…”Okay.”
“Unwilling?”
“No, no, I just feel it’s a bit abrupt.”
“If you feel that managing upward is abrupt, then be prepared to never move upward.” Luan Nian spoke about workplace reality—those who don’t manage upward won’t go far in their careers.
“Alright, I’ll schedule time with Alex tomorrow.”
The two suddenly fell silent, and Shang Zhitao felt a bit awkward. She racked her brain thinking of what to say, but Luan Nian hung up without even saying goodbye.
Luan Nian had spoken too much today—too tired to say even one more word, he hung up, blow-dried his hair, and lay back in bed.
His phone rang again. He picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number. He answered and heard confused sobbing on the other end: “Luan Nian, do you believe I’ll kill myself for you to see?”
Luan Nian hung up, but the call came in again: “Do you think I don’t dare?”
“Don’t use death to threaten me. You know it won’t work.” Luan Nian heard the sobbing on the other end of the phone. Unusually, he didn’t hang up, waiting until her crying subsided somewhat before saying: “When we broke up, we agreed to part on good terms. There’s no need for you to make such a scene.” Luan Nian hung up.
The next morning, when he opened his eyes, he saw dozens of missed calls on his phone.
Zhang Xin had gone crazy.
Then he saw several messages in his inbox:
“Is this Luan Nian? I’m Zhang Xin’s friend. She slit her wrists.”
“Can you come to the hospital? She’s in emergency treatment.”
“Are you even human? Is this how you treat your ex-girlfriend?”
Luan Nian called back, and the other side answered, beginning to curse at Luan Nian: “If you don’t want to live anymore, just say so, and we’ll kill you!” Luan Nian frowned as he listened to the venting from the other end, then asked: “Which hospital?”
The person paused momentarily, then quickly provided the hospital address.
Luan Nian finished washing up, took his car keys, and left. The road was congested for a while, and by the time he reached the emergency center, it was already nine o’clock. He found the ward and saw Zhang Xin leaning against the headboard while a young woman fed her fruit.
Zhang Xin saw Luan Nian and pushed away the fruit at her lips, tears falling again.
Luan Nian thought, how remarkable—in emergency treatment late last night, yet able to eat fruit in the morning, emotions perfectly controlled. Truly impressive, Zhang Xin.
He walked to Zhang Xin’s bedside and said to her friend: “Were you cursing me on the phone this morning?”
The young woman was taken aback, then said: “So what if I cursed you? I’m going to find someone to kill you!”
Luan Nian took out his phone and stopped recording in front of her: “Fine, I’ve recorded the evidence and will send it to my lawyer.”
The young woman was stubborn, too. She suddenly stood up and swung her hand toward Luan Nian’s face. Luan Nian moved quickly, stepping back and grabbing her incoming wrist: “Don’t make a scene. In the end, it’ll be too ugly to resolve.”
Luan Nian hated people making scenes the most, whether men or women—anyone making a scene in front of him would displease him. Speak if you have a point; otherwise, keep quiet. He released the woman’s hand and coldly looked at Zhang Xin: “Is this amusing?”
“You don’t feel the slightest bit of heartache, do you?” Zhang Xin looked at Luan Nian, feeling this person’s heart was truly impossible to warm. In their relationship, he would buy her bags, go on weekend dates, and make a call or two normally, but that was it. He always kept his distance from her—even during sex, she couldn’t feel how much he loved her.
“If I remember correctly, we broke up almost half a year ago. How long do you expect my after-sales service to last? Three years? Five years? Ten years?” Luan Nian knew how the people in the emergency center were viewing him—in their hearts, he was a complete scoundrel.
He didn’t care about others’ opinions and didn’t want to waste more words on Zhang Xin.
“Next time you want to commit suicide, don’t call me. Your life is your own—if you don’t want it, there’s no need to notify me.”
“Also, don’t forget, you were the one who initiated the breakup.”
Zhang Xin said nothing, completely despising Luan Nian.