Chapter 33

The rain outside poured harder, its drumming on the car’s surface drowning out every other sound.

Even her pounding heartbeat.

But that sound was too loud, resonating as if right beside her ear, each beat reverberating like thunder.

She suddenly realized that ever since her reunion with Rong Qi, her heart seemed to race frequently.

Yet this time, it was more intense than ever.

— Move in with me.

Was it what she thought it was?

Moving into his house, living together.

Legally cohabiting.

Cheng Li involuntarily swallowed, unsure how to respond.

Saying yes too quickly felt rash.

Moving was a big deal, and she’d need to consult with Ms. Ling.

If the idea was rejected, it wouldn’t seem right either.

After all, they were a real married couple.

What kind of newlyweds live apart?

Cheng Li mulled it over, trying to carefully organize her words to respond to his proposal.

But Rong Qi seemed to see through her hesitation. Fixing his gaze on her, he said in a low voice, “Leave everything else to me. You just need to answer one question.”

He raised his hand.

Cheng Li felt as though the scene before her had slowed down, like in a deliberately dramatized film sequence.

Until his fingers brushed against her ear.

“Do you want to, or not?”

Did she want to live with him or not?

Everything else would be his responsibility; she only needed to answer that one question.

Barely a second later, Cheng Li softly replied, “I do.”

Her voice was steady, just as it had been when he first asked if she would marry him.

He always seemed to present her with questions that were easy to answer.

Questions requiring only a single word.

As soon as her voice fell, Rong Qi’s fingers tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. At the same time, he chuckled softly.

“Let’s go home,” he said before turning back to grip the steering wheel.

The car started.

Watching him drive, Cheng Li suddenly remembered something.

Why had Rong Qi brought this up so suddenly?

Her mind flashed back to the earlier confrontation with Xu Jiheng.

Could it be because of him?

He must have witnessed her interaction with Xu Jiheng.

Was he… jealous?

Cheng Li blinked, startled by her own thought.

How could she think Rong Qi would be jealous?

Yes, they were married, but their relationship hadn’t reached a point where jealousy would factor in.

Perhaps it was mere possessiveness?

Seeing another man near his wife—maybe that just made him uncomfortable?

That seemed more plausible.

Cheng Li pressed her lips together. Maybe she should explain.

“That man from earlier—the one talking to me,” she began hesitantly. “He’s my ex-boyfriend.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me,” Rong Qi replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Cheng Li fell silent.

Fine.

If he didn’t want to hear it, so be it.

But shortly after, Rong Qi asked in a low voice, “Was he harassing you?”

He already knew much about Xu Jiheng.

Scheming to climb the social ladder by attaching himself to someone wealthy—it wasn’t an uncommon story. Nowadays, it wasn’t just women who did it; many men resorted to it as well.

But regardless of who engaged in such behavior, Rong Qi found it despicable.

Especially someone like him, who had built his success from scratch—he wouldn’t even spare a glance at someone like that.

Cheng Li smiled faintly. “Probably couldn’t handle seeing me so happy now.”

So happy now.

The words seemed to strike a chord with Rong Qi as he drove.

At a red light, he stared at the countdown timer as it ticked down:

10… 9… 8…

Each second felt like a silent push.

Finally, he broke the silence. “Why… were you with him back then?”

Huh?

Cheng Li had been lost in thought about a work problem when she suddenly heard his voice.

“Why were you with him back then?”

Was he asking about her and Xu Jiheng?

Cheng Li turned to look at Rong Qi, surprised. He was inquiring about her ex-boyfriend?

Hadn’t he just acted uninterested?

Fine.

Cheng Li had grown accustomed to his abrupt shifts in mood. After a moment’s thought, she answered honestly. “Back then, I was moved by him.”

“Moved?” Rong Qi repeated the word.

Cheng Li, adopting a somewhat defiant attitude, thought, Why not just talk about exes? Everyone has one.

Once they were done discussing hers, she could question him about his exes, leveling the playing field.

With that in mind, she said bluntly, “He pursued me for two years. I happened to be at an age where I thought I should try dating, so I gave it a shot.”

It turned out to be a mistake.

Thankfully, she’d managed to pull herself out of it before getting too entangled.

As she reflected on this, she remembered Xu Jiheng’s parting words.

When he had looked at her as he left, his smile had been filled with a bitterness she’d never seen before.

He had said, “You know, Cheng Li, even if it hadn’t been for me and Wang Shuyan, I don’t think we could’ve gotten married. And the reason wouldn’t have been me—it would’ve been you.”

“Actually, I know you better than you think. Even though you were moved enough to date me back then, one day you would’ve woken up to the truth and left me without hesitation.”

Cheng Li shook her head abruptly.

Get a grip, Cheng Li.

This jerk was trying to manipulate her, using psychological tricks to shift all the blame onto her with some hypothetical nonsense.

What a joke.

Even if she was emotionally detached, that didn’t justify him cheating. If he had an issue with her personality, he could’ve broken up first before chasing after his rich lady.

Instead, he wanted both—a loyal girlfriend and a wealthy woman.

The world doesn’t work that way.

Cheng Li fiddled with the gold clasp on her bag and muttered, “Actually, I only dated him for a year—”

“That’s enough.”

Rong Qi interrupted her suddenly.

Cheng Li turned to him, confused. The car had started moving again when Rong Qi added, “You don’t need to tell me.”

This man—acting like he didn’t care.

Wasn’t she explaining because he seemed to want her to?

As the car moved forward, Cheng Li had a realization.

Could he have stopped her deliberately to avoid being asked about his past?

Cheng Li’s fingers tapped the edge of her bag as she hesitated but finally spoke up. “And what about you?”

“Hmm?” Rong Qi sounded puzzled.

“How many relationships have you had?” Cheng Li asked bluntly.

If today’s the day for confessions, no one gets off the hook unscathed. She had already bared her soul—he couldn’t stay silent.

Rong Qi kept his focus on driving without responding. Cheng Li watched him patiently, knowing he wouldn’t escape her questioning so easily.

After a long pause, he finally gave in. “Why don’t you guess?”

Guess? Really?

“Give me a hint,” Cheng Li pressed. She raised her delicate hand, five slim, fair fingers moving slightly in the dimly lit car. “More than five?”

Screech.

The sound of a sudden brake jolted her forward.

If not for her seatbelt, her head might’ve hit the windshield.

Cheng Li exhaled deeply, glancing outside. “What happened? Did we hit something?”

“A stray cat darted out,” Rong Qi replied evenly.

“Did you hit it?” she asked, concerned.

“No.”

That was a relief.

As Cheng Li relaxed, the car’s overhead light switched on, illuminating the interior.

“Why did we stop?” she asked, puzzled.

Before she could finish, Rong Qi reached over, forcefully turned her face toward him by pressing on her head, and looked directly at her.

“This face of mine,” Rong Qi frowned slightly, looking genuinely puzzled.

Cheng Li blinked in confusion. “It’s… very handsome.”

His face was striking—one of those features that stunned you at first glance. His sharp, cold eyes were particularly captivating, like turbulent whirlpools pulling you in.

“I already know that,” Rong Qi said with a faint sigh, though his tone carried a hint of exasperation. “But do I look like a playboy to you?”

Cheng Li shook her head, then hesitated before murmuring, “But your face… it does attract attention.”

Even if he stood still and did nothing, people would still flock to him.

Rong Qi chuckled softly at her words.

She really should meet Jiang Zhe—that guy’s face practically defined the term “heartbreaker.”

“Well, if you insist,” Rong Qi said, his tone low and magnetic as he stared intently at her, “I might have to sue you for slander.”

Cheng Li: “…”

Why did that sound so familiar?

Then it hit her.

The first time she’d met Rong Qi at the bar, she’d said something similar to Meng Yuange—about how he could help her get back at Xu Jiheng.

And yet, a few months later…

Meng Yuange’s fantasy had somehow become her reality.

Cheng Li muttered under her breath, “What’s with the drama? It’s not like you’ve never dated before.”

They were adults, after all. Having a few exes was normal, right?

But when Cheng Li glanced at Rong Qi again, she noticed his hands gripping the steering wheel, his expression slightly stiff.

Wait a second.

That reaction…

Cheng Li blinked, putting herself in his shoes. If he really had never been in a relationship and was suddenly asked whether he’d had more than five exes, she could see how that might feel like defamation.

Still, Rong Qi remained silent, restarting the car without addressing her question.

Cheng Li didn’t dare press further, but her curiosity lingered.

She found herself thinking back to their high school days.

Rong Qi hadn’t been particularly noticeable outside of academics—he rarely joined class activities, didn’t talk much, and always kept to himself.

His classmates had chalked it up to the aloofness of a gifted teenager.

But plenty of girls were drawn to his cool demeanor.

Actually, there were quite a lot.

Girls from other classes often found excuses to visit theirs just to catch a glimpse of Rong Qi.

Among them was a girl named Zeng Muyan.

Cheng Li remembered her because Zeng Muyan had been unfriendly toward her—possibly because Cheng Li had taken the “school beauty” title Zeng Muyan had wanted.

Zeng Muyan, a talented dancer recruited to their school, was stunningly beautiful and exuded a lively charm.

In Yizhong, a school with a strong academic focus, students favored someone like Cheng Li—a girl excelling in both academics and appearance. Back then, debates over who deserved the title of “school beauty,” Cheng Li or Zeng Muyan, even sparked heated arguments in the online forums.

Cheng Li had thought of it as a harmless joke among classmates.

Unexpectedly, she later encountered Zeng Muyan in person. Zeng Muyan’s deliberate scrutiny made it clear she bore a grudge against Cheng Li.

Soon after, Zeng Muyan began frequenting their class to visit Rong Qi.

Since Rong Qi’s seat was at the back of the classroom, Zeng Muyan often stood by the rear door, chatting with him.

One midday, Cheng Li had skipped lunch due to severe period cramps. She asked a classmate to bring her some bread and stayed in the classroom to rest.

It must have been summer then; the sweltering afternoons always induced drowsiness. Cheng Li, slumped over her desk, drifted into a nap.

She awoke in a haze, pain pulling her back to consciousness, and overheard voices from the hallway.

A girl’s lively tone drifted closer and clearer: “Rong Qi, why didn’t you go to the cafeteria today? Luckily, I asked your classmates and found out you were still here.”

Rong Qi didn’t seem to reply.

“I brought you bread and a Coke. Go ahead, eat something,” Zeng Muyan’s voice continued. It was a voice Cheng Li had grown familiar with due to Zeng’s frequent visits.

Finally, Rong Qi’s voice cut in, evidently impatient: “Can you stop coming to see me?”

Zeng Muyan, sounding aggrieved, replied, “I just want to be friends with you.”

Even the boldest high school girls wouldn’t dare to openly propose a relationship, so friendship often served as a convenient excuse.

“Are you here to study or to make friends?” Rong Qi’s tone was clearly irritated.

Cheng Li, still lying on her desk, let out a quiet chuckle.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop; their conversation was just impossible to ignore.

Staying silent, she sighed, wondering how long they would keep talking.

“Then tell me, what kind of girl do you like?” Zeng Muyan, unfazed by his demeanor, laughed and pressed on. “Tell me, and I’ll stop bothering you.”

Standing in the hallway, Rong Qi suddenly lifted his gaze, peering into the classroom.

Through the large, bright glass window, he could clearly see the girl sitting at the third row, slumped over her desk. Her ponytail swayed slightly, revealing a slender, pale neck.

“Definitely not someone like you.”

Zeng Muyan raised her voice, “So you do have someone you like?”

Cheng Li blinked, realizing how easily that statement could be interpreted.

But at that time, Rong Qi didn’t seem to deny it.

When the car pulled into the apartment complex, Cheng Li emerged from her long stream of memories.

Rong Qi glanced over at her. “We’re home.”

Suddenly, Cheng Li stared at him and softly asked, “Did you have someone you liked back in high school?”