Chapter 9

Chapter 9

My boss approved two months of leave for me, and before the end of the month had even arrived, my ex-boyfriend started a new round of phone bombing.

I guessed he had probably gone through a round of blind dates and decided I was still the better option. That bossy, high-and-mighty attitude from a while ago had been tamped down, and now he was back to acting humble and pitiful.

Scumbags’ attitudes always change in a spiral.

That day, he called again right as Xie Cheng arrived at my door with a fish.

Maybe he had practiced, because he was very skilled now. His long, elegant fingers carefully prepared the fish, slicing off translucent-thin pieces of sashimi and arranging them on the plate one by one at an unhurried pace. There was even a touch of graceful househusband energy about him.

When he was almost done, he took off the apron and, as usual, went to the entryway to put on his suit.

As he straightened his tie, he turned back and reminded me, “I made a big pot of soup with the fish bones today. I divided it into small portions and froze them in the fridge for you. Remember to drink a bowl every day, okay?”

“Okay.”

I answered and casually declined the harassment call on my phone.

He had just reached the door when there came a series of sharp knocks from outside. You could tell the person on the other side had a terrible temper, because three seconds later, the knocking turned into outright pounding.

“Xiao Jun! Open the door! I know you’re home!”

Startled, I hurriedly pulled Xie Cheng back. Seeing me as if facing a mortal enemy, he asked curiously, “Who’s outside?”

“My ex-boyfriend.”

“Oh? The weirdo who threw ketchup onto the ceiling?”

At that, I fell silent for a moment.

“…Yeah.”

Not wanting to drag an unrelated person into this, I shoved him into the kitchen. With the frosted glass door between us, anyone in the living room wouldn’t be able to see inside.

Outside, the door was being pounded so hard it rattled. “You’re not talking, huh? Then I’m not leaving!”

Hearing that, I yanked the door open. Caught off guard, the man pitched forward into the entryway, wailing nonstop. “Xiao Jun, no matter how mad you are, you don’t have to murder your own husband, do you?”

I gripped the doorknob, pointed at the hallway, and couldn’t even be bothered to say a complete sentence.

“Get lost.”

The man in front of me was Yao Qiao, the guy I dated in college.

If you looked closely, he was tall and broad, with an upstanding sort of face. But after we had met each other’s parents, because his mother didn’t like me, he actually went behind my back and went on blind dates with several other girls.

It was truly disgusting.

The man climbed up from the floor and coaxed me in a small voice, “Xiao Jun, don’t be mad anymore. I only went on those blind dates to humor my mom. You’re the only one I’ve ever had in my heart!”

I laughed when I heard that. “Sorry, but please wake up. We broke up six months ago.”

“Xiao Jun…” He grabbed my sleeve and pleaded in a low voice, “You’re a girl. Why do you have to be so stubborn? Come back to my hometown with me. Wouldn’t it be good if I supported you? Hmm?”

I had to admit, back when we were dating, I used to think his deep voice was magnetic and pleasant to listen to. Now, faced with this muffled voice that sounded like it had been squeezed out of a clenched ass, I honestly couldn’t accept it. “Cut the crap. You only make forty-five hundred a month yourself. What are you going to support me with?”

At my cold-hearted rebuttal, the man’s expression gradually darkened.

Just as I thought he was about to raise a hand against me, a head poked out from the kitchen doorway, and a faint voice drifted over.

“You absolutely can’t say yes.”

“That wouldn’t be called supporting you. That would be called giving you just enough to eat.”