Сhаpter 5: Соuрlе Wаtches
Yin En Yu’s fingеrtiрs trembled slightlу as she gеntlу brushеd аgаinst thе fabriс оf his suit hеm.
Нer lips рarted, but she cоuldn’t find thе words tо sау thе first thing tо him aftеr thеir rеunion.
In the еnd, it wаs Hе Yu Zhou who brokе the stаlemate оf the mоment.
Нis gаze fixеd intently on hеr, hе lеt оut a delibеrаtеlу casuаl tonе from his throаt, asking the quеstion—
“Hаve you nоt bееn eаting оn time?”
Even thоugh she hаd dumрed him, seеing her agаin and nоtiсing shе hadn’t bеen taking сare оf hеrsеlf still made his heart ache.
Hе сouldn’t bring himself to ignorе hеr, nor could hе sаy anything harsh to her.
He couldn’t even muster a cold or forceful tone.
The sudden concern made Yin En Yu’s heart clench sharply, like cotton soaked in water—sour and swollen.
Her eyelashes fluttered lightly as she found her voice, “I have.”
The person before her seemed unchanged.
His facial features were sharp and distinct, with slightly upturned outer corners of his eyes, and a hint of playful nonchalance lingered between his brows. However, his silhouette had grown deeper and more mature than before.
Unlike others who wore their suits neatly and properly, his shirt was loosely tucked into his pants, giving off a relaxed and casual vibe.
The collar was empty, unbound by a tie.
Before returning to the country, she had imagined the scene of their reunion more than once.
She thought he might treat her coldly, pretending not to know her. They were both alike—proud and strong-willed.
She still remembered the moment she had broken up with him years ago.
Amid his confusion and anger, there was also self-blame.
He felt that he, as a boyfriend, must have done something wrong, which led her to break up with him.
In the end, seeing her resolute and firm stance on the breakup, he gritted his teeth and uttered a decisive, harsh statement: Yin En Yu, if we ever meet again, we’ll be nothing but strangers to each other.
That was also the first time he had called her by her full name.
It wasn’t until He Yu Zhou’s voice sounded in her ear again that Yin En Yu snapped out of her thoughts.
His voice was slightly low, “Don’t even think about lying to me about things my eyes can see.”
Yin En Yu couldn’t refute it.
Yes, how could she escape his eyes?
They were the ones who knew each other best.
He Yu Zhou stood before her and continued asking, “Have you been happy?”
After breaking up with him, was she happier than when she was with him?
Yin En Yu lowered her gaze slightly, suppressing the emotions in her heart, “It’s alright. What about you?”
He Yu Zhou’s deep eyes fixed on her, “Not so great.”
Yin En Yu was slightly taken aback. Had he not been doing well?
But she didn’t voice the question.
Because she noticed a ring on the middle finger of his left hand. The band was hard and cold, its platinum material gleaming with a chilly luster under the light.
It stung Yin En Yu’s eyes.
It seemed Wan Tang’s guess was right—he did have a girlfriend now.
He wasn’t someone who liked wearing accessories on his hands. The only piece of jewelry he had ever worn was a watch.
And back then, he had bought a couple’s set.
Thinking of this, Yin En Yu’s gaze slowly shifted upward, landing on his strong wrist.
Immediately, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. To her surprise, it was still that familiar black-and-silver watch.
He Yu Zhou noticed her gaze and explained nonchalantly, “Breaking up is one thing, but something bought with real money shouldn’t just be thrown away.”
Coming from the extravagant He Yu Zhou, these words sounded rather out of place.He lowered his gaze to sweep over her bare, fair wrist, insinuating pointedly, “Unlike you, who treats money like dirt, discarding both people and things together.”
Yin En Yu opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but restrained herself.
That couple’s watch—she hadn’t actually thrown it away.
She just felt it didn’t match her evening gown, so before going on stage for the performance, she had taken it off and placed it in her bag.
At other times, she always wore it on her wrist.
But at this moment, she was also glad she had removed the watch, preventing him from seeing it and avoiding further misunderstandings.
“Did you come to watch the performance?” Yin En Yu stiffly changed the subject.
He Yu Zhou gave a soft hum, stubbornly adding, “But don’t misunderstand—I didn’t come to watch your performance.”
Yin En Yu blurted out, “But tonight, there’s only my performance here.”
She hadn’t really thought he had come specifically to see her perform.
A barely perceptible crack flickered across He Yu Zhou’s face, but it vanished in an instant, quickly returning to his composed and unruffled demeanor.
“I came in the afternoon,” he said calmly.
Yin En Yu let out an “oh,” unsure whether she believed him or not.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head inside first.”
He Yu Zhou called her back, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
In the past, they had talked about everything, eager to share even the most trivial details of daily life.
But now, even a few sparse words felt so forced.
Yin En Yu lightly twisted her fingers, pressing her soft lips together.
After hesitating for two seconds, she finally spoke: “I hope you can be happy.”
Whether he had a girlfriend or not, she wished him happiness.
He Yu Zhou’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. “That’s it?”
He shouldn’t have expected to hear what he wanted from her lips.
Yin En Yu met his gaze and nodded.
That truly was what she wanted to say to him.
Only, he didn’t seem very satisfied.
He Yu Zhou gave a bitter laugh, responding directly, “I can’t be happy.”
After a pause, his eyes fixed on her, her reflection mirrored in his dark pupils. “But you should be happy. Don’t push yourself too hard, take care of your health, and eat on time.”
On the day they broke up two years ago, anger had clouded his judgment, and he had forgotten to remind her.
He could sense that she didn’t seem very happy.
This wasn’t the outcome he had wanted when he agreed to break up with her back then.
She had always been someone who didn’t take good care of herself, delicate and tender-hearted, naturally needing to be cherished and doted on with care.
It was just a pity that person was no longer him.
A lump formed in Yin En Yu’s throat, her nose tingling with sourness.
She struggled to hold back her emotions, her voice trembling slightly. “Okay.”
The final “you too” remained unspoken, afraid He Yu Zhou would notice her unsettled state.
“Go on in,” He Yu Zhou said.
“Mm.” Yin En Yu didn’t dare stay in his presence any longer. She quickly turned around and reached for the doorknob of the adjacent dressing room.
As the door opened, the man behind her suddenly spoke again—
“Baobei…”
The familiar term nearly slipped out, but He Yu Zhou caught himself in time. Gazing at her slender back, he changed his words:
“The performance was brilliant.”
Not just tonight.
She was still that dazzling, brilliant concert pianist, and he, sitting in the audience, would always be immensely proud of her, just as before.
Overwhelmed by a wave of sorrow, Yin En Yu didn’t connect his earlier words—”I didn’t come to watch your performance”—with this moment.She entered the lounge, and the moment she closed the door, it felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Weakly leaning against the back of the door, tears uncontrollably slipped from her eyes.
Outside the door, He Yu Zhou did not leave immediately. He stood quietly in front of it, as if he could sense her presence through the thick wooden panel.
He leaned against the door, his back pressed against the cold surface, mirroring her posture on the other side. Lowering his head, he hid the dim light in his eyes.
As if this way, it could bring their relationship a little closer, allowing him to feel her breath and heartbeat.
He Yu Zhou took out his phone from his pocket, opened the contact that had always been pinned at the top, and typed into the chat box—
【Don’t cry.】
They hadn’t been in touch since the breakup, and he didn’t know if she had deleted him.
After hesitating for two seconds, He Yu Zhou pressed send, his eyes fixed intently on the phone screen.
The message was sent successfully. No red exclamation mark—the one that would have made his heart sink—appeared on the screen.
He Yu Zhou let out a slight sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t been that ruthless.