After the Breakup, the Possessive Heiress Regretted It - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Leaving Nancheng

The next day, Ji Wanmian rubbed her sleepy eyes. In the dead of winter, if it weren’t for work, she really would have liked to sleep indefinitely. Groggy, she got out of bed and was about to wash up when her gaze inadvertently fell on the scarf on the sofa. Her steps faltered. Although it was originally her scarf, taking it back felt a little awkward.

Even so, she was still unwilling to make a special trip to return it.

Ji Wanmian stood in front of the mirror, brushing her teeth, her mind awash with thoughts. She recalled all the events of yesterday. To say there wasn’t a moment of emotion would be impossible, especially when Pei Jinyue suddenly rushed in and slapped Zhang Ban twice. In that moment, it was as if time had flowed backward, returning to nine years ago, when Pei Jinyue had similarly burst into her heart.

Although she felt that even without Pei Jinyue’s appearance, there would still have been other ways to solve the problem—after all, she could still live without the other person—she couldn’t deny that she felt Pei Jinyue was truly changing and trying to make amends for what she had done.

If nine years ago, Pei Jinyue had helped her speak out because she thought Ji Wanmian looked like someone named Niannian, without any sincerity, then yesterday’s Pei Jinyue had truly appeared because she was Ji Wanmian, even completely disregarding her own image and actively striking Zhang Ban.

In the past, she wanted to see Pei Jinyue on her birthday, wanted to receive flowers from her beloved, wanted to see a carefully prepared gift from her, and wanted to cross into the New Year with her lover… All these things, the current Pei Jinyue had done.

Ji Wanmian looked up at herself in the mirror, as if asking—should I forgive Pei Jinyue?

Suddenly, she spat out the water in her mouth, recalling the scene where she was so heartbroken she almost vomited from crying.

She washed her face to clear her head slightly, then walked out of the bathroom and stood on the balcony, looking at the scenery outside.

Nancheng still hadn’t snowed.

Yet, it reminded her of the last time she saw snow.

Her memory wasn’t great, but she still remembered every word Pei Yan had said to her in the coffee shop. At first, Ji Wanmian didn’t believe it, thinking it might just be a ploy to separate her from Pei Jinyue. But when Mrs. Pei brought out Pei Jinyue’s diary, Ji Wanmian became unsure. Still, at that time, she was willing to trust her beloved; after all, it was just a diary, anyone could write one.

Pei Yan seemed determined. Seeing Ji Wanmian’s still-devoted expression, she brought up Qi Wanwan and described in detail how Pei Jinyue had gone to find Niannian during the time she was with Ji Wanmian. Ji Wanmian was already in agony hearing these words, and then to hear the phrase, “Pei Jinyue had already bought a plane ticket to Sucheng for December 31st to find someone,” was a heavy blow.

All her fervent hopes of taking Pei Jinyue home to meet her parents had, in the end, been nothing but her own foolish dreams.

Ji Wanmian sighed, pulling herself out of her memories. She stopped thinking about the painful past and simply changed into some clothes, put on her scarf and hat, and hurried downstairs to find something to eat.

She deliberately avoided the place where she met Pei Jinyue yesterday. She stood on the roadside, choosing a shop. As she was hesitating, a large doll suddenly walked up to her, handing out flyers. Ji Wanmian took two steps back, but the large doll still tried to hand her the flyer.

Ji Wanmian frowned. Her intuition told her that even though this large doll was in a different costume, Pei Jinyue was definitely inside.

So, she didn’t continue backing away. Instead, she stopped in place and said with annoyance, “Pei Jinyue, stop bothering me.”

The large doll didn’t make a sound, only tilted its head as if in confusion.

Seeing this, Ji Wanmian thought Pei Jinyue was feigning ignorance again, so she continued, “Pei Jinyue, you…”

“Xiaomian.”

Suddenly, Pei Jinyue’s voice came from not far away.

It wasn’t in front of her, but behind her.

Ji Wanmian, mid-sentence, froze on the spot, her mouth open, but not a single word came out.

She didn’t turn her head, but Pei Jinyue put her hand in her bag and slowly walked in front of her.

She wasn’t wearing the mascot costume.

Ji Wanmian buried her head in embarrassment, thinking, I still can’t trust my intuition too much.

“Let’s go, let’s eat together,” Pei Jinyue suggested, likely trying to ease the awkward atmosphere. “It would be a bit more economical for the two of us to eat together.”

This Pei Jinyue really knew how to grasp what she wanted in her heart.

But if she just agreed to have dinner with Pei Jinyue, what would all her morning’s psychological activity amount to? Wouldn’t it seem like she still couldn’t let go of the other person? Even for the sake of her last shred of dignity, she wouldn’t agree.

“I won’t go with you,” Ji Wanmian said. “Besides, Pei Jinyue, you’ve lived in luxury since childhood. How would you know what’s economical?”

“But I already…” Pei Jinyue still didn’t tell Ji Wanmian about the hardships she had endured over the years. It wasn’t because she thought Xiaomian would feel sorry for her, but because she didn’t want to gain Xiaomian’s sympathy and then her forgiveness in that way.

Ji Wanmian frowned: “Already what? Already changed a lot? I’m tired of hearing those words, please stop.”

Pei Jinyue nodded and didn’t insist on Xiaomian eating with her. She decided to wait until Xiaomian’s mood improved a bit before reappearing.

So she didn’t continue the invitation but quietly stepped aside, no longer lingering in front of Ji Wanmian.

Ji Wanmian looked at the path Pei Jinyue cleared for her and was momentarily surprised. She hadn’t expected Pei Jinyue to be so sensible today, not continuing to pester her. This was good; she could finally enjoy a meal.

After wandering for a good part of the day, Ji Wanmian still ended up at a noodle shop. Looking at the different types of noodles on the menu, she felt a strange reluctance to eat. Perhaps it was because of her own name. Ji Lan had told her that on the day her name was chosen, she had been so sleepless thinking of names that night. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck, and she sat up in bed, scribbling down the characters “Wan” and “Mian” . Both seemed good, so she simply put them together.

Indeed, these two characters looked fine individually, but together they became—

“Little sister, would you like a bowl of noodles?”

The owner’s voice drifted from above Ji Wanmian’s head. She instinctively said “En,” then came to her senses. After realizing the person wasn’t calling her name, she casually pointed to a bowl of noodles on the menu and said, “Just one of these will do.”

“Okay!” the owner cheerfully responded, and ran to the window to inform the kitchen.

Ji Wanmian rested her head on her hand, with no mood to play on her phone. Her thoughts drifted far away, somehow recalling Pei Jinyue’s name. She wondered why Mrs. Pei had chosen the characters “Jin” (今) and “Yue” (月). Could it be that on the day her child was born, Mrs. Pei lay in bed, turned her head, and saw the moon tonight…?

Lost in thought, someone suddenly sat across from her.

Ji Wanmian wasn’t surprised. The noodle shop wasn’t big, and when there were no seats, sharing tables was common.

But the voice of the person opposite her was not normal.

“Miss Ji.”

When the voice reached Ji Wanmian’s ears, she flinched, almost instinctively swallowing. After a long moment of recovery, she dared to look up at the person in front of her.

Pei Yan.

Just as Ji Wanmian was too astonished to speak, the owner fortunately appeared, asking Pei Yan what she wanted to eat, which temporarily gave her some time to prepare her opening remarks.

It was truly strange. In the past, she would feel a pang of guilt whenever she saw Pei Yan because she was with Pei Jinyue. But many years had passed, and she hadn’t seen Pei Yan in a long time. Yet, even now, seeing her still startled her considerably.

After selecting her noodles, Pei Yan, noticing Ji Wanmian’s nervous expression, smiled and said, “There’s no need to be afraid. I just came to have a good meal with you this time.”

It would have been better if she hadn’t said anything; saying it only made Ji Wanmian more nervous.

So Ji Wanmian gritted her teeth and bravely asked, “Mrs. Pei, do you need something from me? I’m no longer with Pei Jinyue.”

“I know,” Pei Yan nodded, her expression considerably kinder. “I’m not here to question you; I’m here to apologize to you.”

Ji Wanmian blinked in astonishment.

To be honest, although she was still a little afraid, seeing Mrs. Pei now felt different from the past. She no longer seemed as stern and unapproachable. Instead, even her eyes held a touch of an elder’s care.

“I’m truly sorry for all the hurtful things I, and Jinyue, did to you before,” Pei Yan said earnestly. “At that time, I wanted Jinyue to follow the path I had planned for her, so I strongly disagreed with her being with you, and even said some hurtful things. Now that I think about it, it was truly my fault.”

Ji Wanmian said nothing.

Pei Yan continued, “Now, although Jinyue and I have reconciled, she still loves you very much and has come to Nancheng to find you. I wanted to see her, and I happened to run into you, which is why I appeared before you so abruptly. If I disturbed you, I am truly sorry. I was just worried I wouldn’t have another chance to meet you.”

Ji Wanmian still didn’t say a word, her head down, fingers clutching the corner of her clothes.

Pei Yan also spoke all her thoughts in one breath: “Ms. Ji, I am Jinyue’s mother. I’ve already lost one daughter, so I just wanted to see my younger daughter. She didn’t let me into her place, but seeing her recently, I’ve realized she’s living a very hard life, enduring grievances she’s never encountered before. When I saw her come home yesterday, she must have been standing for too long; even walking was difficult for her…”

Ji Wanmian couldn’t bear it anymore. She looked up and asked, “Mrs. Pei, so why are you telling me all this? To make me feel sorry for Pei Jinyue? Or to make me forgive Pei Jinyue and agree to be with her? But you were the ones who hurt me that year. You drove me away. I still remember the truth you told me that day, wasn’t it just to make me completely disheartened and leave your younger daughter?”

Pei Yan was speechless.

Just then, the noodles were served. The owner placed the bowls in front of both of them separately. Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, he quickly left the table after mentioning the location of the utensils.

“I was living perfectly fine, and then you all, one after another, burst into my life. Did no one ever think about me?” Ji Wanmian looked at the steaming noodles in front of her, growing angrier the more she thought. “Besides, Mrs. Pei, you’ve seen it, my life and your family’s life are worlds apart. Just like when you drove me away that year, in your eyes, I was just trash. Why would you bother me again?”

“I apologize. The angry words I said back then hurt your heart,” Pei Yan pulled out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Ji Wanmian. “Actually, in recent years, Jinyue did go to find Su Nian, who was the ‘Niannian’ mentioned before. She only then realized that she didn’t actually like Su Nian, but had mistaken childhood gratitude for love, and that the only person she truly loved was you.”

“I still like her too. From the moment I met her until now, she’s the only one I’ve ever liked. Yes, I admit I’m pathetic, I haven’t been able to forget her after all this time. But what can I do? Just when I thought I could completely let go of the past and embrace a new relationship, I would always think of Pei Jinyue.” Ji Wanmian didn’t take the chopsticks Pei Yan offered, but continued to speak her mind. “But what good is liking her? Should we get back together? Am I going to be hurt again?”

After listening to everything Ji Wanmian said, Pei Yan silently retracted her chopsticks, placed them on her own bowl of noodles, and opened her mouth to speak.

But Ji Wanmian didn’t give her a chance.

“Don’t talk while eating,” Ji Wanmian took out a pair of chopsticks herself, lowered her head, and focused on eating.

Pei Yan’s heart was a mix of emotions. She said nothing more and silently finished her meal.

Putting down her chopsticks, Ji Wanmian wiped her mouth, wanting to get up and pay immediately, but Pei Yan called out to her.

“Ms. Ji, I understand what you mean. In that case, I don’t want Jinyue to keep bothering you,” Pei Yan took out her phone and continued, “I’ll save your number. If you truly don’t want to see Jinyue again, you can call me, and I promise she won’t appear in front of you again.”

Ji Wanmian frowned and blurted out, “What are you going to do to her?”

Pei Yan chuckled, replying, “I’m her mother, I certainly won’t hurt her.”

Ji Wanmian looked at Pei Yan suspiciously, but in the end, she agreed. After all, from her heart, she didn’t want anyone to suffer or be wronged because of her.

“Okay, then I’ll be going. The bill’s been paid. Consider it a thank you for your trouble accompanying me for a meal,” Pei Yan saved the phone number and quickly went to pay.

Ji Wanmian blinked, missing the chance to pay for herself. She grumbled, “Who wanted to eat with you anyway…”

If it were before, she wouldn’t have dared to say such things to Pei Yan. Just seeing Mrs. Pei would make her feel afraid. But now, meeting again, she actually felt Pei Yan was much more approachable.

Before leaving, Pei Yan even left Ji Wanmian with a remark: “If you ever feel wronged, you can tell me. I’ll go beat up the person who bullies you.”

Ji Wanmian smiled, unsure whether she was speechless or touched.

She only felt that Pei Jinyue and Pei Yan’s personalities were quite similar.

Leaving the noodle shop, Ji Wanmian originally intended to go straight home, but her gaze fell on the park not far away. She thought that she hadn’t gone last time because of the rain, so she might as well go for a walk today. She could clear her mind and also help with digestion.

It was a weekday, so there weren’t many people in the park. Occasionally, dog walkers passed by her. Watching these little dogs in cute clothes wagging their tails and coming towards her, Ji Wanmian felt her heart almost melt.

She walked around the park, seeing dogs wearing different colored clothes. Look at this one, wearing blue, so pretty. And this one, all red, just looks happy. And then there’s this big one wearing a white down jacket… Pei Jinyue.

Wait, Pei Jinyue?

Ji Wanmian shifted her gaze to where Pei Jinyue had been moments ago and saw the person sitting on a park bench, hunched over, gnawing on a piece of bread.

While others seemed cheerful, Pei Jinyue alone was huddled on the bench, her back hunched. Occasionally, she’d choke on her bread, but she would only pat herself, not even bothering to drink some water.

Ji Wanmian wanted to walk away, but halfway there, after scolding herself for being “spineless,” she went to a convenience store to buy a bottle of water. Returning to Pei Jinyue, she handed it to her, still looking unwilling, and said, “I’m telling you, no matter how pathetic or wronged you look in front of me, I won’t feel sorry for you.”

Pei Jinyue looked up, swallowed the last bite of bread, and softly said “Thank you.” After taking the water from Ji Wanmian, she couldn’t twist the cap open.

Ji Wanmian looked at the person in front of her and said, “Don’t put on this act in front of me. I didn’t see you like this when you slapped someone yesterday. Don’t think that just by doing this, you can…”

Before she finished speaking, she accidentally saw the redness and swelling on Pei Jinyue’s hand. Her tone changed abruptly, and she quickly asked a string of questions, “What happened to your hand? Did you get hurt helping me yesterday? Does it hurt a lot?”

Pei Jinyue smiled and shook her head, saying softly, “No, I just burned myself. It doesn’t hurt.”

“You say it doesn’t hurt, but you can’t even twist the cap off the bottle,” Ji Wanmian took the water from Pei Jinyue, opened it for her, and then handed it back. “Then why didn’t you tell me just now?”

Pei Jinyue took the water, took a sip, and explained, “You didn’t want to talk to me just now.”

It was true.

Ji Wanmian didn’t know what to say either, so she simply sat beside Pei Jinyue. Looking at the bread still in her hand, she recalled Pei Yan’s words and asked, “Is that your lunch?”

“Sort of,” Pei Jinyue put the water aside and continued gnawing on the bread.

Ji Wanmian sighed, looking at the distant flowers and plants, and said, “I just ran into Mrs. Pei. We had a meal together.”

Pei Jinyue’s hand movements paused. She asked anxiously, “She didn’t say anything to upset you, did she? I’m really sorry, I should have told her not to come looking for you.”

Ji Wanmian shook her head and said, “No, she didn’t. Mrs. Pei came to apologize to me.”

Pei Jinyue said “Oh,” swallowed her bread, and lowered her head, her voice muffled: “As long as it didn’t upset you, it’s fine.”

Ji Wanmian turned her head, looking at the dejected figure in front of her. Gone was the confidence and pride of the former young lady. She couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve endured so much hardship here, are you still not planning to go home? Life at your house is much better; at least you wouldn’t have to eat bread in the park.”

Pei Jinyue clutched the empty bread bag in her hand, whispering, “I know you want me to stop appearing in front of you.”

Ji Wanmian wanted to deny it. Even if she didn’t mean it at that moment, she had indeed said such harsh words before, so she didn’t say anything.

“But, Xiaomian, I still don’t want to give up,” Pei Jinyue looked at Ji Wanmian and said firmly, “I want your forgiveness. I want to care for you, protect you, and make you see my love for you. You suffered so much for me before, what are these hardships I’m enduring now?”

Ji Wanmian pursed her lips, a sudden wave of discomfort welling up in her heart. She no longer wanted to stay there.

But Pei Jinyue gently tugged at her sleeve, whimpering, “Can you stay with me… just for a little while…”

Ji Wanmian watched Pei Jinyue’s falling tears, which landed on the water she had given her, then slowly slid down the bottle to her scalded hand.

This was the first time she had seen Pei Jinyue sobbing uncontrollably.

Tears fell in large drops, like rain from the sky.

Ji Wanmian stopped looking at the unending tears, turning to look the other way and saying, “Pei Jinyue, you have such a good life, you don’t need to suffer at all.”

Pei Jinyue replied, “But I feel that as long as I can see you, it’s not suffering.”

“You have indeed changed,” Ji Wanmian said. “You’re not as confident, not as annoying anymore.”

Pei Jinyue, as if flattered, called out “Xiaomian,” ignoring her falling tears, and quickly said, “Whatever you say, I’ll change. I know I made you unhappy on your last birthday, I’ll never do that again…”

Ji Wanmian seemed to have completely ignored what Pei Jinyue was saying, continuing on her own, “The old you never really smiled at me, and I could only follow behind you. Even if others spoke ill of me, I didn’t want to give up loving you. Now, you cry in front of me, open your heart to me, specially came to Nancheng to find me, and are willing to suffer rather than rely on your family.”

Pei Jinyue dared not speak, a strange panic in her heart. If it was just scolding her, it was fine, but now Xiaomian…

“Yes, I’m quite touched. Sometimes I even wonder if I should trust you again. Now that Mrs. Pei has accepted, and you’re good to me too, if we really got back together, it should be quite happy,” Ji Wanmian said slowly, feeling the wind.

Her pace was slow, and every word seemed carefully considered before being uttered.

Pei Jinyue’s heart pounded nervously. Even though Xiaomian wasn’t chasing her away like before, these words made her feel even worse.

“So, Pei Jinyue, I just want to ask you one more time,” Ji Wanmian suddenly turned her head, looking at Pei Jinyue, her eyes filled with sadness, “If I didn’t look like Niannian, would you still have helped me? If you hadn’t stood in front of me then, perhaps I wouldn’t have liked you, and none of this would have happened.”

Pei Jinyue’s heart suddenly ached.

“So, we had no fate to begin with. At least, you didn’t appear by my side because I was Ji Wanmian,” Ji Wanmian stood up, lowered her eyes, and stood before Pei Jinyue. “If even my encounter with you was due to someone else’s light, what does it matter if I like you or not?”

“Xiaomian, but the one I have now is you, it’s Ji Wanmian…” Pei Jinyue still didn’t want to lose her, grabbing Ji Wanmian’s sleeve.

Ji Wanmian coldly said, “Mrs. Pei said that if I just call her, she can make sure you never appear in front of me again.”

Pei Jinyue was so choked up she could barely speak, but she still stammered, “Don’t call her, I’ll leave by myself… I won’t stay in Nancheng anymore…”

Ji Wanmian stepped back, and Pei Jinyue’s hand slid away. She didn’t linger but left the spot directly, without looking back once.

Pei Jinyue stood up, wanting to catch Ji Wanmian’s retreating figure, but she missed.

Only then did she realize that at this moment, Ji Wanmian was like the wind.

And the wind could not be caught.

Pei Jinyue sat back down on the bench, covering her face and weeping, completely disregarding her appearance.

Yesterday, she helped Xiaomian and was rejected. She gave Xiaomian a birthday gift and was rejected.

Counting it, this was already the seventh time she had been rejected today.

And this time was the most painful, as if thousands of arrows pierced her heart.

If it were anything else, she might have been able to explain, but with what Xiaomian said today, she couldn’t think of anything to explain.

Their encounter was the beginning of a mistake.

How could Pei Jinyue make up for the encounter nine years ago?

People came and went in the park. Some looked at her with curiosity or concern, but she paid no attention. It was only when the sky gradually darkened that she dragged her tired body home. She wanted to eat something but had no appetite. Her heart was heavy and distressed. As she lay on the sofa, her tears flowed to her ears and finally into her hair.

Pei Jinyue looked at the apartment she rented. Every day she came home exhausted, with no time to tidy up. The only thing that looked acceptable was her desk.

Because she had to draw on that desk, she had to draw out the apology she had painstakingly thought of, just in case Xiaomian saw it…

Xiaomian did see it.

That was her motivation to update.

But Xiaomian still hadn’t completely forgiven her.

Tears streaming, she bought a ticket to leave Nancheng.

Since she promised Xiaomian, she had to go.