Chapter 082: Eavesdropping Beneath the Door

The manic expression on Li Ming’s face gradually faded away. Hearing the faint sounds of sobbing, he sat silently on the sofa, covering his face, wordless.

Inside the room.

As soon as Li Jia entered, she tossed her luggage aside, not bothering to sort it. She flung herself onto the bed and broke down in tears.

All her life, Li Jia had been her father Li Ming’s beloved daughter. He doted on her, always afraid she might get hurt. This was the first time her father had ever shouted at her.

Once she started crying, she couldn’t stop, becoming a figure made of tears.

She forgot about the plan to call Huang Yu as soon as she got home.

After crying for more than ten minutes, she finally calmed down. Despite her lack of spirit, she began to unpack some clothes and arrange them neatly.

As she sorted her clothes, Li Jia sighed repeatedly.

This homecoming was the opposite of all previous ones—no cheerful reunions, no happy family scenes. She found it difficult to adjust.

Dinner was eaten in silence, tasteless and joyless.

Her mother’s cooking had always been delicious, fragrant, and visually pleasing. Tonight, Li Jia felt as if someone else had cooked; the food tasted like wax, bland and unpalatable, as if the cook had lost all interest.

While the three sat together for dinner, Li Jia tried several times to speak, but seeing her parents’ silent, expressionless faces, the words always died on her lips.

Her heart ached, and she lost all appetite.

They ate very little, and dinner ended quickly.

Li Jia insisted on helping her mother Liu Jiajia clean up in the kitchen, but Liu Jiajia sent her off, saying she had just come home and must be tired, urging her to rest early.

Inside her room.

Li Jia glanced at her phone charging on the bedside table, suddenly recalling she hadn’t reported her safe arrival to Huang Yu. She hurried over and found two missed calls—both from him.

Seeing his name made her tense heart relax a little. She opened her contacts and dialed back.

While the call connected, she composed herself, careful not to let him sense anything was wrong.

Li Jia had no intention of mentioning the family trouble; Huang Yu had an important interview soon, and she didn’t want him distracted by worry.

The call was quickly answered.

“Jia, I called you several times but couldn’t get through. I was so worried. Are you home safe? Why didn’t you let me know?”

Huang Yu’s concerned voice came at once.

“Yu, I’m home. I was eating out with my parents, and the phone was charging in my room, so I missed your calls. Once I got back, I hadn’t seen my parents in so long—I got caught up chatting and forgot about you for a bit. Don’t be petty.”

Li Jia hid her emotions well, speaking with the playful mischief proper to a girlfriend, as if nothing had happened at home.

“You’re my little sweetheart. How could I ever be petty with you? I love you, cherish you, adore you—I can’t do enough.”

Huang Yu’s affectionate words flowed freely.

---

“Heh, I never noticed before. I thought you were different from other men, but now your sweet words come so easily. Tell me, how many girls’ hearts have you won with these lines before me?”

Li Jia laughed, teasing him.

“These words are only for my little Jia Jia, and will never be for another girl. My heart belongs to you alone, forever.”

Huang Yu seemed completely relaxed, pouring out sweet talk without restraint.

“As expected, all men are alike—their mouths…” Li Jia smiled brightly, feigning dissatisfaction.

In truth, she enjoyed his words.

They chatted for a while, but Li Jia wasn’t really in the mood. She ended the call abruptly, while Huang Yu was still eager to talk.

The moment she hung up, her smile vanished. She sat at the bedside, lost in thought for a while, then stood up to gather some clothes for a shower.

No matter how life is—bitter or sweet, sour or spicy—the gears of time never stop turning for anyone.

Lying comfortably in a presidential suite in another city, dreaming of a beautiful future with Li Jia, Huang Yu could never have guessed that this call would be among the last times he’d hear her laughter.

In the days ahead, he would truly understand the fickleness of life.

After her shower, Li Jia sat at her desk and opened a book, flipping through a few pages, but found herself unable to concentrate. She closed the book, simply sitting in silence, gazing out the dark window and at her own reflection, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a commotion from the living room caught her attention.

“Are Mom and Dad arguing?” Li Jia snapped out of her daze, murmuring in disbelief.

Her parents had always been a loving couple in her memory; they might bicker occasionally, but never truly fought—at least she had never witnessed it.

Li Jia left her chair and tiptoed to the door, listening closely to find out what her parents were quarreling about.

Everything she’d seen and heard since coming home felt surreal, as if trapped in a nightmare.

But at the door, she could barely make out fragments: “Little Jia,” “We can’t let her down,” “There’s no other way,” “It’s too painful”—snippets from her father, Li Ming. His voice was clearly unstable, anxious, his words slurred, tone rising and falling.

Her mother seemed to be crying, gently advising him. Their voices were low, as if both were wary of disturbing Li Jia in her room.

Soon, the voices fell silent, replaced by the sound of footsteps.

Li Jia pressed her ear to the door for a while, but heard only a door closing—clearly not the front door, but the bedroom door.

She quietly opened her own door. The living room was dark, but light leaked from her parents’ bedroom. She walked softly to the door and could hear faint sounds, but the voices were too low to make out. After a moment, she returned to her room.

Back inside, Li Jia’s confusion deepened. Her parents seemed like strangers compared to the image in her memory, leaving her unsettled.

That night, she drifted between sleep and wakefulness, unable to rest. In the familiar room and bed, she experienced sleep problems for the first time.

---

A melodious ringtone rang out, waking Li Jia from the slumber she’d only managed to fall into as dawn broke.

Half-asleep, she glanced at the caller ID—it was Huang Yu.

“Hello? What’s up so early?” Li Jia yawned, her voice groggy.

“Lazybones, still sleeping? It’s already past eight—the sun’s up!” Huang Yu’s teasing came through.

His surprise was evident—Li Jia was usually an early riser like him; it was rare for her to sleep in this late.

“If there’s nothing important, I’ll hang up. I slept late last night and I’m still tired,” Li Jia replied irritably, not in the mood for banter.

She yawned again.

Huang Yu sensed she hadn’t slept well. He spoke a few more words, then ended the call; he had business to attend to.

Li Jia tossed her phone aside and prepared to go back to sleep.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Li Jia mumbled.

“Jia, it’s me. Not awake yet? Your mother just went out and bought you breakfast,” Liu Jiajia’s voice came from outside.

On hearing this, Li Jia’s sleepiness vanished. She got up, remembering she was no longer in her university dorm, and recalling all the strange events from yesterday.

She hurried to get dressed.

In the living room.

It looked as though it had been cleaned—not chaotic like yesterday. For a moment, Li Jia felt she had returned to the warm home of her memories, but on closer inspection, the cleaning was hasty.

Li Ming was watching TV, his complexion much improved compared to last night.

Liu Jiajia was unpacking breakfast, arranging it neatly on the table.

Today, her mother had clearly put on makeup; the exhaustion of yesterday was well concealed.

Li Jia studied her parents. Apart from the lack of sparkle in their eyes, they looked much as she remembered.

“Why are you standing there? Go wash up and come eat breakfast. I went out early and got all your favorites,” Liu Jiajia called out with a smile.

Li Jia answered and went to the bathroom.