Love For You - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Miao Jing? You All Know Her?

Tu Li’s slap landed on Chen Yi’s hard cheek before he could react. The force wasn’t actually very heavy, but when she heard the crisp sound, even she froze. Her confidence deflated by a third, and as she looked at Chen Yi’s dark, sullen face and his erupting roar, her apprehension and shame became muddled with confusion.

She was genuinely acting out of humiliated anger—she had put a lot of effort into maintaining her position as his "official" girlfriend.

It wasn’t the first time she had seen Chen Yi in the bar. Back then, Chen Yi was likely there to discuss business with people, having booked a booth for several days straight. Wearing a white shirt, he was particularly eye-catching under the colored lights. Tu Li had been intentional; she spilled a glass of red wine on him. He had just chuckled as he caught the glass she had accidentally knocked over. The conversation naturally progressed to dry-cleaning fees and phone numbers, and later, as they gathered with various groups of friends, it just logically followed that they ended up together.

At that time, there would occasionally be a troublesome ex-girlfriend popping up around Chen Yi. She was a little brat whose family ran a gambling den. Tu Li had investigated the reason for their breakup: the ex-girlfriend had dragged Chen Yi along to buy rings, but Chen Yi hadn't wanted to. In the end, he bought two matching rings, but when the ex-girlfriend tried to slip the man’s ring onto his finger, Chen Yi found it annoying, threw the ring away, and broke up with her on the spot.

Tu Li could understand that ex-girlfriend’s small desire to assert her sovereignty—take the pool hall alone: Chen Yi would stay there until the middle of the night. There were several beauties hired in the hall to take turns sparring with him, spending every day in close contact with Chen Yi, joking and bantering. There were also many girls who would come to the pool hall to play; they were all there secretly to see Chen Yi. When he taught girls how to play pool, leaning over the table with his smooth, toned shoulders and back, his tight waist, and lean hips, teaching them the stance hand-in-hand, how many girls could resist that?

Even if Tu Li hovered in the pool hall, staying by his side every step of the way, she couldn't stop those little girls from throwing themselves at him. Chen Yi wasn't stupid; how could he give them a cold face and kick them out? He would lean against the edge of the pool table, a violent scent of tobacco about him, looking at them lazily with a smile, cracking a few jokes. The little girls would blush and their hearts would race, and even she, the official girlfriend, could be retorted away. He didn't care if the women around him were clingy, and it didn't matter if they controlled him much or little. He never said much, always going his own way. Sometimes he wouldn't be in contact for ten days or half a month, and he wouldn't tell anyone around him what he was doing.

At first, Tu Li just wanted to play around—wild men weren't reliable—but when he slowly lifted his eyes to look at her, she couldn't let go. Furthermore, Chen Yi wasn't bad to her; it was satisfying enough in bed, and his wallet was never kept shut tight. He was far better than other men who only wanted to take advantage without spending money. How could she not hold on tight?

Later, Tu Li won over the group of friends around Chen Yi. From time to time, she would probe about Chen Yi’s movements and roughly knew his daily whereabouts. She kept a low profile and kept a tight grip on him. The two had been together on and off for more than a year, and she felt she had a decent grasp on him. Even though she felt that with Chen Yi’s fickle and ungrounded temper, there would be a day he’d cheat, seeing Miao Jing standing behind him sizing her up—her black-and-white eyes looking on quietly—instantly shattered her composure. Without thinking, overcome by the heat of the moment, she swung that slap.

And after swinging it, she felt a bit stunned.

"Thud."

Miao Jing closed her bedroom door, and there wasn't a sound in the room.

"What sister? I’ve never heard of you having a sister at home, though I’ve seen plenty of 'sisters' from the outside," Tu Li said, biting her lip in shame and anger. Miao Jing’s room used to be empty and used for storage. Linking that to the traces left around the house, it was true that a woman had been living here, and she had been cuckolded by a young girl without even realizing it. Her night-time rendezvous with her lover had turned into a scene of catching him in the act.

Chen Yi watched her keep staring at Miao Jing’s room, his gaze gloomy, his voice exploding: "That is her room from before. She has lived in that room for ten years. Is that enough for you?"

Tu Li was a bit dazed.

"Explain yourself clearly."

"Put your clothes on first."

There were other people in the house. Her wet hair dripped, soaking her T-shirt. Tu Li’s legs were still bare, her skin exposed. In a daze, she threw on her clothes, then looked at Chen Yi, who stood with his arms crossed, his face sagging with a suppressed, irritable gloom.

Before either could speak, the bedroom door was pushed open. Miao Jing came out in loungewear—loose, plain T-shirt and long pants. She was holding a hairdryer, her expression peaceful, her voice gentle.

"The hairdryer is with me. Dry your hair. Your toiletries are in the cabinet under the sink. I didn't know whose they were, so I put them all away."

"My name is Miao Jing. I’ve already lived here for over half a month. Chen Yi wasn't home when I returned; I took the liberty of cleaning the room."

Miao Jing’s expression held no trace of shame, tension, arrogance, or mockery. Her tone wasn't like someone covering up or lying; instead, it was so calm that it made others feel uneasy. Tu Li furrowed her delicate brows, looking at her and then at Chen Yi, her suspicious gaze switching between the two.

"Are you his sister? A relative, or..."

The two didn't look alike at all, and even their surnames were different.

"He hasn't told you?" Miao Jing asked in return.

"Of course not!"

Two women, four eyes, stared at him simultaneously. Chen Yi furrowed his brows deeply, his face dark, and he strode forward, grabbing Tu Li: "I’ll send you home first."

"When I walked in, I heard voices at home, and he said his 'sister-in-law' was here. On the way back, he even said he wanted to have dinner with you to meet you," Miao Jing stepped back, "Discuss whatever you need to. I have to go to the company early tomorrow, so I’m going to rest now."

Hearing her tone, Tu Li’s eyes grew even more suspicious. She wanted to seek confirmation from Chen Yi, but he roared: "We’ll talk on the way."

She stumbled as she followed Chen Yi downstairs. The car door slammed shut before she reacted: "What can't be said clearly at home face-to-face?"

"Why did you come here?" Chen Yi frowned, "Who told you to come?"

"So she really is your sister? I’ve never heard you say you had a sister at home."

"Yes."

Tu Li still felt something was wrong and began to bicker with him, tossing her hair: "Why couldn't I come? You said there was something going on at home—was this it? Why didn't you let me know?"

Chen Yi rubbed his face with his thumb, lit a cigarette, and snorted irritably: "Does it have anything to do with you? Have I ever interfered in your family affairs? Have you ever let me know about your family members?"

Tu Li was stunned, slumping in the car in a daze, her momentum weak: "Who exactly is she?"

His face was as calm as water, showing not a ripple of emotion toward her: "My sister. She returned to Tengcheng for work and is living back at home."

The car started violently, speeding down the road. Chen Yi dumped Tu Li at the bottom of her apartment building and drove away without a second thought.

On the way back, Chen Yi still stopped by the pool hall, waiting until closing time before returning. When he parked the car downstairs again, the lights on the second floor were completely extinguished. The curtains on the left room were drawn tight. He lowered his eyes to light a cigarette, his eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow beneath them. He pondered for a long time, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. His firm arm hung outside the car window, his fingertips flicking, showing a tiny red glow floating in the dim, mysterious night.

He didn't know why she had returned.

Tu Li sought out Chen Yi’s old friends—asking Dai Mao, Bo Zai, Big Head Yuan, and A Yong. This group spoke in unison.

"Miao Jing is back?"

Chen Yi hadn't mentioned it; none of them knew Miao Jing had returned.

Tu Li felt half-assured: "Miao Jing? You all know her?"

They all said they did, but the degree of familiarity varied. Some had just heard the name Miao Jing; some had met her a few times; others knew her; and some were familiar with her and had a decent relationship.

"She’s Chen Yi’s sister, but not a biological one—no blood relation. Chen Yi’s dad found a woman from another place who brought a daughter over to live with them. It’s been over a decade; she was there when Chen Yi was in elementary school. Later, Miao Jing got into college, went to a big city, and lost contact. She never came back."

"Why didn't any of you say anything?"

"Brother Yi never brings it up. It’s not exactly a good thing. He is especially unwilling to talk about these things; he turns cold the moment it's mentioned. His relationship with Miao Jing is quite poor. Chen Yi used to bully her and find her annoying."

"Their relationship is poor?"

Based on their brief encounter last night, the two definitely weren't close; they were as estranged as if they were neither relatives nor friends.

"Poor. About the same as enemies, really. Ice-cold. The two basically never talk."

An insider giggled: "How poor, you ask? When Brother Yi would get into trouble outside, his sister would call the police to report him, upholding justice over family, trying to send Brother Yi to jail for a meal. Brother Yi has never been forced into such a corner by anyone else; it drove him crazy. After Miao Jing left, Brother Yi’s heart was much lighter."

Tu Li asked them one by one and roughly understood the situation. She knew that the "sister" Chen Yi spoke of really was an old acquaintance with a history, and it really had been a misunderstanding. Thinking back to last night’s scene—her screaming in front of both siblings that Chen Yi was messing around with women, and seeing Chen Yi’s face go that black—it really was quite embarrassing.

The next day, Tu Li went to the pool hall to look for Chen Yi again. The hall was filled with smoke. He was playing against someone and happened to clear the table with one shot, in high spirits. Tu Li smiled, walked up to massage his shoulders and hammer his back, served him tea and water, and offered apologies, saying she wanted to meet Miao Jing to apologize and have dinner together.

Chen Yi calmly rubbed chalk onto his cue without looking at Tu Li. He leaned over the table, his narrow waist tucked against the edge, and made his opening shot, speaking coldly: "She has a company team-building activity for the next few days. Wait for the weekend."

Miao Jing’s company team-building activity took the group to a suburban farm for training—hiking, obstacle courses, and rural tourism. The members were mostly young, strong guys with passion and blood, handling it easily. The few girls gritted their teeth to keep up, and the guys would help out from time to time, so the team members quickly became familiar with each other.

Miao Jing and Lu Zhengsi were from the same hometown and were in the same major and department, so they were also in the same group for the activities. They had a lot to talk about and got along well.

Lu Zhengsi was tall, single-lidded, and fair-skinned, with two small dimples when he smiled. He was a year younger than Miao Jing and a very steady, enterprising guy. Everyone’s titles were "Engineer," so they called Miao Jing "Engineer Miao," and Miao Jing called him "Engineer Lu." Lu Zhengsi scratched his head, looking a bit shyly at Miao Jing: "It sounds like a boiler worker. I really don't like it. Engineer Miao, you can just call me Zhengsi. Otherwise, call me by my English name—I’m called Jack."

Miao Jing couldn't help but laugh: "Then I’ll just call you Zhengsi. Calling you Jack in the workshop would be a bit strange."

The two days of team-building ended, and everyone took home a bag of melons from the farm. Lu Zhengsi happened to be heading to the city for some business, so he offered to drive Miao Jing home. Seeing him covered in sweat, Miao Jing invited him up for a glass of water. She also had some professional materials from her previous job she could show him.

Lu Zhengsi didn't decline. Just as he was about to agree, a cigarette butt fell straight down beside him. Both he and Miao Jing looked up. On the second-floor balcony sat a young man, bold and unconstrained, with one long leg propped on the window sill. His lazy, unruly gaze, like sunlight piercing through dark clouds, shot straight at the two people on the ground floor.

This man looked familiar—Lu Zhengsi remembered him; he was the man who had driven up to pick up Miao Jing during their last group dinner.

"Engineer Miao... your boyfriend?" Lu Zhengsi stopped, his expression slightly awkward.

"No," Miao Jing glanced up lightly, saying calmly, "My brother."

Since someone was at home, and this man had an intimidating pressure, Lu Zhengsi didn't go up. He handed the melons and backpack to Miao Jing, waved, and walked away. She went upstairs to open the door. Chen Yi was still sitting on the balcony window. Seeing her return, he stepped down, his tone casual: "Back?"

"Yes."

"Didn't we agree I’d pick you up? Why did you come back by yourself?"

"The company bus dropped us off."

Miao Jing took off her sun-protection shirt directly. Underneath, she wore a white knitted tank top, revealing her delicate body curves. Her long hair was pinned up, exposing her long, swan-like neck—her shoulders and the back of her neck were scorched red, burning with pain. She shuffled back to her room to find aloe vera gel, clicked on the bathroom light, stood before the vanity mirror, and applied it with her back turned.

Her slender, fair fingertips dipped into the transparent gel, trembling slightly as she carefully applied it to the back of her neck. When she touched a small, reddened bump on her cervical spine, Miao Jing took a light breath and rubbed it gently with her fingertips.

Chen Yi hugged his arms, leaning against the back of the chair, his eyes lowered: "Then I’ll go pick up Tu Li first. Let’s all have dinner together tonight."

"Can we eat at home? I overexerted myself these past two days and I’m aching everywhere; I really don't want to go out," Miao Jing said with a faint trace of weariness, "I’ll cook in a bit, you guys can just come over to eat tonight."

His movements paused, his tone slightly impatient: "No need to cook, I’ll just bring some food back."

"That works, too."

The bathroom door closed before him, and the sound of splashing water came from inside. Chen Yi was about to leave, but he turned back to close the door and caught a glimpse of a shadow of white fabric, vaguely streaking across the glass door.

In the evening, Tu Li and Chen Yi returned together, both carrying takeout boxes. Miao Jing was cutting fruit in the kitchen; she heard the movement and turned to look.

Tu Li was determined to be friendly. She hugged Miao Jing affectionately, her voice sweet and sugary, a burst of fragrance drifting over: "Little Sister Jing, hello."

"Hello."

"I brought you a little gift, not sure if you’ll like it." Tu Li blinked and handed over a tube of lipstick, "You can call me Tu Li, Lilith, or Sister Lili—either works. You don't have to stand on ceremony with me."

"Thank you, Sister Lili."

There is always something to talk about between women. Although Miao Jing looked aloof, she was not cold or withdrawn in person. The two chatted in the kitchen while handing over plates. Chen Yi stood at the kitchen door for a while, his eyes as still as a well. Seeing the two of them like this, he didn't say much and went to the balcony to smoke and play with his phone.

"That night was my fault, sorry about that." Tu Li was quite forthright, bumping Miao Jing’s arm, "It was embarrassing; the scene was really strange."

Miao Jing’s tone was calm: "It’s okay, no need to apologize. Women are intuitive creatures..."

She suddenly stopped, not continuing.

Tu Li sighed, complaining: "It’s not like I did it on purpose. You have no idea how much of a butterfly magnet your brother is. Some girls won't leave even when you shoo them away; I really thought..."

"Understandable. He was like this before, too. When he was in vocational high school, there were many girls around him, and they would even come home to find him."

"Is that so?"

Miao Jing changed the subject, put the fruit into plates, and went to the cabinet to get dishes for the takeout: "You guys bought a lot of hot dishes; we won't be able to finish it all in one meal."

"Your brother and I don't like to cook and are used to eating out. He has a habit—he orders everything he likes regardless. I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I ordered a few extra... This place is quite famous; we can go eat there together next time."

"That sounds good." Miao Jing smiled, "Whatever you want to eat, just order it. That’s happiness."

As they chatted, Tu Li asked Miao Jing about her age, how long she’d been in Tengcheng, what college she attended, and her new job, clicking her tongue in admiration.

"You’re really amazing. But with you being so good at studying, why didn't you rub off on Chen Yi? If he had studied hard, who knows, maybe he would have gotten into college and become an engineer or something."

Miao Jing didn't feel much regret: "He didn't want to study himself; you can't force that."

True. If Chen Yi could study, he wouldn't still be in Tengcheng; he might have flown off into the sky already.

"Then why did you want to come back to Tengcheng? Big cities are so great. I want to go to the big stage to dance, but I don't have the survival skills for that."

"For my kind of work, it doesn't make much of a difference where I work. After graduation, I rented a place with classmates, had a three-hour daily commute, ate boxed lunches every day, and often worked overtime and traveled. I feel that life in a smaller city is happier."

She had been out there, had seen the premier metropolises, had seen things she hadn't seen before, and knew what it was all about. There was nothing particularly special about it—that was enough.

Tu Li agreed with this.

A faint smell of smoke drifted into the kitchen. She followed Miao Jing’s gaze and looked over. Chen Yi was leaning on the balcony smoking. Through the kitchen window, she could see a bit of his profile—flying eyebrows, a straight bridge of the nose, and a firm jawline.

Miao Jing steadily withdrew her gaze and asked Tu Li: "What about you, Sister Lili? Do you live alone? Are you still dancing?"

"I live with my mom and dad. There’s a younger brother at home who is only five years old. My parents are getting older, and they are still working, so I help take care of my brother. I did dance for a while, back when I danced at the scenic area, but it was too far and the pay was low. The bar pays better, but it got annoying. I don't dance anymore; I work at a gym now. Sometimes when the gym is short-staffed, I help out by teaching two gymnastics classes."

"A very rich work experience. It feels much more interesting than my job." Miao Jing nodded sincerely, "I’m quite boring. Sometimes I envy different lives."

The sister was much easier to get along with than the brother.

After cleaning up the kitchen, the three sat at the dining table to eat, chatting about daily trivia and household matters. Chen Yi didn't talk much, and Miao Jing wasn't the type to be a big chatterbox, so Tu Li livened up the atmosphere, keeping the topic centered on Miao Jing.

"Does Little Sister Jing have a boyfriend?"

Miao Jing shook her head.

"At twenty-four, it’s about time to date. What type do you like? Maybe I can introduce someone. I know several guys at the gym with pretty good conditions and looks."

Chen Yi, holding a beer can to the side, slightly furrowed his brows.

Miao Jing lowered her head to peel a shrimp, thought about it seriously, and laughed: "No specific type; dating is all about that spark."

"Right, have you dated before?"

"I have."

Tu Li smiled: "I really couldn't tell. You look so pure and innocent, the obedient, well-behaved type who goes on blind dates."

"Can't tell I’ve dated?" Miao Jing smiled, "I’ve dated two boyfriends."

Tu Li asked curiously: "Really? When?"

"One was a college classmate, one I met after starting work. Adding them up, we dated for over three years."

Chen Yi started smoking on the side, his gaze suddenly turning cold. He interrupted: "Why did you break up? What was the problem?"

Tu Li playfully pushed Chen Yi: "Why are you reacting so strongly? Are you planning to go break someone’s legs?"

Miao Jing spoke in a measured way: "The college classmate—his hometown was in a northern provincial capital. After graduation, his family arranged a job for him. I didn't want to follow him there, so we broke up. As for the second boyfriend I met at work, his parents were university professors and had quite a few requirements. So that was that."

Two boyfriends: one was the best among the boys who chased her, the other was someone she had put effort into pursuing. They were proper relationships, and they had experienced plenty of romantic whimsy. Miao Jing was the one who proposed the breakup; she withdrew quickly, didn't appear to be in much pain, and ended it cleanly and decisively.

"If it’s over, it’s over. It’s no big deal." Tu Li comforted her, "There are plenty of good men in Tengcheng. It won't be hard to find another one."

Miao Jing wiped her fingers clean and smiled slightly, her eyes clear: "I haven't worried much about that. There are hundreds of male engineers in the company, many of them single. Finding a partner shouldn't be difficult."

"That’s true. Pick a good one, and we can all help you weigh the options.”