Chapter 45

Kong Xiyan lay in bed for a long time, only realizing what was missing when Chi Wanzhao turned off the light — she hadn't seen Yanyan.

She nudged Chi Wanzhao and whispered, "Where's Yanyan?"

Chi Wanzhao didn't move, her voice calm as she replied, "In time-out."

Kong Xiyan: ...

Without Yanyan, the room felt much quieter. When Chi Wanzhao turned over, the faint rustle of fabric against the sheets was audible to Kong Xiyan. She had run around the mountain all afternoon and should have been exhausted enough to fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

But she couldn't sleep at all.

She checked her phone—it was already past 2 a.m. When her eyes landed on the date, she suddenly remembered they were leaving tomorrow!

She had originally planned to pack in the afternoon, but then Yanyan went missing, and they had returned in the middle of the night. She hadn't thought about it since. If she hadn't looked at her phone, she might have completely forgotten they were going back tomorrow.

Kong Xiyan poked Chi Wanzhao with her fingertip. A muffled "Hmm?" came from under the blanket.

"Aren't we leaving tomorrow?"

Originally, she and Chi Wanzhao had planned to leave in the morning, but given the situation, they might not make it out by morning.

Chi Wanzhao opened her eyes and looked at Kong Xiyan, squinting as the phone light hit her bright eyes. "We'll stay an extra day," she said.

Kong Xiyan shook her head. "No way. If we stay a day, we return to City B a day later, and it'll be hard to explain to the crew."

Chi Wanzhao frowned in confusion. "Explain what? I'll have Zhou Sheng handle it."

Kong Xiyan pressed her lips together.

The crew was already spreading rumors about her and Assistant Zhou.

If she asked Assistant Zhou to request leave for her, who knows what those people would think.

At the thought, her heart felt heavy, and she said stubbornly, "No, we have to go tomorrow."

Chi Wanzhao frowned at her. "Your leg."

"My leg's fine! It's good. If you don't believe me, I'll dance for you right now!"

...

Chi Wanzhao didn't understand why she was so insistent on leaving tomorrow. She sighed and said, "Alright, if the swelling goes down tomorrow morning, we'll go."

Only then did Kong Xiyan breathe a sigh of relief.

After their soft exchange, the room gradually filled with steady breathing. Chi Wanzhao called her name twice, but got no response, so she clicked on the light. Sitting at the foot of the bed, she lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing a slightly swollen ankle.

She pressed her hand on it and gently rubbed it for a while.

Outside, the cold wind occasionally blew against something, causing a clatter—a contrast to the warmth inside.

Chi Wanzhao thought to herself, this place really isn't bad.

The next day, before dawn, Wang Haining woke up, stirred awake by Yanyan. The cat had been meowing softly by her pillow all night—maybe she hadn't been fed enough or something—and when she opened her eyes, she met Yanyan's blue gaze.

It startled her into a sweat.

She'd left the light on all night because of that.

Finally, when dawn broke, she got up and hastily prepared some cat food for the little mistress.

While yawning and rubbing her eyes, she saw Kong Xiyan push open the door and walk over, lowering her head. "Is your leg better?"

Kong Xiyan stretched out her foot and shook it left and right. "See, much better."

Wang Haining nodded slightly and said listlessly, "Then why not sleep a bit longer?"

Kong Xiyan walked unevenly to the suitcase and pushed one as she said, "No more sleeping. I'm up to pack. We're leaving this morning."

"So soon?"

Wang Haining frowned. "Your leg isn't better yet. Why not rest another day and leave tomorrow?"

Kong Xiyan smiled lightly. "It's fine, really."

Wang Haining glanced past her to see Chi Wanzhao sitting up in the room and pursed her lips.

Forget it.

If Chi Wanzhao was willing, she had no standing to persuade them.

Kong Xiyan pushed the suitcase back into the room, greeted Chi Wanzhao who was awake, and started packing. Chi Wanzhao got up, took the clothes from her hands, and said, "Go wash up first. I'll pack for you."

She began folding Kong Xiyan's clothes into the suitcase, then, under Kong Xiyan's gaze, pushed the suitcase to the adjacent room to continue packing.

With her hands empty, Kong Xiyan turned and went to the bathroom to wash up.

When she came out, Chi Wanzhao had nearly finished packing—not just Kong Xiyan's clothes but also her own. Two suitcases, one big and one small, sat side by side.

Kong Xiyan walked over to the suitcase, and Chi Wanzhao said, "Go check the room for anything else."

"Okay."

She obediently went into the room and found that all her belongings had been packed. She frowned in slight confusion.

Chi Wanzhao was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and washing her face. She didn't use warm water, just splashed cold water on her face. The chill hit her, sharpening her gaze.

Breakfast was made by Wang Haining.

It was still porridge, but she had also stir-fried some pickled vegetables. When she brought it out, it was still steaming, releasing an appetizing aroma.

Kong Xiyan handed a bowl of porridge to Chi Wanzhao. "Eat. This is Haining's specialty."

Chi Wanzhao took the bowl, nodded, and used her chopsticks to pick up some pickled vegetables.

The taste wasn't great, but much better than the dried salted radish. Chi Wanzhao, rather unusually, finished the whole bowl. When Wang Haining saw her put down the empty bowl and moved to refill it, Chi Wanzhao shook her head. "Thanks, I'm fine."

Her tone was same as usual with others.

No longer so icy.

Wang Haining sat back down and briefly chatted with Kong Xiyan about matters in City B.

Seeing them still talking, Chi Wanzhao got up and returned to the room. She called Assistant Zhou and instructed, "I'll drive the car to Ping'an City. Arrange for someone to pick it up."

Zhou Sheng: "Okay, understood."

They exchanged a few more brief work-related words. When Chi Wanzhao came out of the room, she saw Kong Xiyan and Wang Haining both in the kitchen. She lowered her eyes, took out the backpack, and called, "Yanyan."

Yanyan obediently trotted over and looked up at her.

Chi Wanzhao picked her up, stroked her head, and placed her in the backpack, leaving the zipper half open.

In the kitchen, Wang Haining and Kong Xiyan had just finished talking and washing the dishes. Kong Xiyan wiped the water off her hands and said to Wang Haining, "Haining, if you have nowhere to go during winter break, come find me in City B."

They had spent the Spring Festival together for the past three years, and she knew Wang Haining's situation, which is why she made the invitation.

Wang Haining nodded softly. "I'll think about it."

Kong Xiyan hummed in acknowledgment.

As they were about to step out of the kitchen, Wang Haining suddenly called out, "Xiyan."

Kong Xiyan turned her head, saw the hesitation on her usually calm face, and smiled. "What's up?"

Wang Haining pursed her lips, thought for a moment, then said, "Don't you think President Chi treats you differently?"

President Chi?

Chi Wanzhao?

Kong Xiyan's gaze followed Wang Haining's words to the room doorway. From there, she could see Chi Wanzhao talking to Yanyan in the backpack. She wasn't cold and aloof like in City B, nor intimidating; instead, she exuded a quiet tenderness.

She withdrew her gaze and lowered her eyes. "Haining, what are you trying to say?"

Wang Haining shook her head. "Nothing. I just think you should pay more attention to the people and things around you. Maybe you should consider things from someone else's perspective."

"For example, why is President Chi so good to you."

Kong Xiyan fell silent for a moment because of Wang Haining's words.

Why does she treat me so well?

What does Haining mean?

Could she be implying that Chi Wanzhao likes her?!

Impossible!

Kong Xiyan decisively shook her head, then silently muttered to herself.

Is it really impossible?

Thinking back to when they were in City B—Chi Wanzhao took care of her every day, cooking meals. Though taking care of her might have been incidental, Chi Wanzhao never drew a line between them.

And on this trip to Changning Village, her behavior toward her—seemed like there might really be some feelings there.

Kong Xiyan was caught in deep contradiction over whether Chi Wanzhao liked her or not.

Sometimes she felt there was intent, but other times it seemed like just random actions. She sighed, then seeing Chi Wanzhao come out of the room, she said goodbye to Wang Haining and pushed the suitcase to head out.

Chi Wanzhao had Yanyan in the backpack on her shoulder. Since Kong Xiyan's leg was not convenient, Wang Haining had arranged for Chen Junshan to take them to the other side of the mountain.

Chen Junshan had finished breakfast and arrived just as they stepped out the door.

Kong Xiyan felt a bit embarrassed. "No need, Brother Shan. We can walk back ourselves. It's not far."

Chen Junshan took the suitcase from Chi Wanzhao. "That won't do. Your leg hasn't fully recovered, and carrying this won't be easy. It's all right—it's cold, and I've got nothing to do at home anyway. It's no trouble to see you off."

Chi Wanzhao glanced at his simple, honest face and lowered her eyes.

Seeing Chen Junshan had put it that way, Kong Xiyan didn't refuse. She said goodbye to Wang Haining and prepared to leave. Worried about her leg hurting, Chi Wanzhao took her arm to help her put less weight on it.

The three of them quickly disappeared from the village entrance.

Along the way, Chen Junshan kept talking to Kong Xiyan about Chen Yuan and village affairs. Occasionally, he tried to engage Chi Wanzhao, but she only replied with brief "Mm" or "Okay" before falling silent. Finding it boring, he turned back to chat with Kong Xiyan.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain on the other side, it was almost noon. Kong Xiyan's leg was already hurting a bit. She quickly found a spot to sit down and checked her ankle—it looked a little swollen. Afraid Chi Wanzhao would notice, she deliberately covered it with her cotton sock.

Chen Junshan went to call for an oxcart. Kong Xiyan and Chi Wanzhao sat on a haystack. In the distance, they saw Chen Junshan come with a person and the same carriage they'd ridden before—only this time, the driver was a pretty young man.

Chen Junshan brought him over to them, helped load the luggage, and Kong Xiyan, still attached to the village, pulled Chen Junshan aside for a few words. When she turned around, Chi Wanzhao was already sitting on the wooden board of the carriage.

She thought for a moment, then said, "Brother Shan, can I ask you something?"

Chen Junshan stood beside her and smiled. "What is it, Teacher Kong?"

Kong Xiyan pursed her lips and asked awkwardly, "It's just—how can you tell if someone likes you or not?"

Without thinking, Chen Junshan said, "That's simple. Ask them for something they like most and see if they're willing to give it to you. If they offer it with both hands, isn't that pretty much proof they like you?"

Kong Xiyan nodded at the words, thinking it made sense.

She waved goodbye to Chen Junshan and climbed onto the carriage.

The carriage swayed along for a long time. The sun wasn't too strong, and its warmth felt comfortable. Chi Wanzhao was bending down, feeding Yanyan cat food. Kong Xiyan's eyes flickered, and she spoke up, "President Chi, if we ever divorce in the future, could I sometimes take Yanyan?"

Chi Wanzhao's hand feeding the cat paused. The carriage hit a bump, and the cat food she was holding dropped into the backpack. Yanyan immediately lowered her head to search inside.

Chi Wanzhao turned to look at Kong Xiyan, jaw still tight, lips pressed into a thin line, her tone slow and frigid.

"Divorce?"

"Ms. Kong can still think of Yanyan after a divorce—how touching."

Kong Xiyan's eyes kindled with hope. She wasn't sure if she hoped Chi Wanzhao would say yes or because she had started to harbor a faint hope that Chi Wanzhao liked her.

She bit her lip. "Can I?"

Chi Wanzhao's eyes turned cold, casting her a glance sharp as a blade that seemed to scrape her cheeks, painful. Then came the icy rejection: "Sorry, no."

The light in Kong Xiyan's eyes dimmed instantly.

Screw your love, then!!!!!