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◎ She Is My Muse ◎
Cheng Jinghe recalled, “The first time I saw her was at the book mall. I went to buy some study materials, and she was standing on the roadside eating a lollipop. I was taller than her. There were a lot of people at the time, and when I passed by her, I accidentally bumped into her. Then we made eye contact for a moment. That’s all.”
Lu Shiyin lightly slapped him: “That’s too perfunctory. What were you feeling inside?”
Cheng Jinghe didn’t dodge her light slap. Smiling, he said, “Hmm… nothing special really. Just that moment of eye contact felt surprisingly long.”
Lu Shiyin grinned nosily: “That’s kind of romantic.”
Cheng Jinghe emphasized: “It’s fictional. Not real.”
“Alright, I get it. Go on.”
Cheng Jinghe tilted his head, thinking: “Hmm… then the second time we met, she came to our school, with wavy permed hair…”
“Wait a second!” Lu Shiyin called a timeout. “From the way you describe it, she’s not your classmate? Is she someone from outside school?”
Cheng Jinghe laughed and repeated: “It’s fictional. But you’re right, she wasn’t my classmate, and not exactly someone from society either.”
“Ohhh, go on then.”
“She didn’t see me. I stood upstairs watching her for a long time until she left.”
“Did you already like her then?”
Cheng Jinghe scratched the back of his head: “I don’t know. I just found myself staring at her without realizing it.”
“Then you probably already liked her a little.”
“The third time I saw her, I realized I definitely had feelings for her. But she still didn’t notice me. I saw her across the street talking to a boy. He gave her a gift, and she accepted it. I felt a little sad at that moment. I watched them walk away together, farther and farther.”
Cheng Jinghe and Lu Shiyin walked to a bench and sat down. Lu Shiyin was clearly invested now and grabbed his arm: “And then?”
Cheng Jinghe chuckled: “That’s it. I can’t make up any more.”
“What kind of person are you? You’ve come this far in the story. Keep going!”
He thought for a moment and said: “That night I played basketball for a long time. All I could think about was her walking away with that boy. I blamed myself for being useless. That night, I was sure I liked her.”
“Later on, I didn’t see her for a long time. When I did see her again, she had straightened her hair, was wearing her school uniform, and was memorizing vocabulary by the bus stop. As she got on the bus, I saw her pen fall out of her bag. I picked it up and handed it to her. That’s when she said her first words to me: ‘Thank you.’”
“Wow… and then?”
“That’s it. She didn’t even look at me.”
Lu Shiyin thought for a moment: “This story doesn’t add up. Your sister said you were super popular. How could she not notice you at all? That girl must’ve been really beautiful to not even glance at you.”
Cheng Jinghe smiled: “She was beautiful. She was my muse.”
Lu Shiyin was stunned by his words and gently patted his head: “That’s tough.”
“So, should I keep going?” Cheng Jinghe asked.
“Yes.”
“Later, we met a few more times, so I guess you could say we knew each other. But we were still not close. There was always a huge distance between us.” Cheng Jinghe smiled at this point. “I really wanted a chance to be alone with her, to get closer to her, to leave some kind of impression. But things didn’t go as I wished. Not long after, she left this city.”
“One time, I missed her so much, I went to her city alone. I waited for a long time outside her school but never saw her. In the end, I could only come back. So, that’s my story. That’s the end.”
The story ended abruptly. Lu Shiyin pressed him: “So the girl never knew you went there?”
“No.”
“And then what?”
“There’s no ‘then.’ The story ends there. There was no future for me and her.”
Lu Shiyin felt a tug at her heart, a sour ache welling up inside. Her intuition told her—this story wasn’t made up, no matter how much Cheng Jinghe insisted it was.
She looked at his face and thought: So he once loved someone this much…?
Her eyes started to tear up. She turned her head to look at the sea. It was completely dark now. The night sea was mysterious and unpredictable. Waves continued to crash against the beach.
She seemed to be a little sad too. Was it because the story ended with no future between him and that girl? Or was it because of his words: “She is my muse”? Or maybe because she now knew he once liked someone so deeply?
Maybe all of it made her sad.
Seeing her eyes turn red, Cheng Jinghe panicked a little. Why did I even say all that? Who tells this kind of thing to their wife?
“It’s not real, it’s not real. I made it all up, don’t cry,” he said.
But that only made it worse. Lu Shiyin covered her face and started to cry. Quiet sobs, but deeply felt.
Now Cheng Jinghe really panicked. He gently pulled her into his arms, saying, “Don’t cry…”
Lu Shiyin cried so hard she was gasping, choking as she said, “Cheng Jinghe… someday, she’ll know.”
He froze, shook his head, and said, “It’s okay. She doesn’t need to know… sigh, it’s just a made-up story.”
She took a long time to calm down, then said, “I’m tired. Let’s go back.”
On the way back, Lu Shiyin kept her head down, still immersed in sadness. Cheng Jinghe walked beside her, full of regret. I shouldn’t have said all that… what was I thinking?
She went back to her room in a gloomy mood, washed up, and lay in bed. That’s when she realized something was off about herself.
Why was she so sad?
All three reasons had something to do with it. But the biggest one was—he once liked someone that much. She was jealous.
What made her feel even worse was that she couldn’t control her emotions.
That night, Lu Shiyin didn’t sleep well. When she woke up, it was already past 11. She freshened up and headed out to gather her thoughts.
Looking around the empty room, she realized someone was missing.
She sat down on the sofa. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone moving near the pool. Turning her head, she found Cheng Jinghe swimming.
For some reason, that made her feel relieved.
The sun was out in full force today, unlike the coolness of the day before. She stepped out onto the terrace and felt a wave of heat hit her, so she stepped back and raised her hand to shade her eyes.
The man was focused on his freestyle strokes, swimming back and forth, not noticing her presence.
She stood there quietly, watching him for a long time until he finally got his fill, lifted his head, removed his goggles, and met her gaze.
Cheng Jinghe suddenly grinned and got out of the pool, water dripping down his body. He picked up a towel and draped it over his shoulders. Approaching her, he leaned down slightly and asked, “Awake?”
“Mm…” Lu Shiyin instinctively leaned back a little.
He gently touched her swollen eyelids with a damp finger: “Cried again after going back last night? Your eyes are puffy.”
She turned her face away and softly said, “No, I just showered and went to bed. Maybe I drank too much water.”
His hand froze in mid-air, then he stepped back. Looking at the blazing sun, he said, “Let’s go inside. It’s too hot out here. I’ll shower, and then we can go eat?”
Lu Shiyin nodded and walked inside. Cheng Jinghe followed and went to wash up in the outside bathroom.
She reached for the suspense novel she’d been reading the day before and opened it again, trying to distract herself.
Cheng Jinghe soon came out and saw her reading seriously on the couch. He softly called her name, and she snapped back to reality, putting the book down to leave with him.
He brought up last night’s story again: “Still not over that story?”
Lu Shiyin shook her head: “I’m over it. Just not fully awake yet.”
“Don’t take it too seriously. I really made it up.”
She smiled: “I know. I didn’t take it to heart.”
That afternoon, Cheng Jinghe suddenly got a work call. Lu Shiyin also remembered something about a project. She checked the group chat and saw the discussion was normal. Putting her phone away, she noticed he was sitting at the table in an online meeting.
With nothing to do, she changed and headed to the beach. Before leaving, she made a hand gesture to indicate she was going out.
He noticed she’d changed into a bikini with shorts and a simple cover-up. The light blue underneath was still visible.
That outfit made it clear—she was heading to the beach.
His meeting was important, so he just nodded at her and sent a message:
[I’ll come find you when I’m done.]
By the time she saw that message, she was already in the elevator. She hadn’t planned to reply, but didn’t want to seem petty, so she wrote back:
[It’s okay, I’ll be back soon.]
She sat alone on a beach chair, continuing the novel she didn’t finish yesterday.
Just as the story was getting intense, someone beside her tapped her. She looked up and saw that it was the couple from yesterday.
The couple had a bit of a hippie vibe. Both had tattoos and looked pretty cool.
After greeting her, the man left to go swim in the sea, giving space for the women to chat.
The woman introduced herself as Amanda, and said her husband’s name was Lao Gao. She asked, “Where’s your handsome husband?”
Lu Shiyin realized she was referring to Cheng Jinghe and smiled, “Oh, he suddenly had a meeting, so I came out by myself.”
Amanda leaned in and whispered, “Yesterday, my husband and I agreed—you two are such a perfect match…”
“Thank you.”
“But… you guys don’t seem very close. Did you get married without much of an emotional foundation?”
Lu Shiyin smiled. She wasn’t the type to share private matters with someone she didn’t know well, so she started making things up: “Not really. We were boyfriend and girlfriend before, but we were apart for a long time. After I came back, our families arranged the marriage rather suddenly, so we’re still in the ‘rebuilding feelings’ phase.”
“Wow!” Amanda was surprised. “An arranged marriage?”
Lu Shiyin shook her head. “No, our families just know each other.”
Amanda added, “Your husband is a total dreamboat. You better hold on to him. I think he treats you pretty well.”
Lu Shiyin shook her head again. “Not really, he’s just good at acting.”
Amanda laughed. “No worries, just sleep together a few times and you’ll warm up to each other. Getting to know each other’s bodies is an important step in building intimacy.”
A slight blush appeared on Lu Shiyin’s face, but it faded quickly. “Alright, thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Amanda sat for just a little longer before running off to find her husband by the beach.
Lu Shiyin thought their relationship seemed really sweet. They showed no reservations, kissing and hugging freely on the beach. Real couples must be like this…
She quickly turned her attention back to her book. By the time she finished reading and looked up again, the sun was already starting to set.
Lu Shiyin checked the time—five o’clock. Cheng Jinghe’s meeting still wasn’t over?
She packed up and started walking back. She hadn’t gone far when a white man suddenly appeared and struck up a conversation. He looked at most in his early twenties, but during their chat, she found out he was only nineteen.
He introduced himself as Eric, and said he had been watching her all afternoon. Seeing she was about to leave, he finally worked up the courage to come over and say hi.
Lu Shiyin chatted with him briefly, smiling, but politely declined to exchange contact information and quickly made her way back.
Cheng Jinghe didn’t finish his video meeting until thirty minutes after she returned.
He apologized to Lu Shiyin: “I’m sorry, work came up suddenly today. It won’t happen again.”
Lu Shiyin shook her head: “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
That night at dinner, the manager specifically sent someone to invite them to enjoy an outdoor dinner with live performances.
The two of them happily accepted.
The sea breeze blew gently, as if taking all of last night’s troubles away. Lu Shiyin felt like that story from before was slowly fading from her heart.
The past couple of days had been calm to the point of blandness. Cheng Jinghe felt a bit guilty, thinking he hadn’t given Lu Shiyin a fun enough experience, and started planning how to cheer her up.
Before the dinner began, Lu Shiyin ran into Amanda and her husband again. Amanda, lively and energetic, had a fit, tan body. She came over to say hi and then skipped off lightly to her seat.
Cheng Jinghe asked Lu Shiyin, “When did you two get so familiar?”
Lu Shiyin laughed. “We bumped into each other this afternoon. She’s very talkative. We chatted a bit.”
The dinner show started soon after. It was mostly things like hula dancing or samba, which didn’t particularly interest Lu Shiyin. Still, she glanced over from time to time. From where she was sitting, she had a clear view of Amanda and her husband a short distance away.
Amanda had her back to her. A few times, Lu Shiyin made eye contact with Amanda’s husband. She nodded politely and smiled.
But the next time their eyes met, the man suddenly winked at her. A dancer moved in front of him just then, blocking her view. When she looked again, he was laughing and chatting with Amanda as if nothing had happened.
Lu Shiyin assumed she must’ve imagined it. After the performance ended, she got up and went to the restroom.
After she left, Amanda raised her wine glass and walked over to Cheng Jinghe: “Hi, mind if I join you for a drink?”
Cheng Jinghe could tell something was off and lifted his hand to decline. Amanda smirked and said, “I can tell there’s no real passion between you and your wife. Want to try something more exciting?”
Cheng Jinghe stayed silent. Amanda continued: “How about a partner swap game?”
Cheng Jinghe suddenly turned his head to look at Amanda’s table—her husband was gone. His eyes darkened, and he stood up immediately, walking in the direction Lu Shiyin had left.
Author’s Note:
Across the hall, “After I Scared My Crush Half to Death in a Locked Room” is currently being serialized.
This story “Twilight City Lights” is part of the same series as “Scorching Late Breeze” – please bookmark it!
Summary below:
Four years after they parted, Cheng Jingzhi sees Chu Yi again—this time, she’s attending a banquet with her fiancé, Qiao Yanjin.
Introduced by the elders, she comes face to face with the current head of Chu Group—Chu Yi.
The penniless boy who left without a word back then now stood in front of her, his cold gaze mocking her foolish past.
He had even lied about his name.
Her fiancé tells her Chu Yi had been living abroad until recently. Not only does he have real ability, but he’s also deeply favored by the old chairman.
Cheng Jingzhi silently adjusted her earring. A moment later, she smiled radiantly. She admitted she had been stupid beyond help—but she was also someone with a fierce desire for revenge.
Later, due to work, her fiancé invited Chu Yi to dinner. After the meal, in a quiet corner, the cold and distant Chu Yi leaned in with a softened voice:
“When are you breaking off the engagement?”
She gave a dazzling smile:
“Breaking off an engagement isn’t that easy. You’ll just have to be patient.”
/
But he was never one to play by the rules.
At the racetrack, he pulled her into the VIP box, holding her in full view of the world through the glass.
“You’re crazy! Let me down!” she yelled, her long nails scratching a red mark across his neck.
He tilted his head slightly, smiling as he coaxed: “No one outside can see.”
But just as a server opened the door, someone walking by outside caught a glimpse—recognizing her familiar long black hair.
That person texted Qiao Yanjin:
[Bro, I think I just saw your fiancée.]
Qiao Yanjin showed up at Chu Yi’s door, punching him in the face:
“Stay away from her.”
Chu Yi calmly wiped the blood from his mouth:
“Too late. Or should I say, it was already too late… four years ago.”
/
The newly appointed president of Chu Group, Chu Yi, was sharp, calculating, and ruthless.
But then, he suddenly invested in a small, seemingly hopeless studio.
People joked he was just like everyone else—doing it all for a beautiful woman.
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
The studio prospered. Once everything stabilized, Cheng Jingzhi kicked Chu Yi to the curb.
One midnight under the eaves, Chu Yi leaned lazily against her door, tugging on the corner of her shirt. His eyes were as clear as they were four years ago:
“Please don’t leave me.”
But as she turned to go, his face twisted into near madness:
“Sweetheart… why do you think everything should go your way?”
Her heart clenched. A cold hand seemed to grip the back of her neck.
Only then did she realize—she had walked into his trap from the very beginning.