Chapter 45

In just one week, Shen Zhirou had completed all the paperwork for her newly purchased 40-square-meter apartment. The bank loan had also come through. On Saturday, she got ready to move and called Shen Yumian over to help. With this place, she and her sister finally had a real home in Jiangbei City.

Shen Yumian was still puzzled. Her sister was living with her girlfriend, so why buy a place in Jiangbei City all of a sudden?

“Sis, aren’t you living with your girlfriend? Why get a place now?” Shen Yumian asked as she helped carry things down to the car.

Shen Zhirou had been busy with house matters lately, but she still thought of Lu Yao now and then. After all, Lu Yao was the one she liked—how could she forget her just like that? She had no intention of hiding it from her sister. “We broke up.”

“Broke up? What happened? I thought you really liked her.” Shen Yumian immediately grew worried upon hearing the news.

“She doesn’t like me. She only got together with me because my eyes look like her ex’s. Plus, Lu Yao’s mom doesn’t like me either. How should I put it? We’re just not from the same world. She can’t give me what I want, and I can’t be the kind of marriage partner she wants—one without any emotions involved. So we called it quits.” Shen Zhirou gave a simple explanation. She tried to smile to reassure her sister but found she couldn’t force one out.

“How could she do that? That’s awful—treating you like a stand-in for someone else.” Shen Yumian was furious just hearing about it. She wanted to march right over to Lu Yao and demand to know how she could use her sister that way.

Seeing Shen Yumian’s dark expression, Shen Zhirou patted her shoulder. “Don’t get mad. We’ve been apart for a bit now, and this whole thing made me decide to buy a place in Jiangbei. It’s a little small, but it’ll work fine for the two of us. If you ever get tired of your apartment, you can move in with me. Now we’ve got a home here in Jiangbei.”

“Yeah, Sis. Don’t let her get you down. You’ll find someone better. Lu Yao’s the one who missed out.” As far as Shen Yumian was concerned, her sister was the best person around, and breaking up with her was entirely Lu Yao’s loss.

“No rush. I’m not thinking about relationships anytime soon. Come on, let’s finish moving these things. Then I’ll take you to that new Vietnamese spot nearby.” Shen Zhirou didn’t want her sister fretting over her, so she dropped the subject of the breakup.

“Sure, let’s stuff ourselves and forget all our worries.” Seeing that her sister didn’t want to dwell on it, Shen Yumian let it go and kept helping pack.

Shen Zhirou didn’t have much stuff. A mid-sized pickup truck loaded it all in one trip. Her new place was essentially move-in ready. She only swapped out the mattress and the door locks; everything else was fine. The previous owner hadn’t lived there long, so the furniture was still practically new. No need to spend time replacing anything else.

Shen Zhirou and Shen Yumian spent the morning tidying up, and by the time they headed out to eat, it was nearly noon. The Vietnamese restaurant Shen Zhirou had mentioned was on Commercial Street in Jiangbei City. As a new spot specializing in Southeast Asian cuisine, it had been drawing crowds nonstop. Shen Zhirou had reserved a spot online ahead of time. She took hold of Shen Yumian’s wrist and started across the street toward the restaurant when a familiar voice called out to her.

Shen Zhirou turned instinctively and saw Lu Yao standing just a few steps away, the one calling her name. Lu Yao was with Jiang Chen, and it looked like they’d just finished up some errands nearby.

Shen Zhirou hadn’t expected to run into Lu Yao here. Since Lu Yao had spoken to her, she couldn’t just ignore her and walk away. She replied coolly, “Hello, Miss Lu. Are you here taking care of some business?”

Lu Yao’s gaze was locked on Shen Zhirou’s hand gripping Shen Yumian’s wrist. Her face was ashen. Only when Shen Zhirou spoke did her eyes shift back to Shen Zhirou’s face. “Yeah, out with Jiang Chen handling a few things.”

Her eyes flicked toward Shen Yumian standing beside Shen Zhirou, and a suffocating tightness gripped her chest. The girl next to Shen Zhirou had clear, lovely eyes and fair skin, radiating the vibrant energy unique to youth. And most importantly, she was beautiful.

In that instant, Lu Yao felt a surge of panic. Shen Zhirou had agreed to give things a try with her probably because Lu Yao herself was attractive. And now, just a few weeks after their breakup, did Shen Zhirou already have someone new by her side? The mere thought left Lu Yao struggling to breathe.

Her eyes reddened at the corners as she murmured, “Jie Jie, who’s she? Won’t you introduce us?”

Shen Zhirou turned her gaze to Lu Yao, realizing with high probability that Lu Yao had misunderstood her relationship with her sister. But she saw no point in explaining. She had already cut ties with Lu Yao—such clarifications meant nothing now.

“It’s not important anymore. And Miss Lu, please just call me by name from now on. I’m sure you never truly meant to call me ‘Jie Jie,’ did you?” Shen Zhirou offered Lu Yao a polite smile, though her distant demeanor was unmistakable.

“I’m not thinking about anyone else. Whatever happened with her ended five years ago. Jie Jie, it’s been several weeks now—can’t you calm down? Let’s find somewhere to sit and talk things through properly. I have so much I want to say to you.” Lu Yao’s eyes brimmed with red. She didn’t see herself as the type to cling to anyone, yet watching Shen Zhirou hold another girl’s hand sent sharp, needle-like pains stabbing through her heart.

“Miss Lu, there’s no need for us to discuss anything further. I’ve already said everything I wanted to say to you. We’re heading to dinner now—excuse me.” Shen Zhirou nodded courteously at Lu Yao. The sight of Lu Yao’s reddened eyes gave her an inexplicable pang, and she hurried off toward the Vietnamese restaurant, pulling Shen Yumian along.

“Jie Jie…” Lu Yao remained rooted to the spot, murmuring at Shen Zhirou’s retreating back. She had never imagined Shen Zhirou treating her with such cold detachment. Shen Zhirou’s words were impeccably polite, yet they made Lu Yao feel as if something precious was slipping irrevocably through her fingers—no matter how tightly she clenched her fist, it was no use.

Lu Yao stood motionless, watching from afar as Shen Zhirou led the other girl into the restaurant. She felt every ounce of strength drain from her body. Memories flooded her mind: meals where Shen Zhirou would ask if she liked the food, thoughtfully ladle soup for her, or even scoop her into her lap when the chair felt uncomfortable.

If Shen Zhirou was with someone else now, would she indulge that other girl the same way—cooing and pampering her during moments of coquetry?

The mere thought left Lu Yao breathless, her body gripped by an inexplicable chill. Her hand trembled as she gripped her phone, and it took effort to finally dial Jiang Chen. She asked him to drive over and pick her up. She simply couldn’t bring herself to trail after Shen Zhirou into the restaurant like some hysterical shrew.

Even after arriving home and shutting the door, Lu Yao remained in a daze. Then the tears came, unstoppable as a kite with a snapped string. She slumped against the door, sobbing softly to herself. Her mind replayed endless images of Shen Zhirou: the kisses when she returned from work, the sight of her bustling in the kitchen, and those intimate moments in bed when Lu Yao had teased her until her eyes flushed red at the corners…

Each recollection sent a fresh ache through Lu Yao’s heart. The idea of Shen Zhirou lavishing that same tenderness on someone else suffocated her. She had assumed a few weeks would be enough for tempers to cool, that a little compromise on her part would restore things to how they used to be. But Shen Zhirou’s resolve was absolute, treating her like an insignificant passerby. Lu Yao hadn’t anticipated her own reaction would cut so deep. These past weeks, she had felt utterly hollowed out. Hadn’t it all started as just a marriage arrangement?

Lu Yao slid down the door until she sat on the floor, pulled out her phone, and fired off several WeChat messages to Shen Zhirou in quick succession.

Lu Yao: “Jie Jie, who is she?”

Lu Yao: “Jie Jie, I know I was wrong. I’m sorry. Will you move back in?”

Lu Yao: “I don’t want you with someone else. I miss you so much.”

Lu Yao: “What do I have to do to get you to come back?”

Shen Zhirou’s phone chimed a few times. She glanced at the screen and saw the red notification dots in her chat with Lu Yao, but she didn’t open them. Instead, she simply powered it off.

She had waited so long for a response from Lu Yao, and now that it had finally come, it no longer mattered.

“Sis, was that woman just now Lu Yao?” Shen Yumian asked cautiously, eyeing her sister’s expression.

“Yeah. I didn’t expect to run into her here.” Shen Zhirou took a bite of the dish in front of her and said nothing more.

“It’s all in the past. The breakup is her loss—don’t dwell on her. We’re moving into the new place today, so let’s keep things upbeat.” Shen Yumian tried to sound cheerful.

“Don’t worry. We’re adults. If it’s not right, it’s best to part ways sooner rather than later. Your sister isn’t as fragile as you think.”

“That’s a relief. This afternoon, let’s go shopping and catch a movie to take your mind off things.” Shen Yumian hoped to help her sister unwind.

“Sure, sounds good.” Shen Zhirou smiled.

~~~

Lu Yao hadn’t eaten much all day. Around six in the evening, she barely managed to order some food delivery from the hotel, but after just a few bites, she dumped it all out.

She didn’t want to spend the evening alone at home, so she simply invited Chu Su and Zhao Ke out for drinks at a bar—and along the way, see if they had any ideas for helping her patch things up with Shen Zhirou.

A little after seven, Lu Yao arrived at the Crown Bar. She ordered quite a lot of alcohol, and by the time Chu Su and Zhao Ke showed up, she had already knocked back two or three glasses.

“What’s going on with you? You look awful,” Chu Su said as she sat down.

Lu Yao picked up her glass from the table and took another sip before finally speaking. “She moved out. She says she wants to separate from me.”

“That woman we saw at the bar last time?” Chu Su asked.

“Yeah. I thought she’d cool off after a few days and move back in, but she’s dead set on it—like she has no intention of coming back.” Whether it was the sharp bite of the liquor or the pain twisting in her chest, Lu Yao’s eyes reddened at the edges.