Chapter 15: She Thought He Would Care?

Assistant Liu dropped Su Yumian off downstairs. After thanking him, she didn’t go straight up but turned into the nearby market instead.

Twenty minutes later, carrying several shopping bags, she was about to head upstairs when she saw Shao Wenbai approaching from the sunset.

The sky was already dimming, but the orange-red glow of the setting sun draped over him, stretching his already tall figure even longer. His gaze was straight ahead, walking with a focused intensity.

“What a coincidence, we meet again.” Su Yumian greeted him first.

Shao Wenbai looked up and adjusted his glasses. “What a coincidence.”

“Have you had dinner? I bought groceries—do you want to eat together?”

Shao Wenbai instinctively wanted to refuse but, remembering her cooking, found himself nodding instead.

This was his first time at Su Yumian’s home.

In front of the balcony, tulips were in full bloom. A square fish tank in the back corner housed two red koi swimming leisurely. The white curtains fluttered gently in the sunset breeze. The cherrywood table and chairs gave off a naturally warm ambiance.

Cozy, peaceful, beautiful.

On the glass coffee table, study materials and exam papers were spread out. With just one glance, he could tell that nearly all the answers, written in black ink, were correct.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Just water.”

Su Yumian poured him a glass of warm water.

“Thanks.”

“I bought a lot of groceries today, perfect for hotpot.”

She opened the shopping bags—various vegetables, a cut of beef, a box of handmade meatballs. There were even leftover beef bones from last time, just right for a light beef broth hotpot.

“You got a multiple-choice question wrong.” Shao Wenbai suddenly spoke.

Following his gaze, Su Yumian saw her test paper from this morning. She immediately knew which question he was referring to. “Yeah, that one involves both biology and physics. I’m still struggling with the dynamics part.”

“The choice of potential function is closely related to dynamic calculations. Different potential functions result in different energy surfaces, which in turn affect molecular motion and internal molecular trajectories.” Shao Wenbai explained.

Su Yumian was stunned for a moment before sinking into thought. Two seconds later, her eyes lit up. “Oh! That makes sense!”

Shao Wenbai was slightly surprised by how quickly she grasped it. “You understand?”

“Most of it,” Su Yumian admitted honestly. “I read your research notes in the library, so I know some basic molecular dynamics principles.”

“You could understand them?”

“Yeah.”

For the first time, Shao Wenbai looked a little embarrassed. “Those were from my undergrad years… uh, I had a lot of typos.”

Pfft—

Su Yumian couldn’t help but laugh. To be honest, there were quite a lot of typos.

“You’re smart and have good intuition. The graduate school exam won’t be difficult for you.”

Su Yumian’s smile brightened. “Really? Then I’ll take that as a blessing from Professor Shao.”

—

By the time Jiang Yihuai and Cheng Zhou walked out of SKP, the sky was already dark.

Cheng Zhou glanced at the paper bag in Jiang Yihuai’s hand—nearly seven figures’ worth of jewelry, just casually swinging in his grip. He clicked his tongue.

Who exactly was he trying to show off to?

The store had even offered security delivery services, but this guy flat-out refused. Too bad they hadn’t run into her again on the way out. Cheng Zhou suggested, “It’s late—let’s get dinner first?”

Jiang Yihuai hummed disinterestedly. “You decide.”

Cheng Zhou picked a well-known private Cantonese restaurant nearby. They got a private room on the second floor—good view, quiet atmosphere.

When the waiter handed over the menu, Cheng Zhou scanned through the Cantonese dishes. There were so many options, mostly light and fresh, with lots of soups and stews. He hesitated for a while, almost overwhelmed by the choices.

Noticing that Jiang Yihuai hadn’t spoken in a while, he tried to start a conversation.

“I heard this place is great—authentic Cantonese cuisine with a wide selection. Anything you feel like eating, Jiang-ge?”

Jiang Yihuai didn’t really care. “You pick.”

Since leaving the jewelry store, he had been absentmindedly playing with his lighter, clearly distracted. Just thinking about how Su Yumian had walked past him without so much as a glance—acting as if she didn’t even know him—made his brows furrow.

She was treating him like thin air?

And why hadn’t she moved back yet, even after leaving Shao Yuwei’s place?

How long was she planning to keep this up?

His thoughts were a mess. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Cheng Zhou eventually ordered preserved pork and bamboo shoot soup, braised duck with perilla, sweet and sour pork, and a seafood dish.

As the dishes arrived one by one, the aroma filled the air. Cheng Zhou, already starving, just wanted to dig in. He took a bite—yep, definitely delicious.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yihuai barely touched his food, eating slowly and without enjoyment.

“You’re still thinking about earlier, huh?” Cheng Zhou commented. “I think Yumian’s just still mad. Give it some time—she’ll probably come around.”

He paused, then added, “I mean, you… broke up with her in front of everyone. How was she supposed to save face? It’s not something she can just brush off. Give it a few days, and when she’s cooled down, just apologize and make it up to her.”

Jiang Yihuai’s expression darkened. “Who said I was thinking about her? Just eat your food.”

“…Alright.” Yeah, sure, totally not thinking about her.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Jiang Yihuai unlocked it, and a photo popped up. A woman standing slightly sideways. A man reaching out, his fingers just about to touch her face.

The image was slightly blurry, but he recognized them instantly—Su Yumian and Lin Muzhou!

His eyes turned icy cold.

Cheng Zhou noticed his reaction and tensed. “Jiang-ge, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Yihuai tossed his phone onto the table, his face grim. “This is what you call ‘she’ll come around’? Looks like she’s got some nerve!”

She was actually getting involved with Lin Muzhou?!

Cheng Zhou glanced at the photo and winced. Lin Muzhou, that shameless bastard, was clearly taking advantage of the situation, swooping in while Yumian was upset.

Jiang Yihuai let out a cold chuckle. “She really lowered her standards after leaving me—going for someone like Lin Muzhou?”

Did she actually think he would care?

—

Meanwhile, Su Yumian had no idea what was happening outside her world, nor did she care. Her life was now filled with studying—monotonous, dull, but also stable and fulfilling.

Every day was the same: from her rental apartment to the library and back. In her free time, she cooked a good meal for herself and sometimes shared it with her hardworking neighbor.

Materially, she had far less than before. But after leaving that villa, even the air smelled like freedom.

“Mianmian, studying again?” Shao Yuwei called her like clockwork every day.

“Yeah.” Su Yumian moved to a corner, lowering her voice so as not to disturb others.

“It’s Friday—let’s go out for dinner.”

“But—”

“No buts! Even a workhorse needs a break. Relaxing a little won’t kill you. Besides, studying needs a balance of work and rest. Don’t lock yourself away.”

“…Alright.”

They arranged to meet at a Japanese restaurant.