?"
"Um... I have a last-minute business trip and will be gone for a while. I'll leave Lu Yu and Lu Xun in your care." Shu Qingqing planned to stay at the apartment she bought for a few days, but she didn't dare tell Nanny Li the truth.
If Nanny Li told Lu Bochuan, she would be exposed.
Shu Qingqing grabbed her suitcase and hurried away.
Shu Qingqing usually couldn't get up in the mornings. Lu Yu was driven by the chauffeur, and Lu Xun was dropped off by Nanny Li, so neither of them noticed anything unusual.
However, after school, Lu Xun still hadn't seen Shu Qingqing. It was only when he asked that he learned she had gone on a business trip.
Lu Xun unhappily moved his toys to the entryway.
Nanny Li walked over. "Young Master, let's go play in the living room, okay?"
Lu Xun shook his head. "No, I want to wait here for my brother."
During the first week of school, there were many things to deal with, including various inspections, so the high school seniors wouldn't resume their evening self-study sessions until the following week.
Lu Yu arrived home at six-thirty. As soon as he walked in, he saw Lu Xun lying on the floor.
"Why are you playing here?" Lu Yu picked him up.
Lu Xun pouted. "Brother, why did Mom go on a business trip again? I miss Mom."
"A business trip?" Lu Yu was surprised. He remembered Shu Qingqing saying that the new clothing designs weren't finished yet, and since Feng Xiangdi's father was sick, she planned to wait until after the first lunar month to go back to the studio.
Why had she suddenly gone on a business trip?
Lu Yu sat down in the living room with Lu Xun in his arms. "Let's give Mom a call."
In the new apartment at Shanshui Mingjing, Shu Qingqing was resting her head on the table, spacing out.
Seeing the video call from Lu Yu, she immediately sat up straight.
It had to be Lu Xun looking for her.
She rushed to the closet to change out of her pajamas before answering the call.
"Lu Yu, Lu Xun, did you guys miss me?"
Lu Xun pouted his little lips. "Mom, why did you go on a business trip again? I couldn't see you when I came back, and I missed you so much."
Shu Qingqing touched his little face through the screen. "Be good, I miss you too."
Lu Yu asked, "Mom, didn't you say you didn't need to go to the studio recently? Why are you on a business trip?"
Shu Qingqing replied, "Hey, well, I might not be going to the studio, but work still needs to get done, you know."
Lu Yu asked again, "Then where did you go for your business trip?"
Shu Qingqing had already thought of an answer to this. "Haishi."
Lu Yu didn't ask further and started talking about other things.
Then Lu Xun pulled her attention, telling her about what happened at kindergarten today.
Lu Yu casually picked up the tablet next to him and searched for the weather in Haishi. "Mom, it's snowing over in Haishi today, so wear something thick when you go out."
Shu Qingqing was chatting enthusiastically with Lu Xun. Hearing Lu Yu mention snow, she casually asked, "What snow?"
Lu Yu leaned closer to the camera. "Isn't it snowing in Haishi?"
"Ah? Haishi, of course it's snowing in Haishi, heavily too."
Lu Yu glanced at the tablet again. It said light snow.
Could the weather forecast be inaccurate?
He didn't pay it much mind.
Shu Qingqing chatted with Lu Xun for almost an hour, and he still refused to hang up.
Shu Qingqing had no choice but to say, "Then wait for me a moment, I need to go to the restroom."
Lu Xun nodded. "Go quickly, Mom. I'll wait for you."
Shu Qingqing stepped away.
Lu Yu was organizing his test papers nearby. Hearing Shu Qingqing say she was going to the restroom, he glanced at the screen.
Just with that glance, he suddenly noticed something was off.
In the screen, the painting on the wall.
He remembered there was an identical one at the new apartment.
But Shu Qingqing said she was in Haishi.
Could it be such a coincidence?
A few minutes later, Shu Qingqing returned.
Lu Yu looked at her and suddenly said, "Mom, are you at the new house?"
Shu Qingqing paused. "What new house or old house? Didn't I tell you I... I'm in Haishi."
Lu Yu, of course, noticed her momentary hesitation.
Lu Yu said, "Alright then, send me your location."
"Location? You... what do you need my location for?" Afraid of being exposed, Shu Qingqing quickly changed the subject. "Lu Xun, what cartoon did you just say you watched?"
Seeing her stammering, Lu Yu was even more certain she was lying and said directly, "When you stepped away just now, I saw the painting from the new house."
Shu Qingqing immediately turned her head.
Then she slapped her thigh.
She had been careless.
And to think she had even gone out of her way to change her clothes.
She was exposed anyway.
How was Lu Yu's memory so good? To remember a random painting so clearly.
Seeing Shu Qingqing remain silent, Lu Yu sighed inwardly.
The two of them must have had another fight.
Lu Yu said, "I'll bring Lu Xun to find you right now."
Lu Xun also realized what was happening. "Mom is at the new house? Let's go find Mom!"
Shu Qingqing hurriedly made a shush gesture. "Keep your voices down, you two. Don't let anyone else hear."
Lu Yu frowned.
Seeing that she couldn't hide it from Lu Yu, Shu Qingqing had no choice but to say, "You can come if you want, but don't tell Nanny Li you're coming to find me. Just say... just say you're going to the old family estate. Right, say exactly that."
"If you expose my whereabouts, I'll be angry."
Lu Yu could only agree for now. "Okay, I won't say anything."
After hanging up, he took Lu Xun and left the house.
Around nine o'clock in the evening, Lu Bochuan rushed home.
He knocked on Shu Qingqing's bedroom door but received no response.
Was she asleep?
Lu Bochuan thought for a moment and pushed the door open.
The room was pitch black, and her figure was not on the bed.
Lu Bochuan frowned, took out his phone, and dialed her number, but the receiver indicated that no one was answering.
He then opened WeChat.
As soon as the message was sent, he received a red exclamation mark.
"The message has been sent, but was rejected by the receiver."
