Love For You - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: I Have Thought of You...

The two people in the room were indifferent to one another; only after Lu Zhengsi entered did conversation begin. Chen Yi, biting down on a cigarette, paced into the living room to smoke.

The room was basically cleared out. There were still two storage bins under the bed that Miao Jing had sorted out from the wardrobe when she first moved back. When Lu Zhengsi asked if she wanted to take them with her, she shook her head.

“These are things from before I went to university—old clothes and some miscellaneous items. I don't need them anymore.”

Looking at it that way, her personal luggage didn't seem like much. She had left behind many other things: the new curtains, the desk and chair, the mattress and pillows, and various small household knick-knacks. Miao Jing turned her head: “Will you take care of the rest?”

She was speaking to Chen Yi. He held his cigarette, tilted his body slightly, and gave a vague grunt. When Miao Jing and Lu Zhengsi were about to leave, he followed them downstairs to see them off with an indifferent attitude.

As the car trunk clicked shut, there was, for some reason, a feeling of leaving home. Lu Zhengsi had already started the engine. Miao Jing opened the passenger door, looked back once, and said, “I’m leaving.”

Chen Yi watched her, his expression cold and frozen. His dark temple twitched as he slowly, dryly spat out a single word: “Fine.”

Miao Jing looked at him, smiled very gently—her brows and eyes relaxed and soft—then turned and got into the car, closing the door.

Chen Yi stood outside the car window with his hands in his pockets, his posture lazy, his gaze penetrating the tinted glass with a dark, heavy intensity.

The car started. She fastened her seatbelt and began chatting with Lu Zhengsi. Miao Jing had returned to Tengcheng in August. Time had passed quickly; she had been living there for three or four months now, and she had completely adapted to life and work. Summer in Tengcheng was overly long and sticky, and only now was there a slight hint of chill. Lu Zhengsi had attended university in the north and missed the crisp, cool air and the frost of the autumn and winter seasons, but Miao Jing was quite used to it. She liked summer; she liked the lush, wild growth of the plants and the feeling of her skin being damp with sweat.

The topic shifted from Tengcheng to them. Lu Zhengsi pursed his lips and asked Miao Jing if she and Chen Yi had lived together in high school. He had deduced this from snippets of conversation between Tu Li and Miao Jing, as well as the furnishings in the house.

“Yes, back then only the two of us were at home. My mother had gone to another city, I was studying, and Chen Yi was working.”

“The way you and Brother Yi speak to each other often gives me the feeling… that the two of you aren't very close.”

Miao Jing smiled: “There were many times in the past when he and I argued, and later we had no contact for several years. It’s normal not to understand each other.”

Lu Zhengsi asked with a smile: “Brother Yi went to your parent-teacher meetings? Did he look after you? It’s hard to imagine you two fighting.”

“Did you hear that the day we ate together? He would manage me occasionally, like when my grades were bad or I was distracted. After all, besides him, there was no one else.”

“Why did you lose touch after going to university? I feel that you, Miao, and Brother Yi… are both the kind of people who can think of others.”

Miao Jing glanced at him: “Are you trying to ask if my choosing you as a boyfriend has something to do with Chen Yi? And what kind of relationship I actually have with Chen Yi?”

Caught off guard, Lu Zhengsi’s face turned slightly red: “Uh… after all, it’s a bit strange… I really don't quite understand.”

“I’ve really caused you trouble.” Miao Jing curled the corners of her lips, her eyes charmingly soft. “Regarding this ‘boyfriend’ matter, why don't we stop? I’ll treat you to a meal to apologize to you, is that alright?”

“Can we not be real boyfriend and girlfriend?” Lu Zhengsi gripped the steering wheel, his scalp tingling from the pressure she was putting on him, forcing him to be direct. “Miao, I—I really like you. The first time you spoke to me, my heart was actually quite moved. During this time… our rhythm and personalities have been very compatible, and we get along very well. Can you—can you consider me?”

A pure, honest boy. Miao Jing did have a good impression of him; he was straightforward in how he conducted himself, and even when he had doubts, he didn't aggressively probe. If anything, it made her own motives seem particularly impure. Miao Jing hesitated for a while, and just as she was about to speak, her phone rang at the perfect moment—it was a call from Chen Yi.

The call connected. There was silence on the other end, followed by the slow sound of exhaling. Miao Jing knew he was smoking, doing so with that lazy, ethereal attitude of his.

“Miao Jing.”

His voice was hoarse and rough, the tail end dragged out as if it were escaping from his throat.

“Hmm?”

Just from that one word, Lu Zhengsi felt that Miao Jing’s voice had changed completely—it was exceptionally gentle and soft, a kind of soft that was clear and tender.

“Have you left?”

“Left.”

“I have thought of you…”

She listened quietly, but he had nothing more to say, ending the call hastily. Miao Jing turned her head to gaze out the window, her profile like a painting, her eyes filled with a sense of loneliness.

The topic had been cut short, and there was no way to continue. Lu Zhengsi realized that although Miao Jing was sitting right beside him, she was already immersed in a strange atmosphere—an atmosphere woven by her, one that did not allow for others to enter. He felt a sense of loss and frustration; after spending so much time together, he couldn't read Miao Jing. He didn't know if she was too difficult to understand, or if his own ability was just too shallow.

Returning to the company, whether due to being too busy with work or not knowing how to bring it up again, neither Miao Jing nor Lu Zhengsi responded to those earlier conversations in the car.

Chen Yi couldn't hold back for more than two days. One night, after leaving the pool hall, he made an excuse to go to the Development Zone to find Miao Jing. She happened to be going out for a late-night snack with her colleagues. He parked his car on the side of the road to wait. Through the rearview mirror, he saw Miao Jing and several colleagues walking over from the street corner. His hand, clutching a cigarette, rested on the car window, his gaze locked firmly onto her.

Miao Jing caught a glimpse of him from afar and stopped to talk to her colleagues. Lu Zhengsi watched from a distance as she walked slowly toward a black car in the distance, pausing in front of the driver’s side window to speak with someone.

Of course, he knew that was Chen Yi’s car, but there was nothing wrong with that, was there?

Miao Jing got into the car. Chen Yi took her out for a drive in the night breeze and asked if she wanted to go to the city center for a spin. It was getting late, and Miao Jing didn't want to go too far, so the car circled the borders of the Development Zone. They discovered a stretch of wasteland where the vegetation swayed; the vast reeds connected to the hazy, low-hanging full moon, a scene that carried a sense of timelessness.

The car stopped on the side of the road. The tall man leaned over to kiss the person beside him—lips as delicate as roses, stained with the damp dew of the night. His tongue drove straight in, the hazy sounds of breathing transmitted between their teeth. This was their first time kissing outside of a confined space. A beautiful woman and a handsome man—a clandestine affair in the wild, hidden beneath impeccable attire, was all the more thrilling. He caught the tip of her tongue and drew it back into his mouth, letting her roam his territory. The rich, deep scent of tobacco enveloped a faint, subtle fragrance. Seeing her brows and eyes flushed, gorgeous as peach blossoms, his strong arms roamed; he attempted to make her cling to him. Miao Jing retreated at the right moment, leaning against the car door to catch her breath, refusing his next clumsy attempt at escalation. In the dim light, Chen Yi’s eyes were bright and malicious, like a wolf spotting its prey.

Miao Jing asked him if he had anything he wanted to say. He leaned against her side and began to lower his head to light a cigarette to dispel his emotions, asking her what she needed him to say.

“Say the things you didn't say during these six years.”

It didn't matter if they were sweet nothings or lies, as long as he was willing to open his mouth.

“There doesn't seem to be anything to say.” He took a drag of his cigarette. “We parted peacefully, didn't we? We went our separate ways, with no attachments and no ties, living our own lives.”

“Actually, you shouldn't have come back.”

Chen Yi’s eyes were shrouded in a night mist. “As soon as you came back, we ended up like this. What’s good about being like this? You leave me hanging in mid-air, yet you won't follow my wishes.”

He stepped on the cigarette butt, grinding it heavily beneath his foot.

“Have you really thought of me?” Miao Jing turned her head, her gaze liquid and clear. “I had only been in university for two months when your phone number became an empty line. I couldn't reach you at all, and you never looked for me again. Shouldn't there be a lot of things to explain now?”

“After all, we lived together for so many years; I would think of you, more or less.”

“You were studying, I was muddled through life, I changed my phone number, things were busy, work was hectic—when you think about it, there wasn't really anything worth talking about or staying in contact for.”

Since she came back a few months ago, she had acted as if nothing had happened and didn't ask; he also acted as if nothing had happened and didn't speak. They had been living together for months with such tacit understanding and exceptional rapport. The only things that revealed cracks and emotions were their erotic, ambiguous moments.

Miao Jing folded her arms, her eyes cold as she looked into the distance.

The amorous atmosphere vanished completely. The two got into the car, and Chen Yi dropped Miao Jing off at her company without saying when he would come next. He turned the car around and left.

There were no new developments, but Miao Jing unexpectedly received a call from Tu Li. After such a long time, she didn't say anything else, only that she had worn Miao Jing’s dress and might have accidentally stained and ruined it in a moment of carelessness. She wanted to pay her back with a new one and asked Miao Jing how much the dress cost and what brand it was.

It wasn't that she was pestering her; it was just that because Miao Jing had made her unhappy, she wanted to make someone else unhappy for once.

After the call ended, Miao Jing’s expression was noticeably much colder. She held her water cup and stood by the window for a long time.

A few days later, Miao Jing called Chen Yi. Hearing the sound of pool balls clicking in the background, she asked if he could lend her his car for a day, as it wasn't easy to dispatch the company cars.

“What’s up?”

“A friend is coming to Tengcheng, and I want to drive him around.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow. He’s passing through on a business trip; I’m going to the high-speed rail station to pick him up.”

“I’m playing in the neighboring city and heading back tomorrow. Who is it? I’ll pick them up on the way for you.”

“It’s not very convenient for you to do it; I want to host him myself.”

Chen Yi’s brow furrowed. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll give you the car.”

He rushed back to Tengcheng overnight and hurried to change his clothes in the morning to see Miao Jing. She had taken annual leave specifically for this, and had meticulously, without leaving a trace, groomed herself. Her eyes were clear, her lips red and teeth white, her long hair flowing. There was a lazy, gentle charm to her, and a very careless sense of refinement.

Chen Yi had never seen her looking like this before, and he saw through it instantly: “Not asking Lu Zhengsi for help?”

“Zhengsi isn't very suitable.”

“Who is it?”

“A former colleague from my old company.”

He hesitated for a second and tapped his fingers against the car window: “Are you familiar with my car? Get in, I’ll take you to the high-speed rail station.”

“That works too. Sorry to trouble you to be my driver for once.”

The train arrived at 10:50. Miao Jing stood at the gate waiting, talked for a bit on the phone, and then saw a man in a suit coming out. Her smile was gentle and bright. The two embraced in the flow of people. The man patted her on the back and asked with a smile: “Did you come alone?”

“More or less.”

Chen Yi leaned against the car door, watching the two of them come out side by side. The man was tall and thin, probably around thirty, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a clean and clear temperament. He reached out to shield Miao Jing from behind. Miao Jing was facing him, lifting her hair. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, both elites—they certainly looked like a match.

“My brother, Chen Yi,” Miao Jing introduced briefly. “A former colleague, a friend—Cen Ye.”

The two men—one rough and untamed, the other scholarly and refined—wore polite smiles, but there was no laughter in their eyes. They shook hands in greeting, their grip slightly tight, before immediately pulling away.

The snow-white business card he handed over had a particularly high-quality texture. Chen Yi glanced at it: Legal Director for Greater China. Quite a pretentious title. What was that surname pronounced again? Was there a poet during the Tang Dynasty who had that character in his name?