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Psst! We're moving!
Ji Qingyuan quickly returned to the living room and watched through the floor-to-ceiling window as the car drove out of the yard.
The large home fell silent, now feeling more like an empty house than a home.
He wanted to smoke but realized he had no cigarettes in his pocket.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to do.
The housekeeper noticed Ji Qingyuan’s unusual state. “Qingyuan, would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?”
Ji Qingyuan snapped out of his thoughts. “No, thank you.”
He instructed the housekeeper, “Don’t mention anything about this to my parents. If my grandparents ask, just tell them that Jingxin and I are doing well, but we’re busy.”
The housekeeper sighed inwardly. “Alright, I’ll handle it.”
Ji Qingyuan rolled up his sleeves and started making coffee to pass the time. While preparing the coffee, his mind was consumed with thoughts of where Yu Jingxin might have gone for her concert and whether the man she liked would also be there.
Would they meet by chance? Would old feelings rekindle?
He couldn’t understand why that man was so special, leaving her unable to forget him.
Even more perplexing—why was he obsessing over it? He never imagined he’d be so entangled by emotions.
After finishing the coffee, Ji Qingyuan poured himself a cup and took it upstairs.
Opening his laptop, the screensaver displayed a solo bridal photo of Yu Jingxin. No matter how many times he saw it, he still marveled at her beauty.
But even after drinking the coffee, his mind remained restless.
Closing his laptop, Ji Qingyuan picked up his phone to call a friend. As he stared at the screen, he noticed the wallpaper was another photo of Yu Jingxin. He opened the gallery and changed it to something else.
When the call connected, the friend answered quickly.
Ji Qingyuan: “Are you guys at the club?”
“Yes,” the friend replied, glancing at Leng Wenning. “Wenning is here tonight too. Are you coming?”
“That’s fine. You guys enjoy yourselves.”
He hung up.
Leng Wenning was drinking beer, half a glass filled with ice.
When the friend mentioned her name during the call, she asked, “Who?” She guessed it was Ji Qingyuan but wasn’t sure. After all, he was newly married—he should be home with his wife, right?
The friend placed the phone on the bar counter. “Who else could it be? Ji Qingyuan.”
Hearing his name, Leng Wenning felt a wave of resentment she couldn’t release. She took a large sip of her iced beer, its malt flavor long diluted.
Still, she clung to a sliver of hope. “Is he coming?”
“No.” The friend shook his head, exasperated by their antics. “You two are something else, using marriage to spite each other. Neither of you is happy, yet your stubbornness makes reconciliation impossible. What’s the point of this—just to save face?”
Leng Wenning poured more beer into her glass, her words laced with bitterness. “Isn’t he happy being married?”
“Happy my ass!” The friend blurted out. “They canceled the honeymoon. He’s going on a business trip with us this weekend.”
Even now, Leng Wenning’s grievances hadn’t faded. “If he’s unhappy, he deserves it!” But then, unexpectedly, tears began streaming down her face.
This was the first time she had cried in front of someone because of Ji Qingyuan.
She missed him desperately but couldn’t even call him.
The friend turned to see her tear-streaked face and froze. In his memory, Leng Wenning had never cried before. He stood up and handed her a pack of tissues.
“What can I say about you…? If you couldn’t let go, why did you push him away in the first place? If you hadn’t gone on that blind date, none of this would’ve happened. Ji Qingyuan wouldn’t have married Yu Jingxin, and you wouldn’t be drowning your sorrows alone tonight.”
Leng Wenning sniffled. “What else could I do? He never reached out to me.”
The friend scolded her. “You went on a blind date—you could’ve made the first move to reconcile! You know how proud he is. Ji Qingyuan isn’t the type to chase after anyone.”
Leng Wenning wiped her tears carefully, ensuring her makeup didn’t smudge. “I already extended an olive branch. What more does he want from me?”
________________________________________
In the first month after their breakup, she went on a solo trip. That month marked their second anniversary, and she secretly hoped he’d call her on the day.
After all, she had broken up with him in anger, out of deep care, not because she didn’t love him.
But even after waiting until the last second of that day, his call never came.
In the second month, they attended a small gathering of friends. They sat at the same table but didn’t exchange a single word.
Their friends knew Ji Qingyuan’s temper and that they were going through a breakup, so no one dared joke about them.
After the dinner ended, she deliberately lagged behind, hoping he’d slow down to wait for her—but he didn’t.
In the third month, she spent Qixi Festival alone.
During this time, she saw Ji Qingyuan once at a private room in a club. He was playing cards with friends while she sat nearby drinking. They exchanged no words, and he didn’t even glance at her.
At that moment, she began to feel uneasy.
After being apart for so long, her lingering resentment had vanished, replaced by longing. Though she told her friends she didn’t care, deep down, she yearned to be with him again.
In the fourth month, she heard from a friend that Ji Qingyuan was on a business trip and wouldn’t return for two or three weeks. Their connection seemed completely severed.
She didn’t know if he had dated other women or if any of the women pursuing him caught his eye.
Finally, he returned from his trip.
Around that time, a project she had been working on for Ji’s company was nearing completion, and she needed to attend a meeting at Jiashi Group.
This project had been a perk she received as his girlfriend before their breakup.
He didn’t attend the meeting—it wasn’t necessary for the CEO to be present.
Fortunately, she ran into him outside the conference room. He was in another meeting next door.
Few people knew they had broken up.
She greeted him politely. “President Ji.”
Ji Qingyuan nodded slightly. “Here for a meeting?”
She replied with a faint “Mm,” and he said nothing more, brushing past her.
Professionally, he maintained his usual courtesy and demeanor. Privately, however, he avoided speaking to her altogether.
She realized then that she had truly lost him.
The next time they met was at a charity gala.
Unaware he would be there, someone pointed him out: “Hey, isn’t that your boyfriend?”
Her heart tightened as she looked over and saw a woman clinging to Ji Qingyuan, looking intimate. For a moment, her face paled.
When the woman turned her head, Leng Wenning regained her composure—it was his sister.
They noticed the tension between her and Ji Qingyuan. “What’s wrong with you two?”
Reluctant to admit the truth, she lowered herself and lied. “We argued a few days ago over work disagreements. He refused to compromise. I don’t want to talk to him.”
No one doubted her story, especially since Ji Qingyuan had arrived with his sister, not another woman.
Someone chimed in: “You can’t spoil men. Make him apologize to you.”
That night, everyone noticed their lack of interaction. Her comments spread to Ji Qingyuan.
A friend teased him: “You two really take arguments to the extreme. Fighting in public and ignoring each other!”
Ji Qingyuan didn’t explain, sparing her dignity by not publicly exposing her lie.
But another undeniable fact hit her hard—he knew she had softened her stance, framing their split as a mere work disagreement rather than a breakup. Yet, he still didn’t reach out to reconcile.
If he had called her after the gala, even without mentioning their conflict, she would have forgiven him and stopped resenting him for ignoring her these past months.
But days passed, and he never contacted her.
Just then, her family introduced her to someone. Though he couldn’t compare to Ji Qingyuan, his overall qualifications were decent. She went along with it and went on the blind date.
...
Leng Wenning held her beer glass tightly, her palms icy cold as her thoughts returned. “He’s never consoled me.”
Besides, the breakup was her rash decision. “How pathetic am I for trying to go back to him? Even if we reconcile, will I still hold any significance in his heart?”
Her friend couldn’t help but scold her. “It’s one thing to go on a blind date, but why did you make it so public? People thought you were still fighting when you suddenly went on a date. How could you embarrass Ji Qingyuan like that? Men don’t gossip much, but they wouldn’t dare joke about this around him.”
Whether he cared or not, only Ji Qingyuan knew.
“You ruined a good relationship.”
Leng Wenning popped an ice cube into her mouth, numbing her senses. “If I couldn’t make him chase me, at least I saved face, didn’t I? I couldn’t bear seeing him with another woman in public and having others laugh at me. This way, I’m the one who dumped him.”
Her friend raised a toast, baffled. “Since neither of you can turn back, why ruin your own marriage? Why insist on having your wedding on the same day as his? Wasn’t that foolish?”
Leng Wenning bit her lip, the numbness dulling the pain. “I couldn’t accept that Yu Jingxin got Ji Qingyuan’s marriage so easily.”
Her friend opened her mouth to speak but swallowed her words. Leng Wenning was already miserable enough—there was no need to add to her burden.
________________________________________
The next evening.
After a meeting, Ji Qingyuan reflexively unlocked his phone. Yu Jingxin hadn’t sent him any messages to check in. He didn’t know where she had gone, but no matter where it was, she should have landed by now.
His phone vibrated, and he quickly opened it—a message from a friend abroad. [I found someone matching your description: Li Yanzhuo. But I’m not sure if he’s Yu Jingxin’s boyfriend.]
Ji Qingyuan: [Thanks.]
It had to be Li Yanzhuo.
Because the Li family was related to his father-in-law’s second wife’s family, her father wouldn’t allow her to marry into the Li family. That explained why Yu Jingxin said she had fought with her family over her previous relationship but ultimately broke up.
He opened Yu Jingxin’s social media, which was set to show posts from the last three days.
Seeing her nickname, “In Love With Summer,” he couldn’t help but wonder if Li Yanzhuo’s nickname might be something like “Scorching Summer.”
He rubbed his temple, feeling like he was losing his mind.
After working late into the night, Ji Qingyuan looked up to see snow falling outside.
He glanced at his phone—it was silent.
Staring at his own nickname, he impulsively changed it.
The first to notice his new nickname was his sister, who immediately messaged him: [Do you always get moody on snowy nights?]
Ji Qingyuan: [Watch your words!]
Sister: [Why did you change your nickname to ‘June-July-August’?]
Not wanting to answer, he urged her: [It’s late. Go to bed early.]
Sister: [I’m not sleepy.]
Ji Qingyuan: [Are you stuck writing again?]
Sister: [...]
Frustrated, she threw her phone aside.
With no further messages from his sister, Ji Qingyuan finally had some peace.
He shut down his computer, put on his coat, and headed home.
The snow was light, fluttering gently and melting upon landing.
Looking out the window, Ji Qingyuan wondered whether the place Yu Jingxin had gone to was experiencing summer or winter.
By the time he arrived home, the snowfall had intensified, swirling in the air.
After getting out of the car, he hurried inside, but his shoulders were still dusted with snow.
He checked his phone again—still no messages.
The heavy snow lasted all night and only stopped the following afternoon.
More than two days had passed since Yu Jingxin left the city. Even if her plane had crawled there, she should have arrived by now.
Ji Qingyuan’s flight for his business trip was scheduled for today. The housekeeper loaded his suitcase into the trunk.
He glanced at Yu Jingxin’s social media, which had finally updated with two photos: one from the concert hall and another selfie at the beach, her lips slightly curved upward.
Putting his phone away, he told the housekeeper before leaving, “I might stay overseas for six months. If anything happens with Jingxin, call me.”
The housekeeper was surprised. Leaving for such a long time?
________________________________________
Yu Jingxin traveled to the opposite hemisphere, finding solace in an outdoor café where no one recognized her. She sat there for hours on end.
In the morning, she visited the beach, took some pictures, and returned.
Though her marriage was already fractured from the start, she still clung to the illusion of happiness, using lavish dresses to mask the cracks.
From the moment she arrived, Ji Qingyuan hadn’t shown any concern. He didn’t ask if she had arrived, where she was staying, or when she planned to return.
As the sun slowly set, another day came to an end.
Yu Jingxin scrolled through her social media. Her recent post had garnered numerous likes and comments.
So much time had passed—whether he hadn’t seen it or simply chose to ignore it, she didn’t know.
To keep up appearances for both families, she played her part perfectly, buying a return ticket after staying for ten days.
Returning to the house that belonged to him but felt so empty, everything was cold and lifeless.
Back in the bedroom, the bed was untouched. His side of the nightstand was bare—no charger or magazines. He must still be away on his business trip.
She didn’t know when he’d return and had no one to ask.
Before sleeping, she deliberately moved her pillow closer to the edge of the bed, wanting to distance herself from him.
After turning off the lights, she tossed and turned for a while. Eventually, she half-rose and shifted her pillow slightly toward his side—not too close, but closer than before.
Throughout her trip, she hadn’t slept well a single night.
Now, wrapped in the blanket that carried his scent, exhaustion overtook her, and she soon drifted off.
________________________________________
After resting at home for a day, she went to work the next day.
She arrived at the office before seven and went straight to her father’s office.
Yu Shaohong was busy but was delighted to see his daughter. “Looks like you had a great time. So long, you forgot to come home.”
Yu Jingxin smiled faintly. “It was alright—pretty fun.”
“Will you and Qingyuan come home for dinner tonight?” Yu Shaohong asked.
Leaning casually against her father’s desk, Yu Jingxin replied lightly, “Qingyuan isn’t back yet. He’s busy with his current project and will stay there for a while.”
She fabricated the excuse effortlessly.
Yu Shaohong knew about Ji Qingyuan’s ongoing project—all payments were processed through their bank. Ji Qingyuan had even introduced several major clients to their overseas branch.
“Then go home, and I’ll have the chef prepare a few extra dishes for you.”
Yu Jingxin didn’t want to go home or discuss anything related to Ji Qingyuan, fearing she might slip up. She touched her cheek. “I’ve gained weight these past few days—I need to lose some. Plus, there’s plenty of work to catch up on. Let’s plan dinner after I finish this phase.”
Yu Shaohong didn’t press further—they saw each other every day at work anyway. At lunchtime, the private chef prepared a meal just for her. “Don’t overwork yourself. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Got it,” Yu Jingxin said, standing up and waving. “Dad, you focus on work. I’ll head back to my office.”
Once out of her father’s office, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Given her and Ji Qingyuan’s current state, returning home for dinner felt nearly impossible.
________________________________________
Valentine’s Day arrived, and Yu Jingxin hadn’t received a single word from Ji Qingyuan.
Today, February 14th, was their first Valentine’s Day as a couple. Surely, he would return, right? Even if he was too busy to leave, he’d at least call her.
This was the first time since starting work that Yu Jingxin left the office on time.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared, she drove away from the bank building.
During rush hour, traffic was bumper-to-bumper.
Today was a holiday, and even the sidewalks were crowded with people.
Seeing girls holding roses—even just a dozen or so—she couldn’t help but feel envious.
It took an hour and a half for her car to finally reach the entrance of their home.
Yu Jingxin’s early return surprised even the housekeeper, who quickly asked what she’d like for dinner.
Yu Jingxin: “Nothing. I’m dieting.”
Though she didn’t want to admit it, she still harbored some hope. Even if theirs was a marriage of convenience, they should at least celebrate holidays together, right?
Just in case Ji Qingyuan planned to return and spend Valentine’s Day with her, she decided against eating dinner.
After greeting the housekeeper, she went upstairs.
She worked in the study, occasionally glancing at her phone. There were no messages from Ji Qingyuan.
She didn’t expect a Valentine’s Day greeting at midnight—it was likely meant for someone else, someone he truly cared about.
While distractedly reading emails, her assistant called. “Ms. Yu, you’ve received a Valentine’s Day gift delivered by Mr. Ji’s secretary.”
Yu Jingxin quickly asked, “Roses?”
Assistant: “No, it’s an envelope.”
“Open it and see.”
Moments later, the assistant replied, “It’s a cashier’s check for ten million yuan.”
“Alright, keep it with you for now.” Yu Jingxin hung up.
Even Valentine’s Day had become a business transaction.
Lost in thought for over an hour, she tried to refocus and began reading her emails.
When she glanced at the time in the corner of her computer screen, it was already 12:11 AM on February 15th.
Ji Qingyuan hadn’t sent a message or called.
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