Chapter 19: How Long Do You Plan to Stay Angry?

Soon, she was the only one left in this space.

Fortunately, after the alarm went off, the lights became brighter than before. Taking two steps forward, she saw a direction sign.

She smoothly passed the second stage and heard a commotion coming from not far away. Frowning, she glanced in that direction—it seemed like too many people were crowded at the exit, blocking the way.

Just as Su Yumian hesitated about squeezing through, another wave of people surged from behind, leaving her no room to retreat.

She didn’t know who pushed her to the side or who stepped on her foot. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already pressed against the rough wall. Something pressed against her chest, and she gasped in pain.

Suddenly, she sensed a gaze on her. Instinctively, she looked up and locked eyes with a man.

Jiang Yihuai looked at the disheveled woman, feeling both a little distressed and a little angry.

It really was her. That “Yumian” he heard earlier wasn’t his imagination.

But then, he realized—she actually had the mood to explore a haunted house? It seemed like she was doing just fine after their breakup.

“Huai-ge?” Shi Muxi nervously tugged at Jiang Yihuai’s arm, her gaze toward Su Yumian carrying a hint of caution.

Su Yumian lowered her eyes, clearly uninterested in interacting with the two of them. She squeezed back into the crowd, intending to leave with everyone else.

The dim, flickering lights and the sea of people moving around created a chaotic atmosphere.

Suddenly, a sharp scream rang out. In the next second, a hanging wooden sword swayed precariously—and it was about to fall directly onto Su Yumian!

“Watch out!”

Without thinking, Jiang Yihuai immediately let go of Shi Muxi, shoved past the crowd, and pulled Su Yumian to safety.

Bang!

The wooden sword crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

The crowd collectively gasped. Upon closer inspection, the sword was actually made of iron, only painted to look like wood. If it had hit someone, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Still shaken, Su Yumian felt a slight grip on her palm. That was when she realized—Jiang Yihuai was still holding her hand. Before the man could react, she pulled away immediately. Leaning against the wall, she stood up and said, “Thank you.”

Jiang Yihuai’s dark eyes flickered as he looked at her distant expression.

“Is ‘thank you’ all you have to say to me?”

Su Yumian looked at him, puzzled. What else was there to say?

“Why did you block me?” Jiang Yihuai stepped closer, his voice low and hoarse.

Su Yumian was surprised.

In the past, they had blocked each other after arguments, but she was always the first to give in and re-add him.

But this time…

He was probably going to be disappointed. She curved her lips slightly. “Isn’t deleting an ex after a breakup the normal thing to do?”

Jiang Yihuai was momentarily speechless and frowned. “Then when do you plan on adding me back?”

Su Yumian’s eyelashes trembled. She spoke softly, “Maybe… never?”

Jiang Yihuai looked at her lowered gaze and felt a sudden surge of irritation.

“How long do you plan on staying mad? Don’t test my patience.”

Su Yumian let out a sarcastic chuckle. Before she could respond, the crowd surged again, pushing them apart. Jiang Yihuai reached out to grab her hand, but the next second, someone latched onto his arm.

Not far away, Shi Muxi saw everything and nearly lost her mind with jealousy. She squeezed through the crowd, hurried to Jiang Yihuai’s side, and clung to him.

“Baby, let’s go. It’s too dark and scary here. I almost fell just now, and I couldn’t find you anywhere. I—I was so scared… Please don’t leave me behind, okay?”

Her voice trembled, and her fearful expression evoked sympathy.

At that moment, the staff’s voice rang out from the exit: “The route malfunction has been resolved. Visitors, please exit in an orderly manner—”

With staff maintaining order, the chaos quickly died down. Su Yumian didn’t bother looking back and walked straight out. Jiang Yihuai pulled his arm free and followed her.

Shi Muxi bit her lip and hurried after him. “Huai-ge, wait for me—”

—

At the ticket checkpoint, Shao Yuwei had already made it out. When she heard there was a malfunction that almost caused a fire, she panicked, remembering that Su Yumian was still inside. If someone hadn’t stopped her, she would have rushed in.

Thankfully, within thirty minutes, Su Yumian emerged unharmed.

Shao Yuwei hurried over. “Are you hurt? I nearly had a heart attack when I heard the alarm.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go home.”

After a whole day of activities, she was exhausted.

Shao Yuwei nodded. “Alright, but—wait, isn’t that Jiang Yihuai?”

Before she even finished speaking, Jiang Yihuai and Shi Muxi appeared one after the other.

“Ugh, why do we have to run into such bad luck?”

Su Yumian glanced over briefly before looking away. “Ignore them. Just a coincidence. Let’s go.”

On the way back, Shao Yuwei grew angrier the more she thought about it. She suddenly made a U-turn.

Su Yumian blinked. “Aren’t we going home?”

“I changed my mind. It’s just a guy! Three-legged toads might be rare, but there are plenty of two-legged men out there. Come on, I’m taking you out to have some fun!”

Su Yumian: “???”

—

At 8 PM, the night had just begun.

Su Yumian was practically dragged into a bustling bar like a puppet. The mix of cigarette smoke and perfume filled the air, red and green lights flickered, and people moved around constantly. Her casual outfit made her stand out in the crowd.

On stage, a spotlight illuminated a female singer performing a slow English ballad.

Shao Yuwei pulled her to a private booth on the second floor and ordered a bottle of whiskey. Since Su Yumian wasn’t used to strong alcohol, she opted for a mild cocktail. Yet, even after just a little, her face turned red.

She pressed the back of her hand against her warm cheeks. “Weiwei, I’m going to the restroom.”

Shao Yuwei waved her off. “Okay, but hurry back!”

—

When she stepped out of the restroom, she unexpectedly ran into Shen Shiyan.

Among Jiang Yihuai’s close friends, she was most familiar with Cheng Zhou. She had barely interacted with Shen Shiyan. So, out of politeness, she simply greeted him. “What a coincidence.”

Shen Shiyan had come with a few friends for drinks, but running into her was an unexpected bonus.

“Are you alone?”

His gaze lingered on her flushed cheeks.

“No, I’m with a friend.”

“Huai-zi?”

Her smile faded slightly. “No.”

“You have fun. I’ll get going.”

Just as she turned to leave, Shen Shiyan suddenly called out, “Mianmian.”

The nickname made her feel uncomfortable, but she forced a polite smile. “Something else?”

“This time, did you and Huai-zi really break up?”

Su Yumian raised an eyebrow. “Since when do people fake breakups?”

Shen Shiyan’s gaze deepened. After a moment, he nodded. “Got it.”

As she walked away, he instinctively lifted his phone and snapped a picture of her back. Then, he opened a group chat, found their shared friend group, and sent it.

[Photo]

[Look who I ran into.]

Cheng Zhou: [Holy crap! Yumian-jie? For real?]

Gu Yizhou: [At a bar?]

Cheng Zhou: [Obviously. The one we always go to.]

Shen Shiyan: [Why aren’t you saying anything? @Jiang Yihuai]