After showering, Jiang Jingye came out of the bathroom.
Su Nuo was already asleep.
He lowered his steps and walked to the bedside before lying down.
The thick cotton quilt felt heavy on his body, a bit stifling.
It also carried a faint, slightly irritating fabric scent.
Lying there quietly, his thoughts were somewhat unsettled.
He turned his head to look at Su Nuo’s sleeping face.
He still felt that he should give the person beside him some form of security.
Su Nuo, after all, had been with him for three years.
They had been together when he was wealthy, and she had not left him when he fell into poverty.
In the future, perhaps they would just continue like this, muddling through life together.
Imagining a poor yet quiet future where the two of them lived alone, a warmth slowly rose in his chest.
Jiang Jingye slowly closed his eyes.
But just as his consciousness was about to sink into sleep.
A figure suddenly flashed in his mind, Fu Sili.
Xu Jiayi’s boyfriend.
And also his long time rival in both open and hidden conflicts.
He suddenly remembered clearly why, back then, among all those women around him, he had chosen Su Nuo to be his nominal girlfriend.
Because Su Nuo liked Fu Sili.
Back then, Jiang Jingye was arrogant and proud.
As Fu Sili was his top rival in both business and political circles, Fu Sili had received endless praise and recognition.
Wherever he went, people always compared him with Fu Sili.
And in every comparison, he seemed to end up losing badly.
When asked where Jiang Jingye fell short compared to Fu Sili, people said Fu Sili was the only heir of a prestigious family, upright and legitimate. While Jiang Jingye had seized power from his father and brothers, his position was seen as improper and illegitimate.
They also said Fu Sili valued people, was virtuous and righteous, a gentleman in style, while Jiang Jingye was ruthless, decisive, and a cold capitalist.
Jiang Jingye felt that their backgrounds were different, and the companies they managed were different, so their ways of handling things naturally differed.
But those people were determined to believe Fu Sili was superior in every way.
Among them were Xu Jiayi, and also Su Nuo back then.
He still remembered that night, in a nightclub where a group of women surrounded him, flattering him endlessly.
Only Su Nuo, with her youthful face, looked at him directly and said, “You, Jiang Jingye, are not as refined and gentle as Fu Sili.”
He had been so angry at that sentence that he laughed, and then became competitive.
So he decided to use money to make her obedient, to make her change her words.
If one hundred thousand was not enough, then one million.
If one million was not enough, then ten million.
He took her out of the nightclub and provided her with luxury and everything she could want.
He just wanted Su Nuo to understand that he was better than Fu Sili, at least that Fu Sili would never casually spend millions on a woman.
Later, Su Nuo did become obedient.
She followed him around every day, saying nice things.
She also became increasingly affectionate and clingy.
Gradually, he lost the urge to compete with Fu Sili, but he still understood something.
In her heart, Fu Sili probably still existed.
Today at the supermarket checkout.
Her Alipay profile picture seemed to still be Fu Sili.
So her staying by his side, encouraging him to repay debts, encouraging him to rise again, and even encouraging him to pursue Xu Jiayi, was actually all for Fu Sili.
She wanted to wait until he helped her take Xu Jiayi away, so she could become the ultimate winner.
What a schemer.
Earlier he was even thinking about finding a job tomorrow.
At least to let Su Nuo afford milk tea freely.
Now he had completely lost that idea.
Life could be lived happily or carelessly.
No one loved him anyway, so he might as well be completely reckless.
But the next afternoon.
Jiang Jingye still found a security job at a high end residential complex nearby.
Since it was arranged on short notice, he was wearing his own clothes for now. The uniform would be issued the next day.
“You are so handsome, why did you come to be a security guard? You should go to Hengdian. Short dramas are booming there. You could just stand there and be a CEO type character!”
The coworker Liu Zhisheng at the gatehouse joked with him.
Jiang Jingye did not know how to respond.
Originally, he had planned to apply for social assistance and just coast through life.
But at noon today, he and Su Nuo had gone to the snack street again for that cheap and delicious fried rice. When they passed the milk tea shop, her gaze lingered there for a long time.
She even carefully stuck out her tongue and lightly licked her lips.
That expression felt like a knife cutting into his heart.
So he made a decision that went against his original intention.
He went to work.
And being a security guard was, under his current emotional instability, the best option.
After all, it was also a job where one could quietly pass the time and retire mentally.
Thinking this, he felt much more at ease.
He was not changing himself because of a woman.
“Being a CEO requires standing tall and composed. Being a security guard just means sitting here. I can tell which job is easier,” Jiang Jingye said calmly.
Liu Zhisheng laughed. “Seems we are the same kind of people. My mom keeps pushing me to study, but studying is too hard. Better to become a security guard early and live a laid back life.”
As he spoke, Liu Zhisheng took out his phone.
The familiar “Timi” sound caught Jiang Jingye’s attention.
He had seen Su Nuo play this game before. It seemed quite popular.
After a brief introduction, Liu Zhisheng dragged him into a few matches.
After several 1v1 duels, Liu Zhisheng was completely crushed.
“You really have never played before?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes, this is my first time downloading it,” Jiang Jingye replied calmly.
Liu Zhisheng did not believe him at all and laughed, calling him a liar.
But Jiang Jingye did not care what others thought. He spent the entire afternoon playing the game and easily reached Star rank.
Liu Zhisheng was completely stunned and started calling him boss, begging him to carry him.
“I am off work. I am going home,” Jiang Jingye said, ignoring his coworker’s pleas.
Just as he was about to leave, Liu Zhisheng quickly added, “Play with me tonight, I will buy you milk tea!”
“Who wants that overly sweet…” Jiang Jingye started, then suddenly paused.
Liu Zhisheng immediately changed his words.
“No milk tea? Then what do you want? I can treat you to McDonald’s?”
“No need. Just milk tea. Order it now. I will come to work tomorrow and carry you again.”
Without asking further, Liu Zhisheng placed the order using the address Jiang Jingye gave him.
When Jiang Jingye returned to the rental apartment, the milk tea delivery had just arrived downstairs.
He took it upstairs and opened the door to see Su Nuo cooking by the window.
“You are back from work? Dinner is ready. Give me five minutes.”
Her gentle voice entered his ears.
Jiang Jingye casually placed the milk tea on the small folding table.
Su Nuo quickly poured the chopped tomatoes into the pan on the electric stove.
Steam mixed with cooking smoke surged upward, making her cough repeatedly.
Her face turned bright red.
“It looks like we still need to install a range hood. The smoke is too heavy. The whole room smells,” she said while placing the tomato and egg dish on the table.
She then asked if they could install a fan type hood.
Jiang Jingye pushed the milk tea toward her and replied, “Yes, we can try. It should not be difficult.”
“Where did the milk tea come from?” Su Nuo asked in confusion.
Jiang Jingye took her bowl of rice and answered calmly, “From a coworker.”
Su Nuo’s eyes immediately curved into a smile.
She had thought that someone like Jiang Jingye, a once proud genius, might struggle to fit in as a security guard. She did not expect him to already have coworkers giving him milk tea.
“If someone gives you milk tea, you should respond properly. Otherwise they will think you are stingy,” she said, taking out one thousand yuan and handing it to him. “I should have given this to you this morning. Take it and use it. Remember to treat your coworkers to some takeout.”
Jiang Jingye lowered his gaze and looked at the ten red bills on the table.
He froze slightly.
A strange ripple spread through his heart.
Layer after layer of emotion surged upward.
For the first time in his life.
A woman willingly put money into his hands.