Around 4 PM, Shen Zhirou’s supervisor Wang Qi came to the office for a casual stroll. Seeing everyone at their posts, she remembered the matter between Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao. She smiled and walked over to Shen Zhirou’s side, asking, “Zhirou, when did you and CEO Lu get together? I wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t come to the company looking for you today. Congratulations, and remember to give everyone wedding candies when you get married.”
“We broke up,” Shen Zhirou said. Her voice wasn’t loud and carried almost no emotional fluctuation, but everyone in the office area was paying attention to Wang Qi talking with her, so basically they all heard it.
Wang Qi awkwardly touched her nose. “Sorry, I didn’t know. But it’s normal for couples to break up and make up. You’ll meet someone even better down the line.”
“Mm, I’ll borrow your good wishes,” Shen Zhirou replied, giving Wang Qi some face.
Shen Zhirou went through every task on her desk, trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t feel so restless and distracted.
That afternoon, she received several calls from Ning Jianfang one after another. Shen Zhirou simply muted her phone, not wanting to answer. She already felt exhausted and had no desire to chat idly with her mother anymore.
But it wasn’t just Ning Jianfang who called her—Zhang Huichun also rang Shen Zhirou five or six times in a row. When Shen Zhirou didn’t pick up, she kept calling over and over.
Shen Zhirou simply stood up and went to the corridor to take the call. She pressed the built-in recording button on her phone before finally answering.
“I called you several times this morning and you didn’t pick up. Where the hell did you run off to? You had our Lu Yao rushing out in the middle of the night to find you. If you want to break up, just do it straightforwardly. Don’t play these petty games to string along our Lu Yao.” Zhang Huichun had been bottling up a stomach full of anger with no outlet. Now that Shen Zhirou had finally answered, she unleashed a torrent of scolding.
Shen Zhirou’s fingertips gripping the phone turned pale from how tightly she clutched it, but her voice remained flat: “We’ve already broken up, and I’ve moved out of Lu Yao’s place too. You don’t need to call me anymore from now on.”
“Broke up? You willing to let her go? I’ll ask Yaoyao if it’s true. If it’s fake, don’t blame me for calling to curse you out again.” Zhang Huichun irritably hung up, then immediately dialed her daughter’s number.
Lu Yao was jolted awake by her phone’s ringtone. Thinking it might be Shen Zhirou, she snatched the phone from the bedside in a flash. It was actually her mother calling. Lu Yao frowned and answered.
“Yaoyao, did you break up with Shen Zhirou? Mom’s always said you two aren’t right for each other. She even had you searching half the night last night. I think you should’ve split up ages ago…” Zhang Huichun kept nagging on, but Lu Yao’s expression had already turned icy on her end of the line.
She recalled what Shen Zhirou had said—their parents’ haughty attitude, and that IOU. Lu Yao cut her mother off: “We didn’t break up. We just had a fight. She’s staying at a friend’s place for a few days and then she’ll come back. Mom, what’s the story with the IOU?”
“I knew that Shen Zhirou was no good. Did she run right back and tell you about the IOU that day? You’re the one who’s been blinded by her, not me. Yaoyao, I’m doing this to help you. That Shen Zhirou is clearly after your money. She hasn’t even married you yet, and her family’s poor relatives are already itching to cozy up to you. The IOU is to stop her from taking advantage of you.” The thought that Shen Zhirou had spilled the beans about the IOU to her daughter made Zhang Huichun even angrier; her face flushed red with rage.
The more Lu Yao heard, the deeper her frown grew. She halted her mother’s words: “Shen Zhirou is wonderful. Stay out of my business with her. I’m coming over right now to see exactly what that IOU is.”
With that, Lu Yao hung up, got out of bed, and started changing clothes.
Half an hour later, Lu Yao drove to her mother’s place, went upstairs, knocked on the door, and Zhang Huichun opened it.
Zhang Huichun still wanted to stoke Lu Yao’s anger further, but seeing her daughter’s exhausted face, she couldn’t bring herself to say more and hurriedly ushered Lu Yao inside.
“Did you two really break up or not? Why are you saying something different from what she said?” Once Lu Yao had settled on the sofa, Zhang Huichun couldn’t hold back and asked.
“You called her?” Lu Yao asked urgently.
“Yes, I did. Yesterday you were out searching for her from the crack of dawn, and she was off gallivanting who-knows-where. Of course I had to call and give her a piece of my mind. That Shen Zhirou even claimed you’d already broken up and told me not to worry—that you two would never see each other again. You think I can buy that? She’s finally hooked a catch like you; no way she’d let go.” Zhang Huichun’s tone dripped with contempt for Shen Zhirou.
Lu Yao coldly looked at her mother. “She’s not the kind of person you’re describing. I’ve told you already—don’t interfere in my affairs. Stop calling Zhirou to disturb her, and hand over that IOU for me to see.”
“What a blabbermouth. We’ve already explained this to you.” Zhang Huichun grumbled under her breath as she rummaged through a notebook in her bedside cabinet and pulled out the IOU.
Lu Yao stood up to take the IOU. As she read it, her hands trembled with rage. “You actually made her sign something like this?”
Seeing Lu Yao’s darkening expression, Zhang Huichun quickly softened her tone and coaxed her. “I’m only doing this for your own good. Shen Zhirou’s family is too poor. If you break up with her, fine—but if you really end up together, she won’t be able to help you with money at all. I just asked her to repay one million out of the two million. And her mom is obsessed with money. You two girls still want a 300,000-yuan bride price? Of course I had to spell out double compensation in case of divorce, so they don’t just take advantage of you.”
The more Zhang Huichun spoke, the more justified she felt, her voice growing louder. Lu Yao’s eyes reddened with anger. “Those two million did come from you and Dad. I’ll transfer it to you right now. Please don’t harass Shen Zhirou anymore. As for the bride price, I’ll cover it myself—you and Dad don’t need to worry about it.”
“Yaoyao, that’s not what I meant. Your dad and I are just guarding against Shen Zhirou, not you. Keep your own money—we don’t lack it here.” Seeing her daughter actually about to transfer the money, Zhang Huichun realized things were taking a bad turn.
Lu Yao withdrew the funds from her liquid wealth management account, tapped a few times on her phone, and transferred two million to Zhang Huichun’s card. Her entire demeanor suddenly turned icy. “There, the money’s sent. I’m taking this IOU. Don’t make these ridiculous calls to Shen Zhirou anymore. And if I really do break up with her, you can forget about me ever getting married.”
Lu Yao tucked the IOU into her bag and stood up to leave.
Zhang Huichun panicked and grabbed Lu Yao’s wrist. “Yaoyao, what exactly did you mean by that?”
“The literal meaning. I don’t want to waste time breaking in someone new. Either I marry Shen Zhirou, or I don’t marry at all. Happy now, you and Dad?” Lu Yao’s thin lips pressed into a tight line as she stared at Zhang Huichun and Lu Jitong.
“No, don’t say things in the heat of the moment, Yaoyao. If you don’t like boys, there are plenty of great girls in Jiangbei City. No need to hang all your hopes on Shen Zhirou.” Lu Jitong hurriedly chimed in to persuade her.
“Dad, you and Mom know my temper better than anyone. When have I ever backed down? Instead of scheming to push me toward someone else, you should hope Shen Zhirou and I make up soon—at least then you might actually see me get married someday.” Lu Yao let out a cold sneer, pried Zhang Huichun’s hand off her, and stormed out of the house.
She drove out of the neighborhood, her chest feeling stuffy and suffocating. In frustration, she rolled down all the windows. The humid, hot wind blasted against her face, only heightening her irritation.
She checked her phone’s WeChat and call logs—they were all work-related, or mindless messages from Chu Su and the others. Not a single one from Shen Zhirou.
Lu Yao sighed, figuring she’d message Shen Zhirou once she got home.
~~~
Meanwhile, after work, Shen Zhirou and Zhao Tongtong headed back to Zhao Tongtong’s place. Wei Xuan had just gotten home and was washing vegetables in the kitchen. Spotting them, he smiled and called out, “You’re back?”
“Yeah, let me see what tasty dinner we’ve got today. Zhirou’s in a bad mood—she needs some good nourishing food.” Seeing the smile on Wei Xuan’s face, Zhao Tongtong figured they must have talked things out last night. Her boyfriend really was a good guy.
“I’ll handle dinner. Wei Xuan’s had a long day too.” Shen Zhirou didn’t want to impose, so she washed her hands and moved to step into the kitchen, only to be gently blocked by a smiling Wei Xuan.
“You and Tongtong just relax in the living room and watch TV. I’ve got this—there’s no way we’re letting a guest cook.” Wei Xuan grinned at Shen Zhirou, blocking the kitchen door and gesturing for them to wait in the living room.
Shen Zhirou relented and plopped down on the sofa, idly scrolling through her phone.
She tapped open WeChat and noticed several red notification dots on her pinned chat—it was messages from Lu Yao.
Shen Zhirou hesitated for a moment but clicked it anyway. She had OCD, and those unread dots made her skin crawl. Inside were over a dozen messages Lu Yao had sent that afternoon, followed by a photo of a crumpled, shredded ball of paper. Shen Zhirou frowned as she read the message right after the picture.
Lu Yao: I’ve already paid back those two million to them and torn up the IOU. I’m sorry—I had no idea my mom and the others were giving you so much trouble.
There were more than a dozen messages above this one on WeChat, all basically asking where she was living now and whether Lu Yao should come pick her up.
Shen Zhirou’s gaze lingered on her chat with Lu Yao. She let out a mocking smile. If it weren’t for what happened with Wen Jin, getting this many messages from Lu Yao would have thrilled her to pieces. But now, they just seemed like a bad joke. From start to finish, Lu Yao had never touched on the real answer Shen Zhirou wanted. Her words always danced around the tough stuff, focusing on the easy parts instead. The truth was, Shen Zhirou had never wanted to break up because of outside pressures like their parents.
Zhao Tongtong washed some fruit and set it on the coffee table. When she glanced up at Shen Zhirou, she saw her friend’s face looked off. Tongtong hurried over. “Have some fruit. Put the phone away—I think you should just turn it off. Otherwise, every notification is going to ruin your mood.”
“It’s fine. I’ll mute it. She’s gone now anyway. No more looking.” Shen Zhirou forced a smile as Tongtong shoved an apple into her hand.
“Eat some fruit, and you’ll feel better. Don’t think about it anymore.” Zhao Tongtong leaned in and bumped Shen Zhirou’s left shoulder, trying to console her.
“Okay. No more thinking. I’ll just get back to my single life as soon as possible.”
