Break up with him
The car drove into the basement. Zhuang Jinghao got out of the car and saw a familiar figure at first glance.
"Director Ge!"
The other party turned around and it turned out to be her direct superior, Public Relations Director Ge Xin.
She was standing about seven or eight meters away, wearing a dark blue vertical striped suit and skirt set, high heels, and carrying a black killer bag. With her neat and sleek collarbone-cut hair and dark red matte lips, she was a true workplace queen.
Looking at myself again, I look like I'm out shopping...
Forget it, forget it, I'm just a small-time employee, what's there to be proud of? Zhuang Jinghao quickly walked over and said with a smile, "Good morning!"
"Good morning." Ge Xin turned around, looking past her and nodding with a smile. Zhuang Jinghao turned around and saw her brother smiling and nodding, then turned and walked towards the elevator.
Zhuang Jinghao wanted to go with her beautiful boss, so she didn't follow her brother. Then she heard the sound of a car door slamming shut. She looked in the direction of the sound and her eyes widened.
I saw a tall and handsome man walk out from behind Ge Xin, it was——
Luffy!
She was stunned on the spot, watching Luffy stop beside Ge Xin. He looked calm and waved at her: "Morning~"
Zhuang Jinghao's gossip radar was blaring. It was Monday morning, and if Luffy and Ge Xin came to work together, that meant...
The three of them walked towards the elevator together. Zhuang Jinghao couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Did you come here together?"
Luffy smiled and said, "We met on the way."
Zhuang Jinghao was skeptical, and then listened to Ge Xin's explanation: "I just found out this morning that Mr. Lu lives in the neighborhood next to mine. I ran into him when I was trying to get a taxi."
"I see..."
Zhuang Jinghao had a question in her mind and kept an eye on the two of them all day, and she actually figured out something.
In just one morning, Ge Xin went to Luffy's office twice, one of which she stayed for more than half an hour. She passed by his office on the pretext of getting water and saw through the glass that they were sitting side by side on the sofa, their shoulders touching.
Coming back from the tea room, passing by Luffy's office, Zhuang Jinghao was about to turn around to look when Zhan Jiaxin suddenly stopped him.
The workstation closest to Luffy's office was originally occupied by Zuo Xiao, but now it's been replaced by a new person, with Zhan Jiaxin still sitting next to her. She stood up, took the cup, and signaled with her eyes, "Follow me."
Zhuang Jinghao followed her back to the tea room. Zhan Jiaxin looked around to make sure no one else was there.
"You've noticed it too, right?" Zhan Jiaxin said in a low voice.
Zhuang Jinghao suddenly got goosebumps and nodded hurriedly.
Zhan Jiaxin whispered in her ear, "Boss Lu and your Director Ge have been getting pretty close lately. They were even close to each other when they were talking... So, did he and Zuo Xiao break up?"
The last sentence threw a match in Zhuang Jinghao's heart, and it caught fire the next second, with anger crackling in his heart.
"No." She suppressed her anger and said, "Zuo Xiao said it two days ago. The cold war is still going on. Luffy doesn't take the initiative to make peace, and she won't either."
"This..." Zhan Jiaxin said cautiously, "I feel like something is wrong..."
Back at her workstation, Zhuang Jinghao was getting more and more angry the more she thought about it. Although she had been looking forward to Zuo Xiao and Luffy breaking up for a long time, she was still indignant about Luffy's cheating.
After much deliberation, he finally sent a WeChat message to Zuo Xiao.
Zuo Xiao had just woken up from a good night's sleep and was sitting on the toilet. He had been so engrossed in designing a band VI the previous night that he realized it was already three in the morning.
When I opened WeChat, I found a "9" written in the little red dot on Zhuang Jinghao's avatar. I couldn't help but curl my lips: 9 messages in a row in the morning, what does this little guy want to do?
After a moment, his eyes turned cold and a layer of frost formed on his face.
"Brother Luffy and our Director Ge seem to have something going on recently..."
"This morning she came to the company in his car and I bumped into her."
She stared at the two most crucial sentences several times, then opened the dialog box and replied:
"oh."
After washing up, she dug a velvet box out of a drawer. Inside, a rose gold diamond fan necklace lay quietly on the dark velvet. It was a token of love Luffy had given her months ago, and she hadn't worn it since he put it on her right then and there.
After the initial surprise and ridicule passed, Zuo Xiao re-examined his heart and found that Luffy's "suspected" love for someone else did not cause much waves in his heart.
Ever since she returned from Nanjing, she had been determined to wait for him to initiate the process, never to be the first to back down. At first, she'd occasionally thought of him, annoyed by his pettiness and wondering when he'd surrender. But soon, she'd moved on, gradually putting this boyfriend out of her mind. When had she last thought of him? It seemed like days ago...
Thinking this way, I feel relieved and can even excuse him: She thinks it is a "cold war", but maybe it is a breakup to others. Isn't it normal to find a new love?
Well, it would be better to end this relationship right now, just as she no longer has a debtor to pay her time. From now on, she can devote herself wholeheartedly to music. This can't even be considered a broken heart, but a relief, a way of getting rid of a burden and moving forward lightly.
She pointed her phone at the necklace and took a picture. Then she opened Luffy's WeChat and sent the picture.
"I'm returning your things to you. Can I have them delivered to the company?"
WeChat displayed “The other party is typing…” but no reply came.
As for being so entangled? She looked at the screen and sneered.
No more waiting. I put down my phone, ordered takeout, then turned on my computer and continued with my unfinished design.
When she finished her takeaway and picked up her phone, she saw his reply:
"Are you free tonight? Let's talk in person."
Meeting her ex-boyfriend was like going to war; one should dress smartly. However, Zuo Xiao felt a strange rebellious streak when choosing clothes. She put on jeans, a fleece sweatshirt, and a baseball cap, then headed out the door in a carefree and carefree manner.
Dusk fell, and fallen leaves swirled in the wind. She stared at her own shadow, and suddenly, memories of her and Luffy's love affairs flashed through her mind. Suddenly, something choked her heart. She pondered it, and it felt like a wisp of cloud, a cold rain falling in her heart. Even as she boarded the subway, her heart still felt damp.
An hour later, when she walked into the cafe, she had become accustomed to coping calmly with such emotions.
The cafe wasn't large, and after a moment's hesitation, she spotted a familiar figure. Luffy sat alone by the window, his face stained with a cold, cacophony of neon lights.
Amid the lazy and cheerful Bossa Nova music, Zuo Xiao walked straight over, met his gaze, pulled out a chair and sat down.
A month had passed since the last time they met. Luffy's cheeks were slightly sunken, his chin was a little sharper, his hair was much longer than when they last met, his bangs partially covering his eyebrows, and his eyes were dark and unclear.
Zuo Xiao put the velvet box on the table, then put his hands back into his sweatshirt pockets and smiled at him faintly.
"From now on, you and I are officially breaking up. Let's part ways amicably, and from now on, we won't bother each other anymore and will forget each other."
She spoke her prepared lines in one breath, feeling relieved. The man opposite her opened his eyes wide, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, obviously wanting to say something.
Zuo Xiao waited for him to speak, but he remained silent, biting his cheek. Occasionally, the corners of his mouth twitched nervously, as if he was suppressing his emotions. Zuo Xiao pondered for a moment, and ultimately, to save face for both of them, he didn't ask about him and Ge Xin.
Her patience was limited, and she issued an ultimatum: "Do you have anything to say? If not, I'm leaving."
Luffy's chest heaved, and his tense cheeks bulged noticeably. After a moment, he relaxed his jaw.
"I didn't say I wanted to break up."
What does this mean?
Don’t want to break up?
Zuo Xiao looked at him coldly, curled his lips and said sarcastically, "Actions speak louder than words. We've been in a cold war for over a month, which is enough to explain the problem."
"You said it was a cold war, so of course we can stop it." Luffy's voice was like gravel, scratching her eardrums. The discomfort spread to her heart, and Zuo Xiao couldn't help but lean back, a few centimeters away from him.
"Just say it." She folded her arms and looked at him expressionlessly.
There was silence for a long time, and then someone suddenly said, "There's nothing going on between Ge Xin and me."
Zuo Xiao immediately realized what was happening. He'd calculated that Zhuang Jinghao would tell on him, and that she'd come to him first. This arrogant man was probably just waiting for her to speak first, so he could give her a way out, reconcile with her, and pretend that the long cold war had never happened...
What a ridiculous self-esteem.
If it was half a month ago, she might have walked down the stairs he handed her. But now...
"It has nothing to do with her." Zuo Xiao curled his hands on his knees and frowned uncomfortably. "Don't you understand yet? What does it mean that I can be in a cold war with you for so long?"
Luffy remained silent. Zuo Xiao steeled himself and spoke the answer that was on his mind.
"It means I don't have you in my heart anymore. As for whether you have me in your heart or not, that's all you need to know. It has nothing to do with me anymore."
Her mouth was tense, and she looked straight ahead. Luffy's face was ashen, his lips moving, and his eyes fixed on hers, flashing with obvious resentment and unwillingness.
After a long pause, he trembled and asked, "Have you really decided?"
Zuo Xiao knew this was his final question. With just one word from her, all the unresolved issues between them would be resolved.
Zuo Xiao clenched his hands tightly under the table, and with a deep voice, he forged a heavy sword with an irresistible determination, slashing at this relationship that was neither long-lasting nor deep.
"I've made up my mind. There's no turning back."
After saying that, she stood up and strode away, leaving the silent man behind.
After going out, she instinctively turned to the more lively side and walked towards the bustling scene.
However, the more prosperous the street scene became, the more it revealed the black hole in her heart. That hole was growing larger and larger, hollowing out her heart, and now she wanted nothing more than to fill it with alcohol.
"Where are you?" She called Chen Liqing.
"I'm in Chengdu on a business trip. What's wrong?"
"Oh, that's okay, bye."
Zuo Xiao found a boutique supermarket on the side of the road and walked straight to the liquor section, picking out two cans of beer and a small bottle of whiskey. Just as he was about to check out, he suddenly stopped to make a phone call, then turned back and picked up some more liquor.
About forty minutes later, she waited for Peng Lei at the supermarket entrance.
"What do you have?" He put the cigarette in his mouth and squatted down to rummage through the plastic bag on the ground. "Is this all?"
“Not enough to buy my own.”
"Didn't you say you'd treat me to a drink? Is it enough?" he said as he opened a can of beer.
Zuo Xiao was too lazy to pay attention. He shook the beer can in his hand, walked two steps to the side, and threw the empty can into the trash can.
When he looked up, he saw Qin Yufei walking towards him with his hands in his pockets.
Zuo Xiao only called Peng Lei, not considering the buy-one-get-one-free deal. Luckily, the guy was a quiet guy, so he didn't mind having him around. However, the wine looked like it wasn't going to be enough.
"Do you want to drink?" she said. "If you do, I'll buy some more."
Qin Yufei took out half a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and said, "No, I have some in my car."
"Damn it!" Peng Lei walked over. "Why didn't you say anything just now? This is called gender discrimination and differential treatment!"
Qin Yufei took a puff of his cigarette and blew out a smoke ring: "Where are we going to drink?"
Zuo Xiao thought for a moment and said, "How about a barbecue?" He added, "Whoever has money can treat."
She led the two men to a familiar barbecue stall. From late spring to late autumn, she had been there no fewer than ten times in six months. One time, she and Luffy and Chen Liqing had been transferred here from the police station. Later, Zhuang Jinghao also came. She still remembered that hot night, when Luffy hugged her from behind, whispered his heartbeat into her ear, and finally lifted her up by the waist...
The weather had turned cooler, and business at the barbecue stall had slowed considerably. In the chilly autumn breeze, the three of them finished ordering their dishes and drank in silence, none of them saying a word.
Finally, it was Peng Lei who broke the silence first: "Are you worried about something?"
Zuo Xiao asked back, "If I don't have anything on my mind, then I can't ask you out?"
"Of course!" He smiled and dusted off his cigarette. "This is your first time asking me out, and it's for a drink, so it's worth a toast! Come on!"
The three of them clinked their glasses. Zuo Xiao raised his head and took a big gulp. He put down the beer can and said with a smile:
"We broke up."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
