Su Changzhi pressed his lips into a gentle smile. "If fate permits, we shall meet again in another life. If not, even face-to-face, we remain strangers."
"I still think it's nearly impossible," Gu Lili reasoned. "Without knowing her appearance, how can you be sure her soul remains the same? Unless you pry open the records of reincarnation in the underworld and find out which family she was born into, her name, her past—otherwise, it's just a dream, a beautiful illusion."
Su Changzhi replied calmly, "I believe in destiny. What was left unfulfilled in the past life, I shall make amends for in this one."
She found him resolute, almost stubborn, and offered a faint smile. "I hope you find her."
"Your kind words are appreciated."
As they ate, footsteps gradually approached. Almost in unison, both turned toward the door—where Long Yubei stood, his figure tall and still, his eyes like ice.
What he had endured these past few days, only he knew.
And yet she, so casually, had allowed a strange man to stay in her home. Was she planning to begin a new life with this man?
What of his pride?
She might as well be parading her betrayal beneath the sun.
Watching her glance his way only to continue eating, Long Yubei strode in, his steps heavy with fury.
"You still have the appetite to eat?"
"Why wouldn't I?" she replied, voice calm and detached. "To live well, one must first eat well."
"Come outside with me."
Gu Lili put down her chopsticks and turned to Su Changzhi. "Don't worry—go ahead and finish your meal."
"Alright."
Once outside, Long Yubei leaned against the car, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. His gaze, fixed on her approaching figure, was sharp and cold.
Gu Lili's face remained composed as she stopped before him.
"How long do you plan to stay here?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"That man—what is he to you?"
"A friend."
Their exchange was clipped, almost like a superior questioning a subordinate.
"A friend who lives with you and shares your meals?"
"He has nowhere to go. I have more than enough space. What harm is there in letting him stay?"
Compared to the poison Su Changzhi had endured in life, this was hardly worth mentioning.
She turned her face aside, not meeting his gaze.
Their conversation was stiff, both of them strained and awkward.
Long Yubei's dark eyes bore into her. "I don't like you living with other men. That includes Gu Xichen."
"From now on, you may live with any woman you like—I won't interfere," she said quietly, eyes lowered. "You're free to do as you please."
His voice deepened. "What do you mean by that?"
"I won't concern myself with your affairs, and you needn't concern yourself with mine," Gu Lili said with a faint, ironic curve of her lips. "If you find this intolerable—if you no longer wish to continue—divorce is an option. Whatever you choose, I'll accept it. Do as you please."
Her words stirred a storm within Long Yubei. He hated hearing her speak to him like that—with such distance, such apathy, such rehearsed detachment.
He loathed it.
It made him feel as though she was the one who no longer wanted this marriage.
"You're making all this fuss just because of the child?"
"What fuss have I made?" she asked, lips pressed together. "In the future, whomever you want to bear your child—let them. Do you think I'm so shameless as to beg you to have a baby with me? Even if I'd schemed, did that warrant you tossing that trash bag and driving off like that? As if you feared I'd go rummaging for it to force it back on you? What exactly do you take me for?"
"I threw it into the bin in the first-floor bathroom," Long Yubei said, taking a long breath. "I didn't drive anywhere to get rid of it. That night, I saw you had locked the bedroom door, so I didn't force my way in. I slept in the guest room. As for the child—I just don't want one now. I never said never. Why are you in such a rush?"