When you see an ex-boyfriend after breaking up, the most annoying thing is to see him doing well, acting nonchalant as if he'd never experienced any hurt!
Thinking about all her own embarrassments over the past year and then looking at him, Chen Jiaojiao felt an uncontainable surge of annoyance.
“Aren't you here to eat, or to be a waiter?”
Hu Jiasheng had lived alone for many years, had few friends, and no female partners, so he always ate out.
After being snapped at by Chen Jiaojiao, he realized she was still the same as before and smiled faintly.
“You seem to be in good spirits, you must be doing quite well recently, so I’ll just…”
Before he could finish the word "relieved," Chen Jiaojiao retorted sarcastically.
“What’s wrong? Are you disappointed that I haven’t turned into a hag, haven’t cried myself blind, and am not acting like I’m about to die when I see you?”
“……”
“Alright, if you have nothing to say, then don’t say anything. There’s no need to make small talk when there’s nothing to talk about. I have things to discuss with my friend, you can go back now.”
Xiang Yang and Hu Jiasheng exchanged glances.
One was calm and experienced, the other young and sunny.
Both couldn't help but wonder in their minds about the other's relationship with Chen Jiaojiao.
However, Xiang Yang kept his thoughts unspoken, sizing Hu Jiasheng up for a moment. Hu Jiasheng frowned.
“Is this your new boyfriend?”
In less than a year after breaking up with Hu Jiasheng, Chen Jiaojiao had remarried Lu Mingzhe.
She had thought that with the social status of the Lu family, she would be better off than with him, but surprisingly, rumors of divorce surfaced right after her marriage…
And now she was meeting up with a younger man.
It was hard not to make Hu Jiasheng speculate; she was too young, too flighty, and too careless in matters of the heart. After being hurt by him, she seemed to have given up on herself.
Hu Jiasheng wanted to offer some kind advice: "You're still young, you'll meet someone better and more suitable in the future, there's no need to debase yourself like this."
But was Chen Jiaojiao the type to take advice?
“Yes. My new boyfriend. He’s only twenty and still in university.”
“Young, handsome, energetic, and so much better than you in every way. Are you feeling inferior?”
Hu Jiasheng was again speechless: “……”
“The best part is, he listens to me. He’s well-behaved and sensible, a lovable puppy. You couldn’t learn that even if you tried.”
Having said that, as if afraid he wouldn't believe her, Chen Jiaojiao waved to Xiang Yang.
“Come. Sit by your sister.”
Xiang Yang realized then that Chen Jiaojiao had encountered her ex.
The breakup scene probably hadn't been pleasant, and she harbored resentment towards him, so she was deliberately trying to provoke him.
Provoke him, fine. But why use him as an example?
Just after Chen Jiaojiao called him obedient and well-behaved, Xiang Yang remained seated as if he hadn't heard, showing no awareness. This irked her.
“I called you, didn’t you hear me? What are you spacing out for? Come over!”
With so many people in the restaurant and Hu Jiasheng watching, Xiang Yang couldn’t let her lose face, so he moved to sit beside her.
As soon as he sat down, Chen Jiaojiao slung an arm around his neck, cupped his face, and kissed him soundly.
“So sweet.”
“Are you not full yet? Don’t mind him, I’ll feed you a couple more bites. Here.”
Chen Jiaojiao picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and held it out to Xiang Yang’s mouth with great affection.
Suddenly, Hu Jiasheng had nothing more to say.
He and Chen Jiaojiao had done all they could. They had no contact anymore, and how she chose to proceed was her own business.
He was the one who had given her up, so he had no right to say more.
Chen Jiaojiao, with Xiang Yang stiffly in her embrace, fed him several mouthfuls of food. Only when she was sure Hu Jiasheng had left in a huff did she feel content.
“Go settle the bill, let’s go.”
The two of them went out, got into the car, Chen Jiaojiao tossed her jacket onto the back seat, and skillfully reached for a box of cigarettes in the glove compartment.
She took one out, bit it between her lips, and then asked Xiang Yang.
“You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?”
She was so young, her face full of collagen, clearly not old, yet she acted so mature, like an aunt.
Xiang Yang had something to say, but he felt he had no standing. After a moment’s thought, he held back.
“It’s your car, you do as you please.”
Chen Jiaojiao rolled down the window, lit the cigarette, took a puff, and noticed Xiang Yang staring at her. She turned her head back and raised an eyebrow at him.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
A few words swirled around on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, Xiang Yang uttered something he hadn't expected.
“I’m not a puppy.”
“Hmm?”
“I said I’m not a puppy.”
Staring at her, wanting to speak but hesitating for so long, only to say this?
Chen Jiaojiao burst into laughter.
“Of course, I know you’re not a dog. I only said those things to anger that person. Don’t mind it.”
Looking at her pearly white teeth, her bright smile, and thinking about her kiss on his face, Xiang Yang felt a strange sensation.
“I think I’m a wolfdog.”
She almost choked on her cigarette. Chen Jiaojiao coughed several times with her face towards the window before turning back.
“Are you kidding me? You? You call yourself a wolfdog? Do you even know what that word means?”
As if she were implying he wasn’t manly enough, Xiang Yang felt a bit of his pride wounded.
“Of course, I know! I don’t always stay off the internet, do I!”
Oh, so he got angry when she called him a puppy?
Chen Jiaojiao looked him over again. He was tall, with good features, but he had too much youthful energy, always seeming too thin and delicate.
However, she couldn't bring herself to discourage him further.
“Alright, alright, you’re not a puppy, you’re a big wolfdog. You’re amazing.”
Patronizing.
Deep down, Chen Jiaojiao didn't see him as a fully grown man at all!
Fueled by some unknown competitive spirit, Xiang Yang suddenly felt a strong urge to prove himself.
“You look down on me?”
Chen Jiaojiao dared not accept such a label: “No! Why would I look down on you? Whatever you say goes, I believe you!”
Xiang Yang knew she wouldn't believe him.
“What do I need to do for you to believe that I’m not a puppy?”
As expected, men inherently possessed a competitive nature.
Just a casual joke…
For some reason, she always felt he was soft and easy to bully, and Chen Jiaojiao enjoyed teasing him.
“You want to prove you’re a wolfdog so badly? Fine. Carry me.”
“If you can pick me up and spin me around twice, I’ll believe you’re a real man.”
You said it yourself!
Xiang Yang gritted his back teeth, pushed open the passenger door, and walked around to the driver’s side.
He opened the door, took the cigarette from her fingers, threw it away, and stomped it out under his foot.
Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her out.
Then, with one hand supporting her legs and the other around her back, he easily lifted her up.
He spun her around several times in the air, then carried her back to the passenger seat, buckled her in, and fastened her seatbelt.
He placed one hand by her head and looked down at her, his gaze intense.
“Now? Am I still a puppy?”
Due to his seamless and powerful actions, Chen Jiaojiao only now reacted.
Men were indeed men. And she had to admit, his display just now was quite charismatic, making her feel a sense of admiration.