7
After Jian Shutong left, her words kept echoing in my mind.
The day before I married Pei Jinzhou in my previous life, she had come to see me.
She showed me all the memories she and Jinzhou had shared, and told me,
“Jinzhou is marrying you out of responsibility. He’ll never love you. Canceling the wedding will do you no harm.”
I didn’t believe her. I was sure Pei Jinzhou liked me.
I thought that once we were married, I would finally get the happiness I wanted.
But reality gave me a harsh slap in the face.
My cold had gotten worse, and as I drifted in and out of sleep,
countless memories of Pei Jinzhou and me flashed through my mind—
from my past life and from this one.
When I finally woke up after sleeping enough, my body was sticky with sweat.
I rested for a moment, then grabbed my pajamas and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When I came back, I finally noticed the bedside table...
My phone was still lit up on the bedside table.
When I picked it up, I saw ten missed calls—all from Pei Jinzhou.
I didn’t call back and deliberately ignored them.
Instead, I messaged Chu Yun:
“Brother, something came up for me tomorrow, so I want to head home early. I won’t be leaving with you all.”
I had originally planned to stay here for three days, but I left after just one.
When I left, it was still early in the morning, and only Chu Yun knew.
After a five-hour bus ride, I finally got home.
I had barely sat down when my mom called.
“I heard you’re finally thinking about dating. I’ve had my eye on a
young man for a while—he’s two years older than you, steady, and
handsome. Make some time to meet him, okay?”
Ever since I graduated from college, my mom had been urging me to date,
but I always refused.
Everyone thought I just wasn’t interested in dating,
but no one knew I’d already been with Pei Jinzhou for a long time.
“Sure, just set up a time and let me know,” I replied easily.
My mom was surprised by how quickly I agreed.
“You said yes so fast—did something happen?”
“What could have happened?” I chuckled helplessly. “Just go ahead and arrange it. I trust your judgment. You’re my mom, you wouldn’t set me up with someone bad.”
“Of course! I’ll let you know when I have good news.”
After hanging up, I started working.
In my previous life, after getting married, I’d quit my job and become a housewife, giving up my chance at promotion for love.
I gave up everything for love, but all I got was a wasted life.
This time, I absolutely wouldn’t miss my chance for advancement.
Afraid of being disturbed while working, I simply turned off my phone.
By the time I was finally done, it was already nine at night—time for bed.
I still didn’t turn my phone back on. I washed up and went to sleep.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, as I was leaving for work with my bag in hand,
I opened the door and found Pei Jinzhou waiting outside.
He was still wearing yesterday’s black trench coat. His hair was a bit messy, and he looked exhausted, as if he’d rushed back in a hurry.
“Jinzhou-ge, do you need something?”
“Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
We spoke at the same time.
Hearing the accusation in his voice, I composed myself and replied with a calm smile,
“My phone was off, I didn’t notice. Did you need something?”
My tone was cold, but polite.
“Chu Zhi, can’t you talk to me properly? When did things get so distant between us?”
He didn’t understand why I’d suddenly changed, why I no longer clung to him.