Water and Fire~Chapter 30.2: Slapped in the Face Again

 

Chapter 30.2: Slapped in the Face Again

After concluding her inspiring conversation with Gu Miaoyu, Chu Qianmiao returned to her room. She paced back and forth with her phone, each step a struggle between responding to Ren Yan's text message.

When he left Jia Leyuan that afternoon, he had actually called her. But she put on a sullen face and ignored him. Her sullen face made her look as if she had a paternal grudge against him, as if she'd kill him if he called her again. He didn't call her a second time, but his expression seemed to be hesitant.

Later, she received another message from him. He asked, "Can we chat for a minute?"

At the time, she was feeling a bit grouchy and angry, so she hadn't replied to that message to this day.

She paced the room, wondering what he would have wanted to talk about if she had paid him any attention.

She recalled his expression and the look in his eyes, analyzing what he would have said.

—You fought back well today. Don't abuse kindness if you don't have the ability to protect yourself in the future.

She thought he would probably say that.

Later, she learned from Qin Qianyu about his intentions and the questions he had prepared in his notebook. Then she thought about the look on his face...she wondered if she should text him back.

Ren Yan ate a quick dinner that night, drove out of the basement, and began to circle aimlessly on the Second Ring Road in the Beijing night. For some reason, he couldn't bear to stay home tonight. As he worked overtime on his computer, the document on the computer flashed through his eyes and into his mind, creating an image of Chu Qianmiao's pale, drawn face after the meeting that day. She looked at him as if he were the murderer of her father, as if she wished she'd never speak to him again. He later sent her a message, but she didn't reply.

He figured this was fine; not talking would distance him.

But even though he knew it was fine, the 200-square-meter apartment was getting smaller and smaller, almost squeezing him in, suffocating him. So he drove out to get some fresh air.

He thought, Beijing is a city where traffic jams are unpredictable day or night. It was already pitch dark, but the streets were still packed. He squeezed into the hustle and bustle of the Second Ring Road, feeling less lonely.

The car was stuffy, so he rolled down the window. The chill winter night air rushed in, pounding into his lungs, playing tricks that made his chest hurt.

He unintentionally passed a car, perhaps crossing the line a bit too aggressively when merging, earning a horn from the car behind him. He felt a little sorry. And in that sorry mood, he couldn't help but think of the girl's counterattack that afternoon.

He still remembered the look on her face when he rejected her. For a moment, she was heartbroken. Then, she immediately rose again, her will to win stronger and more resolute.

Some people would be crushed by a blow. But not her. She, too, would be devastated and devastated the moment she was hit. But she would instantly bounce back, turning the page, calmly and wisely, reclaiming the spotlight on the new chapter.

Her response was brilliant, beautiful. It completely exceeded his expectations.

She methodically and methodically, one point after another, cleanly and decisively refuted the girl who had wronged her.

He had never seen another girl like her. Kind and warm-hearted, beautiful and amusing, and incredibly stubborn. Whether it was a favor or a grudge, she would repay it tenfold.

When the meeting was over, he called her, wanting to have a conversation, explaining why he'd refused her request for help and how brilliantly she'd fought back today. But she ignored him. She must have been deeply resentful of him at that point. He thought she'd probably hold a grudge against him, probably retaliating tenfold.

He took a deep breath of the cold air that streamed in through the window.

It's okay, he thought. It doesn't matter. He thought. The light ahead seemed to be red. He thought.

He quickly stopped the car, the front wheel already crossing the white line. He'd almost run the light absentmindedly.

When the light turned green, a message came on his phone. At the next intersection, he hit another red light. After stopping the car, he picked up his phone and glanced at it, stunned.

The message was from her.

She said to him, holding the profile picture of the down-and-out man with a cigarette in his mouth: "Senior, I heard from Brother Qin that if I really can't handle this today, you won't just stand by and watch, you'll help me." Now I think I understand a little bit of your intentions. Although I felt a moment of discomfort at the time, I now think it was probably that moment of discomfort that sparked my unwillingness to give up, allowing me to calmly solve the problem on my own. Anyway, thank you, Senior. And by the way, when we were adjourning this afternoon meeting, you called me and I ignored you. I'm a little embarrassed... But it's just a little, not too much, so you don't have to think I'm particularly sorry."

The car behind him honked, and he looked up. The light was green.

He put his phone down, stepped on the gas, and drove through the intersection.

He slowed down and glanced out the window. Suddenly, he thought the night view of Beijing this winter was quite beautiful. The smog had lessened, the sky was high and the wind was light, the moon was bright and the stars were shining. The streets were brightly lit, and pedestrians were hurrying along. A moped passed by on the side road, a mother carrying her son on her back. She said to him, "I bought you bananas and raisins. Eat as much as you can after you finish your homework."

He thought that Beijing at this moment was filled with the bustling atmosphere of life.

He steered at the intersection and turned onto the road home.

He had almost finished his circuit.

Arriving at home, he found his 200-square-meter apartment quite spacious, not too stuffy.

He poured himself a cup of hot water and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. While drinking, he sent her a message on his phone.

[You're overthinking it. I may not help you.]

After he sent the message, he realized that his words were not in his heart again.

He thought she would probably ignore him again.

In less than two seconds, a photo popped up on his phone screen. It showed his notebook, filled with questions that could have driven Sui Huan to death.

He froze for a moment, his grip loosening as the empty water cup and phone fell to the carpet. He rubbed his forehead, then his chin, and finally his face. It felt like something had struck him.

Then he placed his hands on his hips, took in the pleasant night view outside the window, and took a deep breath.

I should find a reason to give Qin Qianyu a good beating soon, he thought.