Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 264 - 260: Freedom is the Ultimate Goal

Chapter 264: Chapter 260: Freedom is the Ultimate Goal

Night.

The full moon hung high in the sky.

Silvery light spilled over the streets of Luo City as a black BMW X3 roared its engine, barreling in from the distance and stopping at the gate of a high-end community. After swiping a card, it slowly drove in.

Under the night sky, some buildings were still lit up. Sun Wen drove around, turning left and right until he finally parked his car beneath one of them.

The night lights should have felt warm, but as Sun Wen stood below the building looking up, only a chill crept into his heart, making him tighten the light jacket around him.

"I’ve arrived."

The call connected, and after a few seconds, an electronic beep from the door signaled it could be pulled open.

"When will you latch onto a rich widow? Then treat us to a meal like this."

Qin Guanglin’s joking words suddenly echoed in his ears. Sun Wen clenched his teeth as he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the thirty-third floor. As the elevator doors were closing, he cursed under his breath.

Damn crow mouth!

He rang the doorbell at Xu Wei’s apartment. The electronic lock clicked open, and after touching the corner of his mouth with a finger and taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.

Walking down the long corridor to a brightly lit living room where voices from the TV could be heard, Xu Wei was draped in a bathrobe, leaning on the central sofa with a glass of red wine in hand. Hearing footsteps, she glanced back and then returned her gaze to the TV screen, the glass swaying gently.

"You’re late."

Sun Wen pursed his lips and said nothing, taking a seat on the edge of the sofa and reaching out to hold her crossed feet, gently brushing her captivating red nails.

Xu Wei’s attention was drawn to the bruise at the corner of his mouth. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What happened to your face?"

"Got into a fight," Sun Wen said casually, his head dropping unnaturally as if to hide it.

"Got into a fight?"

Xu Wei squinted at him, then chuckled softly after a moment’s thought. Sipping her wine, she said leisurely, "You got caught cheating, didn’t you?"

Noticing the change in the pressure of Sun Wen’s hand, she was sure of her guess. Her smile slowly faded, "Is that why you’re late?"

"...No." Sun Wen touched the corner of his mouth, "That was yesterday’s business."

Xu Wei watched him for a while, then turned her gaze back to the TV and spoke, "I used to not care, but now, I hope there won’t be a next time. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Let go, come drink with me."

Watching Sun Wen stand to pour the drink, Xu Wei seemed to remember something, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Those old ladies... aren’t you afraid of literally killing them?"

"..."

"You’re not as talkative as you used to be." Xu Wei shook her head, gesturing with her eyes to the side, "Sit, just like we did back at the bar."

"Can it ever be the same as it was in the bar?" Sun Wen asked with a self-mocking laugh, taking a big gulp from his glass.

It didn’t matter how rich she was back then; it wasn’t his business. They were equals, each getting what they needed. But now, it was a monetary relationship, and they were no longer on equal footing from the start.

"It’s simple, I give you money, and you don’t have to take it, just like at the beginning."

"You say it, it does sound quite simple."

"Do you still want it?"

"Why wouldn’t I?" Sun Wen countered.

Be it companions or transactions, it was all the same in the end, and of course, he wouldn’t reject the money.

Thinking about it now, he somewhat regretted not taking the money during those months as a companion.

Bit of a loss.

Once he’d saved enough to sell the car and take all the money back to his hometown, he’d open a small supermarket or noodle shop in the county town— he learned to cook while living with Xu Yue, and that skill was more than enough for the small county town.

To completely break away from Luo City would be perfect.

"You called me here just to drink?"

"Didn’t want to go out, and I’m very bored."

"Indeed boring." Sun Wen nodded, judging from the melodramatic TV show she was watching, who else but the bored would watch such stuff?

"How’s your ex-girlfriend doing? She’s decent now, have you tried seeing her again?" Xu Wei tilted her head and asked with a smile, "Wouldn’t it feel awesome to slap a stack of cash in her face?"

"Too childish." Sun Wen shrugged and laughed, "Haven’t looked her up, but I heard she’s engaged, getting married in two months."

"Looking at you, are you trying to start something?"

"No, what could I possibly start? Of course, I wish her well."

"You wish her well?"

"Why wouldn’t I?"

"Heh heh." Xu Wei laughed without saying anything more.

Sun Wen idly twirled his glass, staring at the deep red liquid inside without making a sound.

Bless her, of course, bless her.

If it hadn’t been for his ex-girlfriend and that guy he beat up, the studio wouldn’t have gone under.

And he wouldn’t have ended up like he was now.

How could he not wish her well?

"Do you think you’ve been... been duped in a relationship too?" Sun Wen suddenly asked.

"No."

"No?"

As Xu Wei faced Sun Wen’s doubtful look, she tilted her head back, took a sip of her drink, and asked, "Why do you ask that?"

"Why do you..." Sun Wen gestured with his hand between the two of them, "you’re not like those ’old hags.’ They’re just venting, but you’re not."

"Of course I’m not like them. I just find it interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Is it hard to understand?" Xu Wei asked.

"Indeed." Sun Wen nodded.

Such a woman, who had everything she wanted, why would she indulge herself?

"So what do you think I should be like?"

"Uh..."

Sun Wen was at a loss for words, what should she be?

"Find someone to marry? Be a good wife and mother? Live a so-called ’normal’ ’decent’ life?" Seeing him zone out, Xu Wei leaned back on the sofa and laughed.

"How to put it... I’ve worked hard to get where I am today, all to escape that kind of life, all for freedom."

"Freedom?"

"Doing what I want, not doing what I don’t want."

"—I’ve done it now." She downed the drink in her glass in one go, leaned back on the sofa, and said to Sun Wen:

"What’s that saying? Humanity has amassed wealth over thousands of years, all knowledge, experience, wisdom, art, as if they’re gifts prepared just for me. In an era of technological boom, urban prosperity, I can fully enjoy the fruits of modern civilization, freely choosing between driving a Maserati or a Mercedes, keeping you or someone else—

I am free, completely free to live the life I want according to my own desires."

"Why would I need to be a good wife and mother? Do I need a man to be the head of the household?"

Sun Wen had no response. He nodded after a moment of silence, "Very ’wave of the future’."

He couldn’t even imagine the happiness that comes with being rich.

"No, I am the spray." Xu Wei smiled, "The brightest spray there is."

"..."

"Life is but a few decades short; I live it the way I want, that was my motivation to make money in the first place."

Sun Wen pursed his lips and looked down at the car keys hanging by his waist, "So... all this, just because it’s interesting?"

What he could never earn in half a lifetime was simply because she found it interesting, so she got it.

He couldn’t quite describe what he felt at the bottom of his heart—there was no anger, no resentment, just a sense of powerlessness.

People really are different.

"Isn’t it interesting to have a pet that comes when you call?" Xu Wei teased, lifting his chin with her toe, her eyes full of mirth.

"Of course, if one day you don’t feel like it anymore, we can go back to the way things were—you really are great."