Changes in love, beating, pregnancy, breakup, abortion.

Too many things happened in a single day – events that would take ordinary people a long time to recover from, yet Zhu Ziyu endured them all. She remained silent and quiet, lying in bed with her thin, frail silhouette. Her eyes were closed, motionless. Only when Xiaxia came close could she hear her faint breathing.

Xiaxia didn’t dare leave, fearing Zhu Ziyu might do something desperate. She made a bed on the floor with blankets for the night.

She knew how much Zhu Ziyu loved Zheng Zhiming. A young woman in love couldn’t hide her affection – whenever Zhu Ziyu mentioned her boyfriend, the sweet way she said “our Zhiming” and her sparkling eyes were the best proof.

Xiaxia couldn’t imagine how devastating this must be for her, nor did she know if Zhu Ziyu’s psychological resilience could help her overcome such despair. Putting herself in Zhu Ziyu’s shoes, if today’s events had happened between her and Xie Huai, she absolutely couldn’t have handled it like Zhu Ziyu did – breaking up and getting an abortion so decisively.

Xiaxia couldn’t sleep, and she sensed Zhu Ziyu was awake too.

Though Zhu Ziyu lay still, her breathing was uneven. When Xiaxia moved closer to the bed, she saw that although Zhu Ziyu’s eyes were closed, her eyelashes trembled constantly.

Unable to sleep, Xiaxia got up and went to the kitchen to prepare the hen Xie Huai had bought. She added some corn and red dates to an earthen pot to make soup. By the time the soup was ready, dawn had broken.

When Xiaxia brought the soup to Zhu Ziyu’s room, she found the bed empty, the curtains drawn back, and the window wide open.

Xiaxia almost dropped the bowl in fright. As she rushed to the window to look out, Zhu Ziyu’s voice came from behind: “What are you looking at?”

Her cheeks were as thin as paper: “If I jumped out of a window for some worthless man, my mother would be heartbroken.”

Her lower body ached like it was being cut by knives. She moved to the bed in tiny steps: “The room smelled stuffy, so I opened the window to let in fresh air. The doctor also said good ventilation is important for recovery. Where’s Xie Huai?”

“He had something to do and left early. He won’t be back for a few days, so make yourself at home,” Xiaxia put the chicken soup on the bedside table. “Have something to eat first.”

“Join me.”

Having not eaten all day, Zhu Ziyu didn’t start with the soup but devoured two bowls of meat first. She finished half the chicken by herself, and satisfied, wiped her mouth before ladling out a bowl of soup to drink slowly.

Seeing her emotions stabilize, Xiaxia occasionally chatted with her about school topics, trying to distract her.

“You went to Xie Huai’s home during New Year,” Zhu Ziyu suddenly asked. “Did his family like you?”

Xiaxia remembered Qiao Ru and smiled: “Auntie was very kind to me. When Xie Huai and I fought before, she even called to chat with me, asking if Xie Huai had bullied me.”

Zhu Ziyu smiled too: “I originally planned to bring Zheng Zhiming home to meet my mother this year. She didn’t know I was dating an older man. I was worried about how to tell her, but now that’s no longer a concern.”

“My mother was a privileged young lady. My grandfather did business in Guangdong, and in the 1990s, her pocket money was more than my current monthly living expenses. A coat would cost her thousands. She could play piano, do baking, arrange flowers – she knew all the expensive upper-class pastimes.”

“My father was my mother’s English teacher, a poor boy. My mother fell out with her family for him, willingly giving up everything to elope with him.”

“But I’ve never met my father in all these years.”

Zhu Ziyu smiled and asked: “Xiaxia, do you know what children who grew up without fathers desire most?”

Previously, Xiaxia didn’t understand why Zhu Ziyu – who had both figure and beauty, with an outgoing, unpretentious personality, and many suitors at Nanjing University including wealthy and handsome second-generation rich boys – would dismiss them all and choose someone like Zheng Zhiming, a man in his thirties.

After Zhu Ziyu’s words, Xiaxia understood.

Children who grew up without fathers lack paternal love. For some girls, this yearning for paternal love subconsciously affects their mate selection criteria. They’re attracted to mature, steady older men to compensate for the lack of security caused by growing up without a father’s love.

Xiaxia had also longed for paternal love as a child, but after experiencing someone like Xia Jun, she felt it was dispensable.

“When my mother was pregnant with me, my father had an affair. My mother divorced him and took me to another city. She was stubborn and refused to apologize to my grandfather. She sold breakfast for over ten years to raise me by herself. My mother loves me very much. Fearing that a stepfather might not treat me well, she never remarried all these years.”

Zhu Ziyu said: “My mother hates cheaters more than anything in this world. I used to think I would never follow in her footsteps. I’m so beautiful – what man would ignore me to cheat with some vixen?”

Her bowl of chicken soup trembled slightly. Though she didn’t speak, Xiaxia could guess what she was thinking.

Zhu Ziyu was thinking: Who would have thought she’d end up being the vixen?

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Zhu Ziyu asked. “You warned me about Zheng Zhiming, but I still insisted on being with him.”

Xiaxia said softly: “You had your reasons.”

“I did think about what you said, but I couldn’t find any flaws in his story.”

“No one checked his phone, I could come and go from his house freely, there were only men’s items there, no trace of a woman living there. He always only smelled of my perfume, I could smear foundation and lipstick on all his shirts without worry, fill his car with my things, leave kiss marks on his neck, party with him at bars until dawn, and even travel with him for a month without anyone calling him home – is this how a married man behaves?”

“He wouldn’t introduce me to his friends or take me to his store. I thought he just wanted to play around with me, like how Zhao Jinsong did with you. He didn’t want me in his life and had no intention of making me his boss’s wife, but I liked him. I thought it didn’t matter – even if he wasn’t sincere now, he’d eventually grow to like me.”

The pain in Zhu Ziyu’s brow appeared only briefly before she resumed her usual cold, detached beauty: “He acted too well.”

Xiaxia said: “He probably didn’t take you to the store because he was afraid someone would tell his wife. He did truly like you, it’s just…”

Zhu Ziyu said: “I can’t accept that.”

She looked at Xiaxia: “It’s so hard to find someone sincere, honest, who can love you wholeheartedly without reservation. I thought I had found that, but in the end, I was completely fooled. You and Xie Huai should stay well together. Seeing you happy will make me happy too.”

The doorbell rang. Xiaxia went to open it – it was Zheng Zhiming.

Xiaxia’s expression changed and she tried to close the door, but Zheng Zhiming wedged his foot in: “Is Yuyu here?”

Xiaxia didn’t know how Zheng Zhiming had found this place, but it certainly wasn’t through legal means.

He had called Zhu Ziyu dozens of times last night, but she hadn’t answered. Early in the morning, he had rushed over after somehow finding the address.

Xiaxia said coldly: “Zhu Ziyu isn’t here. Leave, or I’ll call the police.”

Zheng Zhiming tried to enter, and Xiaxia couldn’t stop a grown man. He pushed open the bedroom door to find Zhu Ziyu quietly leaning against the headboard drinking chicken soup.

Seeing her weak, curled up in the blankets, Zheng Zhiming walked over and grabbed her hand: “Are you sick? I wanted to stay with you, but you were angry yesterday and wouldn’t let me take you home. Yuyu, I’ve talked things through with that woman. Although she won’t agree to divorce right now, it’s okay. I have many lawyer friends…”

“No.” Zhu Ziyu didn’t get angry. She withdrew her hand, her gaze passing coldly over Zheng Zhiming’s face. “I’m not sick. I’m weak after the abortion – the doctor said it’s normal. He also said I need rest during recovery and should maintain a good mood. If you have nothing important to say, then leave. This is Xiaxia’s home, don’t disturb them.”

Zheng Zhiming’s face turned white instantly. His teeth chattering, eyebrows raised: “What did you say?”

Zhu Ziyu’s beautiful lips curved in a cruel smile: “You knew she was coming back soon, so you deliberately got me pregnant. You thought this would tie me down, right?”

Zheng Zhiming’s fingers kept trembling, his gaze fixed on her abdomen hidden under the blanket.

Zhu Ziyu sneered: “But I, Zhu Ziyu, only have children with men I love. You’re not worthy.”

It took Zheng Zhiming a long while to find his voice again, his tone hoarse: “You don’t love me anymore?”

Zhu Ziyu raised an eyebrow: “You’re not human.”

Zheng Zhiming became emotional, his eyes bloodshot: “You aborted our child!”

“…How could you be so heartless? This was your child too. What did the child have to do with your anger at me? The child was innocent!”

Zhu Ziyu smiled: “I’ll abort if I want to. Angry?”

Zheng Zhiming grabbed her arm: “You’re coming with me now.”

Zhu Ziyu grabbed the chicken soup pot from the bedside table and smashed it on his head. The pottery shards cut Zheng Zhiming’s head, and he lost his last bit of reason: “If you come with me now, I can forgive you for the abortion. If you don’t leave, don’t regret it.”

“Don’t you students like to use forums?” Zheng Zhiming gritted his teeth. “Want to bet whether I’ll post all this on your university’s forum?”

He held up his phone. Zhu Ziyu glanced at what was on it, her composed expression flickering briefly before returning to normal. Her eyes were like cold knives, cutting into Zheng Zhiming one slice at a time, making this man – who only wanted to use such a cheap trick to bind her to him – feel pain like his heart was being pierced into a sieve.

He asked again: “Are you coming or not?”

Zhu Ziyu smiled faintly: “Go ahead and post it if you dare.”

When Xie Huai returned, Xiaxia told him about Zheng Zhiming’s visit.

He was changing clothes and asked curiously: “What did Zheng Zhiming have?”

Xiaxia was embarrassed and struggled to say it: “It was private videos from that time. You know how Zhu Ziyu is, she has such a big heart. When she loved Zheng Zhiming, she would agree to anything. Her face is visible in the videos. Zheng Zhiming wants Ziyu to come back to him, or he’ll post the videos on the Nanjing University forum.”

Xie Huai: “What did Zhu Ziyu say?”

“She told Zheng Zhiming to get lost.”

Xie Huai: “You call that a big heart? That’s just stupid. Though Zheng Zhiming did give me an idea – I should keep some leverage on you too. Next time you try to break up with me, I’ll threaten you with it and see if you dare leave.”

He looked at Xiaxia, his eyes bright: “But why are you telling me? It’s not like I can help her get the videos back?”

Xiaxia’s almond eyes looked pitiful: “You can’t?”

“Did Zhu Ziyu ask you to ask me?”

Xiaxia shook her head: “She hasn’t said anything. I want to help her. If Zheng Zhiming really goes crazy and posts the videos online, it would be devastating for Ziyu.”

Xie Huai took off his dress shirt and changed into a home T-shirt. He lazily leaned against the headboard playing with his phone, raising his eyebrows: “Sister Xia overestimates me. I’m just a poor student with nothing to my name. Asking me to take something from a rich older man is a bit too much.”

“But didn’t this poor student with nothing to his name previously make another rich older man stand on a bridge in the cold wind all night?” Xiaxia shook his arm, softly flattering him, “Brother Huai, I know you’re the most capable.”

Xie Huai calmly pulled his arm away: “That was for you. Zhu Ziyu has nothing to do with me. Why should I help her?”

“She has something to do with me, she’s my friend,” Xiaxia said. “Besides, when Auntie was in the hospital, only she was willing to lend me money. She usually spends freely and hasn’t saved much, but when she heard I needed to borrow money, she gave me all her savings.”

Xie Huai’s expression softened slightly, but he still wouldn’t agree: “Still no.”

“I’ve just gotten back after so long, and you don’t even ask if my business deal went through. All you talk about is Zhu Ziyu. Are you my girlfriend or Zhu Ziyu’s girlfriend? Your mouth is full of Zhu Ziyu, why don’t you just marry her?” Xie Huai said. “I’m fucking jealous of Zhu Ziyu right now.”

Xiaxia quickly asked: “Then did your business deal go through?”

Xie Huai coldly replied: “Thanks to Zhu Ziyu, I was three hours late. What do you think?”

Xiaxia felt guilty and stopped mentioning Zhu Ziyu. She got up to get dressed: “I’ll just go to the police then.”

Xie Huai laughed carelessly: “Would that help?”

“Of course, it would,” Xiaxia said seriously. “The other day when I gave the police the video I recorded, that woman ended up compensating me for medical expenses and phone repairs.”

“Do you have proof Zheng Zhiming took videos? Even if he did, do you know if he’s shared them? He hasn’t blackmailed Zhu Ziyu, the police won’t get involved,” Xie Huai said. “Instead of wasting time at the police station, why not think about how to persuade Brother Huai?”

Xiaxia was confused: “But you said you wouldn’t help?”

Xie Huai looked at her quietly. He had one leg stretched out on the bed, the other bent, his fingers resting on his knee.

“If I help her, what’s in it for me?” he asked.

Xiaxia: “Zhu Ziyu has no money, don’t take advantage of the situation.”

Xie Huai: “Who cares about money.”

Xiaxia didn’t understand.

Xie Huai reached out: “Come here.”

Xiaxia obediently lay in his arms, quietly nestling against him. Xie Huai turned to embrace her and gently kissed her forehead: “Did you miss me?”

Xiaxia’s voice was soft and nasal: “Yes.”

She comfortably rested on his arm, lazy like a cat sunbathing.

Xie Huai’s fingers traced from the hair at the back of her head, over her delicate eyebrows, eyelids, and nose tip, finally resting on her lips.

Xie Huai asked: “Remember what you did to me that day when you were tutoring Ping Jiapeng?”

That day wasn’t hard to forget.

Xie Huai had gone to meet Ping Jiapeng’s uncle for business, Xiaxia went upstairs to tutor Ping Jiapeng, things ended unpleasantly, and they argued on the way home. In the end, Xiaxia was the one who gave in, running to Xie Huai’s dorm to comfort him… thinking about what happened after made Xiaxia’s face flush.

Xie Huai’s warm fingertips brushed against her soft lips, his voice low, seductive, and mesmerizing: “Do it again, and I’ll do anything you want.”

Xiaxia’s slightly red face instantly exploded with an embarrassed blush. She buried her face in Xie Huai’s chest, her voice muffled: “You’re shameless!”

After a moment, she looked up at Xie Huai, her gaze brave and bright: “Really anything?”

Xie Huai’s gaze was burning hot, deep as a black hole that could swallow someone whole.

He raised an eyebrow: “I’d even give you my life.”

Xiaxia bit her lip and pulled off his loose loungewear pants.

She bent down, her last mumbled words were: “Don’t make any noise, Ziyu might hear.”

Xiaxia’s technique was terrible. Xie Huai wanted to stop her but couldn’t bear to, watching his beloved girl submissively doing this made his heart overflow with tenderness. Her eyes sparkled like stars, filled with misty tears, occasionally glancing at Xie Huai with a flash of shyness.

Xie Huai didn’t think his earlier words were false – if Xiaxia wanted his life, he really could give it to her.

His gaze was reverent, carrying burning warmth. His palm moved down, touching the girl’s puffed cheeks, wet soft lips, stopping at her hair.

Xie Huai stroked her fine soft hair, his finger joints trembling slightly, his voice hoarse.

He called softly: “Baby…”

…

Xiaxia went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, face flushed. Xie Huai lay on the bed staring at the ceiling lost in thought. After a while, he sprung up like a carp and ran to the bathroom, hugging Xiaxia from behind.

In the mirror, the young man was handsome, his features cold and clear, the hardness of his lines softened by the tenderness in his eyes.

He tilted his head, dropping tiny kisses on the girl’s fair cheeks, his chin intimately nuzzling her shoulder.

Xiaxia’s mouth was full of toothpaste foam, her words unclear: “…Move, I’m brushing my teeth…”

Xie Huai clung to her like a child, kissing from her face down to her neck: “Wife, let me tell you something, don’t be angry.”

Xiaxia’s eyes met his in the mirror.

Xie Huai said: “Although I was late that day, the deal still went through. I was just lying to you earlier. Even if you hadn’t done that for me, I would have helped anyway.”

Xiaxia: “……”

“It felt amazing, our Xiaxia is so good, Brother Huai loves you.” Xie Huai held her still, gave her face a hard kiss, and ran out.

By the time Xiaxia finished rinsing and came out to settle accounts with him, Xie Huai had already dressed and left.

Xie Huai didn’t return all night. The next day was the Qixi Festival. Xiaxia bought many ingredients from the market planning to make a proper dinner. Zhu Ziyu was weak and couldn’t eat much, so she made chicken soup for her as usual. Just as she was preparing to make dinner, she received a text from Xie Huai.

[This Qixi Festival, do you want to experience a romantic love story? Do you want to have the most bold and unrestrained memories of your youth? Do you want an unforgettable night with the universe’s heavyweight handsome guy’s sincere companionship?

Reply “Xie Huai is the most handsome” and rush to Nanjing University’s sports field within half an hour, everything will no longer be a dream, everything will be within reach.]

Xiaxia thought what a silly message and casually replied “TD”.

Xie Huai, sitting at the edge of the sports field, had bitten his fingers thinking hard to compose what he considered a very creative message. Seeing Xiaxia reply “TD”, he exploded.

He jumped up to call Xiaxia. The girl answered leisurely. He said through gritted teeth: “Come here.”

Xiaxia said: “I need to take care of Ziyu.”

Xie Huai got even angrier.

Xiaxia then said slowly: “Alright, wait for me.”

She finished making Zhu Ziyu’s meal, went downstairs, and saw Xie Huai had already brought out the pink electric scooter and parked it at the door.

She rode the electric scooter to Nanjing University. It was still summer break, there weren’t many people at school, and the street lights weren’t on. The road was dim until closer to the sports field where there was some light.

The light came from the field.

Not street lights, not starlight, but countless dense candle flames.

On the four-hundred-meter rubber track, there was a candle every half meter.

Xie Huai held a lighter, skateboarding along the track, bending down to light the candles.

Xiaxia was stunned.

She stood far away without speaking, but Xie Huai seemed to sense her presence and looked up. In the glow of candlelight, his handsome face was warm and clear. One hand in his pocket, he waved at her with the other. Xiaxia walked over. Xie Huai stood motionless, as dazzling as a prince from a fairy tale.

He took out a USB drive: “I deleted the videos from Zheng Zhiming’s phone myself, and checked his computer too. This is his backup, take it to Zhu Ziyu.”

His right hand was in his pocket but didn’t escape Xiaxia’s notice. She pulled out his hand, which had a bandage wrapped around it: “How did you get hurt?”

“That bastard was a bit difficult,” Xie Huai smiled. “But since I promised you, I had to do it. Just got scratched by a rock, the doctor made a big deal out of nothing, it’s not serious.”

Xiaxia didn’t ask how Xie Huai got the things from Zheng Zhiming. Back when dealing with Xia Jun, Xie Huai had already taught her a lesson – he could make someone wish they were dead without leaving a single external injury. For Xie Huai, there were probably only things he wanted or didn’t want to do in this world, not things he could or couldn’t do.

A breeze rose in the night, gently blowing from the other side of the field, extinguishing many flickering candles.

Stars twinkled above, illuminating the summer sports field, half dark and half aflame.

Xiaxia was dazed: “…Why did you light so many candles?”

“To make you happy,” Xie Huai said frankly. “When we were together before, I had too many concerns, I owed you a proper confession. After we got back together, I was too busy and didn’t have much time to spend with you, so I owed you a proper ceremony too. Today is the Qixi Festival. On my way back, I saw a shop selling candles so I bought them. I want to make you happy.”

Xiaxia stood still.

“Xiaxia,” he asked, “That day when we fought, you said I was male chauvinist, remember?”

Xiaxia nodded. She was about to apologize when Xie Huai said: “I’m not male chauvinist, even if I am, not with you.”

“What angered me was that you chose to work because you didn’t want me to bear the pressure alone, but you never understood how much I care about you, how much I want to protect you. You don’t understand society’s cruelty yet. The cold treatment I’ve experienced, the contempt I’ve faced, the roads I’ve walked, the drinks I’ve had – I don’t want you to experience these so early, if possible, I don’t want you to experience them at all.”

“Working hard due to life’s necessities isn’t cool. Being able to do what you like freely is what’s truly cool. I want you to not worry about other things, not care about pressure, but I can only say it, I can’t do it. So that day I wasn’t angry at you, I was angry at myself, I hated my helplessness.”

The evening breeze brushed past Xiaxia’s face, lifting the soft hair by her ears. Her pretty face was reflected in the brilliant summer flames. Xie Huai knew he loved her, and when the night was deep and quiet, their eyes meeting, he felt he loved her even more than he knew.

Her every expression, every word, every glance, every inch of skin, even every strand of hair carried all the indescribable beauty in this world.

He couldn’t explain it, just felt this was it for this lifetime.

— Just as he had said before, completely devoted to her, unable to stop loving her even for a second.

“It’s different now, those words aren’t just talk anymore, I can make promises.”

“I want my Xiaxia to be a cool girl, I can let her do anything she likes now.”

Xie Huai stretched out his arms and gently embraced Xiaxia: “I have money now, come back to me.”