Chapter 4.1

“What’s going on?” 

In the quiet alley behind the restaurant, Fang Jiajun angrily interrogated Qi Feifei. She stood under the streetlight, locking her brows in distress, silently receiving his reproach.

“Why don’t you speak? What’s going on? That man is your elder brother, right? So, you’ve been ditching our plans to be with him?” 

“I did accompany him to some events, but it’s not what you think.” 

“What is it then?” Fang Jiajun pressed forward, glaring at her. “Do you dare say that what I just saw was my eyes playing tricks? I clearly saw him kissing you, and you didn’t refuse!” 

“I slapped him—”

“Yes, enjoying it first and then hitting him. Do you think that would hide the fact that you were indulging in it? Anyone with eyes could see that you didn’t reject that kiss!” 

She didn’t reject it? 

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“Who are you to question me like this? Do you think you’re entitled to?” Fang Jiajun’s anger flared even more upon seeing him. Coming from a prestigious family, he had his own pride, never believing he would be at a disadvantage when pursuing any woman. With Qi Feifei, he had gone to great lengths, making an exception, only to find out she was seeing another man behind his back. For him, it was a great insult. “You claim to be Feifei’s elder brother, but in fact, you have other intentions towards her, right? Do you know she’s my girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend?” Xin Zhihuan raised an eyebrow mockingly, a hint of disdain emanating from his nostrils. “Do you know who she is to me?” 

“Who?” 

“Me. She’s—”

“Xin Zhihuan!” A cry interrupted Xin Zhihuan. 

He paused, looking at Qi Feifei, who was anxiously shaking her head. 

He knew she was pleading with him not to reveal the truth, fearing it would ruin her relationship with Fang Jiajun. 

Damn it! Did he have to cooperate with her? Did she really think he would obediently listen to her?

“Well, tell me! Who are you to her?” Fang Jiajun saw the strange exchange between the two and became even more furious, sharply demanding an answer. 

Xin Zhihuan remained silent, clenching his fists in his pockets. 

“You speak up! When you were being so bold with Feifei just now, why are you suddenly silent like a sick cat?” 

What did he say?! Xin Zhihuan shot out a sharp gaze. “You said I was bold with Feifei?” 

“Isn’t that right?” Fang Jiajun sneered. “Feifei clearly didn’t want it, but you disregarded her wishes. That’s being bold!” 

“You—” Xin Zhihuan couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Stepping forward, he pulled his fist out of his pocket and raised it high. 

Seeing he was about to strike, Qi Feifei hurriedly shouted, “Xin Zhihuan, don’t!” 

Hearing her call, he hesitated for a moment. Fang Jiajun, seizing this brief pause, threw the first punch, fiercely hitting his face. 

His nose took a heavy blow, blood trickling down, fueling his rage even more. Unable to contain himself, he punched back at Fang Jiajun without hesitation. 

The two men fought fiercely, ignoring Qi Feifei’s attempts to stop them, absorbed in their own violence. 

Suddenly, Xin Zhihuan kicked out, landing a blow on Fang Jiajun’s knee, causing him to stagger and kneel on the ground. 

Seeing his move’s success, Xin Zhihuan was about to follow up when Qi Feifei swiftly intervened, spreading her arms to block him in front of Fang Jiajun. 

“Have you had enough? No more fighting!” 

He froze, stopping his movement. 

She gave him a long stare, then turned to Fang Jiajun, squatting down anxiously. “Jiajun, are you okay? Are you hurt?” 

As she spoke, she reached out to help him up, but he angrily shook off her hand, staggering to his feet. 

“Qi Feifei, I can give you anything you want, and this is how you treat me? You’re cheating on me! You’re pretending to be with me while fooling around with this man! So, you’re this kind of woman, I misjudged you!” 

After angrily spitting out these words, he turned and left proudly, spitting blood. 

Qi Feifei stared blankly at his retreating figure until he disappeared completely from view, then slowly turned around. 

Xin Zhihuan suddenly felt a twist in his heart. He found himself unable to meet her eyes. Would she hate him? Because he caused her to lose a promising pursuer… 

“Are you satisfied now? You’ve ruined my happiness. Are you proud of yourself?” 

Ruined her… happiness? 

Xin Zhihuan was shaken, staring dumbfounded at Qi Feifei. She stood straight, her face expressionless, her eyes cold and firm. She didn’t shed a tear, nor did her expression betray any sadness, but he felt her accusation was severe. 

So, she already had deep feelings for Fang Jiajun, and she genuinely wanted to be with that man. But he, he had ruined the happiness she was about to grasp. 

Was this his purpose in coming back? Was it his intention to delay the divorce? To destroy her love and take away her happiness? 

Xin Zhihuan felt pain, not from the injured nose or mouth, but from his chest, where a bitter feeling lingered. 

“Evil…” 

A sour liquid surged up his throat, and he bent over, coughing and retching until he spat out a lump of viscous filth. 

He was truly drunk, drunk enough to do things he shouldn’t, to hurt people he shouldn’t… 

“Are you okay? Here, take this.” She saw him vomiting and came over to pat his back, handing him a stack of tissues. 

He couldn’t believe it, staring back at her in astonishment.

She looked at his disheveled face and sighed softly, taking out a tissue proactively to wipe the painful corners of his mouth. “More blood, more of this dirt, do you know how awful you look right now?”

He looked awful? Was this concern for him? After he had maliciously disrupted her life, she still wanted to care for him?

Xin Zhihuan’s heartstrings trembled urgently as he stared blankly at her, feeling like a fool devoid of self-will.

She gazed into his hazy eyes deeply, as if trying to see into the depths of his soul. For a long while, there was another sigh laden with profound meaning.

“You’re drunk, come on, let’s go home.”

The feeling of being hungover was truly unbearable.

The next morning, Xin Zhihuan woke up feeling a pulsating pain near his temples, as if someone was pulling and twisting a steel wire, the pain unbearable.

He shouldn’t have drunk so much, and what was even more foolish was that he shouldn’t have mixed drinks. Last night, in order to show off in front of his old classmates, he had downed several glasses of “depth charge” made of whiskey mixed with beer. Now, he was indeed suffering from a splitting headache.

This was self-inflicted misery.

Xin Zhihuan stumbled out of bed, supporting his head, taking two steps then pausing, swaying unsteadily into the living room, where he saw Qi Feifei doing yoga, and he was startled.

Right, how could he forget? Last night he had caused a catastrophe and deeply hurt her.

What should he do?

Xin Zhihuan stood by the bar counter, at a loss, wanting to call out to her, say good morning, but feeling like he didn’t have the right to disturb her.

“Are you awake?” It was she who noticed him first and greeted him. “There’s a glass of hangover relief juice on the bar, drink it!”

Hangover relief juice?

He blinked in confusion, then turned his gaze and indeed saw a glass of juice, its dark red liquid looking strangely ominous.

“What’s this?” He picked up the glass and sniffed it, the pungent smell making him quickly turn his head away. “Is this my least favorite, tomato?”

“Yes, it’s your least favorite, tomato.” She sat cross-legged on the floor, half-closed eyes, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “I also added a bit of lime. Drink more, it’s effective for hangover treatment.”

He frowned. “Are you doing this on purpose?” Knowing full well he detested tomatoes, she deliberately made this hangover drink. He believed there must be better options available. “I heard honey lemon water is also effective for hangovers?”

“That’s right, but we don’t have honey at home, only tomatoes.” She explained lightly.

Ridiculous! She was deliberately teasing him. He accused her with a stare.

“Hurry up and drink it, you can’t have breakfast until you finish.” She said in a light tone, but her words carried a commanding authority.

He blinked, wanting to protest, but remembering the mistakes he made last night, he felt guilty, so he reluctantly pinched his nose and gulped down the unpleasant drink in several sips.

After finishing it, he let out a nauseating belch, feeling like throwing up.

She had just finished her yoga session, wiping her sweat with a sports towel, and handed him a wireless intercom.

“Just now your mom called, she wants you to call back.”

“My mom called?” Xin Zhihuan took the intercom in astonishment. “What did she say? How does she know I’m here?”

“I told her.” She looked at him coldly. “You came back to Taiwan without telling your parents. They’re very angry.”

“That’s because—” He trailed off. If he let those meddlesome parents know he was in Taiwan, and even staying at her place, they would definitely nag him endlessly, and he wouldn’t be able to live peacefully.

“I’ve already explained to them on your behalf. I said you were busy with work and didn’t have time to go back yet, but they know you’re staying with me now, and they’re curious about our relationship.”

“What are they curious about?”

She rolled her eyes at him, the look in her eyes clearly saying “obvious nonsense.”

“Of course, they think our relationship has improved.” She scoffed. “For the past six years, we’ve been living apart, they knew something was wrong a long time ago, and they expected us to divorce sooner or later. But now that you’re back, and staying with me, of course, they find it strange and have some unrealistic expectations.”

Unrealistic? Xin Zhihuan chewed on her words bitterly.

“So I think you’d better explain it to them clearly, to avoid misunderstandings from the elderly.” She reminded him.

“I got it.” He pursed his lips, feeling annoyed and helpless, reluctantly pressing the callback button.

After two rings, the call was answered immediately.

“It’s me.”

“You brat! You finally remembered to call home!” The one who answered the call was not Xin Zhihuan’s mom, but his dad, who burst out in a loud roar as soon as he heard his son’s voice. “What’s going on? Your mom just called Feifei, only to find out you came back to Taiwan two weeks ago. Since you’re back, why didn’t you tell your parents?”

So noisy.

Xin Zhihuan slightly moved the phone away from his ear, trying to soften his father’s thunderous volume. His head was pounding, unable to withstand such a high decibel.

“Dad, I’m hungover, could you speak a bit softer? Didn’t Feifei already explain? The higher-ups sent me to Taiwan to establish a subsidiary. I’m busy with these matters, so I have no time to come home.”

“That’s just an excuse! No time? Is it really that difficult to come back for a day or two to see your old dad and mom? After raising you and providing for you all these years, this is how you repay us?” His dad completely disregarded his explanation, still roaring.

Give it a break! Xin Zhihuan took a deep breath, rubbing his temples. “Alright, alright, I got it. I’ll come back in a couple of days, okay?”

“What are you coming back for? Bring your wife back home with you!”

He’s supposed to bring Feifei back? Xin Zhihuan was astonished. “But she… She’s busy on this side of Taipei, you know? She’s about to open a new restaurant, so she probably doesn’t have time to go back.”

“I hear you talking nonsense!” His dad bluntly retorted. “No matter how busy Feifei is, she comes back to visit us every month, unlike you, you unfilial child! Once you go abroad, it’s like you’ve disappeared. Now that you’re back, it’s like we’ve found you again!”

Ugh, does he really look this bad as a son?

“Dad, let me explain—”

“Just bring Feifei back home with you! That’s it, I’m done talking. Goodbye!”

His dad didn’t give him a chance to explain and promptly hung up.

Leaving Xin Zhihuan dumbfounded, still holding the phone, standing in place.

Qi Feifei noticed his strange expression and asked aloud, “Was it dad? What did he say?”

He sighed. “He wants me to come home, and he insists on bringing you with me.”

“Sure.”

“What?” 

“I’m relatively free these days, and I was just thinking of going back to see them.”

“You’re really willing to come back with me?” He couldn’t believe it.

She frowned. “Did you misunderstand something? I’m not coming back for you, but because your parents are like my own parents, they’ve been taking care of me all these years. It’s only right for me to visit them.”

“Uh-huh,” he responded, feeling a faint sense of loss. Of course, what was he thinking? She certainly wouldn’t accompany him back home for his sake.

“I’m going to make breakfast, what do you want to eat?” Qi Feifei ignored his melancholic reaction and went straight to the kitchen, taking down the coffee canister to brew a pot of strong coffee.

Xin Zhihuan watched her slender figure and suddenly felt that he owed her a lot. Over these six years, while he was abroad, she essentially took on the responsibility of filial piety towards his parents. Plus, five years ago when her mother passed away while he was on a business trip in Europe, he didn’t even make it back in time for the funeral.

How did she manage to get through that most painful period alone?

He wanted to ask, but also understood that she probably wouldn’t tell him. Their relationship wasn’t good enough for them to confide in each other.

“What do you want to eat?” she asked again.

“Anything is fine,” he grinned. “As long as you make it, I’ll eat.”

This answer surprised her, causing her to blink, her eyelashes fluttering, looking at him with a slight confusion.

A thousand words, all in this single gaze.

What should she do with this man?

_________