Chapter 11 – So the Heart Can Really Hurt

Inside a small clinic near the Xingfu Residential Community.

An elderly traditional Chinese doctor with white hair, reading glasses, and a white coat was holding a long silver acupuncture needle, inserting it into the back of Qi Youbai’s neck.

Beside him, Xiao Lü stood wiping tears from his eyes, secretly messaging Assistant Xiao Wang:
“The president’s neck is crooked! It’s my first time taking him home alone and this happens—Wang, help me! What should I do?”

Unfortunately, Assistant Xiao Wang was on vacation, sweetly enjoying time with his girlfriend, and didn’t see Xiao Lü’s message.

“All done, young man,” the doctor said, pulling out the densely packed needles. “Acupuncture improves qi and blood flow, clears the meridians. Rest for a night and your neck should recover by tomorrow. But don’t catch a chill—wrap something around your neck if you can.”

“I have something! A scarf!”

Sheng Xia quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a flashy red scarf—something she usually paired with a blouse.

Qi Youbai, with his crooked neck, took one look at the large floral pattern on the scarf and closed his eyes with a clenched jaw.
That was a clear no.

But Sheng Jun—being oblivious as always—snatched the scarf from Sheng Xia and moved to tie it around Qi Youbai’s neck, concern thick in his voice:
“It’s okay, Xiao Qi! Saving your neck is more important than saving face. Here, big bro will put this on for you.”

Qi Youbai was honestly terrified of him now. Just seeing Sheng Jun gave him a stress response. He backed up in panic, causing a jolt of pain in his neck and cried out,
“Ah!”

“Wait! Don’t come any closer!” Xiao Lü quickly jumped in front of his boss protectively.

Sheng Xia also reached out and grabbed her brother’s shirt to stop him. He was tall and strong, so she couldn’t really pull him, but she at least halted his advance.

Seeing how everyone acted like he was a threat, Sheng Jun looked deeply hurt. “I just wanted to make it up to Xiao Qi, to show I care. Why are you all acting like I’m trying to harm him?”

Xiao Lü thought: Because you kind of are. And you’re dragging me down with you—I’m too young to lose this job!

Most people might not believe Sheng Jun’s words, but Sheng Xia did. When she and Qi Youbai had broken up, the person who was sad the longest wasn’t her—it was Sheng Jun.
Even years later, when she had long since moved on, Sheng Jun would still occasionally mention “little Qi” around her.

She pulled her brother aside and whispered:
“Please, my dear brother, try to understand. He’s my boss—my boss, okay?! My job depends on him right now. He’s our golden goose. Please, just try to be less clingy with him, alright?”

Sheng Jun said nothing. He looked devastated and wronged—so pitiful it almost made her feel guilty.

Just then, Qi Youbai gave a little cough and awkwardly said, clutching his neck,
“Cough… well, I guess… I’ll wear it then?”

Sheng Xia and Xiao Lü stared at him in disbelief. Xiao Lü’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

Qi Youbai was clearly uncomfortable—God knows why seeing Sheng Jun look sad made him give in.

Sheng Jun immediately lit up, gently pushed Xiao Lü aside, and with the utmost care, wrapped the scarf around Qi Youbai’s neck and even tied a pretty little bow.

“All done!” He reached out to pat Xiao Qi’s shoulder but hesitated, fearing he’d hurt him, so he retracted his hand mid-air.

After paying the bill, the group walked out together. Sheng Jun stuck close to Qi Youbai like a worried mother:
“Doctor said no cold wind on your neck. Wear a collared shirt, and don’t kick the blanket at night. It might rain again tonight, cover up well…”

Behind them, Sheng Xia and Xiao Lü followed.

Xiao Lü made exaggerated faces, pointing between the two men in front, asking with his eyes: What’s going on here?

Sheng Xia shrugged with a helpless look: Don’t ask. Just go with it.

After all, this had been brewing five years ago. Back then, Qi Youbai was still mildly resistant, and Sheng Jun had held back out of respect for her. But since the breakup, Sheng Jun had wallowed in heartbreak, and now that they’d met again, he just couldn’t hold back anymore.
And strangely, Qi Youbai didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he almost seemed to enjoy it.

Xiao Lü’s eyelid twitched. A dreadful thought crept into his mind:
Does our boss really like Miss Sheng? Or… is he using her as cover while his real feelings are for someone else?!

The idea shocked him so much that he slapped himself hard.
How dare I think something so outrageous?! I deserve to be punished!

Sheng Xia, walking beside him, was startled by the sudden smack! She turned to see Xiao Lü staring sorrowfully at Qi Youbai’s back with a deeply tragic expression.

Tch. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully:
What is it about Qi Youbai that makes people act like this? First one, then another… Even I, a gorgeous woman, never got this kind of treatment. No man ever slapped himself in guilt over me. Society these days… really going downhill!

The rain had turned into a light drizzle by now. Sheng Jun was still holding his hand over Qi Youbai’s head like a makeshift umbrella, carefully helping him into the car.

“Xiao Qi, take care of your neck. I was just too excited after not seeing you for so long. That’s on me.”

Qi Youbai, sitting in the back seat with his neck tilted, replied helplessly:
“No worries. Big bro, you should go home now.”

He really shouldn’t have let his guard down. He had no one to blame but himself.

After saying their goodbyes, Xiao Lü closed the car door. Now that he knew who Sheng Jun was, he politely said:
“Miss Sheng, Mr. Sheng, no need to see us off. It’s still raining, please head home.”

He got into the car, but Sheng Xia and Sheng Jun stood outside the clinic door, watching the sleek black Maybach remain motionless.

The window slowly rolled down.

Qi Youbai couldn’t move his neck, so Sheng Xia couldn’t see his mouth clearly from a distance.

“What?” she called out.

She vaguely heard him say her name.

Xiao Lü rolled down his window too, cheerfully relaying the message:
“Miss Sheng, the president says your blouse is still in his office. Come pick it up next week!”

Sheng Xia: “……”

The Maybach drove off without looking back.

Sheng Jun stood there, stunned, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
He pointed at her: “You, you, you…”

“Don’t jump to conclusions!”

“I didn’t even say anything yet,” Sheng Jun said, looking wounded.
“Sheng Xia, this is really unfair. You and Xiao Qi have clearly moved to the next stage, but you still won’t let me get closer to him.”

Sheng Xia frowned and punched him.
“Stop talking nonsense! There’s nothing between us. He’s just our company’s investor—basically my boss.”

“Oooh? Your boss, huh? What kind of boss and employee take their clothes off in the office?”

Sheng Xia was furious and immediately went to kick him. Sheng Jun, quick to react, had already darted away.

“Sheng Jun! Say that again and I’ll rip your damn mouth off!”

“Come on then! I dare you!”

“You still owe me for the acting gig in C City—no sense of honor at all! And you call yourself a cop? You’re a disgrace!”

Grinning, Sheng Jun teased:
“I’ll pay! But only if you knock off half the price. You took too much, I can’t even afford hospital bills!”

“Then great! Don’t pay. Maybe you’ll die of your untreated injuries!”

“No way. If you don’t agree, I’ll tell Mom and Dad that your blouse’s still in Qi’s office!”

“You try it and see what happens!”

“I’m just telling the truth!”

…

The two siblings ran through the rain like lunatics—one shouting, one provoking—drawing a small crowd. After all, it’s not every day you see two grown adults almost thirty years old bickering like children in the street.

Earlier, Sheng Xia had already gotten soaked. Then they’d rushed to the clinic when Sheng Jun dislocated Qi Youbai’s neck. After finally sending him off, she chased her brother through the rain for another half hour without even changing her wet clothes.

The result?

That night, she fell into a high fever in her sleep.

She was woken by a call from Feng Zhixiao.

Feng Zhixiao was her high school classmate. Since they lived in the same city, they had kept in touch over the years.

She answered groggily, her throat hoarse. Her first “Hello?” came out as barely a squeak. Turning to the side, she coughed several times before placing the phone back to her ear.

But what she heard was unexpected—Zhixiao sobbing on the other end.

Sheng Xia’s heart dropped.
“Zhixiao, what’s wrong? What happened?”

It wasn’t strange to panic. It was the middle of the night, and a girl was crying like that—it was hard not to imagine the worst.

“Say something. Are you safe? Are you home?”

Still, no reply—until she heard:
“Wuuuu… Xiaxia, I got dumped.”

Relief washed over her. “Oh, just a breakup? Thank God.”

“Sheng Xia! What the hell kind of response is that?! Wuuu wuuu wuuu—”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant,” Sheng Xia quickly clarified.
“I just meant… compared to your safety, a breakup’s not that big of a deal. Don’t cry—there are plenty of men out there.”

“I know that! Wuuu… I know he’s a scumbag, I know he’s not worth crying over. I know all the rational reasons. But Xiaxia, why does it hurt so much? My heart—my heart really hurts! Wuuu…”

“I used to think,” Feng Zhixiao hiccupped through her sobs, “I used to think the ‘heartache’ in books was all fake. But now I realize, a heart can really hurt.”

“Xiaxia, were you like this when you broke up too? How did you get through it?”

Sheng Xia didn’t answer for a long time.

That question pulled her back into memories.

She turned to the window. The silent night outside seemed to hold countless dark phantoms, whispering from the past.

After her breakup with Qi Youbai, she dreamed about him almost every night—kissing, holding, loving.
But when she woke up, she was alone.

Later, her dreams changed—he was with other women, telling her,
“Sheng Xia, I don’t love you anymore. I’m leaving.”

And then… he really left.

She was left in their old apartment, lying alone on the bed they used to share, holding onto memories as she watched his back disappear from her life.

Sometimes she’d wake up in the middle of the night, pillow soaked with tears, sobbing into silence so as not to wake her family.
At 3 a.m., she’d sneak out just to cry on the empty streets like a madwoman.

Before she’d experienced love and heartbreak herself, she’d scoffed at drama heroines drinking, crying, or even jumping into rivers over a breakup.
It’s just heartbreak—what’s the big deal?

But once she lived it herself, she finally understood the meaning of those words:
“Heartache,” “soul-crushing,” “like losing half your life.”

From then on, she never looked down on anyone who went crazy over heartbreak.
Because those people were often kind and genuine—people who loved with all their heart, and lost themselves in the process.

Human nature instinctively avoids pain. So when women act cold and rational about love, others praise them as smart or cool.
But Sheng Xia? She just saw another broken heart.