Finally, Wei Ping took her back to their room, and when the door closed, it shut away all the sounds.
Lin Zhexia stood behind her door for a long time.
She stared at the hallway visible through the crack in the door.
It wasn’t until the phone clutched in her hand vibrated that she suddenly came back to her senses.
Chi Dog: Finished knitting.
Chi Dog: Come get it.
Lin Zhexia lowered her eyes.
After a while, she replied: Later, I have something to do right now, not at home.
After replying, she took her keys and left, avoiding Lin He and Wei Ping.
But she didn’t go to the mall, nor Chi Yao’s place.
She didn’t even know where she wanted to go, just following her subconscious and walking outward.
The evening sky was dim, and she walked for a while on the bustling streets, feeling cold all over from the bitter winter wind. When she reached the park and sat down by the lake, she realized she had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t worn her down jacket.
She just wanted to get some fresh air.
Lin He’s pregnancy came as a surprise.
It was good news, and she was happy for Lin He, but deep inside, that unease that had always been hidden in her heart quietly emerged.
Their reconstructed family was harmonious in all aspects.
Wei Ping was good in every way, and he was very good to her, too.
But over the years, their interactions had always remained polite.
A layer of unavoidable politeness.
Lin Zhexia looked up at the gloomy sky. It wasn’t raining today, but she couldn’t help thinking of that stormy day when she was little.
She told herself:
This is just some sudden minor emotion.
It would pass after a short walk.
Afraid that Lin He would worry, she rubbed her cold red fingers and sent Lin He a message: Mom, my classmate came to find me, I’m accompanying her shopping for a while.
Then she switched out and opened her chat with Chi Yao.
Chi Yao had sent her an unread message.
Chi Dog: Young Master Lin’s business seems quite busy.
She didn’t reply to this.
A few minutes later, Chi Yao sent another message: Don’t come after ten, I don’t want to open the door for you.
Chi Yao’s finger joints rested on the side button of his phone.
The screen automatically went dark after the set time, and he pressed the button forcefully, making the screen light up again.
The screen displayed their recent chat history, with the last line being Lin Zhexia’s reply to him.
One word—
Oh.
He Yang was playing games at his house, holding a game controller and shouting: “Damn, I was so close to clearing the level—the BOSS was down to its last bit of health.”
As he said this, he tossed down the controller and moved closer to ask: “You were just chatting with my Xia-ge, not paying any attention to my game progress.”
Chi Yao didn’t respond to his comment and only said: “Something’s off.”
He Yang: “What’s off?”
Chi Yao shook his phone.
He Yang glanced at the chat history: “What’s wrong? This looks fine, the conversation is very harmonious, with questions and answers.”
Chi Yao didn’t speak further. His fingers tapped the screen a few times, and he sent three more words: Where are you?
The person on the other end typed slowly.
After typing for nearly half a minute, she replied with two messages:
Didn’t I say, I’m outside—
My classmate came to find me, we’re taking a walk now.
He Yang: “By the way, you two chat so much, I’m envious. Could you also reply to my messages occasionally? When it comes to me, you two seem to be offline.”
He Yang continued rambling, but then saw Chi Yao suddenly stand up, put on his coat, pick up a bag containing something, and walk toward the door.
“Got something to do,” he said, “Going out for a bit.”
He Yang: “…What thing?”
Chi Yao: “Being with you too long, going out to breathe somewhere else.”