2 a.m., the dead of night, utterly silent.
In an upscale residential complex, a light suddenly flickered on in one of the windows.
“What did you say?! Break up?! You and Meng Yuan? For real or just kidding?!” Shi Jing practically shot up from bed, all drowsiness gone, blinking in disbelief as she muttered, “Oh my god, am I dreaming? Is this what they mean by ‘thoughts by day, dreams by night’…”
“Shi Jing, were you asleep? Sorry, I thought at this hour you’d.”
“Normally, I’d be wide awake, but today my agent insisted on watching me. Ugh, that’s not the point. Did I hear you right? You and Meng Yuan, really broke up?”
“Yeah, you heard right.”
Holy crap!
Shi Jing quickly covered her mouth, swallowing the shock that was about to burst out, but the grin on her face grew harder and harder to suppress, almost stretching to her ears.
Oh my god!
Were my words that effective?
I said it in the evening, and by midnight, you’ve broken up? It worked so, fast truly golden words!
Hehe, all that cringey talk wasn’t in vain!
Shi Jing felt immensely relieved, almost moved to tears of joy. She patted her wildly thumping heart, which was racing from the excitement, then cleared her throat, pondering how to congratulate.
Wait!
Shi Jing calmed down a bit and glanced at the time, thinking to herself, “Oh no.”
Who initiated the breakup?
If it was Shang Li, she’d be all for it, cheering and celebrating with bells on.
But if it was Meng Yuan.
That would be a whole different story!
Shi Jing’s expression abruptly darkened, her eyes blazing as if she could burn Meng Yuan to ashes on the spot.
Thinking this, she couldn’t help but ask.
“I was the one who brought it up. Meng Yuan hasn’t responded yet, but she’ll probably agree. No matter what, I’ve made up my mind.”
Hearing this, Shi Jing let out a heavy sigh of relief. Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say. She smacked her lips and tentatively asked, “So, how are you now?”
As if she could be fine!
Ten years, a whole decade, not just ten months!
What’s the difference between this and being skinned alive?
Not to mention, she had witnessed firsthand how passionately they had loved each other back in the day.
Ah, but people change, and deep affection doesn’t last. Over the past few years, how Meng Yuan had treated Shang Li even if Shi Jing only caught glimpses occasionally was enough to see the bigger picture.
If even an outsider like her could sense it, how much more so for someone in the thick of it?
Just thinking about it made her, as someone usually thick-skinned, feel unbearable, let alone Shang Li.
All these years, it had just been gritting her teeth, enduring, swallowing tears and blood together.
The static crackled over the line, especially noticeable in the quiet of the night. The person on the other end remained silent for a long moment before speaking again, her voice choked with unspeakable emotion. “Shi Jing, I really want to leave this place, but I don’t know where to go.”
“I’m coming to get you right now!”
Shi Jing gasped, her heart twisting into a knot. Without another word, she threw off the covers, forgetting to change out of her pajamas, and rushed out the door in her slippers.
“Start packing, I’ll be there soon to help you. What do you mean it’s late? Who cares about sleep? Even if I were on a plane right now, I’d make it turn around Alright, I’m out the door getting in the car. I’ll hang up now. Wait for me.”
“Shi Jing, there’s no need to be in such a hurry. Meng Yuan is filming in another province, I’ll move out in a few days.”
A beep cut off the rest of her words. Shang Li put down her phone and smiled wryly.
Since things had come to this, she might as well not let Shi Jing’s kindness go to waste. Moving out sooner was for the best.
First, she needed to clean up the shredded paper scattered all over the bedroom floor, then pack her belongings into the suitcase.
After mentally running through the general process of leaving, Shang Li wasted no more time and immediately got up to act.
She didn’t have many possessions everything combined was just enough to fill two suitcases.
“Jin Jin!” She walked slowly to the bed where Jin Jin was sleeping and gently woke him.
Jin Jin opened his eyes, blinked slowly twice, stretched his legs, yawned, and was about to doze off again.
Shang Li stroked his head softly. “Jin Jin, it’s time for us to go. From now on, we’ll have to live somewhere else.”
For some reason, even though she had remained calm while packing, the moment she spoke those words, she couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat.
Shang Li tilted her head back, exhaled softly, and continued, “It’ll just be the two of us. Maybe you’ll never see the other one again. I’m sorry, Jin Jin. I’ve tried my best.”
“Whimper!”
Jin Jin let out intermittent whimpers, as if resonating with her sorrow.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The corridor at 3 a.m. was eerily silent, the bright lights reflecting off the polished floor.
Ten years of her life condensed into two suitcases and a dog. Standing at the door, Shang Li looked back, her eyes filled with reluctance, nostalgia, and grief. But she didn’t turn around. As she stepped forward, all of it grew farther and farther away.
One day, it would fade from her sight.
The sound of the suitcase wheels rolling across the floor echoed like rattling bones, leaving behind twisted, skewed tracks, two parallel lines that would never intersect or overlap again.
Shang Li turned her head back, a faint sense of melancholy rising in her heart.
“21-year-old Meng Yuan, I’m sorry. I broke my promise after all.”
But life was never a perfect closed loop. Meeting, understanding, falling in love, and growing old together were not predetermined, unswerving programs.
Wasn’t it understandable, no matter at which step it ended?
June 27 was merely a beautiful moment artificially bestowed upon an unexpected beginning.
So, when faced with a sudden end, there was no need for regret or sorrow.
Finally, 28-year-old Meng Yuan, congratulations on getting what you wished for. From now on, you are free.
Underground parking garage.
The moment Shi Jing parked the car, she hopped out with agile grace. Seeing the person already waiting there, she was taken aback. “You packed up this quickly?”
“Yeah,” Shang Li nodded. “I don’t have much stuff, so it didn’t take long.”
“Really? I was worried you’d have too many things, so I specially brought several woven bags,” Shi Jing said as she opened the trunk.
Shang Li chuckled softly, dragging her suitcase forward. “Shi Jing, I’ll have to trouble you for the next few days. Once I find a place, I’ll…”
“You’re being too formal with me, it hurts to hear that.” Shi Jing helped lift the suitcase into the car while subtly observing the expression on Shang Li’s face, keeping her tone as casual and relaxed as possible. “Don’t even mention a few days, if you want to stay, you can stay as long as you like. You know I never say things just to be polite. Though my place isn’t as big as yours, it’s still over 200 square meters with a small garden. Jin Jin can.”
Hearing her name, Jin Jin’s ears perked up, and she wagged her tail enthusiastically at Shi Jing.
Shi Jing was in high spirits. Before getting into the car, she gave the dog’s head a few vigorous pats. Leaving the mother and keeping the daughter, how satisfying!
Shang Li sat in the back seat with Jin Jin, unfastening the leash as soon as they got in and offering a snack to keep the dog occupied.
The car slowly merged into the wide, straight road, the street scenes receding behind them.
The deep night enveloped the capital at three in the morning. Raindrops pattered softly, forming puddles on the ground that reflected the warm orange glow of the streetlights. As the car wheels rolled over them, the light shattered and then reassembled, swaying gently.
Shang Li tilted her head, staring fixedly at a single raindrop on the window, unmoving for a long time. Her mind gradually emptied thinking of everything and nothing at once.
Inside the car, aside from the sound of Jin Jin chewing her snack, there was only silence, a silence so profound it felt almost eerie.
Shi Jing suppressed the urge to keep looking back. After a moment’s hesitation, she tentatively asked, “How about we play some music?”
Shang Li’s eyelashes fluttered as she snapped out of her reverie and agreed.
The music started playing.
[Dong dong, hehehe. Ah joyful drums. Today is a good day, all your wishes can come true.]
As the opening notes played, the atmosphere in the car shifted instantly. Shi Jing stiffened, her lips twitching. Damn it, I was too cheerful on the way here and forgot to switch the playlist!
“Ahem, it’s not even a holiday, why such a festive tune?” Shi Jing said awkwardly, hurriedly switching to another song while waiting at the traffic light.
[Love isn’t guaranteed even with sincerity. Yesterday we were lovers, today we break up.]
Shi Jing: “…”
Damn it! Change it again!
[This love isn’t worth my hesitation isn’t worth remembering. I should have given up on this relationship long ago.]
Shi Jing: What kind of terrible playlist is this?!
She refused to give up!
[My friend suffers so much in love. If she always holds an umbrella for others. Breakup is happy, I wish you happiness, you can find someone better.]
Shi Jing: Where did that “Good Day” song go?
I surrender, please spare me!
Fine, I won’t listen to this awful music anymore!
Shi Jing was sweating bullets, frantically trying to turn it off when she suddenly heard a soft chuckle from the back seat.
Shang Li’s eyes curved into a smile, tears glistening within them, carrying a mix of emotions. Meeting Shi Jing’s bewildered gaze, she laughed through her tears. “Shi Jing, you really went through a lot for this.”