Chapter 54: There is News

Hearing these words, I could only find them laughable.

So, Qiao Yanxin actually knew that these bedsheets were filthy?

The sheets were completely covered in the incriminating traces of intimacy between her and Gu Tingchu. Just a single glance was enough to make one sick to the stomach.

How could they not be dirty?

Seeming as though she never wanted to lay eyes on those sheets again, Qiao Yanxin casually stripped them off the bed and tossed them to the servant standing behind her.

"Take these sheets and throw them away. Clean the room from top to bottom while you're at it, and replace the carpet entirely as well."

"Yes."

The servants acknowledged the order and immediately began a thorough cleaning.

Watching her actions, I could only find it all absurd. Did she really think that by doing this, she could erase every single trace of what she and Gu Tingchu had done in this room?

Perhaps sensing that Qiao Yanxin's state of mind was somewhat unhinged, the servants quickly finished tidying up and hurried out of the room to avoid getting dragged into any trouble.

While gathering the bedsheets, one of the servants distinctly noticed a dark reddish stain upon the fabric.

Everyone present was an adult and nobody was a fool. Seeing a mark like that, who wouldn't know what it meant?

Since I hadn't shown my face or set foot in the bridal suite since the day of the wedding, how else could one explain the stain on these sheets?

A mere moment of common sense was all it took to figure out what had transpired.

Seeming to realize something, the servant turned pale with fright and hurried away, clutching the sheets tightly.

After all, she was only a domestic helper. Stumbling upon such a scandalous secret belonging to her employers naturally terrified her.

If Qiao Yanxin were to find out, who knew what someone like her might do?

Yet, looking at that discarded set of bedding, I felt a deep sense of regret.

When I married Qiao Yanxin years ago, my heart had been filled with anticipation.

Although I knew Qiao Yanxin no longer held any romantic feelings for me, I still genuinely cared for her.

How could affections nurtured over so many years be severed overnight?

I had decorated the entire bridal suite meticulously, sparing no expense to choose the absolute finest of everything.

This four-piece bedding set had been specially custom-made for me after I personally commissioned a master of Suzhou embroidery to craft it.

Just the main bedsheet alone had taken that master nearly half a year to complete.

From start to finish, the entire set required close to a full year of work.

Time and effort aside, the cost of the bedding was by no means insignificant.

Of course, time and money were secondary; what truly stung was the immense amount of heartfelt devotion I had poured into it, only for Qiao Yanxin to treat it with such utter disregard.

I simply could not reconcile myself to it.

Qiao Yanxin proceeded to clear out and throw away anything and everything in the room that Gu Tingchu had touched.

Various toiletries, bath towels, and hand towels were all discarded and replaced with brand-new ones.

She even went out of her way to purchase matching pairs, items that were unmistakably designed for couples.

Seeing all this, my heart remained entirely untouched, stirred only by a bitter sense of irony.

Back when I was decorating the bridal suite, as I shopped for these very toiletries, my own thoughts had also been set on buying matching items for couples.

Even though I knew Qiao Yanxin would never agree to use them with me, I had still secretly harbored that hope.

When I asked her what style she preferred back then, she said nothing at all, merely keeping her head down while mindlessly playing on her phone, dismissing every question with a perfunctory "Whatever is fine."

Her attitude was a blatant brush-off.

Yet, despite that, I had blissfully purchased a pile of couple's amenities and arranged them neatly in the bridal room—only to find them all completely vanished by the very next day.

I had no idea what had happened, wondering why the things I had arranged just the day before were gone overnight.

When I questioned her, she claimed the servants had replaced them.

However, I was no fool, nor were the Qiao family's servants. Having worked in the household for so many years, how could they possibly lack such basic discretion? Throwing away the master's belongings on their own initiative without receiving any orders was utterly impossible.

If they had actually pulled such a stunt, Qiao Yanxin would have fired them by the following day; how could they possibly still be working peacefully in the Qiao estate?

Qiao Yanxin had truly treated me like an absolute idiot, attempting to fool me with such clumsy lies.

It was only much later that I discovered the truth: Gu Tingchu had grown jealous upon seeing those items, which was why he demanded that she get rid of them.

And she, ever obedient, had readily complied with his request.

After that, I never bought another couple-themed item again. Yet now, she had gone out of her way to buy an entire set and display them in the room.

But I was already dead. Who was she setting these out for? Ghosts?

Qiao Yanxin, affection that arrives belatedly is truly worth less than weeds.

Right in the middle of the bedroom, she prominently placed a bouquet of red roses. I truly could not fathom what game she was playing. What was she trying to express with this gesture?

Was she trying to demonstrate her love for me? But I wasn't even here; who was this performance meant for?

When I used to treat her well in the past, she couldn't care less. Now that I was dead, she belatedly remembered my virtues—yet what good did that do?

At the exact center of the bedroom hung our wedding portrait. My face radiated a bright, happy smile, but looking at Qiao Yanxin beside me, her gaze was distant and unmistakably preoccupied.

Whom was she thinking of at that very moment? A single moment of reflection was enough to confirm it must have been Gu Tingchu.

Noticing the wedding portrait, a flash of awkwardness crossed Qiao Yanxin's face, though she instantly recovered her previous expression of deep affection.

"Yinzhou, I only love you now. No one else can ever compare to you in my heart."

In truth, I believed Qiao Yanxin hadn't suddenly developed romantic feelings for me at all. It was simply because I was no longer lingering by her side every day, leaving her feeling somewhat lonely.

That was just the kind of person Qiao Yanxin was: she would forever despise what she easily possessed, valuing only what remained forever out of reach.

She continued whispering affectionate platitudes, "Yinzhou, no matter what you've become, I will always love you. As for those who harmed you, I won't let a single one of them go. Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you."

How utterly ridiculous those words sounded. She had never shown me any respect in life, nor had she ever considered the plight of those who had helped her.

Clearly, she had previously insisted she wouldn't make things difficult for those people, yet she had turned around and discarded her own words, even going so far as to claim she would seek vengeance on my behalf.

However, my death had actually been caused by Gu Tingchu. If she truly wished to avenge me, she should simply go and kill Gu Tingchu.

Then again, would she ever dare?

The sunlight today was magnificent. Standing on the balcony, a single glance down into the very center of the courtyard revealed a statue erected there.

The eyes of the statue gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. For some reason, looking at it sent a shiver down my spine—perhaps because those eyes had once been mine.

A moment later, the phone in Qiao Yanxin's pocket rang.

She picked it up and answered, hearing Secretary Zhang's voice come through from the other end, "President Qiao, we have news regarding Young Master Qiao!"