Su Yiwen was momentarily taken aback by her opening line. He didn’t know what to say; apart from not being able to bring his wife back, he was fine.
Tao Le, seeing his bewildered look, pointed at his face in frustration, “I meant, is the injury on your face okay?” Su Yiwen suddenly realized that she was indeed worried, which unexpectedly filled him with joy. He smiled and sat beside her, “It’s already healed, dear.” He reached out to hug her, but Tao Le pushed him away, glaring fiercely. “Just talk, no touching!” “Alright, alright, I won’t touch you,” Su Yiwen said, retracting his hands sheepishly, knowing well that pregnant women rule and he was in no position to be reckless. “Has your joint case been solved?” Tao Le asked casually. “Yes, the case is solved…” Su Yiwen began to answer, then paused, realizing he hadn’t mentioned it to her. “How did you know about my case? I didn’t tell you.” Su Yiwen asked, feeling suspicious. Tao Le paused for three seconds before confidently replying, “I just know!” Su Yiwen looked at her skeptically, “Did Han Xu tell you?” “Yes!” Tao Le admitted, “Why, are you afraid of people knowing?” Su Yiwen scratched his head; although he didn’t like Han Xu, he couldn’t blame him this time. Telling Tao Le the truth might save him the trouble of explaining. “Lele, I was wrong this time,” Su Yiwen said seriously, “Given the special nature of the task, I couldn’t tell you much, and I was worried you’d overthink going to such a place.” Tao Le lowered her head, silent for a long time before speaking, “Old Su, do you know, these days I’ve thought a lot. I have no reason to blame you for your work, and I realize there’s much I don’t understand. But what concerns me is, how will we manage our future? Can we build a good home with things like this between us?” “Lele…” Su Yiwen couldn’t help but tightly grasp her hand, as if it were the only way to reassure her. “This time it was because of the case we ended up like this. What about next time? If we keep guessing each other’s thoughts, what kind of marriage is this!” Su Yiwen always thought she was simple-minded, but her words now left him at a loss for words. He had always thought providing for her and feeling endlessly guilty was what was best for her, but he hadn’t anticipated that the safe harbor he built for her was driving them further apart. Tao Le looked up at Su Yiwen, “Maybe this marriage came too fast, and I wasn’t ready. If we had more time, perhaps—” “How long?” Su Yiwen interrupted, asking just this one question. “I… I don’t know…” Tao Le felt that there was a knot in her heart that couldn’t be untied, and no one could help her with it. “Am I putting too much pressure on you?” Su Yiwen’s voice was filled with emotion; he didn’t want to cause her so much trouble. “It’s not you, it’s me… I just can’t figure it out myself…” By the end, Tao Le’s eyes were red, wondering when she had become so sentimental. Su Yiwen moved closer, pulling her into his embrace, gently patting her back, and sighed deeply, “Lele, I didn’t think this marriage would tire you out so much. I was too selfish.” Tao Le shook her head, not daring to look at him, only trying to absorb his warmth and scent, tears still flowing. “If… if you really feel we need more time, I can wait. But our home should always be there, right?” Su Yiwen almost pleaded. He was willing to wait for her to grow up and fully accept the marriage, not wanting these conflicts to lead to separation. “Old Su… I’m sorry…” Tao Le choked out. Su Yiwen lifted her face, “Promise me, once we’re married, we won’t divorce. You’re my wife, and I’ll go along with whatever you want.” Tao Le nodded, she liked Su Yiwen, even loved him, but what she needed most now was time to slowly accept and learn, for the sake of their future together. Su Yiwen kissed her forehead, “I brought you the keys. Don’t forget to take them when you go out; there’s only one set for our home.” Tao Le hugged Su Yiwen tightly, “I know, I’ll come back, Old Su.” With her assurance, Su Yiwen finally felt relieved. He didn’t know if this was the right approach, but he didn’t want to pressure her anymore. As for when she would return, he would wait…
Epilogue
