Chapter 32

Li Chi'an's fingers traced the sharp, knife-like bamboo leaves, and his fingertips seemed to feel a strange resonance.

She walked to the window and gazed at the distant urban forest, where the towering skyscrapers of the Yu Group stood.

The golden glow of the setting sun cast a warm glow on the cold glass curtain wall.

She gently rolled up the painting, her fingertips brushing against the warm, smooth wooden scroll.

Outside the window, dusk deepens, streetlights come on, and the city's pulse beats steadily beneath my feet.

The night in Xianghai remains extravagant, like a bottomless ocean.

But at this moment, this unexpected painting, like a pebble thrown into the deep sea, is creating ripples in her heart that are subtle yet impossible to ignore.

...

The morning sunlight, barely squeezing through the dusty blinds, barely entered the "home" where I had lived for more than two years, leaving a few pale lines on the floor.

The room was filled with a cold smell, like soup that had been left unemptied, a faint smell of smoke, and a stubborn trace of a life belonging to another person, yet now completely unfamiliar, lingering in every corner.

When Xu Zhuwen woke up, half of the bed was flat and cold, like an ice field.

Qian Song's pillow was perfectly smooth, without a single crease or wrinkle; he hadn't returned home all night.

Or rather, after the recent intense confrontations, he basically treats this place like a hotel, and doesn't come back unless absolutely necessary.

This realization is like a heavy piece of ice, pressing down on my stomach, cold and suffocating.

That's good, it saves her from the argument she hates most, which was already pointless.

She scratched her head in frustration. In fact, Qian Song didn't need to avoid her like this at all. She didn't even have the energy to argue or cry with her anymore.

Lately, she has clearly felt herself in a low energy level. She has no motivation to exercise or cook, doesn't feel like eating, and relies on coffee and water to keep going. She mechanically drags herself to work, and doesn't want to clean when she gets home. She ignores the mess in her house and feels like a wandering ghost.

Most of the time, I lie in bed scrolling through my phone over and over again until my eyes are sore and I feel drowsy before I finally cover myself with the blanket and go to sleep.

Before going to sleep, I felt my whole body trembling, as if I was exhausted to the point of despair, but I still couldn't stop.

She fell into a state of self-loathing, a numb calm in the face of her surroundings.

After lying in bed for a while, Xu Zhuwen quietly got up, went to the bathroom to use the toilet, and washed up. While washing up, she saw an overly calm version of herself in the mirror.

There were bluish shadows under his eyes, like the fortifications that had been rebuilt after the collapse, struggle, and sleepless nights of the past few days had ended, and behind them was a desolate emptiness.

She turned on the tap, and the cold water splashed on her face, making her shiver slightly, as if extinguishing the last remaining spark in her heart.

It's time to go.

The thought was as clear as an icicle piercing through the fog.

Xu Zhuwen tossed the toothbrush in her hand into the trash can, turned around and walked towards the bedroom, her movements unusually steady.

The wardrobe door slid open, revealing that her clothes only occupied a small corner.

She took out her small suitcase, opened it, and laid it flat on the ground.

Without hesitation, her fingers brushed over the familiar fabrics with an almost ruthless decisiveness, selecting only the clean clothes that truly belonged to her and were untainted by this relationship.

Fold each item neatly and lay them flat.

Her movements were very light, almost silent, as if she were afraid of waking up some sleeping monster, or disturbing the hard-won, almost numb peace she had at this moment.

As the last folded sweater was pushed into the suitcase, her left hand unconsciously brushed against the ring finger of her right hand.

There she was wearing a ring, a basic Tiffany ring that Qian Song had bought for her last Valentine's Day at her request.

She was overjoyed when she received it and has never taken it off since.

But now...

Xu Zhuwen lowered her head and looked at the ring she had carefully chosen. At this moment, the cold metal and the translucent stone reflected only a faint light in the dim light.

Without pausing, she dug her fingernails into the inside of the ring and forcefully pulled it off.

The moment the ring left the skin, the skin that had been imprisoned for so long was suddenly exposed to the cool air, and a slight, liberating stinging sensation arose.

She didn't look at it again, went straight to the study, and gently placed it on the desk.

Finally, she walked to the other side of the large desk and her gaze fell on a slightly worn silver USB drive.

Not long ago, on a grueling late night, she sat in this seat, her face pale as she stared at the glaring computer screen. Her fingertips trembled slightly with anger and a near-destructive courage as she pressed copy and paste countless times, stuffing all the cold, naked digital evidence—screenshots of Qian Song's company's collapsed cash flow, photos and short videos of him being intimate with a certain woman, and details of large expenditures—into this small metal container.

At that moment, she silently picked it up, the metal casing pressed against her palm, exuding a sharp chill, and then stuffed it into the bottom of her makeup bag.

It's as if what was stuffed in wasn't data, but a Pandora's box that must be avoided.

A slightly worn, frayed old suitcase stands in the foyer, the last testament to her life in this house.

Xu Zhuwen picked up the suitcase, the cold touch of the handle spreading along her arm.

She took one last look around this place that had once been called "home," the carefully chosen sofa, the reproduction of the postmodern art that Qian Song liked on the wall, and the lingering scent of his usual Hermès perfume in the air.

Everything was shrouded in an invisible, sticky layer of dust.

There's nothing left to miss here.

She gently opened the door and walked out without hesitation, without looking back.

...

Li Chi'an had just returned from a run and was carrying his clothes, preparing to take a shower.

Suddenly hearing the doorbell ring, I had no choice but to put down the clothes I was holding and open the door with a sweaty, pink face.

"Sister?" She looked at Xu Zhuwen outside the door with surprise. Her expression was calm, but she looked like a gloomy little mushroom who had come in the night. "Come in quickly."

She saw the suitcase in her hand and quickly opened the door.

The atmosphere of Li Chi'an's space is immediately apparent: the walls are painted in a lively and refreshing color, the green plants are placed in a slightly casual but vibrant manner, and there is a faint aroma of roasted coffee beans floating in the air, creating a strong sense of order and a comfortable sense of security.

The suitcase wheels left a slight trail on the polished floor.

As soon as Xu Zhuwen stopped the trajectory in a corner of the entrance hall, a long-accumulated fatigue and a feeling of exhaustion after something shattered suddenly seized her.

Her body swayed almost imperceptibly, as if she had instantly exhausted the strength to remain upright.

"I..." Her lips moved, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.

Almost simultaneously, a pair of strong arms steadily supported her; it was Li Chi'an's.

Li Chi'an didn't ask any more questions. He simply gently and unequivocally led her to the large, soft sofa in the living room, like a silent embankment surrounding her and isolating her from any possible outside disturbances.

"Did you drive here or take a taxi?" Li Chi'an asked Xu Zhuwen softly. "My mother went back home these past few days, so you can sleep in her room. The sheets and blankets are all fresh. Do you want to rest now, or would you like to have some water and a meal first?"

It's only a little past eight o'clock, and she guessed that her cousin hadn't eaten breakfast.

Moreover, judging from her haggard, bare face, she didn't look like she had eaten.

"Can you let me stay here for a few days?"

The dark dam, within the absolutely secure protective barrier, completely collapsed.

Xu Zhuwen's tears welled up without warning.

“Of course you can.” Li Chi’an sat down next to Xu Zhuwen, looking at her with a gentle expression. “I have rooms here, you can stay as long as you want.”

“I won’t be staying for long.” Xu Zhuwen initially suppressed her sobs, her shoulders trembling silently. Then, the pent-up emotions finally broke through the dam. “Just a few days. I want to relax here.”

Li Chian's sofa and home have become a safe haven.

"Anything is fine. You can do whatever you want in my house."

Xu Zhuwen curled up between the two people, burying her face in her arms. The breath she had been holding on for so long finally let out, and tears streamed down her face like a flood, wetting her cuffs and the soft sofa fabric beneath her.

What escaped from his throat was a low, hoarse, intermittent sob, like that of a wounded wild beast.

That was the sound of all trust being crushed to dust, the sound of a fantastic vision being corroded by the poison of reality, the sound of someone who had been gritting their teeth and enduring alone for so long finally finding a way out.

After Xu Zhuwen cried, Li Chi'an didn't speak again, but quietly handed over a thick stack of tissues.

This silent companionship is more powerful than any words, like a warm tide, silently dissolving her loneliness and despair.

I don't know how long I cried, but the sharp pain in my throat was gradually washed away by the tears, leaving only a continuous soreness and twitching.

As her tense nerves relaxed, Xu Zhuwen was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of exhaustion.

Li Chi'an gently got up and brought over a cup of warm water a moment later; the cup was still warm.

She held the water to her lips, her voice low and calm, "Drink some water, catch your breath. Do you still want to cry? If you do, you can continue crying after drinking the water."

Xu Zhuwen slowly drank half a cup of water from the rim of the cup. The warm liquid slid down her parched throat, bringing a false sense of calm.

She raised her head, her eyes red and swollen, but the numb mist in her eyes dissipated slightly, revealing a clear and cold undertone.

Aren't you going to ask me what happened?

"You will speak when you are willing to."

Xu Zhuwen drank a glass of water in one gulp, then let out a long sigh, "I made the right choice coming to you today."

In this world, perhaps only Li Chi'an can make her feel calm and relaxed at this moment.

"Have you said anything to your parents?"

What happened to her cousin was actually quite easy to guess. What Li Chi'an was worried about was that Qian Song would take the conflict to her aunt and uncle.

This question is like a needle, piercing through a bit of the chaos.

“I didn’t tell them anything.” Xu Zhuwen’s voice was hoarse like sandpaper rubbing. “Telling them would only make them worry day and night, waiting for everything…” She paused, not finishing her sentence, “waiting for what?”

"Anything is fine. Just decide for yourself." Li Chi'an knew his aunt and uncle quite well. "Are you feeling better now? Do you want to eat something?"

"What did you have for breakfast?" Xu Zhuwen's gaze fell on her suitcase, which was lying in the entryway like a silent evidence box.

"I was planning to take a shower and make a yogurt oatmeal bowl, but now that you're here, what would you like to eat?" Li Chi'an reached out and took a few sheets of paper from the coffee table to wipe the sweat that kept pouring down his body.

"I don't want to eat yogurt oatmeal bowls," Xu Zhuwen said, her voice trembling with tears. "I want something warm, with soup."

"There are some mackerel wontons that my mom and I made in the fridge a few days ago. Do you want some?" Li Chian asked. "If you do, I can cook some for you now."

"Eat." Xu Zhuwen sniffed. "Go take a shower first, and then we can cook wontons."

“Okay.” Li Chi’an stood up lightly. “There’s warm water in the kitchen. Can you pour it yourself?”

She saw that Xu Zhuwen had finished crying and seemed to have regained some strength, her nerves relaxed slightly.

"Sure." Xu Zhuwen pursed her lips, revealing a very faint smile. "You just went for a run?"

"Yes, it's 5 kilometers on the island."

"very nice."

...

Half an hour later.

"This wonton is delicious." Xu Zhuwen sat at the dining table and gently scooped out a plump ingot-shaped wonton from the bowl.

“Of course.” Li Chi’an raised an eyebrow. “I personally went to the Chaoyang Market to pick out the fish for the filling, and had the vendor chop the fish meat. How could it not be delicious?”

"I envy that your home is close to Chaoyang Market." Xu Zhuwen ate the wontons slowly, one after another, without pausing.

Having a good cry expended a lot of energy and cleared out a lot of the toxins and negative energy that had accumulated in her body during this period. Now, Xu Zhuwen was eating very attentively.

Ultimately, people will be taught a lesson by reality.

Leaving the apartment she rented with Qian Song was her first step toward becoming a better person, and coming to Li Chi'an's house was also a choice she made in her journey of self-redemption.

"Want some seafood?" Li Chi'an picked up a piece of lettuce from the plate with her chopsticks. The lettuce had been scalded with boiling water and was still as green as jade.

"I want to eat abalone and shrimp, will you buy them for me?" Xu Zhuwen unconsciously started to coax Li Chi'an.

Although she was a few years older than Li Chian, perhaps because Li Chian married young, Xu Zhuwen had to admit that her cousin was far superior to her in life.

Her lifestyle was largely personal.

Li Chi'an's lifestyle, besides being personal, has a more down-to-earth feel, making it more suitable for home and family, and bringing warmth to others.

This is why, after she suddenly decided to leave that house this morning, she didn't even say goodbye and just took a taxi straight to her home.

It's because she knows very well in her heart that the other person is someone who can give her strength and warmth.

"I'll buy it." Li Chi'an agreed immediately. "Even if you just want to eat sea lobster today, I'll buy it for you."