After Breaking Off the Engagement, The Young Lady Deeply Regretted It - Chapter 11

Jing Xiao put on some soft music. The gentle, soothing melody slowly spilled out, merging with the thick night air. She was slightly tipsy, but after drinking a glass of milk, the burning in her stomach finally felt better.

Fan Qingyu looked up at her and, pushing aside her office chair, sat up. In a soft voice, she said, “You look bored.”

“Not really.” Jing Xiao set down her glass and pulled a cushion from the sofa into her arms. With both hands stacked together, she pressed against the pillow. “Are you done with your work?”

“Far from it.” Fan Qingyu moved her stiff neck, which hadn’t been stretched in a while, producing a cracking sound. From a drawer under a small tea table, she took out a projector.

The projector was compact and convenient. Since her office didn’t have a screen, she could only project onto the wall. She deliberately chose a colorful, healing-style animated film. Then, patting Jing Xiao’s head reassuringly, she said, “Watch a movie for a while. Once it’s over, we’ll go to bed.”

“Okay. You’ve worked hard, wife.” Jing Xiao smiled peacefully, pulling Fan Qingyu’s hand over. The pads of her fingers, worn slightly flat from years of typing, brushed against her face. Jing Xiao rubbed her cheek against that hand before dropping a soft kiss on two knuckles.

Fan Qingyu shuddered, her face instantly turning red. She quickly withdrew her hand, shut the curtains, and hurried back to her chair, pretending to scold fiercely: “No kissing me during work hours.”

Jing Xiao found it amusing, but she put on a serious expression. “I didn’t kiss you.”

Fan Qingyu, equally serious: “You just kissed my hand.”

“Alright then.” Jing Xiao slowly leaned in, one hand braced on the desk and the other against the back of Fan Qingyu’s chair. Bending slightly toward her, she got close enough to hear Fan Qingyu’s quickened breathing.

Fan Qingyu’s face was flushed red. Jing Xiao remembered that first night she arrived in this world—Fan Qingyu’s actions and demeanor all screamed “unsatisfied desire.” How come now she seemed so pure? The thought amused her, and she said it aloud: “Wife, you’re really… pure right now?”

Fan Qingyu coughed to hide her embarrassment. “Go away. You weren’t like this before.”

Hearing her say “go away” only made the rebellious Jing Xiao lean in closer. Her nose pressed against Fan Qingyu’s. The two of them were so close, one more second and they’d be kissing.

Anticipating her move, Fan Qingyu shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the kiss to fall.

Jing Xiao, however, only gazed at her long curled eyelashes and the fine wrinkle at the corner of her eye from squeezing them shut so tightly.

The two of them held that pose for a while. Curious, Fan Qingyu peeked open one eye, realizing Jing Xiao was just staring, not moving. Understanding it was a tease, she lowered her gaze and pulled back a little.

Jing Xiao burst out laughing, ruffling her hair. “Alright, alright. I won’t tease you. Get back to work.”

Fan Qingyu felt a twinge of disappointment.

As Jing Xiao turned away, she suddenly darted back and brushed a fleeting kiss on Fan Qingyu’s lips. When they separated, she said, “Xiaoyu, you were the one who said no kissing during work hours.”

Fan Qingyu’s heart raced wildly. She spoke against her true feelings: “Yes, I said it. Who gave you permission to kiss me?”

“Because you looked a little disappointed just now.” Jing Xiao pressed her forehead to hers, rubbing gently, showing affection. “I didn’t want you to feel that way, so of course I had to kiss you.”

Fan Qingyu gripped the desk tightly to distract herself, swallowing hard. Her adrenaline was spiking, her heart pounding at a dangerous speed. Afraid she’d lose focus, she cleared her throat and used a folder to shield her face. “From now on, no more kissing me.”

But her ears, red to the point of bleeding, betrayed everything. Jing Xiao gave in first. “Got it. I won’t bother you anymore.”

She returned to her seat. Fan Qingyu steadied her mind and resumed her work, ignoring Jing Xiao’s every move.

Jing Xiao’s eyes stayed fixed on her, waiting to see what she’d do next. Sure enough, after some time, Fan Qingyu placed a kiss on the exact spot where Jing Xiao had kissed her earlier. Then she shook her hand out, picked up a black pen, and went back to work.

Jing Xiao’s heart felt drenched in honey—sweet and warm. Maybe Fan Qingyu wasn’t as unfeeling as she seemed.

Her attention drifted back to the movie. The animation was whimsical, both in effects and story. Childish yet soothing. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before long she dozed off.

When she woke briefly, the film was almost over. She hadn’t really followed the plot. Reaching out, she turned off the projector, too tired to last any longer. She meant to tell Fan Qingyu she was heading to bed.

But Fan Qingyu stretched her arms. She had already seen this movie before. Familiar music playing in the background helped her finish her work two hours faster than usual. Just before Jing Xiao spoke, she closed her files. “Let’s go to sleep.”

Jing Xiao grinned. “You’re good at timing things.”

The office building was quiet. Outside the windows, only a few floors here and there still had their lights on. As she tidied her desk, Fan Qingyu looked back at Jing Xiao. “Close the window. It’s going to rain tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Fan Qingyu’s office connected to a private lounge, decorated like a hotel room. A large bed faced a flat-screen TV. Thick carpet lined the floor beside it. Even the toothbrushes were disposable.

The air conditioning and humidifier were already running, making the room cozy. Jing Xiao adjusted the AC to sleep mode before slipping into slippers and heading for the bathroom.

Fan Qingyu handed her a new toothbrush, keeping one for herself. She casually brushed her teeth in front of the mirror. Jing Xiao frowned. “Why use disposable toothbrushes?”

Muffled, Fan Qingyu replied, “Because this isn’t my home.”

“Fair enough.” Jing Xiao was still dizzy from drinking earlier. After a quick rinse in the shower, she changed into a loose bathrobe and collapsed onto the bed.

Fan Qingyu’s face was covered with a thick mud mask. She chuckled softly, pulling the quilt up to cover Jing Xiao. “How come I never noticed—you can be pretty carefree sometimes.”

Jing Xiao didn’t reply, just tugged the blanket tighter and rolled to the other side of the bed. The only thought in her mind: sleep.

With that roll, her phone slipped off the bed with a thud. Too tired to open her eyes again, she clutched her pillow and fell sound asleep.

Fan Qingyu tucked the blanket around her carefully before picking up the phone. In the dim light, the screen reflected her own face.

The phone was old, its screen protector scratched in several places. Running a finger across the marks, she accidentally triggered the screen. It lit up suddenly, startling her, and she instinctively tossed it away.

The phone landed safely on the carpet. Fan Qingyu remembered the device had once recorded her face—likely it had unlocked through face recognition.

The wallpaper was still that same photo. But now it felt different. Her eyes lingered on it as she whispered, “Xiaoxiao, can I look through your phone?”

No response. Jing Xiao was clearly fast asleep, rolling over and leaving a gap in the blanket.

Nervously, Fan Qingyu picked the phone back up. She wasn’t sure why she felt guilty, even bending her knuckles to avoid tapping the screen with her nails.

She opened her social app. Aside from Ouyang Fei and the butler, there were no recent contacts. She exited, swiping idly through other pages, unsure where to look next.

Her gaze fell on the Notes app. Compelled by something, she tapped it. It required a password.

First, she tried her own birthday. Wrong.

Then she entered their anniversary. Wrong again.

After some thought, she tried Jing Xiao’s birthday. The phone unlocked immediately. Her finger froze mid-air, stunned for a moment.

Inside, there was only one neatly titled folder: “Love Diary.” The most recent entry was just a few days ago. Scrolling through, she saw nearly forty entries written in that short time.

She opened the oldest one at the bottom:

“Fan Qingyu, a little dramatic.”

Fan Qingyu frowned, finding it unbelievable. Jing Xiao thought she was dramatic? And even wrote it in a love diary?

Jing Xiao clearly loved her so much, willing to give up everything for her. Fan Qingyu didn’t want to doubt their relationship, but she lacked the courage to face it. She scrolled all the way up to the most recent entry.

It pierced her eyes:

“I think I’ve started to like you.”

Fan Qingyu’s chest tightened as if gripped by an invisible hand. Her blood ran cold—like falling into an ice cave.

Why just recently?

She remembered every kindness Jing Xiao had shown her. Though she was by nature cold and skeptical of pure love, Jing Xiao had proved such a thing existed—willing to sacrifice everything, treating her like a treasure. Her stone-like heart had been opening.

She couldn’t believe someone like that would also write down her flaws. Or maybe… maybe Jing Xiao’s recent changes hinted at leaving.

The summer night was hot, yet her hands and feet were icy. Her throat constricted, unable to form words. She stood there for a long time, one thought echoing in her head—

She couldn’t marry someone like this.

Her eyes burned red, brimming with tears. She hadn’t realized she was crying until two hot streaks slid down her cheeks.

Shaking her head violently, she felt absurd. How could she deny everything Jing Xiao had given her over just a few lines?

But what about that diary entry?

She didn’t have the energy to keep thinking, nor the courage to keep reading. Closing the app, she cleared the phone’s background and set it back on the nightstand. Acting as if nothing happened, she headed for the shower.

Jing Xiao slept soundly, her breathing light and steady. Recently, she seemed to have gained some weight, her cheeks glowing with healthy pink.

Fan Qingyu sat down beside her, knees bent under the blanket, resting her elbows on them and holding her face in her hands. She quietly replayed everything that had just happened.

In the end, she couldn’t resist.

She picked up the phone again, hands trembling worse than before. Several times she mistyped the password. After a long hesitation, she steeled herself and opened the second entry in the Love Diary.

Support After Breaking Off the Engagement, The Young Lady Deeply Regretted It