[The Dark Side: The Fall of Home] (Volume 01) Author: Ascetic

Author: Kuxing
Word Count: 104145

Volume 1: The Wife's Transformation

Chapter 1: The Unreachable Phone Call

"A pleasure to cooperate! Mr. Liu, I hope we can work together to achieve great things in the future!"
Zhang Jianwei, Chairman of Taiying Group, said loudly.

"Of course! I believe we will definitely be able to cooperate very well with your company." Liu Guopei smiled
and exchanged contracts with Zhang Jianwei.

Amidst the applause that followed the contract exchange, Liu Guopei finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally secured
the contract. He had been on a business trip for almost 20 days to prepare for this cooperation, and it was indeed quite tiring.
However, thinking of his warm home, he was instantly filled with energy and felt no fatigue at all.

He wondered what his wife was doing now. On the way back to the hotel, Liu Guopei's mind was already home.

He glanced at his watch; it was almost 9 o'clock. His wife should be putting their 4-year-old daughter, Xinxin,
to sleep . The little one always fussed in bed for a long time before finally going to sleep, and he was always driven
crazy by her at home. These past three weeks have been tough on my wife. She works during the day and spends her evenings with our daughter. Although
she never complains when we talk on the phone,
she always reminds me to take care of myself and not to worry about things at home.

Speaking of his wife, Tang Zixin, Liu Guopei is filled with pride. A top student from Tsinghua University, her

tall 167cm figure makes her appear graceful and elegant.
Although her skin hasn't become rough at all; in fact, it's become even more
radiant after marriage. Her black hair, like flowing, lustrous ink, is gently pulled up on top of her head. Her eyes are round and
dark , with long, misty eyelashes that perfectly frame her face. She has a beautiful oval face and skin
as soft as snow.

She's like a young and noble princess. She is the embodiment of gentleness and kindness, a guardian of beauty and
sunshine . When she smiles, it's like a sunflower facing the sun, radiant and bright. Or like a
lotus emerging from clear water, pure and flawless. Her beautiful long hair was as light as seaweed and
as . She was like a fairy, beautiful as a flower, beautiful as a painting.

He really owed his wife too much. Fortunately, he finally won the contract, and he could take some
time to spend with her.

He had already booked his flight home for tomorrow. He should call home to let his wife know he was safe and
give her a surprise! Thinking of this, Liu Guopei took out his phone and dialed the landline.

Hmm? What's going on? No one answered? Could his wife have already fallen asleep so early? That's unlikely. After putting Xinxin to
sleep, he would have to wash up and go to bed around 10 o'clock. It's only 9 o'clock now, how
could she be asleep so early? He hung up and dialed his wife's cell phone. It rang, but after waiting for a while,
no one answered. Suddenly, a feeling of unease welled up in his heart. What was his wife doing? Had something happened?

He glanced at his phone screen unconsciously and suddenly smiled. He was so stupid. Today was
Saturday , and his wife must have gone to that yoga class with her best friend, Zhang Yi. Before
, when he was home, his wife would go to that yoga class every week, leaving Xin Xin to look after him.
Although he had expressed his dissatisfaction a few times, his wife always refuted him with her grand principles. In
her words, she needed to maintain a good figure so she wouldn't look at other women and
let someone else steal her away.

Chapter Two: A Phone Call with His Wife

It seemed his wife had gone to the yoga class, so their daughter must be at his parents' house. Although
he had lived separately from his parents since getting married, he still went back to see
them . Especially after Xin Xin was born, his parents insisted that they take Xin Xin to stay with them for a day every week. Thinking
of this, Liu Guopei dialed his parents' landline again.

"Hello, who is this?" came his mother Chen Xianyi's gentle voice from the other end of the line.

"Hello, Mom, it's me, Guopei."

"Oh, Guopei, it's you. I didn't even notice the caller ID. Weren't you away on a
business trip? How's it going?" his mother asked with concern.

"Yes, the contract is signed, and I'll be back tomorrow. I just called Zixin, but she didn't answer. I wanted to let you
know I'm safe. I'll come see you and Dad with Zixin when I get back."

"If you're busy, you don't need to rush to see us. We're both in good health. Zixin must be busy
. She brought Jiajia here this afternoon, and I just got her to sleep. Your dad
is still in her room with her."

Hearing this, Liu Guopei felt a pang of guilt towards his parents. He had caused them so much worry since he was little, and
now that they had grown up and had their own child, they were going to put in so much effort. Moreover, his parents always told him
good news and never bad news so as not to worry him. He knew perfectly well how they were doing. He
was determined and spend more time with them.

"It's alright, the contract's been signed, I can finally get some rest. It's been almost half a month since I last visited you
and Dad. You two need to take good care of yourselves. Dr. Jiang mentioned to me the other day that Dad's blood pressure
is a bit high again," Liu Guopei said apologetically.

"Oh dear, that's just an old problem for your dad, he's perfectly fine. If you're not too busy this
time spend more time with Jiajia and Zixin. This afternoon when Zixin brought Jiajia over, I noticed Zixin
looked worried. She dropped Jiajia off and rushed off. Is something bothering you at work?
Hey, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you're always away on business trips for over half a month, not even spending time with your
wife and kids. Jiajia asked me several times tonight when Daddy hadn't come; she misses you."
Hearing his mother Chen Xianyi's slightly angry tone on the other end of the phone, Liu Guopei felt a pang of sadness.

After finishing the call with his mother, Liu Guopei returned to his hotel. After these busy days, I can finally take a nice
hot shower. Lying in the bathroom, I thought about what my mother said today. I've indeed been too busy with
work lately and haven't paid much attention to things at home. I've always left everything to my wife. My mother...
He also mentioned that his wife, Zixin, seemed to have some urgent business when he visited her this afternoon, and she looked a little unhappy.
Could it be that she encountered some difficulties at work? His wife had really suffered
lately was determined to make it up to her when he got home. The thought of going home tomorrow immediately filled Liu Guopei with excitement
.

After showering, he checked his phone and found a missed call from his wife.
He picked up the phone and called back. "Hey, honey! You finally called back! I've been waiting for you for over half an hour!"
came his wife's gentle yet slightly reproachful voice from the other end of the line.

"Uh, I was showering just now. I only saw my phone in the living room. I called you at 9 o'clock, but
you didn't answer," Liu Guopei explained. "Oh, I only saw your call later. I had just
finished my yoga class, and then we went out shopping and didn't check my phone. I was hoping to finish my yoga practice and rest after finally dropping
Jiajia off at Mom's, but Yiyi dragged me shopping, and I'm exhausted."
His wife's voice sounded very tired, which made Liu Guopei, who had a lot to say to her, give up the
idea. Just as he was about to tell her to go to bed, his wife's voice came from the other end of the phone again,

"Honey, how's work? Did the contract negotiation go smoothly? If you can't sign it yet, come back first. You've been away on business for almost
half a month , and Jiajia misses you terribly. She asks her dad when he's coming back almost every day."

His wife didn't know that she had signed the contract and could go back tomorrow. He was just about to tell her the news when he suddenly
had an urge to tease her. He decided not to tell her he was going back tomorrow, but
to give her a big surprise when he got home, and then take her to his parents' house for dinner. Liu Guopei
thought to himself.

"The work is going well, but it'll probably take a few more days to sign the contract. I'll go home as soon as I finish here.
I'll have to trouble you for the next few days." "Okay, take care of yourself over there.
The weather's getting cooler these days, be careful not to catch a cold~ Give me a call before you come back so I can cook for you in advance."
His wife paused for a moment before replying, seemingly a little
unhappy .

Liu Guopei suddenly had an urge to tell his wife that he would be back tomorrow to make her completely happy,
but after thinking about it, he decided to surprise her by appearing in front of her tomorrow. He had a lot to
say to his wife, but then he thought that she must be very tired today, so he decided
to wait until he got back tomorrow. He wanted his wife to rest well today. "Honey, you've had a long day too, go and rest early. Don't worry about me here,
I'll be back as soon as the contract is signed.

" "Okay, you should rest early too, I'll wait for you to come back!" After a moment of silence, just as Liu Guopei was about
to hang up, his wife's voice came from the other end of the phone again, "Husband... I love you! I will always only love
you !"

His wife was very shy; she rarely said things like "I love you" unless he said it himself. Why
was she saying it today? Although he found her words strange, Liu Guopei was still
very happy to hear them. "I love you too! Zixin, I will do my best to make you happy!"

After talking to his wife on the phone, it was past 11. Although his wife had been acting strangely today, Liu Guopei didn't
think much of it. He tidied up and went to bed. Although Liu Guopei slept soundly that night, he didn't
expect that his wife, Tang Zixin, was crying her heart out in bed thousands of miles away...
"Husband! I'm sorry... Waaah... Waaah... I'm sorry...!"

Chapter 3: Returning Home

The night always seemed to pass especially quickly, especially for Liu Guopei, who had already signed the contract.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows, releasing its energy freely. He checked his watch;
it was already past 9. His flight was at 1 p.m., so he could get up, have some food, and get ready. The thought of
going home to see his beautiful wife and lovely daughter filled Liu Guopei with joy.

After washing up, he walked from his room to the hotel's second-floor restaurant; it was already 10 a.m. His wife should
be up by now. It was Sunday, and she was probably cleaning the room or tending to her plants in the garden.
She always loved tending to these things; he'd asked her why she
loved , but every time he asked, she'd give him a cute, disdainful look and
say he didn't understand romance.

Oh well, he decided not to think about it anymore. He was going home soon anyway. Liu Guopei pulled himself together, called the waiter,
and ordered a bowl of barley and yam porridge, an American-style sandwich, and a bowl of almond and strawberry milk. The restaurant's
breakfast was quite good, offering both Chinese and Western flavors, and it was nutritious. He
'd discovered this during his previous business trips and always stayed at this hotel. Looking at his watch again, Liu Guopei quickened his pace.

It was past midnight when Liu Guopei arrived at the airport. Sitting in the waiting area, bored, he took out his phone
and dialed his wife Zixin's number. Hmm? Why was her phone off? His wife's phone had never been off for no reason.
Even when she was in meetings at her company, she would call him first to avoid worrying him
. Could it be that her phone was out of battery? Impossible, it was the weekend, she didn't have to work
, and even if it was out of battery, she could always charge it at home.

"Passengers bound for Shanghai, please note: Boarding for flight A5362 is now commenced. Please take
your belongings, present your boarding pass, and proceed to gate C2. Have a pleasant journey. Thank you!"
Just as he was thinking this, he heard the announcer's voice prompting boarding. "Never mind, I'll deal with it when I get back.
It should be nothing serious, probably just a problem with my wife's phone." Composing himself, Liu Guopei headed towards the boarding gate.

Two hours later, the plane finally landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. After exiting the airport, Liu Guopei
hailed a taxi home and dialed his wife's cell phone again in the taxi. "Sorry, the number you dialed
is currently switched off..." Hmm? What happened? His wife's phone had been switched off for so long. Arriving at the entrance of the residential complex,
Liu Guopei went straight home. His home was apartment 601, Building D, on the east side of the Ya Yuan residential complex. Ya Yuan was
a high-end villa-style community with a particularly nice environment, ample spacing between buildings, and excellent
security with 24-hour security patrols. He had lived there for almost four years and had never heard of any theft.
The incident involving the goods, not to mention the more serious incidents, occurred here. The residents are mostly wealthy business
owners or officials with some power. He had gritted his teeth and
spent a considerable amount of money disagreed with buying such a nice house, but he persuaded her. Money
had never been his primary concern, and he had promised her he would do his best
to give her the happiest life, so a good house was essential.

Downstairs, Liu Guopei looked around his apartment. He saw many things drying on the balcony:
sheets, towels, and several of his wife's clothes. The most eye-catching items were a few on the left: purple stockings
and a set of pink underwear. At first glance, one could tell that the owner of these items was a beautiful
and charming woman. It stirred the imagination.

Putting his thoughts aside, Liu Guopei went upstairs to the sixth floor. He rang the doorbell, waited a minute, but
no one answered. It seemed his wife was out. But why was his wife's phone off if she was out? Seeing no one
answer the door, Liu Guopei took out his key from his pocket and stepped inside. A familiar, homey scent greeted him, making him feel
instantly at ease . Home was always the best place, even if it wasn't as nicely decorated as the five-star hotels he stayed in
on business trips. If he had the choice, he would choose his own home without hesitation. "Zixin,"
Liu Guopei called out habitually, though he already knew his wife might not be home. No one answered. It seemed she really had gone out. He
left his luggage in the living room and eagerly went into his and his wife's bedroom, immediately lying down on
the bed , inhaling the unique scent of the bedding.

Hmm? Lying on the sheets, Liu Guopei suddenly sat up. Why did he smell a faint odor of smoke on the bed?
Impossible! He used to smoke, but when he was pursuing his wife, she said she disliked smokers,
so he quit. He hadn't smoked for years. It couldn't be him, and his wife certainly wouldn't
smoke. Could he have been mistaken? Sitting up, Liu Guopei lay back down on the bed and sniffed again. Then he walked around
the room , sniffing everywhere, becoming increasingly certain that there was a faint smell of smoke. Although it wasn't
strong, for Liu Guopei, who used to smoke frequently, it was definitely a
lingering smell of smoke, the kind that comes from a large quantity of cigarettes smoked at once. The smell was very faint; if he hadn't
just come into the room from outside and lay down on the bed, he would have noticed the lingering smoke on the bed. Undoubtedly, if he
had lingered around the room first, sniffing the air, instead of lying down immediately, he would have
gradually become accustomed to the smell and wouldn't have noticed the smoke on the bed.

Chapter Four: The Wife's Lies

Neither he nor his wife smoked, so how could there be a smell of smoke in the house? But his nose and experience
told him that someone must have smoked a lot in their house a few days ago.

Liu Guopei sat on the sofa in the living room, deep in thought. What he couldn't understand was that his wife had always been particularly averse to smoking;
she would definitely be able to smell smoke in the house. How could she allow someone else to smoke in the house? Impossible,
absolutely impossible! His wife would never let him smoke in the house! Could a thief have broken in, and not only
stolen things but also brazenly smoked in his bedroom? This thought only flashed through his mind
for a moment before he dismissed it. Leaving aside whether thieves these days would be that bold,
he knew the security of this neighborhood; a stranger couldn't possibly enter without being escorted. Even if he had broken in,
stealing things and smoking so much would surely have caught his wife's keen intuition. But she hadn't mentioned it in
her .

Lost in thought, Liu Guopei was interrupted by his phone ringing. The familiar ringtone played: "Wife,
wife, I love you. May Buddha bless you, may you have good health, be healthy and beautiful…!" This
ringtone was set by his wife. Because it was so old, he had protested several times, but his wife
had always firmly rejected it. In her words, it was a reminder that
when he was away on business, he should always remember he had a good wife at home and not stray.

He picked up his phone from the table and saw it was his wife calling! He pressed the call button, and his wife
's charming voice immediately came through, though she sounded a little tired.

"Hey! Honey, what are you doing? Remember to go eat?"

"Zixin, uh, I've already eaten. I'm at Taiying Group now doing pre-meeting preparations. The sixth
round of negotiations is about to begin." He forcibly resisted the urge to tell his wife he was home.

"Oh, still negotiating? I wonder when you'll be able to sign the contract."

"It should be soon. I think we can sign it this time. By the way, Zixin, I just called you, but your phone
was off. Where are you?" Liu Guopei asked tentatively.

"I used my phone too much yesterday and didn't pay attention to the battery. It automatically turned off this morning and I've been charging it.
I was home just now. What else could I do? You're not here, so no one's going shopping with me, hmph!"

His wife's coquettish voice came through the phone. But the sound suddenly startled Liu Guopei,
sending chills down his spine. His mind went blank, as if he'd been struck by a hammer, and he felt as if
he'd fallen from a 20-story building. At home? His wife had lied to him. He was at home, calling her,
and she said she was home too. He couldn't believe his wife had ever lied to him; she wouldn't allow him
to lie to her. She always told him that honesty was essential in a relationship, that they couldn't stay
together forever. But now, she was blatantly deceiving him.

Liu Guopei wanted to tell his wife he was home and confront her about the
lie , but the words caught in his throat. He felt there must be a reason. He should
figure it out first, to avoid being blamed later and causing a scene. Deep down, Liu Guopei believed his
wife wouldn't lie so easily; there must be a reason.

"Oh, really? It's fine if you're home. You know this is a crucial period for the contract.
Once I'm done here and get back, I'll take you shopping every day. Don't be angry, okay?" "

Hmph, I'll forgive you this time, but there won't be a next time. I'll be a good girl at home waiting for you to come back.
I'll take good care of Jiajia and Mom and Dad, don't worry. But you have to promise to spend time with me when you get back!"

"Okay, I promise. By the way, have any guests come to Zixin's house while I've been away?"
Liu Guopei asked tentatively again,

"No guests have come. It's just Jiajia and me at home these days. Who else would come? We
don't know anyone here. Oh, but Mom came twice last time to see Jiajia. Why did you suddenly ask
this ?" His wife seemed surprised that Liu Guopei would ask such a question, but she still answered.

"Oh, nothing. I just asked casually. I thought a friend might have come to ask me about the company. It's good
that no . That's all for now. Our meeting is about to start. I'll call you later." Liu Guopei felt
that he shouldn't tell his wife about his return yet, so he could slowly find out why his wife had lied to him.
Although it wasn't a big deal, every time he thought about his wife's previous words about the need for honesty between husband and wife
, and then she lied to him, he always felt uncomfortable and felt that he had to find out why his wife
lied to him and what unspeakable reason she had.

After hanging up with his wife, Liu Guopei still couldn't quite believe it was real. In his
mind a kind, generous, and gentle woman like his wife, a quintessential perfect Eastern woman, was unlikely to deceive him.
His intuition told him there was something he didn't know about her, and he had to find out.

After thinking for a moment, he decided not to tell his wife that the contract had been signed until he did. To
prevent her from finding out when she visited Jiajia at his parents' house, Liu Guopei called his parents
' house again.

"Mom! It's me, Guopei. There's a small problem with the contract, so I won't be coming back today
. I'll come back after the contract issue is resolved."

"Huh? Didn't you say the contract was already signed? What happened? You're not coming back today? How long will it take?" His mother, Chen Xianyi, sounded dissatisfied on the other
end of the line.

"Soon, it'll be over in the next few days. Don't worry, I'll come back as soon as I'm done here. That's all for now,
I have some things to do." Liu Guopei didn't dare to say more to his mother. Every word he spoke felt like a lie to her
, and he wanted to hang up as soon as possible.

"Wait a minute, let Jiajia say a few words to you. This little one heard me this morning that you were coming back, and
she even changed into a new outfit saying she was going to pick up her dad. Now you can tell her yourself, I'm afraid she
'll blame me for lying to her if she doesn't see you! She'll cry a lot then!" the mother said.

"Come on, Jiajia, my sweetie, come and say a few words to Daddy, be good," came the mother's
voice . "Okay! I want to talk to Daddy!" Before the mother finished speaking, her precious daughter Jiajia's
childish voice came through.

"Daddy! Is that you?"

"Oh! It's Daddy, my sweetie, didn't you miss Daddy?" Hearing his daughter's newly developed voice,
Liu Guopei felt as if his daughter was calling him Daddy right in front of him, and he almost couldn't help but feel an urge to cry.

"I miss you, Dad... Daddy... Will you come back today? Jiajia will wear her new clothes to pick you up!"

"Baby, Daddy has some things to do here, so I might not be able to come back today, but Daddy promises you I'll definitely come back
in a couple of days and buy you your favorite Barbie doll!"

"Daddy, you're not coming back again! I miss you! I don't want Barbie anymore! I want Daddy~ Waaah... um...
waaah..." The sound of his daughter crying came from the other end of the phone. Hearing this, Liu Guopei almost told Jiajia he
would come to her right away.

"Jiajia, be good. Your daddy will be back soon, bringing you lots of delicious food and fun things. Don't cry,
Grandma will take you out to pick flowers," came the mother's voice comforting Jiajia from the other end of the phone.

Just as Liu Guopei was about to speak, his daughter's sobbing came from the phone again, "Then... then... um... I want
two... no... lots... many... Barbie dolls... um...!"

"Okay, Jiajia, be good. Daddy will definitely bring you lots of Barbie dolls and lots of delicious food when he gets back. Listen
to Grandma, Daddy loves you!"

Chapter 5: Cigarette Butts in Flowerpots

The sunlight in the sky was smiling and freely releasing its light and heat, as if to illuminate
the hearts of some people, dispel the darkness in their hearts, and make everyone as optimistic and happy as itself.

However, for Liu Guopei, who lived in apartment 601, building D of the Yayuan residential area, he undoubtedly represented
the dark side. Ever since he accidentally discovered his wife's deception during a phone call today, his heart felt like
it had been pierced by a knife, turning extremely cold. Lying on the bed in the bedroom, there was still a
faint smell of tobacco in the room. Liu Guopei didn't know why he particularly hated this smell. He used to smoke and
didn't dislike the smell of tobacco, but today he particularly disliked this smell. He always felt that there was a shadow behind this smell,
as if it wanted to devour him and this home.

Although the tobacco smell was almost imperceptible, Liu Guopei still couldn't bear the faint,
piercing scent. Looking at the blazing sun outside the window, he stood up, went to the balcony, and breathed in
the fresh air. Standing on the sixth floor, admiring the scenery of the neighborhood below and in the distance, he had to admit that the landscaping
and environment of Ya Yuan Community were quite nice. The community didn't have many buildings, making it feel quite spacious. His gaze inadvertently fell
on the row of flowers and plants his wife had planted downstairs. From these plants, it was clear that his wife had taken good care of them while he was away
. There were also several potted plants on the balcony. He bent down and played with them, trying to use them to
clear his mind of distractions.

What was that? As Liu Guopei looked down, his eyes inadvertently noticed that the soil in a corner pot of flowers seemed to have been
disturbed, and there seemed to be something inside. There was also a clump of ash next to it. He brushed it aside, and when he saw
what it was, *buzz—* Liu Guopei's head
throbbed . It was a cigarette butt! Liu Guopei dug the cigarette butt out of the soil and examined it closely. It was a
Nanjing (Nine-Five Supreme) cigarette butt; he had smoked it before and recognized it immediately—a very
high-end brand. The person who left it there seemed to intend to bury it, but perhaps they were in a hurry
and just left it there carelessly, or perhaps they simply didn't care where they put it.

If he could excuse himself for smelling tobacco earlier by saying he was mistaken,
how could he explain finding this cigarette butt in the flowerpot his wife had planted? Undoubtedly, someone had been to his house and
smoked quite a bit, so much so that he could still smell a faint tobacco odor on the bed in the bedroom.
Moreover! Although he was reluctant to think about it, the fact was that this person was very likely a man!!
Because women generally don't smoke this kind of cigarette!

It was seeing this cigarette butt that Liu Guopei ruled out the possibility of a burglar, because a burglar wouldn't smoke
such expensive cigarettes. So who was it? Why would his wife let a man into their house, especially
into their bedroom to smoke? A series of questions overwhelmed Liu Guopei, making him gasp for breath
, his chest heaving as if he had a lump in his stomach that he couldn't release, causing him great discomfort.

Liu Guopei secretly resolved to get to the bottom of this. He didn't even
smoke in his room, yet someone dared to come and smoke in his bedroom. And it was a man, so what was his relationship with his wife?
Everything was fine before he left on his business trip; could all of this have happened in just 20 days? Intuition told Liu Guopei that
a lot had happened at home during his 20-day business trip, and it was related to his wife!

Since someone had been to his home, it was impossible for them to leave clues in only one place. There were
clues on the balcony, and there might be others elsewhere. Thinking this, Liu Guopei searched the house meticulously, from the living room to the kitchen, from
the bedroom to the bathroom. However, the result was disappointing; apart from
the cigarette butt on the balcony, he found nothing else.

After sitting in the living room for a while, Liu Guopei suddenly realized that his once warm and beautiful home had become strange, no longer
bright as before, as if it had become much darker, threatening to engulf him at any moment. Unable to stay in the house any
longer, Liu Guopei picked up his luggage and went out. Before leaving, he tidied up the room
so his wife wouldn't know he had been back.

Sitting on the road outside the residential area, Liu Guopei felt none of the ease he used to feel walking on this path.
His heart was heavy, as if each leg weighed ten thousand pounds, and every step required immense effort.

"Mr. Liu! You're back! It's been so long!"

Liu Guopei continued walking aimlessly.

"Mr. Liu! Mr. Liu?" Liu Guopei suddenly realized someone was calling him. Turning around, he saw a
robust man in his thirties smiling at him. It was the security guard at the entrance of the residential complex, whose surname was Zheng, though he couldn't remember
his full . He was always friendly to everyone and would
greet him whenever he entered the complex.

"Um, hello, what's up? Is there something you need?" Liu Guopei asked mechanically.

"Nothing, I just haven't seen you in a while, so I wanted to say hello."
The security guard a bit older than Liu Guopei, but their superiors required them to use respectful titles when speaking to residents,
to emphasize the uniqueness of their upscale residential complex.

"Oh, I was away on a business trip for a while and just got back today."

"Oh, I see. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you in so long. Actually, I didn't come to work this weekend either;
I only start work tomorrow. By the way, did your relatives go home?"

"Relatives? What relatives?" Liu Guopei finally asked seriously.

Chapter Six: Conversation with the Security Guard

"So he's your relative! I saw him going home with Miss Tang when I was on night shift last time. I
even asked your wife, and she said he was your relative, from out of town, and had some urgent business with you. Then
he went home with Miss Tang. Didn't you know about this?" The security guard, surnamed Zheng, asked curiously.

Liu Guopei's intuition told him this was important information!

"Oh, I know. I was away on a business trip at the time, so I asked Zixin to pick up my relative.
It's my brother Tang. He came to see me about something very important. I haven't seen him in a long time. By the way, do you remember
what he looks like ? I don't even know what he looks like now," Liu Guopei asked casually.

"It was about five days ago. I was working the night shift when I saw your wife's
car enter the community around 9 p.m. There was a short man in the car. You know, for the safety of
the residents , I habitually asked your wife who he was. Your wife didn't answer, and the man said
he was your relative and came to see you about something. I saw that your wife agreed, so I didn't ask any more questions. To be honest, your
relative was really scary, like a gangster. If he hadn't come with your wife, I definitely wouldn't have
let him in," the security guard recalled.

"How scary was it? Tell me in detail."

"To be honest, I didn't see him very clearly that day. He was in the passenger seat. Besides, how could your wife, such
a good person, go back to the neighborhood with a bad guy? So I didn't look closely. But… I remember that guy
's sleeves were rolled up that day, and he had a wolf head tattoo on his arm. He was quite short and fat. That's all.
I didn't look closely. Oh, right, he left the neighborhood with your wife around noon the next day,
but he was driving the car."

Who was this short, fat guy the security guard was talking about? But whoever he was, one thing was
certain : he was very likely the person who smoked in his house. And the security guard's words confirmed
that this person had indeed come to his house and stayed overnight. Thinking about this, a thought
that almost killed him flashed through his mind: Could his wife be cheating on him? Impossible! He and his wife were so
loving; how could she be cheating? If she wasn't having an affair, why would she bring someone back to his house to spend the night?
And he was even allowed to smoke at home. You know, even if he smoked outside, his wife would be furious if she
found .

"Oh, thank you. Yes, that's right, he's my cousin. He's always pretended to be a gangster since he was little, but he's actually a
very nice person. I have to go now," Liu Guopei said with a smile. Although he was smiling on the surface,
Liu Guopei felt like he was being stabbed with a sharp knife. Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public; he absolutely couldn't let anyone know about this.

"Even if you didn't say it, I know he's not a bad person. How could someone as kind as Miss Tang be associated with
gangsters ? I thought about it later and realized he might be an artist. Yes, that's how artists are
. Well, you're busy now. I have to go to Building C." With that, the security guard surnamed Zheng left.

After seeing the security guard off, the throbbing pain in Liu Guopei's head intensified. His mind was a mess; he didn't
know what to do. The thought that his wife might be cheating on him kept replaying in his mind. No matter what, he
had to get to the bottom of this. Liu Guopei made up his mind.

After leaving the residential area, Liu Guopei checked into the Longteng Hotel near his home. Sitting on the hotel balcony,
he began to sort out his thoughts from the past two days. Firstly, he was
certain that something he didn't know had happened around him during his business trip, and it involved his wife. Secondly, something
he was reluctant to admit but that had indeed happened, was that a man
had smoked a lot in his house while he was away. Even worse, he and his wife had spent the night together. Although
he wasn't sure if anything more serious had occurred, he could
n't accept his wife letting a stranger stay overnight. Moreover, he found it hard to believe that nothing had happened between a man and a woman alone in a room.

At this moment, Liu Guopei still held onto a sliver of hope, because there was no direct evidence of his wife's infidelity.
He trusted his wife's character and believed she wouldn't do anything to betray him. He believed she had simply
spent the night in a different room from him, nothing more.

Chapter Seven: The Anxious Waiting

The sun slowly slid westward, ending his day's work and painting the clouds on the horizon a
deep crimson. Gazing at the crimson sunset in the distance, Liu Guopei felt as if his heart, too,
was a deep crimson,
stained He felt a slight numbness, sitting quietly alone.

Night was beginning to fall. Pulling himself back to reality, Liu Guopei glanced at his watch; it was already 7 PM.
Almost four hours had passed since he got off the plane, and he didn't know how he'd managed to get through them. His gaze
fell on his Dolce & Gabbana wallet beside him. He opened it and took out two photos: one of his wife,
Zixin, and one of his daughter, Jiajia.

It was a photo he'd taken of his wife and Jiajia during their trip to the Maldives last year. Although she wasn't very tall, she was
well-proportioned, with slender arms and legs, giving her a graceful and balanced appearance. Even in the simplest of clothes,
she was stunning! Bathed in sunlight, her skin seemed almost translucent. Her serene expression accentuated
her long, slender eyebrows, slightly upturned eyes, delicate nose, and thin lips, as if blending the beauty of misty moonlight, verdant greenery, and gentle
breezes—intoxicating even before one had tasted her. In stillness, she resembled a cold, elegant flower, aloof and proud. Her delicate, fair
skin, like curdled goat's milk, was like a translucent, crystal-clear Xinjiang mare's milk grape, so radiant that one hesitated to look too closely,
fearing that a direct gaze might pierce her face.

Looking at his wife's face in the photograph, like a blooming magnolia, a smile radiating
contentment the beautiful curve of her lips like a thread tugging at his heart, captivating him
, driving him to madness.

Thinking of his wife's smile, Liu Guopei secretly vowed to protect her!
He would not let anyone bully her, nor would he allow anyone to take her away! His wife would always be his! He would do everything in his power
to make her happy!

His wife had lied to him on the phone that afternoon, saying she was home, which was obviously impossible. But
where was she that afternoon? What could she possibly be doing that he couldn't find out about? Had she gone home yet? With
a series of questions swirling in his mind, Liu Guopei rushed to the hotel restaurant, grabbed a quick bite, and headed home.

Arriving at Building D of the Yayuan residential complex, Liu Guopei looked towards his apartment on the 6th floor and saw that
the lights were off. He checked the time; it was past 8 PM. If his wife were home, the lights would definitely be on! The
absence of lights meant that his wife hadn't returned home since his phone call that afternoon. Where had she
been all ? Who had she been with?

Filled with these questions, Liu Guopei decided to wait. He was determined to see his wife return today. He found a coffee shop on the second floor of a street not far from the entrance to
the Yayuan complex and sat down.
The main gate of the complex was nearby, and the street was brightly lit. If his wife came home, he would definitely see her car
pass by the coffee shop, as it was the only road leading there.

Time ticked by, and to be honest, Liu Guopei himself wasn't sure what to expect. What if his wife didn't
come home ? He quickly dismissed the thought, knowing his wife as he did, he knew she
would never stay out overnight. She had always been a good, sensible girl. Back in school,
it was her purity and kindness that had driven him to decide to do anything to win her heart. That's why
Liu Guopei believed his wife couldn't possibly be cheating, even though that belief didn't seem entirely convincing now.
Every time he tried to convince himself of his wife's innocence,
the image of the fat man with a wolf's head tattoo on his arm, described by the security guard surnamed Zheng, would flash through his mind, repeatedly eroding his belief in
his wife .

It was 9:30, and Liu Guopei's conviction that his wife wouldn't return grew stronger. Had his wife
really changed? Was she no longer coming home? It seemed so. "Fine, I'll wait until midnight,
" a voice inside him urged, telling him to wait and trust his wife. In the end, Liu Guopei decided to wait.
Staring at the entrance of the Yayuan residential complex, he didn't dare blink, fearing that a single blink would cause
him to miss his wife's car and create a lifelong misunderstanding between them.

Finally, at 10 o'clock, Liu Guopei's pupils suddenly contracted,
and He saw a car approaching in the distance; judging from the model, it should be his wife's BMW Z4.
As the car drew closer, Liu Guopei confirmed it was indeed his wife's car—the BMW Z4 sports car he had bought for her last year for 600,000 yuan
. The license plate, Shanghai A06239, was chosen based on his wife
's birthday—June 23rd.

Looking down from his apartment building, Liu Guopei saw that only his wife was in the car. Watching the car drive into the Yayuan
residential complex, Liu Guopei ran out and followed.

Chapter Eight: The Smell of Alcohol in the Z4 Sports Car

When Liu Guopei walked from the coffee shop to Building D of the Yayuan residential complex, he found that the lights in his home were already on;
his wife had already gone upstairs. To be honest, seeing his wife return home brought Liu Guopei a sense
of relief, but at the same time, the thought that his wife hadn't actually cheated on him resurfaced. Could it all have been
a of misunderstandings? But how could he explain the short, fat man with the wolf head tattoo on his arm? And
why had his wife lied to him that afternoon, saying she was home?

Sigh! Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the more confused I get. I cleared all the random thoughts from my mind. Since
my wife is home, I'll call it a day. To be honest, Liu Guopei still felt quite tired. He had originally planned to give
his wife a big surprise when he got home, then take a nice hot bath and have a good night's sleep! But all of that
was shattered by that phone call with his wife. He hadn't had a real
rest ; he had spent the whole time guessing and worrying.

Just as Liu Guopei was about to leave the Yayuan residential area to go back to his hotel to sleep, he was attracted by a white figure not far away. It
was his wife's Z4 sports car parked downstairs! Next to it was his own Porsche Cayenne, but now
Liu Guopei 's eyes were drawn to his wife's car. A thought suddenly popped into his head: since
he had found a cigarette butt in the flowerpot at home, could his wife have left some clues in her car? He
often swapped cars with his wife, so he had the key to her Z4, and of course, his wife had
the key .

And so, almost as if by magic, Liu Guopei walked towards his wife's Z4 sports car. Just from this car, one could tell how meticulous
his wife was. She had maintained it so well it was practically brand new.

He took out the keys and opened the door. The instant the door opened, Liu Guopei smelled his wife's
unique scent in the air. It wasn't just perfume; it was a blend of perfume and his wife's natural fragrance—
a scent that he found intoxicating, a scent he believed no one in the world could
resist . Hmm? Wait, what's that smell? Liu Guopei suddenly noticed a faint
smell of alcohol in the air. Had his wife been drinking? To get a better look, Liu Guopei got into the car.

Sitting in the seat, Liu Guopei was now certain: there was indeed a smell of alcohol in the car. This almost
certainly meant his wife had drunk quite a bit that night, but the wife he knew in his heart couldn't possibly have drunk
this much.

In my memory, my wife would only have one drink on major holidays like New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, or our wedding
anniversary would never drink this much, especially since
there was still a strong smell of alcohol in the car even after she'd been gone for so long.

Today has been incredibly shocking. First, my wife lied to me on the phone,
saying she was at home. Then, I found a cigarette butt in a flowerpot in the corner of the balcony near our bedroom. Finally,
I smelled alcohol in her car. Has my wife gone from someone who hated smoking and drinking
to this? What happened to turn everything from such a beautiful state into this
in just 20 days? Why?! Why did everything turn out this way?! Why did my wife go from
being the perfect goddess I admired, a graduate of a prestigious university, to
spending the night in my house with a strange man, possibly even someone with ties to organized crime? The expensive cigarette butt in the flowerpot and
the smell of alcohol in the sports car—all of this suggests that my wife may have fallen from grace. She may even be having an affair.

With heavy steps, Liu Guopei left the Yayuan residential complex and returned to
the hotel . Back at the hotel, he went straight to the bathroom, turning the shower on full blast. He didn't use
hot water; what he needed most now was to calm down. The continuous flow of cold water from the showerhead felt like
dragons spitting bloodthirsty tongues, threatening to engulf him. After

spending over 30 minutes in the bathroom, Liu Guopei began to calm down. He dried himself and lay down on the hotel's soft, rumpled
bed. He had to admit, the hotel bed was really nice—large and comfortable, making him never want to get up
. Liu Guopei began to ponder his next move. Should he confront his wife about
everything ? Or should he swallow his anger and pretend nothing had happened?

After a moment's thought, Liu Guopei ruled out the first option. Even if his wife
had lied to him, what would that prove? There was no direct evidence to prove his wife's infidelity.
The cigarette butts he found in the room and the smell of alcohol in the Z4 sports car didn't really prove
anything . Even the security guard's claim of seeing his wife with the short, fat man with tattoos lacked direct
evidence. So, fundamentally, he only discovered that his wife had deceived him today, which didn't prove whether
she was having an affair or anything else.

Considering all aspects, Liu Guopei decided not to confront his wife about what he had discovered today,
nor should he tell her that he had returned to Shanghai. He would secretly observe and follow his wife for a few days to see if he could
find anything.

Chapter Nine: Following His Wife

In the early morning, a sliver of sunlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains, like a shimmering golden thread,
illuminating fallen asleep.

Awakened by the sunlight, Liu Guopei looked at his watch; it was 7 o'clock. Sigh! He had barely
slept last night, constantly thinking about what had happened during the day, and only managed to fall asleep around 5 a.m.

Although the poor sleep last night left him feeling groggy and weak all over. However, Liu Guopei
still got up and went to the bathroom. He wanted to follow his wife to see
where she went each day, hoping to find out why she had been deceiving him. He also wanted
to know who the mysterious fat man with the wolf-head tattoo was, what his relationship with his wife was, why the
security guard had seen him and his wife stay at his house all night until noon the next day, and
what had happened that night that he didn't know about.

After washing up and eating breakfast, Liu Guopei quickly went to the bottom of Building D in the Yayuan residential area and sat on
a stone bench not far away. This was a place his wife didn't need to pass by on her way to work, but he could see her driving
out , so he figured she wouldn't be discovered. It was already past 8 o'clock. Today was Monday, and his wife was going to work.
Liu Guopei knew her company's working hours were standard 9 to 5, and since their home
wasn't far from her company, she usually left around 8:20. Liu Guopei sat on the stone bench and waited
patiently .

Finally, at 8:18, his wife came downstairs. To be honest, even though they had been married for several years,
Liu Guopei was still deeply attracted the moment he saw his wife come downstairs.

His wife was wearing a pinkish-purple round-neck long-sleeved top with a lotus-petal trim.
A sash perfectly hugged his wife's round, pert breasts, a sight that stirred the imagination.
Paired with a matching pinkish-purple Chanel velvet knee-length skirt, her beautifully sculpted buttocks
seemed to heave rhythmically, fueling Liu Guopei's already aroused heart. Black Pinky high heels
made her legs appear incredibly long. Her long, glossy black hair was casually draped over her shoulders,
gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight. Her fair complexion, rosy cheeks, and bright, expressive eyes, along with her smiling lips, made her look like a
fairy descended to earth! Truly, she was irresistibly charming!

After leaving the building, his wife walked straight to her Z4 sports car. Liu Guopei immediately
ran . He needed to find a car before his wife's car left the Yayuan complex; otherwise,
how could he follow her after she drove away? His Porsche Cayenne was definitely unusable. Reaching the complex entrance, Liu Guopei
hailed a taxi on the street.

"Hello, where are you going?" the taxi driver asked.

Liu Guopei was currently thinking about his tracking plan, how to avoid being discovered by his wife, so he didn't hear
the driver's question.

"Hey! Friend, where are you going? Say something!"

"Uh, just stop here for now, I'll tell you later. Don't worry, I won't shortchange you." Liu Guopei then
realized the driver was asking him, and fearing the driver might be reluctant to wait due to wasted time, he added the last sentence.

"Hehe... buddy, because of that, don't worry, as long as the wait isn't long, I won't charge you extra
. I'm not that kind of person." The driver blushed as Liu Guopei saw through his thoughts.

Liu Guopei wasn't thinking about this, so he ignored him and quietly waited for his wife's Z4 to come out.

Two minutes later, the white Z4 sports car drove out of the Yayuan residential area, heading south.

"Driver, follow that white BMW Z4 sports car! Quick!" Liu Guopei immediately said to the taxi driver after his wife's car had
driven a distance.

"Following? You...you're a cop...or...?" The driver hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Don't worry about who I am, just follow me, I won't shortchange you a penny! I'm not a
bad guy , the person in that car is my wife!" Liu Guopei's tone was alright at first, but he got angrier and angrier as he spoke,
basically shouting! No one would be happy to be asked to follow their own wife,
because everyone could guess what had happened.

"Oh...okay...I'll follow right away." Seemingly intimidated by Liu Guopei's tone, the driver immediately
followed.

"Brother, you look pretty young, did you and your wife have some kind of conflict? Um, I'm
just asking, it's okay if you don't want to tell me." The driver seemed to have guessed something and asked
tentatively .

"Heh, what happened...I don't know what happened, I'm still like a complete
idiot don't know anything." Liu Guopei said loudly.

"Calm down, don't get so angry, you don't know anything? Could it be your wife...you know what happened
...?" The driver seemed to have guessed something and asked again in a low voice.

No wonder he could guess; anyone could guess from his current expression. So
Liu Guopei didn't bother to explain. Seeing that Liu Guopei didn't answer, the driver just chuckled and focused on driving
, saying nothing more.

His wife's car entered their company. Liu Guopei gave the driver 200 yuan and got out. His wife
went to the company, but Liu Guopei couldn't go in, so he found a teahouse to sit down.

Before he knew it, the day had passed quickly. He hadn't discovered anything. His wife went to work normally in the morning
and returned home normally in the afternoon. He had followed her the whole time, and there was nothing suspicious.

For the next two days, Liu Guopei continued to follow his wife around 8 a.m. every day,
starting , until she got off work and returned home. But what puzzled him was that after following
his wife for three consecutive days, Liu Guopei hadn't discovered anything. His wife went to work and came home normally, and she hadn't even left the house
at night .

When Liu Guopei returned to the hotel that evening, he was exhausted. Although the past few days of surveillance had been tiring,
he felt a sense of relief. The experience had given him a glimmer of
hope: perhaps his wife was truly innocent, and perhaps he had misunderstood her. Thinking this, Liu Guopei felt a surge of joy and
prepared to take a long, relaxing hot bath.

After his bath, he sat in his room and used the hotel computer to surf the internet.
His wife's avatar on his QQ contacts was grayed out; she wasn't online. This was normal; his wife rarely used QQ
. Seeing that his wife was offline, Liu Guopei began browsing the web.

While reading the news, he suddenly noticed a QQ message notification in the lower right corner of his desktop.

Chapter Ten: The online whistleblower letter

, upon opening, turned out to be from a QQ group I had joined before called "The United Front of Whistleblowers." This was
a formed by people who had been persecuted by corrupt officials and
criminal gangs, dedicated to exposing their shady dealings. It was said that some high-ranking municipal officials had infiltrated the group to
gather intelligence, expose corrupt officials, and crack down on criminal gangs.

I myself had
suffered heavy losses because a company project was forcibly seized by a gang called the "Dragon Tiger Gang" in collusion with corrupt officials. While appealing, I sought other solutions. Later, on
someone's recommendation, I joined this group. However, I didn't really believe this QQ group could help me
, but with no other options, I shared my experience in the group. Strangely enough, after sharing
my experience a few times in the group, the project was returned to me within a few days
.

Although I didn't know exactly how it happened, my intuition told me that the project's resolution was definitely
related to this QQ group. So when the notification popped up in the lower right corner of the desktop, Liu Guopei instinctively clicked on it.
It turned out to be a report from someone called "Living Dead," which stated: "I am an
engineer . I am reporting a criminal gang called 'Green Wolf Gang' on Xianglan Street in Dongcheng District. They use bars and
nightclubs as a front for extortion, rape, forcing women into prostitution, drug trafficking, and other heinous crimes.
Any girl who goes to their nightclubs and is even slightly attractive is drugged, raped, and then forced into prostitution."
The message alleges prostitution and widespread drug use. The message claims relevant departments will take action, and if you require
evidence , you can prove you are a government official; the message states the person is willing to report the matter anonymously and will
provide evidence.

Upon seeing this message, Liu Guopei simply smiled and ignored it, believing it to be fake news. He
argued that in a society governed by law, such a thing as described by this "living dead" was impossible. He believed there were corrupt
officials organized crime, and that prostitution, drug trafficking, and rape existed in Zhonghai, but
to think someone would dare to occupy an area in a major international metropolis like Zhonghai and drug a woman they found attractive was
absolutely impossible! He argued that such behavior would create chaos in today's society , and even prostitution, drug trafficking, and rape were extremely rare. He asserted that such rampant
activity was not possible in a society governed by law.
Perhaps this "living dead" guy is just a bar owner trying to sabotage
Xianglan Street's business by deliberately slandering the place. This kind of tactic is common in business, so
Liu Guopei didn't take it seriously. However, Liu Guopei never expected that "Xianglan Street" and the "Green Wolf Gang" would eventually
become his nightmare.

After shutting down the computer, Liu Guopei went to sleep. He slept peacefully in bed because his investigation over the past
few days indicated that his wife's life was normal; she hadn't left the house at night, living a very quiet life between home and the company.
She only visited Jiajia a few times at her parents' house, as his wife had to work and he was often away on business, so Jiajia
mostly stayed at her parents' house, except when his wife had time off.

Liu Guopei also decided to tell his wife the next day that he had signed the contract and could come home.

The next morning, Liu Guopei dialed his wife's number. "Zixin, what are you doing? Are you up?"
Liu Guopei asked gently.

The wife's sleepy voice came from the other end of the phone, "Ah... honey, it's you! So early... I was just about
to get up. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, the contract is signed, and I can go home today." Hearing his wife's
soft pictured her in her pajamas, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hair draped over
her shoulder, her breasts barely concealed, talking to him with sleepy eyes. Thinking of this, Liu Guopei
immediately became aroused; his penis swelled up, feeling as if it would burst through his hymen.

"Really! That's great! What time is your flight? I'll pick you up at the airport." His wife's
excited and happy voice came from the other end of the phone. He could tell that his wife was genuinely happy for his return, and Liu Guopei suddenly
felt guilty. She was so good to him, yet he had doubted her.

"No, you don't need to pick me up. You have to go to work. I think I'll be there by noon. I'll
wait for you at home then." Liu Guopei didn't want his wife to be late for work because of him; this was his consistent
principle .

"Okay then, you have to be a good girl and wait for me at home! I'll make your favorite sweet and sour pork
ribs and steamed fish for dinner." His wife on the other end of the phone knew Liu Guopei's personality, so she could only agree.

After finishing the call with his wife, Liu Guopei leisurely ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant, planning to
wander around after breakfast and then head home when he estimated the time.

Chapter Eleven: Tenderness with His Wife

For Liu Guopei, who was eager to go home, time felt like an hour .
He glanced down at his Rolex watch again. Liu Guopei couldn't even remember
how many times he had looked down at his watch this morning. Finally, it was almost 1 p.m., just in time to go home.

After checking out of the hotel, Liu Guopei carried his luggage straight to the Yayuan residential complex.
Reaching the foot of Building D, his gaze was drawn to a white car parked in a spot next to the flowerbed. His wife's Z4
sports car? Wasn't she at work? Why was the car here? Had she skipped work this morning after hearing him say
she'd be back ? Never mind, he'd find out when he
got upstairs.

Reaching his apartment on the 6th floor, seeing his wife's car below, Liu Guopei didn't use
his key but rang the doorbell. "Squeak—" The door opened from the inside, revealing his wife's
delicate and captivating face.

"Husband! You're back." Before Liu Guopei could even savor his wife's face, she
rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. Liu Guopei returned the embrace, holding her soft
body , feeling her intoxicating heartbeat, each beat tugging at his heartstrings. He inhaled
her unique fragrance and gently stroked her smooth, dark hair with his chin. At that moment, Liu Guopei
felt like the happiest man in the world, casting aside all the unpleasantness of the past few days.

Yes, why bother trying to verify things that might not even exist? Perhaps it's
true, perhaps it's false—who cares! Let it all go. He
'll find out the truth when the time is right, at least for now! At least for this moment, he was the happiest!

"Waaah...waaah...waaah..." Suddenly, he heard his wife's intermittent sobs from his arms. Liu Guopei
looked down and saw that his wife, Zixin, was crying her eyes out. Crystal-clear tears streamed down her fair and rosy
face, and her eyes were red and swollen. Anyone who saw her would feel pity and want to hold her tightly to comfort her
.

"Zixin, why are you crying? Aren't you happy that I'm back?"
Liu Guopei cupped his wife's adorable face in his hands and jokingly comforted her.

"You're so annoying! It's...waaah...it's...not because of you...waaah...being away on a business trip...for so long...
waaah...Guopei...waaah...I missed you...!" his wife sobbed. After saying this, her face
turned bright red. To hide her embarrassment, she buried her cute little head in his arms. Even
after so many years of marriage, his wife was still as shy as a little girl.

"Oh! Zixin, I missed you too... You've suffered so much these past few days. Don't worry, the contract is finally signed, and I
can rest for a long time now. I'll definitely spend quality time with you! Don't cry, okay? Your tears are breaking my heart. Be good,
I promise I'll never go on business trips again." Liu Guopei gently stroked his wife's smooth back,
comforting her softly.

"Okay, I'll forgive you this time! But you can't leave Jiajia and me at home like this again. You have to go out..."
"Take us with you if you can." His wife whispered in his arms, her head still buried in his chest.

Watching his wife wriggle and squirm in his arms, unwilling to leave, feeling her gentle
movements, Liu Guopei could clearly feel her soft breasts rising and falling, teasing him.
A surge of heat rose from his abdomen to his entire body, and Liu Guopei could no longer resist. He picked up his wife and carried her to the bedroom.

Today, his wife was wearing a white blouse with small green checks. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone
, just enough to reveal a little bit of her bra, but not the edge. She looked very voluptuous, unlike some women
who show most of their breasts but don't reveal anything. His wife usually wore a half-cup bra, the thin kind without padding
. She wore a terrazzo denim skirt that reached just to her knees, without stockings, her
white legs exposed, and two transparent crystal sandals swaying on her delicate white feet.

Liu Guopei's hands were trying to roll up his wife's skirt, but the denim skirt was too tight and he couldn't get it up. Liu Guopei seemed
very anxious, constantly tugging at the skirt, but the more he pulled, the less he could get it off. Just as he was getting desperate,
his wife pushed him away and reached behind the skirt. There was a zipper in the back. He unzipped it and
pulled his wife's skirt down to her feet. Although they had been married for five years, Liu Guopei still
felt a surge of passion, like during their first love, whenever he saw his wife's body. His wife pressed tightly against him, constantly writhing her delicate
body . Liu Guopei couldn't resist any longer, and he unzipped his pants...

Chapter Twelve: The Mysterious Phone Call

After a passionate encounter, Liu Guopei lay on the bed,
constantly caressing his wife's smooth body in his arms, occasionally teasing her pair of white, firm breasts, making her let out
a soft moan.

"Zixin, weren't you supposed to go to work today? Why didn't you go?" Liu Guopei asked softly.

"It's all your fault, humph! You were away on a business trip for so long, only getting back today. I was so upset at work that
I had to take time off to come home and wait for you! I wanted to see you the moment you got home!" his wife said petulantly.

Although he had already guessed that his wife had taken time off work, hearing her words
still moved Liu Guopei deeply. He hugged his wife tighter. Liu Guopei felt
utterly ashamed of his distrust of her. His wife was so good to him, and he had actually doubted her. He was truly heartless.
Liu Guopei repeatedly berated himself, while simultaneously vowing once again to be good to his wife for the rest of his life, and no
matter what happened, he would make her happy forever!

After an afternoon of intimacy with his wife, Liu Guopei felt utterly exhausted. He took
a lay down on the bed to sleep. He wondered why his wife seemed so relaxed; after her shower,
she was cleaning the house. "Women are amazing,
" Liu Guopei thought to himself
. "I'm exhausted from all this time with my wife, but she only feels weak for a short while afterward, and then she's fine after a rest.

" Lying in bed, Liu Guopei felt refreshed and lighter than ever before. The contract with Taiying
Group had already taken its toll, and his suspicions about his wife had only added to his mental
strain . But today's meeting with his wife had made things clear. Based on her behavior, Liu Guopei
was convinced that his wife loved him deeply and that he should trust her completely
. With these thoughts, he quickly fell asleep.

"Ah, it's already 5 o'clock," Liu Guopei murmured as he woke up, stretching and glancing at his
Rolex watch. It was already 5 o'clock. What was his wife doing? Liu Guopei went out of the bedroom and called his wife's
name , but there was no answer. Hmm, where did his wife go? Did she go out? Just as Liu Guopei was wondering
, he heard his wife's voice coming from the direction of the study, but it was very soft and hard to hear. Liu Guopei
walked towards the study.

From the outside, he could clearly feel that his wife was speaking in a low voice, so he
could barely what was being said inside. He tried pushing the door, but found that it was locked from the inside. From
outside the room, Liu Guopei heard
the words

Who was his wife talking to, and why was she whispering in the study? Liu Guopei
knew She was a very beautiful and optimistic girl, a different kind of beauty from his wife—one was optimistic and cheerful,
the other gentle and kind. She was his wife's best friend; the two were very close,
having known were top students at Tsinghua University, but she worked as a presenter and was quite well-known in Zhonghai City. His wife
worked at a Fortune 500 investment company called Liansheng. After graduation, they both returned to Zhonghai
City , so their relationship was even stronger than in university. His wife often mentioned Zhang Yiyi to him,
and sometimes he would jokingly say that his wife's relationship with Zhang Yiyi was better than her relationship with him.

Since his wife's phone call was related to Zhang Yiyi, and given Liu Guopei's immense trust
and , he didn't think anything of it. He simply assumed it was
a secret between their daughters that he shouldn't overhear, which was why his wife was making the call in the study. Since his wife didn't want to tell him,
she must have her reasons, and Liu Guopei didn't want to get involved. After all, everyone has their own secrets
and space, and couples are no exception.

Having figured this out, Liu Guopei went to the living room, sat on the sofa, and watched TV without disturbing
his wife .

The study door creaked open, and his wife emerged from within, her graceful figure swaying.

"Honey, you...you're awake!" came her slightly flustered voice, as if she'd done
something wrong and been caught.

"Uh, I just woke up. I thought you'd gone out since you weren't here. I didn't expect you to be in the study,"
Liu Guopei said, not wanting his wife to realize he'd overheard her phone call.

"Uh, I was worried you'd need the study for work when you got home, so I cleaned it up
a bit. It's been dirty for days," his wife replied hastily, her face flushing slightly with nervousness
, making her look quite charming.

"It's getting late. I'll make you some food. You must be hungry," she said hurriedly before he could reply.
She said, then quickly walked towards the kitchen, as if afraid he would ask her what she had been doing.

"No, Zixin, let's not eat at home, let's eat at Mom's. It's not very late, only 5 pm
. We can also pick Jiajia up to stay today. The little one must be tired of being there and wants to go home. Besides,
I haven't visited the two elders in a long time." Liu Guopei stopped his wife and said to her.

"Okay, then I'll go get ready and change my clothes before we leave. Jiajia told me on the phone yesterday that she
missed her dad and wanted to go home." His wife was also happy to hear that they were going to pick up her precious daughter and turned to
walk towards the bedroom.

Chapter Thirteen: A Family Reunion

While his wife went inside to change, Liu Guopei called his parents to inform
them evening. On the phone, Liu Guopei heard his beloved daughter
Jiajia's sweet voice again. Hearing that his wife and he would be visiting her, the little girl was overjoyed. Yes, he
hadn't seen Jiajia for almost three weeks; she must have missed him. He knew his daughter and he had always been
very . Before, when he was home, the little girl needed him to tell her stories every night before she
could fall asleep.

"Honey, I'm ready. We can go now." Just after hanging up with his mother, Chen Xianyi,
Liu Guopei heard his wife Zixin's gentle voice beside him. Turning around, Liu Guopei's
heart began to flutter again. His wife looked absolutely stunning.

She had changed into a yellow floral print dress; the soft chiffon fabric clung to her full figure, accentuating
her curves and alluring figure. A fair face, delicate little ears,
a thin platinum necklace adorning her pinkish-white neck, white high-heeled crystal sandals, and bare, white,
tender . A limited-edition Gucci handbag slung over her arm.
A smile played on her cherry lips, her eyes sparkling with affection. She stood gracefully before the bedroom door, her entire being exuding an ethereal beauty, like a
fairy descended to earth, inspiring countless fantasies and an irresistible urge to embrace her and kiss her
.

"What are you daydreaming about? Haven't you ever seen anything like this before?" Seeing Liu Guopei staring at her blankly, his wife, Zixin
, blushed and said coquettishly.

"Uh, it's nothing. Let's go. I've already told Mom. Let's go now," Liu Guopei said
, feeling embarrassed by his wife's words, quickly changing the subject.

Liu Guopei, carrying the Barbie doll he bought for his daughter Jiajia and gifts he bought for his parents during his business trip to Hong Kong,
walked downstairs with his wife Zixin.

"Take your car, Zixin. My car hasn't been driven in a long time; I'll take it for maintenance tomorrow to see if there are
any problems," Liu Guopei said, walking with his wife to her BMW Z4 sports car.

They arrived at his parents' house in less than 40 minutes. From afar, they saw his mother and their beloved daughter Jiajia waiting for them
downstairs . Upon seeing them, Jiajia immediately ran towards them.

"Daddy! Mommy!" The little girl rushed into Liu Guopei's arms, overjoyed.

Holding his daughter in his arms, Liu Guopei was also incredibly happy. He had missed her terribly, and the thought of
her crying on the phone a few days ago filled him with a pang of sadness.

"Jiajia, are you being good? Did you miss Daddy? If you didn't, you won't get a present!"

"Yes, I was very good. I even changed into new clothes to pick up Daddy."

His wife and mother were amused by the little boy's cute words. Liu Guopei led Jiajia, his mother, and his
wife upstairs to his mother's house, where his parents lived on the third floor.

After going upstairs, Liu Guopei saw his father watching TV in the living room and went over to him.

"Dad, I'm back. How have you been lately?" Liu Guopei knew that his father had high blood pressure,
and his father's doctor had said that his blood pressure had recently risen again, so he asked with concern, while also feeling
a little guilty that he, his parents' only child, hadn't visited them for so long.

"You're back, it's good that you're back. Don't worry too much about your mother and me, we're both in good health, nothing's
wrong ." His father comforted him in a cheerful voice, but Liu Guopei knew that his father was only saying this
to avoid making him worry.

Sitting on the sofa watching TV with his father, Liu Guopei watched as his wife and mother prepared dinner in the kitchen. His daughter, Jiajia, kept
changing her mood, sometimes playfully fussing with his wife, sometimes snuggling into his arms
. Liu Guopei, however, wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he frequently made his daughter giggle.

At 7 pm, the family of five sat down at the table for dinner. Before starting , they toasted to their family reunion
, with Jiajia drinking a beverage. Her innocent laughter echoed throughout the table. The family
chatted happily as they ate. Looking at his family sitting together in harmony, Liu Guopei secretly
vowed to protect his family, to ensure everyone's happiness, and to prevent anyone from disrupting it!

Chapter Fourteen: The Mysterious Text Message

After dinner, Liu Guopei and his wife took their daughter Jiajia back home.

Liu Guopei sat in the living room playing with his daughter. Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for a long time, his daughter
clung to him from the moment she saw him. Sitting on the sofa, Liu Guopei kept telling her stories, occasionally eliciting
bursts of innocent laughter from Jiajia. His wife, Zixin, was taking a shower in the bathroom. Earlier, while
eating at her mother's house, the little one had knocked over a bowl, getting food all over her, so she had to
go back into the bathroom to clean herself.

*Buzz—* Just as Liu Guopei was happily playing with his daughter Jiajia, he suddenly noticed his wife's
phone, which she had placed on the living room table after going into the bathroom, ring. It sounded like a text message. He was about to go over and check it
, but then stopped. He thought, "Never mind, I shouldn't look at it. If my wife were next to me, it would be fine,
but now that she's in the bathroom, I shouldn't look at her phone from behind. After all, everyone wants their own private
space."

"I'm going to answer the phone, I'm going to answer the phone, Daddy wants me to go!" Jiajia, the daughter, also heard the phone ringing. Thinking it
was a call, and worried that she might try to answer it herself, she quickly spoke in
her still-developing voice.

"Jiajia, come back to Daddy..." Just as Liu Guopei was about to tell his daughter not to touch his phone, he saw the little girl
had already run off, so he had no choice but to let her go.

His daughter, Jiajia, thought it was a phone call and kept saying "Hello, hello..."
into the phone, looking quite adorable, which made Liu Guopei chuckle. He took the phone from his daughter and saw that it was indeed a text message from an
unknown number. His wife's phone didn't have that number saved in her contacts; it was just a string of numbers.
Opening it, the message was simple and strange: "Baby, I've arrived here. Don't miss me, okay? I'll treat you well
when I get back !" Liu Guopei instinctively assumed someone had sent it to his wife's
phone by mistake. Since the message was so affectionate and there was no name saved, it was clear his wife didn't know him.
So, it must have been a mistake. Liu Guopei casually put the phone back and continued playing with his daughter.

"Squeak—" The bathroom door opened, and his wife came out after her shower.
Liu Guopei, who was happily playing with their daughter Jiajia, turned his head and saw his wife wearing a light pink royal rose bathrobe. Her
originally fair face appeared even more rosy and tender from the shower, and her hair, still
slightly damp, seemed to be steaming. Her long hair was tied up at the back of her head, and her two calves exposed under the bathrobe looked like two pieces of jade lotus roots just emerging from the water,
incredibly white and tender.

"What's wrong with you today? You're spacing out again. What are you looking at? It's not like we haven't seen each other before." Seeing Liu Guopei
staring at her in a daze again, his wife blushed again and could only glare at him with her beautiful eyes. However,
her heart was still filled with sweetness. Who wouldn't want their lover to look at them so affectionately?

"Uh, Zixin, you got a text message while you were showering, but I guess someone sent it to the wrong person."
Liu Guopei turned his head awkwardly and used his signature tactic of changing the subject.

"Really? Let me see... Who's sending this message? It's so pointless!" His wife
took the phone and immediately said, somewhat annoyed.

For some reason, although his wife seemed angry, Liu Guopei felt something
was off . It seemed her hand trembled slightly when she saw the message, and her face seemed even redder,
giving him a very strange feeling. "Maybe I'm just imagining things," Liu Guopei thought to himself.

The family of three sat in the living room and watched TV for a while. Then Liu Guopei and his wife took their daughter, Jiajia, to
her room to sleep. His wife had been letting her
sleep in a separate room for the past six months to encourage independence. After taking their daughter to her room, Liu Guopei soon followed his wife into their own room.

The couple lay in bed, gazing at each other. Looking at his wife's
flawless face, seemingly sculpted by God himself, Liu Guopei felt a surge of desire. He deliberately dimmed the room lights
, his hands caressing his wife's smooth
, faintly fragrant body. The dim light cast an orange glow on her jade-like form, outlining her perfect curves on the bed. Unable to resist any longer,
Liu Guopei silenced his wife with a kiss, sucking on her sweet tongue,
then slowly sliding downwards. His wife, Zixin, eyes half-closed, stretched out her limbs, letting Liu Guopei's tongue
roam over her body, occasionally uttering meaningless sounds. Liu Guopei knew his wife always used this
expression to indicate she was enjoying their intimate moment. When she wore that look
, it meant she was ready, and all Liu Guopei had to do was respond, giving her more
passionate kisses, then attacking, and attacking again…

The pleasure gradually built up, finally erupting like a volcano. His wife
struggled beneath him, her hands desperately grasping at his body and legs, like a drowning person clutching at a straw
.

Chapter Fifteen: The Dinner at Hongxin Hotel

After a passionate encounter that brought both Liu Guopei and his wife to the peak of desire, Liu Guopei held
his wife , staring blankly at the ceiling, seemingly exhausted from their intercourse.

His wife, Zixin, rested her head on Liu Guopei's shoulder, her body pressed tightly against his chest, a smooth,
white hand occasionally gliding across his rising and falling chest.

"Husband, will you always love me and cherish me?" His wife suddenly raised her flawless face to Liu Guopei
, her bright eyes filled with expectation.

"Silly girl, who else would I cherish if not you! From the moment I took your hand, I was destined to love
you for a lifetime. As long as you don't despise me, I will protect you for the rest of my life." Liu Guopei finished speaking and lowered his head to kiss
his wife's smooth forehead.

Hearing Liu
Guopei tears. She lowered her head, not speaking, but buried her face in Liu Guopei
's broad chest. Tears streamed down her face, soaking Liu Guopei's chest and his heart. He held his wife tightly, "Sweetie, sleep. Why
are you crying all of a sudden? I'm here." Liu Guopei whispered.

The morning sunlight streamed in unexpectedly through the French windows, illuminating Liu Guopei's face. The dazzling
light woke him from his sleep. His wife was already up. Liu Guopei turned his head but didn't see her in
bed . It seemed she was already up and cooking. He glanced at his Rolex watch on the bedside table; it
was already 7:30.

Stepping out of the bedroom, his wife was setting breakfast on the table. Today, she was wearing a dark black business suit
. She was undeniably a clothes hanger; the dark black shirt fit her
perfectly , the top two buttons undone, revealing her prominent breasts, almost bursting out.
Around her neck was a white gold necklace with the logo "Kiecky," symbolizing eternal love. Below, she wore a
matching black knee-length skirt, and purple stockings encased her long, straight legs. Her long, flowing black hair was neatly
styled in a bun, making her look like an elegant, noble, and sophisticated princess. Seeing Liu Guopei get up, his wife immediately
said gently, "Honey, breakfast is ready. I have to go to work today; I didn't go yesterday."
She then playfully stuck out her tongue, looking incredibly charming.

Liu Guopei went to his daughter's room. The little one was fast asleep. He didn't wake her, letting her continue
sleeping, as sleep is very important for children. After dinner, Liu Guopei wanted to take his wife to the company, but
she refused, probably not wanting to trouble herself. Shortly after his wife left, their daughter Jiajia woke up. After she
finished eating, Liu Guopei, having not been to the company in a long time, needed to go there and took his daughter to his mother's.
Then he drove his Porsche Cayenne to get it serviced and took a taxi to the company.

Once there, Liu Guopei processed documents his assistant had brought him that required his signature. Around
noon, his assistant, Xu Xiaohui, came in to tell him that a man named Zhao Kun had been trying to invite him
to lunch for the past two days, but he hadn't come to the company. Today, Zhao Kun had called again. Zhao Kun? He
didn't know such a person. Xu Xiaohui explained that this Zhao Kun wanted to
discuss a construction contract that Liu Guopei's company in Xicheng District had just won.

Since he had nothing else to do at noon, and this man had invited him several times, Liu Guopei
told tell him he could go at noon. A little while later, Xiaohui informed him that Zhao Kun had already
booked a private room at the five-star Hongxin Hotel on Xianglan Street.

Xianglan Street? When Liu Guopei heard the name, he immediately thought of
the whistleblower's letter posted by "Living Dead
" in the online whistleblower alliance . Xianglan Street was a particularly famous bar street in Zhonghai City, filled with hotels and nightclubs, a street that never slept, brightly lit and full of temptations every night,
and it seemed to be not far from his wife's company.

After finishing the last document, Liu Guopei looked at his Rolex watch; it was already 12 o'clock,
and he had to go to his appointment. Since his car was still being serviced, Liu Guopei had to take a taxi. Arriving at
the Hongxin Hotel on Xianglan Street, Liu Guopei went straight inside.

"Mr. Liu, hello! My name is Wei Bin. I was sent by Brother Kun to pick you up and take you upstairs, haha!" Just as Liu Guopei
was about to enter, a young man approached him with a fawning smile.

"You know me?" Liu Guopei was puzzled as to how this young man knew him.

"Haha, you don't recognize me, but I not only recognize you, I also recognize your wife... Oh, no, I
actually don't recognize you, it's just that Brother Kun showed me your picture, so I recognized you when I saw you. Let's go,
Brother Kun has already booked a private room." This man named Wei Bin said something very strange. He said he recognized me first,
then said he didn't, and it seemed he also recognized my wife. It was really strange. Liu Guopei only felt
strange in his heart, but didn't think too much about it, and still followed this man named Wei Bin into the Hongxin Hotel.

Chapter Sixteen: Blatant Extortion

Liu Guopei followed this man named Wei Bin to a private room on the third floor of the Hongxin Hotel. Pushing open
the door of the private room, Liu Guopei saw two people sitting inside. A middle-aged
man sat at the door. Inside sat a
man of about the same age, but shorter and fatter, with a fierce look on his face.

"Mr. Liu is here! Please have a seat. It's my great honor that you would have dinner with someone like me, Mr. Liu."
The short, stout middle-aged man inside immediately stood up and said warmly when he saw Liu Guopei enter, his face full of polite
smiles. If Liu Guopei hadn't seen the cold and menacing look on his face when the door opened just now, he would have
thought he was a very friendly and enthusiastic person.

"You must be Mr. Zhao Kun, the one who invited me to discuss the West District redevelopment project. We
only recently secured that business
in West District, and Mr. Zhao's information network is truly impressive." Liu Guopei sat down next to the man in front of him. Actually, Liu Guopei didn't know them at all. He had come to this dinner party out of curiosity
. He had only recently acquired the West District project and hadn't even announced it to the public yet. This business
trip for this project. Even within the company, only Sun Xingwen, the head of the marketing department, and his
assistant Xiao Hui knew that he was on a business trip for this contract. However, they didn't know that he had already successfully signed the deal
. Moreover, Liu Guopei completely trusted these two people. They would definitely not leak the
news of his business trip. Sun Xingwen was a long-time business partner of his, and Xiao Hui was a
poor graduated from Danfu University, a prestigious university in Zhonghai City. After graduating from university three years ago, she had always asked
to be his assistant. The two of them were completely reliable. The contract he was negotiating with Taiying Group for twenty days
was for this Xicheng redevelopment project. Originally, Taiying Group obtained the project from the municipal government,
and then subcontracted it to other companies. His company's main revenue-
generating depended on it, so he certainly didn't want anything to go wrong.

"Not at all, Mr. Liu, you're joking. In our line of work, how can we make a living without being well-informed? Let me
introduce you, this is Director Chu Hua of the Xicheng District Urban Construction Bureau." Zhao Kun smiled and shifted the topic to
the middle-aged man with glasses.

"You must be Mr. Liu Guopei, haha, I've heard so much about you, Mr. Liu. You've always been an upright, ambitious, and promising young
businessman. Seeing you today, you are indeed young." This man named Chu Hua greeted Liu Guopei proactively.
For some reason, Liu Guopei felt he saw
a hint of mockery in the man's eyes behind his glasses.

After the three were seated, Zhao Kun suggested a toast to their first meeting.

"Mr. Liu, since you've graced me with your presence today, I won't beat around the bush. Let's get straight to
the point. I invited you here today because I heard your company won the government's West District redevelopment project.
As the saying goes, 'whoever sees it gets a share,' right? Although we didn't win the bid, this project is so large, and we'd like to help you share
the burden. I'd like to contract all the construction work for your project. I'll give you ten million, and your company will withdraw from the construction work
for this redevelopment.
How about that? You'll earn ten million without doing anything, and there are other jobs on this project that you can also profit from. What do you think of this proposal?" Zhao Kun said to Liu Guopei with a forced smile.

What? This Zhao Kun is going too far! Ten million to make him hand over the construction rights for the West District redevelopment!
Don't underestimate the construction aspect; it's only one part of the West District redevelopment project, but the workload and investment account for a full 80% of
the government's total investment. He originally expected to profit at least one hundred million over three years, and now
Zhao Kun wants him to hand it over for ten million? This is ridiculous! It's blatant extortion!

"Mr. Liu, I'm doing this for your own good. Don't you know the West District? It's not a place just anyone can redevelop.
Take demolition, for example. You can't even handle that? That's the headquarters of the Hai Le Gang. Do you think they'll let you demolish it so easily?
They'll rip you off badly. Besides, this is Director Chu of the Urban Construction Bureau in the West District. If you transfer the project to me,
we two guarantee you won't encounter any obstacles in your other projects in the West District. And let me tell you, if we don't give it to you..."
"Do you really think Director Chu will let your company easily carry out large-scale renovations on his territory?" Zhao Kun
threatened, seeing that Liu Guopei hadn't spoken and seemed a little impatient. His fierce face made people
's hearts tighten.

"We know how to renovate and what obstacles we will encounter. Boss Zhao and Director Chu don't need to worry
. Thank you for the meal, Mr. Zhao. I'll treat you both to a good meal another time. I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
This project was Liu Guopei's life's work, and he would never hand it over easily no matter what. Liu Guopei was too
lazy to talk to them anymore and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Liu Guopei was blocked by Wei Bin, who had led him upstairs, and two other people as soon as he stepped out of the private room
. Wei Bin looked at Zhao Kun, seemingly waiting for his instructions. Liu Guopei looked back at Zhao Kun
and Chu Hua inside.

"Let Mr. Liu go, heh, even if the deal falls through, we can still be friendly. But to say something Mr. Liu might not like to hear,
be not to get too big for your britches and end up losing everything," Zhao Kun
said in a low, cold voice.

Liu Guopei didn't bother to reply and walked straight out of the Hongxin Hotel.

Chapter Seventeen: Preparations Before the Takeover

"Brother Kun, Director Chu, are you just going to let that kid Liu Guopei go like that? Should I go find someone to teach him
a ?" Wei Bin said to Zhao Kun, his face full of displeasure.

"You really are stupid. Liu Guopei just left us. You're going to deal with him now, but Wolf Head isn't
here. Do you think you can get away? Don't you use your brain? If it were an ordinary person, we could deal with them, but that kid
has been making waves in Zhonghai these past few years, he's got some skills. Don't touch him yet, I have a better way to handle this,
hmph …! Liu Guopei, you really don't know what's good for you. Wait until Wolf Head comes back and you'll be sorry!" Zhao Kun
slammed his hand on the table and said viciously.

Liu Guopei, who had left the Hongxin Hotel, originally planned to visit his wife's company, since it was
close by. But now he had to go back to his own company because he sensed a sense of crisis from
his dinner . They dared to openly discuss taking over the Xicheng District redevelopment project with him
; they must have come prepared. He had to be ready. At the same time, there was one thing Liu Guopei still didn't understand:
how did they know he had already secured the Xicheng redevelopment contract?
None knew the purpose of his business trip. Only Sun Wenxing and Xu Xiaohui knew, but even they only knew
the purpose of his trip, not that he had already secured the contract. He hadn't had time to
announce the news to the company in the few days since he returned, only telling his mother and wife.

How could his wife and mother betray him, especially since they didn't interfere much in his business
affairs? Sigh! Never mind, maybe he didn't handle some details well enough for Zhao Kun and the others to find out
. Now, he just needed to prepare for the endless difficulties and challenges that would follow.

Back at the company, Liu Guopei first convened a meeting with the senior executives. At the meeting, he told them the news of successfully
securing The management was very excited.
Liu Guopei also told everyone about what happened at the Hongxin Hotel that day. He instructed all senior executives to temporarily put
aside their current projects and focus entirely on preparing to take over the Xicheng District redevelopment project. Seeing
the tense yet excited expressions on everyone's faces, everyone seemed eager to try. Liu Guopei breathed a sigh of relief. Today's
situation was too sudden. Fortunately, these managers had all been with him through thick and thin, and Liu Guopei had full confidence in
them .

When Liu Guopei finished dealing with company matters and returned home, it was almost 6 pm. Luckily, he
had called his wife beforehand at the company to tell her he might be late, otherwise she would have thrown a tantrum.

"Zixin...Zixin..." Liu Guopei called his wife's name as he opened the door.
He knew she was already home because he had seen the lights on downstairs. Hmm? Where was his wife again?
Walking into the bedroom, Liu Guopei saw his wife on the balcony making a phone call. With a mischievous thought, Liu Guopei
slowly walked behind her, intending to scare her. "Didn't I already tell you about the contract? Don't bother me again." Liu Guopei heard his wife's helpless yet angry voice

from behind . "Contract? What contract? Why are you thinking about a contract instead of your husband? And who are you angry with?" Liu Guopei hugged his wife tightly around the waist, burying his head in her long, dark hair, inhaling her pleasant fragrance. "You're so annoying! You scared me...! You're so annoying...!" His wife, who was on the phone, was startled by Liu Guopei's embrace and immediately hung up. She turned around, playfully punched Liu Guopei's chest, and said coquettishly. "Baby, who were you talking to on the phone? Why are you so angry?" "Someone very annoying. I already told him where the contract is, but he kept calling to ask. It's so infuriating!" "Don't be angry. Angry women age faster, and I don't want my beautiful wife to age." "Then will you still like me when I get old? Will you still love me?" "Of course, I will always love you. Come on, don't be angry, let's go eat." Liu Guopei kissed his wife's cheek and said softly. During dinner, Liu Guopei's wife kept asking him about the renovation project in Xicheng District, showing great interest. She had never cared about this before, so although he found it a little strange, Liu Guopei still told . After dinner, Liu Guopei called his mother, Chen Xianyi, to tell her that work had suddenly become busy again, and Jiajia would be staying with her for a few days. The little girl cried loudly Liu Guopei and his wife comforted her for a while on the phone, promising to take her to the amusement park in a while , before their beloved daughter Jiajia finally stopped crying and started smiling. That night, Liu Guopei told his wife to go to bed first, as he still had a few emails to reply to. He went to his study, turned on his computer, and prepared to finish replying to his routine emails before going to sleep. Liu Guopei turned on his computer and habitually opened QQ. Previously, to make it easier for him to log in quickly, Liu Guopei's computer hadn't been reset and had the password saved, so he only needed to click login each time. Therefore, today Liu Guopei didn't even look at the account details.

He clicked the login button, but once logged in, Liu Guopei realized the account wasn't his, but his wife's.
It seemed his wife had used the computer in the study after work to access QQ.

*Beep beep—* Just as he was about to log out of his wife's QQ account and switch to his own, a message notification
sounded .

Chapter 18: The Ambiguous Chat Window .

Liu Guopei looked at the flashing icon in the lower right corner of his desktop, feeling puzzled. His wife rarely used QQ,
and she rarely had more than 10 contacts. Who would message her at this hour?

With this question in mind, Liu Guopei unconsciously moved his mouse down. It was
from someone with the contact name Xiao Qing. Clicking the flashing icon, when he saw the message content, Liu Guopei felt a profound
shock , a sharp pain shooting through him, as if the end of the world had arrived.

"Honey! Didn't you say your husband was coming home and you wouldn't be online? Why are you online again? Are you
thinking about me and can't sleep, so you're chatting with me?" Looking at this message in the chat window,
Liu Guopei felt as if a thousand sharp knives had pierced his body. His mind was buzzing, and
the whole to have turned dark.

Who exactly is this Xiao Qing? Why is he talking to his wife in such an intimate tone? And
from this conversation, Liu Guopei knew that his wife was likely chatting with this person on QQ that afternoon, and that she
logged off because she was afraid he would suddenly come home. What is the relationship between his wife and this Xiao Qing? At this moment,
Liu Guopei thought of what had happened a few days ago, his wife's deception on the phone, and
the security guard surnamed Zheng telling him about seeing a fat man with a wolf head tattoo on his arm.

After several days of investigation, Liu Guopei initially believed it was all a misunderstanding, just his overthinking, and that
his was still loyal. However, now, looking at the chat window
and the ambiguous messages this person named Xiao Qing had sent to his wife, Liu Guopei began to doubt his judgment. It was clear that his wife's relationship with this person
was far from ordinary. Could this Xiao Qing be the fat man with the wolf head tattoo?

Liu Guopei didn't reply to the message but instead opened the message history on QQ, hoping to find out what
his wife had discussed with Xiao Qing that afternoon. To his disappointment
, the message history was empty; it seemed his wife had deleted it to avoid leaving any records.

Lost in thought, Liu Guopei suddenly heard the chat window vibrate again. This person named Xiao Qing had sent
two more messages: "Why are you ignoring me again, darling? We were chatting quite intimately this afternoon, weren't we? Are you
still worried your husband will find out about our relationship? I told you it's okay, he won't find out.
Even I can handle it anytime," and "Fine, since you're not in the mood right now, let's call it a day.
I'll pick you up when I get back to Zhonghai. I have some things to do here. That's all for now, goodnight, darling!"

Looking at these two more messages from Xiao Qing, Liu Guopei's chest heaved violently, he breathed heavily, and
his heart was filled with rage! What was going on? Why was this person
talking ? Was his wife really cheating on him? If his wife had no relationship with this person, he
wouldn't speak to her like this, and even offer to pick her up? Had he done this before?
That meant his wife was very likely to have a close relationship with this person! And it's very likely that the fat man with
the wolf-head is the man his wife is having an affair with!

Liu Guopei has lost all motivation to work. Sitting at his desk, he's unable to calm down.
His suspicions about his wife from a few days ago lacked evidence, and he chose to believe her,
even blaming himself several times for doubting her. But now? Now he's seen
the evidence with his own eyes! It's impossible to believe his wife anymore! For the first time, Liu Guopei doubts love itself. Why,
after such selfless devotion to love and his wife, has he received only infidelity in return? Liu Guopei is filled with
confusion and uncertainty about how to face the future.

From his conversation with Zhao Kun and Chu Hua at the Hongxin Hotel this afternoon, and the ambiguous messages Xiao Qing sent to
his wife , Liu Guopei suddenly feels as if he's trapped
in an unseen yet meticulously designed black curtain. This curtain tightly surrounds him and the home he's painstakingly built, threatening
to devour him piece by piece. For the first time, Liu Guopei feels utterly powerless.

Chapter Nineteen: The Summer of His Sophomore Year.

Liu Guopei had always been proud of his love, believing his wife would be
the first and only girl he would ever love. Whether in
front , Liu Guopei was always proud of his and his wife's affection. He believed his
greatest pride wasn't in amassing millions, but in marrying such a perfect goddess to
share future with.

Now, sitting at his desk, Liu Guopei began to doubt his future, questioning for the first time whether his marriage could
last . Why? Why had God given him such a wonderful
marriage only to destroy it?!

Recalling his first encounter with his wife, Liu Guopei's thoughts drifted back to the summer of his sophomore year. It was
a cool afternoon, and bored, Liu Guopei and his roommate Wu Guo went to Tsinghua University to visit his fellow townsman. It was
their first time visiting Tsinghua University, one of the best universities in the country, and they were both very excited. Later, Wu Guopei went to eat with his
fellow townsman and some other people, but Liu Guopei didn't like attending such lively gatherings and instead
strolled around Tsinghua University alone. Walking down the main avenue of Tsinghua University, Liu
Guopei hummed an unknown tune while enjoying the cool breeze, feeling incredibly comfortable.

"Ah... classmate! Watch out..." Just as Liu Guopei was enjoying his stroll, he suddenly heard a crisp
sound behind him. He turned around, but before he could see what was happening, he was knocked down by a bicycle.

An angry Liu Guopei got up from the ground, about to hurl a few words at the cyclist, when he was suddenly
drawn to the scene before him. About two meters in front of him stood a
girl of about 165 cm tall, wearing a light blue Tsinghua University uniform. A snow-white pearl necklace adorned her fair, lotus-root-like neck, making
her look like a princess with an air of nobility. A Tsinghua University badge was pinned to her chest, and she wore pink sneakers.
The cloth shoes accentuated the girl's youthful vivacity. Having bumped into Liu Guopei, the girl
stood there blushing and flustered, making one's heart skip a beat and prompting an urge
to embrace .

Although Liu Guopei attended a very ordinary university, his optimism and ambition meant he had no shortage of girls pursuing him from
high school to university. However, he had never had
a girlfriend, which puzzled those around him. The truth was, Liu Guopei felt he hadn't met
a girl , and dating just anyone would be irresponsible to both himself and the other person. But the
moment he stood up, Liu Guopei knew this girl was the one he had been searching for all these years
—the kind of girl who made his heart flutter!

That day, Liu Guopei learned that the girl's name was Tang Zixin, a sophomore in the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University.
Because she was still learning to ride a bicycle and wasn't very skilled, she bumped into Liu Guopei. From then on, Liu Guopei would frequently
visit Tsinghua University, just to see Zixin. However, Tang Zixin never accepted Liu Guopei's advances
until graduation. Zixin felt that Liu Guopei had been incredibly caring and devoted to her for the past two years, and
had never wavered in his affections, only ever loving her. So, in her final semester, she accepted Liu Guopei's advances and
became his girlfriend. After graduation, to give the person he loved a better life, Liu Guopei worked hard
and founded his own company the following year, amassing a fortune of tens of millions in less than five years.

Recalling the past, Liu Guopei felt his heart slowly breaking.
He wanted to know what had happened in the short twenty days he was gone. Had the transformation from heaven to hell
really occurred in just those twenty days? Remembering the vows he made with his wife in the church to spend their lives together
, Liu Guopei was indignant! Why did this happen? Liu Guopei made
a solemn vow that he must find out exactly what had happened to his wife! Who exactly is this Xiao Qing?
And who is the one who betrayed the company! He must break through this dark curtain that is shrouding him and trying to devour
him !! Even if it costs him his life!

Chapter 20: The Eve of the Fierce Battle

The quiet night slowly faded away. Through the window, he could see the sky turning slightly white. This night
was long and painful for Liu Guopei. Sitting at his desk, Liu Guopei didn't sleep all night.
The five words "his wife cheated on him" kept echoing in his mind. These five words were like five sharp knives piercing his heart,
unable to heal for a long time...

Should he confront his wife and tell her what he had discovered? No! What if he confronted his wife and
she really left him? Even now, with the situation almost certainly confirmed,
Liu Guopei is unwilling to lose his beloved wife. Through the years he's spent with her and his
understanding of her, he believes she still loves him. Perhaps her infidelity was due to
some unexpected event, or perhaps she was forced into it? Because these past few days, he can clearly feel her love
for him. If she had cheated willingly, her behavior wouldn't be like this. Yes! She must have been
forced! Something must have happened in these past twenty days that forced her to cheat. Yes, that must be it!

Liu Guopei decides to first find out what happened in these past twenty days, then discover the reason for his wife's infidelity,
and will do everything in his power to win her back! Thinking this, Liu Guopei decided not to confront his wife. He would first
investigate slowly, starting with those around his wife and the man named Xiao Qing. He also needed to spend more time investigating his own
company. For some reason, Liu Guopei had a strange feeling that
his wife 's infidelity and his company's renovation project in the West District were somehow connected. Although
he didn't know the specific connection, Liu Guopei instinctively felt a subtle relationship, and that both
were clearly aimed at him. He felt that a mastermind was controlling everything, that this dark veil covering him
and his family was woven by this mastermind. He was determined to find this mastermind and
cut them off without hesitation!

It was 5 a.m., almost dawn. To avoid arousing his wife's suspicion, Liu Guopei put aside his thoughts,
deleted the chat history, quickly washed up in the bathroom, and went back to the bedroom to sleep. Looking at
his wife's flawless, captivating face as she slept, Liu Guopei couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Could this face still
belong to him? How much longer could he protect this face? Could it last a lifetime? With these questions in mind,
Liu Guopei fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already 10 a.m. His wife had already gone to work. After washing up, he
went to the kitchen and saw the breakfast his wife had left for him, along with a note: "Honey, I'm going to work! You
must have slept very late last night, because you were sleeping so soundly this morning~ I didn't want to wake you~ so I left you breakfast.
Get up and eat it yourself! —Love, Zixin" Looking at this heartwarming note, Liu Guopei felt a pang of sadness.
If only he hadn't discovered those messages Xiao Qing had sent him yesterday! But alas, it was all
already happened! He wondered if he would ever see such a warm
note from his wife again, just between the two of them!

He arrived at the company close to 11 a.m. Liu Guopei went into his office and called his
assistant, Xu Xiaohui, "Xiaohui, how was today? Are there any documents I need to process?"

"Mr. Liu, it's nothing special, just some minor matters, I've handled them all for you. However, you
mentioned yesterday that someone already knew we won the Xicheng District redevelopment contract, and you rejected their offer to contract
the construction work . Wouldn't it be too hasty to proceed with this project now
? Shouldn't we spend some more time preparing before officially taking over?" Assistant Xiaohui suggested softly.

"No need! Since that person was able to summon the head of the Xicheng District Urban Construction Bureau yesterday, it means they've already
made thorough preparations. They essentially have government support now. Making preparations now
is pointless. This is our own fault for being too careless, so spending more time now
is useless. We should just move directly into Xicheng District and deal with whatever comes our way!" Liu Guopei
said calmly, his eyes filled with confidence. Liu Guopei has always been such a decisive and confident person.
He never backed down from difficulties, which was
the fundamental !

"Yes! Then I'll start preparing the transfer documents for taking over the Taiying Group's renovation project, and then notify the marketing department
and the construction team to prepare to move in." Perhaps influenced by Liu Guopei's imposing manner, Xiao Hui also answered Liu Guopei with a confident
and loud voice.

"Okay, you can prepare these now. Oh, by the way, Xiao Hui, from now on, you can handle any unimportant schedules
or documents for me. Now our focus should be on the West District. There
absolutely cannot be any mistakes. This will be our focus for the next two to three months!" Liu Guopei
said to Xiao Hui seriously and formally.

"Yes, I understand. Don't worry."

After Xiao Hui left, Liu Guopei stood alone by the window, looking at the tall buildings outside, his face
full of solemnity. Liu Guopei knew that this West District renovation would not go smoothly, and a fierce battle was about to begin.

URL 1:https://www.sexlove5.com/htmlBlog/177752.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=177752&aspx=1

Previous Page : [Sexual Affairs of Ordinary People] (01) Author: ws35ws35

Next Page : 【My Story with Sister Zhao】(09) Author: 52676

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

[The Dark Side: The Fall of Home] (Volume 01) Author: Ascetic

comment Open a new window to view comments