Zhang Jingzhi nodded and said, "Let's go, it's good to go out for a walk. Come back when you've thought it through!"
She felt safer in unfamiliar places, a feeling she had experienced herself, so she supported Chu Yang's departure.
The day Chu Yang left, Fang Yi didn't go to the airport. He stood in front of the glass wall of his office, silently watching the other side of the city, where planes would slowly rise and disappear into the clouds. Xiao Xiao knocked on the door and came in, carrying a folder. Seeing Fang Yi still staring blankly at the sky, she asked, "Why didn't you try to stop her?"
Fang Yi paused, then asked, "Who?"
Xiao Xiao laughed and said, "You know who I'm talking about."
Fang Yi smiled and turned back to look at the clear blue sky outside the window, saying softly, "She hasn't grown up yet. She'll come back when she does."
A breeze was blowing outside, causing a few clouds to drift slowly across the sky, occasionally blocking out a patch of sunlight that cast a faint melancholy shadow on the ground.
The season of blooming crabapple blossoms in the crabapple garden had long passed; only small, tender, and unripe crabapples remained amidst the lush foliage. He Yiqian buried his head in the pool, shutting himself out of everything around him. A man shouldn't cry; besides, what right did he have to cry? He abruptly lifted his head from the water and looked at himself in the mirror. Water droplets rolled down his hair and eyebrows, flowed over his eyes, down his cheeks, and then slid down his chin, resembling tears, but ultimately, they weren't tears.
He came out of the bathroom, sat down on the floor leaning against the bed, and reached for the glass bottle on the bedside table. Perhaps his hands were still a little wet, because halfway there, the bottle slipped from his palm and fell to the ground with a crisp sound. It had shattered just like that. At that moment, He Yiqian was a little dazed, staring blankly at his palm. Could it be that their eight-year relationship had come to an end?
Lucky stars rolled around on the ground, one of which landed near his hand. It got wet from the water on his hand, revealing the ink inside. He Yiqian picked it up and gently opened the faded lucky star. Inside the paper strip, there was a line of tiny writing: He Yiqian, you idiot, why did you make me angry again?
For some reason, He Yiqian's hands started trembling uncontrollably. He hurriedly picked up the remaining lucky stars and carefully opened them one by one. Inside each one, there were words written:
He Yiqian, I saw your face turn red today, it looked so good.
He Yiqian, I got scolded by my mom again today.
He Yiqian, do you also like quiet girls?
He Yiqian, I think I might like you, what should I do?
He Yiqian, ...
In his panic, larger drops of water kept sliding down his chin. Broken glass on the ground cut his hands, but he felt no pain. What hurt more was his heart. So, she liked him too. But what had he done? What had he done to her?
Zhang Jingzhi
After seeing Chu Yang off at the airport, Zhang Jingzhi felt uneasy. It was clear that Chu Yang's departure was not decisive. Perhaps, deep down, she hoped that Fang Yi would come and keep her there. Just as Xiao Xiao said, women are truly strange creatures, the most hypocritical and the most two-faced.
Back at work, Zhang Jingzhi went to report back to the general manager, Bai Gu Jing, who was now a "white-collar elite." Bai Gu Jing's expression was as unfriendly as ever. Zhang Jingzhi knew it was because of Wang Yuhan's matter. She didn't say anything, after all, it was a personal matter. Although Bai Gu Jing was a bit mean, she could still manage to keep her personal and professional life separate. Even if she didn't like Zhang Jingzhi, she probably wouldn't fire her because of this.
Just before leaving, the White Bone Demon suddenly said, "Zhang Jingzhi, Wang Yuhan has been transferred to another post and won't be returning to China for the next few years. His flight is at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Think about it carefully."
Zhang Jingzhi was stunned for a moment, then said "Oh", closed the door and left. Bai Gu Jing sat in her seat and stared at her back, gritting her teeth in hatred. What did her senior brother see in this kind of woman?
That night, Zhang Jingzhi suffered from insomnia again. She picked up her phone and put it down repeatedly, repeating this for a long time without making a single call. She stared blankly at the text message Wang Yuhan had left for her: "In your relationship with Yang Lei, he was the one who ran ahead, so he couldn't cherish it; in our relationship, you were the one who ran away, so you couldn't cherish it. Perhaps only men and women who walk towards each other can truly see each other and understand how to cherish each other. Unfortunately, we are not."
Zhang Jingzhi called Xiao Xiao around 7 a.m. and asked, "Xiao Xiao, what should I do?"
Xiao Xiao asked her, "Have you thought it through?"
Zhang Jingzhi shook her head and said, "No."
Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, then said, "Do you remember when we were in school, we'd stay in the dorm at night watching soap operas out of boredom? Whether it was the male or female lead, whether it was taking a plane or a train, by the time we figured out we should pursue them, we were almost always late. Others can't understand the feelings between you two. I just want to tell you, if I were you, I would get on the train and go to the airport first. I would sit in the airport waiting hall and think hard. If I love him, then I would go and keep him. If I think he's dispensable, then I would just pack up and come back. At least that way I wouldn't regret missing the train."
Seeing that Xiao Xiao had hung up the phone, Jiang Sicheng quickly pulled her into his arms and asked, "Will she go after her?"
Xiao Xiao chuckled, "Who knows! But Zhang Jingzhi is capable of anything when she gets going." Then she quickly pulled Jiang Sicheng out of bed, "Get up, get up, hurry up, let's go to the airport, there's bound to be a good show!"
"A good show?" Jiang Sicheng wondered.
"Yes! It's definitely right, hurry, I have a feeling!"
"So we're not going to work today?" Jiang Sicheng asked again.
Xiao Xiao laughed and said, "It's okay! Even if I have to take leave, I can't miss it!"
As Zhang Jingzhi got into the taxi, she was still thinking about every word Wang Yuhan had ever said to her, every moment they had spent together, and his last text message. Did he really love her? Or was she just a game to him? She also remembered Xiao Xiao's questions: Had he ever mentioned you to his family? Had he ever discussed your future together? ...
She didn't know how he introduced her to his family, only that when he talked to his family on the phone, he would always jokingly tell his mother, "Have your daughter-in-law come over and talk to you," then he would coax and cajole her into going over to greet his family. When he was shopping with her, he would point to exquisite ceramic tableware and say, "Look, my mom has a set like this. Let's buy the same set when we're married, okay? Hey? Zhang Jingzhi, I haven't asked you yet, can you cook?"...
So many confessions, all hidden beneath his playful smile. Zhang Jingzhi suddenly understood what Wang Yuhan had said that day: "Love isn't something you say," he reached out and gently touched her chest, "it's something you feel here. Is everything I've done less important than a single sentence he said? Don't you know who you're thinking of here? Does what I said really matter that much?"
When Zhang Jingzhi arrived at the airport, it was only nine o'clock, which was somewhat amusing, because the person chasing her had arrived even earlier than the person who was leaving. She stood there quietly, waiting for Wang Yuhan to arrive. This time, Zhang Jingzhi decided that neither of them would look at the other's back; this time, she would walk past Wang Yuhan from the front.
When Wang Yuhan saw Zhang Jingzhi in the airport lobby, he was a little stunned. He stood there with his small suitcase, quietly looking at Zhang Jingzhi.
Zhang Jingzhi smiled as she looked at Wang Yuhan, encouraging herself inwardly. She calmly walked towards him, stopped in front of him, and said in a soft but firm voice, "I've figured it out. Love really isn't something you can just say."
"Oh?" Wang Yuhan raised an eyebrow and asked, "And then?"
Zhang Jingzhi gritted her teeth and said, "I like you, so you can't leave."
A middle-aged man followed behind Wang Yuhan, looked at Zhang Jingzhi with a puzzled expression, and then patted Wang Yuhan on the shoulder, "Little Wang, hurry up, we need to check in."
Zhang Jing panicked when she heard that he was leaving. She gritted her teeth, took a gamble, and stepped forward to hug Wang Yuhan's neck tightly, shouting, "I won't let you go! You can't go back on your word! You said you loved me, you can't just leave like this!"
The middle-aged man next to her was a little dumbfounded, staring blankly at Zhang Jingzhi, thinking to himself, "Why are young girls so bold these days? Back when his wife saw him off at the train station twenty years ago, even if she was reluctant to part, she would at most hold his hand. How come young people these days hug and kiss right away?"
Wang Yuhan looked at the middle-aged man with some embarrassment on his face, and whispered in Zhang Jingzhi's ear, "Let go!"
"No! I won't!" Zhang Jingzhi said stubbornly, hugging Wang Yuhan even tighter.
Wang Yuhan gave the middle-aged man an awkward smile. "Mr. Li, would you please wait a moment?"
The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, then took a few steps away to avoid suspicion.
Wang Yuhan lowered his head and said fiercely, "Zhang Jingzhi, what do you want? You're the one who wanted to break up! What more do you want?"
"I regret it! So we're not breaking up! You can't leave!" Zhang Jingzhi was going all out; at this crucial moment, she wasn't going to care about saving face or anything else.
Wang Yuhan sighed helplessly and said angrily, "This is my job! Little aunt, that was General Manager Li from headquarters. You haven't seen him in person, but haven't you even seen his picture? He hates office romances the most. He might not care about me, but what about you? He can fire you more easily than drink water."
"I'm not afraid!" Zhang Jingzhi was still clinging to Wang Yuhan's neck, looking up at him with red eyes. "Fire me, then you can support me. I'm sticking with you, you can't leave. You liar, you said you loved me, if you loved me, why did you run away?"
Enraged, Wang Yuhan threw his luggage on the ground, grabbed her waist, and asked, "Who said I was going to run away?"
"Weren't you sent abroad? Are you still planning to lie to me?" Zhang Jingzhi said, snorting.
Wang Yuhan was taken aback and said, "What overseas assignment? Isn't it just going on a month-long inspection trip with President Li? I was just thinking of dealing with you when I get back!"
"Huh?" Zhang Jingzhi was also stunned, and looked up at Wang Yuhan blankly.
Wang Yuhan roared, "Damn it, who's playing you for a fool? Huh? You idiot, you believe everything people say, do you even want this?" As he spoke, he used even more force to pull Zhang Jingzhi into his arms and kissed her fiercely. "Damn it, this guy is really a good person!" he cursed under his breath.
In the midst of their passionate kiss, Wang Yuhan felt someone tap his shoulder. Turning around, he saw an embarrassed Mr. Li, who pointed to his watch and smiled apologetically: "I'm so sorry to bother you, but we really need to check in now, otherwise we won't be able to leave today."
...
end
The snow came at just the right time this year, just before Christmas. Thick snowflakes fluttered and fell for a whole day and night, covering the city in a pure white blanket and adding even more to the Christmas atmosphere.
As evening approached, Fang Yi's phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. After thinking for a moment, he answered it anyway.
He said, "Hello."
"..."
The person on the other end didn't speak, and Fang Yi remained silent as well. Only the noise from the street came through the phone, making the room seem even quieter.
"I'm hanging up if you don't say anything," Fang Yi said.
"...Come spend Christmas with me! It's no fun being alone."
Fang Yi chuckled softly, "I'm afraid that won't work. It's snowed heavily here, and I imagine many flights at the airport have been cancelled."
"Really not?" she asked again.
Fang Yi was silent for a moment, then hummed in agreement.
"Old men are so stingy, forget it if you're not coming! Are you in the office?"
"Um."
“Then get up and look downstairs,” she said.
Fang Yi stood up and looked down through the thick glass. A pretty figure downstairs was waving at him.
"Hey! You reimbursed me for my plane ticket here!" she shouted.
Fang Yi smiled and said softly, "Okay."
Author's Note
Yes, you read that right. Orange posted the ending ahead of schedule. For this, I must first apologize to the publisher, because according to convention, the ending should only be posted three months after the physical book is released. I did it earlier this time. If this affects sales, I can only apologize. However, I have always maintained that if readers like this story, whether the ending is online or not will not affect their desire to buy the book, haha.
Okay, now let me say a few words of nonsense about this story.
This is Orange's second book, and I can only say that this story ends here. Thank you so much to all the enthusiastic readers who followed the story and left comments. Your support is Orange's motivation for writing. Thank you.
As for the plot, Orange may have made the same mistake as the previous book, with the ending being too rushed. However, Orange thinks that this is the only way to end it. The story is not over, but we can't keep writing forever, can we?
Three female leads and numerous male leads and supporting characters—this is something I've never written before. Please forgive any shortcomings; I will improve in the future, and I hope you can see my progress.
From "The Marriage Alliance" to "The Lady" and the upcoming "Who," Orange has come a long way with many feelings and is very grateful for everyone's unwavering support. Thank you again.
Finally, when you're bored, you can check out Orange's new novel, "Who's Whom," which isn't exactly a new story.
I also plan to write a very manly ancient military novel called "Amai Joins the Army" (I'm getting old and have more things to do, so updates aren't as frequent as before, please bear with me).
Goodbye.
Who is whose?
Amai Joins the Army
Extra Chapter: Zhang Jingzhi's Wedding
Zhang Jingzhi's wedding is scheduled for October, the peak season for weddings. Booking a wedding venue requires at least six months in advance, and that's not even the best time. The best you can book is over a year in advance, otherwise the receptionist will politely and gently tell you, "I'm sorry, venue number X is already booked... Yes... you need to book earlier..."
Zhang Jingzhi wanted to curse as soon as she hung up the phone! She thought to herself, "I called six months in advance, how much earlier do you expect me to call? I booked three years in advance, but I didn't even know this Wang Yuhan three years ago!"
However, that wasn't the most troublesome part. The most troublesome thing was choosing a bridesmaid, which really gave Zhang Jingzhi a headache. Logically speaking, Xiao Xiao wasn't married yet, and the two had such a close relationship, so Xiao Xiao should be the bridesmaid. Moreover, Xiao Xiao had already expressed her determination, but Zhang Jingzhi rejected her as soon as she said it.