Her gaze finally stung him. He sneered, "Is this funny? What do you want me to say? Beg him to give you to me? Humph," he laughed disdainfully, "Zhang Jingzhi, stop making excuses for yourself. If you want to go back, just go back without worry. Why do you have to accuse me? How hypocritical! Love isn't something you say," he reached out and lightly 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 about? Does what I said really matter that much?"
She stared at him blankly, without saying a word.
His heart grew colder and colder, but a mocking smile appeared on his face. He lightly pressed two fingers to his lips and gave her an exaggerated kiss. "Goodbye!" he said, and then, without waiting for her reaction, he turned and strode away. He couldn't tell her what he had said that night. Even now, he knew that once those words came out of his mouth, there would be no hope left between him and her.
Yang Lei asked, "...Yuhan, do you like Jingzhi? If so, I'll stay away from you two, and you should cherish this relationship..."
He scoffed, "What a joke! I just like teasing women like that. I'm just sitting here anyway. The more she ignores me, the more I'll show her whether I can win her over in the end. That's what makes it challenging, huh? Hehe, bro, don't hold back. If you don't believe me, let's give it a try. Don't think you're any better looking than me. When it comes to chasing women, you're not necessarily my match."
Actually, that wasn't what he wanted to say, but why did those words come out of his mouth?
As soon as Xiao Xiao opened the door, Zhang Jingzhi rushed over, sobbing uncontrollably, "Bastard, bastard, damn it, he's a bastard!" Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, then quickly pulled her into the room, echoing as they walked, "Yeah, bastard, he's a bastard."
Zhang Jingzhi grabbed a tissue and wiped her tears and snot, cursing angrily, "Men are all bastards!"
“Yeah! Men are all bastards!” Xiao Xiao repeated. Seeing Jiang Sicheng peek out from inside the house, she hurriedly waved to him, signaling him to go back inside quickly. Jiang Sicheng saw Xiao Xiao’s gesture and quickly shrank back, thinking to himself: How come all men are bastards?
After a long while, Zhang Jingzhi finally stopped crying. She was still clutching a tissue in her hand, staring blankly, her eyelids swollen and red from crying.
Xiao Xiao poured her a glass of water and placed it in front of her before asking, "Did Wang Yuhan offend you?"
Her question made Zhang Jingzhi's eyes redden again, and tears were about to fall. Xiao Xiao was so frightened that she quickly grabbed a tissue and covered her eyes, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry. Crying is useless. Talk to him properly, and I'll help you figure out how to deal with him!"
Zhang Jingzhi then forced back her tears and told Xiao Xiao everything. After listening, Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "That Wang Yuhan really deserves to suffer."
"I want to resign!" Zhang Jingzhi said in a muffled voice. Things had come to this with Wang Yuhan; how was she supposed to go to work tomorrow?
Xiao Xiao looked at Zhang Jingzhi with amusement, "Little sister, do you think jobs are so easy to find? You're always talking about quitting your job, is it really worth it for something like this?"
Zhang Jingzhi stared at Xiao Xiao with her big, watery eyes, completely bewildered. She had been tricked, and Xiao Xiao said it wasn't worth it. What did she mean by worth it?
Seeing Zhang Jingzhi looking at her like that, Xiao Xiao chuckled twice and said, "Jingzhi, I think things might not be as bad as you think. Put yourself in my shoes. You've often badmouthed Wang Yuhan to me before. What he said might have been just something he said in anger. Whether he's playing you or not, you've been dating him for a while. Can't you tell?"
Zhang Jingzhi stared blankly at Xiao Xiao, unresponsive. Xiao Xiao sighed, pointing a delicate finger at Zhang Jingzhi's seemingly full and round forehead, and said, "Idiot, you really are an idiot! Your forehead looks big, but you've been hiding something! You've been dating for so long, has he ever introduced you to his friends? Has he ever mentioned you to his family? Has he ever thought about your future together?" As she spoke, Xiao Xiao glanced at the bedroom again and whispered, "When you were together, did he ever think about trying to lure you into bed?"
Zhang Jingzhi blushed and shook her head. Although Wang Yuhan was a bit talkative, he was a good person. Apart from occasionally stealing a kiss, he was very polite in other aspects, and it was clear that he respected her.
"Alright, sister, it's not like men and women can be all lovey-dovey all the time. A little bickering is a good thing. He's being cheeky, so punish him a bit, but don't say anything too hurtful. Once he apologizes, you should find a way to back down gracefully. Forgive and forget!"
While Xiao Xiao was speaking, Jiang Sicheng peeked out several times. On the last occasion, Xiao Xiao's gestures became a bit louder. Zhang Jingzhi looked up in confusion and saw Jiang Sicheng pulling his head back. Jiang Sicheng felt a little embarrassed when he saw that Zhang Jingzhi had seen him, so he simply opened the door and came out. Seeing Xiao Xiao glaring at him, he said somewhat aggrievedly, "I really need to go to the bathroom."
Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, then pursed her lips to suppress a laugh, and asked Jiang Sicheng in a pretentious manner, "When did you wake up? Why didn't you make a sound?" Then, without waiting for his answer, she waved her hand and said, "Go on, go on."
Zhang Jingzhi glared at Xiao Xiao, her face flushed. Xiao Xiao shrugged, looking helpless: "I didn't know he was awake, did I?"
Zhang Jingzhi
On Monday, Wang Yuhan didn't expect to see Zhang Jingzhi at work. He thought that with her temper, she would take several days to come to see him and listen to his explanation. However, he didn't expect to see her as soon as he entered the lobby in the morning.
"Good morning, Mr. Wang!" Zhang Jingzhi greeted him with a smile, then turned to speak quietly to her colleague. Wang Yuhan paused for a moment, nodded, and walked towards his office. Just as he sat down, Bai Jie called. "Senior brother?" she asked, "Have you sensed anything strange?"
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Wang Yuhan asked.
Although Bai Jie lowered her voice, she couldn't hide the excitement in it. "She just greeted me with a smile, 'Good morning, Director Bai!' Her voice was so beautiful, and her smile was so radiant, but why did I feel something was so strange about it?"
Wang Yuhan casually glanced around the hall. Zhang Jingzhi was busy at her seat with a smile on her face, occasionally exchanging a few words with the colleague next to her.
"Are you bored? What are you doing during work hours? Have you finished all your tasks for this quarter?" Wang Yuhan said coldly. "I'm leaving next week. Can you handle this?"
"Oh, I see." Bai Jie felt like she'd been doused with cold water, and she was too weak to even speak. She thought to herself, "These two must be having another fight. I wonder who's going to be in trouble next."
On the first day of the week, Xiao Wang noticed that Zhang Jingzhi on the other end of the line was smiling unusually sweetly, greeting everyone with a smile, even when answering the phone. On the same day, Xiao Wang also noticed that General Manager Wang's expression was somewhat gloomy; even when clients visited, his smiles were scarce. Some speculated that it might be because the previous quarter's performance wasn't good, and the higher-ups weren't satisfied. But the performance had increased by a full 21 percentage points compared to the same period last year—why weren't the bosses happy? Xiao Wang was somewhat confused.
On Tuesday, Xiao Wang noticed that Zhang Jingzhi's smile was even sweeter, while he also noticed that Boss Wang's expression was more gloomy. Moreover, every time Zhang Jingzhi smiled and spoke to him, Xiao Wang could feel a chill run down his spine...
On Wednesday, Zhang Jingzhi was still in high spirits, while Wang Yuhan's face darkened even more. Xiao Wang clearly sensed the change in the atmosphere around him and became even more cautious. He not only began to avoid Zhang Jingzhi's enthusiasm, but also started to walk on half of his foot. As a direct result, when he went to the tea room with his teacup in the afternoon, he was already at the door when the two people inside did not notice him at all.
With his back to the door, Wang Yuhan asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you answer my calls? Why do you avoid me as soon as you get off work? You haven't even come home these past few days, where have you been?"
Zhang Jingzhi lowered her head and leisurely blew on her coffee, pretending not to hear.
Wang Yuhan's expression darkened further, and he asked resentfully, "You won't even give me a chance to explain? Fine, I admit I said it in anger, but—"
Zhang Jingzhi looked up and saw Xiao Wang, who was stuck at the door, looking both in and out. She smiled sweetly again and said, "Xiao Wang, would you like some water? Or coffee?"
Wang Yuhan also turned around, glanced at Xiao Wang with a hint of annoyance, and left with his cup.
Watching Wang Yuhan's departing figure, Xiao Wang felt like crying. He raised his hands and bowed to Zhang Jingzhi, "Sister, good sister, please spare me! I have an eighty-year-old mother to support and a baby crying for food. If I lose this job, my whole family will not be able to survive!"
Zhang Jingzhi glared at him, "What are you yelling about? Is it really necessary? Why are you afraid of him? What can he do to you?"
Xiao Wang smiled bitterly. "He can't do anything to you, but what can he do to me? What did I do to deserve this? How did I become cannon fodder?"
On Thursday, someone from above came and announced that Wang Yuhan would be transferred to headquarters. Bai Jie would temporarily take over Wang Yuhan's work. Zhang Jingzhi watched coldly from outside as Wang Yuhan began to hand over the work to Bai Jie. This time, she didn't smile.
It turns out that Xiao Xiao isn't a genius after all, and not everything she says is correct. For example, she said that Wang Yuhan loves her, and she said that all men care about their image. He definitely didn't mean what he said.
It turns out that she was really just a challenge for him. Now that the result is in, he's leaving.
Xiao Xiao said that women can occasionally throw a little tantrum, but they can't do it for too long or every few days, otherwise men will find them annoying. Zhang Jingzhi couldn't understand which of Xiao Xiao's words were right and which weren't. Did Wang Yuhan never love her at all, or did her little tantrums wear down his patience?
Wang Yuhan, his face grim, was handing over his work to Bai Jie. He'd noticed Zhang Jingzhi's expression when his resignation was announced, and he was worried. He'd already heard about the transfer and planned to tell Zhang Jingzhi in the next few days, but then everything happened, and he hadn't even had a chance to say anything beforehand. Now, hearing it from someone else, wouldn't she overthink things? Wang Yuhan couldn't help but smile bitterly. Knowing how little trust she had in him, why had he done so many things that would lead to misunderstandings? What was wrong with him? It wasn't like he was a novice in love; why was he so flustered?
Although it hasn't been officially announced yet, it's obvious that Bai Jie will take over as general manager. So, even though she could see that her senior brother's expression wasn't good, Bai Jie couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. When Wang Yuhan turned his gaze back from the hall, Bai Jie said lightly, "Senior brother, are you arguing with your sister-in-law again?"
Wang Yuhan couldn't help but frown, ignoring Bai Jie's words, and continued to bury himself in organizing the documents.
Bai Jie glanced mysteriously outside and whispered, "Senior brother, let me tell you a secret trick. If it weren't for the fact that you're my senior brother, I would never tell you this even if you killed me. You know, most women have masochistic tendencies. Just coaxing them won't work. Sometimes, a little force can be quite effective! Do you understand?"
Wang Yuhan looked up and squinted at Bai Jie. Bai Jie winked at him and then gestured with her chin toward Zhang Jingzhi.
Wang Yuhan chuckled, then saw Bai Jie grinning at him too. He stopped laughing, straightened his face, and said coldly, "Instead of helping me pack my things properly, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Bai Jie muttered to herself as she lowered her head to organize the documents. Wang Yuhan's gaze drifted to the window again, where it met Zhang Jingzhi's. Zhang Jingzhi gave a mocking smile and turned back to continue looking at her electronic document.
If things don't get cleared up today, who knows what that idiot will start thinking again. So I must catch her after get off work today, and even if I have to hug her, I'll carry her to my car. Wang Yuhan thought, pressing his temples with a headache. Bai Jie was right. Sometimes, reasoning with women really doesn't work!
When it was time to leave work, Wang Yuhan looked towards Zhang Jingzhi's desk again, only to find she wasn't at her seat. He tried calling her cell phone, but it was switched off. Wang Yuhan was genuinely annoyed. But by evening, her phone was still switched off. For some reason, he felt uneasy and called Zhang Jingzhi's home. Her mother answered, and the old lady was very welcoming upon hearing it was him. She chatted with him for a while before telling him that Zhang Jingzhi had gone home that afternoon, packed a few clothes, and said she was going on a trip with Xiao Xiao. She asked him in surprise, "You didn't know?" Wang Yuhan smiled awkwardly and quickly said he knew, but he was too busy with work to take her and was afraid she would be upset.
Wang Yuhan didn't believe Zhang Jingzhi was going on a trip. He immediately called Xiao Xiao's cell phone, and sure enough, Xiao Xiao said she hadn't seen Zhang Jingzhi at all. What trip could she be going on? Wang Yuhan was really panicking. He drove around the world, hoping to run into Zhang Jingzhi, who was wandering somewhere, but he didn't see any trace of her until midnight.
Just as he was pacing around, he received a call from Xiao Xiao, who said that Zhang Jingzhi had just called her. She confirmed that Zhang Jingzhi had gone on a trip, taking the train that evening. As for where she was going, Zhang Jingzhi wouldn't say, so Xiao Xiao didn't know either. Wang Yuhan immediately tried calling Zhang Jingzhi's cell phone again, but it was switched off. It seemed that girl turned off her phone immediately after making the call, clearly not wanting him to find her. Wang Yuhan laughed angrily, muttering, "You, Zhang Jingzhi, you're ruthless! Good! Good! Good!"
As expected, she didn't come to work the next day. Instead, she called Bai Gu Jing, saying little, just that she was taking annual leave, and hung up before Bai Gu Jing could even react. Bai Gu Jing angrily went to Wang Yu Han to reason with him, saying, "This is outrageous! How can you take annual leave without giving prior notice? Even if you're abusing your privileges, you can't do it like this!"
The White Bone Demon complained a few times, but when she realized that Wang Yuhan hadn't made a sound, only that his expression was a little off, she didn't dare to say anything more and obediently slipped back to her office.
Wang Yuhan was now completely convinced that Zhang Jingzhi had really run away. Sitting in his office, looking at his neatly tidied desk, Wang Yuhan suddenly felt incredibly tired, genuinely tired. For the first time, he began to doubt their relationship. Were they really right for each other?
At this moment, Zhang Jingzhi was wandering around an unfamiliar city with a small backpack. She said she was going on vacation, but she hadn't made any preparations beforehand. Where was she going? She randomly boarded a train, and after a bumpy overnight journey, she arrived in this bustling city. She wasn't going to any tourist attractions, had no specific destination, and no itinerary. She was just wandering around alone, exploring the streets and alleys, seeing unfamiliar faces everywhere, yet she felt a strange sense of peace.
Her grandmother once said: "If you can't see through a person, then don't try to understand them!"
Therefore, Zhang Jingzhi's implication is: Since we can't see through whether Wang Yuhan is real or fake, then we shouldn't see him!
Her annual leave was twelve days, plus two weekends. When she returned to H City, it was already half a month later. Xiao Xiao picked her up from the station and looked at her tanned face. She clicked her tongue and exclaimed, "Zhang Jingzhi, you're really something. Even if you've lost love, you still have to save face, right? You still want to be a lady? With your complexion, you might barely qualify as a lady in Africa."
Back home, the old lady rushed over and hugged her tightly, shaking her wildly: "My child, I thought you really eloped with someone! Why didn't you even call home?"
Then she asked Zhang Jingzhi how many places he had visited. Zhang Jingzhi said he had only visited two cities. The old lady scoffed and said he was useless. She said that the last time she and her husband went out, they visited seven cities in just nine days. Zhang Jingzhi said, "You call that traveling?" The old lady asked, "If that's not traveling, what is it?" Zhang Jingzhi laughed and said, "That's called sleeping on the bus and peeing when you get off."
The old man behind them chuckled, feeling embarrassed in front of Mrs. Xiao, so he quickly changed the subject, asking Zhang Jingzhi how much she spent. Zhang Jingzhi held up one finger and waved it, and it took the old woman a while to realize what he meant. "Ten thousand?" she asked. Zhang Jingzhi nodded, saying she'd contributed a little more. The old woman was puzzled and asked, "Where did you get so much spare money?" Zhang Jingzhi chuckled twice and said, "I had my dad's salary card with me!"
The old lady was stunned for a moment, then her next reaction was to run to the kitchen, grab a rolling pin, and prepare to beat Zhang Jingzhi. Zhang Jingzhi reacted quickly and immediately took off running. The old lady chased after her, yelling, "You spendthrift girl! You've used up all my money for my funeral! You've been working for years, and you haven't saved a single penny. You've just been sponging off your parents!"
Xiao Xiao laughed and tugged at the old lady from behind: "Auntie, please don't kill her! She still owes me an LV bag!"
The old lady stopped and asked Xiao Xiao, "What bag? Why are you saying 'hey' and 'hello' all the time?" Then she turned to Zhang Jingzhi and said, "Quickly return your new bag to Xiao Xiao. You two are such good friends, don't be so stingy! Give Xiao Xiao a new one!"
Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that this old lady was really not senile, still knowing to side with her daughter at a time like this!
Looking at the lively scene, Zhang Jingzhi suddenly felt a surge of emotion that made her want to cry. Everyone knew that she had left because of Wang Yuhan, and now that she was back, none of them mentioned that man. To amuse her, her mother even waved a rolling pin around and acted silly for her. The family and friendship were so strong. Even without love, what did it matter?
Back in my room, I changed my phone battery. The phone, which had been off for over ten days, was turned on again. There was only one message from Wang Yuhan: "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 one another. Unfortunately, we are not.
Upon reading the text message, Zhang Jingzhi wanted to laugh, really wanted to laugh. He had initially shrouded her in a fog, leaving her disoriented and unable to discern whether he was showing her the front or the back. Now, he was actually blaming her. How ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous.
Chu Yang
When Zhang Jingzhi arrived at work, not only had Wang Yuhan already left, but even Bai Gu Jing had gone to headquarters for a meeting, avoiding any awkwardness. Zhang Jingzhi felt very relaxed. In the afternoon, Chu Yang called her to ask her to meet up. She took the subway there, and when she saw Chu Yang at the coffee shop, she was surprised to find that the girl seemed to have suddenly grown up.
I still remember the shock I felt when I first saw Chu Yang with short hair here last year. Now, Chu Yang's hair is almost shoulder-length. Chu Yang said, "Sister, I'm going to England in a few days. You'll have to keep an eye on my parents."
Zhang Jingzhi was stunned. She only knew that Chu Yang had been admitted to graduate school, so why was he suddenly going abroad?
Chu Yang looked at his shocked cousin, smiled faintly, and said, "Preparations had been underway for a while, and He Yiyang helped to arrange it secretly."
Zhang Jingzhi barely came to her senses and asked, "Is it because you're hiding from Fang Yi?"
Chu Yang paused for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. "Not entirely. Don't ask anymore. I'm leaving in a few days and probably won't be back for the next few years. Please take good care of my parents and grandma. We're the only two kids in our family here. I'll be away from the country, so please bear with me."
In Zhang Jingzhi's eyes, Chu Yang was still a child. Now, he was suddenly entrusting her with some things in such a mature way. Zhang Jingzhi felt a little uncomfortable. She held back for a moment, but still couldn't help asking, "If you leave like this, what about Fang Yi? Do you think he'll be happy about it?"
Chu Yang remained silent. Zhang Jingzhi then asked, "I heard that your aunt has stopped objecting, hasn't she? I thought you and Fang Yi had really developed feelings for each other. Why are you suddenly leaving? Does Fang Yi know?"
Chu Yang nodded. She had gone to see Fang Yi today. She was a little nervous, but she still had to face what she had to face. Fang Yi thought she had come to him to be affectionate, so he smiled and told her to wait a while. He would take her out to eat after he finished his work. She didn't say anything, just waited for him quietly. These heartwarming scenes had been happening frequently lately, and she felt that life should continue like this forever.
He noticed something was wrong with her, looked up at her, and asked her what was wrong. She was silent for a moment, and then told him softly that she was going abroad, that her visa and plane ticket had arrived, and that she wanted to leave.
This news must have been quite unexpected for him. After that matter was resolved, it was almost a matter of course for the two of them to be together. Not to mention him, even she herself couldn't understand why she still had the desire to leave.
After she finished speaking, Fang Yi just stared at her silently, his eyes flashing with too many emotions. His thin lips opened and closed several times, but no sound came out. In that instant, she clearly felt her heartache. His gaze showed no joy or sorrow, but when it fell on her heart, it became a sharp knife, cutting away piece by piece, and she could hear the sound of blood dripping.
He got up and walked to the French windows to quietly watch the bustling street scene outside. Images of crowds and traffic came through, but there was no sound, as oppressive as his heart.
Chu Yang couldn't see his expression; all he left her with was his tall, sturdy back, projected onto the glass window, looking somewhat dazed.
After a long while, he said softly, "Chu Yang, you've wronged me."
He didn't say another word.
Chu Yang also wanted to know who she could truly be worthy of. She didn't want to mention He Yiqian; that person had died in her memory six years ago. She had wronged her parents, she had wronged He Yiyang, and she had wronged Fang Yi. Who could she truly be worthy of?
Ultimately, she thought she was the most selfish woman ever.
"Sister, what is love?" Chu Yang suddenly asked.
Zhang Jingzhi was dumbfounded. What is love? It was a question that had been asked to death, but when it came to her, she couldn't give a decent answer.
"Sister, I don't know what love is, and I don't know if I've fallen in love with Fang Yi. I know Fang Yi has been very good to me, and I can feel an inexplicable sense of security when I'm with him, but I just can't be sure if I love him. From being afraid of him and dealing with him at the beginning to using him and being grateful to him later, do I love him now? I really don't know, so I have to leave. I want to go somewhere where no one knows me, to think carefully about what love really is."