Lu Mengjie felt her heart stop. She looked like she had seen a ghost. She hurriedly tore the card and envelope to pieces before throwing them in the nearest trash bin.
Seeing her that way worried Yong Liwei. He sensed her fear from her as he followed her into the living room. "Mengjie?"
"It's nothing." She flashed him a tight-lipped smile but the panic in her eyes betrayed the calmness on her face.
It was obviously not 'nothing'. He had seen such a look from her twice. It was during the time when she overheard his conversation with Bai Jingye about his infertility, and the second was when she finally remembered the night she had been kidnapped, the night where she thought that he was the one behind it.
"Don't worry, it's nothing," she said, trying to reassure him. "I need a drink," she mumbled before she pivoted towards the kitchen.
Yong Liwei eyed Little Peanut who was peacefully sleeping in the stroller. He sighed inwardly and decided to bring him to his room so that he wouldn't be disturb from his sleep. He entered the master bedroom. He carefully carried his son from the stroller and gently placed him inside his crib. He tucked him under his mini blanket before he finally went back to the kitchen to accompany his wife.
When he entered the kitchen, he saw Lu Mengjie drinking one of his alcoholic wines while talking with Kuro.
"Have you seen his face?"
"No, I haven't. I'm sorry, miss. He was able to block my authority in this building's system."
"Then you should have notified me!" She shouted angrily. It was the first time she lost her cool while talking with Kuro.
"He had installed a virus, miss. I couldn't contact you. Before the virus can reach my main body, I advise you to shut me down, miss. You have 3 hours left before the virus takes control of me."
Crash!
She threw her phone out of frustration.
Lu Mengjie soon noticed her husband, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. He had a scolding gaze on him as he eyed the wine.
She bit her inner cheek and looked away in guilt. "Just for tonight…" She mumbled. She had been avoiding alcoholic drinks since she was a nursing mother. Her diet could affect her breast milk that's why she had to be strict with what she was going to eat.
Yong Liwei sighed. He walked towards her. "It's because of the letter, right?"
"I…" She was reluctant to admit it to him. "Can I borrow your phone? I have to call my mother."
Yong Liwei eyed the phone on the floor. The screen crashed into pieces. He had already heard her conversation with Kuro. Whoever installed the virus must have amazing hacking skills if even Kuro himself couldn't delete it.
He took his phone from his pocket and gave it to her. He quietly watched his wife talk with her mother.
"Mom, I'll let you know when I've updated him. As a temporary measure, I'd like you to shut him down. If the virus enters Kuro's body, it will spread to others. I made the virus to see if Kuro could handle it." She was swirling the drink inside the glass as she continued the conversation with her mother.
After the call ended, Lu Mengjie returned the phone to her husband. "Thanks."
"Now then, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
She quickly averted her gaze from him and instead, drank the wine from the glass she was holding.
He grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Mengjie, that's enough." He snatched the wine glass away from her hold and placed it back on the counter. "Tell me what's wrong."
She bit her lower lip and hung her head low. It was a past that she didn't want to remember but the moment she saw the letters 'XX', everything came back, including the fear she had always felt in the past. He was a nightmare of her past.
He clasped her jaw, lifting her face up to make her look at him. "You can tell me anything, love."
Lu Mengjie's lips trembled. A glossy layer of tears filled her eyes. "Liwei…"
Yong Liwei's eyes darkened as he saw the horror and trauma in her eyes.
"P-Please don't ask…" Her tears finally burst out from her eyes.
The temperature in the room dropped as his gaze hardened the moment he saw her cry. "Who else knows about what happened?" He hissed.
"No… no one…"
Just as he thought. For her to grow frantic as each second passed by meant that whatever happened in her past was something that she wanted to hide from anyone, including the people she was close with. No wonder she was having a hard time sharing it with him. She wanted to hide it from him as well.
Even if he was curious about what happened, he decided not to force her, and instead, he pulled her into her embrace to comfort her. He felt his heart being wrung off of his blood. He had always felt like someone had stabbed him every time he saw her tears. "Shh… it's alright, I'm here. You don't have to be scared."
Lu Mengjie buried her face on his chest and began sobbing hard. Her body trembled like that of a scared child.
Yong Liwei didn't know how to comfort her or what words to say so he stood still on the ground and hugged her until she finally calmed down.
"I-I ruined your shirt…" She sniffled as she looked at his clothes with her makeup smudged on it.
He chuckled a bit. He held her chin to level her sight on him. After pecking her lips, he honestly said, "you look like a clown when you cry like this."
She huffed and pouted. "I should have worn waterproof makeup!"
He snickered. "Waterproof makeup or not, even without one, you turn ugly when you cry."
Her brows met as she frowned deeply. "Y-You! What kind of husband are you?! I should be the prettiest woman in your eyes even when I cry!"
His gaze warmed at her. He was glad that he was able to stop her tears by distracting her even if it was just for a moment. He bent to her level and kissed her once again. It was just a sweet, loving kiss, enough to take her mind off her worries. He caressed her cheek with his thumb before he pulled back. "Crying doesn't suit you, love. I'll put a smile back on your face."