Chapter 45
Su Mo nodded, "I saw it."
Jiang Jianhuan still remembered the content of that WeChat Moments post.
The photo itself wasn't too bad; it was mainly Shen Zaixi's caption that easily led to misunderstandings.
I want to put you in my pocket.
Putting everything else aside, Jiang Jianhuan didn't see the post on WeChat Moments until the next day. Actually, she rarely used messaging apps anymore by then, and it was Zhao Zhao who suddenly asked her about it.
"Hey Huan, what's going on between you and Shen Zaixi? Are you two together?"
Jiang Jianhuan was confused and only checked her Moments after being reminded by her. She was also stunned for a moment and had a strange feeling, but she didn't think too much about it.
"No, he probably just thinks I'm working too hard."
Jiang Jianhuan thought so. Because Shen Zaixi felt sorry for her busy part-time job and always told her to rest more. He often took her out to eat delicious food and even suggested that she change jobs or quit her job several times.
Jiang Jianhuan hesitated at the time about whether to ask Shen Zaixi to delete it, but then felt that it would be too deliberate, so she stopped thinking about it.
But she didn't expect that Su Mo, who was on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, would see this post on his WeChat Moments, since he and Shen Zaixi didn't have each other's contact information.
Thinking back to the scene when the two broke up, he probably completely misunderstood.
"How did you see that?" Jiang Jianhuan asked, his expression somewhat complicated.
Su Mo paused for a moment before speaking.
"I saw it on Chi Lan's phone."
"It's that news you just showed me. She happened to be sitting next to me at that awards ceremony, and I accidentally saw her."
Is it really such a coincidence?
Jiang Jianhuan was speechless.
She didn't know about other things, but Chi Lan probably did it on purpose.
“I was so tired that time that I accidentally fell asleep while sitting next to him. During that period, I slept less than five hours a day and was almost always working. I didn’t know what he sent at the time, but later I just thought he might be feeling sorry for me, and I didn’t think too much about it.”
Jiang Jianhuan tried to explain, but for some reason, the more he talked, the more guilty he felt, and his voice gradually became softer.
Su Mo smiled faintly, raising the corners of his mouth. He lowered his eyes and spoke softly.
“I know. You never overthink things.”
Jiang Jianhuan looked at Su Mo, and a sudden pang of sadness welled up in her heart.
She suddenly remembered that when they were together, they had hardly ever argued. The only few times they had a cold war were all after Shen Zaixi returned to China, and the reasons were mostly because of him.
The time that Jiang Jianhuan remembered most vividly was the Lantern Festival during her sophomore year. Shen Zaixi had just returned to China. She had originally planned to spend it with Su Mo, but Shen Zaixi's family was not in China and he was all alone. Jiang Jianhuan couldn't bear to leave him, so the three of them ate together at home.
Su Mo cooked dinner that day, and Jiang Jianhuan helped him in the kitchen. When the side dishes were almost ready, Shen Zaixi called her from outside. It seemed that he had shown her a video, so Jiang Jianhuan watched the video with him in the living room.
Actually, once the side dishes were prepared, Jiang Jianhuan had nothing else to do. However, when Su Mo brought out plate after plate of dishes by himself, keeping his eyes down and not saying a word, Jiang Jianhuan inadvertently looked up and saw this scene, and his heart ached. He immediately got up to help him.
Later in the meal, Shen Zaixi and Jiang Jianhuan did most of the talking. Su Mo was naturally quiet and rarely initiated conversations with people she wasn't familiar with. Jiang Jianhuan didn't think much of it; she and Shen Zaixi were too close, having known each other for over a decade, so it seemed like there would never be an awkward silence.
There are activities for the Lantern Festival in Jiangcheng. The streets are full of lanterns, and stalls sell all kinds of snacks and handicrafts. Jiang Jianhuan originally planned to go shopping with Su Mo, but Shen Zaixi came unexpectedly. Jiang Jianhuan decided to go shopping with him and then take him home.
Su Mo had no objection.
The three walked down the street. Because Shen Zaixi was there, Jiang Jianhuan couldn't openly hold hands with him. Since Shen Zaixi had controlled her since she was a child, he still held a kind of parental authority in her mind.
Su Mo didn't say much on the way. Jiang Jianhuan remembered that she was quite interested in the handicrafts at the roadside stalls. Shen Zaixi even bought her a little rabbit, which she loved and played with all the way.
After dropping Shen Zaixi off at home, the two went back alone. Jiang Jianhuan finally dared to openly hold his hand, but Su Mo was very cold and looked particularly bad.
Jiang Jianhuan didn't notice and thought he was in a bad mood, so he kept trying to talk to him. Su Mo only replied after a long time. Later, Jiang Jianhuan got tired and simply quieted down.
The two returned home in silence. Jiang Jianhuan, looking tired and listless, walked to the bedroom and casually placed the little rabbit she was carrying on the bedside table, right next to the two teddy bears snuggling together. Somehow, Su Mo saw this, and his voice immediately turned cold.
"Don't leave it there."
"What?" Jiang Jianhuan was stunned, thinking she had misheard.
"I said, don't leave it there." Su Mo repeated, and seeing that she was standing there motionless, she simply walked over, picked up the rabbit, and threw it outside.
Jiang Jianhuan exploded. She had been feeling miserable all night because of his cold attitude, and Su Mo's actions had shattered her last shred of rationality.
"What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!"
Her eyes were red and swollen, and tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.
Jiang Jianhuan wiped away her tears with her sleeve and stormed out to pick up the rabbit.
Su Mo's eyes, which had initially held a hint of guilt, immediately turned fierce. He grabbed her wrist and said in a harsh voice.
"Don't pick it up."
"Let me go!" Jiang Jianhuan shouted, reaching out to pry his fingers off, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free from his grasp. Finally, exhausted, she squatted on the ground and cried in anger.
Seeing this, Su Mo finally slowly released her hand. Reason gradually suppressed the overwhelming jealousy. He slowly squatted down, half-kneeling on the ground, and hugged her whole body into his arms.
Jiang Jianhuan didn't say another word to him that night.
The two were giving each other the cold shoulder.
But then, in the middle of the night, Jiang Jianhuan was suddenly woken up by him. Su Mo pressed down on her tirelessly, doing it again and again. Just before she lost consciousness from exhaustion, she saw a dark blue hue on the horizon through the gap in the curtains that were not fully closed.