Lu Yao walked away with a cold expression, ignoring Wei Xuan who was still chattering away nearby. All these building materials suppliers were pretty much interchangeable in the end—they’d just go with whichever offered the best value for money. But Wei Xuan’s company was already out of contention. Shen Zhirou didn’t have many friends as it was, and at least she had a place to crash for now. But this Wei Xuan had gone and kicked her out of the apartment just to do Lu Yao a favor. As if such a sweet deal existed?
Lu Yao called Shen Zhirou several times, but she didn’t pick up. Then she fired off a few WeChat messages.
Lu Yao: What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll pick you up from your friend’s place.
Lu Yao: Don’t be mad anymore. I apologize. Come back home.
Lu Yao: Fine, then I’ll wait for you downstairs at your friend’s.
Worried that she’d arrive too late and Shen Zhirou would already be gone, Lu Yao sent the messages and drove straight to Zhao Tongtong’s building to lie in wait.
It was nearly six by the time Shen Zhirou and Zhao Tongtong got back. Zhao Tongtong kept trying to persuade her the whole drive: just stay at her place for a few days instead of bothering Shen Yumian. Shen Zhirou appreciated her best friend’s good intentions but gently turned her down. They took the underground garage up to the apartment, so they missed Lu Yao entirely.
Shen Zhirou packed her things and got ready to call a ride. Zhao Tongtong, still not reassured, insisted on driving her herself.
Shen Zhirou hadn’t mentioned her breakup with Lu Yao to her sister, so she didn’t want Zhao Tongtong getting involved. Dragging her suitcase, she stepped out the building’s entrance—and there was Lu Yao’s Bentley parked right outside.
Lu Yao had spotted her too and climbed out of the car, her eyes glued to Shen Zhirou.
Figuring Shen Zhirou was still fuming, Lu Yao knew she needed to sweet-talk her. Softening her voice, she said, “Jie Jie, I’m here to take you home. Let me grab your luggage.”
“No need.” Shen Zhirou sidestepped Lu Yao’s hand reaching for the suitcase and met her gaze, a chill in her eyes. “How did you know I was here?”
Lu Yao caught the distance in Shen Zhirou’s eyes and clenched her fingertips. “Some guy named Wei Xuan told me. He said you’re good friends with his girlfriend. This morning, he got you to move out so he could sell me a favor—hoping I’d pick his company for the bid. But I turned him down. He bullied you. Why would I choose his company after that?”
Shen Zhirou’s brow furrowed. Damn—she hadn’t told Zhao Tongtong about this because she didn’t want to mess up her relationship with her boyfriend. And now Tongtong had heard everything.
Zhao Tongtong blew up after that. She grabbed Shen Zhirou’s arm to stop her from leaving. “Why didn’t you tell me? Wei Xuan’s got balls pulling that crap. I’ll rip him a new one.”
“Tongtong, don’t blame him,” Shen Zhirou soothed. “It wasn’t right for me to crash here anyway. Moving out was my idea, and I’ll hit up a realtor this weekend to find a place. Don’t worry about me being homeless.”
As she spoke, the Didi she’d called pulled up. Shen Zhirou started loading her luggage into the trunk.
Lu Yao hurried over. “Where are you headed? Not coming home with me?”
Shen Zhirou looked up at her and shook her head. “That’s not my home anymore. We already said everything there was to say. Better if we don’t see each other again.”
Shen Zhirou avoided Lu Yao’s desolate expression, circled around her, and stowed both suitcases in the Didi. She slid into the back seat and sped off.
Meanwhile, Zhao Tongtong was still on her phone, cursing a blue streak. Seeing Shen Zhirou go, she hung up in a panic and tried to chase after her—but the car was already out of sight.
With Shen Zhirou gone, Zhao Tongtong shot Lu Yao a glare. “Dump our Zhirou, and you’ll regret it someday. No taste at all.”
She headed back into the building, tossing one last jab over her shoulder at Lu Yao.
Lu Yao sighed, her clenched fingers trembling faintly. She climbed into the car and gripped the steering wheel hard. Shen Zhirou had seemed so resolute just now—she’d seen it plain as day. Was she really done with her for good?
The thought sent an inexplicable wave of panic through Lu Yao. But no, that couldn’t be right. Deep down, she knew Shen Zhirou truly cared for her—the kind of care that put her needs first in everything. She wouldn’t walk away that easily. She was just mad right now. Give her a few days to cool off, think it through, and she’d come back on her own.
That eased Lu Yao’s mind a little. She’d let Shen Zhirou simmer for a few days, then call next week to bring her home.
Easier said than done—Lu Yao still felt restless, her heart unsettled. Would Shen Zhirou really come home with her next week?
On her drive back, Lu Yao stopped by the hotel to pick up a few dishes to go. As she set the food out on the dining table, her gaze fell on the empty chair across from her. Ever since she had gotten together with Shen Zhirou, Lu Yao had made it a habit to come home for dinner whenever there were no business engagements at the company. At this time of day, Shen Zhirou would usually be bustling about in the kitchen, preparing their evening meal. The two of them would eat together—chatting about amusing incidents from work if Lu Yao was in a good mood, or simply sharing a quiet meal if she wasn’t.
An inexplicable pang twisted in Lu Yao’s heart. Shen Zhirou had always been so accommodating in every way. Lu Yao knew she had treated her poorly before. She resolved that once she picked Shen Zhirou up next week, she would make an effort to learn how to be more understanding and not so distant and cold. That should make her happy, right?
Lu Yao picked at her food for a few bites, but after barely half a bowl of rice, it all tasted like sawdust in her mouth. Even the dishes from a fancy hotel couldn’t compare to Shen Zhirou’s home cooking. Looking back, she realized how ungrateful she had been.
She set down her chopsticks and dumped all the food into the trash. The note Shen Zhirou had left still sat on the coffee table. Lu Yao snatched it up and read it over and over, her unease growing with each pass.
She called Shen Zhirou again, but there was still no answer. Unsettled, Lu Yao pulled up WeChat and sent her a few messages.
Lu Yao: Jie Jie, where are you right now? Have you eaten? Want me to bring you some food?
Lu Yao: I’m worried about you being out there alone. Send me your address and I’ll come pick you up, okay?
Lu Yao: Don’t be mad anymore, Jie Jie. Once this project wraps up, I’ll take annual leave and we can go somewhere to relax together, alright?
The messages vanished into the void like stones sinking into the sea, with no reply for a long time.
Lu Yao clutched her phone, staring fixedly at the screen, reluctant to look away. In the past, she would have dismissed checking WeChat as a pointless waste of time.
~~~
Wei Xuan had argued with Zhao Tongtong over the phone and didn’t get home until nine that evening. The moment Zhao Tongtong saw him, her temper flared. “You have the nerve to come back? Who gave you the right to drive Zhirou away? Wei Xuan, you’re something else—selling out my friend’s info just so your company could win the bid? I really misjudged you.”
Wei Xuan’s own anger ignited as he planted his hands on his hips and glared at her. “Why shouldn’t I have the nerve? This is our home—the two of us. It wasn’t right for Shen Zhirou to be crashing here in the first place. Besides, all I did was tell Lu Yao that her girlfriend was staying with us. I didn’t say anything else. Whatever’s going on between them is their business, not ours. And why do you think I wanted the company to win the bid? To make more money for our little family, that’s why!”
Zhao Tongtong shook her head. “You really know how to pat yourself on the back. Wei Xuan, you’ve changed so much—I barely recognize you anymore.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Zhao Tongtong. How old are you? Can’t you stop being so naive? Is it wrong for me to look out for myself a little?” Wei Xuan shot back, refusing to back down.
Tears welled up in Zhao Tongtong’s eyes. She still remembered when they had first met—both of them lowly employees at the company. Back then, Wei Xuan had been so thoughtful: learning to cook her favorite dishes just because she mentioned liking them, or dashing across half of Jiangbei City from the East District to buy her favorite soy milk after a single offhand comment.
But these past few years, as Wei Xuan had climbed the corporate ladder, he had changed. Zhao Tongtong said nothing more and retreated to the second bedroom.
Over the next few days, Shen Zhirou stayed at the hotel. Not wanting to worry her sister, she kept the breakup with Lu Yao from Shen Yumian. She went to work as usual, though Lu Yao called her sporadically—but Shen Zhirou never picked up. The WeChat messages from Lu Yao hadn’t stopped either; Shen Zhirou only checked them at night, keeping her chat interface spotless during the day.
On Saturday, she met with a real estate agent to look at apartments. Along the way, the agent kept pitching options to her. Housing prices in Jiangbei City typically started at fifty thousand per square meter and up, but commercial apartments were quite a bit cheaper—around twenty-five thousand for fully furnished units. Shen Zhirou did the math and realized she could buy a place to live in for about a million. Even if she wanted a standard residential unit later, this kind of single-person apartment would rent out easily. So she decided to go ahead and view some properties with the agent right away.
After weighing the pros and cons, however, Shen Zhirou passed on the commercial apartments. The property taxes were too high, and they came with commercial water and electricity rates—no natural gas hookup. Seeing that she was serious, the agent took her to see two small second-hand residential units as well.
The prices for second-hand apartments in Jiangbei City were slightly lower than those for new builds, hovering around forty-eight thousand per square meter. Shen Zhirou checked out three options in a row before settling on a modest forty-square-meter one-bedroom unit. At a unit price of forty-seven thousand, plus taxes and agency fees, the total came to nearly two million.
The place had fresh renovations—the previous owner had only lived there for two or three years—so she could skip that expense and move right in with her bags.
Shen Zhirou didn’t consult anyone. She put down a twenty-thousand deposit on her own and planned to handle the credit check and paperwork with the agent on Monday. Besides the property transfer, she’d also need to sort out the loan.
That Monday morning, she took leave directly from her supervisor and got the initial procedures done. All that was left was waiting on the bank’s loan approval. She showed up for her regular afternoon shift as usual, and only then did Zhao Tongtong’s heart settle back into place.
“You’re finally here. I was worried something had happened to you—your phone just kept ringing off.” Zhao Tongtong still felt a twinge of guilt. After all, her boyfriend Wei Xuan’s behavior had been downright sleazy.
“It’s fine. I was out handling some paperwork this morning. I bought a forty-square-meter second-hand place in a complex near the company. I’ll need to finalize the loan in a few days. Lu Yao called me, so I just silenced my phone. I’m perfectly okay.” Shen Zhirou smiled as she explained.
“You bought a place?” Zhao Tongtong was stunned. Housing here wasn’t cheap, after all.
“Yeah. Paid a chunk upfront and will loan the rest. Beats throwing money away on rent to someone else. Might as well pay off my own mortgage. In another week or two, I can move right in. Come over then—I’ll cook you dinner.” Once Shen Zhirou had committed to the purchase, a weight lifted from her mind. If no one else was going to give her a home, she’d damn well give herself one.
“You got it—I’ll be the first to show up and cheer you on.” Seeing Shen Zhirou in much better spirits than last week eased Zhao Tongtong’s worries. She knew all about Shen Zhirou’s family mess and fully supported the buy. No more letting that bloodsucking mother of hers drain every hard-earned penny. Now the place was in Shen Zhirou’s name alone—no one could touch it.
