Chapter 4

Not wanting to spend any more energy looking for a place or moving, I simply moved into the company dormitory, planning to numb myself with work.

My colleagues were either already married or living together with their partners, so in the spacious three-bedroom apartment, I was the only one living there.

All the better.

However, this peaceful state only lasted a week before Wei Qingchen moved in, taking the room next to mine.

“Hope you don’t mind?” His expression was gentle, his clear eyes full of a smile as he explained slowly,

“A new project just started. I don’t have much experience leading one, so I’ll definitely have to work overtime often. It’s more convenient to stay in the dorm.”

That made sense-he had just become the new design manager and needed to perform well.

“It’s fine, the dormitory is open to all employees anyway.” Even though I wasn’t too happy about it, there was nothing I could do.

Apart from the day he moved in, we never ran into each other. He always left earlier and came back later than I did.

My impression of him changed.

At least he hadn’t gotten into the company purely through connections. I could see with my own eyes how hardworking he was, leaving early and returning late.

One weekend, I was cleaning my room when the phone rang.

I picked up the phone and saw it was Tang Chao.

I hesitated for a moment before hitting the answer button.

There was silence on the other end. Just as I was about to hang up, he finally spoke: “Are you free today? Mom is sick. She wants to see you…”

A belated dull pain throbbed in my heart.

How lowly I must have been in his eyes before-now I’m already the one who was cheated on, yet I still have to come and go at his beck and call?

I coldly interrupted him, “We’re already divorced. I think it would be more appropriate for you to take Bai Xiaoxia. Your mom likes her more anyway.”

“Mom doesn’t know,” he sighed lightly on the other end, “Mom doesn’t know we’ve divorced…”

But I really didn’t want to get involved anymore.

If I went now, Tang’s mother would probably take the opportunity of being sick to urge me to have a child again.

But I’ve already divorced her son-how ridiculous.

I took a deep breath and replied, “Just tell her I’ve gone on a business trip out of town. Take Bai Xiaoxia instead. Maybe if she’s happy, your mom will recover faster.”

After saying that, I hung up.

Turning around, I saw that Wei Qingchen was somehow standing behind me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” He frowned slightly, his clear eyes full of apology.

“It’s fine, it’s all in the past anyway. Just a failed marriage-I can’t stay stuck in the same place forever.” I exhaled deeply, reassuring him, and myself.

“Exactly! You’re so outstanding, it’s his loss if he can’t see it.” His eyes curved as he smiled wider and two dimples appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Such a bright and genuine smile was so warm that I was momentarily dazed.

Until the “ding-dong” of the doorbell sounded at the door.

It was Tang Chao.

He seemed a bit thinner, but his refined looks were still unmistakable.

He lowered his head to look at me and called softly, “Yimiao, come home with me and see Mom…”

I stared into his eyes, not understanding why he was so persistent.

Taking a deep breath to make sure I wasn’t just acting out of spite, I finally spoke, “Why me? Isn’t Bai Xiaoxia more suitable?”

Tang’s mother clearly liked Bai Xiaoxia more too.

“Yimiao, stop being mad at me…”

I doubted whether this person could even understand what I was saying.

“I’m not mad at you…”

Before I could finish, I saw Tang Chao’s eyes narrow, focusing on something behind me.

That was always his signal for anger.

“You’re living with another man?” He saw Wei Qingchen behind me, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

Wei Qingchen had just woken up and was still wearing pajamas, his black hair a bit messy.

But what right did Tang Chao have to be angry?

Wasn’t he the one who got entangled with Bai Xiaoxia first?

“We’re already divorced. What I do has nothing to do with you.” I looked at him coldly.

He must have never seen me so forceful before. He froze for a moment, then reached out to pull me, “Come back with me.”

“She can’t go with you.” Wei Qingchen had somehow come to my side, grabbing the wrist Tang Chao was holding.

“She’s my girlfriend. She can’t go back with you.” Wei Qingchen’s usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by the firmness of a man facing off with another man.

I was stunned, realizing he was backing me up, helping me regain some ground.

Tang Chao’s expression turned icy; he hadn’t expected I really was living with another man.

He stared at me for a long moment before finally letting go, hoarsely saying, “Chen Yimiao, you really are something.”

Then he turned and left, though his back looked a little defeated.

I turned back and apologized to Wei Qingchen, “Sorry for causing you trouble.”

“And… thanks for helping me out just now…” I meant him pretending to be my boyfriend.

Unexpectedly, he replied softly, “I actually wish it were real.”

It sounded like a joke, but also like something from the heart. After he finished, he smiled at me again.

It made me feel inexplicably flustered, so I hurriedly changed the subject, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I cooked some porridge. Want to eat together?”

He smiled and replied, “Sure.”

It really was just plain porridge. Besides a bottle of spicy beef sauce in the fridge, there were no other side dishes.

“Is this how you usually eat?” he asked softly.

I felt a bit embarrassed-inviting someone for porridge without even a single dish really was a bit insincere.

“Sorry, when I’m alone I just keep things simple.” I promised him, “Next time, I’ll treat you to a big meal.”

Hopefully, I could repay him for helping me today.

“Not good at cooking?” He raised an eyebrow, but his lips curved in a small smile. “How about this-next time you buy the groceries and I’ll cook.”

I was about to retort-he underestimated me, my cooking skills were actually quite good.

But my mind couldn’t help drifting back to those three years.

For Tang Chao, I had gone from a girl who could only make kitchen disasters to a virtuous wife capable of preparing a full banquet.

But no matter how many lavish dinners I made waiting for him to come home, I usually just got, “I’ve already eaten, you go to bed first.”

How could he have so much overtime?

Most of the time, he was just sitting in his car, quietly listening to music and reminiscing about his time with Bai Xiaoxia.

I even found a photo of Bai Xiaoxia in the storage compartment on the driver’s side-big round almond eyes, youthful and vibrant, successfully haunting Tang Chao’s thoughts for so many years.

He would spend every night sitting alone in the car until late, just so he didn’t have to face me for long.

Laughably, I even bought cookbooks and racked my brains to make him delicious food.

“What? You don’t believe I can cook?” Wei Qingchen’s pleasant voice, tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction, pulled me back to reality. “This Friday, just wait and see.”

On Friday night, unlike usual, Wei Qingchen came home early. I, on the other hand, was called by the big boss to report on some work.

When I got home, I was genuinely surprised.

There were a lot of dishes on the table-spicy swimming crabs, garlic crayfish, stir-fried shrimp, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and a water shield and whitebait soup.

It seemed… they were all my favorites.

“I made these especially for you.” Wei Qingchen handed me chopsticks with a beaming smile, “Go on, try them. I learned to cook when I was living abroad on my own.”

It was the first time anyone had cooked for me. I looked at his bright eyes and thought.

The dinner atmosphere was great. Since it was the weekend, we drank a little, enough to get a bit tipsy but not drunk.

“Wei Qingchen,” after two glasses of wine, I looked him in the eyes and asked, “How did you know what I like to eat?”

Unexpectedly, the man who hadn’t blushed after a few drinks now had red ears: “I… I saw you order these for delivery before…”

He stammered.

The dim, yellow light felt a little ambiguous. Emboldened by the alcohol, I joked, “If you’re this good to me, I’ll get the wrong idea. I’m a divorcée-don’t fall for me, it’ll never work out…”

To hide my embarrassment, I laughed it off as if nothing had happened.

Wei Qingchen’s gaze seemed to dim, but after I finished laughing, he picked up his chopsticks and poked me on the head: “Keep dreaming. If we really got together, I’d have to cook every day-I’d be at a huge loss…”

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but oddly, there was a faint, inexplicable sense of loss.