She Cried

“Which sentence?”

Zhou Mo was speechless. “What are you talking about?”

Han Chen took out the small square object from his pocket, holding it delicately between his slender index and middle fingers. “How do you explain this thing falling out of your bag?”

“You know very well...” Zhou Mo initially wanted to argue with him but ultimately didn’t dare to raise her voice.

She lowered her voice and said, “You know very well that I’m doing this purchasing business. These things are my samples.”

When Han Chen threatened Zhou Mo with the photo before, he had caught Zhou Mo in the act of making transactions and selling these things.

It was also because of selling condoms that Zhou Mo didn’t dare to let Liu Xiangru and Zhou Zheng know.

They were both traditional intellectuals who cared about their reputation. If they found out Zhou Mo was selling these things, she would probably be the next one to suffer.

Han Chen remained composed as he asked, “Do you want my mother to know that you are selling this stuff? If she happens to casually mention it to your parents...”

Zhou Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Of course, the fewer people who knew about this, the better.

“Can’t you come up with another reason? What will your mother think of us? I already told her that it’s impossible between us,” Zhou Mo felt her face burning with embarrassment.

“You want me to come up with what reason? Say that you’re keeping these for someone else?” Han Chen retorted.

“Han Chen! What do you take me for?”

“After having four boyfriends, with such a rich romantic history, what do you expect me to think?”

“You... You are despicable!” Zhou Mo clenched her fists, her anger burning. “If it weren’t for the fact that we were classmates and neighbors, I would definitely slap you across the face!”

The elevator “dinged“, indicating they had reached the first floor. As the elevator doors opened, Zhou Mo pushed Han Chen aside, knocking him off balance. She snatched the object from his fingertips and turned to leave.

Outside the elevator, a man and a woman stared in surprise at what had just happened inside the elevator. Zhou Mo almost collided with them as she came out.

When she saw the two people in front of her, Zhou Mo froze. She didn’t recognize the woman, but the man... he was her former client.

The man also recognized her in an instant. “Zhou...”

“I don’t know you!” Zhou Mo immediately interrupted him, avoiding the two of them and hastily fleeing.

The man and woman looked at each other curiously. The woman asked the man, “Do you know her?”

The man looked back into the elevator and replied, “Ask Han Chen.”

At that moment, Zhou Mo was already mortified, and her actions of taking back the condom from Han Chen must have been seen by them.

However, what made Zhou Mo even more unwilling to accept was that the man who had almost called out her name just now was the man in the photo that Han Chen had used to threaten her.

Han Chen said that he knew the man in the photo.

Zhou Mo had lost count of how many times she had been embarrassed. In Han Chen’s presence, she felt that she had nothing left but her shredded dignity.

She had originally thought that since Han Chen had come back and they didn’t intend to break ties, they could peacefully coexist as old friends and classmates. Now, looking back, she realized how naive she was.

She and Han Chen had a debt of love from the past, and they hadn’t broken up peacefully.

In fact, she had been the one to break up with him. Who had ever seen an ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend who had broken up in this way still be able to be friends after many years?

They were practically enemies.

Especially considering how Han Chen had humiliated her.

At this moment, there was only one thought in Zhou Mo’s mind. She wanted a divorce. She wanted to completely rid herself of Han Chen and never have anything to do with him again.

In front of the elevator doors, Han Chen held down the open button. “Do you want to go up?”

Zong Zheng and Du Moyou glanced at each other in unison, but neither of them stepped into the elevator.

“Didn’t you go after that girl just now?” Du Moyou asked Han Chen.

“We’re not familiar,” Han Chen replied.

Du Moyou: “...”

She looked at Zong Zheng with a puzzled, curious, and pleading expression.

Zong Zheng wrapped his arm around Du Moyou’s waist and pushed her into the elevator. “Let’s go home. Why do you have so many questions?”

“Do you know the girl earlier?” Du Moyou asked suspiciously.

Zong Zheng coughed lightly and glanced warily at Han Chen from the corner of his eye. “I don’t know her.”

Du Moyou stared at Zong Zheng distrustfully. “You’re lying.”

The elevator arrived at the third floor, and Zong Zheng immediately wrapped his arm around Du Moyou’s shoulder and led her home, swiftly taking out his keys and opening the door in one smooth motion.

Before entering the house, Du Moyou turned her head and said goodbye to Han Chen behind her. “Goodbye, Dr. Han.”

Han Chen nodded slightly. “Goodbye, Dr. Du.”

After confirming that Zong Zheng and Du Moyou had entered the house, Han Chen turned and pressed the button to go down in the elevator.

However, the elevator had already gone up to the tenth floor, so he immediately took the adjacent escalator down.

He rushed out of the building and ran along the road toward the community exit. Just as he reached the community gate, he saw Zhou Mo waving her hand, flagging down a taxi, and getting into it without looking back.

The taxi turned around not far from him, and the reflection of Zhou Mo’s profile could be seen through the rear window.

Her head was lowered, and her index finger wiped away the tears streaming down her face.

She was crying.

Han Chen watched as the bright yellow taxi disappeared into the endless night. Along with it, it felt like his own heart disappeared into the darkness as well.

“Dr. Han?”

Han Chen turned around.

The security guard at the gate leaned out of the window of the security booth. “Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Han Chen coldly responded.

The security guard realized he had struck a nerve and shut up obediently.

Didn’t he admit she was his “girlfriend” just this afternoon? Why was he denying it now?

Han Chen turned back and reentered the community. Instead of going upstairs, he took a detour to the convenience store in the community.

When the salesperson saw him, she immediately put down her phone. “Dr. Han, what can I get for you? The sandwiches are sold out at this hour. Would instant noodles be okay?”

Han Chen glanced behind the salesperson, then scanned the area. “Give me a box of Yuxi cigarettes.”

The salesperson was slightly surprised but turned around and grabbed what Han Chen requested.

“It’s rare to see you buying cigarettes. We thought you didn’t smoke,” she said. In fact, it was the first time the salesperson had seen Han Chen buy cigarettes.

Usually, when Han Chen came to the convenience store late at night, it was mostly after finishing a long night shift and he would buy food to eat for dinner.

The residents living in this area were mostly doctors from Dongjiang University Hospital, and it was normal for them to buy a couple of packs of cigarettes to get through their shifts.

However, Han Chen was different from this group of people. He had never bought cigarettes from the convenience store before.

“Occasionally,” Han Chen replied as he paid and walked out of the store.

He swiftly opened the package, took out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips, only to realize that he hadn’t bought a lighter.

He let out a self-deprecating sneer. It seemed he really wasn’t someone who smoked much.

Just as he was about to turn around to go back to the convenience store and buy a lighter...

“Han Chen.”

Someone called his name.

Han Chen turned around and saw Zong Zheng. “What’s up?”

Zong Zheng pointed at the cigarette between Han Chen’s fingers, took out a lighter from his pocket, and tossed it to him.

Han Chen caught it steadily, squinting as he lit the cigarette. Then he handed Zong Zheng the pack of Yuxi cigarettes along with the lighter.

Zong Zheng took out one and lit it. “It’s a coincidence that I ran into you. I have something to ask you.”