"To make me roll over and leave, she didn't hesitate to lose her own life. Now her bones are barely cold, and she's watching us from above."
"You're so eager to reconcile with me. Aren't you afraid she'll be angered in the afterlife and rise from the dead?"
"..."
The evening breeze gently lifted Jiang Nan Fang's hair. She was so pure and beautiful, appearing delicate and fragile.
Yet, her words were so harsh.
Like her mother, she was a strong-willed woman who wouldn't let things go once she had the upper hand. Zhan Bei Jue found it quite a headache.
However, no matter what, Ke Teng's accident was his mother's fault. Jiang Nan Fang felt guilty towards Ke Teng and was taking her anger out on him, which he could understand.
He knew that his mother's actions couldn't be erased just because she was dead. Jiang Nan Fang needed time.
"I don't know what I can say now to make you calm down, but I really can't stay silent."
"In the days without you, I've been thinking of you. Every moment, every minute, every second, I haven't stopped thinking."
"I know you have feelings for me too, don't deny it. But for Ke Teng, you have to hold back."
"I understand you, Nan Fang. I won't force you to be with me right now or forget the past."
"I will wait for you. I'll wait for Ke Teng to recover and do everything I can to compensate the Ke family for their losses."
"I will show you my sincerity. Don't refuse me in haste. When everything is better, I just need you to give me another chance."
"I am not your enemy. Please don't treat me as an enemy. From now on, if you need anything, please come to me first."
"I'm available 24 hours a day, always waiting. Don't be polite to me."
Zhan Bei Jue stood with his back to the light, his features shrouded in the dim night, appearing so deeply affectionate and handsome.
He was like Andy Lau in the old movie "A Moment of Romance," with his tender devotion.
It had to be said that such a face, such a voice, paired with these words, could easily sway someone.
However, no matter how handsome he was or how beautifully he spoke, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't forget the lost and desperate figure of Ke Jing Yu in the hospital room.
Just then, a taxi pulled up to the curb.
The driver rolled down the window and leaned out, "Hey, are you going or not?"
Her tall, handsome, and devoted ex-husband was showering her with one sweet-talk after another. If she didn't leave soon, she would be drawn into his gentle offensive again.
Jiang Nan Fang decisively pulled off her clothes and stuffed them into his hands.
"Think whatever you want, say whatever you want. I won't see you again anyway. I'm leaving."
With that, she turned, opened the taxi door, and stepped inside.
However, before she could close the door, Zhan Bei Jue followed.
"It's too late. It's not safe for you to go home alone. I'll take you."
Jiang Nan Fang held the car door tightly from the inside, refusing to let him in.
Zhan Bei Jue's tone was humble, "I'll take you to the entrance of your complex and then leave. I absolutely won't come upstairs to disturb you."
"..."
Jiang Nan Fang stated the address, and the driver quickly started the car. The three of them rode in silence, and soon arrived at the entrance of the complex.
Zhan Bei Jue paid the fare ahead of time, and they both got out of the car.
Jiang Nan Fang said, "Alright, I'm here. You can go now."
So she was living here recently.
Zhan Bei Jue glanced at the complex environment. It was nice.
"It's so late, and it's still a long way inside. I'll walk you to your building."
"Zhan Bei Jue, do you think you're the only good man in the world? You want to come to my place, and you're harboring some ulterior motive. Don't think I don't know!"
Jiang Nan Fang impatiently rejected him outright.
Zhan Bei Jue was speechless. "Alright then, I won't come in. I'll just stand here and watch you pass through that gate before I leave."
He was actually concerned about her safety today. Wasn't she fine when he hadn't shown up for the past few days?
Jiang Nan Fang scoffed and turned to walk towards the gate.
She kept herself from looking back until the gate was locked behind her, and then walked another two minutes.
Thinking Zhan Bei Jue must have already left, she finally looked back.
But he hadn't left.
He stood there like a statue, looking in her direction.
She didn't know what was going on with him today.
Jiang Nan Fang hated seeing him put on a show of affection and quickly turned her head back.
Only when she was completely out of sight did Zhan Bei Jue take out his phone and call Lu Ming Zhe.
"Where are you? Come pick me up."
Lu Ming Zhe snorted.
"Didn't you go to dinner with your ex-wife? Did it end so quickly? Didn't she invite you in?"
"After being so attentive, you still came back? Was the meal a freebie?"
From the moment he left, Zhan Bei Jue knew this kind of teasing was unavoidable, so he didn't take it to heart.
"I've sent you the location. Hurry up and come."
Lu Ming Zhe continued to complain, "You only think of me when you need something. When you don't, you discard me faster than a rag. I've really become your nanny."
Zhan Bei Jue, already in a bad mood from Jiang Nan Fang's rejection, finally lost his patience.
"Then don't come. I'll call someone else. I'm not your only friend."
Lu Ming Zhe finally relented.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming. I'm coming, okay? You scoundrel, you only throw your weight around with me."
---
Ah Zhong was quite drunk, but Zhou Jin Bei was not.
After a prolonged and intense encounter, Ah Zhong embraced Zhou Jin Bei and soon fell asleep. However, Zhou Jin Bei, with matters on her mind, couldn't sleep at all.
Feeling his warmth and listening to his steady breathing.
She lay there for half an hour, and once she was sure he was sound asleep, she quietly got up.
She straightened the bedsheet, fluffed the pillow neatly.
She also tidied the quilt, and cleaned up all the trash on the floor.
She cleaned the bathroom, the living room floor, and the hot pot on the dining table.
She packed everything up like trash, ensuring there was no trace of her presence in the room, then quietly left Ah Zhong's place, closing the door behind her.
She took nothing except a car key.
In the car, she touched the steering wheel that Ah Zhong had been holding daily and smelled the long-lingering scent in his car.
Recalling everything that had just happened, Zhou Jin Bei felt a sense of fulfillment.
Although this method was shameful and selfish, there was no other way.
If she had to add a splash of color to her destined tragic life, she would consider this the most vibrant stroke.
She hoped Ah Zhong would have a better future, and that they would never contact each other again.
She would not bother him again, allowing him to start anew, a clean start.
With a sense of fulfillment, her emotions calmed down.
Zhou Jin Bei drove slowly back home, greeted by the pre-dawn light of just past four in the morning.
Ah Zhong woke up to find himself alone.
He got up and looked around. Everything was clean and in its original place, with no trace of Zhou Jin Bei's presence.
He couldn't help but touch his forehead. Had he been dreaming again?
He had been dreaming of Zhou Jin Bei frequently lately. After their intimate encounter, the dream kept replaying that scene.