After the divorce, my ex-husband and son lined up to pursue me.

Chapter 80 Give him one

The unhappiness of her childhood will stay with her for the rest of her life.

It's like a shadow, impossible to get rid of.

Having never experienced being loved, the seeds of depression had already sprouted in her heart.

However, after all these years and so much she has experienced, Jiang Xia has only been diagnosed with some slightly severe depressive tendencies. Even the doctor said it's nothing serious and told her to keep busy with things she enjoys, and she'll get better slowly.

It sounds simple, but if you think about it a little more carefully...

How much mental fortitude and willpower must Jiang Xia possess to overcome difficulties and dangers time and time again, break free from mental shackles and burdens, and still face life with a positive and optimistic attitude?

Ruan Muhuai couldn't imagine it, and he felt... Although he didn't like introverted and dull bookworms, he would probably like Jiang Xia.

Otherwise, who could remain husband and wife with someone they hate and despise, and do so many intimate things with them?

But if it's about love...

We're an old married couple, why bring up these things anymore?

Ruan Muhuai quickly interrupted his thoughts, went back to his desk, turned on his computer, and busied himself reviewing contracts for a long time and approving a lot of emails. When he felt discomfort in his stomach again, he checked the time and it was already past nine o'clock at night.

Has Jiangxia not eaten?

Did we order takeout again, like we're sharing an apartment?

He checked the security camera footage at the entrance, but saw no sign of the takeout delivery or Jiang Xia leaving. So he went downstairs to the kitchen.

The kitchen was spotless, and it didn't look like it had ever been used.

She didn't eat dinner!
"She's so thin, weighing less than 100 pounds, and she doesn't even eat," Ruan Muhuai said resentfully, rolling up the sleeves of his loungewear and starting to rummage through the refrigerator.

There was some broth stored in the refrigerator, so he selected a few vegetables and simply cooked two bowls of noodles.

When they carried the tray upstairs, they found the master bedroom empty. The second bedroom and the guest bedroom were also empty, with no one in sight.

Ruan Muhuai frowned and searched room by room, and finally... he found her in the top attic!

Fortunately, the villa had an elevator, otherwise it's unimaginable how she managed to move herself in.

The top floor attic was originally unused, but for a while Ruan Yuanchao liked to play there and even turned it into his secret little base. Now, Jiang Xia has tidied it up a bit and even laid out a comfortable sleeping mat for himself.

She was curled up on the floor, having already washed up, but she couldn't find her loungewear. She was wearing Ruan Muhuai's loose-fitting clothes, with a small blanket covering her legs and a laptop on top of it.

Jiang Xia was also engrossed in typing on the keyboard. Hearing the sound, she glanced over and said directly, "I'm not eating. You can leave."

Ruan Muhuai: "..."

All good intentions vanished in an instant.

He placed the tray on the table to the side, and then, constrained by his height, bent down and walked towards her, asking, "Will you be living here from now on?"

Jiang Xia was busy and after a while, he casually said "hmm".

Unexpectedly, the next second, her laptop was slammed shut, and she saw Ruan Muhuai's cold face sitting nearby. She heard him say, "Did I abuse you? Or are you trying to put on this pitiful act and reminisce about your childhood?"

"You..." Jiang Xia was speechless for a moment after being misunderstood.

“You want to continue this separation drama.” Ruan Muhuai immediately saw through her thoughts. “But why did you choose this place when there are so many rooms downstairs? Why don’t you sleep in the maid’s room in the basement?”

Jiang Xia turned her face away impatiently.

The separation is true, but why choose the attic...? She misses her son, remembers the little guy from long ago, when he was still wobbly as he walked, always clinging to her like a little tail, constantly saying, "Baby and Mommy are the best in the world! Mommy is the best!"

Thinking of Ruan Yuanchao, who painstakingly created a secret base, forbidding Ruan Muhuai from approaching it, and only allowing her to come in and play together.

Ruan Muhuai, puzzled, straightened Jiang Xia's face with one hand, about to speak again, but his peripheral vision caught sight of a small doll beside her.

It looks familiar...

Oh, I remember now. When Ruan Yuanchao was three or four years old, his baby, Abeibei, would hug this doll every day and would only go to sleep if Jiang Xia told him a story.

"Missing your son?" He suddenly realized and let go of her hand, then quickly took out his phone, pulled up several videos and photos, and handed them to her.

Jiang Xia took the phone, and as soon as he turned on the video, he saw Ruan Yuanchao.

The little guy was somewhere, seemingly deep in the mountains, standing on a platform halfway up the mountain, bathed in the morning light. The old man was practicing Tai Chi beside him, while Ruan Yuanchao was doing horse stance with a resentful look on his face.

His second grandfather also taught him kicking and boxing...

The videos weren't very long, but watching them all put Jiang Xia at ease about her son. It was also clear that although Ruan Yuanchao was unwilling and complained constantly, he had become much stronger from practicing martial arts every day.

“My son is fine. His grandfather told me a long time ago that when Ruan Yuanchao is five or six years old, he will take him into the mountains to practice martial arts. It won’t interfere with his schooling. Anyway, he has already learned most of the elementary school curriculum.”

“My dad and I grew up like this. Life in the mountains was tough, but it had many advantages.”

As Ruan Muhuai spoke, he got up and brought over a tray.

He glanced around, pulled over a small table standing in the corner to use as a dining table, and pushed a bowl of noodles to Jiang Xia's side, "Eat something, your health is important."

Jiang Xia's annoyance seemed to ease a little, probably because they were talking about her son. Looking at the soup noodles in front of her, she asked, "Did you make this?"

She found it unbelievable, after all, in her memory Ruan Muhuai had always been... a gentleman who kept his distance from the kitchen, and had never known how to cook.

"Try it," he simply said.

Jiang Xia picked up her chopsticks abruptly, stirred the noodles in her soup bowl, picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in her mouth. After just one bite, without even chewing it properly, she found a tissue and spat it out.

Ruan Muhuai, who was about to eat his noodles, also stopped.

"This is too..." Jiang Xia met his burning gaze, hesitated for a moment before finally unable to bear the bitter taste in her mouth and said honestly, "It tastes terrible! Why is it bitter? Don't you have a sense of taste?"

"!!!"

Ruan Muhuai incredulously took a bite, and then...

He forced himself to swallow the mouthful of noodles whole, suppressing his craving for flavor.

"It's alright," he said with a straight face.

Jiang Xia frowned repeatedly, speechless, and decisively poured all the noodles in her bowl into his bowl: "Then you should eat more."

After saying that, she took out a bag of bread from a drawer. It was bread that she had baked herself and had just packed and sealed that morning. Lou Yushi also shared some with Xu Fei and Ke Hetai.

Upon opening, a rich aroma of milk and fruit fills the air.

As Jiang Xia took a bite, the stretchy cheese and fruit filling looked incredibly delicious.

Ruan Muhuai immediately found the noodles in his hand hard to swallow. He put them down and reached out to Jiang Xia: "Give me one."

(End of this chapter)