After Breaking Off the Engagement, The Young Lady Deeply Regretted It - Chapter 39

Xu Jia maintained a pitiful, innocent-looking expression, the corner of her mouth curling with a hint of cunning. She waved her phone in front of Jing Xiao: “Just staying for a few days, and all this is taken care of. How about it?”

On the screen were the carefully compiled pieces of evidence Xu Jia had gathered over the past few years, related to Jing Xiao and her efforts to ruin the Fan family. Hesitating for a moment, Jing Xiao tried to negotiate: “Xu Jia, if Fan Qingyu finds out about this, none of us will be safe.”

Her face seemed harmless, yet when she smiled, it sent chills down the spine. Xu Jia, like a starving wolf fixated on its prey, refused to miss a single expression from Jing Xiao: “So? At most, I stay for a few years, but for you, it’s different.”

Jing Xiao gritted her teeth, wishing she could punch Xu Jia’s arrogant face.

Xu Jia placed a hand on Jing Xiao’s shoulder, leaving five prominent watermarks on the fabric. Her tone was slow and laced with temptation: “Let me stay a few days. If we get along well, this matter will be erased. Isn’t that worth it?”

Jing Xiao caught the emphasis: “Get along well?”

Xu Jia: “You should know what I mean.”

After settling Xu Jia into the guest room, Jing Xiao, with a thousand unwilling thoughts in her heart, dutifully fulfilled the “get along well” task. She quickly turned on the heater and prepared hot water for her, roughly instructing: “There’s sleepwear in the wardrobe. I’ll leave first.”

Xu Jia blocked her way: “You did it wrong. Your movements just now were too rough.”

Jing Xiao didn’t want to listen to her nagging. If she could, she would have beaten Xu Jia up first and then forced her to delete the evidence. But she couldn’t be sure whether Xu Jia had backup, so for now, she could only keep the enemy under control.

She lit a cigarette and said irritably: “I’m really tired now. If you think I’m too rough, you can leave.”

Xu Jia waved away the smoke, pushed Jing Xiao out, and slammed the door shut.

Jing Xiao couldn’t sleep. She slowly went downstairs and sat in the middle of the living room, watching the movie she had seen with Fan Qingyu last time. It was the same movie, but this time, there was no emotional intensity, no love or hate—life had dulled her passion. She deliberately turned up the volume to ensure she stayed awake.

By late afternoon, Jing Xiao remained in the same position, completely still. Her throat was sore. Swallowing, she took out another cigarette and held it between her lips.

There was a sound of kicking at the door. Jing Xiao made a light “tsk,” thinking it might be Ouyang fei coming over for a meal, showing little enthusiasm. She walked to the door and said calmly: “You’re here. Why the rush?”

“I carried a lot of groceries, my hands hurt a bit,” came a familiar voice, warm yet slightly aggrieved.

Jing Xiao froze at the door, stunned beyond belief at the visitor. She pinched her arm hard to make sure she wasn’t dreaming and instantly panicked.

Fan Qingyu had suddenly arrived—but Xu Jia still hadn’t been dealt with.

One was an unresolved ex-girlfriend; the other, a crazed woman entangling her. Jing Xiao couldn’t balance the two relationships and didn’t know how to explain it to Fan Qingyu.

What would Fan Qingyu’s reaction be if she discovered a stranger was staying upstairs?

Fan Qingyu kicked twice more: “Xiao Xiao, have you come?”

Jing Xiao opened the door reluctantly, her first words full of helplessness: “You said you weren’t coming.”

Fan Qingyu’s smile froze. Her calm voice changed, her eyes filled with slight grievance and confusion: “You didn’t want me to come?”

“No, you said the surprise wasn’t about visiting me.”

Fan Qingyu rarely took initiative. She carried two large plastic bags, the handles cutting into her fingers. Jing Xiao hurriedly grabbed them, trying to conceal her helplessness.

Fan Qingyu stood at the door, watching Jing Xiao’s expression without blinking. She stepped back just enough to avoid Jing Xiao’s attempt to usher her inside: “If you didn’t want me to come, you could have just said so.”

Jing Xiao set the groceries aside and quickly followed her outside: “No, it was just too sudden. I didn’t react in time.”

Fan Qingyu closed her eyes slowly, biting her jaw uncontrollably. A bitter feeling welled up in her chest, barely forming the words: “You didn’t just not react in time, Xiao Xiao. I’m not stupid.”

Jing Xiao was bad at lying in front of Fan Qingyu. Her eyes darted away. She hadn’t even changed her shoes and quickly grabbed her car keys, wanting to close the door: “Let’s eat out. There’s a new restaurant I’ve been wanting to try…”

“Jing Xiao.” Fan Qingyu completely lost patience. Her usually calm tone rose. Her eyes were red, tears welling but stubbornly unfallen: “What do you mean? Why are you guilty? Who is in your house?”

At this point, Jing Xiao could only tell the truth: “A friend is staying at my place. I didn’t want you to misunderstand.”

“Friend?” Fan Qingyu snorted with disdain, stepping closer. She jabbed Jing Xiao’s shoulder with her index finger: “You’re really bad at lying. If it were Ouyang fei, I wouldn’t suspect a thing. But this ‘friend’ hasn’t even appeared yet, and you’re already acting guilty?”

Fan Qingyu spoke too quickly and choked slightly on the nicotine in the air. The cigarette in Jing Xiao’s hand burned itself. She hurriedly stubbed it out and feigned determination: “Not guilty. I never mentioned her. I just didn’t want you to misunderstand.”

Fan Qingyu stared at the scattered vegetables, feeling the irony. She had wanted to cook a complete meal with Jing Xiao. After finishing her afternoon activities, she had rushed to the supermarket, braved the rain to Jing Xiao’s place, and despite mostly sitting in the car, her coat was wet.

Tears welled and blurred her vision. She sniffled, and even though she held her head high, the tears flowed: “Xiao Xiao, you said we would still have a chance. You said you needed time to deal with your emotions and matters.”

Her nose was red. Jing Xiao quickly got some tissues and wiped her tears: “I said that. Don’t cry.”

Fan Qingyu choked, her voice halting: “If you really have someone suitable, or if you don’t like me anymore, you could just say so, instead of like this.”

Jing Xiao couldn’t speak the truth. Bitter words stuck in her throat. She could only comfort her: “I don’t like anyone except you. Can’t you trust me?”

Fan Qingyu bit her lip, refusing to let her sobs show. She took a few deep breaths: “How am I supposed to trust you?”

Jing Xiao wiped her endless tears patiently and coaxed: “Don’t you know me? I promise I don’t like anyone else.”

Fan Qingyu finally stopped crying, still doubtful: “Really?”

She was surprised at how easily Jing Xiao cried after their breakup. Even this iron-blooded woman could melt for someone.

Seeing it finally worked, Jing Xiao pressed on: “Really. I just didn’t want you unhappy.”

Even though she had insisted on breaking up, seeing Fan Qingyu so wronged made her unable to resist comforting her.

Fan Qingyu regained her usual composure and nodded: “I understand. Let’s pick up the groceries first.”

This time, she gave up her usually precise sixth sense and trusted Jing Xiao.

Jing Xiao then noticed Fan Qingyu’s coat was wet. She pushed her shoulder inside, shielding her from the cold, and Fan Qingyu finally stopped shivering.

The movie was loud. Fan Qingyu noticed it was the one they had watched together last time, smiling slightly: “Do you really like this movie?”

Jing Xiao’s ears flushed.

Fan Qingyu smiled faintly and helped tidy the scattered groceries: “How’s your collaboration with Mr. Brown?”

Jing Xiao: “He said we’d talk next time. We left contact information.”

“Pretty good, at least there’s a chance.” Fan Qingyu thought of herself and sighed. She silently swore she would only ever make this one mistake in her life.

Jing Xiao’s lower back ached. She straightened and massaged it, noticing many vegetables hadn’t been picked up: “You bought a lot.”

“Yes, I noticed your fridge was almost empty, so I bought extra.” Every word showed her concern.

Jing Xiao found bags of jam and condiments and put them away first, then returned to clean up.

Fan Qingyu had bought plenty. Jing Xiao felt a little indebted: “How much was this?”

Fan Qingyu refused politely: “Talking about money makes things awkward.”

“Such a racket. Xiao Xiao, who are you talking to?” Xu Jia, wearing loose sleepwear and still sleepy-eyed, walked out.

She stretched lazily, acting like she had just woken up.

Jing Xiao wasn’t sure how long she had been listening, but Xu Jia had clearly come downstairs earlier; otherwise, the two wouldn’t have failed to notice her.

Jing Xiao’s alarm bells rang. Before Xu Jia could speak, she enthusiastically hugged Fan Qingyu: “You must be Xiao Xiao’s ex-girlfriend. You’re really pretty!”

Fan Qingyu immediately pushed her away. She disliked strangers being intimate, and Xu Jia’s words clearly implied hostility. Anyone with eyes would not directly call her “Xiao Xiao’s ex-girlfriend”—she might be a troublemaker pursuing women.

Fan Qingyu kept her distance but responded politely with a nod.

Xu Jia blinked rapidly, deliberately kicking an eggplant across the floor: “So many vegetables on the floor. Did you two fight?”

Jing Xiao shoved Xu Jia aside, glaring: “No. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Xu Jia pouted: “Alright, fine. I’m sorry. I believe your ex won’t mind.”

Fan Qingyu facepalmed inwardly, trying to stay calm: “I have a name. Call me Fan Qingyu.”

Jing Xiao sensed her displeasure and smiled awkwardly, patting Fan Qingyu’s shoulder: “Don’t take her seriously. She doesn’t mean anything by it.”

But in Fan Qingyu’s eyes, Jing Xiao’s gesture was protective. She softly said, observing Xu Jia: “She’s wearing your sleepwear?”

Jing Xiao’s heart sank. She recalled their last argument—she had slept in that room to avoid seeing Xu Jia, and the sleepwear was clean from a shower, so she hadn’t washed it.

Of course, worn clothes weren’t the same as new ones. Fan Qingyu immediately noticed and wasn’t surprised.

Jing Xiao hurriedly explained: “She took it herself. I didn’t know.”

“She’s wearing your clothes in your house, and you didn’t know?” Fan Qingyu couldn’t focus on details; her thought process matched most people’s.

Jing Xiao denied vigorously: “I really didn’t know. She slept in the room—I didn’t go up to check.”

Xu Jia crossed her arms, her face full of anticipation.

Fan Qingyu was already displeased. Realizing she had been treated like a fool, her negative emotions peaked. She sneered and, without hiding it from Xu Jia, asked assertively: “She’s your new girlfriend, right?”

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