The Marriage Partner Is The Villain Boss Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Driver, you can stop at this intersection. Parking isn’t allowed further ahead.”

Xu Zhiyi looked at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window, feeling a bit dazed, but she was mostly distracted by the words of the woman beside her.

The other woman seemed even more familiar with this place than she was.

The moment they reached the suburban flat, Pei Qingyan rushed to pay the fare and quickly got out to open the car door for her.

“Thank you.”

Xu Zhiyi avoided her burning gaze, yet she couldn’t block out the searing heat radiating from the woman’s skin, which felt as sharp as needles against her own.

She knew how cold and aloof Pei Qingyan used to be.

However, when they were alone, that “aloofness” probably deserved to be put in quotation marks.

“No need to see me in.”

Xu Zhiyi took the suitcase from her hand. Before the other woman could speak, she dropped a flat, indifferent sentence as a farewell to this unexpected encounter.

High heels and gravel paths were a terrible match. She stumbled along, carefully watching the uneven gaps to avoid spraining her ankle.

Especially… in front of Pei Qingyan. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself on her first day back in the country.

Click.

Having finally made it into the building entrance, Xu Zhiyi let out a faint sigh of relief. She turned her head slightly and caught a glimpse of the woman still standing at the busy gate, her back as straight as a pine tree.

Just like six years ago, when the woman had seen her home countless times.

Her eyes grew hot. Xu Zhiyi hurried up the stairs, her frantic footsteps masking the irregular rhythm of her heartbeat.

Even if she deliberately shoved her memories into an obscure corner, they would still pop up from time to time, swirling before her eyes.

—In the past, she and Pei Qingyan had never been this distant.

…

The small apartment wasn’t large—just two bedrooms and a living room—but it was cozy enough.

Xu Zhiyi stood at the door for a long time. The trepidation of returning home vanished the moment she saw the pink rabbit plushie on the sofa.

“It’s actually still here.”

She carefully pulled it into her arms. The soft fur provided a long-lost sense of warmth.

This was her favorite toy as a child.

As one of the many children of the Xu family, and a girl at that, she had been neglected from the moment she was born. After giving birth, her mother had moved back to the ancestral home without a second thought, hiring only a nanny to look after her and visiting only on weekends when she remembered.

Xu Zhiyi had never experienced maternal love, and naturally, paternal love was even more out of the question. Because she lacked her parents’ company, she was bullied relentlessly in kindergarten. Some mischievous children would chase her, shouting “wild child picked up from the trash can,” before laughing together in malicious glee.

And that was when she met Pei Qingyan. To be precise, during their first meeting, Pei Qingyan had stepped in to teach those foul-mouthed children a lesson, just like a superhero in a cartoon.

Xu Zhiyi remembered clearly how the girl’s obsidian-bright eyes burned with anger, her round little face set sternly, carrying a natural air of authority. But in her eyes, it was somehow adorable.

Had the situation been different, she would have wanted to pinch the girl’s chubby, bun-like cheeks.

“This is for you.”

After teaching those children a lesson, Pei Qingyan—who was clearly just a child herself—approached awkwardly and half-forced the rabbit plushie into her hands. “This is the latest model my mom bought for me. Um, next time you see them, tell them your mom and dad bought it for you. Let’s see if they still dare to bully you…”

“If this ever happens again, remember to tell me.” After dropping that domineering line, the girl quietly brushed her hand against hers under the table, her touch carrying a trace of hidden caution.

Just like that, Pei Qingyan became the only friend of her childhood. This rabbit plushie was cherished and kept as a witness to their friendship.

Whenever her mother couldn’t visit for various reasons, Xu Zhiyi would hold this plushie and talk to herself in a corner.

Only then did she feel she wasn’t alone.

…

Thud.

The sound of the suitcase sliding to the floor startled her, and she instinctively hugged the rabbit tighter.

Realizing what she was doing, Xu Zhiyi smiled helplessly. She placed the plushie back in its original spot with great care and began unpacking.

She didn’t have many belongings. She had only brought two changes of clothes; most of her luggage consisted of important project materials. She finished unpacking in no time.

Her mentor placed great importance on the Artificial Intelligence research she was about to start, repeatedly urging her to take it seriously and saying it was a great opportunity to make a name for herself domestically… Xu Zhiyi naturally took these words to heart.

Before entering the bedroom, she took one last look at the rabbit on the sofa and finally carried it back to her familiar bed.

Her world had long been occupied by countless shadows of Pei Qingyan; one more corner wouldn’t hurt.

Only—

Sitting on the edge of the bed and looking back at the clean, like-new home, she realized something belatedly: how could this place have remained exactly as it was when she left six years ago?

Not only had the house not been sold, but the dirt in the corners had been removed, and the ceiling showed obvious signs of renovation. Now, the clean white walls reflected the bright sunlight. Though these were colors she didn’t remember, they couldn’t brighten her heart.

It was still different.

Xu Zhiyi lowered her gaze, her trembling eyelashes unable to hide the desolation in her heart.

She and Pei Qingyan were also different now.