Chapter 098　 It wasn't a bad thing.

  *

  Su Xian waited for over forty minutes. True to form, he certainly knew how to ‘play’, and his stamina was impressively high.

  Then, talking voices began to drift from the room—and, the sound of a woman’s gentle laughter.

  After another twenty minutes, the door opened. Kuroda walked out wrapped in a bedsheet. Seeing Su Xian, she immediately let out a cry of surprise. Zhao Nanfeng rushed out from behind her to protect her, clad in a bathrobe he hadn't even had time to tie properly, revealing several lipstick marks on his chest.

  Seeing Su Xian, he was thrown into a state of extreme panic, his eyes darting away. It was the first time Su Xian had ever seen him look so pathetic; she actually felt a flicker of pity.

  "Su Xian, why are you here?" He pushed Kuroda back into the room, shut the door, and walked over to kneel on one knee before Su Xian. Holding her knees, he explained in a low voice, "Ono Mari came back so suddenly, I... I couldn't help but feel a bit stirred up..."

  Only then did Su Xian realize the woman was indeed Ono Mari. You couldn't blame her; she had only met the woman once before.

  But isn't she a fugitive?

  Ah, whatever!

  "Do you love her?"

  "I..."

  See? He couldn't even bring himself to tell a lie like "I don't." He really was devoted—to every woman he encountered.

  Su Xian gently patted his face and said with a sense of tragic pity, "You're nothing but a poor little thing."

  She stood up.

  "Su Xian," Zhao Nanfeng looked up at her, knowing with absolute clarity that there was no "after" for them.

  *

  Leaving the key on the sofa, Su Xian walked away, dazed.

  Her steps felt hollow, as if she were walking on cotton. By the time she reached the parking lot, a wave of nausea hit her. She lunged for the car door, pulled out a trash bag, and vomited uncontrollably.

  **

  At six o'clock, Li Chengshi returned home with a bag full of groceries. The moment he opened the door, he saw Su Xian lying on the sofa. Several wine bottles and cans were scattered on the floor. Her eyes were glazed, and her cheeks were flushed crimson. He immediately dropped his things and ran to her.

  The stench of alcohol hit him. He frowned. "You haven't touched a drop in months. Why are you drinking again?"

  "I didn't just drink. I threw up, and I cried. I’m already in a pretty pathetic state, so Li Chengshi, could you please not mock me?"

  Only then did Li Chengshi notice the red streaks in her eyes that hadn't yet faded after her crying. His heart tightened. "Is it...?" The only reason he could think of was Zhao Nanfeng, but he thought it couldn't be—it had only been two days since Zhao had sworn to live seriously with her.

  "Yes," Su Xian struggled to sit up, feigning composure. "I went to Zhao Nanfeng’s house this afternoon. He was there with Ono Mari, doing... that."

  To be honest, hearing his suspicion confirmed gave Li Chengshi a tiny secret thrill. However, "Wait? Ono Mari? You mean the female fugitive?"

  Su Xian nodded. "It’s her. But I don't know what the story is."

  "I won't ask." But he seemed to understand why Zhao Nanfeng had been so impatient. He had shown such reluctance when Ono left; clearly, his feelings for her surpassed those for his so-called "girlfriends," and perhaps even Su Xian.

  *

  "Can you imagine? I listened outside his room for forty minutes..."

  He frowned. "You listened to them go at it several times?"

  "Just once."

  "He lasted forty minutes for one round?!" A look of pure astonishment crossed Li Chengshi’s face.

  "Hey, don't lose the plot here! I'm sitting here heartbroken and humiliated, and you're worried about that?"

  "What man wouldn't be worried about that? No wonder you couldn't forget him; I finally understand. Ah!" Before he could finish, he was punched.

  "Seriously, you’ve totally ruined the mood," Su Xian complained. "Anyway, I’ve decided. I’m resigning from Towa Design."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Resigning? For someone who always put work first to say the word "resign" meant she was truly hurt.

  "You're walking away from the Sendai project?"

  "The proposal is basically finalized. If it gets selected, Zhao Nanfeng can handle the refinements himself. I... I’m done."

  It was for the best. If she didn't leave Zhao Nanfeng, he would eventually hurt her a third time, a fourth time...

  "I support you. Team Leader, you’ll definitely find a better job."

  "What about you? With your experience, your salary will drop by at least 30% if you look for work elsewhere. If you want, I can talk to Zhao Nanfeng and have him keep you on."

  "No need. I’m not afraid of making less money. You know I’m good at being poor."

  "True. But don't live poorly if you can live well. If you don't mind, you can keep living here. The rent is low, and I’ll even allow you to be late on payments." She knew she was being shameless—this morning she was dreaming of a new life with Zhao and wanted Li Chengshi to move out; now that the dream was dead, she wanted him to stay to help shoulder her vulnerability.

  But shameless or not, she really was fragile right now, and she really needed him.

  "Of course I want to stay!" He was overjoyed. "As long as you don't kick me out, I’ll live here forever."

  "Thank you."

  "Don't say such silly things, Team Leader. Moving costs a lot of money; I’m the one who should thank you. I'll go make dinner right now..."

  *

  By Sunday, Su Xian had prepared her resume and started applying online. She targeted reputable, large-scale architectural firms, sending her CV directly to their recruitment inboxes.

  In the afternoon, she went for her usual 10km run on the riverbank. At times like this, it was even more important to maintain health and vitality.

  **

  On Monday, Su Xian bumped into Zhao Nanfeng in the company elevator lobby. She greeted him normally: "Morning, Boss."

  "Morning," he replied, didn't look well.

  At her station, she did a quick briefing with Shirakawa, then took the cup Zhao Nanfeng had given her from her drawer and headed to the pantry.

  Zhao Nanfeng was placing a broken caliper on the recyclable waste rack. Turning to see her, he said softly, "Su Xian, I want to talk to you."

  "I'm just throwing away a cup. Move aside, Boss."

  Zhao Nanfeng leaned to the side, thinking Su Xian wanted to pass. Instead, she stood her ground and hurled the cup like a javelin. It practically grazed his face before smashing against the wall behind him, shattering into a million pieces with a loud bang.

  Zhao Nanfeng’s heart skipped a beat; his body visibly stiffened.

  "My hand slipped. Sorry." Su Xian turned and walked away, calling Honda over to clean it up.

  *

  Zhao Nanfeng remained standing there, dazed.

  Honda carefully swept up the scattered ceramic shards. "社長、まさかまた浮気したの？(Boss... did you cheat again?)"

  "余計なこと言うな。(Mind your own business.)"

  Honda didn't dare say more. Pouting, she pushed his heel with the broom. "邪魔です。(You're in the way.)"

  Zhao Nanfeng let out a heavy sigh and prepared to leave. As soon as he moved, he felt a sharp sting in his back. A shard of porcelain had pierced his shirt and stuck into his skin.

  *

  Zhao Nanfeng had Honda call Li Chengshi to the meeting room to help treat the wound on his back. Though there were other men in the company, they had been there for a shorter time and weren't as familiar.

  Li Chengshi walked in. Without a word, he swung his arm and threw a heavy punch at ZhaoNanfeng's face. Zhao Nanfeng didn't dodge at all; he simply raised his hand and caught the fist. Remembering Li's threat to "kill him if he cheated again," he gave a disdainful smile. "Is that enough? Your brand of heroism?"

  Killing someone was just tough talk, of course; the heroism of the weak usually ended there. And honestly, with Zhao Nanfeng cheating so quickly, Su Xian could cut her losses early—it wasn't a bad thing.

  The wound wasn't serious, but Li Chengshi pressed down hard while disinfecting it. Zhao Nanfeng could certainly feel it but had to endure in silence.

  After applying a bandage, Li Chengshi said, "Done." He packed up the first aid kit to leave.

  Zhao Nanfeng called after him, "Did Su Xian mention her future work plans to you?"

  "She said she’s resigning at the end of the year."

  **