Chapter 2

Wen Songyi didn’t take me seriously. She had never believed I would leave.

For five years, after all, I’d had no backbone where she was concerned. When her meetings ran past midnight, I waited downstairs. When she said she didn’t feel like eating, I spent three months learning to cook. When she called me clingy, I swallowed the words “I want to see you” and put them in my transfer notes instead.

“Working hard, Ms. Wen.”

“Buying ten minutes of your time.”

“Still want to see you today.”

She always accepted the money promptly. Sometimes, if she was in a good mood, she’d even reply, “Approved.”

The next morning, I’d barely reached the office when her assistant arrived. She handed me a bill.

“Mr. Pei, Ms. Wen asked me to bring you this.”

I glanced at it. Ten minutes at Yunlan last night. Half price: forty thousand yuan.

I laughed aloud. The assistant looked embarrassed.

“Ms. Wen said you’d understand once you read it.”

A note at the bottom read: “Regular charges remain in effect during tantrums.”

I picked up a pen and wrote on the back: “Payment refused.”

The assistant stared. “Mr. Pei…”

“Tell her,” I said, handing it back, “I wasn’t satisfied with the service.”

Wen Songyi called almost immediately.

“Who taught you that?” she demanded.

I leaned back in my chair. “What?”

“Refusing to pay.” She gave a cold laugh. “You never used to have this much nerve.”

“That was before.”

“Is this because of Xu Zhinan?”

I didn’t answer. Her voice grew colder.

“You’re nearly thirty. Don’t you find it embarrassing to pick on a boy who’s just graduated?”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“Wen Songyi, what exactly have I picked on him about?”

“He just finished university. No connections, no family. What’s wrong with me looking after him?”

“Did I say you couldn’t?”

She stopped.

“I’ve just realized you do have time,” I said.

She wasn’t too busy. She simply couldn’t bear to waste her time on me.

The line went quiet. After a long while, she laughed.

“Fine. Come to my place tonight.”

“What for?”

“You want to talk, don’t you? I’ll give you an hour.”

I was going to refuse, but I still had something at her place.

A ring. I’d made it myself, engraving our names inside the band.

When I’d given it to her five years earlier, she’d looked it over and laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

“Pei Yan, you don’t seriously want to marry me, do you?”

I’d blushed and said nothing. She slipped it onto her ring finger and held up her hand.

“All right. You can rent this finger for a month.”

One month had become another. She hadn’t returned the ring, and I hadn’t asked for it.

That evening, I went to her house. The door wasn’t quite shut. As soon as I pushed it open, I heard Xu Zhinan.

“Jiejie, this ring is so unusual.”

I stopped in the doorway.

He was sitting on the living-room rug with the ring in his hand.

Wen Songyi lounged on the sofa, reading documents.

“You like it?”

“Can I try it on?”

She didn’t look up. “Do whatever you want.”

Something slammed into my chest.

Xu Zhinan slipped the ring onto his little finger. It was too big. He smiled and wiggled it.

“Who gave it to you?”

At last, Wen Songyi looked up. She saw me in the doorway, and her expression changed for just an instant.

Then she said, quite naturally, “Just something old.”

Five years ago, I’d worn the skin off my fingers three times polishing that ring. She said it was ugly, so I’d made it again. By the time I finished, my palms were covered in tiny cuts.

She’d asked if it hurt. I’d said no, and she’d laughed at me for being an idiot.

She’d been right about that.

Xu Zhinan noticed me too and hurried to take the ring off.

“Pei-ge, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

Wen Songyi frowned. “What are you apologizing to him for?”

His eyes reddened at once. “Jiejie, did I upset him?”

She tossed her documents onto the coffee table.

“Pei Yan, stop sulking.”

I looked at her. “Give me back the ring.”

Her face darkened. “That’s what you came for?”

“Yes.”

She let out an incredulous laugh. “Could you be any more petty?”

I walked over without answering and held out my hand. Xu Zhinan pressed his lips together and took off the ring. Just as he put it in my palm, Wen Songyi spoke.

“Pei Yan, stop embarrassing yourself.”

I closed my hand around it. “Am I the one who should be embarrassed?”

Her eyes went cold. “Are you trying to start a fight with me?”

“No.” I put the ring in my pocket. “I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

Xu Zhinan lowered his head and murmured, “Pei-ge, please don’t be angry with her. She just feels sorry for me because I’ve only just got back…”

“Should I feel sorry for you?” I looked at him.

He stared.

“Are you so hard up you need to wear someone else’s ring?”

Wen Songyi shot to her feet. “Pei Yan!”

She stepped in front of Xu Zhinan so quickly I couldn’t even pretend to misunderstand anymore.

I nodded. “All right.”

I turned to leave. Behind me, she spoke through barely contained anger.

“Walk out that door today, and don’t come crawling back.”

I paused, then opened the door.

“Don’t worry.”