Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next day, my Moments blew up.

When I woke up, there were more than twenty unread messages on my phone.

Most of them were from our mutual group chat.

Someone asked if I’d spent the night at Zhou Yan’s place.

Someone else sent an emoji loaded with meaning.

Before I could figure out how to respond, Zhou Yan posted in the group first.

“He was at my place last night. Don’t message him privately about it.”

The group went silent for half a minute.

I stared at that sentence and suddenly realized he hadn’t been dragged into the mess by me.

He had walked into it himself.

Other people messaged me privately too.

“Shen Que, don’t do this. You’re making Liang Xu look bad.”

I stared at that message and laughed out loud.

Making Liang Xu look bad.

What about me?

When I got dumped, they told me to be graceful.

When Liang Xu showed up with someone new, they said we were all adults.

Now all I’d done was ride in Zhou Yan’s car once, and they were already worried about Liang Xu looking bad.

I typed back.

“His face is big enough. He won’t miss this much of it.”

They didn’t reply again.

After I washed up and went out, Zhou Yan had already made breakfast.

Plain congee, eggs, warm water.

And a small dish of pickled mustard greens.

Standing by the dining table, I inexplicably thought of Liang Xu.

Liang Xu liked taking me to expensive restaurants.

He knew exactly how to order.

He knew wine too.

But he rarely asked what I actually wanted to eat.

Zhou Yan handed me a spoon.

“Eat first.”

I didn’t take it.

“Are you like this with everyone?”

“Like what?”

“Pretending to be a good person.”

Zhou Yan set the spoon back beside the bowl.

“Do I not look like a good person?”

“No.”

“Then I’m not pretending.”

I choked a little.

This man didn’t say much, but he always managed to shut me up.

I sat down and drank my congee.

After only a couple bites, Liang Xu called again.

I didn’t answer.

He quickly sent a message.

“Come out. Let’s talk.”

I replied, “No.”

“Don’t force me to go find Zhou Yan.”

I turned my phone facedown on the table.

Zhou Yan asked, “He’s looking for you?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going?”

“Do you want me to go?”

Zhou Yan pushed an egg toward me.

“You decide for yourself.”

“How generous.”

“Shen Que.”

He tapped his knuckles lightly against the table, his voice very soft.

“I’m not Liang Xu.”

My chopsticks froze.

Zhou Yan said, “Don’t test me with his reactions.”

My throat tightened.

I had been testing him all along.

Testing whether he would get jealous.

Testing whether he would get angry.

Testing whether he would be like Liang Xu, giving me a little indulgence at first, then taking it back when I was at my most humiliated.

But Zhou Yan was too steady.

So steady I didn’t know how to play the next scene.

That afternoon, Liang Xu actually showed up at the door.

When he arrived, I was just about to leave.

The elevator doors opened, and we ran straight into each other.

Liang Xu saw the clothes on me, and his expression turned completely cold.

It was Zhou Yan’s black jacket.

Because my clothes had smelled of alcohol last night, Zhou Yan had let me wear his for the time being.

Liang Xu stared at me.

“So you really did stay here.”

I tugged at the jacket.

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

He took a step forward and grabbed my arm.

“Come with me.”

He yanked me so hard I stumbled.

The next second, another hand closed around Liang Xu’s wrist.

Zhou Yan stood in the doorway.

“Let go.”

Liang Xu looked like he’d heard a joke.

“Zhou Yan, do you know what you’re doing?”

“I do.”

“He’s using you.”

Zhou Yan looked at me.

My heart tightened.

What would he say?

Would he finally think I was ugly like this?

But Zhou Yan said, “I’m willing.”

Liang Xu froze.

So did I.

The air in the elevator lobby seemed to drain away.

The shock in Liang Xu’s eyes turned into anger.

“Are you fucking crazy?”

“It’s not your first day knowing me.”

Zhou Yan’s voice was calm.

“I’m not as good as you think.”

Liang Xu stared at him.

“You’re going to turn against me for him?”

Zhou Yan didn’t answer right away.

He glanced at me.

It was such a light glance.

But I heard my heart drop heavily.

He said, “You shouldn’t have touched him.”

Liang Xu laughed.

“Touched him? Zhou Yan, he slept with me for two years.”

The words came crashing down, and my whole body went rigid.

Not because I was ashamed.

Because Liang Xu knew exactly how to humiliate me.

He knew what I feared most.

Feared that others would think I was cheap.

Feared that others would think I couldn’t leave him.

Feared that my two years of sincerity would, in the end, be reduced to one filthy sentence he could use to insult me.

I was just about to speak when Zhou Yan suddenly let go of Liang Xu.

He stepped forward and stood in front of me.

“So what?”

Liang Xu’s expression darkened.

Zhou Yan said, “Just because you once had him, you get to talk about him like that?”

Liang Xu said nothing.

Zhou Yan continued, “Then I really am worse than you.”

He turned his head to look at me.

“Because I can’t bear to say even one word.”