Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Exactly Thirteen Years
“Shen Chi, you really have poor taste.”

As soon as Jian Sisi left, Xu Chaomu couldn’t help but tease Shen Chi while looking at him.

“As long as the wife is the right choice, that’s all that matters.” Shen Chi knew what she was referring to and couldn’t help but pat her head again.

“However, Shen Chi, your little lover’s bag does look pretty nice.” Xu Chaomu nonchalantly remarked, as if it were an offhand comment.

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“Shen Chi, your little lover has really pretty leather shoes.”

“I’ll buy them.”

“Shen Chi, your little lover’s bracelet, necklace…”

“Buy, buy, buy.” Shen Chi’s face was covered in black lines.

He grabbed her waist and hugged her as they walked upstairs, “Let’s go upstairs, or we’ll miss it.”

“Your little lover said my clothes look like flea market stuff. Did you buy them at a flea market?” Xu Chaomu tugged at her T-shirt, grumbling as they walked.

She pouted and couldn’t help but take another two glances at her T-shirt, which did seem to resemble that.

“Your husband doesn’t lack this kind of money.” Shen Chi’s lips twitched.

“You never know; maybe you spent all your money on buying clothes and jewelry for your little lover. I’ve heard that keeping a mistress costs a lot of money. With you, there’s bound to be more than just a mistress, like a number four, number five, number six, little…”

“Xu Chaomu, shut up!”

Shen Chi felt as if a row of crows had flown over his head…

“Oh.” Xu Chaomu pouted.

By the time they reached the waiting area, there were still a lot of people, but they were only a few numbers away from being called. It would be soon.

The place was crowded with people, and even the seats were almost all taken.

Shen Chi finally spotted a seat and quickly pulled Xu Chaomu to sit down, “Sit tight and don’t tire yourself out. Talk a bit less.”

“Aren’t you sitting?” Xu Chaomu rarely saw Shen Chi being so thoughtful and kind.

“How can I sit when there’s only one seat? Unless you want to sit on my lap.”

“In broad daylight, you’re being a hooligan!”

“You’ve talked so much; aren’t you thirsty?”

“Thirsty. Are you going to buy me a drink?”

“Yes, wait here, don’t run off. I’ll go buy you a drink.”

After speaking, Shen Chi handed her bag to her and reminded her repeatedly, “Don’t run off.”

As he walked away, Xu Chaomu sat still and watched his figure slowly disappear…

His back was straight and tall, with his dark shirt accentuating his perfect figure. It had been five years, and he had become even more profound and steady, but in her presence, all his haughtiness and aloofness melted away.

In these days, had he been good to her? The answer was very good, indeed.

Even knowing that the child in her womb was not his, he still treated her very well.

If he wanted to atone to her, there were a thousand ways he could have done so, as he had money and power. Yet, he chose to bind her with marriage for a lifetime.

Actually… she understood.

The sunlight streamed through the hospital’s spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, splintering into mosaics and refracting seven colors through the glass, a spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

She squinted her eyes as she stared out the window; on the road beneath the fourth floor, vehicles flowed like water and horses galloped like dragons.

“Please, patient number 0096 Xu Chaomu, come to consultation room 3.”

Just then, she heard her name. She picked up her bag and her number card and headed toward consultation room 3.

Consultation room 3 was at the very end, and Xu Chaomu looked at the door numbers as she walked.

Just as she was walking, an elegantly and nobly dressed woman came out of a small meeting room, holding a handbag.

A female doctor escorted her out, “Zhou Ran, come visit when you’re free.”

“Definitely, definitely. You go on, surgery is important. Next time I’ll treat your whole family to a meal.”

“Sure, we’ll all get together then.”

“Alright!”

Xu Chaomu paused mid-step. That voice, she knew all too well, even after a gap of five years.

Zhou Ran. It was Zhou Ran.

When she looked up, she just happened to see Zhou Ran walking straight toward her.

A white lace-up blouse, a black pencil skirt, and a meticulous bun. Dangling from her ears were White Pearls earrings that gently quivered with each step she took.

Seeing Zhou Ran after five years gave Xu Chaomu a feeling as if lifetimes had passed.

It was as if it were that winter year when she stood before her, quiet and serene, leaving Xu Chaomu in awe.

How could there be such a beautifully exquisite woman in the world? The years had left no trace on her face.

The fragrance that wafted off her was like the iris in spring, quiet and demure.

From their first meeting to the present, thirteen years had passed.

Xu Chaomu still remembered, thirteen years ago, how Zhou Ran had crouched down to brush the dust from her with those tender white jade-like hands. She still clearly remembered the tranquil scent of Zhou Ran.

When she smiled, she seemed like a delicate beauty stepping out of a painting, outshining the blossoms of spring.

Even now, thirteen years later, Zhou Ran approaching her still carried that same grace and nobility.

The moment Zhou Ran saw Xu Chaomu, she too stopped in her tracks.

Her composure was impeccable; nothing could fluster her. Just a brief moment of surprise, and her eyes went back to their usual state.

She carried an off-white handbag, and she looked elegant and composed, appearing as a young woman in her thirties, still youthful.

Xu Chaomu and Zhou Ran were less than ten steps apart.

Zhou Ran’s face was expressionless as she glanced at Xu Chaomu.

This girl had disappeared for a full five years.

Five years later, she had bloomed even more beautifully, her delicate face even more refined. Her large eyes stared at Zhou Ran, the same as five years ago, unable to hide too much emotion.

Xu Chaomu was still that girl with little guile, but Zhou Ran had not expected her to still be alive after five years.

Not too far away, Zhou Ran saw that she had indeed grown up, looking more and more like her mother, Xu Mengxi, especially those eyes, which resembled hers the most.

Yet, Xu Chaomu’s personality was quite different from Xu Mengxi’s; while Xu Mengxi was more reserved, Xu Chaomu was livelier.

People passed by them, but Xu Chaomu couldn’t move her feet.

The electronic display kept announcing, “Please, patient number 0096 Xu Chaomu, come to consultation room 3.”

But Xu Chaomu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a bitterness spread from her throat, which slowly turned into a taste of blood.

Zhou Ran, Aunt Zhou, the Fairy she once considered peerless in her mind.

In her heart, Zhou Ran was so transcendent and otherworldly, as if untouched by the mundane.

Xu Chaomu had liked her, but only once.

Even when five years earlier, she had told her, “Xu Chaomu, leave the Shen Family when you turn eighteen,” Xu Chaomu had never disliked her for that…

But then came that tumultuous, stormy night of gunfire and bullets, during which she plunged into deep despair.

That kind of despair felt like the end of the heart.

Five years later, the feeling after that great sorrow had not been forgotten…

Yet Zhou Ran gradually approached her, walking on black kitten heels, each step firm and steady.

The noisy, chaotic sounds of the surroundings were drowned out, but to Xu Chaomu, the sound of Zhou Ran’s high heels tapping the floor was exceptionally clear.

“Thud, thud, thud…”

One after another, until those heels came to a stop in front of her.