Chapter 33: The Ex-Boyfriend

The atmosphere was thick with tension, the air growing thin enough to make Jiang Ying feel as if she were suffocating.

She never considered herself a stunning beauty, nor had she ever fantasized about a day when two men would stand face-to-face over her, their hostility so palpable it felt almost physical.

The dark-haired man standing behind Lu Zhixi seemed equally surprised, as if he hadn't expected to witness such a scene during this outing, which explained why he didn't immediately step in to pull the two apart. This only made Jiang Ying feel even more awkward.

"That's enough, Alex."

Lu Xiu suddenly emerged from the café at the end of the corridor. She stood beside Lu Zhixi, cast a cold glance at him, and then turned to Jiang Ying and Yu Siyan. "You two should head back now. I apologize for the trouble my son has caused you."

Her arrival finally shattered the standoff. Lu Zhixi’s already displeased expression darkened completely the moment he saw her.

Yu Siyan withdrew his gaze and silently took Jiang Ying’s hand, leading her toward the elevator. As they passed Lu Zhixi, Jiang Ying could feel his eyes fixed firmly upon her. It wasn't until she stepped into the elevator behind Yu Siyan that the prickling sensation on her scalp finally dissipated.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Lu Zhixi spoke from outside: "Yingying, tell him my terms."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the doors clicked shut.

Inside the elevator, the lighting was a warm, soft yellow. The floor was carpeted, and the air was scented with high-end aromatherapy. The closed doors reflected their unusually silent figures. Neither of them brought up Lu Zhixi’s final remark; a forced, fragile calm spread between them.

On a snowy day, traffic was gridlocked and taxis were hard to come by. Their apartment complex was located in the bustling Chaoyang CBD, and the ride-hailing app showed a forty-minute wait.

Yu Siyan put his phone away and led Jiang Ying to the lounge near the main entrance. "Let's sit and wait."

The sofas were soft, but neither of them felt comfortable. In this space, the warm, camel-colored sofas contrasted sharply with the harsh black walls, a manifestation of a certain temperament peculiar to the wealthy: aloof politeness and undisguised aggression.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Beijing was dyed in shades of gray and white by the falling snow and concrete. The bitter wind howled incessantly. Even though the sturdy doors and windows blocked the ghost-like shrieks, the sight of the trees swaying precariously outside made the terrifying chill palpable.

Just then, a delivery driver wearing a thermal hat and mask, bundled in a thick padded coat, parked his electric scooter at the entrance. He pulled a neatly packaged bag from the yellow delivery box and hurried inside. As the door opened, a gust of wind and snow slipped in, trailing the freezing, red-faced courier. A blast of cold air hit Jiang Ying, making her shudder and pull her scarf tighter around her neck.

Seeing this, Yu Siyan finally snapped out of his thoughts and pulled her into his arms. The stiff atmosphere between them finally broke.

Jiang Ying clutched his hand tightly, leaning into his chest like a small boat, caught in a storm, desperately seeking a shore where it could finally dock.

"Yingying, do you want to tell me his conditions?" Yu Siyan finally asked.

Even though she knew he would ask, she still felt numb in her hands and feet, unsure of how to voice it. Should she tell the truth? Or should she brush it off and tell him it wasn't important?

But Jiang Ying couldn't help but think that Yu Siyan’s parents and sister were genuinely facing a difficult predicament. When someone could help them through their troubles, no matter who that person was or what their motives might be, she—as the only one in the know—had no right to hide it.

The words hovered on her lips, but she couldn't get them out. She lowered her head, her face turning as pale as the snow outside.

Yu Siyan noticed her distress and said gently, "Yingying, we need to communicate honestly. Otherwise, it’s not good for our relationship, is it?" He paused for a moment before continuing to soothe her. "Look, I always tell you not to be afraid. You have to trust that I can face these things."

Hearing this, Jiang Ying felt a little better, though a complex, aggrieved emotion welled up, making her eyes turn red. She looked up to meet his gaze, ready to speak, when she heard him add in a relaxed tone, "Don't apologize to me. I'll say it in advance: it’s okay."

Jiang Ying had indeed been about to say sorry. Surprised that he had anticipated her, she finally revealed a faint, thin smile.

"I really didn't think Lu Zhixi would go this far. I feel like I’d have to apologize to you ten thousand times before I could even bring myself to say what he asked of me today."

Yu Siyan stared at her for a moment. "Is that why he tricked you into coming here? He’s using this to threaten you."

"...I suppose so."

"Just tell me. Although I don’t know him well, from the two times I’ve dealt with him, I suspect he’s the type who won't stop until he gets what he wants. Since he wants me to know, he’ll find another way to tell me even if you don't."

Yu Siyan’s assessment of Lu Zhixi was accurate. Jiang Ying sighed and finally laid out the terms. Saying it aloud was painful; each word felt like a small knife cutting at her throat.

Yu Siyan’s expression grew colder and colder. After she finished the whole story, he remained silent for a long time. The silence made Jiang Ying uncomfortable, and she gripped her hands tightly, afraid to speak.

After nearly two minutes, Yu Siyan composed himself, took her hand again, and said in a calm voice, "We are not breaking up."

Hearing this, Jiang Ying asked the question she was most worried about: "But your parents and senior sister Yu Shan..."

"Yingying, you and I are the same kind of person. You should know very well that in families like ours, it’s enough for parents and children to look after their own careers. While we can’t help each other, we shouldn't drag each other down either. My sister chose to enter the entertainment industry, so she has to weigh the risks and costs herself. My parents teach at an ordinary university; if they can't get a promotion, that’s not something I can control."

"If I agreed to break up, not only would I be humiliated by Lu Zhixi’s charity, but I would also be giving him exactly what he wanted: our separation. I won’t do it. If it’s not meant to be, I won’t force it, but I see no reason to bow and scrape for things I wasn't meant to have."

Yu Siyan’s voice was calm, every word revealing extreme rationality and pride.

He added, "That doesn't mean I don’t love my parents and sister. I will still fulfill my duties as a son and a brother, but I won’t deplete myself without principle for their sake. So, you don’t need to worry about this. To me, it’s not a problem."

His words caught Jiang Ying off guard. She slowly digested their meaning and hesitated, "Then... that’s good. As long as you don’t mind."

Just then, the elevator doors in the distance opened. A strong man in a black suit stepped out and stood before them.

"Ms. Jiang, Mr. Yu, it’s hard to get a taxi in Beijing right now. Let me take you back to your school. The car is in the underground parking lot. I’ve already informed your school’s security department about the special situation; I can drive the car onto campus and take you both directly to your dormitory building. It’s freezing outside, so this will save you from walking in the cold."

Jiang Ying looked up and recognized him as one of the strong men who had escorted Lu Zhixi away earlier. The bodyguard spoke with an authentic Beijing accent and a warm tone, deliberately omitting who had arranged this, but they both knew it was surely Lu Zhixi or his elders.

This time, Yu Siyan didn't ask Jiang Ying; he refused directly, saying they had already hailed a car and wouldn't trouble him.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, a driver finally accepted their request, but the car was fifteen minutes away, and the route on the map was marked with deep red for congestion.

The bodyguard persisted for a while, but seeing Yu Siyan’s resolve, he stepped aside to make a phone call to his boss. After receiving new instructions, he returned. "I’ll wait here until you get in the car. If you need a ride, just call me."

The bodyguard waited not far away, standing straight, his demeanor and movements those of a well-trained soldier.

Fifteen minutes later, their ride finally arrived. Seeing they had no umbrella, the bodyguard brought a black one from the front desk. "The snow is too heavy. Let me walk you to the car."

Yu Siyan pulled Jiang Ying into his arms and coldly refused again. "No need, thank you."

With that, he put the hood of her down jacket up, tightened her scarf, and led her out of the high-end apartment complex that felt so out of place for them. Throughout the process, Jiang Ying didn't say a word, obediently tucked into his side, following his lead.

Once they stepped outside, the murderous chill of deep winter in Beijing instantly enveloped them. Their bodies, which had warmed up inside, turned cold within a few steps. The wind whipped the snowflakes against their faces like ice hitting ice. Jiang Ying felt as if her head and ears were aching from the cold, the exposed part of her face stinging.

The ride-hailing driver wasn't familiar with the area and had parked on a side road some distance away, unwilling to drive closer. Yu Siyan had to pull Jiang Ying along as he followed the navigation. After walking for nearly five minutes, they finally climbed into the heated car.

It was difficult to get a car in such weather, so they were lucky to have one at all. The interior was in poor condition—slush and dirt covered the floor, and the car had a stuffy, lingering odor that, mixed with the heater, made Jiang Ying feel nauseous as soon as she sat down.

Yu Siyan asked her, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled, though her nose was so frozen that she could feel her facial muscles moving sluggishly.

"I still feel bad for putting you through this."

Jiang Ying paused for a moment before realizing he meant that if she had taken the bodyguard’s car, she wouldn't have had to endure the cold.

"No, I don’t mind that. Besides, it was you who went through the trouble of coming to pick me up. I should be the one saying that..."

Hearing this, Yu Siyan’s voice softened. "It was no trouble at all."