Chapter 37: Once You've Said Your Piece, Go Home

The neighborhood where Lin Jie and Su Jia Mu lived was an old residential area, mostly inhabited by elderly folks and students. As such, the lights went out early, and silence reigned each night.

Su Jia Mu's gaze grew distant as she looked towards the entrance of the complex, where Ye Mo, with an air of intimacy, rested a hand on Lin Jie's shoulder.

A stunningly beautiful woman.

So beautiful, in fact, that it made Su Jia Mu hesitant to approach.

Su Jia Mu couldn't help but wonder—how could it all be so coincidental?

How was it that just as Lin Jie returned, she herself had appeared?

Lowering her head slightly, Su Jia Mu pondered for a moment, and then it all became clear.

There were no such things as coincidences in this world. It was simply that she had been paying far too much attention to Lin Jie, anxiously awaiting his return from home...

But why? Why the anxiety? Why did she stand on the balcony she rarely visited, waiting for him? Su Jia Mu didn't know, nor did she want to.

She only knew that she needed to know who this woman was.

So, with a well-prepared excuse in hand, she took out the trash and went downstairs.

And finally, she saw her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Jia Mu knew at once—this was the woman who had answered Lin Jie's phone call that night.

Ye Mo's voice held the same haughty pride as always, and she did not disappoint Su Jia Mu's expectations. Her beauty was truly breathtaking.

"Your sworn sister?" Su Jia Mu was no pushover, and certainly not one to shrink from confrontation. After all, she was someone well-versed in navigating social situations, unafraid even in this moment. "A sworn sister from the bar?"

Before Lin Jie could respond, Ye Mo's retort came quickly, laced with sarcasm. "And what if she's from the bar? Do you think less of girls from bars? At least they're straightforward—money for services, none of that self-righteous pretense."

Her words were a direct stab, leaving Lin Jie startled. He disentangled himself from Ye Mo's casual grip, suddenly unable to face Su Jia Mu's expression.

"Are you talking about yourself?" Su Jia Mu shot back.

Ye Mo, unhurried and unbothered, smiled and met Su Jia Mu's gaze. "Take a guess."

Why was Ye Mo treating Su Jia Mu with such disdain? The reason was simple.

After Lin Jie had drunkenly confided in her about his situation with Su Jia Mu that night, Ye Mo found herself pitying him. And secondly...she just didn't like the way Su Jia Mu looked at him.

From the moment Su Jia Mu laid eyes on Lin Jie, her gaze had been filled with disdain and incomprehension.

It was as if, in Su Jia Mu's world, if Lin Jie didn't act according to her expectations, he was automatically wrong.

That habitual sense of superiority made Ye Mo, who had been idly waiting for Lin Jie, feel an unexpected sense of irritation.

"I guess you're talking about yourself."

Despite her outward composure, Su Jia Mu's heart was in turmoil. Her legs trembled slightly with nervousness, but she held firm. She couldn't afford to show weakness.

Though Ye Mo hadn't pointed directly at any specific event, Su Jia Mu knew exactly what she was referring to... What filled her with sorrow and despair was the realization that Lin Jie had shared such private matters with this woman.

So what was Lin Jie really after?

Su Jia Mu turned her gaze toward him, but Lin Jie's face remained indifferent, as though the barbed words exchanged between them had nothing to do with him.

Even though he was the very center of this conflict.

"Oh no, no, I'm not like that at all," Ye Mo said, shaking her head with mock innocence. She shot Lin Jie a sidelong glance and, with a smirk, said to Su Jia Mu, "I treat Lin Jie exceptionally well. You can ask him yourself... I even invited him to go traveling with me, and he agreed."

The mention of traveling struck a nerve in Su Jia Mu. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Lin Jie.

He met her gaze briefly before returning to his usual calm, betraying no emotion that Su Jia Mu could read.

Seeing that Lin Jie neither denied nor rejected the statement, Ye Mo's delight was unmistakable.

At that moment, it no longer mattered whether she continued to spar with this little girl. Lin Jie hadn't refused to go on the trip with her, and that alone was a tremendous victory.

While Ye Mo's spirits soared, Su Jia Mu's world crumbled. Panic surged through her, and she nearly stumbled, taking a few steps back as her face turned pale.

Whenever Su Jia Mu felt uneasy or heartbroken, Lin Jie had always been there for her.

Instinctively, she raised her head to seek his comfort, only to find that his gaze wasn't on her. Instead, he was looking at Ye Mo with an unreadable expression—a gaze far less tender than the one he had once reserved for her.

"So, Lin Jie, the reason you turned me down is because you already made plans with her?" Su Jia Mu bit her lip, her voice trembling as she asked.

Lin Jie glanced at her before turning his head away, his tone indifferent. "I'm learning to drive."

"Oh, you're learning to drive? What a perfect excuse," Su Jia Mu muttered through gritted teeth.

"I am learning to drive. What's wrong with that?" Lin Jie, standing in this dreary place, his mood already frayed, snapped back in frustration.

What more did she want him to say to make it clear?

Had he ever once agreed to go on that trip with Ye Mo?

Lin Jie would never stoop so low as to play such petty games just to hurt Su Jia Mu.

If he were that kind of person, he could have easily gone out with any of the girls in his contacts after that night, changing companions every day.

"You're right. You've done nothing wrong," Su Jia Mu said softly, blinking back tears. "But it's you who went back on your word, who didn't keep the promises you made."

Lin Jie couldn't understand—why, standing here together, did it feel like only he was the one suffering?

Where were they now?

The entrance to the neighborhood. If Lin Jie remembered correctly, he was standing in the exact spot where he had been mocked that night. Why could he remember it so clearly, yet Su Jia Mu seemed completely oblivious?

How was he supposed to face her with any shred of dignity, after everything?

Was he supposed to be the "simpering dog" she had once accused him of being?

A cold, bitter laugh escaped Lin Jie. He turned away, not wanting to look at Su Jia Mu anymore. The girl he had once found endlessly captivating now left him feeling nothing but weariness.

"Nothing to say? At a loss for words?" Su Jia Mu, still fuming, stepped forward, wanting to confront him, but Ye Mo blocked her path.

"Finished? If so, then go home."