Flash Marriage with My Ex-Boyfriend’s Nemesis chapter 22
Chapter 22: Slapping the Scum 5
Shen Zhiqian forced another smile. “Qingqing, this joke isn’t funny.”
His voice was helpless and fragile, like a bubble about to burst:
“Qingqing, I know you’re not impulsive in making decisions. You don’t have any suitable people of your age around you to marry, and our relationship…”
He struggled to find reasons to convince himself, to calm his increasingly agitated heart.
But at that moment, a man’s voice came from the phone receiver.
Because she hadn’t put the call on speakerphone, the voice was soft, but Shen Zhiqian heard it. The phone was indeed connected, and it was a man on the other end, his voice strangely familiar.
Ning Qingqing took a deep breath, preparing to turn on the speakerphone.
However, at that moment, the call suddenly dropped.
She was startled, wanting to call back, but Shen Zhiqian spoke first: “Qingqing, don’t try to deceive me with an act. Let’s talk properly.”
His eyes were slightly bloodshot, clearly showing he hadn’t slept well recently. He’d been in Beishi for several days, drinking and suffering from a flare-up of his gastritis, making it difficult to rest properly.
Seeing Ning Qingqing remain unmoved, Shen Zhiqian lowered his voice: “Okay?”
It was already ten o’clock at night. Ning Qingqing certainly couldn’t bring Shen Zhiqian home to talk. She thought for a moment: “Okay, let’s go to the 24-hour cafe across the street.” She needed to clarify that she was married so she could stop wasting Shen Zhiqian’s time and feelings.
Various details revealed that their past warmth was beginning to dissipate. The light in Shen Zhiqian’s eyes dimmed, but he still nodded: “Okay.”
At least, she had given him a chance to talk.
They both got off the elevator and opened the building door, only to see someone approaching quickly.
In the night, Ning Qingqing didn’t see clearly at first.
Until the person stopped in front of her: “Qingqing, are you alright?”
Gu Youchen had just used his marriage certificate and ID card, and even asked the security guard to search the financial encyclopedia online for information about himself before finally successfully entering the community.
Seeing Shen Zhiqian so easily let in, he felt inexplicably sour.
The night wind ruffled Gu Youchen’s tie. He adjusted his tie and came to Ning Qingqing’s side.
Ning Qingqing was completely shocked. She looked at Gu Youchen: “You… weren’t you just at a dinner party?”
And Shen Zhiqian, the moment he saw Gu Youchen appear, felt like his hackles were raised.
His eyes flashed: “What are you doing here?!”
Moreover, why did he know Qingqing, and they seemed quite familiar!
“I’m going home. Do I need Mr. Shen’s permission?” Gu Youchen glanced at Shen Zhiqian indifferently, his gaze falling on Ning Qingqing: “Qingqing, let’s go to my place.”
“Going home?” Shen Zhiqian sneered at Gu Youchen: “Aren’t you married? You—”
Before he finished speaking, a terrible guess suddenly struck Shen Zhiqian!
And Ning Qingqing confirmed this guess: “I’m married to him.”
“Impossible…” Shen Zhiqian’s smile was even deeper than before. He looked at Ning Qingqing and Gu Youchen: “Even if you know each other, you’ve only known each other for a few days? Qingqing, don’t be angry, don’t use other excuses to put me off, I don’t believe—”
“It seems Mr. Shen likes to deceive himself.” Gu Youchen said calmly: “Mr. Shen can check if I am already married.”
Shen Zhiqian’s pupils trembled, staring blankly at Gu Youchen and Ning Qingqing standing side by side. At this moment, he felt as if something akin to faith was crumbling—
The relationship he had always believed to be unbreakable, could it really collapse because of marriage?
Nine years, not nine days!
He didn’t know how to accept it, until he saw the half-meter distance between Gu Youchen and Ning Qingqing.
Slowly, Shen Zhiqian seemed to find a glimmer of hope amidst the ruins of his heart.
He took a deep breath: “Mr. Gu, I always thought we had a benign competitive relationship. If you have anything, come after me, after my company, not after Qingqing!”
He emphasized the last sentence, the forced smile on his face disappearing, leaving only boundless coldness.
“Mr. Shen, I’ll return the compliment.” Gu Youchen’s expression was calm and composed, but there was also an undeniable strength in his eyes:
“Our relationship has always been benign competition, only on the business level. But my marriage to Qingqing is my private matter. I want to choose her as my wife, and it has nothing to do with our grievances.”
“Nothing to do with grievances?” Shen Zhiqian’s chest heaved, as if something was about to explode inside. He almost used all his strength to restrain himself from attacking:
“Everyone knows I’m Qingqing’s boyfriend! We’ve been together for nine years! Where did you come from? Taking advantage of our fight to steal my girlfriend?!”
Gu Youchen met Shen Zhiqian’s reddening eyes, put his arm around Ning Qingqing, and then said: “Mr. Shen, you’re wrong. I don’t stoop to stealing someone’s girlfriend. When Qingqing and I got married, you two had already broken up. I pursued her openly and fairly!”
Shen Zhiqian felt irritated seeing Gu Youchen’s act of claiming his territory, hiding Ning Qingqing behind him.
Ignoring Gu Youchen, he called out: “Qingqing, I have something to say to you—”
“You don’t really know this person in front of you. Even if you’re angry with me, you can’t be with a stranger like this.” Shen Zhiqian said in a coaxing tone:
“You know about my relationship with him. He’s just using you, Qingqing, be good, come back, don’t be angry with me, okay?”
By the end, his voice was almost pleading.
For the first time in front of Gu Youchen, he lowered his posture, trying to ignore the man who had cast a shadow over his head since childhood.
The fear of loss was too terrifying. Only now did Shen Zhiqian deeply understand how afraid he was of losing Ning Qingqing!
“Qingqing, I didn’t miss your birthday on purpose. I thought everything was stable between us. We’ve been together for so many years, and there will be many more birthdays to celebrate together, so it’s okay to make up for it later. Regarding marriage, I didn’t seriously consider it before, but now…”
But before he finished speaking, Ning Qingqing had already walked out from behind Gu Youchen.
“Qingqing—” Both men spoke at the same time.
A trace of a crack appeared in Gu Youchen’s calm and composed eyes, but it was difficult to discern under the night.
However, the next second, his hand was grasped by Ning Qingqing.
The soft touch sent a shiver through him. All the calm emotions on his face cracked, revealing the tension beneath, no less than Shen Zhiqian’s, as well as the surprise of being held!
Ning Qingqing was desperate to hold Gu Youchen’s hand, the husband she had only known for a few days.
Although she felt strange and awkward, she had to firmly state her position.
Being with Shen Zhiqian was her own decision; marrying Gu Youchen was also her own decision.
There are many moments in a person’s life that require decisions. Before this, there might have been hesitation and apprehension, but once a decision is made, she needs to be responsible for her choice!
So, even though her palms were sweaty and she felt stiff and uncomfortable, Ning Qingqing still met Shen Zhiqian’s eyes and said word by word:
“When I said break up that day, it was the result of careful consideration. Marrying him is also my own choice, not out of anger. I’m married now, and it’s inconvenient to have any more contact with my ex-boyfriend, so don’t come looking for me again.”
Each word from Ning Qingqing seemed to drain Shen Zhiqian of his last support. He felt like he could barely hold the cake, yet he still held on tightly, as if clinging to the last straw.
The light in his eyes dimmed. His voice was hoarse and broken: “Qingqing, I don’t accept the breakup.”
They had been together for so long. His Qingqing was kind and soft-hearted. How could she end it so easily? She must be deceiving him!
Maybe this is a dream. When he wakes up, everything will return to normal.
There is no Gu Youchen, no thorn in his side. He will continue to be with Ning Qingqing. If she wants to get married, they will go get their marriage certificate tomorrow!
Shen Zhiqian tried to convince himself, only to hear Gu Youchen’s cold voice pouring down:
“Mr. Shen should have heard a saying, marriage and divorce require the consent of both people, but if it’s a breakup, one person’s decision is enough.”
Shen Zhiqian suddenly raised his eyes, his eyes bloodshot.
Gu Youchen continued: “You said nine years. Then you should investigate yourself. You kept her with you for nine years. Maybe no one questioned it when she was in school, but after she started working, you were unwilling to get married. How did the people around you view her?”
Shen Zhiqian’s pupils constricted.
“I’ll send a video to Mr. Shen’s email later, I believe it will give Mr. Shen some clues.” Gu Youchen said, holding Ning Qingqing’s hand tightly: “Qingqing, let’s go.”
“Qingqing—” Shen Zhiqian watched Ning Qingqing’s back, realizing that she was being held by Gu Youchen, and she didn’t look back until they reached the entrance of the community.
“Thump!” The cake fell to the ground, shattering instantly.
The sweet smell of cream filled the air. Shen Zhiqian stood there, staring blankly at the broken cake, as if looking at the nine years he had spent with Ning Qingqing.
He stood motionless, the night enveloping him.
At the entrance of the community, Gu Youchen never let go of Ning Qingqing’s hand.
Only he knew how many waves had crashed in his heart in the past ten minutes!
He was afraid she would soften her heart and turn back, afraid she would regret marrying him. His heart was far less calm than he showed.
Until the girl placed her soft hand in his palm, the tumultuous waves seemed to calm down, no longer crashing, but cheering in unison.
He held her hand, as if holding a cloud.
Arriving at Gu Youchen’s car, the driver quickly opened the rear car door, respectfully saying to the two: “Mr. Gu, Madam.”
The moment Ning Qingqing got into the car, she felt the noise suddenly cut off, and she had entered another world.
Gu Youchen sat beside her, the distance between them was less than a meter, and the warmth of his hand still remained on her palm.
The space suddenly felt cramped, and Ning Qingqing was a little uneasy.
She had said three days to adapt, and now that the time had come, Ning Qingqing realized that she hadn’t really prepared herself.
As if sensing Ning Qingqing’s discomfort, Gu Youchen spoke first: “Qingqing, I originally had a dinner party with a client today, but the client’s wife suddenly fell ill and canceled it, so I came back early.”
Ning Qingqing remembered this and nodded.
Gu Youchen continued: “I drove past here and came to see you. Your apartment is temporarily inconvenient to return to, let’s go to my place. Tomorrow morning, I’ll accompany you to move?”
Author’s Note:
Gu Youchen: My wife is finally home!
My dears, I’m not a full-time writer, so I can’t promise too much about updates, but I can assure you that I will update daily (at 0:00 AM), with no less than 3000 words, and I will save up a row of neat little red flowers~
Thank you for your support, the heroine is not deliberately pretending to be a Cinderella, but she mentioned meeting the parents several times to Shen Zhiqian before, which was actually to introduce her family background, but Shen Zhiqian always pushed it off for other reasons, and the heroine couldn’t go to the company to announce that she is a rich beauty~
But later, everyone will know, because those scums will be dealt with one by one, it will be satisfying!
Well, the arrangement of “marriage first, love later” is also in progress~
