Miao Jing pursed her cherry lips and simply stopped speaking, her long lashes fluttering lightly as she turned to gaze out the window.
Upon arriving at the company, Miao Jing had just stepped out of the car and steadied herself, not yet having time to open her umbrella, when the black Cadillac sped off without the slightest pause, splashing droplets of water onto her skirt.
Chen Yi was angry.
—
The atmosphere at home cooled in sync with the dropping temperatures, not quite bone-chilling but chilly enough to warrant a light jacket.
Chen Yi clearly wore a sour expression, lounging at home with his legs sprawled out, smoking and playing games. When Miao Jing returned from work and saw him, she asked what he wanted for dinner. Without looking up, he retorted, "Can you cook dragon liver and phoenix marrow?"
"No, I can’t," Miao Jing replied calmly. "I don’t know how."
"Oh?" He curled his lips, eyes fixed on his phone. "I fucking thought you were capable of anything."
He enjoyed needling her with sharp words. Ignoring his sarcasm, Miao Jing simply cooked two bowls of noodles and called Chen Yi to eat. He sauntered over slowly, let out a cold sneer, and lifted his eyelids with an icy detachment. Picking up his chopsticks, he ate the noodles, his temples throbbing with suppressed anger. When Miao Jing asked him again to fix the washing machine’s water pipe, he brushed her off, telling her to do it herself.
"You’re so capable, and you studied engineering. Is fixing a washing machine that hard?"
"I’m fucking busy, stop bothering me! Get lost!!"
He was seething with pent-up frustration.
Miao Jing walked away without a word, picked up the clothes from the laundry basket in the bathroom—all his—and threw them one by one at his head.
Her tone was cold and detached. "If you’re so capable, wash your own clothes."
"Miao Jing." Chen Yi closed his eyes, suppressing his rage, then yanked the clothes off his shoulder. His jaw tight, he glared at her fiercely. "Are you tired of living?"
"Yes, is there a problem?" She smiled faintly, standing with her hands on her hips, her demeanor still elegant and aloof, the corners of her eyes lifted. "What are you going to do about it?"
Did she think he couldn’t handle her?
His brow furrowed deeply, his gaze sweeping over her delicate figure before his eyelids dropped abruptly. He stormed to his feet, strode out of the house, and slammed the door shut—heading to the billiards hall.
—
Tu Li had been cooped up at home for several days without any news. She called Chen Yi to ask if they were breaking up. Over the sound of clattering mahjong tiles, he impatiently said yes and hung up.
Everyone at the mahjong table were friends, and hearing the commotion, they all grinned and leaned in.
"Yi Ge, breaking up?"
"Got a problem with that?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Any objections?"
"Lily is so beautiful, with a killer body. How can you bear to let her go?"
"Why wouldn’t I? There are plenty of beautiful women out there."
"When has Yi Ge ever been short of women? They all throw themselves at him."
"Lily was the longest relationship, right? We all thought she’d tie you down, maybe even get married. It’s a shame to break up like this. Yi Ge, Lily really cared about you."
"Yi Ge, I have a foster sister who’s also quite pretty. Interested? I can introduce her to you another day."
"All of you, get lost!" Chen Yi chuckled, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "When did I ever say I’d get married? Don’t even think about it in this lifetime. Just getting by is enough."Tu Li, disheveled and holed up at home, thought things over repeatedly before calling Miao Jing. Her mind twisted through countless turns as she tried to ask whether Miao Jing knew if there were other women around Chen Yi, what they had talked about on the balcony, and about their past.
Miao Jing was buried in revising blueprints and disliked vague conversations: "Lily, there are some things I genuinely don't know. For the rest, you should ask Chen Yi directly—after all, your relationship with him is more immediate."
She hung up abruptly.
At this point, Tu Li sensed Miao Jing's aloof pride. She lived with Chen Yi yet knew nothing about his daily comings and goings or whom he contacted. Was she truly unaware, or simply indifferent and unwilling to share?
Finally, Tu Li called Bo Zai. Having spent the most time with Chen Yi, Bo Zai was tight-lipped but fundamentally honest and helpful. He'd heard about Chen Yi breaking up with Tu Li and understood her distress, yet confirmed he hadn't seen other women around Chen Yi. When Tu Li pressed about Miao Jing, Bo Zai recalled their relationship wasn't close, but they had lived together for three years, with Chen Yi covering Miao Jing's tuition and living expenses.
"No adults? Just the two of them living together?" Tu Li twisted a hair tie around her finger. "What about Miao Jing's mother? When did she leave? Why didn't she take Miao Jing?"
Chen Yi disliked mentions of Wei Mingzhen absconding with funds. Bo Zai hemmed and hawed, unwilling to elaborate: "I'm not too clear. Anyway, Miao Jing stayed in Tengcheng. Yi Ge usually lived elsewhere, only returning home on weekends. I know they spent holidays together."
"Yi Ge used to say he wanted to kick Miao Jing out. He always sounded impatient during their calls. After Miao Jing graduated high school and got into a top university, she never came back or contacted us. I only learned she returned to Tengcheng when you asked."
Tu Li hung up, feeling unsettled.
She contacted Chen Yi again, her tone sugary: "Got time? I want to pick up my things from your place."
Chen Yi was playing pool, distracted: "Sure, come tomorrow."
—
For this meeting, Tu Li got eyelash extensions, dyed her hair, and applied flawless, striking makeup. A former dancer with a curvaceous, alluring figure, she wore a tight bodycon dress, remembering Chen Yi's past preference for this style. After perfecting her glamorous look, she took a taxi to Chen Yi's.
Chen Yi had been at the billiards hall the previous night and had just woken up. He opened the door lazily and stepped aside for her.
"Where's Miao Jing?"
"On a date with Lu Zhengsi."
He and Miao Jing were locked in a cold standoff. She ignored him completely, maintaining her work routine and dating life. They hadn't properly spoken in days. The washing machine's broken hose remained unrepaired—Miao Jing had abandoned the task, leaving the house untidy for days, and Chen Yi couldn't be bothered either. After years apart, they'd grown accustomed to their separate rhythms. Suddenly thrown together, then reverting to old habits, everything felt jarringly off.
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