After Breaking Up With the Scheming Bad Woman 23

Chapter 23: How Was She Supposed to Breathe in This Relationship?

The soft light of the night lamp flowed silently, illuminating the scene before her.

The girl’s forehead was pressed against her knees. She was holding her phone, talking to someone. The faint blue veins on the back of her hand were visible under her gauze-like skin, a stark contrast to her long black hair. A few seconds later, she turned her head, her dark pupils like two brilliant gems under the light.

Her lips parted slightly, her voice low as she replied to the person on the other end, “I didn’t abandon you, Chu… Jiejie. I promised you, we are each other’s only family.”

She knew that Wen Shiwei hadn’t told Chu Wantang where she was staying. She also knew that Chu Wantang must have thought she was staying at Wen Shiwei’s house. But she had never had such a thought. The tip of her nose couldn’t help but feel a little sore again as she added, “This is the second time you’ve misunderstood me. Don’t misunderstand me. I just wanted to calm down.”

“I was just expressing my recent feelings, because I’ve been waiting for your message, and I haven’t received it, Huai Xing.” Chu Wantang took a deep breath and then changed the subject. “It’s hard for me to express my thoughts over the phone. Let’s meet tomorrow, okay?”

Huai Xing blinked and replied, “Okay.”

“Are you sure you’re not having cramps?” Chu Wantang confirmed again gently.

“Mm, it doesn’t hurt much.”

“So it still hurts a little,” Chu Wantang said to herself, not asking. “I’ll rub it for you when I get back tomorrow.”

Huai Xing neither refused nor agreed, just parted her lips and said, “Get some sleep, Jiejie. Business trips are tiring.”

“Then… good night.”

“Good night.”

The few minutes of conversation came to a quiet end. Huai Xing stared at the intimate photo that had reappeared on the screen, a little dazed.

Then, she received another message from Chu Wantang, reminding her to drink hot water and telling her the specific time of her return from her business trip tomorrow.

The flight would depart at nine-thirty in the morning and would take about two and a half hours to reach Jingcheng airport. She would go to the company to report on her work first, then go home. There was plenty of time left.

Jiejie: [I’ll pick you up tonight, okay?]

Jiejie: [I’ll have Auntie Chen prepare dinner in advance.]

Chu Wantang’s arrangements were very detailed. Huai Xing looked at the messages, a sigh caught in her throat, unable to be released.

In the end, she replied: [Okay.]

Afraid that Chu Wantang would think her attitude was too cold, she added: [See you tomorrow.]

She couldn’t hide forever. She had to face what she had to face.

The phone call still had no sleep-inducing effect. She had another sleepless night.

She stared into the dark night, her mind couldn’t help but wonder, was Chu Wantang so insecure about her disappearance?

To even use the word “abandon”…

Even though their current relationship was a bit chaotic, she wouldn’t abandon Chu Wantang. Because as Chu Wantang had said, she had raised her for so long. How could she make things difficult for Chu Wantang?

She was already tied down. In other words, she now owed Chu Wantang, financially, emotionally, and in terms of time…

She owed her in every way, and she couldn’t pay it back.

She could no longer extricate herself from this relationship. More than that, there was also a reluctance to let go.

The temperature in Jingcheng was ever-changing. The next day was not sunny; the sky was covered with dark clouds.

When Huai Xing woke up, she saw a message from Chu Wantang that had been sent early in the morning. It was a screenshot of the weather in Jingcheng, which showed that there would be a thunderstorm tonight.

Jiejie: [Just in time for my return.]

Huai Xing looked at the message, only feeling that Chu Wantang’s thoughtfulness was like a sharp thorn, piercing her heart.

She no longer knew what kind of torment she was enduring.

Perhaps in many people’s eyes, she hadn’t lost anything, because Chu Wantang was gentle, rich, and beautiful, and had even given her an excellent experience in bed… If this were to be posted online, there would definitely be a long line of people in the comments section, questioning what she was being picky about.

That’s right, what was she being picky about? She and Chu Wantang were now as intimate as they could be.

But people are greedy. She had experienced a moment of “mutual affection” with Chu Wantang. Even if it was just for a moment, it made her even more aware that the added layer of being friends with benefits was not what she wanted.

But what she wanted, Chu Wantang couldn’t give; what Chu Wantang wanted, she could.

…

Compared to the workload before Women’s Day, the recent tasks were significantly less. She only needed to monitor the data between several platforms and provide solutions.

After the regular team meeting, which lasted an hour, Huai Xing and Ren Jiao returned to their seats.

“Drowsy on sunny days, listless on cloudy days.”

Ren Jiao rubbed her eyelids. She was so sleepy that she once again lamented, “I should have been in love with my bed for the rest of my life, not working this crappy job.”

Huai Xing was used to her endless complaints about work, but it was true that she was also listless today.

Looking out the window, the sky was gray, completely obscuring the originally azure sky. A few birds flapped their wings and flew past.

In the blink of an eye, a white flash of lightning suddenly appeared. A few seconds later, a muffled roar followed, and a downpour rushed down, one after another.

The weather forecast was not very accurate. The thunderstorm had arrived early, and the few birds were long gone.

Some of the employees in the work area were startled by the sudden thunder, and some even cursed under their breath.

Everyone looked out the window, but the rain curtain blocked all visibility, which was very low.

The lightning and thunder continued, as if the heavens were angry.

Ren Jiao’s sleepiness was driven away by the few claps of thunder. She turned her head and saw Huai Xing in a daze. She couldn’t help but ask, “Huai Xing, wake up, it’s time to work.”

“In this kind of thunderstorm…” Huai Xing looked at her, wanting to confirm, “is there a high probability that flights will be affected?”

“Is your sister busy again?”

“…Mm.”

“They’ll probably have to make an emergency landing in a neighboring city,” Ren Jiao said, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the computer screen helplessly. The data was making her sleepy again.

Huai Xing also looked at the computer screen, but she couldn’t take anything in.

Before long, she took out her phone, lowered her eyes, and opened her chat with Chu Wantang. An hour ago, Chu Wantang had told her that she was about to take off.

Her fingertips hesitated on the screen for a moment, but she still typed and asked: [Jiejie, did the plane make an emergency landing in a neighboring city?]

The sound of the rain was incessant, making Huai Xing feel anxious.

She was clearly not afraid of thunder, but at this moment, it was as if she had really played herself into the role. For the entire morning, she had been anxiously waiting for Chu Wantang’s reply.

Eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock…

It wasn’t until one in the afternoon that a small red dot appeared on the pinned chat.

Huai Xing quickly opened it.

The plane had made an emergency landing, but not in a neighboring city, but in a more distant one. They had also encountered similar weather in other cities along the way.

It was still unknown when they could take off again.

Huai Xing breathed a sigh of relief and replied: [Safety is the most important thing.]

Jiejie: [Don’t be afraid, Xiao Xing.]

Huai Xing lay on her desk, staring at the line of words, her eyes red, and the corners of her lips twitching.

The rain outside was sometimes heavy and sometimes light. By the time it was time to get off work, it was pouring again.

It was hard to get a taxi, so Huai Xing took the subway home. The splashing rain wet the cuffs of her pants. She squeezed into the carriage with strangers. Everything here was wet, and the umbrellas were dripping.

The hashtag “Jingcheng downpour” had been on the hot search for the whole afternoon. Some people were scrolling through Weibo and complaining.

In Huai Xing’s group chat, her friends were also talking about this damn weather. She scrolled through it, and before long, she arrived at her station.

At six-forty, she returned home.

She had had insomnia last night and had left in a hurry this morning, so she hadn’t even confirmed where the camera was. Now, after washing her hands, she could see it, standing next to the floor lamp in the corner.

Huai Xing was still in contact with Chu Wantang. Chu Wantang’s flight was still delayed.

She walked to the camera and stood there, bending down slightly.

She then took out her phone and sent a message to Chu Wantang: [Jiejie, look at the camera.]

Chu Wantang replied instantly: [Okay.]

She opened the phone app, and as soon as she opened the program, she saw Huai Xing standing in front of the camera, smiling at her.

Chu Wantang looked at the girl’s face. The camera she had bought was expensive, and the pixels were very high. Although the color tone was a little different, it didn’t prevent her from clearly seeing Huai Xing’s beautiful eyes and moist lips.

The scene from that night was stuck in her mind. She even remembered the taste of Huai Xing’s lips.

Her long lashes drooped. She turned on the camera’s voice function, and her voice was transmitted to talk to Huai Xing. “Are you willing to let me see you now?”

Huai Xing hadn’t expected there to be a voice function and her eyes widened slightly.

She pressed her lips together and defended herself, “You weren’t looking for me.”

Chu Wantang couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m on my way back.”

“Did the staff say when we can take off?”

“No,” Chu Wantang said. “I’ll rest a bit more.”

“Okay.”

Chu Wantang turned off the microphone, exited the app, and leaned her head to the side.

Outside the window was the kind of scenery you only see when speeding down the highway.

At seven-thirty, Auntie Chen came to make dinner.

She wasn’t a local of Jingcheng. Her daughter had worked hard in Jingcheng and earned some money, so she had asked her to come to Jingcheng to enjoy her life. But she couldn’t bear to see her daughter so tired and burdened with a mortgage. Coincidentally, she saw that Chu Wantang was offering generous terms in the owners’ group, so she interviewed and had been cooking for the two sisters ever since.

Living in the same complex, it was convenient to come and go. Auntie Chen hadn’t seen Huai Xing for a while. After showing some concern, she said no more and went into the kitchen to work seriously.

In less than twenty minutes, two dishes and a soup were on the table.

After Auntie Chen took out the trash, Huai Xing was once again alone in the house.

She chewed mechanically, constantly paying attention to Chu Wantang’s flight information, but it was still delayed.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder struck.

Huai Xing’s eating movements paused. She couldn’t help but recall that if Chu Wantang were here, she would be holding her at this moment, telling her “don’t be afraid.”

But…

It seemed that Chu Wantang wouldn’t be back today.

Just as that thought arose, in the interval between the claps of thunder, she heard the sound of the door opening. She looked up and said, “Auntie Chen, is there still…” Seeing the person standing at the door, she immediately stood up. “Jiejie?”

Chu Wantang looked a little disheveled.

The rain was really heavy. Even with an umbrella, it was easy to get wet, not to mention that she was also pulling a suitcase. Therefore, her hair was a little damp, her shoulders and arms were soaked, and her pant legs were a little muddy.

Huai Xing walked over quickly, both surprised and happy. She quickly asked, “How did you get back?”

Chu Wantang didn’t answer immediately. Her body was trembling a little. Only when she saw the person in front of her did she feel her body gradually warming up.

Another clap of thunder struck.

Chu Wantang let go of the suitcase. She took a step forward and hugged the girl without hesitation, her arms tightening, holding her tighter and tighter.

Huai Xing hugged her back, her head slightly buried, feeling her damp, warm shoulder.

Her unspeakable feelings grew wildly under Chu Wantang’s intense concern.

Who could tell her how she was supposed to breathe in this relationship?

Chu Wantang felt Huai Xing’s return hug. She closed her eyes, her lips trembling slightly as she whispered, “Don’t be afraid.”

—Don’t be afraid, Chu Wantang.