Chapter 22 Are you going to cheat on me?

"I was planning to tell you when it got light."

Jiang Shiyan turned on his phone and quickly tapped the screen a few times with his thumb. The video of them being secretly filmed began to play.

He stared into her still-dazed eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "We were secretly photographed, you and me."

The screen light shone on her face, softening her features. Her fair face was free of makeup, revealing a natural beauty.

Jiang Shiyan persistently searched that face for subtle expressions of guilt, embarrassment, or struggle.

Shouldn't she be afraid of her lover seeing this video of her being intimate with another man at night?

He longed to see it, for it would at least prove that she still had a heart in love; yet he also dreaded seeing it, as if he were holding a scale, one side representing what he had once gained, the other what she was now giving to others, and then watching helplessly as it tipped to the other side.

Xu Yuewei merely frowned slightly and shook her head: "I didn't take those pictures."

"..."

Jiang Shiyan suppressed his lip, turned off the screen, and patiently explained, "You wouldn't cooperate in the backstreet, so I carried you into the car. A passerby filmed it and posted it online. Now everyone misunderstands that I cheated on you."

The word "cheating" struck a nerve with Xu Yuewei. She stopped resisting and obediently let him hold her wrist, listening attentively to what he had to say.

Jiang Shiyan continued to coax him, "Tell me, who should be blamed for this?"

Xu Yuewei's mind was filled with memories of the past. Suddenly, something new came into the mix, making her even more confused. She murmured in response, "...Me?"

"Yes, so shouldn't you behave now?" Jiang Shiyan released her wrist, his palm enveloping her clasped fingertips. "Be a good girl and come with me to a safe place, okay?"

"Safety?" Xu Yuewei slowly stepped back, pulling her hand out of his palm.

The moonlight fell on her head, creating a cool-toned halo.

Where is it safe?

"It depends on what you're looking for," Jiang Shiyan said with a hint of sarcasm. "If you still think that the security that money brings is the most reliable, I can provide that now."

Xu Yuewei hugged her other arm with one hand, as if that would ward off some of the cold wind.

Her voice drifted in the air, like snow melting in an instant: "Is this all you can give me now?"

She knew that he was always vindictive, and that behind his repeated provocations of her, there must be an ultimate goal that he had not yet achieved.

Whether you keep her as a mistress or spend money to buy her sex, you can humiliate her severely in return.

"Not necessarily."

As Jiang Shiyan approached, he opened his arms in a welcoming gesture, and they stood toe-to-toe.

"You can try it yourself. I'll see if what I can give you is still the same as before."

He took a step forward, placing one foot beside her, about to envelop her.

Xu Yuewei shrank back.

Jiang Shiyan suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her forward with a rather forceful pull.

She was so thin, like a piece of paper, that she was easily subdued and leaned against him, losing her balance.

In the last second before he pulled her into his arms, Jiang Shiyan released his grip, gently wrapping his arms around her waist and embracing her tenderly.

A hug after seven years apart, their first hug since their reunion.

They all concealed their burning hearts, covering them with a thick layer of ice, yet it couldn't stop the residual heat from seeping through.

A little warmth is enough; it's enough to survive this cold night.

Xu Yuewei suddenly felt an urge to cry, but he suppressed it.

She felt him gently touch the crown of her head, and he chuckled mischievously in her ear:

"So, are you going to cheat on me with me?"

*

Xu Yuewei got into the car feeling dizzy.

The car door slammed shut, and the cold, mechanical sound of locking echoed in the enclosed space.

Jiang Shiyan went around to the driver's seat and repeated the unlocking and locking procedures.

He was so meticulous; he was determined not to let her go.

Before fastening her seatbelt, Xu Yuewei put on her coat and checked the extent of deformation of the silk flower she was holding.

Her head was still a little dizzy, and she spoke slowly, which made her seem calm: "You always seem to know where I am."

Jiang Shiyan misunderstood her meaning: "Don't want to see me? Fine, then close your eyes and take a nap."

Xu Yuewei, her eyelids heavy, stubbornly resisted him.

She rolled down the car window a third of the way, and the evening wind gathered together, whipping against her forehead and eyes, making her head ache even more, but she couldn't think of any other way to keep herself awake.

The car window rolled up again, but she didn't control it.

Xu Yuewei squinted and turned her head to look at the person in the driver's seat.

"There should be an eye mask in the storage box," Jiang Shiyan said without looking to the side.

Xu Yuewei ignored her and turned her head to look out the car window again.

Along the asphalt road, the scenery remains unchanged, with rows of trees arranged so neatly they look like copies, creating a scroll that seems to stretch on forever.

One theory suggests that exceeding the speed of light would allow one to travel through time and space.

The streets were quiet and unobstructed in the early morning. Cars drove at near-limit speeds, the sound of the wind and the shadows of light blurring outside the windows.

In a daze, she briefly returned to the past.

Many years ago, after their initial relationship thawed, their battle over time for practicing instruments also subsided, and they went their separate ways.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, her high school life will remain in this tone.

Unfortunately, fate was not on their side.

On an ordinary weekend afternoon, Ye Wanzhi chopped on a thin cutting board with a cleaver, causing the floor to shake.

Having learned from past experiences, Xu Yuewei was a little worried about being complained about by her downstairs neighbors for disturbing the peace, but she didn't dare to offer any advice. In this home, she tried to speak as little as possible.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Xu Yuewei called out to the kitchen, "Mom, be a little quieter," before opening the door.

Unexpectedly, the person standing behind the door was Jiang Shiyan, who lived upstairs.

He probably can't hear me, right?

His left hand was pressing down hard on his right index finger, the area around the fingertip was white, and a vertical line of blood flowed from the junction of the fingertips.

"Do you have iodine at home?" Jiang Shiyan spread out his other fingers, holding a pack of cotton swabs inside.

Xu Yuewei hurriedly invited him in and went to the medicine cabinet to find iodine and bandages.

Jiang Shiyan sat on the sofa, leaning forward with his hands on the coffee table. His hair was half-dry and hung down smoothly, making him look very well-behaved.

Xu Yuewei squatted down beside the coffee table, used his cotton swab to wipe away the blood, then used another one dipped in iodine. Just as she was about to wipe it again, blood gushed out.

It looked painful to her: "How did you do that?"

"To shred".

He didn't seem to be in any pain at all, and while answering, he even made a quick pushing motion with his hand.

Xu Yuewei was focused on applying the medicine when he suddenly sat up slightly, raising his wrist as well. She quickly pressed down on the back of his hand, saying, "Don't move."

Then, I heard him say, "Hello, Auntie, sorry to bother you."

Xu Yuewei quickly pulled her fingers back, clenched her fist, and looked up to introduce, "Mom, this is the one who lives upstairs..."

Ye Wanzhi smiled gently: "You're that child who learns piano, what's wrong?"

Jiang Shiyan answered again.

Ye Wanzhi glanced at it and shooed Xu Yuewei away: "The skin has been peeled off. Yueyue, go and get that small bottle of Yunnan Baiyao. We need to stop the bleeding first."

After applying the medicine and bandaging it, Jiang Shiyan thanked them. Ye Wanzhi gave him a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger): "Homemade is cleaner, so I brought one for you to try."

Jiang Shiyan said he was sorry, but accepted the money with a smile, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."

After he left, dinner was served at home, and Xu Yuewei ate a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) first.

The mother and daughter were in the early stages of transitioning from luxury to frugality, and Ye Wanzhi would cook most of the time when she had the time and the mood. She used to never cook, but after trying it, she surprisingly discovered some culinary talent. Encouraged, she was willing to spend time studying it, but it still wasn't very delicious.

This was the first time I made this roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) on a whim. The pork was stewed until very tender, but I think I added too much soy sauce. The texture of the minced pork wasn't very good either, but Xu Yuewei still finished it.

After washing the dishes, she saw a text message from Jiang Shiyan. He praised the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) and asked if she could tell him how to make it.

She thought for a moment and replied, "How's your hand?"

He replied, "We won't be using it for now."

She then asked, "Why don't you keep any first-aid supplies at home? Go buy some tomorrow."

He replied, "To this day, no one has been able to hurt me."

So cringey.

Xu Yuewei wanted to make fun of him, but they weren't close enough to joke around.

She didn't reply, and she didn't receive any more text messages from him.

But the following weekend, the door was knocked on again around mealtime.

Xu Yuewei opened the door, and this time Jiang Shiyan was carrying a large bowl. She almost assumed he had come to beg for food, but then she smelled the fresh aroma of the seasoned vegetables.

"I made too many cold dishes, please have a taste."

He lowered the bowl, revealing the true form of the brightly colored and abundant food.

Xu Yuewei paused for a moment, then took it: "Please thank me for me... Did your mother make this?"

Jiang Shiyan said with a hint of pride, "I made it. I live alone."

Xu Yuewei was genuinely surprised: "Thank you."

Pickled vegetables are a very common home-style dish. Carrots are diced, celery is cut into small pieces, and peanuts are fried until the outer skin is soft and soaked in sauce. When you bite into them, they are crisp, refreshing, and salty.

If he wasn't lying, then his cooking skills are surprisingly good.

After all this back and forth, she was the only one who tacitly agreed to settle the score.

"I fried all the fresh ribbonfish; one person can't eat it all."

"Dumplings, beef filling, I made too many."

"..."

Normally they eat in the school cafeteria, but on weekends, Jiang Shiyan is like a randomly generated NPC.

Over time, Xu Yuewei even started to dread the arrival of the weekend.

His frequent appearances aroused Ye Wanzhi's suspicion about their relationship.

Xu Yuewei denied it lightly. She knew that if she swore an oath to the heavens, it would only make her more suspicious, which was really troublesome.

That evening, she texted Jiang Shiyan, editing and re-editing until finally deleting the long message and sending: "Your cooking was delicious, thank you, but I'm so sorry, please don't send it to me again."

Jiang Shiyan replied with a "good".

In the days that followed, when Xu Yuewei encountered him on her way to and from school, she would unconsciously slow down or speed up her pace, or pretend to stop to tie her shoelaces, and even avoid eye contact.

She thought things would return to normal, but one morning, during the long break after morning exercises, she was tidying up her desk when a classmate called her name from the classroom door: "Xu Yuewei, someone is looking for you!"

Her classmate's tone was unusually excited. She went out along the corridor, and before she even left the classroom, she saw Jiang Shiyan standing under the classroom sign, smiling and waving at her.

Xu Yuewei rushed over, grabbed his school uniform sleeve, and led him to the classroom wall, which was out of sight from the inside. Her eyes were filled with shock and nervousness: "What are you doing in our class?"

Jiang Shiyan stood with his shoulders against the wall, his head tilted to the side, leaning against the wall as well. A patch of his soft hair sank in, softening his sharp features.

He asked, "Have I offended you recently?"

"...Just for this?"

"Um."

"We agreed to pretend we don't know each other at school!"

"You ignored me first, and you didn't reply to my text messages."

He was self-righteous and didn't care at all about the stares directed at them from the corridor.

After that day, rumors about them spread throughout the school.

Xu Yuewei realized more deeply that Jiang Shiyan was like a sharp and fast dagger, which would draw blood once it was drawn. He never beat around the bush, never compromised, never regretted, and never felt sorry.

She really hated him back then.

After all these years, similar things have happened again, like a cycle repeating itself.

They became the protagonists of a scandal once again.

Xu Yuewei even suspected that the video on the internet was filmed by someone he hired to threaten her into submission, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence?

From the belated "Love Letter" sent by Gao Gao, to meeting Xu Yaochen, and now being entangled with Jiang Shiyan, the script of fate has been arranged too coincidentally. She has stepped into the same river twice, which is almost like a paradox.

She knew that Jiang Shiyan's gentleness was only occasional.

They knew each other for four years and were together for two, but his personality didn't soften because of her. Seven years later, he seemed even more hardened.

Is it because he harbors too much resentment towards her, or does it mean that no one could change him during this time?

Xu Yuewei glanced at the phone he had thrown on the center console.

Normally, given his current situation, he should be by Meng Jiao's side, right?

She vaguely remembered what he had just said: that everyone had "misunderstood" him as having an affair.

Xu Yuewei propped her eyelids open, pretending to look at the street scene. After a while, she slowly opened her mouth and said, "Your car is uncomfortable, I can't sleep."

Jiang Shiyan didn't respond, and she continued, "It would be nice if it were a motorhome."

She gripped the seatbelt, her fingertips gently tracing the texture on it:

"Or, Meng Jiao's kind of car."

The car's music system finishes playing a soothing piece of music and starts playing the next one, with a few seconds of pause in between.

The car suddenly became unusually quiet.

As the music started playing again, Jiang Shiyan's voice remained as nonchalant as ever: "Then I'll go rent one for you?"

"...Do you need to rent it?"

Xu Yuewei gripped the seatbelt tightly. Her heart pounded wildly beneath the taut strap, and her tongue felt stiff as she struggled to speak clearly: "Isn't hers yours?"

With more than forty seconds left on the red light, Jiang Shiyan held the steering wheel with one hand, his index finger slowly tapping the clock.

The rearview mirror showed half of Xu Yuewei's expressionless profile.

As the light turned green, Jiang Shiyan stepped on the gas, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips:

"no."

*

Xu Yuewei fell into a deep sleep.

She had never been so tired.

The Cayenne was parked on the side of the road. The woman in the passenger seat hit her forehead on the glass window, and as the brakes came on, she skidded and lurched forward.

Jiang Shiyan reached out and cupped her chin.

Xu Yuewei woke up, glanced out the car window, and saw the convenience store on the street with its bright lights on. This was not downstairs from his studio.

"Where is this?" she frowned.

Didn't they agree to go "to his place"?

Jiang Shiyan looked calm and pointed to the high-rise buildings in front of the windshield. The staggered grid lights on the buildings were particularly dazzling in the night sky, like stars.

“My home,” he said.

He pressed the seatbelt switch for her, but the belt didn't snap back. Upon closer inspection, he found that she was gripping it tightly in her hand.

Jiang Shiyan smiled dismissively: "What are you afraid of?"

Xu Yuewei turned her head away.

He opened the door and got out of the car, walked around to the other side and opened the passenger door, bending down to get closer to her.

"I'm going to buy something, don't run away. Otherwise, we've come this far, I'm not afraid of anything, there are many things I'm willing to do."

He straightened her crooked collar, an ambiguous situation where he couldn't find any fault with her.

"For example, I kiss you in this position, and then tomorrow you'll see the media writing that we... had sex in a car."

Xu Yuewei's ears instantly filled with blood, and she stared at him in disbelief.

Jiang Shiyan chuckled twice and walked to the convenience store.

I bought a box of condoms and a pack of cigarettes.

-----------------------

Author's Note: [t dog head with rose in hand]