Chapter 137 - I'm Li Xiuying (1)
Chapter 137 - I'm Li Xiuying (1)
It seemed like Li Chuntao's assumptions were correct as Mu Jianyu found himself being preoccupied as he waited for Ying to respond to his messages. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable by asking her questions but he couldn't help but be worried about her.
Shen Zichen had just moved next door to them and his presence wouldn't be good for their relationship. Even if Ying had rejected Shen Zichen's feelings for her, it didn't mean she wouldn't be able to grow fond of him.
How was he supposed to stop it from happening without making it look like he was causing discord between the two? Ying might take Shen Zichen's side if he started to make an issue out of it.
It's been an hour since he reminded her about lunch but Ying hadn't responded to his message. Was she busy? Did she go out again to visit the orphanage, or meet other friends?
Ying never told him where she was going these days and it made him wary of what she might find out or overheard while she was out in public. What if someone told her about the 'rumors' of him taking a mistress before her accident? Mu Jianyu didn't know how he could explain this to her without sounding so guilty about it.
His new assistant knocked on the door of his new office at Redux Entertainment.
"Mr. Mu? The meeting will start in ten minutes."
Mu Jianyu nodded without a word. He was reminded of the meetings and appointments he had to deal with throughout the day. Working long hours, he'd gotten used to it a long time ago, but now, he couldn't wait for the day to end so he could go back home to his beloved wife.
The meeting took longer than he expected and once it was over, it was already past six in the evening. Mu Jianyu pulled out his phone to see if Ying had replied to his message while he was busy and was disappointed to see none.
He finally understood now that he'd taken Ying for granted for a long time. He could only imagine his Ying sitting alone, back at home, waiting for him to come home. The messages she left for him unread and ignored as he wasted time with Lin Meirong.
The guilt was eating him alive. How did Ying endure all of this? But he didn't know this was just the start, because Li Chuntao had made up her mind to let him experience what he'd done to Li Xiuying when she was still alive. He could regret all he wants but the end would be the same.
His phone rang and he excitedly answered it without looking at the caller ID thinking it was Ying. However, his good mood instantly vanished into thin air as soon as he heard Lin Meirong's voice in the other line.
"Are you sure you still want this baby? You haven't shown yourself for two whole weeks!" She complained as soon as he picked up the call.
"Didn't I tell you not to call me again?" Mu Jianyu locked the door of his office and sneered at his phone.
He heard Lin Meirong scoffed at his words.
"Why? Is she with you right now?" She laughed mockingly. "Did she know you are working hard right now for the child that isn't even hers?"
"Quit your nonsense, Lin Meirong!"
Mu Jianyu felt that every time he spoke with this woman, his patience was being tested again and again. Had he known that she would cause him this much trouble, he would've done everything in his power to avoid this woman.
"Heh, then did you forget that me and your child have been waiting for you? Or do you want me to show up unannounced at your doorstep for your wife to see?" This woman sure knew how to threaten him.
"Don't you dare!"
Lin Meirong was starting to get on his nerves. If it wasn't for the child, he would've destroyed this woman already. Maybe, maybe if he confessed to Ying about his child with another woman, they could raise the child as their own.
'Then you know what to do tonight, darling~" Lin Meirong said before cutting the line between them. She was confident that he wouldn't be able to deny meeting her tonight.
Mu Jianyu slumped back into his seat and cradled his head with both hands. This was all his fault and now Ying would feel completely devastated and betrayed once she found out what he did to her.
'Ying, what have I done? What should I do now?'
He felt lost about what to do. He really loved his wife, but he couldn't just abandon the child he had with Lin Meirong. He was such a fool to think that Lin Meirong would be worth the trouble, that he didn't love Ying anymore.
He cannot allow Lin Meirong to reveal their affair to his wife. Not now, when he had just managed to have small progress with Ying. He swore he'd try to make it up to her, that he would try to make this marriage work for both of them.
Mu Jianyu closed his eyes and berated himself. His Ying didn't deserve any of this and yet, she would be the one who'll suffer the most from this betrayal. He should have realized this sooner and now it was too late for him to regret and only need to face the consequences of his actions.
Taking his phone again, his fingers stopped midway over its virtual keyboard. He was about to lie to her again which already felt to him. How many times had he lied to Ying anyway? He'd lost the count, but tonight, Mu Jianyu was painfully aware that he was digging a deeper grave for himself in the future. The longer he kept Li Xiuying in the dark, the worse it felt.
'Don't wait for me tonight. I have a lot of work waiting that needs to be completed today.'
Wasn't this what he used to tell her when he was sneaking out after office hours to meet Lin Meirong? Shouldn't he be used to it already? Then why did his heart feel heavy when he hit the send button?
Meanwhile back at his apartment, Li Chuntao was standing outside the balcony, trying to clear her thoughts when she received Mu Jianyu's short message. She arched a brow but her face was uncharacteristically calm for a wife being neglected as soon as her husband went back to work.
"Isn't it too soon for you to go back to your cheating habits, Mu Jianyu?" She chuckled to herself before dialing Su Ling's number.
"I have a job for you. Follow Mu Jianyu tonight and take photographs of him and that wench."
She didn't need to think hard to figure out that he was running back to the now obviously pregnant Lin Meirong to pacify her demands. It's been going on for days and she wasn't blind not to notice how he'd confine himself to his study, murmuring words over his phone as he talked to his mistress.
Once again, Mu Jianyu reminded her why he didn't deserve Ying at all. Anyway, even if the man chose to come clean now, this would only cut his suffering short, which Li Chuntao wasn't ready to see yet.. Good things come to those who wait, and she planned to savor the moment when retribution comes to the cheating couple.