Chapter 2

Jiang Heng froze.

So did Xia Qiu.

It didn’t take Jiang Heng long to realize.

Those two portions had been for him and me.

But he had let Xia Qiu eat mine.

Xia Qiu panicked at once.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jiang. I—I didn’t know!” she stammered, at a loss.

“I’ll go and buy you something. What would you like?”

I simply lowered my head and began clearing the leftovers from the desk.

“No need,” I said evenly.

Xia Qiu was so upset that her eyes turned red.

“Mrs. Jiang, I really didn’t mean to. Mr. Jiang told me to eat, so I did!”

“I…”

Jiang Heng watched me clear the desk with my head down.

Then he looked at Xia Qiu, so pitiful and helpless.

At last, he spoke.

“All right. This has nothing to do with you!”

“I’m the one who forgot!”

“But you’re partly to blame too. Why didn’t you make yourself clear?”

“If you’d told me you hadn’t eaten, I wouldn’t have let Xia Qiu have it!”

He paused, took out his phone, and transferred fifty thousand yuan to me.

“I’ve sent you some money. Just find a restaurant downstairs and get something to eat.”

I said nothing as I stacked the insulated containers back together.

I fastened the lid and stood up.

“All right.”

I turned to leave, but Jiang Heng caught my wrist.

His voice was low and apologetic.

“I really didn’t mean to do that today.”

“I know,” I said.

Slowly, his hand loosened around mine.

I went downstairs and dropped the lunch carrier straight into a trash can.

Then I drove to the mall.

I didn’t know whether I was getting back at Jiang Heng or simply letting off steam.

I ordered enough dishes to fill the table.

Then I ate to my heart’s content.

Afterward, I shopped for a while before picking Xiaoxiao up from kindergarten.

Then I took her straight back to the mall.

And treated myself to another huge meal.

Jiang Heng called to ask why we weren’t home.

I said we were eating out.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” he asked, sounding hurt.

“You didn’t wait for me at lunch,” I said scornfully.

That silenced him. He had nothing left to say.

As it turned out, after stuffing myself at lunch and dinner,

I ended up with a terrible stomach upset that night.

I made at least ten trips to the bathroom.

By the end, I couldn’t even get out of bed.

Jiang Heng filled a hot-water bottle for me, then helped me sit up to take my medicine.

“Honestly, you know how bad your stomach is. Why would you eat spicy hot pot?”

I wanted to argue, but I didn’t have the strength.

I had barely swallowed the medicine

when my stomach heaved,

and I threw it all up.

Jiang Heng patted my back gently, his face full of concern.

“No, this must be gastroenteritis. You need to go to the hospital.”

He called his mother and asked her to come and look after Xiaoxiao.

Then he carried me to the car and drove straight to the hospital.

After a round of tests, it did turn out to be gastroenteritis.

They put me on an IV drip and gave me medicine for the diarrhea.

I drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

When I woke, it was already two thirty.

The IV had been removed.

But Jiang Heng wasn’t there.

I opened our chat and sent him a message.

Where are you?

No reply.

I called him instead.

It took three calls in a row

before he answered.

His voice was very quiet.

“Yaoyao, what’s wrong?”

“Where are you?” I asked. “Did you go home?”

There was a brief silence before he answered.

“Xia Qiu called and said there was someone outside her door. I was worried, so I came over to check!”

“She was too scared to go to sleep. I’ve only just managed to get her settled.”

“Do you need something?”

Hearing Jiang Heng ask, “Do you need something?”

I was so angry I almost laughed.

“Jiang Heng, you’re my husband,” I said. “You’re putting another woman to bed, and you’re asking me if I need something?”

Jiang Heng sounded exasperated.

“Yaoyao, she works for me. Shouldn’t I look after her?”

“Besides, I waited until your drip was finished before I left!”

“Jiang Heng, I’m still lying in a hospital bed. Instead of looking after me, you’ve gone to look after a female employee?”

“Doesn’t she have any other friends? Why does she need a married man taking care of her?”

Jiang Heng began to lose patience.

“Song Qingyao, when did you get so petty?”

“Xia Qiu’s just out of college. She doesn’t know anyone or anything here. If something happens, who else can she turn to?”

He sighed. “Look, I’ll book you a cab. Go home first.”

“I’ll come back once she’s sound asleep!”

He hung up impatiently.

I clutched my phone, cold all the way through.

By the time the cab brought me home, it was three thirty.

At the sound of the door, my mother-in-law tiptoed out of the spare bedroom.

She looked puzzled to see me alone.

“Where’s Ah Heng?”

“Oh,” I said.

“Looking after his female colleague.”

“What?”

My mother-in-law looked stunned.

Ignoring her wide-eyed stare, I went straight to my room to sleep.

Jiang Heng came back early the next morning.

He had dark circles under his eyes and looked worn out.

Apparently, he had spent the whole night taking care of her.

When he saw his mother and me eating breakfast at the table,

he rubbed his nose guiltily.

“Xia Qiu kept saying she was afraid to sleep last night. She insisted I stay. I couldn’t help it.”

“Oh,” I said quietly.

“Make sure you keep her company tonight too, then.”

“Song Qingyao! What are you talking about?”

Angry, he raised his voice.

I looked up and glanced at him.

After a night together,

the number above his head had fallen below 70%.

It was down to 67%.

I lowered my eyes and said nothing more.

My mother-in-law left after breakfast.

Jiang Heng went into the bedroom to change. When he came out, he glanced at me.

“Last night was my fault. Once I’ve helped Xia Qiu move, I’ll stop getting involved.”

I said nothing.

After Jiang Heng left, I turned to Xiaoxiao.

“Would you like to leave with Mommy?”

Three-year-old Xiaoxiao didn’t understand what I meant.

But she nodded anyway. “I’ll go wherever Mommy goes!”

“All right!”

I went into the bedroom and began packing our things.

Then I bought train tickets back to Wen City.

Before leaving, I set a divorce agreement on the coffee table.

As I shut the door, I took one last look at the home I had lived in for five years.

I had thought I would never have to leave again.

I hadn’t expected even Jiang Heng’s heart to change.