Volume 1, Chapter 21: Things Remain, People Change

Once I had seen through Kuang Li’s trap, she became truly terrified at the mention of me calling the police. Her hoarse, sobbing voice sounded as if it had been steeped in bitter medicine.

"Yu Bin! I beg you, please don't call the police! If you do, I’m finished. My company will definitely fire me."

"Oh, is that so?"

Kuang Li had completely shed her former arrogance and haughtiness, her tone becoming incredibly servile. "You checked earlier—if you report this, I could be detained. If that happens, my company will certainly dismiss me. Yu Bin, can’t you consider our past feelings? Please, forgive me just this once..."

I continued to press her: "Are you certain that if I really call the police, your company will fire you?"

Kuang Li gave a firm "Yes," adding, "Then I’ll be ruined."

"Then I have even more reason to make that call!"

"..."

She finally reached her breaking point and shrieked at me, "Yu Bin!"

My heart remained calm. "What is it?"

There was a sound of heavy breathing on the other end of the line. After a long while, her voice deflated.

"Fine! I surrender. I’m willing to give up that house back home. Please, just let me off the hook. Is that enough?"

I remained silent for a few seconds before saying, with a sense of weariness, "Fine. But words are not enough. I need us both to draw up an agreement and sign it."

Kuang Li let out a sigh of relief and said with a tone of resignation, "Alright. Tomorrow at seven in the evening, the usual place. I’ll bring the agreement. Let’s consider this our final meeting after our breakup—if you’re willing to come, that is."

"Fine, no problem."

Although the dispute between Kuang Li and me had been resolved, I felt no sense of relief. A fairytale beginning ending in a farce—it left me feeling both amused and bitter. Just as the movie line goes, life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.

The "usual place" Kuang Li mentioned was a small restaurant near our old university that served home-style cooking. Back in our college days, this place was practically our canteen. When I arrived, Kuang Li was already there.

After not seeing her for a few days, her delicate features seemed a bit haggard, like a withered lotus in the pond of a painting on the wall.

She frowned and handed me the menu. "I’ve ordered several dishes. See if there’s anything else you want to add."

I shook my head and didn't reach for the menu. "This is enough. Let’s talk about business."

A flash of awkwardness crossed Kuang Li's face as she stared at me. "Is there really nothing else we can talk about besides this?"

I thought for a moment and shook my head.

Let a withered relationship drift away with the wind.

Kuang Li pursed her lips, her face paling repeatedly. She set the menu down heavily, her strength seemingly drained from her body.

She gave a bitter laugh and sighed, "This farewell meal should have been eaten on the day we divorced. We can just consider today a make-up session."

As soon as she said this, the people at the nearby tables suddenly looked toward us, their eyes filled with gossip.

I paid no heed to their gazes and smiled faintly. "Let’s see the agreement first."

A flicker of anger crossed Kuang Li's eyes, but she suppressed her emotions, pulled out the document, and pushed it toward me.

"Take a good look. I’ve already signed it. If you don't find any issues, then sign it."

I picked up the agreement and read it word for word. I was very thorough, which only earned me a scornful laugh from Kuang Li.

"Don't worry, I downloaded the template from the internet. I’m definitely not trying to trick you. Is it really necessary to look that closely?"

My eyes remained fixed on the document as I said nonchalantly, "Looking closely now saves a lot of trouble later."

Kuang Li looked up and shot me a glance, suppressing her dissatisfaction without another word.

By then, I had finished reading the agreement. I nodded, took out a pen, and scribbled my signature across the page.

I pushed one copy toward her, but she hesitated as she looked at the pen in my hand and let out a breath. "That’s not the one I gave you."

I nodded. "No. The one you gave me was thrown away a long time ago."

Kuang Li’s pupils constricted, her face filled with surprise. After a moment, she let out a bitter laugh and sighed, "Was that necessary? Not even leaving a memento? Do you hate me that much?"

I shook my head decisively, my tone steady. "It wasn't necessary. A person cannot live in the past forever."

The dishes began to arrive. Kuang Li had ordered the very dishes we ate every year on our anniversary, but neither of us had any intention of picking up our chopsticks.

Perhaps my change in attitude was too abrupt for her to handle. She bit her lip and said, unwilling to let it go, "Yu Bin, even though we’ve broken up, we were together for nine years. Is there really nothing you miss?"

I looked at the layers of plane trees outside, their dense branches blocking the sun, casting a heavy shadow over my heart as well.

I collected my thoughts, looked at her increasingly unfamiliar face, and shook my head again. "Since there is something better waiting for me in the future, why dwell on the past?"

Kuang Li’s face flushed with anger. She slammed her hand on the table and glared at me. "Then we shall see! I’d like to see if I’ll ever regret leaving you!"

With that, she grabbed the agreement and her bag, clicked away in her high heels, and left the restaurant without looking back.

Ever since Kuang Li stormed off, I became the center of attention in the restaurant. Everyone looked at me—some pointing fingers, others whispering.

I bore the arrow-like gazes alone. Looking at the table full of untouched food, I called the waiter to pack it up.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the night breeze blew, carrying away my thoughts as I savored the taste of solitude in the night.

Having seen Kuang Li, I suddenly didn’t want to go home. Drifting alone in Beijing without many friends, I searched my mind and could only think of Lin Feifei.

After a moment of hesitation, I sent her a message.

Me: "Is your stomach still hurting?"

She replied almost instantly.

Lin Feifei: "A little, but it doesn't hurt that much. It’s just uncomfortable. What do you think is going on?"

I picked up the food container, took a photo, and sent it to her.

"Gluttons can never tell the difference between a stomachache and hunger."

"How did you know I hadn't eaten?"

"I don't know. I just have a feeling that your 128G stomach could still handle some more!"

"Then why don't you hurry over to my place? We can talk about everything else later, but the meat needs to be eaten now!"

She followed up with a set of cute emojis.

I couldn't help but smile. Whenever I was in a bad mood, chatting with this beautiful flight attendant always seemed to heal my low spirits.