Chapter 8

After Yu Xiaoying got married, she didn’t see Zhao Pingjin acting arrogant or willful very often. The expression she saw most on his face was numb, gentle, and even silently patient.

Yu Xiaoying also felt wronged: “Is it that you don’t want to stay in the same room with me? You’re working overtime all the time, and when you come back, you just stay in the study by yourself.”

Zhao Pingjin poured her some water: “I’m busy with work. I’ll try to come back earlier in the future.”

Yu Xiaoying decided to be straightforward: “I understand you’re busy with work, but have I ever complained? Honestly, ask yourself, since we got married, have you spent more than three hours in this house on any given day?”

Zhao Pingjin remained calm, speaking to her in a soft tone: “I come back after work every day. Sometimes it’s too late, and I don’t want to disturb you while you’re resting.”

His words were nothing but formalities, and Yu Xiaoying felt as though she might lose control. She stood up, glaring at him: “You leave in the middle of the night time and time again. Don’t think I don’t know where you’re going!”

Zhao Pingjin replied, “I didn’t go anywhere.”

“You know whether you went or not!” Yu Xiaoying screamed, rushing into the bedroom, leaving Zhao Pingjin standing in the living room.

The room remained silent for a long time, and he didn’t come in. Then, a glass shattered violently on the floor.

Next, there was the sound of objects being smashed recklessly on the vanity.

Zhao Pingjin silently stood in the living room for a moment before returning to the study, where he sat for a long time.

At 1:15 a.m., the vast apartment became entirely quiet.

Zhao Pingjin picked up his car keys, left the house, and drove out of the garage. He rolled down the car window, and the chilly autumn wind blew in.

The gusts were cold.

The car moved through the heart of the capital in the early morning.

Passing the east side of Tiananmen, he turned a corner. Behind him, the bright lights of Chang’an Avenue stretched straight ahead. As he drove along Jianguomenwai Street, he looked up to see a towering skyscraper not far away, with a faint red glow at the top.

The clouds covered the sky, and there was no moonlight.

In his heart, it felt like a desolate, empty ruin, a vast whiteness of snow, with the cold wind blowing past and howling back.

Zhao Pingjin drove near the second southern exit of the Park Hyatt parking lot. On many nights, he would drive into the garage, go upstairs, sit for a while in her room, or work for a bit. Sometimes, without realizing it, he’d be there until the late hours of the night.

Tonight, he didn’t stop. He drove past the south gate and then the west entrance of the Park Hyatt Hotel, where he had once waited for her downstairs.

He remembered how she had stepped out of the taxi, wearing a dark floral cheongsam, graceful and delicate, but her expression had been cold and indifferent.

At that time, she had belonged to him. After finishing filming, she had crossed half of Beijing, from the suburbs, just to have a meal with him.

Zhao Pingjin’s heart shook. Suddenly, he slammed the accelerator, driving through the empty streets of the night. A few horns from surrounding cars blared sharply, but he ignored them. His heart raced with the increasing speed, escaping the suffocating feeling, and speeding down the road. When he reached a red light ahead, he slammed on the brakes.

Cold sweat soaked through his shirt.

At the traffic light, he silently turned the car around and headed back to Jianguomen.

Yu Xiaoying was awake, sitting on the bed in her room with red eyes. When she saw him come in, she looked momentarily flustered.

Perhaps she hadn’t expected him to return.

He often left the house in the middle of the night, and it seemed she knew about it.

Zhao Pingjin stepped over the mess on the floor and stood at the edge of the bed. He reached out and embraced her.

Yu Xiaoying sobbed quietly.

Zhao Pingjin pulled her into his arms, tilted his head back, suppressing the pain in his heart. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Yingzi, I’m sorry. Let’s make it work.”

On Thursday morning, as Zhao Pingjin was preparing to leave for work, Secretary He knocked on the door. “Mr. Zhao, Mr. Yu is looking for you.”

Zhao Pingjin paused for a moment, a bit surprised.

He stood up and went to Yu Weimin’s office. The elevator took him to the floor with the boardroom, where Yu Weimin’s secretary opened the door for him.

Zhao Pingjin politely asked, “Mr. Yu, you were looking for me?”

His demeanor was respectful and professional, as always. Everyone in the company knew about the father-in-law-son-in-law relationship between them, but in public, both men maintained a clear line between their private and professional lives. Yu Weimin rarely called him over alone.

Yu Weimin twisted the cap of the pen he was holding and gestured for him to sit.

This time, it was a personal matter. “Yingzi came home yesterday feeling upset. Her mother asked her about it for a while, but she didn’t say anything. Her mother is concerned about you two, so she asked me to check in. Is there some conflict between you two?”

Zhao Pingjin’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had been expecting this question sooner or later. He paused briefly, lowering his tone and posture. “I don’t think so. It’s probably just that I’ve been busy lately and neglected her a bit.”

Yu Weimin didn’t usually involve himself in his children’s personal matters, but when it came to his precious daughter’s marriage, he couldn’t ignore it. Zhao Pingjin’s professional abilities and family background were impeccable, well-known in Beijing. When the Zhao family had first become involved with their family, both he and his wife were very pleased. However, Zhao Pingjin’s arrogance and unruly nature were notorious. Now that they were married, it was expected that he would settle down, but his wife was worried that their daughter couldn’t hold him down. Therefore, Yu Weimin had to step in and give him a little reminder. He adopted a kindly, elder tone, softening his voice. “Zhou’er, young people go through ups and downs in marriage, that’s inevitable. You’ve all known each other since you were little, and us elders are familiar with each other too. Over time, as feelings deepen, things will naturally get better.”

Zhao Pingjin obediently responded, “Sorry to worry you and Mom. I was planning to pick her up after work today and spend some time with her.”

Yu Weimin was finally satisfied and nodded with a smile. “Alright, go ahead with your work.”

Zhao Pingjin stood up to leave. When he returned to his office, Shen Min was waiting outside, looking at her watch. He had a full schedule for the day, with two project inspections planned.

The secretary helped him into his suit jacket, and as Zhao Pingjin walked out, he told Shen Min, “Cancel the evening’s social engagements. I’ll be back by six.”

Shen Min followed behind him, clearly disapproving. “Six o’clock is too tight. It takes more than two hours to get there. You’ll have to move up your afternoon inspections, and you won’t have time to rest at lunch...”

Zhao Pingjin turned around, his face cold with slight irritation. “Shen Min, this is an order.”

Shen Min immediately fell silent.

At 6:20 p.m., Yu Xiaoying walked out of the office building after work and saw a familiar black car parked in the company yard.

When Zhao Pingjin saw her coming out, he got out of the car and called to her, “Yingzi.”

Yu Xiaoying, a little surprised, said, “Hey, how come you’re here?”

Zhao Pingjin stood by her side, politely nodding at her colleagues who were with her. “I’m here to pick you up.”

Her husband, tall and lean, was wearing a dark gray suit jacket, a white shirt with a dark red patterned tie, his handsome face slightly pale, composed and dignified, with a full sense of grace.

The female colleagues around them chuckled, teasing her while looking at them with curious, envious eyes.

Yu Xiaoying extended her arm and tightly linked it with his, her face full of energy as she waved goodbye to her colleagues.

Halfway through dinner with Yu Xiaoying, Zhao Pingjin received a call from Fang Langxi.

He answered the phone, then turned to Yu Xiaoying and asked, “Ruifu Lou has a new menu, and Langxi wants to try the new dishes this weekend. Do you want to go with us?”

Yu Xiaoying thought for a moment, then smiled and replied, “Unfortunately, my colleagues from work are having a gathering.”

Zhao Pingjin didn’t push further and simply nodded.

Yu Xiaoying was several years younger than Zhao Pingjin and wasn’t from the same background. They hadn’t studied together, and she had her own social circle, mostly consisting of her close friends. She wasn’t particularly close with Zhao Pingjin’s old friends.

The main reason Yu Xiaoying didn’t enjoy going out with him was Zhao Pingjin himself. When Zhao Pingjin went out, he rarely paid attention to the women around him. Whenever he brought a female companion, he would often leave them to their own devices as soon as they entered the venue, going off to drink and play cards with his male friends.

When Yu Xiaoying went out, she was used to men flocking around her, trying to win her favor, making the atmosphere lively and fun. But Zhao Pingjin ignored her. She was married now, and her husband was at home, so she couldn’t be too lively with other men. She got along with the wives of Gao Ji Yi, but those women often brought their own flirtatious companions. Yu Xiaoying, feeling a sense of pride in her position, didn’t like mingling with such women; it made her feel restricted. After a few times, she just didn’t enjoy going anymore.

After they got married, Yu Xiaoying found ways to know what Zhao Pingjin was up to when he was out. She understood what was going on, so she let him be.

On Saturday night, Zhao Pingjin got off work later than usual. He arrived at the restaurant around 9:00 p.m., followed by Shen Min. The private room already had people seated.

Gao Ji Yi was lounging on the sofa. When he saw Zhao Pingjin, he teased, “Zhou’er, you’re becoming harder and harder to get a hold of.”

Zhao Pingjin tossed his car keys onto the coffee table, then jokingly pushed Gao Ji Yi aside and sat down. “No way, I’m here, just a little late, that’s all.”

He glanced around the room and saw Fang Langxi sitting there, along with another man in the corner of the sofa. The man looked up in panic, and Zhao Pingjin immediately recognized him—Lu Xiaojiang.

The moment Zhao Pingjin saw him, his face immediately darkened, and his smile vanished. He turned on his heel and started to leave.

Gao Ji Yi called after him, “Zhou’er, hey, don’t be like that.”

Zhao Pingjin ignored him.

Fang Langxi shouted to him, “Zhou Zhou!”

Zhao Pingjin paused. Since it was Fang Langxi’s gathering, he didn’t want things to get too awkward.

He turned around and said, “Second Brother, I have something to do, I’m leaving now. I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow to make up for it.”

Fang Langxi stood up. “You two can’t just leave things unsaid like this, acting like this. How long are you going to keep this up?”

Gao Ji Yi shoved Lu Xiaojiang. “Go, apologize to your Zhou Zhou.”

Lu Xiaojiang stepped forward, nervously calling out, “Zhou’er...”

Before Lu Xiaojiang could even finish his sentence, Zhao Pingjin threw a punch right at his face.