Chapter
38.1: I'm the Ex-Boyfriend
After get off work, Ren Yan had a quick dinner outside.
Returning home, he immediately turned on his computer and began working.
Over the years, he'd learned that by constantly keeping
himself busy, he wouldn't have the opportunity to be bothered by chaotic
emotions.
Next to the computer on his desk sat a bottle of whiskey.
Next to the whiskey were his car keys. He felt as if the computer possessed
him, but in reality, the alcohol and car keys were the real culprits pulling
him apart.
He stared at the computer screen, the words on the document
bouncing off his eyes one by one, but they couldn't reach his cerebral cortex.
His mind was preoccupied with a choice: should he have a drink to clear the
stagnant air in his chest, or go for a drive?
He had always been a man of self-control, rarely letting
himself get caught up in worry. But lately, his ability to control himself
seemed to be failing, as if he'd already overdrawn all the year's frustrations
into this recent period.
He only now realized that being treated politely was a far
greater punishment than being treated rudely.
He hadn't even figured out the answer to the multiple-choice
question when his phone began to ring and vibrate on the desk.
Seeing the name "Lei Zhenzi" appear on the caller
ID, he didn't want to answer the call. His chatter wouldn't soothe his
mysterious restlessness; it would only exacerbate his urge to get drunk or
race.
He let the phone ring and vibrate until it stopped.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
But then a message popped up on the screen: Answer the phone
quickly! Something's wrong!
He thought for a moment, sighed, and picked up the phone to
call Lei Zhenzi back.
As soon as the call connected, Lei Zhenzi's voice burst through the receiver, piercing his eardrum.
"Ren, have you been online? Forget it, you ancient
people don't have that skill. Come on, let me cut to the chase. Something's
happened online!" Lei Zhenzi took a breath, then spoke faster. "Do
you remember that girl named Gu, we helped last time, pretending to be high-end
clients? She's in trouble. Seriously! Someone posted online saying that after
using the materials she provided to renovate a house, their child died of
leukemia. The poster bitterly accused her of being a ruthless designer and a
murderer. Now the girl is practically drowning in cyberbullying!"
When Lei Zhenzi got to this point, Ren Yan didn't think it
was a big deal. He blandly thought that people were gossiping online every day
under fake names, so it was better to just ignore them.
But as Lei Zhenzi continued, he sensed the gravity of the
situation.
"That girl has now been exposed by a group of online
trolls, revealing her personal information, including her work, mobile phone
number, and residential address. Some are sending razor blades and wreaths, and
others are threatening to come to her house and deal with her." Lei Zhenzi
paused, then cut to the point. "Doesn't Qian Miao live with that girl
named Gu? The place they live is probably no longer safe, so why not
call..."
The rest of the conversation was cut off by Ren Yan.
While Lei Zhenzi was on the phone, he was searching online
for keywords. He saw a screen full of virulent moral judgments and countless
likes and applause for those who threatened Gu Miaoyu.
He immediately ended the call with Lei Zhenzi and called Chu
Qian Miao.
At that moment, he lost all sense of reserve, psychological
warfare, or inner composure. His only concern was: if her roommate was in
danger, then she must be in danger too.
Chu Qianmiao, holding Gu Miaoyu in her arms, stood amidst
the pile of luggage. When she saw Ren Yan's call pop up on her phone screen,
her nose suddenly felt sore. She didn't know what kind of mood she'd been in
when she answered the call. It felt like a little aggrieved, but also a little
happy.
As the call went through, she tried to tone her voice as
nonchalant as usual. She said hello. At that moment, her inner fortress
remained strong, she remained resolute.
But Ren Yan bluntly said, "I saw what happened between
you two online. Although I don't know your childhood friend or the details of
what happened, I can't judge her based on the incident itself. But she's your
friend, and judging by your character, I believe she didn't do such a bad
thing."
Hearing these words, the fortress in her heart crumbled. Her
strength weakened. She quickly let go of Gu Miaoyu and walked under a nearby
streetlight to answer the call.
She looked up at the streetlight, letting the light wash
away the slight soreness that welled up in her nose.
She said, "Thank you for believing in us." This
time, she didn't use such an irritatingly polite tone.
She heard Ren Yan sigh with relief on the other end of the
line. She thought her politeness these past few days might have really taken
its toll on him.
Then she heard him say, "I saw someone online
threatening to block you. Your current place is no longer safe. How about this?
Pack your things now. I'll pick you up later. I have a house vacant. You can
stay there for the next few days."
Chu Qianmiao was silent on the other end of the line,
panting. Her silence made Ren Yan think she was still mad at him.
As if he had made a firm decision, he took a deep breath and
then let it out, his voice lowered and softened. "I was wrong to yell at
you in the meeting earlier, but now's not the time to be angry. Someone has
threatened to come to your house to confront you. Even if these people won't
actually kill you, would it be worth it if they beat you up, scolded you, and
humiliated you?"
When Chu Qianmiao heard Ren Yan's apology, the fortress in
her heart collapsed again.
But she still stubbornly replied, "They dare? This is a
society that respects the law. The law can protect us!"
Ren Yan's tone grew heavier. "You should understand
this better than anyone. The legal protection you receive is delayed. It can't
protect you from thugs in advance. It can only punish thugs after they've
caused you substantial harm! By then, the law has protected you, but the harm
has already been done!" He took a breath and called her name, a sigh.
"Chu Qianmiao, I was wrong to yell at you earlier. I apologize. So don't
be angry now, okay?"
The gentle ending of "okay," with its lingering
aftertaste, softened Chu Qianmiao's heart. The fortress within her heart
collapsed completely.
The streetlights cast a new expression on her face. Her eyes
lit up, her lips curled slightly as she held the phone. "Okay, senior, I
forgive you. You know where I live, but we have a lot of luggage, and your
Mercedes might not fit."
Ren Yan said he had a seven-seater car and would drive over
immediately.
After hanging up, Chu Qianmiao walked back to Gu Miaoyu and
told her that Ren Yan would pick them up later and put them up in one of his
empty apartments.
Gu Miaoyu looked up at Chu Qianmiao. She felt a little
relieved that she finally had a place to stay. She thought that although Ren
Yan had always called her a devil and a bastard in their conversations, and
although he sounded a little arrogant, a little indifferent, and sometimes
quite irritating, he was actually a good person. He could be harsh on Chu
Qianmiao, but he also cared about her.
Ren Yan drove to the downstairs of the complex. When he saw
Chu Qianmiao and Gu Miaoyu sitting on their luggage, he realized that the two
girls had been kicked out by the landlord. Even someone as detached as him
couldn't help but sympathize with the two girls, but they acted as if nothing
had happened. They greeted him, thanked him, and, as they loaded the luggage
into the car, each one more boyish than the other, swung their arms with all
their might.
After the luggage and people were loaded into the car, no
one spoke at first. An awkward silence reigned in the car.
Then Chu Qianmiao lost her patience and began to thank him
again.
"Thank you, Mr. Ren."
Ren Yan paused, glanced at Chu Qianmiao in the rearview
mirror, and said, "Call me Senior after get off work."
"..."
"Thank you, Senior." Chu Qianmiao changed the
address and thanked him again.
"You're welcome."
Silence again.
"Senior, we're moving into your house. Will that be a
problem for you? Will you be left without a place to stay?" Chu Qianmiao
found another topic to talk about.
"No," Ren Yan said. "I have plenty of
houses."
"..."
Chu Qianmiao felt like she didn't want to talk anymore.
A thought suddenly struck her, and she decided to emphasize
it before ending the conversation.
"Senior, we'll just stay at your house temporarily.
Once this blows over, we'll move out. It won't interfere with your ability to
live there or rent out your place."
Ren Yan looked at her in the rearview mirror and said,
"You can stay as long as you want." After a pause, he added,
"That little rent is negligible."
"..."
Chu Qianmiao really didn't want to talk anymore. Three or
four thousand yuan a month in rent, so that was negligible...
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