【021——】
Zhuang Yiyi opened the door.
Her room was quite small; you could see right across it at a glance.
She watched as Chen Ding entered. He scanned the room expressionlessly, then said to her, “Move aside.”
Zhuang Yiyi stepped aside.
Chen Ding opened the bathroom door; there was no one inside. He then turned his gaze back to the woman in front of him.
Zhuang Yiyi felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze. “What are you doing?”
“Darling, could you take your clothes off so I can have a look?”
He uttered such lewd words with such polite manners that Zhuang Yiyi thought she must have misheard him, but Chen Ding continued to stare at her intently. Zhuang Yiyi was at a loss for words. “No!”
“Then let’s have a chat.”
Chen Ding half-embraced Zhuang Yiyi as he walked towards the bed, pressing her down to sit on the edge. He bent his long legs slightly, resting them against the headboard, casting a shadow over her entire body. Zhuang Yiyi felt this position was far too dangerous; just as she tried to stand up, Chen Ding pressed down on her shoulder. His voice came from above her, “If you don’t like this position, we can try another.”
Zhuang Yiyi froze, tilting her head back and propping herself against the bed. In the glaring light, she couldn’t make out Chen Ding’s features. “Could you please explain what’s going on? How did you know I was here? You…”
Chen Ding covered her mouth with his hand.
Only when she no longer felt the urge to speak did he remove his hand.
“What do you want to talk about?” ” Zhuang Yiyi shifted her body back, propping herself up with her hands, finding the position too humiliating. “Shall we change positions? Aren’t you tired?”
Chen Ding did not respond to her question. “First tell me, have you been going out for meals with Qian Zhang frequently lately?”
Zhuang Yiyi could clearly sense the suppressed fury within Chen Ding; this was the first time she had ever seen him like this. She fell silent, calmly analysing the situation in her mind. “How did you find out?”
Chen Ding gave a cold laugh. “How did I find out? He came knocking on my door himself. Why are you going out for meals with him? Are you trying to cheat on me, or do you want a divorce? In every way, I’m better than him.” Chen Ding suddenly lowered his head, and Zhuang Yiyi found herself staring directly into the fury in his eyes.
She averted her gaze, only for Chen Ding to grab her chin and force her to look at him.
“Don’t you think that posture is rather disrespectful?”
“I’m sorry.” Chen Ding showed not a hint of hesitation, yet he did not let go.
Zhuang Yiyi changed the subject. “He doesn’t know where I live.”
“That’s not the point. Don’t try to distract me with trivialities. “If you don’t answer my question today, we’ll just keep this up indefinitely.”
Chen Ding simply waited. Zhuang Yiyi simply held out.
She’d never been keen on exercise; even a short run left her breathless. After holding out for a few minutes, she grew tired and simply fell backwards onto the bed. Chen Ding looked down at her with a scrutinising gaze.
Zhuang Yiyi felt flustered under his gaze; she averted her eyes, only for Chen Ding to grab her chin and force her to look at him.
Zhuang Yiyi looked away. “Let me gather my thoughts first.”
“What’s there to gather? Just answer me—yes or no.”
“Is a simple yes or no enough? Don’t you want to know the reason?”
“So, it’s a yes.” Chen Ding stood up. “I’ll give you ten minutes to work out how you’re going to gloss over this.
Chen Ding stared at her, unmoving.
Zhuang Yiyi felt under immense pressure, her mind in a slight daze. If things continued as they were, there was no doubt Chen Ding would assume she’d been unfaithful—which was exactly what she wanted. She’d originally planned to go back and let Chen Ding see her chat history with Qian Zhang, followed by his interrogation… Yes, the situation was exactly the same now; she simply needed to follow the plan she’d devised earlier.
“We’re friends.”
Chen Ding sneered. “So that’s your excuse for dining alone together?”
“Yes.”
“Are you on such good terms that you need to dine together so often? A man and a woman, dining alone together so frequently?”
“I’ve already told you.”
A lump of frustration sat in her chest, neither rising nor falling. Zhuang Yiyi had told him she was having dinner with someone that evening; how could he have imagined it was a man? A man and a woman dining alone together—did she have any idea what it meant to avoid giving the wrong impression?!
“Qian Zhang says there’s something going on between the two of you.”
Zhuang Yiyi froze.
She had intended to make Chen Ding misunderstand, which was why she’d dined with Qian Zhang on multiple occasions. But for Qian Zhang to misinterpret it like this… Zhuang Yiyi recalled her meals with Qian Zhang; she was certain she hadn’t made any moves that might have led him to misunderstand—she hadn’t even spoken much. She furrowed her brow slightly; Qian Zhang had even gone and told Chen Ding about this.
To her, Chen Ding was practically a stranger.
Seeing Zhuang Yiyi freeze and then frown, Chen Ding felt his anger dissipate considerably. Just as he’d thought—Qian Zhang was simply imagining things.
“Darling.”
Zhuang Yiyi was snapped back to her senses by Chen Ding’s voice; her previously icy expression suddenly gave way to one of hurt. Zhuang Yiyi was momentarily taken aback, but Chen Ding continued, “Don’t have dinner alone with him in future. He’s the sort who gets the wrong idea easily.”
In that instant, Zhuang Yiyi sensed a hint of sarcasm.
“Darling…” Chen Ding pinched her cheek, but Zhuang Yiyi shook his hand off. “Don’t pinch my cheeks—they’ll get bigger.”
Chen Ding chuckled softly. Just as Zhuang Yiyi let her guard down, he asked, “Why have you been staying in a hotel lately?”
Zhuang Yiyi froze once more. Chen Ding’s eyes darkened, yet he pretended to know nothing, his face once more adorned with a faint, slightly scrutinising smile.
Zhuang Yiyi couldn’t answer this question; instead, she retorted, “How did you know I’ve been staying in a hotel lately?”
“You tell me first. Once you’ve finished, I’ll tell you.”
Zhuang Yiyi remained silent. “Did my mum tell you?”
“Why do you think that?”
Zhuang Yiyi gave a cold laugh.
It had to be her mother. Only her mother would be able to track her down at any time, anywhere. A wave of irritation welled up uncontrollably within Zhuang Yiyi; she truly hated this. Just as she had told Xiang Yajun before, although the family is one of the most important environments for shaping a child, an adult has a responsibility to take care of themselves
Chen Ding looked at the helplessness and despair on her face, his heart twisting with pain. He gently stroked her cheek. “Why are you so upset?”
Zhuang Yiyi looked up, meeting the concern in Chen Ding’s eyes.
“Chen Ding,”
“Mm.”
“If…”
“Mm?”
“Chen Ding, you’d better keep your temper a bit worse from now on.”
Chen Ding smiled. “If I were short-tempered, you’d have to put up with me every single day.”
Zhuang Yiyi curled the corners of her lips. If only that were the case; then she wouldn’t have to bear such a heavy psychological burden.
Back in her school days, Xiang Yajun had been a radical young woman. At the time, she’d told her, “Ethics, morals, and legal obligations are all man-made constructs. They’re nothing more than tools of control. ‘There’s no need to place too much faith in them, nor to make a big deal of them. What you yourself think is the only standard of judgement.’”
Zhuang Yiyi did not agree with her words, for the legal obligations and ethical principles she had been taught since childhood formed the foundation of her current outlook; consequently, her standards of judgement were still determined by these.
Such was the education she had received.
But now she truly wished she could be a little more decisive, a little more resolute.
It was late at night, with the occasional sound of a car speeding past outside the window. Neither of them was asleep.
Zhuang Yiyi’s mobile lit up.
She got out of bed on tiptoe, intending to go to the bathroom to answer the call, when a voice came from behind her: “I’m not asleep.”
Immediately afterwards, the light came on.
Zhuang Yiyi turned to glance at Chen Ding; his clothes were slightly rumpled, his eyes clear and alert. Her heart gave an inexplicable flutter.
“Hello. Hello.”
“Hello. Yiyi, where are you right now? Want to come out and have some fun?”
Zhuang Yiyi felt the voice sounded familiar. “Fang Zhixi?”
Upon hearing this, Chen Ding’s gaze, which had been fixed on Zhuang Yiyi, took on a slightly puzzled and pensive look.
“That’s right! It’s me! Yiyi, come out and have some fun! We’re having a great time here! Yao Mu’s here, and my friends are here too—it’s really fun!”
“No, thank you. Have a good time.”
“Oh, come on! You work so hard every day…”
“No, thank you…”
The two fell into a loop, one insisting, the other refusing. Chen Ding stood up and took the phone from Zhuang Yiyi’s hand. “She’s busy. We’ve got things to do.”
After he’d said that, Zhuang Yiyi heard Chen Ding go, “Mm,” and then hang up.
“Next time Fang Zhixi calls you, just hang up. She won’t get angry.”
Zhuang Yiyi nodded slightly.
She glanced at Chen Ding. “Shall we watch a film? Or do you want to go back to sleep?”
Chen Ding said, “Let’s watch a film.” He couldn’t sleep either.
The two lay on the bed, watching the film in quiet harmony.
Meanwhile, after hanging up, Fang Zhixi turned to Yao Mu and said, “Yiyi isn’t coming out. She and Ding have something to do. Shall we carry on having fun?”
Yao Mu didn’t reply. First Yiyi was with Qian Zhang, and now she’s with Chen Ding—is she that busy in one night?
Fang Zhixi shook Yao Mu’s arm. “Let’s have fun together.”
Yao Mu stood up. A friend sitting on the other side saw him rise and asked, “What’s the matter? Are you leaving?”
“Yeah. It’s getting a bit late, and I’ve got work tomorrow.”
Fang Zhixi stood up too. “I’ll walk you home!”
Yao Mu said, “No need. I’ll be fine on my own.” Fang Zhixi followed him out. The friend turned to a boy beside him and asked, “Is that Fang Zhixi?”
The boy understood what he meant. “Mr Zhang, you’ve spotted that, haven’t you?”
Mr Zhang said, “Surely there isn’t quite such a generation gap between us!”
Fang Zhixi followed Yao Mu out. When they reached the car park, Yao Mu said, “You can go back now. I don’t need you to see me home.”
Fang Zhixi pouted. “You’ve got to give me a chance to make a good impression, haven’t you? “You’ve gone to the trouble of coming to my school, and I’ve even spotted you. As the host, I’ve certainly got to make a good impression.”
Yao Mu refused again. “Go home. It’s so late; make sure you get home safely.”
Fang Zhixi’s eyes lit up. “Are you worried about me?”
Yao Mu said, “You’re all students. If anything happens, Old Zhang will get into trouble too.”
“So you do care about me. You’ve only said that to me.”
“That’s because…”
“I’m not listening.” Fang Zhixi covered her ears. Seeing that Yao Mu had fallen silent, she uncovered them again. “I know you care about me. I’ll text you when I get back to the university. You have to reply.”
“Right then, I’m off.”