Chapter 34: Peeking

The day felt impossibly long.

Jiang Ying stepped through the main entrance of the dormitory, finally enveloped once more by the warmth of the heating. She glanced up at the clock on the wall; the hour hand was resting precisely at six in the afternoon. Beneath the clock stood a full-length mirror, intended for students to check their appearance before heading out. At this moment, it reflected her weary face and clothes dampened by melting snow.

"Oh, Jiang Ying? There’s something here for you. The person who dropped it off said you weren't feeling well and asked me to bring it up to your room. I was just about to head up to find you."

On the side wall was a sliding window, a meter wide and half a meter high. Behind it was the dormitory manager's office, where a desk was placed for students to register or borrow keys. Resting on the desk was an insulated foil bag, marked with her room number and the words "Miss Jiang" in permanent marker.

Zhou Anning was at a group meeting and hadn't returned yet, so after getting back to her room, Jiang Ying opened the bag from the mystery sender.

It was quite heavy. Inside the insulated layer was a square, dark wooden box. Lifting the lid, a rich aroma of food wafted out. A white porcelain crock held a nourishing soup, and a custom food container was filled with exquisite dishes. In the bottom right corner of the lid, the name of the restaurant was engraved—a Cantonese establishment in Wangfujing that Lu Zhixi often took her to.

The restaurant was divided into two levels: the ground floor was open to the general public, while the basement level was by reservation only. Meals there were prepared personally by the head chef, with a menu distinct from the one upstairs. The ingredients were expensive, and the price of every dish was naturally beyond imagination.

There was no need to guess who had sent it.

Just as she was about to close the box, a vintage-style card fell out of the insulated bag. It listed the names of the dishes, their ingredients, and their nutritional benefits. At the bottom, in the "Sender's Note" section, was a single line:

"Your boyfriend only knows how to let you catch a cold during your period."

Jiang Ying sighed, tossed the card into the trash, and sent a few messages to Yu Siyan. He told her to get some rest and remember to eat, adding that if she was still cold, she could use the hand warmer he had given her last time.

After a brief exchange, Jiang Ying took a hot shower and fell into a hazy sleep upon returning to bed.

Her sleep was restless. Her lower abdomen ached more and more, and she felt generally unwell. Half an hour later, she woke up in exhaustion and climbed out of bed to find painkillers.

Her phone rang at that moment. Jiang Ying checked it; it was a call from Lu Zhixi.

She ignored the call, slowly took her medicine, and was about to climb back into bed when she saw a text message on her screen.

"Yu Siyan called me. It seems he truly isn't much of a person."

Jiang Ying stared at the message for a moment before another incoming call request popped up. After a brief hesitation, she answered.

The person on the other end asked softly, "Is the food to your liking? If not, I’ll have the chef adjust the menu tomorrow."

"I didn't eat it," Jiang Ying said coldly. "Stop sending these. It’s a waste."

Lu Zhixi’s voice stalled. "Don't be hard on your own body."

"What exactly do you want to say by calling me?"

"Then what did you want to hear by picking up my call?"

Lu Zhixi could always easily see through her thoughts. Jiang Ying gripped her phone in silence, but she did not hang up.

"He told me he wouldn't break up with you, and that he would stay with you properly."

Hearing this, Jiang Ying recalled the expression on Yu Siyan’s face when they parted. She knew he was a bit unhappy, but he had his own principles. He understood the situation, and instead of taking his temper out on her, he had remained patient. In all fairness, Yu Siyan had already done his best.

"He also said a lot of other things. I didn't listen carefully, but it was mostly him looking down on me for using my status to bully others." Lu Zhixi’s voice carried a hint of contemptuous laughter. "Yingying, he isn't refusing to break up for your sake; he’s doing it for his own pride. Look at him—for the sake of his pride, he didn't even ask if you wanted to ride in my car, choosing instead to walk with you in the freezing snow for so long."

Jiang Ying wanted to retort, but she was too exhausted. The voice on the phone aggressively burrowed into her ears, trying to reshape her thoughts, but her sluggish brain couldn't mount a quick defense.

"When it comes to the breakup, I didn't handle it well, but at least I took care of you meticulously. But what has Yu Siyan done? What can he do for you? When you got back to the dorm today, did he send you dinner? Did he just tell you to take care of yourself? I never say that phrase; I only take care of you personally. If I don't have time, I have someone else take care of you."

Lu Zhixi’s words made Jiang Ying’s head throb with pain. When she spoke, her throat felt as if it were burning.

"You just use money..."

"No. If I were Yu Siyan, I would have had a classmate at Huada bring you food, whether by paying them or treating them. Did he do that? He couldn't even think of that."

Lu Zhixi’s voice was both gentle and cruel. "Yingying, I spend money on you because I am willing to put my heart into it. Everything the servants did before was carefully instructed by me according to your habits. As long as it’s something you like, I never let others touch it. When going out, I choose the most comfortable places, not somewhere like Universal Studios in the middle of winter. Yu Siyan is inferior to me in every aspect. Break up with him—"

A sob suddenly came from the other end of the line, and his voice abruptly stopped.

The crying was soft and intermittent, accompanied by weak coughing. Lu Zhixi’s throat tightened, and his heart was gripped by an invisible hand. He knew she was afraid of the cold; she must have caught a chill today, and perhaps she would have a fever by nightfall.

Jiang Ying had once caught a fever during the early spring transition. She was very fragile at such times and in great need of companionship. That day, he had put aside everything he was doing to stay with her all night, massaging the painful spots on her body.

"Yingying, you’re sick. Let me come get you..."

"No."

Jiang Ying’s voice was choked with sobs, tinged with a sickly hoarseness. She only felt that her breath was burning hot and her throat was hurting more and more. Even though she was indoors with the heat on, she felt as cold as if she were trapped in a blizzard. Her mind had almost ceased to function, her reason consumed by overwhelming emotions, her body filled with helplessness, sorrow, and confusion.

"If it weren't for you, none of these things would have happened over the past few days. I just want to live a peaceful life. Siyan never hurt you, so why do you have to come back and turn our lives upside down? Is it because you finally realized you like me? Lu Zhixi, your version of liking someone is terrifying."

She said this long string of words while crying and coughing. "And what if we got back together? In the future, you’ll eventually get bored of me, and you’ll meet many other women, just like your father. That’s what people in your world do, isn't it? I’m truly happy with Yu Siyan. Please, just let me go. I’m begging you—I really don't want to see you ever again."

On the other end of the line, Lu Zhixi listened in silence, not even realizing that his fingertips were trembling involuntarily. He only felt that her crying made his chest ache. By the time he had fully digested her words, his heart felt as if she had thrown it hard against the ground, shattering it completely.

"I..."

I don't want other women, and I won't be like my father.

Lu Zhixi didn't get the chance to say this before the call was disconnected. He sat stunned, holding his phone, on the sofa in his apartment, looking down at the floor with unfocused eyes. His bangs fell over his forehead, partially obscuring his brows and eyes, as well as the bewilderment within them.

Everything he did was only to make her see that Yu Siyan wasn't that perfect, to make her break up with him as soon as possible. As long as they split, he would have plenty of time to bring Jiang Ying back to a happy state, and he was certain he could make her joyful again.

Yet, he had only used a little bit of leverage, and she was already this furious and this heartbroken. Not only that, she even said he would eventually be like his father.

Lu Zhixi knew his father was a piece of trash—a piece of trash with countless bills and a polished exterior. When he was a child, he had stumbled upon his father cheating with a maid in the bedroom. The sight of their pale bodies tangled together had terrified him; he ran downstairs and vomited until his vision went black.

He was not a man like his father, Anthony.

For the first time, a sense of bitterness and grievance welled up in Lu Zhixi’s heart. She could call him base, despicable, or ruthless, but why say he would be like his father? He wasn't. He truly wasn't.

Lu Zhixi tried calling Jiang Ying a few more times, but the number was soon blocked again. He threw his phone aside and grabbed his hair in frustration.

"Must you act so wretchedly?"

Lu Zhixi looked up to see Lu Xiu standing in the hallway. She should have been in the study talking to Chen Shuhuai; he didn't know how long she had been listening.

She said coldly, "I don't have the habit of eavesdropping. I intended to leave, but I was truly curious about what kind of foolish things you’ve been doing these past few days. I suggest that after you return to the United States, you stop bothering that girl. She knows you are the same kind of person as your father."

"I said I’m not going back." Lu Zhixi’s voice was cold as well. "And what did you mean by that last remark?"

Lu Xiu smiled. "What could it mean? When I was at the cafe this afternoon, I talked to her, and she understands quite well. As your mother, although I failed to raise you well, I can at least ensure that others aren't deceived by you."

"What did you tell her?" Lu Zhixi stood up abruptly, staring straight at Lu Xiu, his voice suppressing rage.

"I simply told her that you aren't compatible, that you are terrible, and that you attract women just like your father does. Isn't that true? I didn't lie."

Lu Zhixi had thought he was long accustomed to Lu Xiu’s rebukes and criticisms, but when he realized she had said those things to Jiang Ying, he still couldn't maintain his composure.

"You are my mother, yet you said those things to her." His eye sockets grew red, a sheen of moisture rising in his eyes, and his voice trembled.

Seeing him like this, Lu Xiu was stunned for a moment. In her memory, Lu Zhixi had indeed been a crybaby as a child, crying every time he scraped or bumped himself, demanding to be held and coaxed. But as he grew up and became increasingly annoying, she had never seen him cry again.