Chapter 54: No Boyfriend
“No,” Lu Fengzhou replied. “There’s nothing I can’t let go of.”
He even laughed. “If I couldn’t let go, how could I have divorced her in the first place? I was the one who asked for the divorce.”
Mu Yun looked at him for a few seconds, then sighed, “You’ve always been decisive. I know there’s no point in trying to persuade you now, but there are some things I still need to say. Ah Zhou, every grievance has its source, every debt its owner. That girl is innocent.”
Lu Fengzhou pressed his lips together, his gentle expression slowly hardening. It was clear he rejected these words.
Seeing him like this, Mu Yun could only sigh and change the subject. “About Wan, you should let her get back to work as soon as possible. You know what she’s like—when she’s idle she tends to stir up trouble. You have enough on your plate; don’t let her get involved.”
Lu Fengzhou acknowledged, “Her schedule is pretty full. She’s just recovering from an injury, taking a few days off.”
Mu Yun shook her head. “She’s not that delicate. When she was little, she’d scrape her knees till they were a mess and still go bouncing outside to play. Now she’s grown, and a twisted ankle makes her so fragile?”
She continued, “Wan is immature. The more you spoil her, the more she becomes unreasonable. You’ve done enough; you don’t owe us anything.”
Lu Fengzhou nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
They didn’t talk much more. Lu Fengzhou stood to open the door, and as soon as he did, he saw Song Wan standing outside.
Song Wan was clearly startled, but quickly smiled, “I just washed some fruit and came to invite you both.”
Lu Fengzhou walked out. “I have things to take care of. I’ll be leaving now.”
This time Song Wan didn’t try to keep him, smiling as she saw him to the door. “Take care on the road.”
Lu Fengzhou didn’t reply, just nodded to Mu Yun, then left.
Song Wan waited until Lu Fengzhou entered the elevator before she hastily closed the door and turned around. “Mom, what were you two talking about just now? Did you try to persuade him for me? What did he say? Is he still mad at me? He didn’t seem much friendlier just now.”
Mu Yun said nothing, went to sit on the sofa, and picked up an orange.
Song Wan kept grumbling, “I don’t know what Ah Zhou is thinking. Can’t tell who’s close or distant. He’s been angry with me for days, all because of an outsider.”
Mu Yun glanced at her. “Who’s close or distant? They shared a bed for two years. You tell me who’s closer.”
Song Wan paused, eyes widening. “What do you mean by that, Teacher Mu? Did you even try to persuade him?”
She grew more agitated. “And you were so eager to leave—don’t tell me you just didn’t want to help me!”
...
After clocking out, she reached the bar’s entrance, only to realize it was raining outside.
This damned weather—blazing sun in the daytime, now a sudden downpour at night.
Qiao Jiu glanced at the street. She was late coming out; her coworkers had left earlier, and all the taxis were gone.
Just her luck. Her lower back still hurt, and now she couldn’t even hail a cab.
While she was fretting, someone behind her spoke, “What’s wrong? No taxis?”
Qiao Jiu turned. The bartender approached, also getting off work.
She responded, “If I wait a bit, one will show up.”
The bartender came to stand beside her, glancing outside. “It’s coming down hard.”
Indeed, it was pouring. If it were lighter, she could have just borrowed an umbrella and walked home. Her place wasn’t far; she’d walked to work these past nights.
The bartender had an umbrella. He opened it, stepped down, then looked back at her. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
Qiao Jiu reflexively declined, “No, no need. If I wait a bit, a cab will come. If not, I’ll just call one.”
The bartender looked at the curb. “They’re done for the night here. Taxi drivers probably won’t come back to pick up fares. It’s not a good time to call a car. Let’s go; the sooner you get home, the sooner you can rest.”
Qiao Jiu still hesitated. The bartender laughed, “Are you worried I have bad intentions?”
His words made Qiao Jiu feel awkward. They weren’t exactly close, but he’d helped her twice, so they could be considered friends.
She followed him down the steps. “Sorry for the trouble, then.”
They got into the car together. As the vehicle started, the bartender suddenly brought up something else. “You seem to get along well with Manager Guan.”
Qiao Jiu replied, “Pretty well. We knew each other before.”
The bartender smiled. “So why work in the kitchen? Wouldn’t it be better to have a shift manager’s position?”
It took Qiao Jiu a moment to answer, “The kitchen’s more relaxed. Being a manager’s a bit of a hassle.”
People drank and made trouble at the bar all the time, and most disputes needed a shift manager to mediate.
The bartender nodded, “That’s true.”
After a few seconds, he said, “Manager Guan’s boyfriend is the eldest son of the Liang family, isn’t he?”
Qiao Jiu affirmed, “Yes.”
The bartender continued, “Given Manager Guan’s age, it won’t be long before there’s good news from them.”
This time, Qiao Jiu said nothing.
He circled around the topic so much, she couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say. Qiao Jiu could sense he wanted to ask something else, but since he wouldn’t say it directly, she couldn’t guess.
After that, neither spoke again until the car reached her destination and stopped. Qiao Jiu unfastened her seatbelt. “I’m always troubling you. Sorry.”
The bartender turned to her. “As long as your boyfriend doesn’t mind, it’s fine.”
Qiao Jiu answered smoothly, “Oh, I don’t have a boyfriend, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
The bartender teased, “No boyfriend? Then you must have plenty of admirers.”
Qiao Jiu pushed open the car door. “No, not at all.”
She waved to him. “Drive safely, and thank you.”
The bartender looked at her, then after a few seconds said, “Alright.”
Qiao Jiu stood at the curb, watched his car drive off, then turned and went upstairs.
Elsewhere in his office, Lu Fengzhou answered the phone, listened for a few seconds, then responded, “Alright, got it.”
He hung up, opened the file in his hand, but after only two lines, he snapped it shut.
He sat for a while at his desk, unable to shake a restless feeling, so he got up and walked to the window, lit a cigarette.
Outside, countless lights glimmered, making the quiet loneliness of his space more pronounced.
Life hadn’t always been like this. Qiao Jiu could never sit still; when he came home from work in the evenings, she would chatter endlessly at his side.
Even the smallest things would occupy her for ages, and sometimes before he even understood what she was saying, she’d already be laughing to herself, unable to speak.
He was actually irritated by that; seeing her so happy annoyed him, made him want to shatter every bit of her happiness.
It turned out he had done just that. During the divorce, she cried desperately, as if her world had ended. Her eyes were lifeless.
For a while after the divorce, she drifted through her days, listless and lost, her former vitality gone, and her smile never appeared again.
He bit the cigarette, his brow slowly knitting.
So why didn’t she leave? If she went away, everything would be over. Everyone could find peace.