Chapter Six: A Thief Has Broken In
“Madam, can she afford to pay for this?” the driver, Xiao Zhao, couldn’t help but ask. She had scratched a Cullinan—a single small scratch would cost six figures to repaint.
Of course she couldn’t afford it. Zhang Xiluo closed the car window. “Let’s go. Later, go get a detailed repair quote.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Contact a reliable housekeeping service for me. I need a cook, and also find a few skilled workers to tidy up the living room.”
Instead of returning to the villa, Zhang Xiluo had Xiao Zhao drop her off by the roadside. She planned to visit the mall across the street to buy some art supplies.
She suddenly felt an itch in her hands—she wanted to paint.
Just because Li Mingye had said painting was a waste of time, she had given up the specialty she’d studied for so many years. Now, given a second chance at life, she wanted to be herself again.
Zhang Xiluo ordered some canvases and paints, left her delivery address, then went to a specialty brush shop to pick out brushes.
She was drawn to a set of starry sky brushes. Just as she reached out to take them, someone grasped her hand. When she looked up, she froze for a few seconds.
It was Ouyang Chen, Li Mingye’s childhood friend.
Zhang Xiluo had a good impression of him. When she was desperately chasing after Li Mingye, Ouyang Chen had helped her out.
In her memory, Ouyang Chen had also fallen for Zhou Yao, and for her sake had even fallen out with Li Mingye.
On the day of her car accident, it was Ouyang Chen who told her Li Mingye’s whereabouts.
“What a coincidence.” Zhang Xiluo greeted him with a smile.
Ouyang Chen didn’t release her hand, his gaze fixed on her. “What are you doing here?”
“Can you let go now?” Zhang Xiluo shook the brush in her hand. Why did men always like to ask questions they already knew the answer to?
Ouyang Chen’s expression shifted slightly and he let go.
Zhang Xiluo took the brush to the register, then walked back to Ouyang Chen and handed him the brush. “A gift for you.”
“I can’t accept a reward for no reason.” Ouyang Chen refused.
“What if I need your help with something?”
“I won’t help.”
“….”
Zhang Xiluo knew Ouyang Chen was cold by nature; his refusal was entirely within her expectations. After all, they had little connection, and he was so close to Li Mingye. She could easily accept his indifference.
Zhang Xiluo put away the brush and left with a flourish.
Ouyang Chen stood where he was, thoughtfully watching her retreating figure.
When she returned to the villa, Xiao Zhao had already brought back the repair quote.
Zhang Xiluo took the estimate and dialed Zhou Yao’s number. “Hello, I’m the owner of the car from today. The repair quote is ready.”
“Hello, sister.” Zhou Yao greeted her politely. “How much do I owe you?”
“Add me on WeChat. I’ll send you the quote. After you’ve looked it over, we can talk.”
Zhou Yao quickly sent a friend request.
Zhang Xiluo accepted, took a photo of the estimate, and sent it. There was no reply for a long time.
She didn’t rush her. The longer Zhou Yao delayed, the happier she felt.
The villa’s living room was in chaos. As she’d requested, all the wedding photos on the walls had been taken down and stacked together. The remnants of her pathetic pursuit were also piled on the floor like garbage.
All the walls and cabinets were basically empty.
It looked much better this way!
Just then, Zhou Yao sent a message.
“Sister, can we meet? I’d like to talk with you in person about the compensation.”
“Of course. You choose the time and place,” Zhang Xiluo replied readily.
Zhou Yao responded almost instantly, suggesting they meet at a café near the school at ten tomorrow morning.
Zhang Xiluo looked at her phone, then at the empty walls, and suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
Even after living her life over again, she couldn’t truly be indifferent. But for the sake of survival, for the people she wanted to protect, she could only make this choice.
Only by leaving Li Mingye could she live the life she wanted.
“A burglar?” Li Mingye’s voice came out of nowhere, startling Zhang Xiluo.