Mr.CEO, Please Sign the Divorce Agreement
Chapter 628: Incoming Call from a Stranger Number

Chapter 628: Chapter 628: Incoming Call from a Stranger Number

Actually, Fu Shinian didn’t believe that Su Mu had no thoughts or plans about Qiqi never coming back. She must have thought deeply about it a long time ago, but she didn’t say anything. Since Su Mu didn’t speak, Fu Shinian didn’t ask further. Because, just as Su Mu said earlier, no matter what she says, Fu Shinian wouldn’t believe it, and he would still try to protect her as much as possible.

The kind of incident like her sneaking out in the middle of the night is unlikely to happen again.

Originally, Fu Shinian had planned to visit the elderly lady on the second day after returning to Gui Ning Residence, but unfortunately, both of them fell ill and couldn’t make the trip. Now, with Su Mu raising the idea again, even though Fu Shinian’s health hadn’t fully recovered, he still nodded and agreed.

Su Mu wanting to go out for a walk was a good thing—he shouldn’t stop her.

On the way downstairs, Jiang Bei was sitting in the living room dazed. When he saw the two of them coming down together, he slowly got up from the sofa. Although only a month had passed, Jiang Bei’s belly seemed to have grown significantly. Su Mu glanced at Jiang Bei’s stomach and smiled faintly:

"Rest well; don’t mind us."

Jiang Bei also smiled:

"Heading out?"

"Mm, the elderly lady’s health isn’t good; we’re going back to see her."

Jiang Bei gave Fu Shinian a look, and he nodded slightly to her. Jiang Bei smiled, "Alright then, we won’t wait for you for lunch."

Su Mu hadn’t seen the elderly lady in a long time. Ever since Qiqi went missing, she hadn’t visited her. Now, seeing the elderly lady lying weakly in bed, she felt a surreal sense of detachment—after all, the last time they met, the elderly lady had been full of vigor.

The elderly lady knew that, in this world, no one could feel the pain of losing Qiqi more profoundly than Su Mu. She didn’t want to cry in front of Su Mu and dredge up her painful memories, but seeing Su Mu now, thin to the point where she was almost unrecognizable after just a month’s absence, the elderly lady couldn’t control her reddened eyes. Su Mu sat beside the bed, gently wiping away her tears:

"Grandma, please don’t cry."

"Susu, Grandma doesn’t mean to cry. But looking at you, I can’t help but feel heartache..." The elderly lady sobbed uncontrollably, "Qiqi is your flesh and blood, your own flesh, how could it not hurt? This pain—it feels like it could tear your heart apart."

The elderly lady’s raw emotions made Fu Shinian want to step in and remind her. He brought Su Mu to see the elderly lady for some relief, not to have Su Mu enveloped in sorrow again. He had thought the elderly lady would hold back, at least not display her emotions so openly in front of Su Mu, but it was completely contrary to what he had imagined.

When he took Su Mu’s hand to help her up, Su Mu turned to look at him. Fu Shinian froze slightly because he couldn’t discern any feeling of sadness from Su Mu—not even a hint of redness in her eyes. It was as if the things the elderly lady said didn’t concern her at all.

He didn’t want her to be immersed in grief, yet seeing Su Mu like this left Fu Shinian feeling inexplicably cold.

It wasn’t possible for her not to care. The elderly lady had been talking about Qiqi—he felt his own eyes welling up just listening—but Su Mu seemed utterly unshaken. Unless she had become numb to everything, having lost even the basic capacity for feeling, or she no longer cared whether Qiqi would return. She must possess her own way of being close to Qiqi.

As for what that might be, Fu Shinian didn’t dare to think.

Su Mu withdrew her hand from Fu Shinian’s, softly consoling the elderly lady for a few moments. The elderly lady, indeed very weak and having cried so much, soon fell asleep. Su Mu sat quietly for a while, carefully tucked her in, and stood:

"Let’s go."

Fu Shinian had been watching her the whole time. He said nothing and followed her out of the room.

Su Shiyue was sitting in the living room. Seeing them come out, she immediately got up. To be honest, she was a little afraid of facing Su Mu now. Although neither Su Mu nor Fu Shinian had ever scolded her for Qiqi’s disappearance, Su Shiyue couldn’t shake the feeling that it was somehow connected to her.

Normally, when Su Mu or Fu Shinian dropped off Qiqi, they would take her directly into the classroom. But that one time, inexperienced, trusting in the familiarity of Qiqi’s teacher, Su Shiyue left her outside. If only she had walked Qiqi inside the classroom on that occasion—would everything have turned out differently?

"Sister-in-law..." Su Shiyue softly called out, "I..."

Su Mu stopped and looked at Su Shiyue, smiling faintly, "You’ve lost weight. Haven’t been sleeping well?"

The absence of any hint of blame in Su Mu’s words made Su Shiyue’s eyes instantly well up. She wanted to step forward and hold Su Mu’s hand to apologize, but Fu Shinian shot her a glare, halting her in her tracks. Stunned, she quickly realized—given Su Mu’s current state—it was indeed not suitable to delve further into matters concerning Qiqi. So Su Shiyue could only remain silent.

Su Mu could discern Su Shiyue’s inner turmoil and knew that she wanted to say something. But she felt that Fu Shinian didn’t need to be so paranoid, preventing everyone from mentioning Qiqi in front of her. She seemed to have grown immune to pain these days. She hadn’t displayed any emotional fluctuations regarding Qiqi at all.

However, since Fu Shinian was intent on stopping Su Shiyue, Su Mu was not inclined to initiate any discussion on the topic either. After all, she too was weary. Though it was impossible to stir her emotions now, it didn’t mean she was in a position to casually talk about the matter.

Su Mu refused to acknowledge it, but neither could she deny it—there was an element of escapism in how she dealt with everything regarding Qiqi.

Fu Shinian hadn’t planned to stay at Gui Ning Residence much longer. While the elderly lady’s health was a concern, he worried even more about the potential damage her presence might do to Su Mu’s emotional state. The current situation made it clear that close proximity wasn’t suitable for either of them. Distance would be better.

Although Su Shiyue had something she wanted to say, she didn’t know exactly what words would suffice. Against Su Mu’s sadness, any comfort or apology would feel futile. Instead of revisiting her grief, silence seemed kinder. So when Su Mu and Fu Shinian were about to leave, Su Shiyue merely accompanied them to the door.

The journey back was quiet. In truth, Su Mu had been particularly silent these past few days. She was no longer aimless and dazed like before, but her rationality was unsettling. Fu Shinian wanted to say a few words to her, but before he could decide on a safe topic, his phone began ringing.

Fu Shinian noticed Su Mu stiffen slightly.

Ever since Qiqi’s incident, the ring of their phones had become a stressful sound for both of them. Each time, they couldn’t help but tense up—but after a month of anticipation, there had been no progress. Even so, Fu Shinian didn’t let his guard down. He immediately pulled the car to the roadside and took out his phone.

An unfamiliar number.