Chapter 3
Inside the car, Jiang Cheng started the engine in silence, his face dark. He glanced at me, displeased:
“You just threw away the bag I gave you like that?”
I clutched my seatbelt, feeling a bit guilty. “Then… should I go get it back?”
But then I thought, “Wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate…”
He snorted in annoyance, shooting me a sideways look:
“Don’t embarrass me.”
I quickly put on a flattering smile. “Thanks to you today.”
The corners of Jiang Cheng’s mouth curled up in a rather smug smile:
“When have I ever messed things up?”
Speechless, I glanced at this narcissist. He lifted his chin and asked, “Home?”
I bit my lip, fuming. “No, you’re coming to drink with me.”
An unexpected encounter-even after years apart, seeing each other again always left a stifling feeling in my chest, for reasons I couldn’t explain.
Late at night in the bar, lights flickered and the music pulsed.
A few drinks in, tipsy, while Jiang Cheng went to the restroom, I ordered four male models.
All of them tall, long-legged, with rosy lips and white teeth, calling me “sister” in sweet voices that made my heart bloom with delight.
When Jiang Cheng returned, he saw four young male models sitting in a row beside me, pouring tea and drinks, their words full of innuendo.
“Gu Qiao, you sure know how to have fun!”
Jiang Cheng stood in front of me, brows furrowed, anger simmering in his eyes.
I waved my hand carelessly, half-drunk:
“What’s wrong with adults spending money for a little fun?”
After a pause, I didn’t forget to remind him:
“My phone’s dead. You’ll settle the bill for me later, okay?”
He gritted his teeth, shot a cold glare at the male models:
“Get lost.”
Maybe Jiang Cheng’s aura was too intimidating; the male models looked flustered, glancing at me with puppy-dog eyes.
I glared at Jiang Cheng, annoyed. “What are you doing, Jiang Cheng?”
I wobbled, holding up two fingers. “I’ll share two with you, isn’t that generous?”
With a dark face, Jiang Cheng tossed a wad of cash from his wallet, swept his gaze over the models, and squeezed out another, “Get lost.”
The young men looked like they’d just been caught cheating by the main partner, grabbed the money, and fled in panic.
Jiang Cheng stared at me coldly. “Gu Qiao, this is your idea of drinking?”
I huffed, “So what? What’s wrong with having a few younger guys drink with me?”
“I can’t keep you company?” he said, suppressing his anger.
I snorted, retorting, “Can you call me ‘sister’?”
He was stunned, frowning. “I don’t charge money.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Free is never as good as paid.”
“How so?”
“They let me touch their abs.”
The air fell silent for a few seconds. He gritted his teeth and said:
“If you want to touch, just touch. Why be polite with me?”
Me: …
“Jiang Cheng, are you crazy? Who wants to touch you!”
My mind was fuzzy; I couldn’t out-argue him.
“I’m in a bad mood. What’s wrong with looking for a little fun?”
“Fun for free is fine. Not if you pay for it.”
He shot me another sideways glance, snorting coldly. “All this just because you ran into your ex-boyfriend. Look at you, so little self-control!”
His expression was openly mocking.
My feelings exposed, I turned away from him, picked up my glass, and took a few more sips.
I drank too quickly; the alcohol burned down my throat, making me cough and my eyes grow damp.
Jiang Cheng reached over to pat my back, unable to resist teasing me: “Still can’t let go?”
“Who says I can’t!” I snapped back at him.
Late-night alcohol always stirs up endless emotions. After a couple more drinks, Jiang Cheng stopped me.
For some reason, I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore.
Six years together, from intimacy to estrangement, from vows of forever to each finding new love. No matter how indifferent I pretended to be, seeing him again still left a bitter ache inside.
“Back then, he was so poor, scrimped and saved to buy me a fake bag. He said, when he had money, he’d buy me Hermès…”
I sobbed, my voice choked and trembling.
“I’m just a little sad. Love is really like… planting trees for others to enjoy the shade…”
It’s not that I can’t let go. It’s just that I’m only human; seeing him again, I can’t help but shed these useless tears.
Jiang Cheng stabbed at my heart again: “Five years ago, someone cried like an idiot after a breakup. Five years later, still no progress.”
With snot and tears streaming down my face, I grabbed his tie and wiped my nose on it out of spite.
“Wuwu, I’m already this upset and you’re still mocking me…”
He pulled off his tie in disgust and tossed it to me, then undid three buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves.
With a sigh, he simply carried me out.
The night breeze was cool on my face, the alcohol surging, my head spinning.
After all the wailing, only the sound of my hiccuping sobs remained, especially loud in the quiet midnight.
Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but laugh: “That’s enough now.”
Half-drunk, I bit his shoulder in anger:
“Jiang Cheng, you jerk, always making fun of me.”
He chuckled softly: “I’m not laughing at you, I’m… laughing at myself.”
“You are laughing at me, you bastard! You’ve loved making fun of me since we were kids. You always said the two of us standing together in our underwear looked like the Haier Brothers.”
The alcohol was getting to my head; my words tumbled out uncontrollably.
“It’s all your fault. My chest is small because you jinxed me, you big-mouthed crow!
“Wuwuwu, my chest is so small…”
Lying on his back, the more I thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved I felt.
Jiang Cheng’s laughter echoed in the air: “You’re blaming me for that too?”
I grumpily pinched his neck: “You’re laughing at me again!”
My voice was muffled: “Is it really that small?”
“Gu Xiaoqiao, do you want to hear a white lie or…”
“Shut up! Jiang Cheng, you’re so annoying!”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind…”
After my outburst, I quickly quieted down, lying on Jiang Cheng’s back.
He walked step by step, the streetlights stretching his shadow long. The night breeze was cool, and I couldn’t help but sniffle.
After a long while, Jiang Cheng suddenly asked:
“Gu Xiaoqiao, is Xie Chuan really that great?”