Chapter 48: How Come You Didn't Lose Yourself

Qiao Xu was encircled in his arms, her expression a mix of helplessness and a faint smile. "Why didn't you just make five cakes?"

Xu Si'an playfully nipped her cheek. "You think I didn't want to?"

"I just don't have that kind of talent."

"Hurry up."

Complying with the sense of ritual he desired, Qiao Xu closed her eyes, ready to make her wish, when she heard the man whisper in her ear.

"For my first month's wish, I hope Xu Si'an can get back together with me."

Qiao Xu instantly snapped her eyes open, her face a picture of disbelief. "How can you even help someone make a wish like that?"

"No way, this one doesn't count."

Xu Si'an covered her mouth with his hand. "It counts. You've already said it out loud, no take-backs."

"Hurry up, next one."

"Qiaoqiao, make a real wish, or I'll end up making another one for you."

Remaining silent, Qiao Xu closed her eyes again. After a long while, she opened them and blew out the candles.

"Babe, you have to tell me your wish so I can help make it come true."

Urging him to turn on the lights, Qiao Xu replied, "No way. If you say it out loud, it won't come true."

Xu Si'an gripped her wrist with his thumb and forefinger. "Are you really not going to wear the bracelet I got you?"

"If I lost it, you could just buy me another one."

Cutting a small piece of cake, Qiao Xu said, "I won't wear it, but I'll treasure it properly."

Slumped on the floor, Xu Si'an looked displeased. "I didn't buy things for you just to gather dust."

"Then tell me, who gave it to you?"

"My dad. Though it doesn't matter now, it's already lost."

Xu Si'an, half-leaning against the sofa, suddenly sat up straight. "Your dad?"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Taking a bite of cake, Qiao Xu replied, "Saying it earlier wouldn't have helped. It's already lost and gone forever anyway."

"I..."

Qiao Xu put down her cake spoon and looked directly into his eyes. "Did you take my bracelet?"

"Of course not."

"Mhm?" She didn't believe him for a second.

The bracelet had mysteriously vanished right after she changed clothes that day, and she couldn't find it anywhere.

"Give it back."

Xu Si'an's gaze darkened. "It's not on me."

"Xu Si'an, are you out of your mind?"

Qiao Xu's eyes turned red with anger. That was the only thing her father had left behind for her.

"I saw it when I was cleaning up that day."

"You told me the person who gave you the bracelet was very important and deeply loved, so I..." He had been jealous.

Removing his hand from her waist, Qiao Xu stood up. "Give me my bracelet back."

"I—I'll go back and look for it."

"You lost it for me? Xu Si'an, why don't you go lose yourself instead?" Qiao Xu was on the verge of tears.

Panicking, Xu Si'an apologized, "Babe, I really didn't mean to."

"The clasp was broken. I originally planned to get it fixed before returning it to you."

"But too many things happened recently, and I forgot."

Pushing him away, Qiao Xu let her tears fall freely down her cheeks. "Forgot? You never intended to return it to me in the first place."

"For all I know, you might have thrown it away ages ago."

Raising his hand, Xu Si'an swore, "I didn't throw it away, I really didn't. I'll go back and look for it right now, please don't cry."

Picking up her dog, Qiao Xu turned to leave. Xu Si'an blocked her path. "Unwrap your gifts here while I go back and look for it, okay?"

"Get out of my way."

Qiao Xu stepped right over his foot. "If you don't find that bracelet and bring it back, don't ever come looking for me again."

"I don't want you or your gifts. What makes you think I'd want your presents?"

No wonder he had bought her a bracelet that looked almost identical.

Blocking her steps again, Xu Si'an pleaded, "Don't say that. I will definitely find it, alright?"

Qiao Xu let out a cold snort. "Talk to me after you've found it."

"If I can't find it, I'll go down and apologize to Uncle in person."

With all her might, Qiao Xu kicked him. "You're a lunatic. My dad wouldn't want to see you even if his life depended on it."

Before leaving, Xu Si'an didn't forget to put the cake back into the refrigerator—he had made it with his own hands, after all.

Lifting a hand to wipe away her tears, Qiao Xu gently stroked the dog. "He's always so annoying, back then and now."

Back when they were dating, he used to turn people down on her behalf and throw gifts from others straight into the trash can.

And now look at where they were.

He picked up her bracelet, refused to return it, and then lost it.

That was a crime compounded.

"Xu Si'an, you better find it. If you can't, getting back together..."

"In your next life."

Stressed and frantic, Xu Si'an returned home and tore the place apart searching through boxes and cabinets.

The living room, the study, the master bedroom—he had checked them all.

After taking a shower, Qiao Xu went to bed holding the dog. Cherry kept moving around in her arms.

In the end, Qiao Xu simply placed the pup on top of the quilt.

"You've been spoiled rotten by him. Move around again and you're sleeping in the living room."

Xu Si'an didn't sleep a wink all night; he practically came close to ripping up the villa's flooring.

Slumping powerlessly onto the floor, he tried to retrace where he might have put the bracelet.

That night, after taking a shower and coming downstairs, he had fished the bracelet out of the trash can before heading upstairs.

So where had he put it after that?

Aunt Wang, who came over to clean up, was startled by the mess and quickly called Xu Si'an.

Xu Si'an's figure appeared on the staircase. "Aunt Wang."

"Mr. Xu, did a burglar break into the house?"

"No, I was just looking for something. Sorry about the mess, I'll have to trouble you to clean it up."

As he turned to head back to his room, Xu Si'an asked, "Aunt Wang, have you seen a white gold bracelet with a star pendant?"

Aunt Wang thought for a moment. "No, sir. Would you like me to help you look for it?"

"No need, I'll look myself."

After taking a shower, Xu Si'an headed to the company and ran into Qiao Xu in the parking lot.

She held out her hand. "The item."

"I'm sorry, Qiaoqiao, I couldn't find it."

Seething with anger, Qiao Xu turned and walked away.

She had known it all along.

Otherwise, he would have come knocking on her door in the middle of the night.

"Please don't be mad. I'll go back and look again later, okay? I didn't lose it, I really didn't."

Shrugging off his hand, Qiao Xu muttered, "Whatever. It's not like I desperately need it."

When the boss is unhappy, the entire office is shrouded in gloom.

Xu Si'an spent the entire time replaying the scene in his head.

"President Xu? President Xu?"

Song Jia had called out to the daydreaming man for the Nth time. "President Xu, the presentation has finished."

Flipping through the proposal in his hands, Xu Si'an methodically pointed out the sections that needed revision.

An hour later, he instructed Song Jia to cancel all his appointments for the day.

Qiao Xu sent him a message telling him to stop looking.

[No way. This concerns whether or not I get to keep my wife.]

With a helpless sigh, Qiao Xu realized this man simply refused to listen to reason.

By the time work ended, Xu Si'an still hadn't shown up.

Qiao Xu went to his apartment; the door code was the same as the one at the villa.

The flowers and gift boxes were still sitting on the table. Qiao Xu opened them one by one, and inside one of the boxes was a ring.

Judging by the style, it must have been from a few years ago.

Packing everything up to take back to her own place, she also grabbed the cake from the fridge and ate it.

Just as she finished the cake and was about to head downstairs to bring her things up from the car, she received a call from Meng Zhe. "Xiaoxu, my mom said Auntie took a fall this morning, and I'm heading back to our hometown right now. Do you want to come with me?"

Qiao Xu stepped back out of the elevator. "I'm going. Come pick me up, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Packing two changes of clothes and her essentials, she gently patted Cherry's head.

"Mom has things to take care of. I'll have your unreliable dad come pick you up later."