Inextricable

Xu Xingxing turned her head slightly to look when a group of people entered the hotel, and soon spotted the leader of the group. 

The man was wearing a black jacket over a white shirt and trousers, with his hair waxed to the back. Although he was dressed in business attire, he looked bookish. He entered the door with a happy smile since it was her daughter’s full moon day. However, Wang Shunsheng’s parents, who were with him, seemed to not be very happy. Older people in Huaicheng were very patriarchal, so they might not have wanted a grand-daughter. Behind Wang Shunsheng’s parents stood a woman with long hair. She didn’t have any makeup on, and she looked a little tired. It seemed that her pregnancy had made her lose her previous beauty. 

As Wang Shunsheng was walking through the lobby, he raised his eyes and glanced at the front desk. When he noticed the woman standing there, his footsteps stooped, his feet having glued themselves to the floor. He stared at her with a slightly open mouth.

The woman was dressed in a pair of black wide-leg pants and a houndstooth chequered coat with a light beige turtleneck sweater inside, all paired with a pair of black high heels. She sported a simple lace-style braid with the rest of her hair pulled back behind in a low ponytail. She had light makeup on, and her long, attractive eyebrows, the slightly elevated bridge of her nose and small lips contributed towards an appearance that made it difficult for people to turn away.

When Wang Shunsheng stopped, the people beside him also noticed Xu Xingxing. Since they knew Wang Shunsheng, they probably also knew Xu Xingxing. The bustling crowd suddenly quietened.

Xu Xingxing accepted their gaze with a peaceful expression.

“Sister.” Her brother’s voice called out at that moment. Xu Xingyuan and the others had arrived.

As soon as Xu Xingyuan entered the door, he saw Wang Shunsheng. He was ready to move his fist but his sister’s words stopped him—

“Xingyuan, let’s go up.”

The two groups of people went upstairs separately.

After getting on the elevator, Hou Jingfang asked belatedly, “Was that group of people just now Wang Shunsheng and the others?”

Xu Mingyi, who was playing with her mobile phone all this time, hadn’t seen Wang Shunsheng’s arrival, and asked with wide eyes, “Was it so? My brother-in-law…”

“Brother-in-law? Whose? Yours?” Xu Xingyuan asked while staring at Xu Mingyi.

Xu Mingyi was about the same age as Xu Xingyuan, and had always been a little afraid of Xu Xingyuan since childhood, because Xu Xingyuan was good at fighting when he was studying in school.

Xu Mingyi simply breathed out a sigh of relief after Xu Xingyuan turned his gaze away, rolling her eyes and saying nothing.

………………

The Zhou family had been in contact with them from the beginning, and the few relatives who came today were also very happy. Seeing all of them laughing and chatting, and seeing Xu Shifan and his family eating their own food without making any trouble, Xu Xingxing felt relieved.

After the meal, the two families exchanged gifts and the engagement party came to an end. Xu Xingxing, her mother and her brother then went downstairs to send Zhou Tongtong’s family off.

When Xu Xingyuan left with the Zhou family to drive them home, Xu Xingxing asked Lin Meihui to wait there and went upstairs again, to see off her father’s family members who were still in the hall. 

To go upstairs, she had to take the elevator, and she was met with a surprise when the elevator doors opened. There were two people in the elevator, one being Wang Shunsheng’s driver and the other being Wang Shunsheng himself.

When Wang Shunsheng saw Xu Xingxing, his eyes flickered slightly. Wang Shunsheng had grown up to look very gentle, he looked more bookish than anything, and no one would think he was a businessman if he didn’t tell.

The driver glanced at Xu Xingxing, then at Wang Shunsheng, and got off the elevator first.

“Come in,” Wang Shunsheng said while keeping the elevator door open. 

Unexpectedly, Wang Shunsheng didn’t get off the elevator, and Xu Xingxing didn’t want to wait any longer, so she got on the elevator directly. Wang Shunsheng then glanced at Xu Xingxing with mixed feelings in his heart. ‘She is completely different from before.’ 

In the past, she had been just like the thousands of “women” in Huaicheng. She was tolerant, unconditionally obedient, conservative and feudal, and even had no thoughts of her own. She had lived like an invisible person. But now, she looked better than before, and her temperament had completely changed. She looked intellectually mature, free and easy, and bright. He couldn’t tell what he was feeling in his heart, but there was only one emotion he could distinguish clearly, and that was regret.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Wang Shunsheng spoke first.

Xu Xingxing was only going up to the second floor. As soon as Wang Shunsheng said this, the elevator door opened. Xu Xingxing exited the elevator, with Wang Shunsheng chasing behind her.

Xu Xingxing didn’t want to get entangled with him, so she turned her head to go towards the Gongxin Hall after promptly dealing with it. “I called. I called when I was asking for the alimony, and that call was cut off,” Xu Xingxing replied flatly.

Wang Shunsheng’s face instantly turned red. He lowered his head slightly, pursed his lips and said, “I was stuck in arrears at that time, but now I have solved the problem, and my number has not changed. You can contact me at any time.”

“I don’t plan to appeal anymore.” Xu Xingxing said, “Although I’m not very satisfied with the alimony, processing an appeal will take too long, and I don’t want to waste anymore of my time on you.”

What Xu Xingxing actually meant was that they didn’t need to be in touch anymore. 

Wang Shunsheng looked at his ex-wife in disbelief. He had never imagined a person like Xu Xingxing would be able to talk to him with a calm expression. He was left speechless for a while, while Xu Xingxing stepped towards the hall without saying anything further. 

Xu Xingxing was thinking why he came after her to tell her about his phone number. ‘It was his fault at the beginning, does he still want me to chase him back? It seems that he is sleeping well now, and has even started to dream in broad daylight.’