Chapter 31: Zhang Xin
“Oh, you live next door to me.”
“Just got back from abroad and you’re living next door? Are you secretly in love with me, bro?”
Chen Jiamu wanted to tease Li Qi, and he happened to remember a meme he’d seen online today. He blurted it out without thinking. As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qi’s keys dropped to the ground.
A sharp clatter echoed, unusually jarring in the quiet corridor. Both of them were startled…
“You…”
Li Qi hurriedly picked up his keys, fumbling with his glasses. His heart was pounding wildly.
“I…”
“Just a meme, a meme.”
“Anyway, I’m tired, I’m going to sleep, goodbye!”
Li Qi wasn’t disgusted, but Chen Jiamu was disgusted with himself. He had actually said such a thing to Li Qi…
After opening his door, Chen Jiamu practically ran into his room, slamming the door shut with a loud “bang.” The speed was quite impressive…
Li Qi, holding his keys against the door frame, glanced deeply at the closed door next to him, sighed, and unlocked his own door.
In the room next door, Chen Jiamu covered his face, his heart filled with despair. Why did he say that meme? Especially to Li Qi…
Luckily, no one else was around, otherwise he would have become the laughingstock of the building.
“I really can’t casually use memes anymore.”
Chen Jiamu secretly vowed, then headed straight for the bathroom. Washing up and going to bed early was better than anything.
Meanwhile, Li Qi, sitting in his room, stared at the wall opposite for a long time. Chen Jiamu’s words kept echoing in his ears. After a long silence, Li Qi suddenly scoffed, “How did you guess…?”
But he also understood that it was just a joke from Chen Jiamu.
Separated by a wall, the two had different thoughts…
The next morning, the moment the early sun shone in, Chen Jiamu stirred, turned over, and went back to sleep.
It wasn’t until his phone rang that he sprang up from bed, instinctively reaching to get up. In that instant, he stopped, slapped his forehead, “I’m not working today.”
He wiped his face and went back to sleep. For Chen Jiamu, being able to get a good sleep was a great thing.
He slept until one o’clock in the afternoon. Feeling his empty stomach, Chen Jiamu took out his phone and ordered takeout.
Just as he was about to pay, he heard a knock on the door. Chen Jiamu frowned, put down his phone, and went to the living room to open the door.
His pajamas were loose and unbuttoned. His broad shoulders were exposed to the air, and Chen Jiamu didn’t notice, directly opening the door.
As soon as he opened the door, a wave of perfume hit him, making him hold his breath.
“Zhang Xin?”
“What are you doing here?”
He had expected Li Qi, but he hadn’t expected Zhang Xin…
Seeing his attire, Zhang Xin’s face flushed red, her eyes darting towards the door frame. “I… I heard you were fired…”
“So, I wanted to see you.”
Zhang Xin stammered. Chen Jiamu frowned, noticing her unusual expression. He looked down at his clothes and immediately straightened his pajamas.
After a moment, Chen Jiamu leaned against the door frame, looking at Zhang Xin’s face with a hint of amusement. “Looking at me?”
“What’s there to look at? I’m just a poor, penniless college student. It’s normal for me to be fired.”
Zhang Xin became nervous under his gaze, biting her lip and clenching her fists. “You shouldn’t have been so impulsive.”
“You should have held back. After all, your aunt needs money for the hospital.”
“But it’s done now. Here’s 5,000 yuan, take it. Don’t get me wrong, we’re friends, it’s only right for me to help.”
Seeing her suddenly take out 5,000 yuan in cash, Chen Jiamu’s heart pounded in surprise, but the next second, her words were like a bucket of cold water, pouring over him…
“Fri…friend?”
With a cold face, Chen Jiamu pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him, his tone extremely gloomy. “If holding hands and walking in the park is considered just friends, then how many ‘friends’ have you done that with?”
“Hmm? Did you do that with Qian Chengfeng too?”
“You!” Zhang Xin was both surprised and angry, her face as red as if painted, her big eyes filled with tears, her expression a mixture of anger and a hint of grievance.
“Chen Jiamu! You’re going too far!”
“Qian Manager and I have nothing! He’s a married man, what do you take me for?”
Zhang Xin struggled angrily, tears rolling down her cheeks like pearls…
Anyone would feel pity seeing a beautiful woman cry, but Chen Jiamu only felt anger.
“What do I take you for?”
“And what do you take me for?”
“What about me sending you home late at night? What about the money I transferred for your birthday, the flowers I bought, the bracelet I gave you, and holding hands and walking in the park?”
“Friend? Go to hell with your friend!”
“If you’re not interested in me, you can just say so, reject me directly, instead of accepting everything I give and not giving anything back.”
“I, Chen Jiamu, am not a pest. If you hadn’t kept sending me signals, would I have shamelessly chased after you?”
“Zhang Xin, do you even have a heart?”
“You’re all smiles with Qian Chengfeng, and then you’re distant and cold towards me, saying it would affect your reputation at the company. I think you’re afraid Qian Chengfeng will see, right?”
Chen Jiamu held her chin tightly, his tone changing from anger to calm.
It was good to let out his anger. He’d held it in for a long time, and he didn’t want to anymore.
If she wanted to use him as a backup, he’d have to agree.
“I…”
“I didn’t…”
Zhang Xin had never seen him like this, and she was speechless, only tears still flowing from her eyes…
Seeing her like this, Chen Jiamu rolled his eyes, forcefully letting go of her chin and pointing to the exit: “Alright, I don’t want to argue with you. Now, immediately, leave.”
“I don’t want to see you.”
Zhang Xin stumbled back a few steps, the red mark on her chin particularly striking.
Almost in shame and anger, Zhang Xin’s hand holding the money trembled, and she looked up at Chen Jiamu in disbelief.
After a few seconds of tense silence, Zhang Xin covered her face and ran away, almost bumping into a trash can as she rushed out of the elevator.
Only after Zhang Xin had disappeared into the elevator did Li Qi slowly come out from a corner.
He was holding the little black cat that Chen Jiamu had found the previous night, staring at the descending elevator. Li Qi gently stroked the cat’s back, softly murmuring two words: “Backup…”
“It seems, I didn’t know enough.”
Li Qi hadn’t expected to witness Chen Jiamu’s gossip. He had nothing to do in the morning, so he thought he’d pick up the cat and go find Chen Jiamu.
He hadn’t expected to run into gossip, but this gossip wasn’t something he liked very much…
Zhang Xin, huh…