Chapter Seventeen

Fang Cheng and Su Xiaobai entered the house, one ahead of the other. Su Xiaobai walked behind, watching the back of her so-called husband. His firm, upright back was so well-shaped that even his silhouette was captivating. Su Xiaobai silently sighed. Indeed, no matter how many faults Fang Cheng had in her eyes, perhaps in the past, Su Bai still considered him a decent man.

Once the door was shut, Su Xiaobai saw Fang Cheng casually loosen his tie and take off his jacket, hanging it neatly on the coat rack. He didn't just toss it aside, which indicated that he was a careful and orderly person in his everyday life.

Su Xiaobai changed into slippers and entered her room to change clothes before freshening up. As she was pulling down the zipper of her dress, she heard footsteps behind her, causing her to jump in shock. She quickly turned around, clutching the open zipper with both hands.

She looked up and met Fang Cheng's surprised gaze, realizing that she had overreacted. After all, she and Fang Cheng were now a legitimate married couple. There was nothing unusual about being open with each other, and there was no need for her to panic over a glimpse of her skin, especially since they were already in a marriage of sorts, even if it was only in name for now.

In fact, Fang Cheng had noticed her long before she realized. Even though she was in the corner of the room, the open door happened to face the hallway outside. At first, he didn't pay much attention. It wasn't the first time he had seen her undressed, so he thought nothing of it when he entered the room to grab some clothes to change. However, he didn't expect her to react so strongly, which left him feeling somewhat puzzled.

The woman standing before him now seemed different from the one he knew. She was now like a hedgehog, nervously clutching the zipper of her dress, full of wariness, glaring at him as if he were a stranger.

When had Su Bai ever shown such extreme emotional swings? In the two years they had been together, she had never cried or caused trouble, rarely losing her temper, and only occasionally giving him the cold shoulder. But she had never been so openly emotional before.

Fang Cheng felt that the woman in front of him didn't seem like the Su Bai he knew. She exuded a fresh, new vibe, which reminded him of the moment she had appeared at the office earlier that day. The confident and flamboyant way she stepped out of that red sports car made her look like a completely new person, exuding a carefree elegance. For a moment, Fang Cheng felt disoriented. He wasn't sure whether he had never truly understood Su Bai or if she had genuinely changed.

Su Xiaobai quickly suppressed her panic, realizing that she had overreacted. There was no need to be so cautious around Fang Cheng. The more she acted wary, the more likely she was to arouse his suspicions. She decided to act more naturally. After all, if it were really Su Bai with him, they would have continued as usual.

Taking a deep breath, Su Xiaobai turned around with determination. She didn't care about the open zipper anymore, and with one swift motion, she took off the dress, revealing her slim and beautiful back.

She moved slowly and deliberately as she tossed the last piece of her clothing onto the bed, finally starting to change into her pajamas. Despite her calm movements, she still felt that sharp, scrutinizing gaze behind her, as if each of his looks were slicing into her.

She almost wished she could keep her back to him forever, never having to make eye contact, never having to pretend, never having to escape the embarrassment of being exposed.

Sharing a bed with a stranger every night was unbearable, and having to fake affection in front of others made it worse. He didn't seem tired of it, but Su Xiaobai was starting to feel like she was suffocating. If things continued like this, she would soon be driven mad by this home and this man.

Divorce, that thought had crossed her mind. But divorce wasn't something she could just decide on her own. She still needed to respect Su Bai's opinion. After all, her public persona was the dominant one. Who knew whether her hidden persona, which only occasionally showed itself, would ever disappear for good? That was why Su Xiaobai lived each day with abandon, living as if today might be her last, embracing a daring, carefree attitude.

But the situation now was that Su Bai hadn't shown herself since the wedding. Su Xiaobai couldn't even tell if Su Bai still existed. Sometimes, she even felt like tearing away Su Bai's useless, pathetic skin. After all, what was just one man? Was it worth getting this hurt over?

But that was because Su Xiaobai had never truly loved anyone. She had never experienced the excruciating pain of giving everything for love and then being heartbroken. That was why she could speak so lightly about emotions now, so dismissive of them.

Su Xiaobai tightened the belt of her robe and turned around, her face no longer showing the panic from earlier. Instead, she appeared calm as she picked up the clothes she had changed out of and was about to head toward the bathroom in the hallway.

As she brushed past Fang Cheng, she heard his voice, deeper than usual, as he said, "I'll be going on a business trip to Huaijiang City tomorrow for a few days, around three days to a week. If you get too bored at home, you can go back to your family's place to rest. Also, if you need anything, just give me a call."

Su Xiaobai paused, unsure of how to respond. She had originally thought he was about to confront her about what happened this morning, and she had prepared herself for some verbal sparring. But instead, he mentioned his business trip, which left her feeling a bit frustrated as she swallowed her retorts.

"Mm, got it. You take care... and stay safe," she said casually, turning her head to offer a brief word of advice. But as she did so, she noticed Fang Cheng taking off his shirt. His body, just as she had imagined, was strong and fit, not the pale, weak look that seemed to dominate current trends, but a healthy, sun-kissed complexion with taut, muscular lines that exuded strength and grace.

Compared to those overweight, greasy bosses, Fang Cheng certainly had the physique to captivate women.

A sudden thought flashed through Su Xiaobai's mind — Su Bai had given her first time to this man. In terms of emotions, it might have been a loss, but from a physical standpoint, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing.

She immediately reprimanded herself for such a ridiculous thought, unaware that Fang Cheng had already turned his back to her, now bare-chested. Su Xiaobai froze for a moment before quickly turning away, pretending to be composed, and hurriedly slipped into the bathroom.

Fang Cheng stood there for a moment, his gaze lingering on her delicate back, momentarily lost in thought. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was growing increasingly unfamiliar with Su Bai.

The next morning, Fang Cheng flew to Huaijiang City. Su Xiaobai was still sound asleep when he left. Over the next two days, he only called once, briefly checking in on her. Su Xiaobai simply replied with indifferent "Mm-mm" responses.

After hanging up, Su Xiaobai felt a bit bored alone at home. She had been told to stay at her family's house, but Su Jia wasn't much different from here. She started feeling like this long holiday of more than a month was dragging on forever.

Just as she turned on the TV, her phone rang. It was from the office at her unit.

"Su Bai, congratulations on your wedding!" the voice on the other end said. It was the head of her department, and Su Xiaobai immediately snapped to attention, smiling and responding.

"Hello, Director Zhang. Thank you for your kind words."

"Su Bai, I'll be brief. I know you're still on your honeymoon, and we didn't want to disturb your rest, but there's an urgent issue. The work at the branch factory was originally handled by you and Chen Qiu. There's a meeting at the branch the day after tomorrow. Chen Qiu was supposed to attend, but she had a car accident this morning. Oh, it's a mess now. We can't send anyone else, as they don't know the situation there, so I'm calling you."

"A car accident? Is Sister Chen alright?" Su Xiaobai vaguely remembered that Chen Qiu was a colleague in Su Bai's department, also in charge of the division.

"She broke her leg. She'll be in the hospital for about a month, and after that, she won't be able to take any work trips. Her leg will probably take half a year to recover," Director Zhang sighed, clearly in a bit of a bind.

"Well, that's good to hear. I'll call her later to check in and visit her at the hospital. As for the meeting…" Su Xiaobai hadn't finished when Director Zhang immediately cut her off, as if afraid she might refuse.

"Su Bai, it's only for about a week. Don't worry, you'll get the time off after you return, plus two extra days of personal leave." It seemed like Director Zhang was in a rush. After all, only Su Bai was fully in charge of this project.

Su Xiaobai smiled. "Got it, Director Zhang. I'll head back to the office this afternoon to sort out the documents and then go to the branch the day after tomorrow. Which branch is it?"

Their unit had over ten branch factories in different cities and counties, so Su Xiaobai wasn't sure which one this was referring to.

"The second branch in Huaijiang City."

Director Zhang couldn't see Su Xiaobai's expression over the phone, but she raised one eyebrow slightly, her eyes shimmering with a trace of amusement. Oh, what a coincidence. Isn't Fang Cheng in Huaijiang City right now?