"Why would you say that?" Zhou Kang'an chuckled. "Do you think your brother is a bad person?"
"Those who deal with police officers usually aren't good people or ordinary folks." Miao Jing looked at Zhou Kang'an with clear, transparent eyes. "Is he a bad person?"
Zhou Kang'an laughed heartily twice: "If he really were a bad person, right under our noses, wouldn't we arrest him?"
"I understand. Thank you, Officer Zhou."
After Zhou Kang'an left, Miao Jing crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe watching Chen Yi. He lay on the hospital bed, having turned his head to gaze out the window for a long time, lost in unknown thoughts.
Miao Jing walked in, picked up her bag from the corner, and while Chen Yi wasn't paying attention, pulled out her phone and quietly pressed the stop recording button.
Chen Yi asked her again when she planned to leave Tengcheng. With the year ending and population movements becoming more complex everywhere, he was planning to be discharged from the hospital and urged Miao Jing to leave Tengcheng early—with so many people around him, there really was no need for Miao Jing to stay by his side anymore.
"Why do you always want me to leave?" She held a fruit knife, peeling an apple as she asked him calmly, "What are you afraid of?"
"Not afraid of anything. I just feel like your return is unlucky, and you've already quit your job. What's the point of staying here?"
Miao Jing's eyelashes trembled slightly.
She slowly stopped what she was doing, placed the apple on the bedside table, and carefully wiped the fruit knife clean with a tissue. Lifting her eyes, her gaze was as cold and clear as snow. Pressing her cherry lips together, she slowly brought the knife to Chen Yi's cheek, the cold blade touching his skin with a hint of chill.
Chen Yi raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to look at her.
Miao Jing's eyes were calm yet shadowed. Her slender wrist applied pressure, the sharp tip of the blade pressing tightly against his handsome, sharp cheek, sinking into his honey-toned skin as a slight pain pierced through the surface.
"Miao Jing, what are you doing?"
"Chen Yi, if you dare treat me like this again, I'll..."
Blood from the broken skin slowly trickled down, the slight itch making him frown, but he saw her serious, solemn, and cold expression.
"Kill you first, then kill myself."
Chen Yi couldn't hold back, throwing his head back with loud laughter.
Chapter 36: Quietly placing a liquor-scented kiss on her neck
After the college entrance exams ended, graduates packed their bags one after another, picked up by their parents from school. The teacher from her host family asked Miao Jing when she would move out. Not knowing how to respond, the teacher contacted Chen Yi instead.
He came to pick her up at six in the morning, his demeanor arrogant and unrestrained, his gaze distant and indifferent when looking at her. The smells of cigarettes, perfume, and sweat mingled on him, with faint dark circles under his eyes—likely from staying up all night. He threw Miao Jing's suitcase into the car.
Turning the steering wheel toward home, Chen Yi answered a phone call along the way. The person on the other end discussed some troublesome matter with him, seeking Chen Yi's advice and connections. Chen Yi was so engrossed in the conversation that after hanging up, he noticed Miao Jing stubbornly staring out the window, her profile quiet and elegant, her brows and lashes dark like ink concealing loneliness, indescribably vivid and exquisite.
The two carried their things upstairs. The house was a complete mess—he had rarely been home these past two months and couldn't be bothered to clean. Pushing Miao Jing, who stood unsure where to step, forward, she stumbled and kicked over a beer bottle on the floor.
"Behave yourself. Go out less, cause me less trouble. We'll talk about everything after you get your admission letter."
Chen Yi watched Miao Jing head straight to her room and called out lightly behind her: "Did you hear me?"
"Got it."The house was fully stocked with all necessary food and drinks. As the weather grew hotter, Miao Jing stayed indoors, tidying up, reading, sleeping, and searching for part-time jobs online. She patiently waited for her college entrance exam results, having estimated a high score that should secure her a place at a good university.
Chen Yi didn’t return home every day. Sometimes he came back every two or three days, bringing snacks to stuff into the fridge and checking on what Miao Jing was up to. Her hair had grown too long, so she had cut it herself to shoulder length. With no reason to go out, she spent her days lounging around in a loose nightgown. Suddenly free from pressure, she read books, watched movies, and her sleep schedule became erratic. Occasionally, when Chen Yi returned at two or three in the morning, he’d find her curled on the sofa, engrossed in the TV. The room was dark except for the flickering screen casting light on her delicate, luminous cheeks. Her slender, pale legs were tucked beneath her, and sometimes she’d doze off like that, the fan’s breeze tousling strands of hair across her face—like a serene porcelain doll or a sleeping beauty.
His dark, intense gaze fixed on her, silent and brooding, as if lost in thought. He’d shake her awake, his voice gruff as he demanded she make him something to eat. Rubbing the sleep marks from her cheeks, Miao Jing would yawn lazily and head to the kitchen to boil a simple noodle soup. Her mind still foggy, she’d sprinkle in a careless handful of salt and dig out some leftovers from the fridge to serve him. Then she’d quietly curl back on the sofa with the TV. As Chen Yi ate the overly salty noodles, he sensed something was off—her heart had grown cold toward him.
This ungrateful little brat.
“Staying home all day, and you can’t even do the laundry?” he snapped after finishing the noodles, gulping water and gripping the bottle as he stood by the sofa. “Where are my clothes?”
“Washed,” she replied slowly, propping her chin as she stared at the screen. “They’re all hanging on the balcony. Find them yourself.”
Chen Yi clicked his tongue, planting his hands on his hips before striding away.
Sometimes he returned around noon to a silent house, with Miao Jing still sound asleep in bed. He’d push her door open and speak to her directly. Annoyed by the noise, she’d shield her eyes with an arm, frowning in her sleep. He’d grab her arm and urge her up for lunch. Suppressing her irritation, Miao Jing would sit up and take a few bites with him. He never asked her to cook, instead bringing back lunch packed from a hotel. After eating, she’d take a bowl of peeled shrimp and head out. When he asked where she was going—disapproving of her wearing a nightgown outside—Miao Jing would throw on a jacket and say she was just going downstairs to feed the stray cats.
From the balcony, he watched her crouch by the trash cans, affectionately stroking a few plump strays. Her back and arms looked thin and fragile. So most of the food I’ve been bringing home ended up in those cats’ bellies.
On the day the exam results were released, Chen Yi saw the news. He hadn’t had time to return the past couple of days and called Miao Jing to ask about her score, but the call went unanswered. Anxious, he dropped everything and rushed home. Miao Jing wasn’t there—she’d left her phone behind. Frantic, he went out searching for her and spotted her returning with a pitifully small cake. Her cool, detached gaze briefly met his before she turned away and continued on her path.
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