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Psst! We're moving!
Ji Qingyuan went to the club, not expecting to run into Leng Wenning in the courtyard.
Leng Wenning was locking her car and about to head upstairs when she slowed her steps.
It had been two years since their divorce. During that time, they had encountered each other once, but with many people around and their seats far apart, they hadn’t spoken.
Now, meeting again, she couldn’t bring herself to call him by name.
“President Ji, long time no see.”
Ji Qingyuan walked over and nodded slightly.
Since they were headed to the same private room, they went upstairs together. Ji Qingyuan walked ahead, looking down at his phone.
Leng Wenning followed behind. She had decided to come for a drink on impulse and hadn’t expected to run into him.
When their friends saw them walk in one after the other, they were surprised.
“What’s going on?”
Ji Qingyuan: “We happened to meet downstairs.”
Leng Wenning didn’t say anything more. She ordered a drink and quietly sat to the side. From time to time, she glanced over at Ji Qingyuan.
They played cards while chatting and joking, finalizing business matters amidst wins and losses.
Some things didn’t need to be said outright—everyone understood implicitly.
“The private restaurant you invested in—it’s been almost two years. Are you ever going to open it?” a friend asked.
Leng Wenning also looked over. She had heard long ago that Ji Qingyuan had invested in a private restaurant, but there had been no news of it opening.
With a cigarette in his mouth, Ji Qingyuan arranged his cards, tapped off the ash, and finally spoke. “Soon. We’re airing it out.”
The friend teased, “You’re treating it like your own home renovation. At this rate, aren’t you going to lose money?”
Ji Qingyuan: “It’s not for public business. It’s a gift for my wife.”
“I see,” the friend replied and didn’t press further. With Leng Wenning sitting nearby, it wouldn’t be appropriate to talk about Yu Jingxin.
As for Ji Qingyuan gifting Yu Jingxin the private restaurant, everyone found it reasonable. No matter what, maintaining appearances with the Yu family was necessary.
They all knew that during the first year of marriage, Ji Qingyuan had stayed abroad for over seven months without returning, even though he’d had time to do so. Not only did he not return, but he also traveled to another hemisphere and attended a concert.
Their marital relationship was clearly strained—he preferred attending a concert alone rather than coming home to see his wife.
During those months, Yu Jingxin hadn’t visited Ji Qingyuan either.
Though they had gone on business trips together and worked on projects simultaneously, no one dared ask about his personal affairs.
Two and a half years had passed, and Ji Qingyuan and Yu Jingxin still hadn’t had children.
In all social settings, they had never appeared together.
As for the private restaurant, the excuse of “airing it out” was likely just that—an excuse. Ji Qingyuan probably hadn’t prioritized it, and the renovations had been repeatedly delayed.
To avoid an awkward silence, another friend chimed in, “We’ll definitely show up for the opening. It won’t be next year, will it?”
Ji Qingyuan: “Next year.”
He gave a specific date.
The other men didn’t pay much attention—they weren’t concerned about such details. However, Leng Wenning was sensitive to this date—it was the day Ji Qingyuan and Yu Jingxin had met through matchmaking.
She knew Ji Qingyuan’s personality—he didn’t care about holidays or anniversaries. Likely, it was Yu Jingxin who had chosen the opening date. Everyone in their circle knew that Ji Qingyuan and Yu Jingxin’s marriage was essentially over.
However, due to the extensive cooperation between their families, any disruption would affect both companies’ strategic development. As long as the marriage could be maintained, they wouldn’t divorce unless absolutely necessary—even if it was just for show.
He had held such a good hand but ended up ruining everything.
Had he ever regretted living like this?
Earlier, when they met downstairs, she had wanted to ask him: “Ji Qingyuan, we broke up like that. Do you regret it?”
In the end, she swallowed those words.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask.
By nearly dawn, the card game ended.
After settling some business matters, Ji Qingyuan was the first to leave the club.
Once the door closed, a friend advised Leng Wenning, “You should drink less.”
Leng Wenning: “I won’t get drunk.”
Before leaving, Ji Qingyuan hadn’t said goodbye to her.
Leng Wenning turned to her friend. “Is he still mad at me? Is he still angry?”
The friend shook his head honestly. “I really don’t know. Who dares ask?”
He sighed. “You two… I can’t understand how you managed to ruin your lives like this.”
Not knowing how to comment further, he clinked glasses with Leng Wenning. “Let’s drink.” He didn’t want to discuss Ji Qingyuan’s marriage too much—careless words could cause trouble for those involved.
Leng Wenning apologized. “I didn’t know you had arranged to meet Ji Qingyuan today. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come. Next time, I’ll call ahead to avoid running into him too often. He might think I’m doing it on purpose.”
The friend didn’t know how to respond and downed the rest of his drink.
________________________________________
When Ji Qingyuan returned home, Yu Jingxin was still working overtime in her study.
He knocked and opened the door, intending to grab his laptop.
Yu Jingxin had been looking at their wedding photos. When the door opened, she quickly closed the page and pretended to be working on her computer.
Ji Qingyuan needed to check an email. His usual laptop was still at the office, so he pointed to the unused one on the desk. “I’ll borrow this for a moment.”
As he reached for it, Yu Jingxin grabbed his hand to stop him.
Ji Qingyuan looked at her. “I’ll return it soon.”
Yu Jingxin didn’t want him to see the solo photo of him she had been viewing. “It contains my private secrets.”
They stared at each other silently.
Mentioning secrets made Ji Qingyuan think of her past relationship with Li Yanzhuo. Perhaps it contained photos or diaries from her past with him.
“You could just say it’s Yu Bank’s trade secret. I promise I won’t touch this computer again. Why say it’s your secret?”
Yu Jingxin had panicked earlier and hadn’t thought things through.
She pressed down firmly, refusing to let him take it.
Ji Qingyuan withdrew his hand. “Jingxin, if you want to pick a fight with me, just say it outright. Don’t keep finding excuses every so often. I haven’t offended you today—or ever before. Stop deliberately ignoring me and giving me the cold shoulder.”
He was frustrated and tired of holding back.
“I even drew a graph to find a pattern in your random outbursts, but there’s none. Can you stop torturing me like this?”
With that, he turned and left.
Bang! The door slammed shut.
Yu Jingxin reopened the computer and exited the photo viewer.
His earlier comment about her erratic behavior and cold treatment was because of updates from Leng Wenning’s anonymous microblog account. Whenever there were updates, she felt irritated toward Ji Qingyuan...
Since the updates were irregular, her sulking naturally lacked a pattern.
Considering the effort he put into drawing graphs, she decided to bring the laptop to the bedroom.
Ji Qingyuan sat on the couch, closing his eyes to rest as his chest tightened.
Whenever she got upset, she wouldn’t explain why, and he didn’t want to ask.
Hearing footsteps approach, he didn’t bother opening his eyes.
Yu Jingxin tossed the laptop onto the couch for him, accidentally brushing his arm. Ji Qingyuan abruptly opened his eyes and turned his head. “So you’re giving me the cold shoulder now, and now you’re intentionally hurting me?”
Yu Jingxin: “….”
She was so angry she couldn’t speak. If there was a ranking for shifting blame, he deserved first place. She turned and left.
Considering she had voluntarily brought the laptop, Ji Qingyuan decided not to dwell on it. After thinking it over, he realized there probably wasn’t anything secretive on it.
If there were real secrets, she would’ve kept them on her phone, not on their shared computer.
Her claim of secrecy was just an excuse to pick a fight.
He had given her a gift earlier that afternoon, which apparently only kept her happy for half a day. By evening, she was already causing trouble.
He wondered when she would finally let go of Li Yanzhuo and focus on their life together.
Perhaps, after they had children?
Ji Qingyuan refocused and logged into his email.
Before he finished, Yu Jingxin came back from the study. She glanced at him, assuming he would stubbornly refuse to use the laptop.
Before his gaze could land on her, she lowered her eyes, picked up her pajamas, and went to take a shower.
The house returned to its usual quiet. Each focused on their own tasks, neither acknowledging the other.
After completing her skincare routine, Yu Jingxin found Ji Qingyuan already in bed, having showered. He wanted her to apologize but felt it was wishful thinking.
After two and a half years, she had never shown the slightest remorse.
She acted as if she were entirely justified, as if he were the one at fault.
Finally, Yu Jingxin climbed into bed. Tonight, he lay facing away from her.
She turned off the light and also faced away.
Ji Qingyuan didn’t expect her to initiate conversation. Seeing her lie down like this, she might fall asleep immediately. He spoke, “Yu Jingxin.”
It was rare for him to address her by her full name, and strangely, Yu Jingxin felt a twinge of indescribable disappointment and委屈 (grievance). “What? Speak if you have something to say.”
“You’ve never given me a gift.”
“…”
Yu Jingxin: “I generally don’t spend money.”
This time, it was Ji Qingyuan’s turn to be speechless. He turned over. “Next time, spend two cents on me.” With that, he moved closer, not wanting to argue anymore—it was exhausting.
He tried to place her head in the crook of his arm, but his elbow accidentally caught her hair.
“What are you doing! Ji Qingyuan, are you doing this on purpose?” Yu Jingxin winced, clutching her hair. Instinctively, she kicked him—it had genuinely hurt.
Ji Qingyuan sat up, turned on the light, and instead of getting angry, asked, “Does it still hurt?”
Yu Jingxin shook her head, gently rubbing the spot that had been pulled.
She wanted to ask if she had hurt him with her kick.
After hesitating for a while, she muttered, “Did I break anything?”
Ji Qingyuan: “…Are you planning to break something?”
Yu Jingxin didn’t reply but glanced at his leg.
Ji Qingyuan wasn’t sure if her question was a sign of concern. He consoled himself that it probably was.
After a few moments of silence, he said, “I can still walk!”
He got out of bed, went to her vanity, and found a hair tie. Pulling her up from the bed, he gathered all her hair and loosely tied it into a bun on top of her head.
Yu Jingxin: “….”
Ji Qingyuan looked left and right. “This way, your hair won’t get caught no matter what. Don’t find excuses to pick fights with me.”
He looked at her. “Here’s your chance. Apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt you earlier.”
Yu Jingxin lay back down, turning away from him.
Ji Qingyuan patted her calf. Suddenly, Yu Jingxin lay flat and raised her foot to kick him. Ji Qingyuan quickly pressed down on her knees with both hands.
He looked at her. “Let’s make up.”
Yu Jingxin didn’t respond, turning her face away.
Every time they had a disagreement during the day, they would reconcile at night.
He always took the initiative, patiently pleasing her.
In the end, their anger dissipated in the heat of passion.
After calming down, she fell asleep in his arms.
Ji Qingyuan held her knee, lowering his head to kiss her.
Yu Jingxin trembled, covering her eyes with her hand.
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