#69: Jealousy

They hadn’t seen each other in ten days.

Cheng Wanyue instinctively ran towards the door, but then remembered they were still arguing. Her hand on the banister tightened, and her other arm was held by Zhou Yu, which stopped her from turning to go upstairs.

Why did he bring such a large suitcase?

Had he lost weight?

“Cheng Yuzhou, whose side are you on?”

“Of course I’m on your side. Yesterday you said ‘don’t randomly guess a girl’s thoughts,’ sometimes you have to listen to the opposite of what’s said. Besides, Qing Hang already heard your voice. If I kept him outside, how would I explain to Mom and Dad? He brought plum blossom cakes, kept warm inside his clothes. They’ll get cold soon.”

Cheng Yuzhou closed the door. “Mom, Dad, Qing Hang is here.”

Everyone was there, and Qing Hang wasn’t an outsider.

Cheng Wanyue watched as her second aunt went to the kitchen to ask the maid to prepare more dishes. Her second uncle familiarly called Qing Hang into the living room to play chess. It was no different from when Cheng Yanqing came over.

When Qing Hang placed the plum blossom cakes in her hand, she could still feel the warmth through the food bag.

“I bought them from a street vendor. I don’t know if they’re authentic.”

With elders present, she couldn’t be too cold. “The ones sold on the street are mostly the same. A few old shops make them better.”

“Next time, you can take me there, and I’ll remember,” Qing Hang bought a few plum blossom cakes when he encountered someone selling them near the subway station. “They’re red bean paste flavor, try them.”

Cheng Wanyue had only mentioned it casually at the time, but Qing Hang took it to heart. Her second aunt said dinner would be ready soon and told her not to eat too much, but she still ate two. Qing Hang watched her expression; she didn’t frown, so they must not have been bad.

Halfway through the chess game, the kitchen called out that dinner was ready.

Last night, Cheng Wanyue sat alone, but today, someone sat next to her. Qing Hang served her food, and she ate it; he poured her soup, and she drank it. But once the elders went upstairs, she turned cold.

Qing Hang didn’t stay overnight. The next evening, he came to the Cheng family home again.

The person who opened the door was still Cheng Yuzhou.

Cheng Wanyue seemed to have known he would come. Before dark, she was already in the living room. Meiqiu jumped down from her hand, arched its back and shook a few times, its tail held high.

Today was the coldest day of the season in the entire city, even colder than the snowy day in Beijing. A cold wind poured into the house through the door crack, and even Meiqiu didn’t want to go near the door.

Cheng Yuzhou looked back at Cheng Wanyue. She feigned indifference and said very softly, “Let him in.”

“Whoever cares can let him in. You freezing to death outside won’t help. Go back early,” Cheng Yuzhou gave Qing Hang a knowing look, then closed the door.

Cheng Wanyue: ?

Zhou Yu was the one who was pregnant, so why was Cheng Yuzhou reacting like this?

Cheng Wanyue coughed twice. “Call him in.”

“Whoever cares for him can call him,” Cheng Yuzhou deliberately locked the door. “If you don’t want to forgive him, he’ll just be a nuisance if he comes here. It’s better not to see him.”

Zhou Yu cooperated, saying, “Qing Hang has a stubborn personality. He might really wait until tomorrow. It’s so cold outside, with wind and rain. How miserable. Even the best health can’t withstand that.”

Cheng Yuzhou: “You’re right, I’ll tell him to leave.”

Zhou Yu: “Just now you said Wanyue didn’t want to see him, and no one could persuade her. Today is the coldest day since winter began. He’s going to suffer.”

Cheng Yuzhou: “Don’t worry about him. It’s his fault for making Yueyue cry. Not beating him up yesterday was already doing him a favor.”

The two talked as they went upstairs. Cheng Wanyue only got up after hearing the upstairs door close. She opened the main door a crack and gently nudged Meiqiu with her toe.

Meiqiu ran out, and she hurried down the steps as well.

Qing Hang was in the courtyard, scooping up Meiqiu with one hand.

His hands were icy cold. Cheng Wanyue looked away, remembering that his suitcase was still at the Cheng family home and he definitely hadn’t put on more clothes.

“Its paws are so dirty, don’t let it step all over the place. You... you come in first.”

“Wanyue...”

“It’s so cold, I’ll close the door if you don’t come in.”

Cheng Wanyue took a pair of warm slippers from the cabinet and placed them in the entryway before slowly finding a towel to wipe Meiqiu’s paws. Qing Hang changed his shoes and then squatted down to help her. Meiqiu lay on its back on the mat, its four paws being wiped repeatedly. Compared to when Qing Hang first brought it from the pet store, it had grown a lot.

“How many days off did you take?”

“I didn’t take time off. I resigned.”

As soon as Qing Hang finished speaking, Cheng Wanyue’s expression changed.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ve already found a new job. This morning I went for an interview and met the department head. I can start next week, and the salary and benefits aren’t worse than before,” Qing Hang patiently explained. “Wanyue, I’ve thought it through. I’m not sacrificing my career for you, nor giving up my future for you, nor is this an impulsive decision. It’s the same for me no matter where I work or which city or hospital I’m in. I’ll encounter difficult patients and unfair situations. Nanjing is also very good. You like it here, and I will too.”

Cheng Wanyue also had many friends in Beijing, but friends are just friends; they’re not as close as family.

She stayed with her parents for all four years of university and only stayed longer during her regular check-ups in Nanjing each year. Cheng Yuzhou’s parents treated her like their own daughter. With her in Nanjing, her family felt at ease.

“Is it set? Which hospital?”

“Provincial People’s Hospital.”

Cheng Wanyue was very familiar with this hospital. Her second uncle was even more familiar with the dean and several department heads. “What if you regret it someday and bring up old issues again? I’d not only cause you pain but also affect your income. How unethical.”

Qing Hang knew why he came to Nanjing. The words he wanted to say had gone through his mind countless times, but when he was in front of her, all his drafts seemed to have been erased.

“Wanyue, I’m sorry. I was wrong that day. My feelings are laid out cleanly before you, without a trace of impurity. What you see me as, that’s what I am. But in that moment, I became a prisoner of jealousy, and hurtful words just blurted out.”

“Jealous of whom? Chi Yue? Why would you be jealous of him?”

“...He resembles Number 6 from a certain angle.”

Cheng Wanyue looked bewildered. “What are you talking about, Number 6, 7, 8?”

Qing Hang remembered it so clearly, ultimately because of jealousy. That Number 6 had easily snatched Cheng Wanyue away from him in a very short time. He even wondered if she had a good impression of Number 6 because he resembled Yanci.

“In the second semester of senior high, a boy from a vocational high school who was very close to you. He always wore a Number 6 jersey when playing basketball on the field.”

Cheng Wanyue’s legs were numb before she finally remembered. “Oh, him. Don’t even mention him, he’s bad luck. He’s a psychopath; he almost traumatized me.”

Qing Hang lowered his head to hide the disappointment in his eyes. “...I thought you liked him.”

“Liked what about him? Liked his twisted psychology?” Cheng Wanyue got goosebumps. “Ugh, how creepy. I really had the worst luck getting involved with him. He pestered me every day, and even my classmates suffered because of it. Luckily, you got early admission and left school in April.”

“If you disliked him, why were you with him?”

“Who was ever with that kind of person? Qing Hang, you’re slandering me!”

“...That time in Yongkang Lane, you told me I was annoying and drove me away.”

“If I didn’t drive you away, you might have thrown a brick at his head. You weren’t afraid of losing your early admission, but I didn’t want to affect you. Who am I? I’m Cheng Wanyue; dealing with people like that requires some strategy. If it involved others, it wasn’t my fault. If I caused you to get a demerit from school, my dad would beat me. A demerit is different from standing in the corner. I may not be smart, but I know what’s important.”