Chapter 18: Stood Up

“Doing this is futile,” Jing Nuo said as he had already changed into his clothes for going out. Today, he didn’t mock Wen Xiaorou as much; he simply finished dressing and left the Jing residence. Wen Xiaorou, with her back turned to him, listened to his every movement but didn’t utter a single word. Yet tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting the pillow beneath her.

Jing Nuo was gone, and no one knew which woman he would spend the night with—perhaps Fengjing again. In Jing Nuo’s heart, Fengjing was his true home, his refuge, while Wen Xiaorou was merely an unnecessary presence, someone who had ruined his life and his emotions.

Inside the car, the CD player softly played slow music. Outside, the wind rushed fiercely, whistling past Jing Nuo’s ears. Normally not a smoker, tonight he chain-smoked one cigarette after another. His mind was still filled with the shadow of Wen Xiaorou. Jing Nuo wanted to erase that woman from his thoughts, but his mind wouldn’t obey. The more he tried not to think of her, the more vivid her image became—this new Wen Xiaorou, seductive and tantalizing, almost setting his desires ablaze; the scheming Wen Xiaorou who was determined to get close to him.

At this moment, Jing Nuo regretted being too clear-headed. He should have played along with Wen Xiaorou’s schemes. Now, he had to turn to Fengjing to help extinguish the fire he’d ignited.

“You’ve abandoned your little wife again,” Fengjing said happily, seeing a familiar visitor just as she was about to rest. Jing Nuo rarely came to her place at this hour; surely he had just had a big quarrel with Wen Xiaorou.

“Fengjing, this set doesn’t look good. Change into that leopard print one—the one you wore on our wedding day,” Jing Nuo said, leaning against the sofa as he looked at Fengjing’s sultry figure. Despite the fiery lingerie she wore, he felt no desire. His mind was still haunted by the image of Wen Xiaorou in that very same lingerie, as if a knot had formed in his heart that must be untied.

“That lingerie? It’s been a long time. Let me see if I’ve thrown it away,” Fengjing said. Both she and Wen Xiaorou had a set of that sleepwear. On Wen Xiaorou’s wedding day, Fengjing had gifted her that limited-edition lingerie, wishing her a joyful first night with Jing Nuo. Yet that same night, Jing Nuo appeared at Fengjing’s house, where she wore the matching set and embraced him passionately. Meanwhile, Wen Xiaorou foolishly stared at that sexy lingerie all night, never daring to wear it. It wasn’t until now that she realized Fengjing also owned the same set.

“Then wear that one tonight,” Jing Nuo insisted. He was never picky about a woman’s underwear, as it usually came off anyway, but tonight he insisted on that particular set. Fengjing shook her head helplessly and rummaged through her wardrobe. Luckily, she hadn’t thrown out her old clothes promptly, and she finally found the lingerie, barely worn and almost new, which made her willing to wear it again.

“Darling, how do I look?” Fengjing quickly appeared before Jing Nuo after changing, twisting her slender waist as she straddled his lap.

“Hm!” Jing Nuo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but in his mind, it was Wen Xiaorou straddling his lap. The next moment, he opened his eyes quickly, picked Fengjing up, and collapsed onto the soft bed, indulging in passion.

That night, Wen Xiaorou drew back the curtains by the bed and lay there, quietly gazing at the lonely moon hanging in the sky, just like herself. She was sleepless throughout the night, once again tormented by Jing Nuo’s absence. Meanwhile, he was nowhere to be found, embracing some other woman in this quiet, ambiguous night.

Yet from that day on, Jing Nuo disappeared again and did not return home until the night before the resort variety show’s filming.