After Breaking Off the Engagement, The Young Lady Deeply Regretted It - Chapter 49

Notifications kept popping up, one after another, for several seconds.

Fan Qingyu was a light sleeper. She turned over and let out a dissatisfied snort, half-asleep, half-awake, burying her head under the blanket: “Help me put this on silent.”

“Got it.”

The messages continued relentlessly. Fan Qingyu, annoyed, slammed her face into the pillow and sat up impatiently: “In the middle of the night… who’s so annoying?”

Jing Xiao lowered her eyes, itching to check the phone immediately, but her reason fought hard to suppress the urge. She fidgeted: “Probably harassing messages… they always do this.”

The phone was charging on the nearby table. Fan Qingyu lay back down: “Can you take a look for me?”

Strangely, a wave of fear surged in Jing Xiao’s heart. The moment she got permission, she almost instantly walked over to the table, opened the phone—and as expected, saw several screenshots of chats from many years ago.

Under a long string of images was a message filled with hints: “Want to know the truth?”

Jing Xiao glanced at the person lying on the bed, secretly relieved that it was her holding the phone.

The chat records had been preserved for years. Xu Jia, while disguising her personality and playing the naive “innocent girl” persona, had meticulously prepared everything to ensure Jing Xiao wouldn’t betray her. From the interactions over the past few days, Jing Xiao could tell that Xu Jia was definitely a cunning and calculating woman.

Jing Xiao deleted the messages one by one, then glanced at the number. It was completely different from last time. It seemed Xu Jia had found new ways to contact Fan Qingyu. She suggested: “I mentioned last time it’s best to change your number—have you considered it?”

Fan Qingyu yawned: “Don’t you remember I’ve always had two SIM cards? The other one’s been deactivated. This is the one I recently activated—I didn’t see the point before. Oh, make sure you save this number.”

Jing Xiao frowned. Even she didn’t have this number. How could Xu Jia have found it in such a short time? She couldn’t believe an ordinary person could access Fan Qingyu’s personal information so easily. Clearly, someone else had been pulling strings.

Moreover, this person was powerful and had a deep understanding of both her and Fan Qingyu.

Cold sweat broke out along Jing Xiao’s spine. Who could it be? She had no clue for now.

Living under constant threats wasn’t a solution. Given Xu Jia’s personality, Jing Xiao didn’t think she would honor her promises and leave on her own. She thought to herself that she needed to take action to curb Xu Jia’s arrogance—ideally, in one decisive strike.

Fan Qingyu noticed her hesitation and asked suspiciously: “What are you looking at? Who sent the messages?”

Jing Xiao panicked, nearly dropping the phone on the table: “Nothing, really just spam… too many messages, I deleted them for you.”

Fan Qingyu trusted her completely and reminded again: “Thanks… remember to save my number.”

Jing Xiao softly acknowledged and used Fan Qingyu’s phone to call herself, edited a note, sent a message to her secretary, and then set the phone aside.

Late at night, the secretary replied immediately.

[Received, General Jing. I’ll ensure it’s done within three days. You should get some rest.]

Jing Xiao sent a shocked emoji and a question mark.

The secretary flattered: [Hehe, I’ve specially set it up so your messages never get missed. Don’t want to mess anything up.]

Jing Xiao smirked: [So dedicated to work?]

[Of course, mainly because I’m following a good boss!]

Jing Xiao couldn’t help but laugh, turned off her phone, and for a moment, her heavy thoughts eased.

Interlacing her fingers lightly on her lap, she quietly watched Fan Qingyu’s peaceful sleeping face. As time passed, Fan Qingyu’s phone fell silent, and Jing Xiao’s tense spine gradually relaxed.

Fan Qingyu likely had fallen asleep again. Jing Xiao lost track of time, only noticing the bright moon hanging high, the room bathed in light.

Remembering her pending task, she drafted a message to an old friend working at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, preparing to send it first thing in the morning.

She also opened the hospital’s official account, paid fifty yuan, and started inquiring about Fan Qingyu’s health.

The responses seemed automated, giving only vague answers.

The floor reflected sharply, and Jing Xiao quietly drew the curtains, stretching her stiff neck.

“Xiao Xiao, aren’t you going to bed?”

Fan Qingyu’s voice was slightly hoarse. She had just woken up, slowly got out of bed, rubbed her sore eyes, reopened the curtains, and closed the drafty window: “It’s cold tonight… I forgot to close the window.”

Jing Xiao blamed herself: “I was careless, didn’t notice.”

Fan Qingyu moved the chair a little farther, patted the fluffy mattress: “The place you’re sitting is drafty. Why don’t you go to bed?”

Jing Xiao shook her head, glanced at her phone again: “I wanted to leave after you fell asleep… did you have a nightmare?”

“No… I slept fine,” Fan Qingyu’s drowsiness vanished instantly. She froze, her hand halfway reaching to hug Jing Xiao’s waist, awkwardly retracting it, both cautious and hesitant: “It’s so late… why are you leaving?”

Jing Xiao sighed softly: “I told you… I can only stay for a bit. I need to be at home early tomorrow.”

Fan Qingyu reluctantly smiled, surprised that the “bit” Jing Xiao mentioned wouldn’t even last until dawn. She forced a smile: “Oh, right. It’s dark now. Be careful… you’re driving my car, right?”

Parting was always heavy. Even pretending to be relaxed, Jing Xiao could sense her sadness: “Go back and sleep first. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”

Fan Qingyu shrugged: “No need, better to go early.”

Jing Xiao searched her pocket for the car keys and gently placed them on the table: “I’ll take a taxi. Don’t worry about cleaning the place, I’ll handle it… or get a housekeeper.”

Fan Qingyu yawned, climbed back into bed: “No need, I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

She tidied the bed, back turned to Jing Xiao: “By the way, happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.” Saying this, Jing Xiao’s heart clenched. How could one feel joyful on a lonely Mid-Autumn Festival? She quickly added: “I’ll come by early.”

“We’ll see then.” Fan Qingyu curled up, the bedroom door closed. Her eyelashes twitched as she slowly opened her eyes, quietly getting out of bed to listen outside.

Jing Xiao went to the kitchen to grab a cloth and trash can, muttering a few words while cleaning the table. Her footsteps were light.

The apartment’s insulation was excellent, so Fan Qingyu didn’t hear clearly.

She had specifically chosen a small one-bedroom apartment so it wouldn’t feel too lonely, but she overestimated her mental fortitude. Once Jing Xiao left, the endless darkness felt like a giant beast ready to devour her.

She opened her phone. This year, the Mid-Autumn greetings were far fewer than last year. Fan Qingyu forced a stiff smile. Her mother had once told her that smiling even when unhappy could help her feel better.

It was the first time she tried, but it didn’t work. She wanted to message her mother. After scrolling for a long time, she finally saw a message sent earlier that evening—just buried under the new greetings. Her heart leapt slightly.

Then it plummeted.

[Xiao Yu, I’ll send some food later. Your grandpa is getting old and unwell. Let’s make sure he has a good Mid-Autumn Festival. I know you’re sensible, Xiao Yu.]

Had even her mother abandoned her…?

Fan Qingyu finally couldn’t hold back her emotions. Tears welled up and streamed down, soaking her feet.

“Why aren’t you wearing slippers?” Jing Xiao’s phone had been left in the apartment. Upon opening the door, she saw Fan Qingyu, who should have been asleep, squatting on the floor and quietly sobbing.

She ignored her, lightly brushing past Fan Qingyu’s delicate ankles, and picked up the slippers to place them nearby: “It’s so late… what are you crying about?”

“Nothing.” Fan Qingyu scrambled back into bed.

Jing Xiao felt as if a massive stone sat on her heart, holding the phone: “I really have to go… take care of yourself.”

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