The evening breeze carried the smoky scent of the roadside food stalls in the Urban Village.
It blew Su Nuo’s loose bangs across her forehead.
She jogged all the way and finally caught up to Jiang Jingye before he turned into the alley.
“Jiang Jingye! Why are you walking so fast?”
She took the initiative to speak, but Jiang Jingye ignored her.
The slightly ingratiating expression on Su Nuo’s face immediately disappeared, and she became annoyed as well.
But when they got home, Jiang Jingye washed vegetables, cut meat, and steamed fish. The rushing sound of water from the faucet and the rhythmic chopping of the knife against the cutting board quickly filled the tiny room.
Not one of the dishes he had promised was missing.
When dinner was served, the glossy braised pork had been stewed until it was tender enough to fall off the bone. Hot oil had been poured over the steamed fish, releasing a sizzling burst of fresh aroma that filled the room.
There was also a plate of stir fried vegetables and a bowl of seaweed egg soup.
Three dishes and one soup, neatly arranged on the table.
After eating seven or eight pieces of braised pork and nearly half a fish, Su Nuo decided not to hold a grudge over what had happened earlier and smiled again.
But just then, Jiang Jingye, who had remained silent the entire meal, suddenly spoke.
“Quit your job at the milk tea shop.”
Su Nuo’s hand froze in midair.
The irritation she had just suppressed instantly flared back up.
“And after I quit? Should I go carry plates at a restaurant, or work as an internet café attendant? You know perfectly well that I’m only a vocational school graduate. I don’t have a degree or any qualifications. No proper office is going to hire me. The only jobs available to me are in the service industry. Jiayi pays me a salary I’m satisfied with, and I can handle the workload. I don’t want to change jobs.”
Su Nuo was raising a practical concern.
Jiang Jingye pressed his lips together, unable to argue.
He was just a security guard now, with neither money nor influence.
Even suggesting that his “girlfriend” should stop working sounded weak and powerless.
The words I’ll support you felt too heavy.
He wanted to say them, but he was afraid Su Nuo would laugh at him.
Did providing three meals a day count as support?
Did living in a cramped room with no decent environment count as support?
Did being unable to afford even a laptop count as support?
Unable to find common ground, the atmosphere at the dinner table grew cold once again.
Although Su Nuo was unhappy, she wasn’t about to take it out on the food.
After finishing her meal, she grabbed her bag and headed straight to the internet café.
The place was thick with cigarette smoke.
Finding a corner seat, she sat down with a stomach full of frustration and pounded away at the keyboard.
The people around her puffed away on cigarettes. Smoke drifted over constantly.
She coughed repeatedly and rubbed her reddened nose, but her fingers never stopped moving.
All her grievances and anger poured into the story.
Line after line appeared rapidly on the screen.
When she finally stopped and stretched, she realized her word count had already exceeded ten thousand words.
Glancing at the clock in the lower right corner of the screen, she saw it was already eleven at night.
Su Nuo left the internet café and headed back to the Rental Apartment.
The alleys of the Urban Village were pitch black at night.
There were barely any streetlights.
After only a few steps, she heard unhurried footsteps behind her.
Her heart immediately skipped a beat.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
“Hey, pretty girl. Out here all alone?”
“Such a beauty. How about coming to have some fun with us?”
The voices of two dyed blond men came from behind her, carrying unmistakably ill intentions.
Su Nuo quietly slipped a hand into her bag and gripped the pepper spray she carried with her.
As the footsteps drew closer, she made up her mind.
Spinning around suddenly, she sprayed the entire can toward the approaching figure.
“Ugh.”
A muffled groan sounded.
Su Nuo focused her eyes and looked carefully.
The person she had just sprayed in the face was actually Jiang Jingye.
Ever since she had left the Rental Apartment, he had been following nearby.
She had spent over three hours in the internet café.
He had spent over three hours sitting on the steps outside.
She had simply been too absorbed to notice him.
Perhaps after witnessing the overwhelming crowd she attracted while handing out flyers that afternoon,
he had finally realized how much trouble Su Nuo’s appearance could attract.
That male college student from before had only been the appetizer.
The people with truly malicious intentions never stood openly in the sunlight.
“Jiang Jingye! Why is it you? I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
Su Nuo immediately panicked and rushed forward to support him.
His eyes were burning so badly that he couldn’t open them.
Her voice trembled with anxiety.
“Can you still walk? We should get back and put some ice on it.”
Jiang Jingye nodded.
Su Nuo could only hold his hand tightly and guide him home step by step.
His warm hand completely enveloped hers.
The heat from his palm traveled through her skin.
All her fear and anger vanished without a trace.
Only guilt remained.
The alley was uneven and full of potholes.
She walked carefully, constantly reminding him where there were steps and where there were holes.
A walk of only a few hundred meters took more than ten minutes.
Back at home, Jiang Jingye sat on the edge of the bed.
Su Nuo dipped a cotton swab into cool boiled water and carefully wiped around his eyes.
Both anxious and annoyed, she said,
“Why didn’t you say anything while following me? You scared me to death! I thought you were a bad guy!”
“Aren’t we in the middle of a cold war? If I spoke, it wouldn’t be a cold war anymore.”
His eyes remained closed.
The irritation in them left his voice slightly hoarse, but his tone was unexpectedly soft.
Su Nuo burst out laughing.
“So you knew we were having a cold war.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about the practical realities. I shouldn’t have told you to quit your job.”
He clenched his fist.
“But believe me. Our lives will keep getting better.”
He had said our lives.
Su Nuo froze for a moment.
Jiang Jingye continued.
“You don’t need to envy Xu Jiayi and Fu Sili. Their families are large, and there are countless rules and obligations. It looks like they have everything, but they also carry plenty of burdens. We may be poor right now, but if you give me time, I can also…”
…give you happiness.
The second half never left his mouth.
Su Nuo interrupted him.
“Yes, yes, I know. As long as you don’t try to control me, I’ll support whatever you want to do. Wait here, I’ll get some ice for your eyes.”
In her hurry, she accidentally stumbled.
When she returned with the ice, she lost her balance and fell directly into Jiang Jingye’s lap.
Unable to see, Jiang Jingye instinctively reached out to catch her.
His palm landed squarely against her chest.
The air instantly froze.
A subtle tension quietly spread between them.
Jiang Jingye pressed his lips together.
Relying on his memory of her position, he tilted his head slightly.
His warm lips found hers with surprising accuracy.
Su Nuo’s entire body trembled.
Her eyes widened.
Her mind went completely blank.
His kiss carried a hint of careful tentativeness.
Soon, however, it deepened.
The emotions he had suppressed for so long gradually poured into it.
His hand slipped beneath the fabric of her clothing.
A faint click sounded as some small restraint loosened.
The unfamiliar sensation made Su Nuo bite her lip.
She was afraid that if she lost control for even a moment, some embarrassing sound might escape.
The strange feeling was not unpleasant.
In fact, there was even a trace of happiness hidden within it.
Jiang Jingye’s kiss continued to deepen.
Their noses pressed together.
Their breathing mingled.
Held firmly by the man’s hand against her back, she found herself completely unable to resist.
His fingertips slowly traced downward along her waist, carrying an almost scorching warmth.
Su Nuo’s whole body tensed.
Her fingers clutched the corner of his shirt.
Her mind was blank, filled only with helpless confusion.
Then, a familiar sensation suddenly surged from her lower abdomen.
Su Nuo froze instantly.
Her face turned bright red.
At that exact moment, Jiang Jingye’s hand had just reached the edge of her waistband.
As if burned, she sprang up from his lap.
She stammered for a moment before clutching her stomach and rushing into the bathroom.
Jiang Jingye remained frozen where he sat.
The warmth he had touched still lingered at his fingertips.
As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, he looked at the arm he had not yet lowered.
Only a faint sense of emptiness remained in his heart.
Had she… rejected him?
The woman who used to throw herself at him every chance she got now found him repulsive?
Was it because of Fu Sili?
Or because he was now nothing more than a penniless security guard?