After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: What to Do When Your Ex-Girlfriend Lives Next Door?

[Help: “What to do when the ex-girlfriend I dumped moves in next door?”]

Zhou Nianzhi had just finished up her work and was about to go downstairs for a bite to eat. As she opened her door, her ex, Song Yuli’s face flashed by, as sudden as a summer downpour.

Zhou Nianzhi froze. Before her brain could catch up, her hand had already slammed the door shut.

“Bang.”

She couldn’t tell if it was the sound of the door closing or her heart exploding.

Zhou Nianzhi pulled out her phone and posted a plea for help online. She quickly received some comments.

Enthusiastic netizen: “For such a low-probability event to happen, OP should buy a lottery ticket.”

Curious netizen: “Is the OP writing a novel? Nice idea.”

Righteous netizen: “You dumped someone and you have the nerve to post about it?”

As expected, no one gave her a proper answer. Zhou Nianzhi turned her phone screen off, felt her stomach rumbling, and remembered her empty fridge. She couldn’t possibly starve just because Song Yuli lived next door.

Besides, Song Yuli’s eyes hadn’t been on her; maybe she hadn’t even noticed her.

As long as she ran fast enough, Song Yuli wouldn’t see her.

Thinking this, Zhou Nianzhi took a deep breath and pushed the door open again, only to find Song Yuli was no longer standing outside her door. She let out a long sigh of relief and turned to close the door tightly.

Just as she was inserting her key to lock the door, Zhou Nianzhi thought she heard footsteps behind her.

She swallowed, her heart racing, and couldn’t get the key into the lock.

“Zhou Nianzhi.”

Song Yuli’s voice reached her.

And a crisp sound of a key dropping.

“Clatter.”

Zhou Nianzhi bent down, picked up the key, and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.

No need to rush away now; she had been caught.

Zhou Nianzhi forced a smile, turned around, and said to Song Yuli, “Long time no see.”

Song Yuli didn’t say anything.

Zhou Nianzhi let out a dry laugh and, to ease the awkwardness, pointed to the apartment next door. “Did you just move in?”

Song Yuli gave a faint “mm” and said, “Just moved my stuff in, haven’t unpacked yet.”

A few days ago, when she heard a new tenant was moving in next door, Zhou Nianzhi had been a little curious about her new neighbor, wondering if they’d be easy to get along with.

But now, that concern was gone. Almost no one would want to get along with an ex who had been dumped.

Whether it was the hot weather or the suffocating atmosphere, Zhou Nianzhi was getting thirstier. Her throat felt like a desert begging for rain.

So, in the midst of the silence, Zhou Nianzhi’s mind blanked, and she blurted out, “Why don’t you come over for a glass of water first?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Nianzhi wanted to hit “undo.” It hadn’t even been two minutes; could she have a do-over?

Water?

Drink water with a bad ex, a heartbreaker, a big liar?

Zhou Nianzhi scolded herself for her quick mouth, for not thinking before speaking. Who would accept an invitation from an ex?

But Song Yuli did.

She nodded lightly and replied, “Okay.”

Zhou Nianzhi was stunned, a million question marks flashing in her mind.

“I’m a little thirsty myself,” Song Yuli said, walking closer, looking relaxed and ready to enter Zhou Nianzhi’s home. “Let’s go have a glass of water.”

Zhou Nianzhi had no way out. She could only bite the bullet, turn the key, and open the door.

Song Yuli walked straight in, standing in the entryway. She turned back and asked Zhou Nianzhi, “Should I change my shoes?”

Zhou Nianzhi had just pulled the key out, mentally complaining about its poor timing, and shook her head at Song Yuli’s question. “No need to change shoes.”

Because there wasn’t a clean pair of shoes in the cabinet she could offer Song Yuli.

Song Yuli didn’t say more. She nodded and, out of politeness, didn’t walk further in. She just looked at Zhou Nianzhi, waiting for her to lead the way.

Zhou Nianzhi closed the door tightly, a big smile plastered on her face, while internally thinking: Why is she so polite now?

She was about to put on her own slippers, but she was afraid Song Yuli might think too much, so she just walked inside barefoot.

Song Yuli followed behind her.

Zhou Nianzhi slowed her pace, feeling strangely nostalgic, as if they had returned to the past.

That year, Song Yuli, with her schoolbag on her back, would clench the hem of her shirt, head down, and silently follow behind her. Only when Zhou Nianzhi noticed would she turn her head, revealing her flushed ears, and mumble, “I’m here to return your money and to thank you.”

But everything was different now.

Snapping back to the present, Zhou Nianzhi gestured to the sofa, asking Song Yuli to sit for a moment.

Zhou Nianzhi was supposed to get the water, but right now, she just wanted to stand a short distance away, looking at Song Yuli. Her features were as stunning as ever, but her expression and demeanor had changed.

Her short, neat hair was tucked behind her ears, resting on the nape of her neck. Looking ahead, the wisps of hair on her forehead fell casually to the side, not obstructing her view but making Song Yuli’s face look even more delicate.

Overall, the current Song Yuli was still as cool and aloof as before, sitting upright with a calm expression and cold eyes. But time had added a layer of maturity and professionalism, with traces of her time in the workplace in her every gesture.

As she waited, Song Yuli raised a hand to brush her bangs aside, her long, fair fingers running through her hair.

Zhou Nianzhi was lost in thought but quickly averted her gaze, turning her back on Song Yuli.

Times had changed, and it was rude to stare at someone for so long.

Before Zhou Nianzhi could compose herself, Song Yuli, who she had been staring at, spoke first.

“Why were you looking at me just now?”

Zhou Nianzhi froze, her heart fluttering. She answered a little guiltily, “I wasn’t.”

Song Yuli said directly, “I saw you out of the corner of my eye.”

Zhou Nianzhi wanted to find a hole to crawl into. She really wanted to post another help request: [What to do when an ex is making small talk?]

But she couldn’t post it now. She had to face the problem alone.

Zhou Nianzhi chuckled “hehe” twice, scratched her head, and turned to face Song Yuli’s scrutinizing gaze.

Song Yuli’s eyes were big and bright, but when she was poker-faced, her eyelashes cast a shadow, making it hard to read the emotions in her eyes. There was just a faint coolness and a noticeable sense of pressure.

And that was how she was looking at Zhou Nianzhi now.

Zhou Nianzhi’s mind raced through many possible answers, like “Your beauty captivated me,” “Your cool aura attracted me,” or “You’re so beautiful and powerful, I’m completely smitten.”

But after a long period of internal debate, she cleared her throat and only asked, “Why did you cut your hair short?”

That girl who used to love her long hair, who wouldn’t part with it for years even when her grandma tried to convince her to cut it, and who would always admire her own dark long hair in the mirror or in photos, had now cut it so short.

In truth, Zhou Nianzhi shouldn’t have mentioned anything about their past, or any words that would remind them of it. But she couldn’t help it. She also had a feeling—

That Song Yuli had asked the question on purpose.

“I just felt like cutting it,” Song Yuli said without hesitation, her expression calm and seemingly uncaring.

Zhou Nianzhi was speechless.

Because that sentence sounded all too familiar to her.

After Zhou Nianzhi broke up with her, Song Yuli had come to find her, waiting for nearly a day in the cold. When they finally met, she kept crying and asking why she had broken up with her.

And Zhou Nianzhi had responded with the same calm, uncaring tone, “I just felt like breaking up.”

Time had passed, and Song Yuli had returned the same words to her.

Zhou Nianzhi didn’t dare to dwell on the memory. She walked away, boiled a pot of hot water for Song Yuli, and then felt it was too shabby. There was nothing decent to offer in the house.

Fortunately, the temperature had dropped a bit these days, and she didn’t really need to turn on the air conditioner. Otherwise, Zhou Nianzhi would have been embarrassed to bring out her noisy oscillating fan, which made people sweat even more.

Zhou Nianzhi washed two glass cups and suddenly remembered the orange soda the supermarket owner had given her two days ago. She had been saving it.

She turned and found the soda in the cabinet. She also accidentally came across a long-forgotten bag of instant noodles. The noodles inside were almost completely crumbled into pieces, scattered in the bag, like a heart that had been forgotten and shattered.

But at least they weren’t expired yet.

It was a pleasant surprise; she could save money on a meal tonight. Even though she would have only gone out for the cheapest food, every penny was carefully saved. A saved penny was a saved penny.

Zhou Nianzhi pursed her lips, a slight smile on her face, and patted the dust off the noodle package.

Her gaze then shifted from the noodles to the orange soda. Holding it in her hand, she repeatedly checked that the expiration date was still far away. Finding no issues, Zhou Nianzhi stood up, worried that Song Yuli had been waiting too long. She wanted to hand the soda directly to her.

But she looked up at Song Yuli sitting on the sofa, then back down at the orange soda.

She sighed.

If only it were Song Yuli’s favorite lychee flavor, that would have been great.

Just then, the water boiled. Zhou Nianzhi poured a cup of hot water and placed the soda in front of Song Yuli, pretending to be casual. “You can have this. Someone gave it to me, and I don’t like soda.”

Zhou Nianzhi placed the scalding hot plain water in front of herself. Steam billowed from the cup. She reached out to touch it; it was too hot. She didn’t have a water dispenser at home, and even her kettle was a cheap model that could only boil water to its maximum temperature.

It would take too long for the water to cool down. What if Song Yuli was thirsty and couldn’t drink it? Wouldn’t that be both anxious and awkward?

Zhou Nianzhi lowered her eyes, letting the steam fog her vision. She recalled that she had gotten the soda from the supermarket owner because she had worked a little longer.

Luckily, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to drink it.

But Song Yuli didn’t accept Zhou Nianzhi’s kind gesture.

She pushed the soda back and took the hot water from in front of Zhou Nianzhi, saying, “I’m on a diet, I don’t drink soda.”

Hearing this, Zhou Nianzhi instinctively blurted out, “You’re already so thin, why are you still dieting…”

Her voice trailed off, her confidence fading, as if melting into the air for the bugs to hear.

As an ex, she had no right to comment on Song Yuli’s life.

“Then I’ll get you another clean cup for some water,” Zhou Nianzhi changed the subject, turning to the kitchen to get the cup she had just washed.

“Zhou Nianzhi,” Song Yuli called out from behind her.

It was at that moment that Zhou Nianzhi’s phone rang.

Zhou Nianzhi raised her phone and looked at Song Yuli. Only after the other woman nodded did she answer the call.

While waiting, Song Yuli reached out and touched the side of the cup. It was still too hot to drink.

“Oh, oh… okay… I’ll be right there… just give me a few minutes…” Zhou Nianzhi held the phone tightly to her ear, answering the person on the other end very politely. The phone seemed so heavy it bent her waist a little. Her forced smile only dropped after the call ended.

Zhou Nianzhi put her phone back in her pocket, didn’t get the cup, and instead sat down, looking at the orange soda. “Song Yuli, you should go back. You’ve just moved in, and there’s still a lot to do.”

Song Yuli naturally understood the meaning behind Zhou Nianzhi’s words. She let out a few cold laughs, her fingers on the side of the cup. “The water hasn’t even cooled down, and you’re already trying to get rid of me?”

“Zhou Nianzhi, when did you become so impatient?”

The scolded Zhou Nianzhi just lowered her head, didn’t say much, and gave a soft “mm.” She just stared at the orange soda bottle, the water inside looking out, struggling to get out, wanting to surprise the world with its explosion—

A surprise no one would care about.

It wasn’t until Song Yuli walked out of the apartment and closed the door with a “bang” that Zhou Nianzhi was shaken back to reality.

Zhou Nianzhi was no longer a young girl. She didn’t have time to overthink. She could only race against the clock to eat her instant noodles, swallowing them in large mouthfuls, washing them down with the orange soda, filling her stomach so she would have the energy for her night shift.

She couldn’t vent to anyone. She could only take her frustration out on the instant noodles, muttering to herself: It was all the instant noodles’ fault for being too little to share with two people, or she wouldn’t have had to worry about Song Yuli calling her stingy and making her leave.

It was all the instant noodles’ fault for taking too long to cook, which made her rush to eat dinner and made her hurry Song Yuli to leave, preventing her from even having a glass of water.

It was all the instant noodles’ fault.