Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Four suitcases lay neatly on the floor of the walk-in closet. Shen Tang was taking clothes from the wardrobe and packing them into the suitcases.
Even the most oblivious would understand what she was doing.
Jiang Cheng Yu leaned against the doorframe of the closet, saying nothing.
The fruit he had prepared for her now served as a prop to mask his temper.
Jiang Cheng Yu casually popped a piece of fruit into his mouth but kept his eyes fixed on Shen Tang. However, she refused to turn around, denying him eye contact.
She was deliberately testing his patience.
In the heavy silence, Shen Tang finished packing one suitcase, zipped it up, and set it aside.
She had never intentionally brought many things to the villa, but after more than three years of living there, over half the wardrobe was filled with her clothes.
There were also shoes, bags, jewelry, and watches.
Even four more suitcases might not be enough to pack everything.
She found some storage bags, planning to take everything with her in one go.
Finally losing his patience, Jiang Cheng Yu—despite being angry with Shen Tang—had never raised his voice at her. He placed the fruit plate on the table outside and lit a cigarette.
Through the haze of smoke, for a moment, he couldn’t clearly see Shen Tang, who was right in front of him—only a blurry outline of her figure remained.
Still, neither of them spoke.
A piece of ash was about to fall. Jiang Cheng Yu sat down by the sofa. There was no ashtray in the bedroom, so he tapped the ash into the trash can.
Some specks scattered onto the carpet.
After extinguishing the cigarette, he picked up the fruit plate and started eating.
Inside the closet, the rustling continued as she packed her belongings.
It was unclear who was competing with whom.
Outside in the yard, a car honked. Then Jiang Cheng Yu’s phone rang—it was Yan He Yu.
“I’m at your gate,” he said curtly before hanging up.
Jiang Cheng Yu seized the chance to get some fresh air. The suffocating atmosphere inside the house could drive someone mad.
Yan He Yu’s car was parked haphazardly in front of the villa gates. He leaned against the car door, smoking.
Jiang Cheng Yu came out wearing a coat. “You still dare to show up?”
Yan He Yu felt guilty and didn’t bother defending himself.
At this point, whatever he said would be meaningless.
He came to apologize but also because he was feeling frustrated and had nowhere else to go.
Jiang Cheng Yu looked at him expressionlessly. “Did Wen Di leave you any way out?”
“No.” Yan He Yu pointed to his face. “She hit me.”
He had never been hit by anyone before, yet Wen Di had slapped him across the face.
Not only that, but she also shoved him into the bathtub and beat him mercilessly. He had never felt so humiliated in his life, nor had he ever seen Wen Di lose control like that.
He hadn’t fought back—he just took it.
“Shen Tang isn’t fighting with you, is she?”
If his own mess dragged Jiang Cheng Yu into trouble, he wouldn’t feel right about it.
Jiang Cheng Yu: “She’s packing her things.”
“...” Yan He Yu clenched his jaw and bit down on the cigarette filter. He had wrecked his own life and dragged others down with him. Apologies wouldn’t help.
“You should go upstairs and comfort her. Your fight with Shen Tang is different from mine with Wen Di.”
Jiang Cheng Yu didn’t want to talk about his relationship with Shen Tang and changed the subject. “If Tian Qing Lu hadn’t met with Wen Di, how long did you plan to hide it? Did you really think you could keep it a secret forever?”
Yan He Yu hadn’t planned to hide it forever, but whatever thoughts he’d had in the past no longer mattered now.
“You should go see Shen Tang. You two shouldn’t break up over this.”
Jiang Cheng Yu ignored Yan He Yu and turned to leave.
Yan He Yu still leaned against the car door, unsure where to go.
As Jiang Cheng Yu climbed the stairs, he heard movement coming from the bedroom—the sound of suitcases being pushed.
When he reached the doorway, he saw four large suitcases lined up neatly in front of the bed. They contained her past three years, while his three years with her were now separated out.
Inside the closet, Shen Tang was still organizing her belongings.
Jiang Cheng Yu still didn’t enter the closet and instead sat back down on the sofa.
More than half the fruit was eaten, and he was on his second cigarette when the rustling inside finally stopped.
Shen Tang emerged slowly, holding her phone.
Jiang Cheng Yu crossed his legs, the hand holding the cigarette resting on the armrest. The cigarette dangled above the trash can below.
Leaning back into the sofa, he watched her calmly.
“Shen Tang,” after such a long silence, he finally spoke. “What’s this nonsense now?”
He had already calmed down in the kitchen earlier, but in the time it took him to answer a call, her attitude had completely shifted.
Shen Tang walked over to the sofa and crouched halfway down, meeting his gaze.
They stared at each other silently.
Jiang Cheng Yu was still willing to coax her. After all, his earlier words—calling her marriage-obsessed—were inappropriate, and her sulking was understandable.
He grabbed her hand. “Is it true that women always threaten to leave during arguments? If you walk out to the yard, I’ll carry you back, and we’ll call it even.”
Shen Tang lowered her head and gently blew at the cigarette between his fingers. The smoke drifted away, slightly choking.
She endured the smell. “Jiang Cheng Yu, this time I’m not arguing with you, and I’m not leaving in a tantrum.”
Jiang Cheng Yu still held her hand. “Then what are you doing?”
Pretending not to know. Shen Tang smiled faintly. “I just want to end this kind of relationship.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the pain in her heart was sharper than she had imagined.
Jiang Cheng Yu stared at her. Ending a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship—wasn’t that the same as breaking up?
In matters of love, only Shen Tang could push him to this point.
But even as she pressed him so aggressively, he still left a sliver of room, not closing the door entirely. “Then what kind of relationship do you want?”
Shen Tang pulled her hand out of his and stood up, walking over to the vanity.
This question made it seem as if she had come to force him into marriage.
She applied makeup in front of the mirror, glancing at him through the reflection. “The focus isn’t on what kind of relationship I want anymore. Even if I got it, it wouldn’t mean anything. You know what I want, and you still won’t give it. Even if you gave it now, I might not take it. If it’s something you reluctantly give me, I’ll feel miserable thinking about it later. You don’t love me, so why should I force you? It’s not like I’m only after your money. Dignity doesn’t matter here.”
She stopped looking at him and focused on applying lipstick in the mirror. When she looked carefully at herself, his reflection became blurred.
“I want to be a legally married couple.” She wanted to say to everyone, “My husband is like this and that.”
Shen Tang glanced at Jiang Cheng Yu again through the mirror. He was watching her too.
She smiled faintly. “If one day you beg me, pleading with me to love you, to marry you, maybe I’ll consider it. But whether I’ll actually marry you—that’s another story.”
Jiang Cheng Yu suddenly laughed. Him begging her to marry him?
Such arrogance.
The cigarette in his hand extinguished itself.
He crushed it and tossed it into the trash.
By this point, there was truly no turning back. They were at an impasse, clinging to the last shred of hope that the other might compromise.
Three years of feelings, gone just like that.
A car entered the yard—it was Shen Tang’s driver.
Jiang Cheng Yu clenched the cigarette pack in his hand until it crumpled. “Shen Tang, have you thought about it? After breaking up, if I meet someone suitable and start dating, we can’t go back.”
He was still trying to hold on.
With this unwillingness to admit defeat.
Shen Tang: “My heartbreak period will last at most three to five days. I won’t wait until you find a girlfriend to forget you. Of course, if you find someone tonight, then forget what I said.”
Jiang Cheng Yu had nothing to say. He stood up.
The crumpled cigarette pack in his hand was now unusable.
“The snowmen in the fridge—they’re yours. Take them with you.”
He threw the pack away and left the bedroom.
As the footsteps faded, Shen Tang stared blankly at the empty mirror.
Just as she was lost in thought, Jiang Cheng Yu returned.
She turned her head. He leaned one hand on the vanity.
Jiang Cheng Yu didn’t know why he had come back. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop what was happening—only her.
He cupped the back of her head. “Tell me, how did I end up meeting you? Over three years, and just like that, you’re leaving.” He wanted to kiss her but restrained himself, only rubbing his chin against her forehead.
“It’s good that you’re leaving. I’ll have time to try outdoor rock climbing again.”
Without further ado, he swiftly left the bedroom.
He used to love outdoor free climbing and often went with friends.
It was thrilling and helped relieve stress.
Since being with her, he had stopped.
Once, she said outdoor climbing was dangerous, so he stopped, figuring it would be better than her one day not being able to find him.
While applying makeup earlier, she had been thinking about what was wrong with him.
Aside from not wanting to marry, there was nothing wrong.
But for someone like her who wanted marriage, this doomed romance left her unwilling to continue.
Sister Li’s call pulled her back to reality.
“Shen Tang, what happened? What’s going on between you and Jiang Cheng Yu?”
She had just learned that Shen Tang had called the driver and assistant to pick her up and mentioned finding a place to store her belongings.
Shen Tang spoke as if chatting casually. “Nothing much. We broke up.”
“What?” Sister Li’s heart clenched painfully, like the feeling of breaking up with her first love—a pain too deep for words.
Shen Tang didn’t want to elaborate on the details of their breakup. She didn’t own property in Beijing and had never planned to stay there permanently.
“There’s too much stuff. Let’s store it in your garage for now. When you have time, help me rent an apartment.”
Sister Li was still reeling. She found it harder to accept the abrupt end of this relationship than Shen Tang herself.
“I heard Jiang Cheng Yu picked you up at the airport this afternoon. How did you break up so suddenly?”
Shen Tang: “We just broke up.”
Sister Li had a million questions but held back her curiosity.
Clearly, this wasn’t Shen Tang’s decision to break up.
She must be hurting deeply, or she wouldn’t be moving out in the middle of the night.
“It’s okay. It’s just a man. If not a hundred, at least five or six people are chasing you. It’s not like you can’t live without Jiang Cheng Yu.”
“I’ll book a presidential suite for you right now so you can enjoy yourself. I’ll come to the hotel to keep you company later. I don’t have anything important tomorrow—I’ll go with you to the studio.”
Without waiting for Shen Tang to respond, Sister Li hung up.
Sister Li was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. After nearly five years, Shen Tang felt her warmth for the first time.
The driver had been waiting in the yard for a while. She called the bodyguards and driver upstairs to retrieve the suitcases.
Late at night, the commotion woke the housekeeper and maid.
Neither were nosy; they quietly watched as trips were made upstairs to collect belongings.
Four large suitcases, plus other miscellaneous items.
Everything was cleared out.
The maid looked at the housekeeper, hoping to glean some information, but the housekeeper appeared equally bewildered.
Things had been fine earlier. Mr. Jiang had returned early and even personally bought fruit.
Shen Tang was the last to come downstairs. She paused in the living room, thanking the maid and housekeeper for their care over the past few years. They were quiet but exceptionally warm people.
“I won’t be coming back anymore.”
The maid was stunned. Without any warning, how could they break up?
Shen Tang thanked them again, bowed slightly, put on her coat, and walked toward the yard.
Several times, she turned her head slightly but resisted the urge to look back.
Jiang Cheng Yu descended from the second floor just then. Earlier, he had been in the study, the door half-open, listening to the footsteps pass by his door repeatedly.
Finally, it was hers.
When he looked up, he only caught a glimpse of the corner of her coat.
The maid thought Jiang Cheng Yu was going to chase her into the yard, but instead, he went straight to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and drank it while looking toward the yard.
The maid didn’t dare ask or overstep. She thought of her son breaking up with his girlfriend—how he spoke so confidently about it, only to regret it afterward.
Later, he wasn’t the one who apologized shamelessly and went crawling back.
Young people were stubborn about saving face. She understood.
The maid hurried outside, hoping to give Jiang Cheng Yu a little more time to reconsider and perhaps swallow his pride to stop her.
If he didn’t come out, at least she had done her part.
“Tang Tang.”
Shen Tang was about to step into the car but pulled her leg back.
“Auntie, what is it?”
The maid caught her breath. “It’s like this. My daughter-in-law is your fan, and I just found out recently. She’s been wanting your autograph. Would it be too much trouble?”
Shen Tang: “No trouble at all. I’ll sign a few copies and send them to you later.”
The maid smiled and nodded repeatedly.
Suddenly, there was an awkward silence. She didn’t know what else to say.
But Jiang Cheng Yu hadn’t come out.
Perhaps he didn’t plan to.
“Take good care of yourself in the future. Don’t diet so much that you end up in the hospital.”
Shen Tang nodded, her voice hoarse. “I will.”
The maid had done her part. She didn’t know what had happened between these two. “I don’t have anything else. Get in the car quickly—it’s cold outside.”
Shen Tang waved her hand, opened the car door, and got in.
As the maid turned around, Jiang Cheng Yu walked out of the villa.
She exhaled in relief and hurried back inside, leaving them space to talk.
On this late February evening, the spring chill lingered. Jiang Cheng Yu wore only a shirt, not bothering to grab a coat.
The car window rolled down as Shen Tang watched him approach step by step.
The sensation was the same as when he first met her, walking toward her.
Jiang Cheng Yu gazed at her silently. Her eyes were colder and harder than winter frost. “Shen Tang, do you know that your heart is cold, hard, and stubborn?”
He paused. “In the entertainment industry, be more tactful in everything you do. Don’t suffer obvious losses.”
Shen Tang understood what he meant—no one would protect her anymore.
She remained silent.
The car window rolled up.
Then, the car slowly drove off.
She didn’t look back, leaving Jiang Cheng Yu standing alone.
Google Sites
Report abuse