He remembered what Rong Jiqiao had said a few days ago.
“I just want to help share some of the burden.”
An electric scooter. A shared rental apartment.
She was still with him—she just hadn’t found a better option yet.
He stared in that direction for a few seconds. Something clogged his throat, stuck there, neither going up nor down.
In the end, he turned the handlebars and rode in the opposite direction, making sure she wouldn’t see him.
…
On Zhu Xiaoyue’s side.
Seeing her boyfriend’s reaction, her enthusiasm toward Rong Jiqiao cooled almost instantly.
“Yeah, she already has a boyfriend. I just remembered it might be rush hour on the Second Ring Road. Jiqiao, would taking the subway be faster for you?”
Rong Jiqiao, if she still couldn’t understand the implied meaning in those words, would have wasted all these years of life.
She glanced at the free ride with a trace of regret and could only say,
“Oh right, I forgot. Then you guys go ahead. I’ll take the subway—it’s faster anyway.”
Zhu Xiaoyue’s boyfriend still looked unwilling to give up, but Zhu Xiaoyue quickly pushed him into the driver’s seat.
“Hurry up and go. You’ll get points deducted if you stop too long.”
After the car drove off, the man still couldn’t suppress his thoughts. Through the rearview mirror, he kept glancing at Rong Jiqiao’s figure several times.
Zhu Xiaoyue noticed it and gritted her teeth in the passenger seat.
“What’s so good about looking at her? She’s just someone who’s obsessed with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend’s only a security guard and she’s still sticking with him. Otherwise, with her looks, why would she end up here wasting her time?”
Her boyfriend pretended innocently.
“What are you talking about? I was just being polite since she’s your coworker.”
Zhu Xiaoyue’s face darkened. She didn’t speak, but inwardly she was already cursing both Rong Jiqiao and her own boyfriend.
…
Back home, Rong Jiqiao made a simple dinner.
Duan Yan hadn’t returned yet, so she covered the dishes and went to take a shower first.
By the time she lay on the bed waiting, sleepiness crept in and she was almost dozing off.
The door lock clicked.
Duan Yan was back.
She didn’t open her eyes, only hearing him go into the kitchen and rummage through the dishes. Soon, the sound of chopsticks tapping against a porcelain bowl echoed.
He was eating the meal she had left for him.
The sound was soft, steady—rhythmic.
After finishing, he washed the dishes and walked to the bedside to sit down.
Rong Jiqiao turned over, pretending to be asleep.
Duan Yan didn’t speak. He took something out of his pocket and placed a small box on the bedside table.
She heard the movement and opened her eyes.
“You’re awake?”
Rong Jiqiao sat up.
“You’re back.”
Duan Yan pointed at the bedside table. “For you.”
She froze for a moment, then picked up the box and opened it.
Inside lay a necklace—silver chain, with a small star-shaped pendant that shimmered softly under the light.
She lifted it slightly, watching the chain sway between her fingers.
“How much was it?”
“Five thousand.”
Her hand jolted. The necklace almost slipped.
“That expensive?!”
Duan Yan leaned back against the bed. “I got a bonus.”
Rong Jiqiao stared at the necklace, her throat tightening.
She liked it. A lot.
But—
If she accepted it, she would really be draining him dry.
She carefully placed it back into the box and closed it, forcing herself to say,
“Never mind. Return it.”
Duan Yan tilted his head. “You don’t like it?”
“I do.”
“Then why not take it?”
“I already said it—there’s no need to buy something this expensive right now.”
“It’s not expensive,” Duan Yan said. “I was afraid you’d think it was cheap.”
Rong Jiqiao’s fingers curled slightly around the box.
“I…”
Duan Yan stood up, took a clean set of pajamas from the wardrobe, and paused.
Without turning around, he said,
“I was afraid if it was cheap, you’d think I was stingy.”
The words lodged in her throat like cotton. She couldn’t speak for a moment.
Her mind raced.
“I… I didn’t. I really just think it’s too expensive. Shouldn’t we be saving money now?”
“You used to spend whatever you had,” Duan Yan interrupted calmly. “One yuan, you spent one yuan. One hundred, you spent one hundred. Now you suddenly want to save money?”
Her back stiffened.
She had almost forgotten.
In her past life, she really had been a complete spendthrift.
Clothes, cosmetics, milk tea—her salary never lasted more than a few days.
“I… I do know how to save,” she forced herself to say. “Otherwise how did I pay your medical bills back then?”
The moment she said it, an indescribable feeling rose in her chest.
At this point, the lie could only be carried to the end. There was no way back to the truth.
Duan Yan looked at her for a few seconds, not questioning her.
He simply nodded.
“Right.”
Duan Yan had just sat down by the bed, his hair still dripping. Water slid from the ends and fell onto his shoulders.
“What are you watching?”
“Short videos.”
“You’re laughing that hard?”
Only then did Rong Jiqiao lift her face. Her eyes were bright.
“It’s so funny. Do you want to see?”
Duan Yan sat down at the edge of the bed, and she handed him the phone.
On the screen, the female lead looked panicked, while the male lead stood at the door, his face pale.
Rong Jiqiao explained enthusiastically, “She cheated. He caught her in the act.”
Duan Yan watched silently.
“She thought he was going to break up with her and got scared,” she continued.
In the video, the male lead finally spoke, his voice trembling:
“Why do you want a divorce? If you cheated, just break up with him. Why are you dragging me into this?”
Rong Jiqiao burst out laughing. “Look at him, he’s really way too in love.”
Duan Yan handed the phone back to her and tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah.”
She took it back, watched it again, and laughed even harder.
After she was done, she tossed the phone aside, rolled over onto her back, and said casually,
“Do you think guys like that are kind of stupid?”