The entire morning, from breakfast to clothing, everything felt so natural, as if it were meant to be this way.
Yet, sitting in the classroom, Zhong Wanqiu’s mind wasn’t focused on the lesson the teacher was delivering, but on Leng Muxun’s behavior that morning it had taken her by surprise.
Last night, he had been with that man and woman…
Stop, she had to stop. Her mind couldn’t keep circling back to Leng Muxun. He was nothing more than an accident in her life.
But the more she tried to suppress the thoughts, the more involuntarily Leng Muxun crept into her mind.
Xia Jingxuan hadn’t bothered her again, which was a relief.
The whole day of classes passed by in a daze for Zhong Wanqiu.
As soon as she rushed out of the classroom after the last afternoon session, her phone rang. “Wanqiu, I’m working overtime tonight. Go back by yourself the key is in the inner pocket of your bag.”
“Hey, I was thinking tonight…”
But it was too late. Even if she wanted to refuse going to his place, Leng Muxun had already issued his directive like an order and hung up.
She checked the inner pocket and, sure enough, there was a key. She had no idea when Leng Muxun had stealthily slipped it in.
“Sigh.” She sighed as she walked toward the school gate. She had truly boarded a pirate ship now.
After casually eating a bowl of Dao Xiao Noodles on the street, she headed back, exhausted from not getting enough sleep the previous night.
As she stepped out of the elevator and reached for the key, she looked up and met a pair of faintly mocking, almost smirking eyes. “Zhong Wanqiu, are you happy being the other woman?” The woman then pushed open the door to Leng Muxun’s apartment.
Zhong Wanqiu’s hand froze; the key in her grasp suddenly felt glaringly conspicuous. So, there were this many women with keys to his place she was just one among them.
Biting her lip, she retorted, “That’s between A Xun and me. It’s none of your business. And who are you, anyway?”
“Liu Ruoxin.” The woman chuckled lightly. “Have you already forgotten who I am?”
“Oh.” It came back to her this was the woman who had kept Leng Muxun overnight. Brushing past Liu Ruoxin, she tried to step inside. Perhaps driven by pride, she didn’t want to lose to Liu Ruoxin.
“Tsk, tsk. That outfit you’re wearing A Xun bought it for you too, didn’t he?”
“So what if he did? He wouldn’t buy any for you.”
“Haha, do you really think Grandfather would approve of you marrying A Xun? Don’t daydream. With your capabilities, it’s impossible. You’re just relying on that face of yours. Hmm, it does bear some resemblance.”
“To what?” Zhong Wanqiu was confused.
“To A Xun’s first love. So, you’re nothing but a substitute.” Each word struck Zhong Wanqiu like a barrage of bullets.
Steady yourself, she had to stay steady. “Liu Ruoxin, whether I’m a substitute or the other woman, it’s me not you whom A Xun allowed to live in this apartment.”
“You…”
With a light laugh, Zhong Wanqiu stepped into Leng Muxun’s room, turned, and slammed the door shut with a “bang.” “Make yourself at home, Miss Liu.” She had no intention of entertaining Liu Ruoxin any further.
Suddenly, Zhong Wanqiu’s eyes fell upon the room in disarray and on the sofa lay an opened condom. She had only ever seen such things in supermarkets; now, she was finally seeing one that had been used.
In an instant, a wave of nausea washed over her…
Withdrawing her gaze, Zhong Wanqiu stepped into her room, but her phone chose that moment to ring. Picking it up absentmindedly, her thoughts still lingered on the condom on the sofa that seemed to retain traces of the man’s fluids. “Leng Muxun, what is it?”
“Are you back yet?”
Her mind shifted, and the condom resurfaced in her thoughts. “Not yet, but I’ll be there soon.”
“Oh, I see. Wait a while before returning. The cleaning lady just said she needs to tidy up. Wait until she’s finished so you don’t come back to a mess.”
Frowning slightly, she hadn’t expected Leng Muxun to take this long to cover his tracks his timing was terribly slow. She let out a light, mocking chuckle. “Sure, I’m out shopping right now. A Xun, do you want me to buy anything for you?”
“No, with your taste… Tsk…”
“What’s wrong with my taste?”
“Nothing… nothing at all. It’s fine, hehe. Keep shopping, just come back an hour later. I’ll have the housekeeper bring up some food too.”
“OK, that’s settled then. Bye…” She didn’t want to say another word, suddenly feeling utterly exhausted.
But she had just come in and now had to leave again otherwise, she’d be caught by the cleaning staff.
Perhaps Leng Muxun didn’t want anyone to know he’d been “working overtime” in the living room that afternoon.
Zhong Wanqiu pulled open the door to leave, but Liu Ruoxin was still outside. “What’s wrong? Is the mistress leaving? Got dumped?”
“A good dog doesn’t block the path. I’m going out shopping.” She smiled calmly if she let Liu Ruoxin get to her, she’d be a fool. Liu Ruoxin was clearly jealous.
“Zhong Wanqiu, you’re insulting me!” A hand shot toward Zhong Wanqiu with startling speed.
She blocked it effortlessly. “Excuse me, are you blocking the way?”
“No… I’m not.”
“Exactly. Then I wasn’t referring to you I was talking about whoever blocks the path.” She brushed past Liu Ruoxin calmly; Liu Ruoxin was nothing but a dog in her way.
Zhong Wanqiu walked swiftly, quickly leaving Liu Ruoxin behind. No matter what Liu Ruoxin said, she ignored it entirely. There was no real relationship between her and Leng Muxun it was just a marriage of convenience. She wouldn’t fall for jealousy or tricks.
“Haha, A Xun made you leave, didn’t he? I knew it was him. But he’ll be back soon.”
Zhong Wanqiu remained silent, pressing the button for the ground floor. Her gaze drifted unconsciously to the transparent elevator opposite, and in that instant, she saw Leng Muxun standing with his back to her in the ascending elevator. It had to be him he was wearing the same outfit from when he drove her to school that morning. The color, the style unmistakable.
Her heart clenched abruptly, the pain so intense it seeped into her bones, forcing her to slowly close her eyes…
Stepping out of the elevator, the outdoors was already aglow with neon lights. Zhong Wanqiu wandered aimlessly along the pedestrian crossings of T City. Suddenly, a profound sense of loneliness washed over her. She didn’t care what Leng Muxun and Liu Ruoxin were doing now after all, there had never been any substantial connection between her and Leng Muxun.
Recalling Liu Ruoxin’s remark that she resembled Leng Muxun’s first love, Zhong Wanqiu couldn’t help but smile bitterly to herself she didn’t even know who that woman was.
She tried to erase the scene she’d witnessed in the living room from her mind, but the harder she tried to forget, the clearer the images became.
After wandering aimlessly for some time, her phone rang again. Recognizing the familiar ringtone, Zhong Wanqiu answered calmly, “Muxun, what is it?”
“Zhong Wanqiu, where are you? Why haven’t you come home yet?”
“Oh, I’m still shopping,” she replied softly, her mind conjuring images of Leng Muxun possibly embracing Liu Ruoxin at that very moment. Given his track record, it was entirely plausible just like how he’d dared to engage in intimate behavior with women in the stairwell at the office.
“The food’s gone cold. Should I reheat it for you when you return?”
He sounded unusually cheerful. “Sure, thanks,” she said. Such kindness or perhaps it was guilt driving his actions.
“Then tell me roughly when you’ll be back so I can time the reheating.”
Checking the time, Zhong Wanqiu realized she’d been wandering for over an hour without knowing her exact location. “I’ll be back in half an hour,” she said vaguely.
“OK, bye.” He hung up promptly, as if genuinely intending to warm her meal.
Spotting a small supermarket ahead, Zhong Wanqiu remembered her excuse about shopping and decided she ought to buy something. She entered and casually picked up some snacks. Just as she was leaving, her eyes fell on a display of neckties. She selected a red-and-blue checkered one and tossed it into her cart. Only at checkout did she notice the price over a hundred yuan. Her heart sank, but it felt too awkward to put it back now.
Hunger finally outweighed her turmoil. After all this walking, she’d gained some perspective.
After all, she’d never truly considered him as anything more than a contractual fiancé. There was no real need for anger. Sometimes ignorance was bliss unfortunately, she’d stumbled upon the truth unintentionally.
Hailing a taxi back to the apartment complex, she was about to enter the lobby when a man approached her. “Are you Zhong Wanqiu?”
Startled, she asked, “What do you want?”
“Our young lady is currently upstairs. She requests that you wait outside a while longer upon returning. It would be… awkward if you were to walk in on an inappropriate scene.”
“Liu Ruoxin?”
“Yes,” the man replied coldly, giving her a disdainful glance.
“Fine, I understand.” But instead of complying, she strode resolutely into the lobby. While she had no desire to witness anyone’s intimate moments, she refused to be dismissed so easily by a stranger. Pride compelled her to bypass the man and head upstairs whether she actually entered the apartment was her decision to make.
“Miss Zhong…” the man called after her.
She ignored him, stepping into the elevator. But as she stared at the rows of floor buttons, she realized she didn’t know which one to press.
In the end, she pressed them all from top to bottom. She felt like a troublemaker now. When the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, Zhong Wanqiu stepped out. She decided to take the stairs the dim, unlit stairwell. Moving like a cat, she walked silently, ensuring the motion-sensor lights remained unactivated.
She slowly made her way to the top floor in the darkness and checked the time it was still early.
Zhong Wanqiu sat down on the stairs, breathing in the scent of the dark as she gradually closed her eyes. For some reason, she felt exhausted at this moment. She really shouldn’t have come back here, yet she had returned anyway.
Perhaps it was because she missed the feeling of home.
How long had it been since she last tasted that sense of home?