No Girl Can Walk Away Smiling After Checking Her Boyfriend’s Phone

The café Zhou Xuan chose wasn’t far from my company, so I took a cab there right after work.

As soon as we sat down, the first thing Zhou Xuan said to me was:

“I don’t want Jiang Ling anymore.”

I was utterly baffled.

I suddenly wondered if there was something seriously wrong with her.

“After that day at the restaurant, I confessed to Jiang Ling.”

Zhou Xuan paused for a moment. Her tone was nonchalant, but the bitterness in her voice was hard to ignore.

“He clearly rejected me this time.”

This time?

I twitched my lips, picked up my coffee, and took a sip.

“I didn’t give up. I’ve been by his side these days. But he’s been getting colder and colder towards me, and his rejections have become more and more resolute.”

“Once, during a company dinner, some colleagues tried to pair us up, and his face immediately turned cold. He warned them not to joke around, saying he had a girlfriend.”

Zhou Xuan let out a cold laugh, “But everyone knew by then that he had already broken up with you.”

My hand, holding the coffee cup, paused slightly. I couldn’t understand the point of Jiang Ling’s actions.

“What made me give up was…”

Zhou Xuan suddenly looked up, her eyes slightly reddened,

“After the dinner, he drank a lot and called for a designated driver. I was worried and followed him, only to find he went to your apartment building.”

She paused for a long time before continuing,

“I happened to see you going upstairs with a man.”

I was slightly taken aback.

A flood of memories rushed into my mind.

The day Zhou Xuan mentioned should have been last weekend when I went hiking with Chen Rui and the others.

On the way down, I chatted with Qiao Yiqing about the strange nicknames of our high school classmates.

Chen Rui suddenly chimed in, “Last time I saw Yiqing on a video call with his mom at the company. She called him Qiaoqiao and urged him to find a partner soon!”

I looked at Qiao Yiqing in surprise, “Qiaoqiao?”

Qiao Yiqing’s ears turned red, but he tried to remain calm.

He gave a soft “hmm” and then said seriously, “Don’t call me that again next time.”

I tried to hold back my laughter, but somehow it hit my funny bone, and I laughed all the way back while Qiao Yiqing remained silent.

As a result, I laughed too much and accidentally sprained my ankle.

After they took me home, I suddenly remembered that I had run out of iodine and cotton swabs, so I asked Chen Rui, who knew the way, to go to the nearby pharmacy.

At that time, it was Qiao Yiqing who helped me upstairs.

I didn’t expect Jiang Ling to misunderstand because of this.

But there was no need to explain anymore.

“I’ve never seen Jiang Ling like that.”

Zhou Xuan lowered her voice, seemingly trying hard to conceal something,

“He’s always been a clean person, but he was curled up on the ground, trembling with sadness.”

“I heard him crying.”

Zhou Xuan let out a bitter laugh, “At that moment, I realized he truly regretted it.”

She wiped her eyes and then stared straight at me as if nothing had happened,

“But it’s too late now. You won’t forgive him, will you?”

I looked into her eyes.

The tension and probing were evident.

I suddenly understood the real reason she called me here today and told me all these things.

She never intended to give up on Jiang Ling; she just wanted to confirm my stance.

She wanted to know if Jiang Ling’s deep feelings and regret could bring me back.

I picked up my bag expressionlessly and stood up, giving her a glance,

“You don’t need to waste your efforts. It’s completely over between Jiang Ling and me.”

Zhou Xuan was momentarily stunned, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face, but she ultimately breathed a sigh of relief.

……

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, I didn’t have to work overtime, nor did I go home. I stayed in my rented apartment, working on the quarterly proposal.

Chen Rui sent me something-a hand-knitted scarf.

Milk-gray, soft to the touch, and warm, perfect for the current weather.

But I didn’t wear it; I put it away in the drawer.

After several sleepless nights, the proposal still made no progress, and my head began to throb faintly.

After a while, I felt weak and lethargic.

With the last bit of strength, I opened my phone, scrolling through the contacts to call Chen Rui.

When the call connected, it was Qiao Yiqing’s voice on the other end: “Chen Nan?”

I realized I had dialed the wrong number.

Before I could say a word, everything went black, and I fell into darkness.

When I woke up again, I was on a hospital bed.

An IV was inserted in my wrist, and the room was filled with the strong smell of disinfectant.

A few people were gathered around, seemingly talking.

Qiao Yiqing was sitting beside me with a laptop, typing intently. The soft light illuminated his fair skin, even the fine hairs glowed warmly.

“I-” I tried to speak, only to find my voice hoarse.

“Awake?”

Qiao Yiqing immediately closed his laptop, took the thermos from the bedside, and poured me a glass of water.

He stood by the bed, watching me drink, and said slowly,

“This morning, you didn’t say a word on the phone, nor did you hang up. I guessed something might have happened. I messaged Chen Rui, but he was far away, so he told me where you kept the spare key and asked me to go over first.”

Still groggy from sleep, I struggled to process his words, then heard him say,

“The doctor said you fainted due to overwork and lack of sleep, which led to low blood sugar.”

I touched my nose, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, “Work has been really busy lately.”

Qiao Yiqing looked at me for a while, then suddenly smiled, “Just like in high school, always pushing yourself.”

I was slightly taken aback, feeling a bit uneasy, “Where’s Chen Rui?”

Qiao Yiqing looked at me, then turned away with a soft laugh, “He went to get you some food. Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

I nodded instinctively, hesitated for a few seconds, then asked, “Did anyone else come while I was unconscious?”

Qiao Yiqing didn’t speak for a while, then replied softly, “Your mom came this morning.”

I lowered my head, my fingers tightly clutching the edge of the blanket.

At that time, I vaguely saw my mom, eyes red, anxiously asking the doctor, “Is my daughter okay?”

It was the first time I saw my mom cry for me.

Because it felt so unreal, I thought I was dreaming.