Chapter 69 Old Love Letters Yes, I broke up with you.
Before leaving, Chen Jingchi told her to see her next time.
He had been gone for almost a minute, and Zhou Yu was still staring blankly in the direction of his back, briefly losing her ability to think.
Until a taxi stopped in front of her, Tan Bei rolled down the window and waved to her.
As Zhou Yu opened the car door and got in, Tan Bei noticed the parasol in her hand and exclaimed in surprise, "I told you before that you don't like using umbrellas."
Not knowing how to explain the origin of the umbrella, she simply went along with what the other person said: "It's very hot."
"Yes, it won't cool down until the end of the month," the driver remarked.
After having sukiyaki with Tan Bei, the two strolled around the mall for a while. Zhou Yu hadn't brought many clothes, so Tan Bei picked out a few for her. As they left the women's clothing store carrying the shopping bags, her phone rang.
Since she didn't have a hand to hold it, Tan Bei took the phone out of her bag for her. Watching her move, Zhou Yu felt a strange sense of tension.
I don't know whether I'm looking forward to his call or afraid of it.
Tan Bei saw the name and asked, "Liu Cheng, a colleague?"
She breathed a sigh of relief: "My cousin."
He is her uncle's eldest son. He was admitted to Jiangbei University with excellent results in the college entrance examination last year. He is going back to school these days. Zhou Jinglong and Liu Xianya happened to be moving into their new house and packing up all her things left in Xianhai. They asked Liu Cheng to bring them over for her.
When the call connected, Liu Cheng asked, "Sister, are you home now? I just got off the high-speed train and was about to take a taxi over."
The two had finished shopping, and Zhou Yu replied, "Come over here, I'll be home in a bit."
"OK."
After learning the whole story, Tan Bei couldn't help but ask as she left the mall, "Are you planning to stay in Jiangbei and develop your career there?"
Zhou Yu herself didn't have any long-term plans. After returning from England, why didn't she go to Xianhai to find a job, but instead came to Jiangbei first? Perhaps even she herself couldn't explain it.
All she could answer was, "I don't know yet."
Tan Bei didn't think too much about it and smiled as she put her arm around her: "After you came, I feel less pressure at work. It's so nice to have a good friend by my side."
Zhou Yu smiled and said, "I'm also very happy to see you."
She had very few friends, and Tan Bei was the closest one to her. She could meet up with her from time to time and hang out with her, which Zhou Yu cherished.
Not long after she got home, Liu Cheng arrived. He brought a packing bag containing several thick autumn and winter clothes. Liu Xianya knew that her health wasn't very good and that she was prone to getting sick when the seasons changed, so she brought some clothes in advance in case she couldn't buy them in time.
Liu Cheng inspected the suitcase lying flat on the ground, took out a small white bag from the corner, and handed it over: "Oh right, this is what your uncle found in your room. He said it might be yours."
Zhou Yu had never seen this bag before. He took it, opened it, and took out a heavy keychain.
She froze.
These were two birthday gifts from Chen Jingchi.
A key and an access card were hanging on the jade gourd keychain; it was the house Chen Jingchi had promised to give her years ago.
Both items were too valuable for Zhou Yu to carry with him. After receiving them, he gave them to Liu Xianya for safekeeping. Five years ago, when they broke up, she was busy with various things at school and hadn't even thought about these two items.
After going abroad with Liu Xianya, Zhou Jinglong rented a room in a neighboring city of Xianhai, and moved all his belongings from his previous home there, including this set of keys. Zhou Yu hadn't told Zhou Jinglong where the keys came from; he probably assumed they were forgotten and sent them over with the clothes.
She could still clearly remember how she felt when she received these two items. Long-forgotten memories were awakened, and Zhou Yu looked at the still brand-new keychain in her hand, feeling a mix of emotions.
After breaking up with Chen Jingchi, she didn't take anything she left at his house. There was a course she had to do, and she hadn't finished writing her reading notes in his study. Instead, she rewrote them all.
She knew very well how poor her self-control was, and that seeing anything related to him would easily remind her of him. Therefore, after boarding the plane to the UK, she resolutely deleted his WeChat account and left the group chats where he was present.
She didn't want to leave herself with any lingering thoughts.
But some still managed to slip through the net.
Liu Cheng saw the logo on the black and gold access card and exclaimed in surprise, "No way, there are still these kinds of merchandise now?"
Zhou Yu didn't understand: "What?"
Judging from her reaction, Liu Cheng guessed that she probably didn't recognize it. He held the corner of the access card and read out the words on the logo: "Yunqi Palace".
Zhou Yu looked at him, puzzled: "What's wrong?"
“This is one of the top riverside luxury residences in Jiangbei,” Liu Cheng said dramatically. “It costs tens of millions per unit.”
Zhou Yu couldn't believe it: "That can't be right."
"Why would I lie to you?" Liu Cheng said while searching on his phone, "Sis, don't you watch romance dramas? All those domineering CEOs live here."
After finding the image, I handed him my phone and said, "Take a look for yourself."
Zhou Yu took his phone and saw the listed house prices. A chill ran down her spine; she felt a sense of weightlessness, as if she had stepped off a staircase. She compared the font on the access card with the picture—they were exactly the same, without any difference.
After comparing them, Zhou Yu belatedly realized that it was all unnecessary. How could the things Chen Jingchi gave her be fake?
Utter disbelief, a blank stare of shock—
He actually bought her a 20 million dollar mansion as a birthday gift.
Chen Jingchi has gone mad.
The day he gave her the keys was the night Chen Jingchi won the Golden Melody Award. At that time, he was still on tour in China, and the explosive fashion resources and commercial endorsements had not yet come his way. Where did he get so much money?
An absurd possibility surfaced in Zhou Yu's mind, but he dared not delve into it further.
She originally thought it was a house worth around one million, but she didn't expect the amount to be so huge. If she had spent even half a minute checking the name on the access card, she would never have accepted the keys.
How dare she?
Seeing her sitting there motionless, Liu Cheng teased, "What mansion uses keys to open the door? Aren't they all iris scans? But you know what, this card is pretty well made, it looks just like the real thing."
Zhou Yu clutched the card in his hand, handed the phone back to him, and after a long while, finally found his voice: "You talk as if you've actually seen it."
"Can't I at least see what other people are showing off online if I don't have one myself?" Liu Cheng closed his suitcase and said with a grin, "Sis, where did you buy it? Send me the link, I want to buy one and show off too."
Zhou Yu was speechless: "It was a gift from someone else, don't even think about it."
"Who sent this?" Liu Cheng joked. "If they're so capable, they should send the real thing."
It is indeed true.
After Liu Cheng left, Zhou Yu sat alone on the sofa, looking repeatedly at the exquisite card in her hand, the weight of which made her fingertips go numb.
It's unknown what Chen Jingchi did with that mansion after they broke up; he might have sold it, rented it out, or left it vacant.
She opened WeChat and hesitated, staring at Chen Jingchi's profile picture.
After much internal struggle, I finally gave up the idea of chatting with him online and decided to bring him to the parent-teacher conference in person.
*
At 9 p.m., Liang Shuchen received a message from Zhan Li asking him how his day was going.
Liang Shuchen replied: 【Mission accomplished perfectly!】
Uncle: [Okay, he'll add you on WeChat later, please accept.]
Liang Shuchen's hand trembled slightly: "Uncle, am I sure I haven't mistaken someone else? Is your friend Chen Jingchi? The Chen Jingchi who just had a concert here a few days ago?"
Uncle: [You didn't even see your uncle playing drums at the concert!]
Liang Shuchen: [? ? ?]
A few minutes later, Liang Shuchen received a friend request on WeChat and accepted it.
Chen: [When is the parent-teacher meeting?]
Liang Shuchen: [This Saturday morning]
Chen: [I'll be your older brother one more time]
Before he could reply, three red envelopes popped up in succession.
Liang Shuchen accepted the red envelope, his knees buckling: "Don't just say brother, even Dad would do!"
Chen: [No need, it will scare your teacher.]
*
On Friday afternoon, a package was delivered to Zhou Yu's office. The sender was a ticketing platform.
This was a prize she won in a raffle at the 8th anniversary concert last week. At the time, she thought it was just an autograph and didn't plan to redeem it. On her way back after the show, Tan Bei mentioned that it might be a Polaroid camera, so she messaged customer service privately.
Zhou Yu used a knife to open it, and inside was a white envelope. Sure enough, inside the envelope was a Polaroid photo of Chen Jingchi in one of his stage outfits, with a blank, professional face and a gold signature on the back.
It was smaller than the palm of his hand, and he was afraid of losing it if he carried it around. Students sometimes came to the office, and it wasn't a good idea to leave it there and attract attention. Zhou Yu thought for a moment, then finally took off his phone case and tucked the photo behind the phone.
At 4 o'clock, the homeroom teacher sent a document to the subject teachers' group, listing some questions that parents might ask at tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting, including students' daily performance and learning attitude, so that the teachers could prepare in advance.
The parent-teacher meetings at Jiangbei International School are held one-on-one, with each parent having about ten minutes to learn about their child's progress at school. Zhou Yu replied to the message in the group chat and summarized the recent homework corrections before leaving work.
Tan Bei had to work overtime today, so Zhou Yu didn't have time to meet up with her. On her way home alone, Zhou Yu was preoccupied with something on her mind, and she couldn't make up her mind even after she got home.
When they parted a few days ago, Chen Jingchi said he would most likely attend the parent-teacher meeting, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of a low-probability event.
If he doesn't come, how can she return the key and access card to him?
Zhou Yu was troubled by this matter for a long time, but in the end he ignored the white profile picture and added Liang Shuchen as a friend in the WeChat group chat.
The kid replies really fast at this time: 【Egeria! What's up?】
Zhou Yu felt a little awkward, but had to ask: "Are your parents coming to the meeting tomorrow?"
Liang Shuchen: [Yes!]
Zhou Yu waited for almost half a minute, but he didn't reply. She had no choice but to ask again, opening the input box and typing. Just as she finished typing "your brother," a message popped up at the top of the screen, making her heart skip a beat.
Chen: [I will go]
They were definitely in cahoots.
Zhou Yu opened their chat page, and he sent another message: "Are you worried I won't go?"
Regardless of the purpose, the result was the same, so she didn't dwell on it. Zhou Yu curled up on the sofa, typing slowly: 【Afraid you're busy】
Chen: [Very free]
The very ordinary conversation seemed to bring back some details of her time with him.
He sent another distressed emoji.
Zhou Yu: [Isn't it good to have some free time?]
He used to be very busy, but in recent years he has intentionally slowed down. The frequency of releasing songs and making announcements has decreased a lot. Three years have passed since the release of his fourth album, and there has been no news of a new album. The number of collaborative singles has also decreased to only one every two or three months.
Some netizens said he had made enough money and lost his ambition.
Just as Zhou was lost in thought, a WeChat message notification drew her attention back to the screen.
Chen: [Not good]
Chen: [Always thinking of you]
She stared at it for a few seconds, then quickly exited the chat window, tossed her phone onto the sofa and ignored it, got up to take a shower and go to bed.
The next morning, Zhou Yu woke up feeling thirsty. The lights weren't on yet, but sunlight was still filtering through the thick curtains. She noticed that the numbers on the air conditioner display were lit up.
I forgot to set a timer to turn off the air conditioner last night!
She has a cold constitution and can't sleep with the air conditioner on all night, even in summer. The only exception was when she used to spend the night with Chen Jingchi; his body temperature was higher, and he would keep her warm when he held her.
Realizing she was overthinking again, Zhou Yu lay on the bed, hugging the thin blanket tightly, and cursed Chen Jingchi as a bastard in her heart.
It was because of his words that she was so distracted last night.
When Zhou woke up, he felt a sore throat and wanted to find some cold medicine, but unfortunately, he had only been in Jiangbei for a short time and had no medicine at home.
After a quick breakfast, Zhou Yu packed her things and headed to school. Worried about catching a cold and infecting the students' parents, she made sure to wear a mask before leaving. Once the parent-teacher meeting began, she sat down at a desk with her laptop and started communicating with the parents.
After chatting for half an hour, Zhou Yu felt increasingly dizzy and guessed that she might have developed a low-grade fever. But the parent-teacher meeting wasn't over yet, so she couldn't leave first.
After the previous parent stood up, Zhou Yu noticed a faint scent while making a note in the spreadsheet on her computer. The scent immediately made her realize who was sitting in front of her.
Chen Jingchi was also wearing a mask, dressed simply, and his hair was unkempt, with soft bangs hanging down almost completely obscuring his eyes. Parents and students were all focused on the teacher, and no one recognized him.
Although he couldn't see the lower half of his face, Zhou Yu knew from the way he looked at him that he was smiling.
Liang Shuchen sat down next to Chen Jingchi and whispered, "Egeria, this is my brother."
That's a very redundant explanation.
"I know," Zhou Yu replied, suppressing his emotions and proceeding with official business.
During the conversation, she no longer avoided his gaze; her eyes were filled only with the desire to finish her work as soon as possible. Ten minutes later, the conversation ended, and the next parent was moved on. Seeing Chen Jingchi get up and leave, Zhou Yu felt unexpectedly relieved.
The parent-teacher meeting lasted for more than an hour. After it ended, there were not many people left in the meeting room. Zhou wanted to close his notebook and was about to pick it up when someone beat him to it.
Chen Jingchi reached out and took it from her, noticing that her breathing was a little heavy. He glanced at her mask and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Zhou Yu didn't want him to know any of this, so she shook her head slightly. She took her bag, lowered her head, and went out first, followed closely by Chen Jingchi. Zhou Yu turned back into the office and told him to put the laptop on the desk.
She remembered the purpose of this meeting with him. Taking advantage of the fact that it was just the two of them in the office, she took the bunch of keys out of her bag and handed them to him.
The jade gourd pendant was also included.
Chen Jingchi glanced at it and frowned: "What does this mean?"
“I should have returned this to you sooner,” Zhou Yu explained without looking at him. “The item is too valuable; I cannot accept it.”
Chen Jingchi stared at her for a moment, then his voice softened: "Zhou Yu, it's true that I broke up with you."
"But there's no reason to take back what I've given away."
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Author's note: Thank you all for the grenades and nutrient solutions!
Yvonne :) threw a grenade
Reader "Yvonne :)" irrigated with nutrient solution +20
Reader "sun" irrigated with nutrient solution +21
Reader "Raindrops Like Fireworks" added 6 units of nutrient solution to the water.
Reader "Lily" watered with nutrient solution +5
Reader "Qiqiqiqi" added 1 unit of nutrient solution to the water.
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