#62 (Habit)

Wen Di couldn’t sleep. At 3:30 in the morning, she was still wide awake. Her mind was racing with thoughts. She thought of Yin Ziyu, wondering if that silly girl was still crying.

She thought about tonight’s public relations effort and what would have happened if it hadn’t turned around.

She also thought of Qu Pei, who was recuperating abroad and was always keeping up with her news. Upon seeing tonight’s public opinion, Qu Pei said: “You handled it more efficiently than I thought. You’ve grown up; I don’t have to worry about you anymore.”

Unconsciously, her thoughts drifted to the man next door.

A man she had loved, hated, resented, missed, and felt unresolved about. She had once let go and forgotten, and later, she had struggled, been conflicted, and had mixed emotions. She had also been moved and warmed by him.

He brought her so many complex emotions.

She was completely unable to fall asleep.

Wen Di fumbled for her phone on the bedside table and called him.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Heyu asked with concern.

His voice was deep and hoarse; it was clear he had been woken up.

Wen Di said nothing was wrong. “I’m just calling to ask if you were asleep.”

Yan Heyu laughed. Even through the phone screen, he could feel her playful mischief. “I was, but not in a deep sleep.”

Wen Di: “Well, it’s a good thing I called. You can go back to sleep and sleep a little deeper. Shallow sleep isn’t good for you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s my duty as a landlady.”

“Wen Di.” Yan Heyu sat up, leaning against the headboard. “If you can’t sleep, let’s find a place to talk.”

“I’m a little tired now.”

“Good night then.”

Wen Di hung up, yawned, and realized it would be dawn soon if she didn’t sleep.

She fell asleep, but Yan Heyu was now wide awake. She was finally willing to be a little willful with him. This call in the middle of the night meant she had overcome many mental hurdles and suddenly wanted to talk to him.

Wen Di slept until nine o’clock the next morning. After getting up and getting ready, the housekeeper had prepared breakfast for her. The housekeeper said Yan Heyu had gone to the company half an hour ago.

Wen Di blurted out, “He’s not resting today?” After asking, she chuckled to herself, realizing how would the housekeeper know. It was Saturday, and she had assumed he would take the day off.

While eating breakfast, she scrolled through the trending topics. There were only two related to Liang Yu and Yin Ziyu, at the bottom of the list.

She messaged Yin Ziyu: [Are you home?]

A few minutes later, Yin Ziyu sent her a photo from an event. [Boss Wen, hurry and praise my professionalism.]

Wen Di was certain she hadn’t scheduled any work for her these past few days. [When did you accept this job?]

[Last night. The organizers wanted to capitalize on the publicity of my first appearance after being cheated on. They contacted Sister Li late at night. My appearance fee is several times what it used to be. Sister Li didn’t want to accept it, but when I heard the money was so good, why would I be so stupid as to refuse?]

Sister Li was Yin Ziyu’s manager. Last night, feeling for Yin Ziyu, she stayed with her. When the organizers called, Yin Ziyu was right there and said without a second thought that they had to accept. She had wasted her feelings on a jerk; she couldn’t waste money too.

Wen Di was worried: [Aren’t your eyes swollen?]

Yin Ziyu: [A little.] She sent Wen Di a selfie. [The organizers said they wanted this exact look.]

Wen Di: [...]

Yin Ziyu laughed: [Don’t I look both beautiful and cool?] She didn’t forget to flatter her: [I can’t help it; the employee follows the boss.]

Yin Ziyu also told Wen Di she was going to audition for The World Is Not as Good as You that afternoon. Zhou Mingqian’s team had notified her to come at three.

Wen Di: [I’ll drive you. It’s a special perk for being so good at flattery.] Yin Ziyu was amused.

Wen Di gave her a heads-up that she might not get the role just by auditioning.

The male lead for The World Is Not as Good as You was set. It was Tan Moxing, one of the few male actors who had won awards and had great success in both big- and small-screen productions.

Zhou Mingqian wasn’t optimistic that Yin Ziyu and Tan Moxing could pull off the subtle emotions of a couple. Their chemistry was more suited to the love-hate relationship in Behind Desire, where every glance was filled with tension and intensity. If they were to play an ordinary couple, it would feel awkward and could easily take the audience out of the story.

Zhou Mingqian was leaning towards another actress in his mind.

Yin Ziyu told Wen Di not to worry; she was very open-minded about whether she would get the role. Auditioning was just a way to challenge herself. She couldn’t be defeated by a jerk.

She always remembered Wen Di’s words at the Behind Desire investment conference: “Taking one step forward is a success.”

After lunch, Wen Di drove to the company. Passing by a florist, she specifically got out to buy a bouquet.

Yin Ziyu’s morning event ended, and she went directly to the company to have lunch there. Now, a stylist was doing her makeup for the afternoon audition.

Yin Ziyu saw Wen Di walk in with a bouquet in her hands through the mirror. She thought it was from Yan Heyu for her boss. “Boss Wen, you shouldn’t be so cruel to single people.”

Wen Di said, “I’m being cruel to myself.”

She placed the flowers on the vanity. “They’re for you.”

When she herself was heartbroken, she saw fresh flowers every day, sometimes a few, sometimes a small bouquet. While they didn’t heal the pain, seeing them made her feel less gloomy.

She didn’t know if this would work for Yin Ziyu.

Yin Ziyu put down her phone and hugged the bouquet. It was a mix of many kinds of flowers, a beautiful and pleasing combination.

“Boss Wen, can I discuss something with you?”

“Go ahead.”

“Can you send me a bouquet every day from now on? I’ll flatter you diligently.”

“Sure, but not on holidays.”

“Why?”

“Flowers are very expensive then.”

“Haha. You’re so stingy.”

Wen Di stopped teasing her and told her to go try on her clothes. She transferred some money to Yuan Yuan, asking her to be responsible for ordering a bouquet for Yin Ziyu every day.

Yuan Yuan knew she was at the company and came over to return a book to her. She had finally finished reading the English version of A Year in Provence after eight months. She didn’t understand half of it and had to buy the Chinese version to compare.

“Sister Wen Di, where do you find your books? I want to go there, too.”

Wen Di told her the name and address of the second-hand bookstore. “I’ll send it to you.” She typed it out and sent it.

Yuan Yuan asked, “Did you find A Year in Provence there, too?”

Wen Di smiled. “Didn’t you buy it yourself? Did you forget?”

Yuan Yuan was confused. “I bought this book? You found it on President Qin’s bookshelf?”

“Yeah. I gave you money, you found dozens of books, and I picked out two.”

Yuan Yuan thought this book was from the first batch she found, but it was from the second. “Sister Wen Di, it definitely wasn’t me who bought it. The first time, I just picked randomly, but the time I specifically found books for you, I looked at them carefully. Don’t you think I’d know if I picked out an English novel?”

Wen Di called Qin Xing and asked what was going on.

There was no need to hide it anymore, as Wen Di wasn’t going to get rid of the book. Qin Xing said, “Brother Yan bought the book for you. I didn’t expect you to choose it.”

Today, when Wen Di was giving Yan Heyu his allowance, she added fifty cents.

Yin Ziyu changed into her clothes and was ready to leave for the audition. She decided not to let Wen Di drive her, as it felt like a parent driving their child to an exam and would make her nervous. She took the bouquet Wen Di gave her. “With this, I’ll definitely have good luck.”

Seeing Wen Di holding a book, she asked to borrow it to read. She had been diligently studying English recently and wanted to try reading an original English book.

After staying at the company for a while, the weather was sunny, and Wen Di suddenly felt like driving around. Coming out of Qin Xing’s office, she ran into Shen Tang, who was just returning from a business meeting.

Shen Tang hooked her arm around her shoulder. “Don’t leave yet. Let’s discuss where to go on vacation.”

“Just the two of us?”

“How about the four of us? Otherwise, who’s going to take care of our food and drinks? If we get tired, are you going to carry me or am I going to carry you?”

“...”

The last time the four of them traveled together was six years ago, in the summer, when they went sea fishing.

Wen Di didn’t know if Yan Heyu was busy and could take time off for a trip.

Shen Tang said, “That’s up to Jiang Chengyu and him to figure out. Let them discuss it themselves.”

________________________________________

They finally decided to go to Haitang Village for a few days. Yan Heyu and Jiang Chengyu agreed on a departure date and started arranging their work schedules.

Jiang Chengyu’s tone was full of disdain: [Try not to mess up. Don’t drag me down.]

Yan Heyu: [I’m two years younger than you. If anyone’s getting dragged down, it’ll be me dragging you down.]

While he was looking at an email, he had an unexpected visitor. Guan Xiangmu came to see him.

The two hadn’t seen each other for nearly half a year. They were both busy and couldn’t find the time. Guan Xiangmu happened to be in Beijing for a while and stopped by.

“Liang Yu’s manager and management company have been taken care of.”

Yan Heyu thanked him and then asked, “How are things with Auntie?”

Guan Xiangmu spent a third of his time in Jiangcheng, but his opportunities to see Wen Qizhen were limited unless he specifically waited for her to get off work at her company.

“What do you mean ‘how’? If I had any progress, do you think I’d be able to hold back from telling you?”

Yan Heyu closed the email page and personally went to pour him a glass of hot water.

Guan Xiangmu was extremely disciplined now. He didn’t smoke or drink, exercised every day to stay in shape, and tried to go to bed early and not stay up late. He had never hated his birthday so much, as it meant he was getting another year older.

“I had dinner with Qizhen once. She told me she doesn’t plan on a third marriage. If she were to look for a boyfriend, she might consider someone in their early forties.”

Yan Heyu: “You’re forty-seven this year, aren’t you?”

“Forty-six, a full year.”

“...Is there a difference?”

Guan Xiangmu took a sip of water and laughed to himself.

He was a master of self-deception now.

He joked, “I think I’m a good luck charm for couples getting back together. Look at Jiang Chengyu and Shen Tang; they’re back together and even have a child. You and Wen Di also have hope. Why am I not a good luck charm for myself?”

He stopped talking about himself and asked Yan Heyu if there was a chance of them meeting their parents by the end of the year. He urged Yan Heyu, “Hurry up. Don’t make me wait until I’m fifty.”

Guan Xiangmu put down his empty cup. “You’re busy now.”

He sat for less than ten minutes in total before leaving. There were some things he couldn’t say to others, so he could only come to Yan Heyu to talk about them.

After seeing Guan Xiangmu off, Yan Heyu turned off his computer and let Wen Di know he was going back to the old house for the evening and would be home around ten.

He was going on a trip next week and wanted to see his mother and sister.

Of course, a lot of it was for showing off.

Yan Heyu messaged his sister: [What time are you getting home?]

Yan Heyan: [On my way. What are you doing? Are you home already? Did you bring Wen Wen back?]

[Wen Wen hasn’t even gotten used to our own home. We’ll wait a while before that.]

[Once you and Wen Di’s relationship is more stable, I’ll bring my son to visit your daughter.]

Yan Heyan also had a cat, a few months older than Wen Wen.

Twenty minutes later, Yan Heyu’s phone rang. It was Yan Heyan calling. He had already turned his car into the old house’s driveway, so he just hung up.

Yan Heyan was persistent and called again.

“Brother, don’t come back yet.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Jiang Yunxing’s parents are here.”

“My car is already parked.”

Yan Heyu hung up.

Ye Minqiong heard another car in the yard and asked the housekeeper who it was. The housekeeper said it was Heyu.

Her son’s sudden return was unexpected. She had asked him if he was coming back for dinner this week, and he had said he was busy. She had no idea he would come back after all.

Yan Heyu knew without asking why Jiang Yunxing’s parents were at his house—it was for Jiang Zhengqian.

Jiang Yunxing’s father had put aside his pride and came to talk about peace, which was probably Jiang Yunxing’s idea. He hadn’t answered Jiang Yunxing’s calls, and she knew there was no point in negotiating with him, so she had to ask her father to be a mediator and quickly end the conflicts between him and her uncle.

After a brief greeting, Yan Heyu sat across from Jiang’s father, his legs crossed, leaning back into the sofa.

Jiang’s father knew Yan Heyu’s temper and that talking directly to him might not go well, so he decided to visit Yan’s family first. Coincidentally, he ran into him coming home.

He had always thought highly of Yan Heyu. He admired Yan Heyu’s sense of responsibility, capability, and methods, all of which perfectly matched his criteria for a future son-in-law.

When Yan Heyu and his daughter were dating, he was secretly pleased. He never expected the two to break up. He had tried to persuade his daughter that Yan Heyu just had a bad temper and was a little arrogant, and that he would tone it down as he matured, but his daughter said she couldn’t tolerate it.

Later, his daughter did regret it, but it was to no avail.

Jiang’s father first criticized his own brother. “Your current situation is no longer a business competition; it’s you both tearing each other down, which hurts you both and benefits no one else. What kind of business sense is that? I’ll cut to the chase: let’s end this here. I won’t meddle in business matters; it’s survival of the fittest. You both can use whatever abilities you have.”

He made his position clear: “Yunxing’s uncle tracking your whereabouts and causing so much trouble for Miss Wen, we’ll cover all the losses. Just have your assistant contact Yunxing to let her know what compensation you need.”

Yan Heyu: “Don’t worry about compensation. I’m not short on that kind of money. Usually, I’m the one compensating others.”

Ye Minqiong: “...”

She knew her son would be arrogant.

Yan Heyu looked at Jiang’s father, his tone flat. “Since you and your wife are so sincere, I’ll also make a concession. Have Jiang Zhengqian apologize to me, and the matter is settled.”

This was no concession; it was a psychological blow. An apology from Jiang Zhengqian would be more painful than a stab in the heart.

Jiang’s father’s expression didn’t change. He smiled and said, “I’ll talk to him about it later.”

Jiang’s mother put down her teacup and said it was time for them to leave. “We won’t interrupt your family dinner. We’re going home to eat, too.”

Ye Minqiong saw them to the door. When she got back inside, the brother and sister were already at the dining table, waiting for dinner to be served.

“Mom, why did they come over?” Heyan asked with curiosity. She was upstairs and didn’t know what they talked about.

“About your brother and Jiang Zhengqian’s business.”

“How surprising. Jiang Yunxing’s dad actually came to us first.”

“You think he wanted to? He has no way of dealing with his brother. If he doesn’t swallow his pride, the Jiang family is going to fall into chaos, and it’s their interests that will suffer the loss.” Ye Minqiong didn’t interfere with how her son handled things. If her son hadn’t come home today, she wouldn’t have even bothered to mention that Jiang Yunxing’s parents had visited.

She asked her son, “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back?”

Yan Heyu: “I came back to have dinner with you. I won’t have time next week.”

No one asked what he would be busy with next week, so he just said, “Wen Di and I are going on a trip.”

“Oh, I knew it.”

Ye Minqiong teased her son: “Are you happier than on your honeymoon?”

“No. I’ll be happier on my honeymoon.”

________________________________________

Yan Heyu got back to Wen Di’s villa at nine-thirty, half an hour earlier than he had planned. He poured half a glass of red wine and took the glass upstairs.

Wen Di was busy in her study, and the door was open. Yan Heyu knocked.

A figure approached her desk. She looked up, and Yan Heyu brought the wine glass to her lips. “I opened another bottle. Try it.”

The ring on his ring finger seemed to have a different texture, enhanced by the deep red of the wine, or perhaps it was his long, slender fingers that gave it that quality.

Wen Di took a small sip.

Yan Heyu rotated the glass, bringing the part where her lips had touched to his own lips, and took a sip from the same spot.

“The World Is Not as Good as You started auditions today,” he said.

He had heard Kang Bo mention it. “Did Yin Ziyu go to audition?”

“Yeah. I’m her boss. As long as I think a script is good, I’ll encourage her to try for it. Whether she gets the role depends on if she’s a good fit, but it’s a long shot. Her current state is affected by Zhang Qiaoyu. I was hoping she could break through and show a different side of herself.”

Now, it was uncertain.

“Since you entrusted Zhou Mingqian with the casting, you shouldn’t interfere too much.”

Yan Heyu: “I won’t interfere. If I was going to, I wouldn’t have let him hold open auditions. I’ll respect his professional decision.”

“Do you want more?” He brought the glass to her lips again.

Before she could open her mouth, he suddenly remembered something. “Wait a minute, let’s see if you can drink.” He remembered her period was due in the next couple of days.

Wen Di was confused as he opened his phone.

Yan Heyu asked her, “When is your period usually? This app’s record might not be accurate. For the past three years, I’ve been recording it as three days later than the previous month, but sometimes it’s three days late, and sometimes two. The actual date might be different from what I have.”

Wen Di looked at the empty computer screen in front of her. “Why are you keeping a record of that?”

“It’s a habit.” After a pause, Yan Heyu added, “At the time, I had a thought that if we ever got back together and you suddenly got upset, I’d know why.”

He asked her when her period was last month.

Wen Di couldn’t quite remember either. She opened her phone’s notes and told him the exact date.

Yan Heyu said, “That’s a difference of more than ten days from what I have in my app.”

He re-entered the date to calculate, then handed her the wine glass. “You can drink.”

Wen Di took a sip, but she couldn’t taste the wine anymore.