After Abandoning Her, She Discovered That Her Partner Was a Paranoid - Chapter 14

Jing Feizuo pushed open the café door, the wind chimes jingling crisply. As soon as she stepped inside, she spotted Wen Jin sitting by the window.

Winter had fully arrived in A City.

Wen Jin wore a high-necked black sweater that enveloped her slender neck. Her naturally high brow bones made her eyes appear even more deeply set, and her thin lips were pressed into a straight line.

Without lipstick, Wen Jin’s lips always looked pale, radiating an unapproachable aloofness. The space around her seemed isolated, like a still from an elegant, restrained black-and-white film.

Wen Jin noticed Jing Feizuo as well. She calmly lifted her coffee cup, her voice slightly hoarse but her expression as composed as ever. “You’re late.”

Jing Feizuo sat down and placed her bag on the sofa. She suddenly realized how often she had been meeting face-to-face with others lately.

A steaming cup of milk tea, her favorite blend, was already on the table.

This small detail stirred a strange bitterness in her heart. Whether it was her meetings with Shen Zhiyi or Lin Xin, neither of them had chosen her favorite drink in advance.

Only Wen Jin had.

She looked away. “Traffic.”

Jing Feizuo had instinctively lied. In truth, she had lingered at the street corner for ten minutes before summoning the courage to enter.

On the night of her confrontation with Wen Jin, she had secretly followed Wen Jin for a while. Only after seeing her drive away in that black Mercedes did Jing Feizuo finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As for the reason for her relief, she couldn’t quite say whether it was concern for Wen Jin or fear for her own safety. But ever since that night, the hairs on the back of her neck had never fully settled.

Wen Jin set her coffee cup on the table and looked up.

Jing Feizuo’s breath caught in her throat. In just two days, those hawk-like eyes were now bloodshot, and the skin beneath them had taken on an unhealthy bluish-gray tint.

Only upon closer inspection did she realize that the always flawless Wen Jin had become like a cracked piece of jade.

“Let’s skip the probing phase,” Wen Jin said, sliding a manila envelope across the table. “This contains the property transfer documents for the villa in Switzerland.”

Jing Feizuo stared at the envelope, lost in thought.

Both the envelope itself and the way Wen Jin had pushed it across the table evoked a strange sense of déjà vu.

No wonder we were such good friends in college.

Her fingers hovered stiffly beside the document folder, not touching it. Her voice, still cold from the winter air, hadn’t yet warmed in the heated room: “What do you want?”

Wen Jin crossed her arms and said calmly, “A year. I want the real you for a year—body and soul, no pretense, no recording. If, at the end, I’m still just a photograph in your collection, I’ll let you go.”

Jing Feizuo pushed the document folder away. “I thought we were meeting here today to discuss breaking up.”

When Wen Jin heard the word “breakup,” her expression twisted for a fleeting moment, her eyes darkening with a heavy intensity.

She then pulled out another document. “I need to remind you that Lin Xin’s mother’s company is bidding on Wen Group’s smart park project. Their bid is 6% higher than the second-highest bidder, giving Wen Group ample reason to reject their proposal.”

Jing Feizuo’s pupils constricted sharply.

She recognized Lin Xin’s mother’s signature on the document. Just weeks ago, that kind aunt had even given her homemade cookies.

Wen Jin’s fingers traced the edge of the document as she murmured, “This is merely leverage to keep our conversation on track. I won’t harm her company; in fact, I’ll protect it. It all depends on you.”

Jing Feizuo laughed, her voice laced with sharp sarcasm.

“I used to argue with Lin Xin when she worried you’d use the company to control me. Now I feel like a joke.” The faint wail of an ambulance siren drifted in from outside. Jing Feizuo stared at Wen Jin. “That man from the police station who died in the car accident… was that your doing?”

Wen Jin’s hand continued stirring her coffee, her voice calm and showing no surprise at Jing Feizuo’s accusation. “He was just a parasite on society.”

Jing Feizuo took a deep breath. “The girl was in the car too.”

Wen Jin’s eyelashes flickered almost imperceptibly. “A mistake that didn’t escalate into something worse.”

The air hung heavy for a few seconds. Jing Feizuo’s fingers clenched tightly. “Do you know why I wanted to break up with you?”

For the first time, Wen Jin’s breathing faltered. She leaned forward suddenly, gripping Jing Feizuo’s wrist.

“I know. I saw my ‘resume.’ But that’s not fair, darling.” Her voice softened. “You should have told me if you didn’t like something, instead of denying me any chance to change.”

Jing Feizuo remained silent.

She had heard similar words countless times from various people. This was precisely why she later avoided dating those without romantic experience.

For her, breaking up was far less painful than trying to make things work.

The brief silence felt like a thousand cuts to Wen Jin. She immediately recalled an even more absurd reason from one of Jing Feizuo’s files: she had insisted Jing Feizuo eat apples.

That relationship had lasted only a month and a half.

You never knew when you’d crossed a line or stepped on a landmine. Jing Feizuo’s cruel verdicts always came suddenly and irrevocably.

“Why should I trust you?” Wen Jin tugged at her wrist, but couldn’t break free. “You look like you’re about to kidnap me to Switzerland.”

Wen Jin understood the conversation had circled back to its starting point. She tightened her grip on the soft skin beneath her hand. “If I really wanted to, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Jing Feizuo paused, then suddenly said, “You’re right. You could have forced me to come with you.”

Wen Jin released her hand and fell silent for a moment. “I was afraid you’d truly hate me.”

The words felt like a thick cloth pressed over Jing Feizuo’s mouth and nose. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe, a dull ache spreading across her chest.

Moments ago, the warmth of Wen Jin’s palm had burned through her skin, that familiar scent wrapping around her, reminding her of countless nights spent sleeping in each other’s arms.

Jing Feizuo bit down on the soft flesh inside her cheek until she tasted bl00d.

“Three months,” she heard herself say.

Wen Jin tapped her knuckles on the table. “Ten months.”

Jing Feizuo tilted her chin slightly. “Six months. That’s my bottom line.”

“Six months it is. But there’s a condition.”

Wen Jin reached out and gently stroked Jing Feizuo’s face, her fingertips tracing the curve of her brow bone. The intimate gesture startled both of them.

“During these six months, I want you to live with me, whether it’s at your apartment, my house, or wherever you choose to stay in Europe. Tell me everything you feel, clearly and honestly. If you lie to me even once during this time… I’ll lock you away in a place only I know. It could be Switzerland, or somewhere closer, more private.”

Jing Feizuo’s heart pounded wildly.

She wasn’t surprised Wen Jin had discovered the European Project proposal her professor had sent her. This was a threat wrapped in sweet sugar, a threat that should have terrified her. But she noticed Wen Jin’s fingertips trembling as they touched her.

She realized with sudden clarity that this woman who controlled everything might be begging, in the only way she knew how.

She recalled Wen Jin’s initial demand:

A love affair where you give yourself completely, without just thinking about recording it? Even Jing Feizuo herself didn’t know what that would look like.

So she added, “Our relationship won’t change in the way you imagine.”

Wen Jin shrugged. “When you’re watching a movie, just enjoy the story. Don’t worry about writing a review.”

Outside, snow began to fall. A snowflake clung to the glass, quickly melting into a watery streak. Jing Feizuo reached for her lukewarm milk tea, took a sip, and savored the rich, sweet flavor spreading across her tongue.

“When I’m rushing deadlines, I might stay overnight at the studio,” she said. “Otherwise… it’s up to you.”

The café’s background music shifted just then, the tempo of the music and Wen Jin’s breathing both quickening. Jing Feizuo recognized Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata. She deliberately brushed her leg against Wen Jin’s calf, watching the usually composed eyes flicker with a sudden storm.

“And one more thing,” Jing Feizuo whispered, leaning close to Wen Jin’s ear. She gently nipped her earlobe, feeling the other woman’s muscles tense instantly. “Don’t ever use Lin Xin to threaten me again. Or I’ll tell everyone that the chairman of the Wen Group cries in bed.”

Wen Jin’s hand clamped down on the back of Jing Feizuo’s head, the force surprisingly gentle, almost caressing. Her breath burned against Jing Feizuo’s skin. “In six months, you’ll be begging to extend our contract.”

The snow fell harder, blurring the café’s windows. On that winter afternoon, the two women sealed their most thrilling bargain yet.