Hearing the familiar voice, Qingmian froze. One of her feet was still on the window sill, in an awkward position. She stiffly turned her head and looked at the man. "Chi... Chi Yu?"
Why did Chi Yu bring her home?
Qingmian jumped from the window sill to the floor. Trying to look calm, she asked him, "Why are you here?"
The alcohol had completely robbed her of her judgment. She even forgot to check the environment outside the window before trying to jump.
Fortunately, the window on the high - rise floor was only half - open. Otherwise, she would have been a pile of flesh by now.
Chi Yu laughed and countered, "What do you think?"
There was a captivating smile on his face, but the dark circles under his eyes clearly showed that he had had a poor sleep last night.
Qingmian wasn't stupid. One look at the decoration and she knew it was in Chi Yu's style. What she wanted to ask was why he had brought her back, but the words that came out were "Why are you here?"
She was rendered speechless by Chi Yu's counter - question and said nothing.
Chi Yu didn't continue to tease her. He tilted his chin towards the door and said, "Wash your face and come out for breakfast."
Rarely, Qingmian didn't refuse. She nodded and said, "Okay."
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she splashed cold water on her face. The biting cold stimulated her nerves, and the memories of last night slowly resurfaced.
Last night, Chen Yu'an had shown up at the bar with An Ya. When he left, he had also left with An Ya, leaving her alone in the bar.
Once again, he had abandoned her for An Ya.
He must have taken An Ya home. They were going to get engaged next month and would live together sooner or later. She had thought that Chen Yu'an would at least look for a new property as their wedding home, but she never expected that he would take An Ya directly to Qingyuan.
Qingmian's thoughts went back to the day when Chen Yu'an first took her to Qingyuan.
He had said, "Erbao, this is your home. No one can take it away from you."
She still remembered how happy she had been at that time. It was the happiest she had ever been since she was born, even happier than the day when Chen Yu'an had taken her out of the orphanage.
Qingyuan, a home named after her. No one had taken it away, but Chen Yu'an had just taken back her right to use it and kicked her out.
The charity from others was like a kite with a broken string. It disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Qingmian had thought that three years of living alone had long made her forget what heartache felt like. But now, when she was soberly aware that Chen Yu'an had abandoned her again, an indescribable sourness welled up in her heart, like a sponge full of water with no holes for air.
She shook her head and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bright.
Chen Qingmian, stop living in the past. Look forward.
She gave herself a bright smile in the mirror. The uncomfortable sourness slowly faded away. After adjusting her emotions, she walked out of the bedroom.
As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw Chi Yu sitting at the dining table. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a phone in the other, as if replying to a message.
She walked forward and sat down opposite Chi Yu. Politely, she said, "Thank you, Brother Chi Yu."
Chi Yu didn't stop what he was doing. After typing the last word, he put the phone on the table, took a sip of coffee, and then looked up at her.
"Aren't you going to call me Professor Chi anymore?"
Qingmian bit her lip. Knowing he was teasing her, she didn't answer.
Seeing that she didn't say a word, Chi Yu wasn't angry. He changed the question.
"What are you thanking me for?"
Chi Yu knew what she wanted to say, but seeing her stubborn look, he couldn't help but tease her.
She used to be very stubborn and never admitted her mistakes. She would naturally accept others' kindness and rarely said thank you, at least not to Chi Yu.
Now that she suddenly thanked him, besides wanting to tease her, Chi Yu also felt a twinge of heartache.
"Thank you for taking in a drunk me."
Qingmian said seriously.
Chi Yu nodded. "You really should thank me." He showed a meaningful smile. "I was really worn out last night."
Qingmian was shocked. Oh no! Did she do something she shouldn't have? Looking at her intact clothes in the morning, she should have done nothing inappropriate to Chi Yu.
But seeing the dark circles under the man's eyes, she still felt a bit apologetic. She said seriously, "I'm sorry. I'll compensate you. This decoration must be expensive. I'm not familiar with the location. I'll treat last night as if I rented a room here. 600 yuan a night. I'll transfer the money to you after I find a part - time job."
Chi Yu had been sipping his coffee leisurely. Hearing that she regarded his place as a hotel, he was so shocked that he suddenly started coughing.
Seeing this, Qingmian immediately stood up and clumsily grabbed the tissue beside her and stuffed it into Chi Yu's hand.
"Are you okay? Is it too little? Then... 700 yuan?"
Chi Yu slapped his chest and couldn't speak.
Thinking that he thought it was too little, Qingmian added a bit more. "8... 800 yuan?"
Damn it. He might as well have left her in the bar. A month's part - time job might not even be enough to cover one night's room fee!
Qingmian was heart - broken. She hadn't even started working yet, and she was already in debt.
It took Chi Yu a while to catch his breath. He quickly waved his hand at her. "Okay, okay. I don't want your money. Just owe me a favor. Don't refuse if I ask you for help later."
Qingmian looked at him doubtfully. He was wearing a high - end casual suit and a Richard Mille watch on his wrist. He lived in a large flat of several hundred square meters. She couldn't think of what she could do for him. After thinking for a moment, she agreed. "Sure, as long as it's something I can do, I'll do my best."
"Okay, eat quickly. There's the opening ceremony today. Don't be late."
Chi Yu pushed a glass of freshly squeezed soybean milk in front of her and continued to eat the bread on his plate with his head down.
Qingmian was stunned. Looking at the glass of soybean milk, she said, "Thank you."
It must be a coincidence, right?
Only Chen Yu'an knew that she loved freshly squeezed soybean milk.
A familiar taste spread in her mouth. Qingmian sniffed and tilted her head to drink up the soybean milk in the glass.
In the past, every morning when she woke up, Chen Yu'an would prepare a glass of freshly squeezed soybean milk for her before going to work.
If it hadn't been for that night when she knelt in the snow and begged him again and again, she might have always thought that she was the happiest person in the world. Although she didn't have parents, she had endless love.
"Have another piece of bread. There's not much food in the fridge. I'll take you to the cafeteria after the ceremony." Chi Yu's voice interrupted her thoughts. He put a piece of bread in her hand.
Qingmian didn't say a word. She took the bread and ate it silently.
"I'll change my clothes. Wait for me a while. We'll go to school together."
After saying that, Chi Yu got up and walked towards the bedroom.
"Okay, let's go—"
The word "go" wasn't even fully out.
When Chi Yu came out of the bedroom, the woman was nowhere to be seen in the dining room. If it weren't for the empty soybean milk cup and the half - eaten bread on the table, he would have thought that everything just now was an illusion.
Chi Yu smiled helplessly. Looking at the bread on the table, he said, "Still as picky as before."
He picked up the piece of toast with a bite taken out of it, put it in his mouth, grabbed his car keys, and walked out.