Chapter 21: Apologize Properly
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Liu Zhuyin was furious.
After making such a huge concession, how dare he stubbornly refuse to come back?
She picked up her phone and instinctively wanted to call me, intending to give me a thorough scolding.
But just as the call was about to go through, she hurriedly hung up.
Irritated and flustered, she tossed the phone aside and dropped onto the sofa with a huff.
Then she remembered that she, too, had come home this late.
She had been the one to break her promise first.
And not just once…
She sighed again.
“What right do I have to be angry with him…?”
Staring at the empty house, she curled up on the sofa.
Her thoughts involuntarily drifted toward me—to the man I used to be, the man who had once been willing to wait for her.
No matter how late it was, even if it was the middle of the night, I would sit in that very spot where she now sat, dozing as I waited for her to come home.
But now, the bed was cold, and the sofa was cold…
Even the kitchen…
Her gaze fell upon it. It had been abandoned for a long time.
It had only been a few days, yet she felt as though an entire century had passed since she had last eaten in the kitchen.
She had also gone a long time without seeing that familiar figure moving tirelessly around the house, busy with one thing after another.
There was only one person missing, yet for some reason, the house felt much larger.
And colder.
She wanted to find a blanket to cover herself with, but froze where she stood.
A blanket… She had no idea where it was.
In the past, whenever she curled up on the sofa, I would immediately bring her a blanket.
If I noticed that she was cold, I would even prepare a cup of warm milk for her.
But now…
She found a piece of clothing and draped it over herself. Without turning off the lights, she sat there on the sofa and experienced insomnia for the first time.
It was because of me.
Because of the man she had never once taken seriously.
Meanwhile, I slept soundly.
The next morning, after washing up and eating breakfast, I went to see Madam Liu.
She asked me to take charge of the branch company and specifically mentioned that there was a major project I needed to look into.
I suspected that it also involved Luo Mingzhu—and the Luo family.
Since I had promised Luo Mingzhu, I could not go back on my word.
“Xiaochen, you came so early.”
“Have you eaten? Shall I have someone prepare something for you?”
“The soup dumplings downstairs are excellent! Would you like some?”
Madam Liu took hold of me, overflowing with enthusiasm.
Of course, she had always treated me well.
She was simply even more enthusiastic now.
“Madam Liu…”
I had only just begun to address her formally when she shot me a sharp look, and I hurriedly corrected myself.
“Mom, I’ve already eaten.”
I smiled helplessly, but she looked thoroughly pleased.
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“Good. I happened to get some fine tea. Sit down—we’ll have a cup while we chat.”
Madam Liu went to brew the tea. Seeing her like this, I felt both touched and helpless.
I was touched that she valued me so highly, yet I felt guilty for being unable to return her affection.
I was helpless because she had bound me with her feelings. I could not bring myself to say anything harsh, nor did I want to hurt her.
But… none of that mattered.
With so little time left to me, there was no need to dwell on it.
The dead had no concern for what happened after they were gone.
“Mom, you don’t have to trouble yourself. Let’s talk about the project.”
Madam Liu smiled. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”
After preparing the tea, she poured me a cup.
I assumed she would get down to business, but instead she looked at me with a conspiratorial smile.
“So… how did things go last night?”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, leaving me utterly confused.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re still shy with your mother?”
“Last night… well… you know.”
She winked at me again, but I genuinely had no idea what she meant.
“Oh, there’s no need to be embarrassed!”
“Although you’re my son-in-law, I think of you as my own son!”
“As the saying goes, sons needn’t hide things from their mothers. There’s nothing you can’t tell me.”
“I know that girl, Ah-Yin, is rather wooden. Your mother has been through all this before—I’ll have a word with her.”
“And while I’m still in good health, you two should hurry up and give me a grandchild.”
“Otherwise, who will inherit the Liu Group?”
Her words left me dizzy. How had the conversation suddenly turned in this direction?
“Mom, let’s talk about business instead.”
“Tell me about the project.”
Madam Liu pressed her lips together, smiling. “All right, all right. You’re embarrassed, so let’s discuss business.”
She gave me a brief overview of the project.
It was a tough one to crack.
It involved foreign investment, and building a relationship with them would be extremely difficult.
Yet swallowing the entire deal alone would also be a tremendous burden.
Still, everyone wanted to take an extra bite—not merely for the money.
More importantly… failing to get a share would be humiliating.
At least, that was Madam Liu’s thinking.
“I understand. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take care of it.”
I took the documents and was about to leave.
But just then, Liu Zhuyin walked in on high heels.
“Mom, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
I did not want to become entangled with Liu Zhuyin any further. I rose to leave, only to find her blocking my path.
“I’m sorry. About yesterday… I came home late.”
“You must have left because you waited for me and I never showed up.”
“It won’t happen again.”
Her face was filled with remorse, but I had already guessed what had happened.
What I could not understand was…
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Was she deliberately giving me an excuse to step down, or did she genuinely believe that I had left angrily because I had waited for her in vain?
Either way, I had to make things clear.
“You don’t need to apologize. I didn’t go home at all last night.”
“We’re divorced. That place isn’t my home anymore.”
I replied coldly. Liu Zhuyin’s pretty face turned ugly, her eyes filled with anger.
“Gu Yichen, what exactly do you want?”
“I was wrong yesterday. I know I made a mistake.”
“But can’t you give me a chance?”
Liu Zhuyin argued with me, yet the chance she mentioned only left me more baffled.
Give a chance to someone who did not love me…
How had she even come up with that idea?
Madam Liu understood immediately and hurried over.
“What? Xiaochen, you didn’t go home last night?”
I nodded. “No.”
“Why didn’t you go home, child? Don’t you know that yesterday, Ah-Yin…”
Madam Liu was frantic. She immediately began signaling Liu Zhuyin, urging her to explain.
I found myself curious. What had happened to Liu Zhuyin last night?
What intrigued me even more was the way her pretty face suddenly flushed bright red.
She stammered, unable to say a word.
I had never seen her like this before.
“Oh, you’re going to drive me crazy.”
“I’ll tell you…”
Madam Liu was about to reveal everything, but Liu Zhuyin hurriedly stopped her.
“Nothing happened.”
“Gu Yichen, I know you want a divorce.”
“But this isn’t something you can decide on your own.”
“You were the one who proposed to me back then, and now you’re the one asking for a divorce.”
“What am I to you? Some stray cat or dog by the roadside that you can tease whenever you like, then simply abandon?”
“Keep dreaming!”
Blushing with anger and embarrassment, she stormed away after throwing out those words.
My brows drew tightly together.
I had never treated her like some stray cat or dog. I had always cherished her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
She was the one who had betrayed my love.
Now that I was leaving, she kept bringing up the past, and I truly could not understand her.
“That wretched girl—what nonsense is she talking about?”
“Xiaochen, don’t pay any attention to her. She’s just embarrassed.”
“She realized last night that she was wrong and said she wanted to make it up to you.”
As Madam Liu spoke, she lowered her voice.
That single sentence left me completely stunned.
“She specially bought a beautiful nightgown last night. She wanted to… properly apologize to you.”