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It was rare for her to have a day off, and Zou Le Xiao slept like the dead, not waking until 12:30 in the afternoon. She was still buried under the covers, her head throbbing painfully. The more she slept, the worse she felt.
But her eyes refused to open, and she didn’t want to get up.
For a fleeting moment, she truly wished she could hibernate through the winter. When she woke up, she hoped she could completely forget who Yu Jing Ze was—forget how much she used to like him, forget that she had fallen out of love before even starting a relationship.
It was now late December.
Another year was almost over, and not only had she failed to stay in the same place, but she had been pushed back into negative territory.
Well, no—that wasn’t quite right either. If it were just “negative distance,” it might have been easier to bear...
She had thought that once she graduated, once she proved herself as mature and responsible through her work, Yu Jing Ze would consider her. But there was still no chance.
For him, she had forced herself to rack up credits, determined to graduate early. She wasn’t a natural scholar, but she had turned herself into a machine, studying day and night. All so she could graduate sooner. She feared that if she delayed, he would belong to someone else.
If that happened, she wouldn’t even have the right to like him anymore.
During those days of unrequited love, every morning after waking up, she would first ask her close friends in their group chat whether Yu Jing Ze had a girlfriend yet.
Only when they replied with “Haven’t heard anything” could she finally feel at ease.
If she had known it would come to this miserable state, she never would have pretended to be his girlfriend.
Now, she wanted to forget—but she simply couldn’t erase those two outings that barely counted as dates.
She couldn’t imagine how heartbroken she would feel when he eventually found a girlfriend.
Lost in thought, her headache worsened.
Zou Le Xiao pulled the blanket over her head and collapsed onto the bed, trying to sleep again.
________________________________________
In the living room, Zou Xing (her father) also hadn’t gone to work. His rest days now depended on when his daughter rested. Today was their first shared day off in the past month.
He planned to cook a meal for his daughter; the ingredients had been prepared earlier, but nothing had been cooked yet.
Mrs. Zou glanced at her watch. “Should I go upstairs and wake Le Xiao? It’s already 12:30. She should get up by now. Sleeping too much isn’t good.”
Mr. Zou, engrossed in watching the news, waved dismissively. “Let her be. You know how upset she is.”
Mrs. Zou sighed. “But this can’t go on forever.” She turned to Mr. Zou. “Why don’t you introduce her to someone suitable? Right now, her mind is stuck because she’s not interacting with anyone else.”
Mr. Zou shook his head helplessly. “In her eyes, no one but Yu Jing Ze is suitable. Whoever we introduce her to, she’ll compare them to him.”
Mrs. Zou: “… “
Mr. Zou couldn’t focus on the TV anymore and turned it off.
Mrs. Zou massaged her temples, deeply troubled by their daughter’s situation. She pondered what to do.
Suddenly, she patted Mr. Zou’s leg. “I know what to do.”
Mr. Zou looked at his wife, whose brain seemed perpetually occupied by frivolous ideas like perfume. He doubted she’d come up with anything useful.
Still, he silently kept his thoughts to himself and asked, “What’s your brilliant idea?”
Mrs. Zou: “Since our daughter only wants to be with Yu Jing Ze, why don’t we create an opportunity for them? Both of Yu Shao Hong’s daughters are married and have children now. He must be anxious about his son’s marriage. Why don’t you find some time to talk to Yu Shao Hong and arrange a blind date between Yu Jing Ze and Le Xiao? Look at Yu Jing Xin—she and Ji Qing Yuan met through a blind date, and now they’re doing well.”
Mr. Zou: “… “
________________________________________
At 1:00 PM, Zou Le Xiao finally got out of bed.
Her entire body felt groggy, as if she had pulled an all-nighter.
Yet last night, she had gone to bed before 11:00.
She washed her face briefly, too lazy to put on makeup, and changed into something comfortable.
Today, she planned to visit her second brother’s house to see Little Yu Miao. She had wanted to go last week, but a heavy snowstorm and a pressing case at work had delayed her plans.
To avoid suspicion, she had been deliberately reducing her visits to that villa area.
After fixing her hair, Zou Le Xiao went downstairs.
Surprisingly, both her parents were home, chatting in the living room about something.
Hearing footsteps, they both turned around.
“You’re up,” Mr. Zou said, getting up to start cooking.
Zou Le Xiao: “Is there anything to eat?” She was so hungry she felt dizzy. She hadn’t eaten dinner last night, meaning she had skipped three meals.
Mr. Zou: “Wait half an hour. I’ll make something for you.”
“Are there any leftovers?” Zou Le Xiao was starving and willing to settle for anything. “It’s fine—I’ll make do.”
Mrs. Zou chimed in, “Your dad and I haven’t eaten either.”
She added, “We also woke up late and aren’t hungry.”
Zou Le Xiao knew her mother was saying this to comfort her. Her parents’ biological clocks had long been set—they weren’t the type to sleep in.
She kicked off her slippers, climbed onto the couch, and rested her head on her mother’s lap.
She didn’t want her parents to worry. “Last night, just before bed, my mentor sent me an email with a bunch of assignments. You know me—I’m such a perfectionist. I couldn’t wait until the next day, so I worked through the night and only went to bed at six.”
Mrs. Zou gently rubbed her daughter’s head, playing along without calling her out. “You must be exhausted.”
“It’s okay,” Zou Le Xiao replied. “I feel accomplished.” Mrs. Zou suggested taking her daughter out to relax. “Want to go shopping with Mom this afternoon?”
Zou Le Xiao shook her head. “I’m going to Second Brother’s house. Little Yu Miao has gotten even cuter—I want to see him.”
“We’ll go shopping another time when you’re free,” Mrs. Zou said, starting to massage her daughter’s eye sockets. She must have been suffering from insomnia—her dark circles were prominent.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
A few seconds of silence passed.
Zou Le Xiao bit her lip. She wanted to talk about her pursuit of Yu Jing Ze. “I’m sorry for making you and Dad lose face. I was too reckless and said things I shouldn’t have.”
The fallout from her breakup with Yu Jing Ze had spread widely, causing a stir.
During that time, she had avoided facing her parents, burying herself in overtime work to avoid meeting them.
Now that things had calmed down, she finally dared to bring it up.
“I feel useless. I’ve never made you proud.”
“Don’t say that,” Mrs. Zou said proudly. “You got into a university we never even dreamed of, graduated early, secured your own job, and take responsibility for every case you handle. You have no idea how proud your father and I are.”
She reflected on herself: “When I was your age, I had just graduated with my bachelor’s degree. And here you are, already done with your master’s.” She gave her daughter a thumbs-up. “Amazing.”
Mrs. Zou reminisced about Zou Le Xiao’s college years. “Every time I called you, you were in the library, unable to answer. It was already late at night, and you told me, ‘Mom, everyone here is smarter than me, and they’re still studying. I can’t leave.’ After hanging up, I put down my fashion magazines and started reading professional books. I’m not as smart as you, but if you’re studying, I have no excuse not to. Besides, it was nighttime for you and daytime for me. You have no idea how proud we were as your parents.”
Zou Le Xiao smiled and hugged her mother.
Mrs. Zou commented on her daughter’s pursuit of Yu Jing Ze. “There’s nothing shameful about it. You didn’t steal or force anything—he was single. When you’re young, you should chase your happiness. By the time you’re thirty, you won’t have the same mindset. You won’t even chase idols anymore.”
She reassured her daughter. “As for losing face, with Fu Ji Chen and Fu Cheng Lin backing you, your dignity remains intact. Theirs has already hit rock bottom. They don’t care, so why should you?”
Zou Le Xiao laughed.
She felt much better, though the pain in her heart lingered.
________________________________________
After eating, Zou Le Xiao drove to Yu Qing’s house.
Before leaving, she called Yu Qing, who confirmed that both she and Fu Ji Chen were home.
The route from her house to Yu Qing’s villa passed by Yu Bank’s headquarters. This wasn’t a detour—this was the most direct route.
As the towering building came closer, her heart still stirred with emotion.
The annex of Yu Bank housed the main branch’s business hall.
Zou Le Xiao gripped the steering wheel tightly, torn between conflicting emotions. In the end, at the intersection leading to Yu Bank, she signaled and turned in.
She had a savings account with Yu Bank, which she had been using for years. All her other cards, including her own bank’s card, had been abandoned.
At this hour, there were still quite a few people conducting transactions at the bank. It took her nearly fifteen minutes just to find a parking spot.
Lost in thought for another fifteen minutes inside the car, Zou Le Xiao finally made up her mind, grabbed her bag, and pushed open the car door.
Perhaps her brain was malfunctioning—she forgot to grab her coat when she got out.
The biting cold wind made her shiver, and she quickly opened the car door again to retrieve her jacket.
The wind was fierce. Bundled up in her down coat, Zou Le Xiao hurried toward the business hall.
She rubbed her hands together, swiped her card, and took a number. There were still eight people ahead of her waiting to be served.
Zou Le Xiao sat down and glanced out the window.
In the bank’s internal parking lot, she spotted Yu Jing Ze’s car. She had heard he was abroad—perhaps he had returned, or maybe the car had been parked there unused.
The five digits on the license plate were etched into her memory. They formed the basis of all her payment passwords, with the last digit repeated to make a six-digit code.
Soon, her number was called.
Zou Le Xiao snapped back to reality, stood up, and walked over quickly.
The teller smiled and asked what service she needed.
Zou Le Xiao handed over her ID and bank card. “I’d like to close this account.”
________________________________________
Stepping out of the business hall, Zou Le Xiao tightened her coat, feeling colder than before. Perhaps the wind had picked up—it crossed her mind.
Yu Jing Ze’s car, which had been parked in the lot earlier, was now stationed at the main entrance of the building.
Without reason, her heart leapt wildly, beating faster than before.
Just as she expected, Yu Jing Ze soon emerged from the building. He walked briskly, talking on the phone as he headed toward his car.
Today, he wore a white shirt under a black trench coat.
Zou Le Xiao paused mid-step. He probably wouldn’t notice her—perhaps he’d just get in the car and drive off.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, Yu Jing Ze suddenly glanced in her direction.
Caught off guard, their eyes met.
In that instant, despite her resolve, her heart fluttered uncontrollably.
Zou Le Xiao, he isn’t the one for you. Snap out of it.
She exhaled, trying to calm herself.
Yu Jing Ze’s hand was already on the car door handle, but he hesitated and withdrew it.
At that moment, his call ended.
He had a flight scheduled for tomorrow morning and had squeezed in some time today to visit Yu Qing’s house and see Little Yu Miao. By the time he returned, it would already be the Spring Festival.
Who would have thought he’d run into Zou Le Xiao here? Judging by her appearance, she had been handling some business in the hall.
Zou Le Xiao took a step forward. There was no point pretending not to see him. Because of Yu Qing, breaking ties completely would only make future encounters awkward and embarrass Yu Qing.
Approaching him, she greeted him politely. “President Yu, hello.”
Yu Jing Ze nodded. He rarely saw her without makeup, but even bare-faced, her features remained striking, though her complexion looked somewhat weary.
He asked, “Here to handle some business?”
Zou Le Xiao nodded. “Mm, I’m closing my bank account.”
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