“To make me leave, she threw away her life, and now her remains haven't even cooled, watching us from above.”
“So eager to reconcile with me, aren't you afraid she'll rise from her grave in anger if she sees it from the heavens?”
“…”
The evening breeze gently lifted Jiang Nan Fang’s hair. Despite her delicate, fragile, and captivating beauty, her words were anything but pleasant.
Like her mother, she was a strong-willed woman who never yielded once she had the upper hand. Zhan Bei Jue found it quite a headache.
However, regardless of the circumstances, Ke Teng’s incident was his mother’s fault. Jiang Nan Fang felt guilt towards Ke Teng and was taking her anger out on him, which he could understand.
He knew that his mother's wrongdoings couldn't be completely erased just because she had passed away. He understood that Jiang Nan Fang needed time.
“I don’t know what I can say now to make you forgive me, but I really can’t just stay silent.”
“In the days without you, I thought of you constantly. Every moment, every second, every minute, without pause.”
“I know you feel something for me too, don’t deny it. But for Ke Teng, you had to endure.”
“I understand you, Nan Fang. I won’t force you to be with me right now and forget the past.”
“I will wait for you. I will wait until Ke Teng recovers, and I will do everything in my power to compensate the Ke family for their losses.”
“I will show you my sincerity. Don’t rush to reject me. Once everything is better, just give me another chance.”
“I am not your enemy. Please, don't treat me as one. From now on, if you need anything, please come to me first.”
“I am available 24 hours a day, always waiting. Don’t be polite with me.”
Zhan Bei Jue stood with his back to the light, his features blurred in the hazy night, appearing incredibly devoted and handsome.
He was like Andy Lau in an old movie, radiating deep affection.
One had to admit, such looks and such a voice, paired with these words, could easily sway someone.
However, no matter how handsome he was or how beautifully he spoke, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't forget the dejected figure of Ke Jing Yu in the hospital room.
Just then, a taxi stopped by the roadside.
The driver rolled down his window and leaned out, “Hey, are you getting in or not?”
Her tall, handsome, and devoted ex-husband was showering her with one sweet talk after another. If she didn't leave soon, she would be swept away by his gentle offensive.
Jiang Nan Fang decisively pulled off her clothes and stuffed them into his hand.
“Think or say whatever you want. I won’t see you again. I’m leaving.”
With that, she turned, pulled open the taxi door, and stepped inside.
But before she could close the door, Zhan Bei Jue followed.
“It’s too late, and it’s not safe for you to go home alone. I’ll take you.”
Jiang Nan Fang held the car door tightly from the inside, refusing to let him in.
Zhan Bei Jue’s voice was humble, “I’ll take you to the entrance of your complex and leave. I won’t come upstairs to disturb you.”
“…”
Jiang Nan Fang gave the address. The driver quickly started the car. The three of them traveled in silence, and soon arrived at the complex entrance.
Zhan Bei Jue quickly paid the fare, and they both got out.
Jiang Nan Fang said, “Alright, I’m here. You can go now.”
So she was living here recently.
Zhan Bei Jue glanced at the complex environment, noting it was decent.
“It’s so late, and it’s still quite a distance inside. I’ll see you to your building.”
“Zhan Bei Jue, do you think you’re the only good man in the world? You want to come to my place and you’re up to something, don’t think I don’t know!”
Jiang Nan Fang directly rejected him, her tone full of impatience.
Zhan Bei Jue was speechless. “Alright then, I won’t come in. I’ll just stand here and watch you enter the gate, then I’ll leave.”
He was concerned about her safety now. Didn't she come to no harm when he hadn't shown up for the past few days?
Jiang Nan Fang snorted and turned to walk towards the main gate.
She consciously avoided looking back until the gate was locked behind her. She then walked another two minutes.
Thinking Zhan Bei Jue must be gone by now, she finally turned her head.
But he was still there.
Standing straight like a statue, gazing in her direction.
She wondered what was driving him today.
Jiang Nan Fang disliked his act of feigned devotion, so she quickly turned her head away again.
Only when she could no longer see him did Zhan Bei Jue take out his phone and call Lu Ming Zhe.
“Where are you? Come pick me up.”
Lu Ming Zhe snorted.
“Weren’t you having dinner with your ex-wife? Did it end so quickly? Didn’t she invite you in?”
“After being so attentive, you still came back? Was the meal a waste?”
From the moment he left, Zhan Bei Jue knew he would have to endure such taunts, so he didn’t take it to heart.
“I’ve sent you the location, hurry up.”
Lu Ming Zhe continued to complain, “You only think of me when you need something. When you don’t, you discard me faster than a rag. Am I really your nanny?”
Zhan Bei Jue, already in a bad mood from Jiang Nan Fang’s rejection, finally lost his patience.
“Then don’t come. I’ll call someone else. I’m not short of friends.”
Lu Ming Zhe finally relented.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming. Happy now? You bastard, you only act tough in front of me.”
———
Ah Zhong was drunk, but Zhou Jin Bei was not.
After a long, exhausting, and passionate encounter, Ah Zhong embraced Zhou Jin Bei and quickly fell asleep. However, Zhou Jin Bei, with matters on her mind, couldn’t sleep at all.
Feeling his body heat and listening to his steady breathing, she lay there for over half an hour. Once she was sure he was fast asleep, she quietly got up.
She tidied the bedsheets, fluffed the pillows neatly.
She pulled the blankets taut, and gathered all the trash on the floor.
She cleaned the bathroom, the living room floor, and the hot pot on the dining table.
She packed everything up as trash, and after ensuring there were no traces of her presence in the room, she quietly closed the door and left Ah Zhong’s home.
She didn’t take anything except a car key.
Getting into the car, she touched the steering wheel that Ah Zhong always had in his hand and smelled the long-lingering car freshener.
Reflecting on what had just happened, Zhou Jin Bei felt a sense of completion.
Although this method was shameful and selfish, there was no other way.
If she had to add a touch of color to her destined sorrowful life, she would consider this the most vibrant stroke.
She hoped Ah Zhong would have a better future and that they would never contact each other again.
She would not bother him again; she wanted him to start anew, a completely clean slate.
With a sense of fulfillment, her emotions calmed down.
Zhou Jin Bei drove back home in the pre-dawn light, around four in the morning.
When Ah Zhong woke up, he found himself alone.
He got up and looked around. Everything was clean and in its original place, as if Zhou Jin Bei had never been there.
He couldn't help but hold his forehead. Had he been dreaming again?
He had been dreaming of Zhou Jin Bei often lately. After their intimate encounter, the dream kept replaying that scene.