Mu Wen ran like the wind.
The messy bun she had tied up in a hurry bounced with every step. A few loose strands had fallen behind her ears and onto her neck, getting blown around by the wind. Her work clothes were covered in paint stains, splashed with so many colors that she looked like someone had knocked over an entire paint palette.
Her assistant, Wang Zhiqiang, struggled to keep up. Panting heavily, he said, “Sister Wen… I think I saw… President Xie…”
What bad luck.
Mu Wen had obviously seen him too. Otherwise, why would she be running?
She sped up and called back to Wang Zhiqiang, “Move faster, young man! You don’t get enough exercise!”
She didn’t want to run into Xie Chong.
Otherwise, he would start bossing her around again. Recently, he had even become obsessed with asking her for commissions.
Mu Wen was like a mythical money-guarding creature. Once money entered her hands, she didn’t like letting any of it out.
Whenever Xie Chong asked her for money, she would immediately run away, refusing to waste time arguing with him.
“Sister Wen, don’t we need to greet President Xie?”
Wang Zhiqiang bent over with both hands on his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath.
“President Xie just gave me a client yesterday. He said…”
“Then go talk to him. He gave the client to you, not me.”
Mu Wen had already shaken him off. She lowered her head and rummaged through her large canvas bag for a ruler, notebook, pen, and other things.
It was a habit she had developed over many years.
Whenever she came to the building-materials market, it felt like returning to her favorite place. No matter what caught her eye, she always wanted to pick it up, examine it, and study it.
“But…”
Wang Zhiqiang pointed behind her carefully.
“President Xie is here. We arranged to accompany the client today to look at building materials.”
He looked at Mu Wen nervously.
He had never been able to figure out how Sister Wen and President Xie got along.
Sometimes she acted extremely enthusiastic toward Xie Chong. Other times, she didn’t even bother hiding how much she disliked him and would run away whenever she saw him.
Wang Zhiqiang was still a young man who had just entered the industry. He was completely confused by the two of them.
Sometimes he even wanted to prove his loyalty to Mu Wen.
He would think, Should I stop dealing with President Xie?
But whenever he said something like that, Mu Wen would frown and say,
“Are you stupid? Are you enemies with money?”
He thought she would be angry this time too.
Instead, she immediately pulled her lips into a smile and turned around.
She slid her glasses down to the tip of her nose and widened her eyes at Xie Chong.
“Oh? President Xie is here too?”
Xie Chong was wearing a long-sleeved mixed-color knit shirt with a Henry collar, structured trousers, and a hat.
He didn’t look like he had come to shop for building materials at all.
He looked more like he was there to walk a fashion runway.
“You didn’t see me just now?”
Xie Chong had just parked his car when he saw Mu Wen turn around and run away.
Obviously, she didn’t want to see him.
Xie Chong had always been the kind of person who enjoyed irritating people.
If you didn’t want to see him, he would insist on making sure you did.
So he had immediately chased after her, gone around behind her, and caught her off guard.
“I didn’t see you.”
Mu Wen stuck her finger behind her glasses and rubbed the corner of her eye.
“See? These are just decorative glasses. I’m blind.”
Xie Chong walked up to her and took off her glasses. He held them up to his own eyes and casually asked,
“Didn’t you say last time that you’d give me a commission whenever you introduced another client to me?”
“I never said that.”
Mu Wen denied it immediately.
“I would never say something like that. President Xie isn’t short of money.”
Xie Chong put on her glasses and glanced at himself in a nearby glass panel.
With his refined appearance, he looked like a very respectable man who was actually a little too troublesome.
He decided not to return the glasses.
“I recorded it.”
He took out his phone and played the recording for her.
He had his own way of dealing with a slippery businesswoman like Mu Wen.
Her voice came from the phone:
“Xie Chong, if you dare give the client to someone else, just try it! You’re only doing this because you think you’re losing out and want to squeeze more money out of me, aren’t you? Fine! I’ll give you a commission!”
“Did you hear that?”
Xie Chong deliberately teased her.
“You said it yourself. Are you admitting it or not?”
Of course, he knew Mu Wen wouldn’t admit it.
With Mu Wen, if she needed you, you were treated like royalty.
If she didn’t need you, you were practically invisible.
In front of outsiders, she was President Mu, Sister Wen—the reliable woman who could always get things done.
In front of him, she was a shameless little liar who could turn around and deny everything.
Sure enough, Mu Wen frowned seriously.
“That doesn’t even sound like me. Don’t try to scam me.”
Then she turned to Wang Zhiqiang.
“Go take care of your source of income.”
She walked away, then suddenly turned around.
She snatched her glasses back from Xie Chong.
“You want to take my things? No chance!”
Xie Chong reacted quickly. He grabbed the back of her clothes and pulled her back.
Mu Wen immediately kicked him.
The moment he loosened his grip from the pain, she ran away again.
Xie Chong suddenly laughed.
Her work hairstyle hadn’t changed in all these years.
It looked ridiculous and, somehow, a little pitiful.
He simply watched her run farther away and didn’t chase her again.
They would be spending the whole day in the building-materials market anyway.
The two of them were like a cat and a mouse.
One chased, the other ran.
They were bound to run into each other several more times.
Wang Zhiqiang scratched his head awkwardly.
“President Xie… I…”
“What has she been busy with lately? Aren’t other people handling most of the clients now?”
Xie Chong asked.
“Sister Wen rented a courtyard in a village for a long term. She wants to renovate an old house there. She said it’s cheaper, and eventually she plans to live and work there and use it as her studio.”
“There’s no office in the city? She’s making clients travel all the way to a village?”
“Sister Wen’s boyfriend helped her rent a co-working space. It’s very, very cheap…”
“Her boyfriend?”
Xie Chong’s expression suddenly changed.
“What boyfriend?”
“Sister Wen’s boyfriend. He’s a really nice guy. The day before yesterday, he even treated everyone in our studio to dinner.”
Wang Zhiqiang was still too inexperienced to notice the change in Xie Chong’s expression.
He continued talking as though they were simply discussing a mutual friend’s gossip.
“Sister Wen is really happy. He treats her very well. They’re even planning to go to the Maldives in a few days…”
He suddenly noticed how quiet the person beside him had become.
When he turned around, Xie Chong was already gone.
Xie Chong called Mu Wen twice, but she didn’t answer.
So he started walking through the building-materials market looking for her.
She seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.
Sometimes he would catch sight of the edge of her clothes and chase after her for a few steps, only for her to disappear again.
The rows of flooring, wall tiles, and other materials divided the huge market into countless little corridors.
It felt like a maze with no end.
But there was an end.
Xie Chong suddenly heard Mu Wen’s voice from behind a stack of boards.
“I don’t want to eat out. I want to cook myself. What do you want to eat? Tell me, and I’ll make it for you.”
Xie Chong stopped walking.
He held his breath and listened.
Mu Wen’s voice carried a hint of playful affection.
“Are you tired? Then take me for a massage. I want an essential-oil spa.”
She laughed softly.
“Okay, I still have things to do. I need to get back to work.”
Then, with obvious affection, she said,
“Of course I miss you.”
She was simply behaving like an ordinary woman in love.
When she liked someone, she treated him well.
After the call ended, her paint-stained figure appeared in front of Xie Chong.
He didn’t call out to her.
Instead, he called her phone.
Her ringtone sounded.
Mu Wen looked at the screen, then casually slipped the phone into her pocket.
She was also simply a person who knew exactly who she liked and disliked.
If she didn’t want to talk to someone, she simply wouldn’t.
Because Mu Wen had always treated Xie Chong like they were merely playing a game with each other, Xie Chong had mistakenly believed that things between them hadn’t reached this point.
After all, they had so much history together.
He thought she might still treat him differently.
At least, he never imagined she would completely ignore him.
Now he clearly saw her paint-stained work clothes.
She looked like a butterfly spreading its wings and flying away.
Xie Chong had never been someone who tolerated being ignored.
He quickly stepped forward and blocked her path.
Mu Wen was still planning to pretend she hadn’t noticed his phone call.
But Xie Chong ignored that completely and went straight to the point.
“What do you take me for?”
His voice was cold.
“You’re dating someone else while constantly taking clients from me. Mu Wen, don’t you think you should have some boundaries?”
Mu Wen immediately understood.
Wang Zhiqiang, that big-mouthed kid, had told Xie Chong about her relationship.
It had nothing to do with him, which was why she hadn’t mentioned it herself.
But she hadn’t been deliberately hiding it either.
If he knew, then so be it.
What difference did it make?
However, she still needed his help from time to time.
There was no reason to completely fall out with him.
So she suddenly slapped her forehead as if she had just realized something.
Her messy bun bounced with the movement.
In the past, whenever Xie Chong was around, she would even wipe the oil from the sides of her nose if she woke up in the middle of the night.
She had always been afraid he would see her looking disheveled.
She had always wanted to look beautiful in front of him.
Now she no longer cared.
She could finally be herself.
“I think of you as a good friend!”
Mu Wen answered without hesitation.
“Of course I think of you as a good friend. You know me. If you weren’t my friend, I wouldn’t ask you for clients.”
Xie Chong suddenly gave a cold laugh.
The wallpaper, floor tiles, paint, and curtains around them seemed to blend perfectly with Mu Wen.
He was the only one who looked out of place.
He had stayed up several nights in a row and finally had a day off.
Yet because of Mu Wen’s business, he had gotten up early and come here.
Of course, he wanted something in return.
He had always been clever and practical. He never did anything without a reason.
And what he wanted this time was Mu Wen.
He had wanted her for a very long time.
She was dating someone else while continuing to play around with him, treating him like an inexperienced young man.
She had shown him no pity and no guilt.
Mu Wen simply stared straight at him.
She wasn’t afraid of the anger gathering in his eyes.
What did she have to fear?
They had been fighting with each other for years.
They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone.
They were both old foxes.
There was no need to pretend to be innocent or helpless.
If he had fallen for her tricks, it was because he had willingly allowed it.
Otherwise, in all of Beijing, who else could possibly fool someone like him?
Xie Chong tugged at the fabric on her shoulder and gave it a shake.
In a low voice, he said,
“You’re just like these clothes you’re wearing. From top to bottom, you can’t be taken seriously.”
Mu Wen took a step back.
“So what? Who’s the one who keeps coming to someone you supposedly can’t take seriously?”
She pointed at herself.
“You are!”
She wasn’t satisfied yet, so she added more firmly,
“Stop interfering in my business from now on. Put another way, if you help me, I’ll thank you. If you don’t, I’ll survive just fine.”
“Right. Your new boyfriend has taken over.”
Xie Chong’s expression was unpleasant.
“You’ve got someone else to help you now. Can’t you do business without a man?”
Mu Wen raised her chin and shrugged.
“Exactly. You’re right. So what?”
She stared at him.
“It’s none of your business!”
With that, she turned and ran.
Knowing Xie Chong would simply stand there and watch her leave, she raised her hand and gave him an unmistakable rude gesture.
Then, afraid he might chase after her to argue, she hurried away even faster.
Mu Wen knew Xie Chong well.
He could handle softness, but he hated being challenged head-on.
So later, she called Wang Zhiqiang and instructed him to invite Xie Chong to dinner that evening.
She even taught him exactly what to say.
“Tell him, ‘Sister Wen is really grateful to you. She always says that our studio wouldn’t be where it is today without your help. She remembers everything you’ve done for her.’”
“And Wang Zhiqiang, watch what you say. Don’t talk about things you shouldn’t talk about, understand?”
On the other end of the phone, Wang Zhiqiang wondered what he should and shouldn’t say.
Because he was awkward with words—and perhaps afraid Mu Wen would laugh at him—he didn’t dare ask directly.
Mu Wen knew he was confused about her relationship with Xie Chong.
She didn’t want to hide it anymore.
So she simply said,
“Xie Chong is my ex-husband.”
There was an audible gasp from the other end.
Mu Wen heard it and said,
“It’s fine. Now you know.”
“Just do your job well. If you really want to establish yourself in Beijing, don’t worry about all that unnecessary gossip.”
Of course, she knew there were all kinds of rumors behind her back.
Almost any sentence people said about her would sound unpleasant.
But she didn’t care.
She didn’t have that much useless pride.
She didn’t live her life for other people’s approval.
She only wanted to live comfortably and honestly.
She also didn’t hold grudges.
After arguing with Xie Chong for a few minutes, she had already forgotten about it.
She plunged herself back into the building-materials market, measuring things, writing notes, and drawing plans.
She ran into Xie Chong several times during the day.
He stood there with a cold expression, accompanying Wang Zhiqiang and his friends.
Whenever he saw her, he deliberately turned his face away as though she annoyed him.
It wasn’t until the building-materials market closed that Mu Wen finally drove away.
Her car entered the busy streets.
The rows of tall buildings gradually fell behind her, rushing backward through the windows.
It was just like time itself.
As she drove forward, everything seemed to be flying backward together.