Chapter 162: Blocking

Time slipped away unnoticed through the gaps of one's fingers.

On the fifth day of Rong Shen's business trip, Zanzhou welcomed its first spring rain.

An Tong sat in an armchair in the study, cupping her chin as she watched the fine, dense curtain of rain outside the window, lost in thought.

Over the past few days, she and the man had maintained regular video contact.

Yet, being able to see him but unable to touch him, coupled with the time difference, made her longing grow heavier by the day.

The main point was that she had poor appetite these past two days—not because she couldn't eat, but chiefly because the eldest sister and prospective brother-in-law in their household were publicly showering affection at every waking moment.

Though that manufactured romance often concealed hidden barbs of bitterness, it only served to make her feel all the more solitary.

An Tong sighed listlessly. Had she known earlier, she would have gone with him to the Swiss Federation.

After sighing for the nth time, her attention drifted to her own bare fingers.

When she met Wen Wan for a meal a couple of days ago, the other woman's hand had sported a brand-new ring.

The ritual sense of engagement was dialed all the way up to maximum.

And yet, as for herself...

An Tong spread out both hands and examined them repeatedly. The two of them had registered their marriage long ago, and apart from a single marriage certificate, they had nothing.

Before long, her phone vibrated right on cue.

Thinking it was a video call, An Tong forcibly rallied her spirits, only to find it was an overseas call instead.

It was from Rong Shen.

An Tong swiped to answer, brought the phone to her ear, and remained silent, waiting quietly for something.

"Why aren't you speaking?" The man's deep, mellow voice came through the earpiece. "Are you busy?"

An Tong lay prone on the sofa, resting her head on her bent arm, a faint smile curving her lips. "Not busy. I just wanted to hear you speak first."

At the other end of the line, Rong Shen seemed to give a brief, low laugh before asking her leisurely, "What do you want to eat tomorrow?"

"Haven't decided yet." Treating it as casual chatter, An Tong murmured vaguely, "Whatever Aunt Zhu decides to make, anything is fine by me."

Aunt Zhu was the cook who came to the villa every day to prepare meals. Diligent and steadfast, she usually spoke very little, and An Tong got along with her quite harmoniously.

There was a brief silence on the other end, and then the man's voice, laced with a faint smile, drifted into her ear, "Not eating with me anymore?"

An Tong bolted upright immediately, asking in surprise, "Are you coming back tomorrow?"

"Mhm. Morning flight, I should arrive back in the country around five o'clock in the morning." The sound of a lighter clicked as the man took a puff of his cigarette, then instructed in a deep voice, "It'll be too early. Stay home and get some good sleep; you don't need to come pick me up."

An Tong gave a vague assent, her mind already calculating which car would be most suitable to drive to the airport tomorrow to meet him.

After chatting a little longer, it seemed a visitor had arrived on the man's side.

An Tong checked the time—it was not yet three in the afternoon here, which meant it was around nine in the morning over there.

Sensing that Rong Shen might genuinely be busy, she didn't say any more and soon ended the call.

...

Learning that Rong Shen was coming back improved An Tong's mood visibly and significantly.

That evening, as she explained the app's operation plan to Ling Qi, her tone carried a hint of lightness.

"Madam, you're in such a great mood today."

Ling Qi nibbled on an ice pop, looking curiously at An Tong.

"Am I?"

"Yes, you're even smiling so hard the corners of your eyes are crinkling."

An Tong's smile froze. She instinctively touched the outer corners of her eyes, instantly putting on a stern face. "Nonsense, what crinkles?"

"Hahaha." Ling Qi slapped her thigh, laughing so hard she rocked back and forth. "Madam, you're really adorable... cough, cough, cough..."

Before Ling Qi could finish her sentence, she was choked directly by the ice pop.

Her current state was the exact portrait of misfortune following hard on the heels of joy.

While An Tong and Ling Qi were chatting and laughing in the study, outside the villa, Rong Xian had returned early, driving a champagne-colored supercar.

If Xiao Mingyu hadn't persistently lingered at Yuefu and refused to leave, why would she bother abandoning her comfortable high-end apartment near the company to commute back and forth every day?

She was utterly sick of him.

After locking her car, Rong Xian walked into the living room, seeing no one else except Aunt Zhu the cook, who was busy on her own in the kitchen.

She glanced around and then headed straight for the guest room.

Xiao Mingyu's cold was somewhat severe this time; though four or five days had passed and his symptoms had eased, he still hadn't fully recovered.

Rong Xian entered, changed her shoes, and walked with light footsteps to the door of the guest room.

The door wasn't tightly shut, leaving a very narrow gap.

The exact moment she made a motion to push the door open, Xiao Mingyu's low, raspy tone drifted out from the room.

"Since you're coming back tomorrow, my mission is accomplished as well."

Who was he talking to?

Rong Xian withdrew her hand, neither going in nor leaving.

Though eavesdropping on someone else's phone call wasn't polite, Xiao Mingyu ate her food and used her things; as his "financial backer," if she couldn't even eavesdrop on a phone call, life would lose all its fun.

Thinking thus, Rong Xian leaned comfortably against the doorframe and cocked her ear to listen.

Inside, Xiao Mingyu spoke again, "I heard he's still in Zanzhou."

"..."

"What kind of remark is that? If I didn't even have that much capability, how would I help you keep an eye on your wife?" Xiao Mingyu stood by the window with one hand in his pocket, chuckling in a low, teasing voice, "Besides, I specifically took your sister along that day. Even if your wife were bullied, it wouldn't be my turn to step in and help anyway—your sister is hardly a pushover."

Rong Xian slowly lifted her eyelids and smiled meaningfully.

Your sister, your wife...

With just these two terms of address, she could basically deduce whom Xiao Mingyu was talking to.

Over the past few days, she hadn't gone out publicly with Xiao Mingyu at all, except for the day Wen Wan invited An Tong out, when they had gone as well.

One was her lover, and the other was her younger sister's husband.

Put the two men together, and they had a thousand schemes between them—yet all of them were directed at her, weren't they?

Splendid!

Rong Xian let out a cold laugh, too lazy to listen any further, and turned away silently.

That night, past eight o'clock, Rong Xian still hadn't returned.

Xiao Mingyu finally sensed something was amiss. When he picked up his phone to make a call, the prompt informed him that the subscriber was out of the service area.

He waited a moment and tried again, but the automated message remained the same.

At this time, An Tong was printing documents in the study.

Hearing a knock, she darkened her computer screen, went over to open the door, and upon seeing the man outside, couldn't help a momentary pause. "Brother Mingyu, are you looking for me?"

After nearly a week of getting along, An Tong's form of address for Xiao Mingyu had shifted from Mr. Xiao to Brother Mingyu.

Without any nonsense, Xiao Mingyu directly held out his palm. "Xiao An, lend me your phone for a moment."

"Oh, hold on a second."

An Tong turned back to the desk, picked up her phone, unlocked it, and handed it to him.

With practiced ease, Xiao Mingyu punched in a string of digits, dialed, and switched on the speakerphone.

Then, the call went through.

"An'an?" Rong Xian's crisp, lazy tone rang out, sounding as though she was in quite a good mood.

An Tong pursed her lips and stayed quiet, while Xiao Mingyu demanded through gritted teeth, "Rong Xian, did you block my number?"

There was a silence on the other end for a few seconds before the woman sneered mockingly, "What do you think?"

With that, the call was disconnected. When he dialed back again, the prompt announced... out of the service area.

An Tong blinked and said softly, "So, Eldest Sister blocked me too... is that right?"

Xiao Mingyu returned the phone to her, his attitude remaining thoroughly unyielding. "No big deal. I'll figure out a way to get her to unblock you."