Contractual Love: Mistaken for True - Chapter 44 - Xia Chen's Confession

“I first met Xia Chen right here, at this very table,” Murong Qing said slowly. She remembered how Xia Chen looked at her back then-with such clarity, devoid of any complexity. Having met countless people, she had seen men tell her they wanted her to be their girlfriend and then ask if they could get to know her. But Xia Chen simply said, “Classmate, you’re sitting in my spot.”

At that moment, she truly didn’t realize she had taken the wrong seat; she thought Xia Chen was trying to flirt with her. When his approach differed from others, she retorted coldly, “Where does it say this table belongs to you?”

As they became more familiar, every time they came here to eat, Chen Zihan would tease her a bit. By then, she had already developed feelings for Xia Chen, but he never expressed anything. She wondered if she was being overly sentimental-until one day, they all went out and got drunk, and then something happened between them. In truth, Murong Qing didn’t regret being with Xia Chen, but she had no idea what he was thinking.

Xia Chen, in a daze, felt as though he had done something wrong. When he woke up, he found Murong Qing sleeping beside him, both of them disheveled. He had vague memories of the night before, and then he noticed the telltale signs of their drunken mistake.

Murong Qing calmly dressed, but inside, she was waiting for Xia Chen to say something. Yet, he said nothing. Eventually, she thought they wouldn’t see each other again, only for Xia Chen to show up downstairs at her dorm with a huge bouquet of roses and confess his feelings.

“I really didn’t think Xia Chen would confess that he liked me too, but just didn’t have the courage to tell me,” Murong Qing said with a sweet smile on her face.

“We’ve been together for two years, and you could say we’ve been living together for two years as well. During the day, we were inseparable, and at night, we were wild in our room. Those days are something I’ll never forget.”

“Even when I went abroad, I knew Xia Chen loved me because I could see it in you.” Murong Qing said confidently, “Didn’t he marry you because you look so much like me?”

Xu Xiaoyou couldn’t believe everything Murong Qing was saying, yet she found no words to counter it. When they had entered into their marriage contract, she had thought about why Xia Chen chose her-a person he had known for less than 24 hours, jumping straight into marriage. At the time, she was only focused on deceiving her parents, so she agreed. So, it turned out he married her because she resembled Murong Qing.

“What good is it for you to tell me all this? You left him then, and now what does it matter? He no longer loves you,” Xu Xiaoyou said, unsure if she could outsmart Murong Qing. Whether Xia Chen loved Murong Qing in his heart, she had never known.

“Who says he doesn’t love me? If he didn’t, why would he spend every night at my place?” Murong Qing laughed.

Xu Xiaoyou felt a chill run down her spine. Xia Chen had been saying he was working late, but it seemed he wasn’t actually working. “That’s not possible. You don’t have to lie to me,” Xu Xiaoyou thought perhaps she was just deceiving herself.

“You can go see for yourself tonight; check if I’m lying,” Murong Qing offered her address before leaving Golden Hour Bistro.

Xu Xiaoyou returned home, and Xia Chen was still not back. Every night, she had dinner by herself, as Xia Chen always came home late at night and left early in the morning. Did Tianchen really have that much going on that he didn’t have time to come home for dinner? Could it really be as she had said?

She called Xia Chen, but there was no answer. He must have been too busy to pick up the phone, so she decided to call Yilin. To her surprise, Yilin replied, “I’m not working late. I got back a long time ago. There hasn’t been any overtime for a while. Is Mr. Xia not home? He might have something to attend to. Don’t worry; let me call and check.”

Hearing Yilin’s words, Xu Xiaoyou felt a sinking feeling in her heart. Normally, she wouldn’t inquire too much, but ever since Murong Qing said those things, her mind had been a jumble. She wanted to find Xia Chen and clarify everything, even if he didn’t love her; it needed to be made clear. Remembering the address that Murong Qing mentioned, Xu Xiaoyou decided to head out in a hurry, forgetting about dinner.

Murong Qing had been monitoring Xu Xiaoyou, and the informant reported back that Xu Xiaoyou had gotten into a car heading to that address. Murong Qing quickly drove over and arrived at the white villa just before Xu Xiaoyou.

Xu Xiaoyou saw Murong Qing enter the villa, with Xia Chen opening the door for her. They exchanged a few words, and then Murong Qing kissed Xia Chen. What did this mean, Xia Chen?

Later that evening, when Xia Chen returned, he found Xu Xiaoyou still awake. Checking the time, he realized it was already ten o’clock. He felt guilty for neglecting her lately, always coming home late and leaving early-she must have been worried.

“Wife, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Xia Chen approached and wrapped his arm around Xu Xiaoyou’s shoulders, leaning down to kiss her, but she turned away.

“Don’t use lips that have kissed someone else to kiss me,” Xu Xiaoyou replied coldly.

“What are you talking about?” Xia Chen was confused; when had he kissed someone else?

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Xu Xiaoyou turned her back to him.

“I don’t understand, I really don’t,” Xia Chen said earnestly.

“Then why don’t you tell me why you came back so late?” Xu Xiaoyou turned to face him, noticing a strange scent of perfume on him-the same one she had caught a whiff of on Murong Qing earlier that afternoon.

“I was working late,” Xia Chen said as he took off his coat, wrapping his arm around Xu Xiaoyou as they headed toward the bedroom. “It’s already so late; it’s time for bed. I’ll wash up, and then we can sleep together.”

“Really working late?” Xu Xiaoyou’s anger flared. “Ah Xia, are you really working late?”

“What’s with the attitude?” Xia Chen didn’t understand. He was working late; it was just that the location was different, but he couldn’t tell Xu Xiaoyou that.

“I called Yilin, and he said you weren’t working late at all. The company isn’t even having overtime, yet you told me you were. Why are you lying to me?”

“I really am working late; it’s just not at the office,” Xia Chen explained.

“At Murong Qing’s house, right?” Xu Xiaoyou said coldly.

Xia Chen froze for a moment. What would he be doing at Murong Qing’s house? What was Xu Xiaoyou thinking? Did she somehow know? “Xiaoyou, did someone say something to you?”

“It seems you really are hiding something from me,” Xu Xiaoyou’s tears began to fall. “Xia Chen, why do you have to lie to me? If you don’t love me, why did you say you would love me forever… it’s truly laughable.”

“What do you mean I don’t love you?” Xia Chen was perplexed. “When did I ever say I didn’t love you? Silly girl, what are you thinking?”

“Why did you marry me in the first place?” Xu Xiaoyou asked.

As Xia Chen considered his response, he realized someone must have said something to her; otherwise, she wouldn’t be asking these questions. “Why bring up the past? We didn’t have any feelings for each other back then.”

“And what about later? When you said you liked me, was it because you liked me as a person or because I look like Murong Qing?” Xu Xiaoyou struggled to ask.

“…” Xu Xiaoyou now knew. She figured out who had said what-Murong Qing. It had to be her. She had suddenly shown up at the villa this afternoon, and it was all intentional.

As Xia Chen fell silent, Xu Xiaoyou became even more convinced of her thoughts. She pushed Xia Chen away and ran back to the room she used to sleep in, locking the door behind her.

“I liked you for who you are, not because of your looks,” Xia Chen said, standing in front of the locked door. “I admit I married you because you looked like her, but later, I liked you for you. I never told you because I was afraid you would get angry or wouldn’t believe me. Now you know, and you still don’t trust me…”

Xu Xiaoyou leaned against the door, tears streaming down her face. Should she believe Xia Chen’s words? What Murong Qing said and what she had seen-what was the truth? Xia Chen, should I trust you?

“Xiaoyou, I don’t know what Murong Qing told you, but I can assure you that I don’t love her anymore. Over the past four years since she left, I’ve been trying to forget her, but it’s been difficult. Your presence changed everything for me. Being with you brings me warmth; you give me the sense of home, and that’s why I want us to be a real couple.”

“Wife, can’t you feel my love for you at all? Don’t you sense it even a little? Some things can’t be faked. If I didn’t love you, would I bring you home? Would I let you honor the ancestors of the Xia Family? Would I keep accompanying you back home time and time again? In front of my parents, I made a promise that I would treat you well for the rest of my life. Everything I’ve said is sincere, and you’ve heard that, haven’t you?”

Xu Xiaoyou thought back to the words Xia Chen had spoken in front of her parents, promising to treat her well for a lifetime, assuring her of his care. But now, she found it hard to believe any of it.

Not hearing Xu Xiaoyou respond, Xia Chen wondered what she was thinking inside the locked room.

Suddenly, a scream escaped Xia Chen’s mouth, followed by the sharp scent of blood. Xu Xiaoyou’s heart raced with alarm. Could something have happened to him? She hurriedly opened the door, only to find Xia Chen clutching his hand.

“What happened? Let me see,” Xu Xiaoyou said, reaching for Xia Chen’s hand. Just then, Xia Chen wrapped his arms around her.

“Let go of me…” Xu Xiaoyou realized she had fallen for Xia Chen’s trick and tried to break free, but a woman’s strength was no match for a man’s, and she couldn’t escape.

“I won’t let go; I can’t let go,” Xia Chen said, holding Xu Xiaoyou tightly. “Xiaoyou, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have hidden this from you. Please forgive me.”

“No, no…” Xu Xiaoyou cried. “I don’t want to believe what you say. You’re lying to me; you’re deceiving me…”

“I’m not lying to you, I promise,” Xia Chen insisted, supporting her shoulders. “From the very beginning, I had my reasons for marrying you, but at that time, didn’t we both have our own reasons?”

“Xiaoyou, why don’t you believe me? What did I do that made you react like this?”

Xu Xiaoyou looked at Xia Chen for a long time, finally deciding to speak her mind.

After hearing what she had to say, Xia Chen’s expression turned grim. He hadn’t expected Murong Qing to say such things or take such actions. He was also angry that Xu Xiaoyou didn’t believe him. Was he really that untrustworthy?

“Ah Xia, what’s wrong?” Xu Xiaoyou asked, noticing that Xia Chen had fallen silent. She was worried he wouldn’t do something reckless, like confront Murong Qing.

“Xu Xiaoyou, do you think I’m someone unworthy of your trust?” Xia Chen asked.

Xu Xiaoyou didn’t know how to respond. This time, she genuinely didn’t believe him, as Murong Qing’s words had voiced all her doubts. She had always been uncertain about why Xia Chen would fall for her.

“Xu Xiaoyou, let me show you how I’ll deal with this,” Xia Chen said, scooping her up and quickly heading upstairs.

“Hey, you haven’t even showered yet! Go shower…” Xu Xiaoyou pushed against him.

“I have something more important to do right now than shower.”