Slap! I struck his left cheek; that was my answer. He turned his face slightly, smiling: “I wonder what your fiancé would think about how you saved him?” I leaned close, my nose touching his ear, and smiled: “I wonder how your family, colleagues, and friends would feel if they knew what you forced the family of a suspect to do?”
He twisted his mouth, adopting a self-mocking expression. “Ye Zhengchen, stop pushing me! Neither of us wants a mutually destructive outcome!” I said. As I reached the door, he softly said, “What should I do with you…”
Walking aimlessly on a quiet street, stepping on fallen yellow leaves, his last words echoed in my ears, sand blinding my eyes.
In the evening, I washed myself countless times in the bathroom, unable to remove his scent. Lying in bed, exhausted and dizzy, my mind was filled with our bed scenes, every position, every detail, even his expressions.
Ah! Men always fantasize about women before sex, forgetting everything after. Women forget men before sex but can’t stop thinking about them afterward.
As I reflected, a message tone rang on my phone. I sat up quickly, hoping it was from Yin Zhongtian.
Opening it, I saw a message from an unknown number: “I’m hungry! Want to eat your noodles again?”
I stared blankly at the message, recalling the blooming cherry blossoms that year, outside his window…
My apartment and Ye Zhengchen’s were separated by a completely non-soundproof wall. Initially, out of politeness, I shared food whenever I cooked. During his days off, I’d prepare meals and invite him.
Gradually, it became a habit for him to come and freeload. One night, past midnight, he knocked on my door: “Girl, I’m starving! Cook me some noodles.”
I drowsily opened the door, rubbing my eyes. “It’s so late, are you treating me like a daughter?!”
He glanced at my thin nightgown. “I’d rather treat you like a wife, are you willing?!”
I pulled my nightgown closed, rolling my eyes. While cooking noodles, I sighed, “Who would be your wife? This life would be ruined!”
I put down my phone and, an hour later, slowly typed: “Go home and have your wife cook for you.” Two hours later, I deleted it character by character.
