Chapter Twenty-Five: Just Treat It as ***

Lin Shuo remembered that night with perfect clarity. He had never seen Xiaoxiao so enchanting, her brows slightly furrowed, yet a faint, elusive smile gracing her lips. Especially when she whispered for him not to leave, he had almost believed he could forget all the sadness of the past and begin anew.

But when she finally sobered up, her eyes filled with wary suspicion, as if he were some dangerous contagion, his anger flared. He spoke harshly, turned on his heel, and left in a fit of temper. She, with her pride, could have seized the moment to extort something from him, to coerce him into anything she wished, yet she did not—no phone call, not even a single message. Was she really so forgetful? During this time, Manager Huang kept calling to inquire, but Lin Shuo had his assistant brush him off, hoping each day for her call. The longing gnawed at him, unrelenting. More than once, he picked up his phone, intent on calling her, but pride always won out, and he would lay it down again.

As days slipped by, his patience wore thin. At last, he dialed her number.

She was at work, discussing a proposal for a client with her colleagues. One of them held up Bai Yunchuan as an example, saying she had remarkable patience. She smiled slightly, offering no explanation. Seeing Lin Shuo’s number on her phone, she felt a quiet thrill of victory—as though, in this standoff, she had mastered the art of patience.

His tone was curt, straight to the point: “Why didn’t you ask me for anything? Isn’t that your usual trick?”

Not wanting her colleagues to overhear, she rose and walked toward the emergency stairwell. Only when she was certain she was alone did she reply, “I don’t consider myself a prostitute, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t think so little of yourself either. We’re both adults—we know how to take responsibility for our actions. I may not indulge in fleeting pleasures, but I understand how people fulfill each other’s needs. Since we were both happy then, what’s the point of dwelling on it? Let’s just call it a one-night stand. Isn’t that something you rich men are so adept at?”

Utterly unreasonable. The very thing most women would care about seemed worthless to her. In her eyes, he was nothing more than a companion for lonely nights. That, he could not accept.

The weather grew warmer, and the cassia flowers bloomed, golden and dazzling beneath the sun. Xiaoxiao sat on the sofa behind Bai Yunchuan, quietly listening to his conversation with his date. She glanced at her watch from time to time—she already knew how this would end, it was just a matter of waiting it out. Her phone vibrated; it was Bai Yunchuan’s number.

—I know you have a doctor’s appointment. Go ahead, I can handle this.

—Thank you.

She hurried to the hospital, relieved that visiting hours hadn’t ended. Her father lay peacefully in his bed, looking as if he were only asleep. Xiaoxiao wrung out a towel and gently wiped his face. He had worked all his life, and she used to urge him to take a break whenever he could. Now, he finally had time to rest—only to fall into a sleep from which he would not wake. Such is the way of fate.

As a child, her father doted on her endlessly, letting her ride on his shoulders, buying her beautiful toys and sweet, tangy candied fruits. She had always been frail and often fell ill, unable to sleep unless he carried her on his back; much of her childhood was spent there. Because of her health, she looked smaller than other children her age. Worried that she would ruin her health by refusing to eat, her father made a pact with her: if she didn’t grow tall, it would be her own fault, not her parents’ for failing to provide. She was only a few years old then, but stubbornly pressed her handprint onto the agreement. Her father recognized her proud spirit and knew she would not give in easily, so she forced herself to eat a little more each day, and, over time, her health improved.

In Lonely Moments, Don’t Speak of Love, Chapter 25: Just Take It as a One-Night Stand—Update complete!