Just like her current life and her current mood.
Qiao Anchen was still not there; she was alone in bed. Chu Yi's eyelids twitched, and her eyelashes fell down.
As her gaze inadvertently swept to the side, she suddenly noticed a small yellow sticky note stuck on the bedside table. Chu Yi reached out and took it off.
Above is a line of neat and upright characters, with a deliberately restrained sharpness in the strokes.
Happy birthday. I'm sorry.
There was no signature at the bottom, but there was no doubt that it was written by Qiao Anchen. Chu Yi's expression was calm, and she seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, she put the paper back in its original place.
Picking up her phone, Chu Yi saw Cheng Li's message. She didn't reply, stared blankly for a few seconds, then threw back the covers and got out of bed.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Chu Yi went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of warm water, and opened the refrigerator, where there were still quite a few ingredients.
She took out two slices of toast and some milk, intending to eat something casually.
The doorbell rang suddenly, sounding somewhat abrupt in the quiet morning. Chu Yi looked puzzled, put down what she was holding, and went over.
Outside the door stood a deliveryman in his uniform. Chu Yi recognized him as someone from a chain cake shop. He flashed a standard eight-tooth smile and handed her a beautifully packaged cake box.
"Miss Chu Yi, please sign for this package."
Chu Yi stared down at the box in front of her, which was tied with a large, pretty bow, making it look particularly ironic at that moment.
She asked softly, "What are the last four digits of the phone number of the person who made the reservation?"
The deliveryman paused for a moment, then recited a string of numbers.
It's Qiao Anchen's mobile phone number.
Chu Yi didn't react much, just nodded, took the form and pen from him, and signed his name.
As the elevator came up and the deliveryman's figure disappeared inside, Chu Yi, who had been standing still, moved slightly. She stared at the cake box in her hand for a few seconds, then walked to the trash can next to the stairwell and threw the cake in expressionlessly.
What's the point of always being late? Birthdays aren't like roses; once they're over, they have no meaning anymore.
Qiao Anchen got off work early today. It was still light when he returned, but it was getting late and the sky was overcast. The whole sky was filled with large, gray clouds, heavy and oppressive, looking like it was about to collapse.
As he entered the building, the light grew dimmer. The motion-sensor light at the elevator entrance turned on with his footsteps. Just as he was about to enter, his gaze suddenly fell upon the exquisite ribbon peeking out from the edge of a trash can not far away.
He walked over hesitantly and saw the perfectly packaged cake box inside.
When Qiao Anchen entered the room, the living room was quiet. He went to the bedroom and found Chu Yi squatting on the floor packing something. In the corner, there was a very conspicuous suitcase.
"What are you doing?" Qiao Anchen frowned. Chu Yi looked up at him when she heard the voice.
"You're back." Her voice and her whole demeanor were too calm, her tone seemingly devoid of any inflection.
"It's so early today, I thought I was going to text you." Chu Yi paused slightly, "I'm planning to go back to my own home for a few days."
"Which family?" Qiao Anchen frowned even more, his tone becoming more forceful.
"Isn't this your home?"
"Oh, then I misspoke." Chu Yi readily corrected himself.
"I plan to go back to my own house and stay for a few days."
Qiao Anchen stood there without moving, staring intently at Chu Yi's movements. After a moment, he reached up and rubbed his temples.
"First day of the lunar month, let's talk."
Chu Yi put down the clothes in her hand, then stood up, looked at him with calm eyes, and replied indifferently.
"good."
The two sat facing each other on the living room sofa. Qiao Anchen rested his hands on his knees, his fingers interlaced, and leaned slightly forward.
"It was wrong of me not to remember your birthday. No matter what I say, it's useless. But I hope you can give me a chance to make it up to you. Don't just sentence me to death without saying a word."
As expected of someone who studied law, even their apology was so irrefutable. Chu Yi wanted to laugh, but found that she didn't even have the strength to move her lips.
She looked down at her hands resting on her knees and asked softly, "Where did you go last night?"
After a few seconds of silence, I heard Qiao Anchen speak.
“I went to visit an elderly woman who hadn’t been feeling well lately. She suddenly had a relapse when I arrived, so I rushed her to the hospital and didn’t come back until she was out of danger.”
"It was too late then, and my phone ran out of battery and shut down automatically, so I didn't see your message. I'm sorry."
"Was the cake you ordered also for her?" Chu Yi looked up and asked quietly. Qiao Anchen's expression changed for a moment, as if he had thought of something.
"Her sense of taste has severely deteriorated; she only feels anything when eating sweets, and her favorite food is cake..."
"I understand." Chu Yi interrupted him, realizing that Qiao Anchen had never remembered her birthday from the beginning, and that it was all just her wishful thinking.
“I think we need to calm down together right now.” She stood up, calm and resolute.
“I’ve remained calm throughout,” Qiao Anchen said, frowning.
"That's me. I need a private space to be alone."
Chu Yi's reasons sounded grand, but in reality, she simply didn't want to see Qiao Anchen anymore. Not just now, but for a long time to come, she probably didn't want to see him.
After saying that, Chu Yi went back to her room, quickly packed up the remaining clothes, and finally dragged her suitcase out. Qiao Anchen was waiting at the door.
“I’ll take you there.” He reached out to take the suitcase from her.
"No need, I've already booked a taxi," Chu Yi said calmly, avoiding his hand. Then, without looking back, she walked past him, pulled her suitcase, and left.
Qiao Anchen stood there, watching her retreating figure, his eyes slightly darkened, his lips pressed into a tight line. He seemed to be surrounded by an unyielding dark cloud, exuding a low-pressure atmosphere.
I haven't contacted him for three days since Chu Yi left.
Every time Qiao Anchen returned home, it was pitch black, and even the warm bed had turned into a cold place. Looking at the empty room all by himself, he suddenly had the feeling of being a lonely old man.
On the fourth day, Qiao Anchen couldn't help but send her a message.
"When...are you coming back?"
No one replied.
Qiao Anchen stared at his phone for a full two minutes, but there was still no response. He couldn't help but shake it, wondering if there was a problem with the signal.
Or is the phone broken?
Qiao Anchen decided to confirm it, so he called Chu Yi.
After dialing the number, there was no answer for a long time, and the dial tone kept ringing. After what seemed like an eternity, just when Qiao Anchen's heart was about to sink to the bottom, he finally heard a familiar voice on the other end.
"Hello?"
"It's me," Qiao Anchen said quickly, then cleared his throat awkwardly.
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a voice said, "I know."
“I…I just sent you a message, but you didn’t reply. I thought my phone was broken, so I called you to try…” Qiao Anchen said hesitantly. Chu Yi was a little speechless, but still patiently answered.
"Your phone isn't broken; you just haven't received a reply because I don't want to."
Qiao Anchen suddenly fell silent.
He moved his lips as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. He felt the air suddenly become heavy, creating a suffocating pressure in his chest.
He lowered his head, his eyelashes half-covering his eyelids, and finally asked softly, "So when are you coming back..."
"We'll see." Chu Yi picked at the blanket under her fingers, her nose stinging, feeling like she was about to cry.
She blinked sadly, trying her best to catch her breath.
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."
Qiao Anchen looked down at his feet with disappointment, hesitated for a few seconds, and then mumbled an "oh".
Goodnight.
Chu Yi didn't even want to say goodnight and hung up the phone directly.
As soon as she withdrew her hand, her eyes reddened. Chu Yi turned around, patted the pillow, made the bed, pulled up the quilt, and lay down.
She wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye.
Chu Yi was depressed for three whole days before she started working. Qiao Anchen didn't contact her at all, so she kept struggling with herself.
Even though she only received that brief phone call last night, Chu Yi was in much better spirits the next day.
When she was about to start drawing, she realized she had forgotten to bring her pen. Looking at the bare drawing tablet in front of her, Chu Yi felt so frustrated that she wanted to pull her hair out.
It's nine o'clock in the morning, and Qiao Anchen must be at work. Chu Yi thought for a moment, then got up to change her clothes and go out.
It only takes about ten minutes to get from her house to Qiao Anchen's place. Chu Yi moved quickly, just threw on a sweater and left without even combing her hair, which was tied up in a messy knot at the back of her head.
After getting out of the taxi, Chu Yi walked straight into the residential area. The elevator on the first floor was stopped at the twelfth floor, which happened to be the floor where Qiao Anchen lived. Chu Yi's thoughts wandered for a few seconds before she quickly brought them back.
The red numbers jumping on the panel next to them stopped, the elevator doors opened, and Chu Yi was about to go in when she came face to face with the person coming out. Both of them were stunned.
"Qiao Anchen?"
"Chu Yi?"
Standing in front of him was Qiao Anchen. He didn't look well, as if he hadn't slept all night, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.
His clothes were clean and tidy, probably because he had just changed them.
"What are you doing here?" The two asked at the same time. Chu Yi glanced at him and explained first.
"I forgot my paintbrush, I'll come back to get it."
"Oh," Qiao Anchen replied, his gaze fixed on her, unable to look away, until Chu Yi reminded him.
"And you?"
“I…” Qiao Anchen paused before answering.
"I was at the hospital all night last night and just got back. I've changed my clothes and am getting ready to go to work."
Chu Yi thought for only two seconds before realizing what he meant and hesitantly asked, "Is it the old man you visited a few days ago?"
"Yes, her condition has been quite bad, it keeps recurring."
"What about her family?" Chu Yi asked.
“Her family…is all gone.” Qiao Anchen pursed his lips and explained.
“Her son is a policeman. We used to have frequent work-related contact. Later, he took charge of a case…” At this point, Qiao Anchen’s eyes darkened, and his tone involuntarily became strained.
"The other party had antisocial personality disorder. After being released from prison, he brutally murdered him along with his wife and children in order to take revenge."