These past few days, Chi Ye had been feeling restless and irritable, unable to sleep at night, unsure why Su Yuxin had suddenly stopped talking to him.
On Friday, Chi Ye left work early and drove his Bentley to the "Dog Ignores Cat" pet shop. After parking in front of the store, he glanced up at the sign before getting out of the car.
Pushing open the door, Chi Ye saw that Luo Wei was the only person in the shop. He smiled and called out, "Weiwei-jie."
"Xiao Ye, you're here?" Luo Wei was slightly surprised but smiled gently. "What brings you here?"
Chi Ye walked inside, his eyes scanning the shop as if looking for someone, but he quickly masked his intent. "I had nothing to do after work, so I thought I'd come by."
Luo Wei assumed Chi Ye had come to see her. Ever since she started working, he hadn’t visited her. "Hehe, how's work been lately, Xiao Ye?"
"Mm." Chi Ye nodded, not saying much, his eyes wandering around the store.
Luo Wei noticed something off about him and curiously asked, "What's wrong?"
Chi Ye collected his thoughts, withdrew his gaze, and frowned slightly. "Is it just you here today?"
"No, Xin-jie is here too," Luo Wei said, pointing to the back room. Chi Ye glanced in that direction, his eyes clouding over with a faint sadness that he quickly concealed.
"What do you want?" Su Yuxin, having just finished tending to a cat, was about to come out when she heard voices outside, especially Luo Wei calling her name. Su Yuxin's lips curved up slightly.
When she stepped out and saw Chi Ye standing there, her entire demeanor froze, and the color drained from her face.
"I still have some cleaning to do, so I’m busy," Su Yuxin blurted before running off faster than a rabbit, as if she'd seen a plague.
Chi Ye's face had been filled with a hint of joy when he saw Su Yuxin, but after watching her flee, his expression turned cold.
The atmosphere in the shop suddenly became awkward. Luo Wei looked at Su Yuxin, then back at Chi Ye, completely puzzled. What was going on between these two? Why did it feel like they were a bickering couple? Although she'd never fought with Mo Huai, she'd seen enough TV dramas to know that even a blind person could sense the tension.
Su Yuxin fled, shutting the door behind her, her heart racing. She wondered to herself, Why did he come to the shop? Was he here to see me? That can't happen. I've already decided I won't get married in this lifetime. I can't fall in love with any man, and I promised Gao Zhenni I wouldn’t see him again.
After a long while, Su Yuxin came out with her head hanging low. Chi Ye had already left, but it felt like his presence still lingered in the air.
"Xin-jie, what's going on with you and Xiao Ye?" Luo Wei asked playfully, nudging her elbow.
Su Yuxin's gaze darkened slightly as she focused on Luo Wei, forcing a dry smile. "We're fine."
"Bull! You're lying. I can tell something’s up. Even my Mo-ge says there's something fishy going on," Luo Wei teased, waving her phone, which displayed her chat history with Mo Huai on WeChat.
A row of crows metaphorically flew over Su Yuxin's head*.
"There's really nothing going on," Su Yuxin said solemnly, trying to dismiss the unhealthy thoughts in Luo Wei's mind.
Luo Wei remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "But after you ran off, Xiao Ye looked so heartbroken." She sighed after speaking.
Su Yuxin said nothing, lost in thought, her mind elsewhere, weighed down by her emotions.
Luo Wei, feeling helpless, thought to herself, I’ve known for a long time that Xin-jie doesn’t want to marry or have children. But now that I have Mo Huai and a lovely daughter, we’re a happy family. I don’t want Xin-jie to end up alone forever—having someone by her side would be better.
At that moment, Su Yuxin missed her grandmother terribly. Only when she was with her grandmother could she feel carefree, like a warm and loving granddaughter. She made up her mind to visit her grandmother soon.
Just then, a melodious ringtone snapped her back to reality. Su Yuxin picked up her phone from the table, and when she saw the caller ID, her face twisted slightly, a hint of disgust flashing across her eyes.
After thinking for a few seconds, she reluctantly answered in a businesslike tone, "What is it?"
The person on the other end paused for a few seconds before a tired voice, filled with weakness, spoke, "Yuxin, Mom has been missing you lately. Cough, cough. Could you come see me?" The voice was frail, accompanied by coughing.
Su Yuxin was silent for a moment before replying, "I've been busy with the shop lately."
"I see... well, if you get a chance, come visit me. I don’t have much time left."
"Mm." Su Yuxin responded coldly, her face expressionless. She had no emotional connection to this woman—her mother had abandoned her when she was young to run off with another man. Now that she was sick, she suddenly remembered her daughter? Wasn't it a little too late for that?
She didn’t care. Having her grandmother as family was enough.
After quickly changing the subject to end the call, Luo Wei, smiling, picked up her bag and got ready to leave. "Xin-jie, Mo Huai is here to pick me up. I’ll head out first. Want me to give you a ride?"
"No, you go ahead. I’ll leave later," Su Yuxin declined with a shrug and a warm smile.
As Luo Wei left, Su Yuxin peeked out and saw that Mo Huai's Maybach was indeed parked at the entrance. The two exchanged a smile, and Luo Wei got into the car. Mo Huai started the engine, and the car sped off.
Su Yuxin straightened up and sat for a while. After closing the shop for the night, she hailed a random taxi from the side of the road.
When she reached her destination, she paid the fare and couldn't help but tilt her head up to gaze at the moon. The night was hazy, and the gentle evening breeze was slightly cool.
As she walked toward her apartment, a familiar, chilling voice suddenly echoed from behind her.
"Su Yuxin."
Her steps abruptly halted. Her face turned pale as she slowly turned around and stared at Chi Ye in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Chi Ye, his eyes cold and piercing, walked toward her with his hands in his pockets, his expression calm and composed. "Waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?" she asked, her heart racing, as she bit her lip.
"Why have you been ignoring me?" His voice was icy, and he looked down at her from a superior position. The surrounding air seemed to drop to freezing.
"I..." Su Yuxin's throat tightened. Her small hands gripped the strap of her bag, and she avoided his gaze.
Chi Ye's eyes grew colder. Su Yuxin felt stifled, unsure why she had been so afraid to see him lately. She had always considered him a younger brother and never had improper thoughts about him.
Moonlight spilled over Chi Ye's pale face. After a long pause, Su Yuxin finally spoke, forcing a stiff smile. "I've been really busy lately."
"Is that so?" Chi Ye's gaze remained fixed on her, darkening slightly.
"Yes," she muttered, feeling cornered.
Chi Ye lowered his eyes as if he had much to say, but in the end, he stayed silent. The brightly lit apartment building loomed behind them, casting a sense of desolation in his heart.
"Well... I'm going inside now," Su Yuxin said, trying to break the awkwardness.
"Aren't you going to invite me up for a glass of water?" Chi Ye asked, looking up at her, his lips curving into a faint smile.
Su Yuxin was speechless.
[You can read ahead to the final chapterr here]
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T/n: “A row of crows metaphorically flew over Su Yuxin's head” is another way of saying she was speechless
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