After coming back from the Xiao house, light broke through the clouds that had vanished along with the sense of relief.
I began to feel an uncontrollable anticipation for seeing An Zhi.
Just like Xiao Qingling said, her life must have been hard, too.
When I opened my eyes early this morning, I mistakenly thought it was Monday and prepared to go to work.
It was only when I saw Su Xixia hanging clothes on the balcony of the apartment hallway that I realized it was Sunday…
Time was passing so slowly.
“Huh?”
Su Xixia stood on her tiptoes to finish hanging my pants, then tilted her head to look at me.
“Where are you going now?”
“No… I made a mistake.”
Seeing her holding my underwear, I felt a bit awkward.
I simply snatched them from her hands and hung them on the clothes rail myself.
“It’s been so long, what are you being shy for! You’re just like a child.”
She covered her mouth and giggled, mocking me.
‘This woman probably doesn’t feel a shred of remorse. She can act like nothing happened…’
“What makes someone not a child?”
I pulled a bra out of the laundry basket that was as large as two rice bowls; the red lace shimmered in the sunlight.
“It’s sexy, right! You’re in a good mood, so come help me.”
Seeing me holding her underwear and inspecting it closely, she didn’t blush.
Instead, she turned up the corners of her mouth and smiled.
“My clothes are in here too… and you can barely reach.”
I hung up that exaggerated bra at lightning speed and then grabbed her panties.
The silk material was incredibly smooth and even a bit transparent…
She had worn these once to seduce me; those images remained in my mind.
The brain always automatically remembers things that feel good while forgetting painful ones.
Yet, when I chose to forcibly remember the pain, the comfortable memories I recalled without permission only doubled my agony.
‘I already have no feelings for her. Since I promised not to kick her out, let her just be kept here.’
A terrible thought formed in my mind.
“I have you here, don’t I! You knew I couldn’t reach, yet you didn’t come to help. You don’t think of me at all!”
Her half-joking tone irritated me.
“Yes, yes, I’m not like you. I’d rather you stopped thinking about me.”
“I won’t! I’ll think about you forever! What can you do about it?”
She snatched the wet clothes I had just picked up.
As her voice hit my eardrums, the painful memories resurfaced one after another.
My heart, which had just relaxed, began to tighten again.
“Stop talking!”
I snapped, turning to walk away.
“Mingshan!”
She called out to me.
“If you’re really frustrated, go out and get some fresh air. While you’re at it, buy some food you want to eat so I don’t have to go out again this afternoon. Also, stay away from other women!”
‘Yeah, yeah, after all, your dog-like nose can sniff out even the slightest hint of another woman.’
Since I had already changed my clothes, I decided to go out for some air…
I walked out of the apartment in silence.
From the entrance, I could see her struggling on her tiptoes to hang the clothes.
Except, why was her head lowered?
Where did that arrogant energy from a moment ago go?
I couldn’t see her expression clearly.
When she happened to notice me looking at her, she flashed a smile and waved at me again.
‘What a waste of time…’
I sat in the library in the New Urban District for the entire morning.
After a simple meal, I went to the market to buy groceries.
It was already dusk by the time I returned.
Opening the door to the apartment, I saw Su Xixia tidying up the table.
When she saw me, she picked up a trash bag from the floor and handed it to me.
“You’re back? Help me throw this away.”
“……”
I didn’t feel like arguing with her.
I took the trash bag and walked back out of the apartment.
‘Watch this, a guaranteed three-pointer!’
*Thud!*
The trash bag hit the lid of the bin, and the trash inside slid along the lid and into the bin.
That was when I noticed a paper cup among the trash.
Su Xixia had her own glass; she didn’t usually use paper cups.
Did someone visit the house?
I remembered she didn’t have any friends in Sucheng.
Maybe she just used it to get some water.
When I returned to the apartment, she had finished cleaning.
There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found.
I had to admire her when it came to housework.
Then she started the stove to cook.
Although her cooking was simple, she was becoming more and more skilled.
The old her…
I never would have guessed that the arrogant girl would help with housework and cooking.
‘Did she learn it through osmosis because her parents ran a restaurant? That would be too smart…’
‘But she was supposed to be a fool when she was a kid.’
Sigh — I couldn’t figure it out.
That’s just how women are, I guess.
After dinner, this ordinary day was finally coming to an end.
From the moment she finished her shower, she stayed on her phone, seemingly searching for something.
Even after we lied down and turned off the lights, I could still see the glow from her phone screen.
‘Is that how she learned to record audio and use the internet, by playing with it all the time?’
“Are you still not sleeping?”
I couldn’t sleep with the light reflecting off the wall.
“In a minute. Just go to sleep!”
She sounded a bit impatient.
“It’s so late. Who are you chatting with? You’re getting better at using that phone.”
“I go out to buy groceries every day. It’s normal to make a few friends.”
She curled up under the covers, and I was finally free from the disturbance of the light.
“Man or woman?”
“Hmm? Are you worried? What if it’s a man?”
“With your looks… it’s normal to know men.”
‘It would be better if you did know a man! Then you wouldn’t have to torture me anymore.’
For some reason, I still didn’t say it out loud.
“Oh, I don’t care about other men. You’re the most important. I can’t let you get jealous!”
She dropped her phone, and her small hand slid under my armpit to hug me tightly.
I started to regret not saying those words again.
Humans really are complicated.
“Go to sleep,” was all I said.
I remained unmoved, letting her hand wander as it pleased.
I would be able to see An Zhi tomorrow, so I needed to get enough rest.
***
On this special Monday, I tried my best to walk into the office with a normal attitude.
However, my restless heart kept disrupting my thoughts.
I spaced out several times while writing copy, and when I looked back to check, I found a pile of typos.
I would see An Zhi after work. After work…
Damn it, why isn’t it time to clock out yet?
I stayed in that state, thinking about how I should open my mouth when I actually saw her.
I had even thought through exactly what movements I should make every second.
As a result…
I made no progress on my work at all.
I kept editing and deleting text, and I hadn’t submitted a single draft by evening.
Fortunately, the client didn’t seem to care much about the progress and never sent a message to rush me.
Just as I was thinking that, the message box flashed.
I forced myself to focus.
“Are you ready?”
The person asked.
‘What does that mean? Does she mean the copy?’
“I’m writing as hard as I can today, but I’m not in a good state. I’m sorry.”
“Work, you’re always thinking about work! I finally negotiated with the security guard to get this chance. The Princess is very emotionally unstable right now. If you dare to let her get even a little stimulated, well… you know the drill~”
It turned out to be from Jiang Lulan, and it was about An Zhi.
“I… I understand.”
It seemed An Zhi’s mood wasn’t very stable.
If I really told her everything…
I began to hesitate again.
“Status report finished~ Bye! Don’t tell Serious Mo that I’m threatening you~ Or else…”
‘So you and Mo You know each other, and it seems you’re on good terms.’
‘And you know you’re threatening me… what would happen otherwise?’
I probably wouldn’t be able to see An Zhi again easily.
No, as long as she stayed in Sucheng and in that Practice Room, I would…
With the sudden sound of activity all around me, I knew it was time to leave.
One by one, my colleagues passed by my side, laughing and talking as they left the office.
I sat at my workstation in a daze, feeling conflicted, until the office became quiet again.
I didn’t even notice the sound of high heels approaching until a hand touched my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.
“Li Mingshan, make sure you seize this opportunity,” Mo You’s voice rang out.
“Yeah…”
“If you see Jiang Lulan, don’t pay her much mind. She’s a childish woman with bad taste. Just ignore her… Good luck.”
She patted my shoulder firmly, left the key for me, and walked out of the office.
Now, except for the HR and finance offices located on the other side of the office…
I was the only one left.
I walked out of the office to the main entrance and saw that the lights in the opposite office had been turned off, confirming that Yu Qian and the others had also finished work.
This was actually just a branch department of the company, and it wasn’t large.
It consisted only of our department’s large office and the smaller offices for the HR and finance staff.
I went to the restroom behind the company logo wall at the entrance.
At least the men’s room was empty, and the back door behind the restroom was locked tight.
‘I won’t go into the women’s room…’
I turned off all the lights and went back to sit in the office.
It was still almost 1 hour before the scheduled time.
All I could do now was wait.
A thousand thoughts swirled in my head.
Would An Zhi arrive on time?