Free Web NovelChapter 274: Chapter 274: Seduction
Tang Yuanxiao was drunk.
He rarely drank.
This year, he’d been drinking more than ever.
Before the divorce, at the banquet celebrating Su Li getting into university, he had gotten completely drunk.
Even though things weren’t great back then, they still hadn’t divorced. Buoyed by everyone’s blessings and jokes, he had drunk happily and with great cheer.
But this time, he was drinking to drown his sorrows.
He wanted to use alcohol to wash away his troubles, forget everything that was bothering him, empty his mind, and finally get some sleep. freeweɓnøvel.com
But as the saying goes, drinking to drown one’s sorrows only makes them stronger.
No matter how much he drank, he couldn’t get drunk enough to forget everything. In fact, the more he drank, the clearer his mind became, and the more miserable he felt.
After he went back last night, reality had forced him to finally make a decision.
Afraid he would change his mind, he had rushed to the courthouse first thing in the morning.
He hadn’t left himself any room for regret.
Coming out of the courthouse, he was completely lost.
He didn’t know where to go; he had no destination at all.
Before, he’d had his mother and his son, and then he’d had Su Li. He had been full of drive, always thinking about improving himself. If he improved, he could give Little Tang Mo and Mrs. Tang a better life. If he improved, he could become a better man, someone worthy of Su Li.
Now, it had all come to nothing.
Mrs. Tang was in prison, Little Tang Mo had become mute, and Su Li had divorced him.
His family was truly shattered.
He wanted to get drunk, but he just couldn’t.
He called Su Li. Hearing her voice, listening to her words...
Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t hold back any longer and blurted out everything he had been keeping in his heart.
Su Li listened, silent for a long time.
Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t the least bit surprised that he didn’t hear a reply from her.
"I know it’s too late to be saying all this. It’s stupid, despicable, and I shouldn’t be doing it."
But he just couldn’t help himself.
"I regret it. I regret everything that happened before. I even regret divorcing you so easily back then. I’ve been going crazy thinking how wonderful it would have been if I had just held on and refused to divorce you, to keep you tied to my side no matter how much you hated me..."
Tang Yuanxiao’s voice was unsteady, his breathing ragged.
"You’re drunk," Su Li noted. "Get some rest."
’She hadn’t expected him to have actually considered threatening her with Little Tang Mo to get her to remarry him.’
’Thank goodness he only thought about it and didn’t actually do it.’
"Su Li, don’t hang up. Please, just talk to me for a little while," Tang Yuanxiao’s pleading voice came through the phone.
"I really, really love Momo, and I really, really love you."
"Even after everything that happened with my mom, I still can’t control my feelings. I just love you, I just love you..."
"I don’t want to give up on you. I still don’t want to give up on you..."
"Tang Yuanxiao, just forget it. There’s no future for us," Su Li cut him off. "I’m hanging up."
This time, Su Li didn’t wait for Tang Yuanxiao to say anything more before hanging up the phone.
’There was no point in saying anything more.’
’Mrs. Tang was still in prison. After Tang Yuanxiao visited her again and again, these feelings of his would slowly fade away.’
On the other end of the line, Tang Yuanxiao listened to the DIAL TONE and let out a dry laugh.
"She hung up. I knew she would..."
He hung up the phone and staggered forward.
He hadn’t been walking for long when snow began to drift down from the sky.
"It’s snowing..." Tang Yuanxiao looked up at the sky, not moving for a long moment.
The snowflakes grew larger, eventually turning into thick flurries.
Snow covered Tang Yuanxiao’s head and body, and he soon looked like a snowman.
"Brother Tang?" Qin Shanshan’s voice came from behind, interrupting Tang Yuanxiao’s thoughts.
"Brother Tang, it’s snowing! Why are you just standing here?" Qin Shanshan rushed over and began to brush the snow off him.
"It’s so cold out, why are you wearing so little?" Qin Shanshan said anxiously, noticing Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t even wearing a coat.
She glanced at his hands, which were purple from the cold, then breathed a puff of warm air into her own palms before reaching out to grab his.
Tang Yuanxiao took a step back, shaking her off. "Don’t touch me. Go away."
Qin Shanshan froze for a moment. "Brother Tang, have you been drinking?"
’Drinking in broad daylight...’
"Brother Tang, don’t stay out here. You’ll freeze. Let’s go back."
Tang Yuanxiao was beyond annoyed. "I told you, leave me alone."
Qin Shanshan bit her lip. "Brother Tang, I know you’re angry at me for acting on my own last time, but I really didn’t mean it. I just saw how much pain you were in and..."
"You’re going to freeze to death. Please, go inside. If Auntie knew you were like this, I can’t imagine how heartbroken she would be."
Hearing her mention Mrs. Tang, Tang Yuanxiao closed his eyes.
"Aren’t you going to see Auntie tomorrow? It’s snowing and so cold. I wonder if she’ll be cold too."
As she spoke, Qin Shanshan tentatively reached out to support Tang Yuanxiao again. When he didn’t immediately shake her off, a flicker of joy appeared in her eyes.
"Brother Tang, let’s go back."
She subtly moved closer, pressing herself against Tang Yuanxiao’s arm. With a slight shift, she took his arm to lead him away, but this time, Tang Yuanxiao reacted.
He once again flung off Qin Shanshan’s hand. "Qin Caihua, have some self-respect. Don’t force me to say something ugly."
’He was drunk, not stupid. She kept rubbing against his arm...’
Tang Yuanxiao suppressed the disgust rising in him, swayed a bit, and walked away.
Qin Shanshan looked down at her chest, then stomped her foot and gritted her teeth at Tang Yuanxiao’s retreating back.
"Blockhead! Idiot!"
Qin Shanshan was well-developed. Compared to those who were flat-chested, or older women whose figures were no longer attractive, hers were neither too big nor too small—just right.
Their shape was perfect, too.
Her old male classmates, the men back in Xinghua Village, and even people here—she knew they all stared at her.
She had swallowed her embarrassment and made such a move, but Tang Yuanxiao had just...
Qin Shanshan wiped away a tear, her gaze darkening as she watched Tang Yuanxiao’s back.
"One day, I will have you! I’ll definitely make you fall for me!"
’What’s so great about someone like Su Li!’
She swore to herself, took a deep breath, and ran off in another direction.
The snow grew heavier, turning into a blizzard of goose-feather flakes.
It snowed all night, only gradually stopping at dawn. By the next day, a thick layer covered everything.
Little Tang Mo had rarely seen snow before and was utterly fascinated by it. He woke up early, buzzing with excitement and eager to go outside.
"Not so fast. Come here and put on your hat, scarf, and gloves first. It’s very cold outside."
The people from the Imperial City were surely used to it, but Little Tang Mo had just arrived and definitely wasn’t. He needed to be bundled up warmly.
Only after Su Li had bundled Little Tang Mo up until he looked like a little cotton ball did she finally let him go outside.
Of course, she herself looked much the same.
Su Li was quite sensitive to the cold.
Little Tang Mo excitedly played in the snow the whole way as he followed Su Li to check out the nearby schools.
While Su Li and Little Tang Mo were looking at schools, Tang Yuanxiao also set out.
He bought a thick quilt and warm clothes in town and took them with him to see Mrs. Tang.
Prison visiting hours were regulated. Based on Mrs. Tang’s situation, Tang Yuanxiao was allowed to visit her twice a month.
After Mrs. Tang was incarcerated, Tang Yuanxiao had come by a few times, but he had never been able to see her.
This was his first official visit.
Mrs. Tang appeared before Tang Yuanxiao in a prison uniform and began to cry pitifully the moment she saw him.
