Chapter 2: Aren't We Friends Too?

The dim warehouse made it hard for Xia Wu to see her surroundings at first.

Lu Heng seemed reluctant to speak, but in the end, he said it anyway:

"Xia Wu, Xu Ying doesn't love you. You've tied yourself to him for so many years—what have you gotten out of it? Yanyan can't live without Xu Ying. Since being together only brings you both pain, why not just let them be?"

Xia Wu's eyes turned scarlet. She gave a cold laugh. "Let them be? Why would I let them be! Is this how you siblings interfere in someone else's marriage?!"

Lu Heng frowned. "You know exactly how your marriage with Xu Ying came about, don't you? He was forced into it. Xia Wu, you deserve someone better. Why waste your time on him?"

Xia Wu sneered. "Forced? So what, didn't he still end up with me? Lu Yan wanted to force him too. If she'd actually pulled it off, would it have been my turn?"

Lu Heng was out of options. "Are you really not going to think about your grandma out in the Nancheng countryside?"

Xia Wu instantly went on guard. "What are you trying to do? If you dare touch my grandma, I'll fight you to the death!"

"As long as you leave Xu Ying, I won't touch anyone."

Xia Wu couldn't remember what Lu Heng said after that. She had only one thought left—get out of here.

...

In the end, Xia Wu escaped the warehouse, only to be hit and killed by an oncoming truck in her panic.

Yep, just that cliché, just that rushed of an ending, putting a stop to her absurd life.

Xu Ying came out of the bathroom, already changed into a dry white T-shirt.

His hair wasn't fully dried yet, the soft strands falling down giving him a bit of a boyish look.

He glanced around the room. No sign of Xia Wu.

Frowning, he pushed open the bedroom door and saw Xia Wu squatting on the ground in the yard, hugging her knees.

Her hair reached her waist, her small frame trembling slightly under the dim light.

He walked over to the person squatting in the yard, standing perfectly straight, looking down at Xia Wu by his feet.

"Stop making trouble. Go back to sleep. It's hot out here."

Xia Wu didn't respond. She kept her head buried, saying nothing.

Xu Ying bent down slightly, grabbed Xia Wu's arm, and asked patiently, "What's wrong? What did I do to piss you off this time?"

Xia Wu kept her head down, her voice muffled, but a few words still made it to Xu Ying's ears.

"You did piss me off. You owe me..."

Xu Ying took a deep breath. "Fine, my fault. Stop making trouble. Get up."

Xia Wu fiercely wiped away her tears. When she stood up again, there was a smile on her face.

"Who's making trouble? It's you who locks the door tight every single time you shower, like you're scared I'm gonna eat you alive."

"You weren't thinking about it?" Xu Ying glanced at Xia Wu indifferently.

But the hand gripping the girl's arm didn't let go.

Xia Wu froze. In the past, she could never win an argument against him. Every time, she'd end up half-dead from anger.

He never coaxed her either. She always had to talk herself into it, over and over again.

By the second day at the latest, she'd be trotting right behind him again.

"If I was thinking about it, would you give it to me?" Xia Wu snapped back.

Xu Ying had always guarded himself fiercely against her, terrified of being defiled.

"If I gave it, would you dare take it?" Xu Ying still wore that infuriating expression, even carrying a hint of roguishness.

Right, how could she dare.

Xu Ying had agreed to plenty of her unreasonable demands, but his bottom line was: no actual sex.

So many times, he'd clearly gotten aroused, yet he held back, preferring to handle it himself rather than touch her.

Xia Wu could never figure it out. She was pretty, her body wasn't bad, and she gave him everything she had.

She was genuinely perfect in every way, yet someone this good couldn't catch his eye.

Xia Wu glared at Xu Ying. "Like I care!"

With that, she shook off his hand, turned around, and went back inside.

Xu Ying followed leisurely behind, tossing out, "If you don't care, then why were you having so much fun just now?"

Xia Wu choked, swallowed hard, and didn't answer.

The bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered, the tungsten filament buzzing, then popped twice before going completely dark.

Xia Wu instinctively called out, "Xu..." The rest of the word was swallowed back down.

After all these years, she was still afraid of the dark.

In her past life, in that huge empty house, every single room had its lights on at night, bright as day.

Yet she still felt a darkness that made her heart panic.

She turned around to go grab a spare bulb, only to bump into the person behind her.

Xu Ying was tall. She barely reached his chest.

His crisp voice came from above, mixed with the scent of lily-of-the-valley soap: "Stay put. I'll go get a bulb and change it."

Xia Wu stood quietly. She had night blindness; her vision was terrible after dark.

It felt like Xu Ying had been gone forever without coming back.

But he knew perfectly well that she was afraid of the dark, and afraid of pain.

In her past life, she'd gotten both in full.

"Sigh..." In the darkness, Xia Wu let out a long sigh. She'd already died once, what was a little dark?

She fumbled her way to the edge of the bed, using the faint light from the window to gaze at the sky outside.

Her relationship with Xu Ying really was something she'd forced into existence, and that was what caused half a lifetime of tragedy.

This time, she shouldn't do that. She needed to live properly—for herself, and for Grandma.

Originally, during summer break, Xu Ying was supposed to find a part-time job in Sucheng to earn next semester's tuition and save up some living expenses, but Xia Wu hadn't agreed.

She didn't feel safe leaving him alone in Sucheng. She had to keep an eye on him at all times.

Thinking about it now, she'd been stupid enough to laugh at.

If someone wants to leave another person, how could staring at them constantly ever keep them around?

A long while later, Xu Ying's slightly panting voice came through, bringing a heart-pounding rhythm in the darkness.

He saw Xia Wu standing quietly by the window and relaxed a little.

"Didn't I tell you not to move? You can't see anything in the dark. You'll bump into something and start crying about the pain again."

As he spoke, Xu Ying unscrewed the broken bulb and put in the new one.

The moment the tungsten filament connected, the room instantly lit up.

Seeing Xia Wu say nothing, he explained further: "We were out of bulbs. I went to the little shop at the intersection to buy one, so it took a while."

Xu Ying never explained himself when doing things. Just like earlier—he could've said something before leaving, but he didn't.

He must've seen that Xia Wu was angry, which is why he bothered to add a sentence with such patience.

Xu Ying figured that based on Xia Wu's usual routine, the moment he walked in, she should've charged over.

Hugging him, acting spoiled, causing a scene, and squeezing some benefits out of him along the way.

Like demanding kisses at night, hugs, or for him to coax her.

But today, there was nothing. Not even a single word. Quiet in a way that wasn't normal.

It made Xu Ying a bit uneasy. He had a feeling Xia Wu was charging up some big move, and who knows what kind of scene she'd cause when it dropped.

Even earlier on the bed, right when she was at her most excited, she suddenly stopped.

She loved watching him hold back, and that was exactly what disgusted him.

Xia Wu pulled her gaze away from the window and turned to Xu Ying. "Go back to Sucheng tomorrow. I'll stay here by myself."

Xu Ying frowned, stepping closer. His affectionate eyes, framed by layered long lashes, stared at Xia Wu, trying to read something in her gaze.

Xia Wu turned her head away, avoiding his line of sight.

Those eyes that looked deeply affectionate even at a dog seemed to have never directed any love toward her.

"I'm serious. Part-time jobs in the city pay more than the ones in town. You'll earn more if you go there."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Xu Ying didn't believe it. How would Xia Wu ever let him out of her sight?

"Can't I be considerate for once? You didn't want to come back anyway. Instead of you getting mad every time you look at me, might as well do you a favor."

Xia Wu tugged at the bedsheet, pinching it flat, then smoothing it out, over and over.

Xu Ying was silent for a moment, then bent down to pick up the small leather whip Xia Wu had thrown aside earlier, slowly taking off his shirt.

Xia Wu widened her eyes, staring at him in confusion.

What was he doing? Had this guy lost his mind?

"Weren't you satisfied earlier? Want to keep going?"

Xu Ying asked as casually as if asking what to eat today, his gaze landing on Xia Wu's body.