After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Mere Pastime

Why was there such a strange man by Li Jin’s side?

Lu Wu’s mind went momentarily blank. Was it some urgent company matter that needed handling? Or a friend she happened to meet on the road? There were many possibilities, but she desperately restrained herself, refusing to let her thoughts drift toward the most fragile and terrifying one.

She simply stopped in her tracks, standing obediently where she was, leaving enough space for the other party so as not to disturb them.

“Thank you for today.”

“You’re welcome, it’s only what I should do.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Mhm, keep in touch anytime.”

Pu Bohan drove away.

Li Jin finally turned around and saw Lu Wu standing in the middle of the path. In truth, Lu Wu had been standing at the entrance for a long time—so long that her limbs had grown somewhat stiff. Because her movements had been too sudden just now, a soft, tingling numbness surged through her, which was far from pleasant.

But she merely smiled and asked, “You’re back?”

Li Jin nodded. “Mhm.”

She didn’t introduce who the man was, nor did she explain why she was back so late. After speaking, she turned and walked inside. Lu Wu opened her mouth but ultimately didn’t rush to speak, lifting her legs to follow.

Li Jin looked a bit strange; her lips were slightly pursed, and even her brow was knit tightly—clear signs that she was in a bad mood. Lu Wu followed at a modest distance, retracing her steps mentally to ensure she hadn’t done anything that might make the other woman unhappy.

In fact, only one thing had happened today: she had invited Tan Xingxue and Ji Youyan into the house without Li Jin’s permission. Matching the seriousness and responsibility she displayed in the workplace, Li Jin possessed an extremely precise desire for control over every detail of her life. From the placement of slippers to the toiletries in the rooms, it was no exaggeration to say she could tell at a glance if something had been tilted even slightly.

Therefore, allowing Lu Wu to arrange small items in the rooms was already a massive concession for Li Jin. Under such a premise, it was only natural for her to be angry upon learning that people had entered the villa without permission.

Lu Wu guessed the reason for Li Jin’s anger in the shortest time possible, but that time wasn’t enough to come up with a remedy. The other woman already had her hand on the doorknob.

The lock cylinder turned with a click.

Li Jin pushed the door open, and as she moved, a gust of misty, cold wind blew in. The flowers covering the floor were scattered, hiding in various corners of the living room, and two of the meticulously lit candles flickered and died. The room was originally filled with a warm yellow glow, but now the light was halved; shadows wavered on the walls. It didn’t have the exquisite, cozy feeling she had imagined; instead, it looked somewhat cold and desolate.

The perfect surprise she had spent the whole afternoon preparing was no longer perfect.

Li Jin’s gaze swept across the room. Her footsteps stalled for a moment, and she turned back to look at Lu Wu in silence.

Should she continue the confession… or solve the matter at hand first, brush it off, and act as if nothing happened? Lu Wu had no time to choose; her first instinct was to explain.

“I’m sorry. I invited two friends here without your permission. I just… wanted to prepare a surprise for you, and I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough time if you came back early, so I had to ask them for help.”

Li Jin listened and nodded, her tone cold. “Have the housekeeper clean it up tomorrow.”

After saying that, she continued walking inward, not even lifting an eyelid as she passed the carefully prepared confession site. Lu Wu froze, instinctively chasing after her and grabbing her hand.

“What did you just say?”

Li Jin stopped and turned to look back at her. In the flickering candlelight, her expression was hidden in the shadows, impossible to see clearly.

“I believe I made myself very clear. There is no need to repeat it.”

Lu Wu had never imagined Li Jin would react this way, but the truth was that those eyes held nothing but a thin, detached calm. It felt as if something had changed from what she had expected. Like watching fine sand slip through her fingers, Lu Wu felt instinctively panicked.

But the more terrified she became, the more she cast aside all other thoughts. Only one remained in her mind: ‘Confess according to the original plan.’

Coax her properly; make her happy. As long as Li Jin accepted her confession, everything could return to the right track. Lu Wu hurriedly took the ring out of her pocket—the one that had been pressed against her body all day. It was in an exquisite box covered in fine blue velvet, still holding a bit of warmth from her hand. It felt exactly as she had imagined.

She had long ago planned what to do and what to say during the confession. But now her thoughts were disconnected, and the script she had drafted early on was a jumbled mess in her brain. Lu Wu hoped to appear more natural so as not to startle Li Jin. But what should she say? How could she show that this wasn’t a rash act but the result of solemn, deep consideration?

She had no clue.

In the end, Lu Wu chose to drop to one knee. Facing Li Jin, she held the pair of rings out in front of her.

“Li Jin, I’ve liked you since the first time we met. Can you… be my girlfriend?”

After a brief silence, Lu Wu saw Li Jin take one of the rings from her trembling hand. She kept her gaze lowered, saying nothing, merely scrutinizing it. There wasn’t even a trace of surprise in her eyes; she looked so indifferent it seemed as if she were merely estimating the value of the platinum and diamonds.

Under such a gaze, Lu Wu felt an inexplicable sense of inferiority. The ring wasn’t expensive—less than a hundred thousand yuan. In this entire house, it didn’t even match the price of a single rug. But she thought she would grow to the point where she could stand side by side with Li Jin, if only she had more time, if only the other were willing to give her the chance.

Lu Wu took a deep breath, proactively fighting for that chance. “If you don’t like this ring, I can go exchange it. No matter what I’ve done wrong, you can tell me, and I will change—”

Before she could finish, she was interrupted. Li Jin, still looking down, spoke coolly: “There is no need.”

Three simple words, yet they felt like a blow from a heavy hammer. Lu Wu’s voice stopped abruptly. She stared blankly at the floor, wondering if the words she just heard were a hallucination or real.

Her knee throbbed against the hard marble floor. Her body broke out in waves of sweat, then turned cold. She belatedly realized that autumn had arrived; standing in the cold wind in thin clothes for hours would lead to a cold. When the body is invaded by a chill, the heart becomes weak along with it.

Lu Wu was lost in thought for a long time, and the conclusion she eventually reached was that Li Jin wasn’t speaking from her heart. She spoke in a daze, her voice so low it didn’t sound like she was arguing, but rather trying to convince herself.

“How could there be no need?”

“You’ve known for a long time that I like you.”

“You clearly like me too.”

“How could… there be no need?”

Li Jin said nothing. Lu Wu continued on her own.

“I know I was wrong; I shouldn’t have invited others over without your permission. I’ve apologized to you, and I won’t do it again. But I also waited for you at home for a long time. I was so nervous and excited, waiting for you to push the door open, waiting to see the look of surprise on your face when I gave you the flowers. But you said eight o’clock and didn’t come back on time. You didn’t answer my calls or reply to my messages. Li Jin, I was worried about your safety the whole time.” “You never thought to explain the reason to me, or where you went, and you certainly never thought to explain why you said you were coming home, yet in the end, a man brought you back.”

At first, she was simply stating facts, but as grievance took over her mind, Lu Wu’s tone became agitated. It was the first time she had spoken to Li Jin in such a questioning tone. This wasn’t the attitude of solving a problem; it was merely venting emotion.

As the sound of her voice fell, the echo still vibrated in her chest, and the raspiness in her throat hadn’t passed. She already felt a wave of lingering fear. This would only push the person further and further away.

Lu Wu sniffed, wanting to stand up and apologize almost immediately. “I’m sorry, I—”

It was at this moment that a sigh, light as a feather, drifted through the air. She heard Li Jin speak once more.

“Lu Wu, I never said I liked you.”

“No matter what you do, I will not be with you.”

Lu Wu froze in place, instinctively asking, “What do you mean you never said you liked me? What do you mean you won’t be with me?”

But this time, although Li Jin was still looking at her, she seemed to have lost interest in speaking further. She didn’t even bother to open her mouth again, merely waiting for Lu Wu to figure it out herself.

Lu Wu swallowed, suppressing the groggy discomfort she felt, searching for even a trace of a joke on the other woman’s face. But the truth was, Li Jin was serious.

The Li Jin who held an umbrella for her during the rainstorm; the Li Jin whose voice was husky during their morning intimacy; the Li Jin who smiled gently and wished her a happy birthday. It was the same familiar face, yet in just one day, she seemed to have become a completely different, total stranger.

The thumping of her heart went from intense to slow, then vanished into silence. Lu Wu still didn’t want to give up, like a drowning person clutching the last wooden plank on the water’s surface.

“But we did so many things only couples do—making love, dating, living together… If you really don’t like me, what exactly is the relationship between us?”

Li Jin played with the ring in her hand noncommittally. Her eyes flickered, as if she were thinking, or perhaps just simply confused. “The relationship between us?”

Lu Wu clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. She unconsciously held her breath, yet forced herself to look directly into Li Jin’s eyes, waiting for that “answer.”

In the next second.

Ting—

A crisp sound rang out. The carefully selected platinum ring slipped from the woman’s fingertips. It rolled across the floor in a dull arc, picking up dust bit by bit, until it finally disappeared into some unknown corner.

Li Jin passed judgment on this relationship, cold and ruthless.

“It was nothing more than a pastime.”

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