My Ex Who Dumped Me Comes to Hook Me Up Every Day - Chapter 23

F Country Time, November 7, 17:40

The sun lazily bathed the streets in warm light, painting a cozy and gentle scene with its golden rays illuminating the meticulously decorated shops and undulating white walls.

The pace of life here was much slower than back home. Even on weekdays, many people lingered in cafes, whiling away the hours.

At this moment, Jin Zhou should have been in a lecture hall.

But in reality, she had been sitting in a street-side cafe since morning.

A cup of cold coffee sat before her, and she occasionally glanced at the time, sometimes gazing aimlessly at the diverse crowd passing by outside.

Jin Zhou had skipped her afternoon class on international criminal law.

Although Professor Delasco’s lectures were remarkably engaging and entertaining, today held far greater significance.

November 7 was her birthday.

Lin Xin had transferred some money early in the morning, letting Jin Zhou decide how to spend it.

Most of her friends had sent birthday wishes via text.

Some had even mailed gifts from back home.

Everything was there.

But it still felt like something was missing.

Jin Zhou was certain Jiang Yuhuai remembered the special significance of this day for both of them.

Yet no message arrived, no call came.

As if not a trace of their past remained.

But—this was only natural.

After all, they had broken up.

Jiang Yuhuai had unilaterally ended things and vanished from Jin Zhou’s world without a word.

Domestic Time: November 7, 23:40

In the impenetrable darkness of night, Jiang Yuhuai hid behind a stack of cardboard boxes deep in a narrow alley.

Mud and bl00d streaked her face, and her hair was soaked by the rain.

Normally, Jiang Yuhuai would have finished her part-time job and returned to her dormitory by now.

But tonight, trouble had found her. The school was just around the corner, yet she was being watched.

Despite her disheveled appearance, Jiang Yuhuai clutched her phone tightly.

Raindrops dotted the still-lit screen.

On it was a text message she had drafted but not sent:

Happy birthday.

After Jiang Yuhuai disappeared without a word that night, Jin Zhou actually went looking for her.

She searched the library, classrooms, and even the medical school dormitories.

Everywhere she went, Jiang Yuhuai was nowhere to be found.

Everyone said she had taken leave, but no one knew why.

How could Jin Zhou ever see her again?

She was completely at a loss.

It was only then that Jin Zhou realized how little she truly knew about Jiang Yuhuai.

She didn’t know why her family was so financially strained, nor did she know where Jiang Yuhuai lived.

If Jiang Yuhuai was determined to disappear, Jin Zhou had no way to find her.

But if she was ending their four-year relationship with a sudden, wordless departure…

Jin Zhou couldn’t accept it.

She walked every street and alley near the milk tea shop where they first met, holding up Jiang Yuhuai’s photo and asking everyone she encountered:

“Have you seen this person?”

“Do you recognize her?”

C City was vast, and trying to find someone this way was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Unsurprisingly, Jin Zhou found nothing.

She was forced to return to living alone.

She went to class as usual and returned home as usual.

Everything seemed the same as before, the only difference being Jiang Yuhuai’s absence.

From that day on, Jin Zhou lost interest in everything.

When Lin Xin asked her to prepare for studying abroad, she obediently shuttled between language school and home, following a monotonous routine.

Time slowly passed.

Until the day she left the country, Jiang Yuhuai never reappeared.

Jin Zhou knew Jiang Yuhuai was avoiding her.

Yet sometimes, she couldn’t help but worry:

Has something happened to Jiang Yuhuai?

Has he run into some trouble?

Could it be that he broke up with me because of some unavoidable hardship, rather than…

No longer loving me?

After moving abroad, no one could give Jin Zhou the answers she craved.

All that remained was a suffocating tide of emotions pressing down on her heart, leaving her unable to muster the will to do anything.

Jin Zhou had no motivation to study and no energy for socializing. She fell behind in language school, and her mental state deteriorated further.

She locked herself in her rented apartment, letting herself miss the next morning’s classes due to a hangover.

Jin Zhou knew her teacher would report her situation to Lin Xin, and Lin Xin would inevitably demand an explanation.

But she didn’t care.

So, that day, Jin Zhou stood outside a convenience store on the street, several bottles of alcohol in hand, when her phone finally rang as expected.

It was Lin Xin.

Instead of flying into a rage, Lin Xin adopted an uncharacteristically calm and gentle tone.

“Xiao Zhou, tell your mother, are you in love?”

Jin Zhou had already deteriorated into a puddle of mud too rotten to cling to the wall. It would have been stranger if Lin Xin hadn’t noticed.

Dismissing the matter, Jin Zhou casually replied, “No.”

Lin Xin chuckled, her voice tinged with helplessness.

“Silly child, no matter how strained our relationship might be, you’re still the flesh and bl00d of my womb. Remember to share your troubles with your mother…”

Lin Xin continued to speak at length through the receiver.

Most of her words were comforting.

But then came a piece of news Jin Zhou had never anticipated.

Jiang Yuhuai had resurfaced.

Domestic Time: November 7, 23:43

“Boss! She’s gone!”

A group of men stood just a dozen meters from Jiang Yuhuai’s hiding place, puffing on cigarettes and looking like trouble.

The leader, sporting a full-sleeve tattoo and a gold chain, spat on the ground. “Find her! She’s still here. I saw her run into this alley myself. I don’t believe she sprouted wings!”

“Yes, sir!”

The men scattered, searching the area. Jiang Yuhuai clearly heard several approaching her hiding spot.

This was a dead end, and it was only a matter of time before they found her.

If she was lucky, they wouldn’t search the pile of crates.

If she wasn’t…

The footsteps drew closer.

Jiang Yuhuai curled herself into as tight a ball as possible, but after a while, her limbs began to numb.

Clatter!

Her phone, which she’d tucked into her pocket, slipped out and fell to the ground.

Lin Xin said earnestly, “Xiao Zhou, I don’t want to interfere in your relationships, but seeing you so heartbroken makes my own heart ache. So—I went to talk to her.”

Jin Zhou would never know the exact details of Lin Xin’s conversation with Jiang Yuhuai.

But Lin Xin brought a recording.

“Yes, I was with her because I needed money.”

The voice was cold and clear, the tone calm and even.

It was undoubtedly the person Jin Zhou had longed for.

When she heard this, a group of young thugs passing by on the street flipped her off, but she stood there frozen, as if she hadn’t even noticed.

Jiang Yuhuai had been with her… for money?

So the breakup was also because… she didn’t have enough money?

Jin Zhou and Lin Xin had once had a major argument over studying abroad.

Lin Xin believed that foreign educational resources were more comprehensive and offered a broader perspective.

Jin Zhou, however, refused to leave China.

Her usually assertive mother couldn’t bear to watch her daughter throw away such a promising future.

For the first time, the stubborn daughter chose to fight to the end.

The plan to study abroad was shelved. As the price of her “freedom,” Lin Xin cut off all of Jin Zhou’s credit cards.

In the second week after losing all sources of income, it was time to pay the monthly rent.

Even though Jin Zhou, against all odds, tried to make ends meet by taking on part-time jobs, two hours of tutoring earned her only 120 yuan, while the monthly rent was 5,000 yuan.

Then—Jiang Yuhuai announced his departure.

At her lowest point.

Jin Zhou refused to believe this cruel conclusion.

Yet the scales in her heart tilted uncontrollably toward suspicion.

After all… if they had gotten together for money, wouldn’t it be perfectly logical to break up when the money ran out?

Domestic time: November 7th, 23:45

“Boss! I found her! She’s here!”

The man dragged Jiang Yuhuai out from behind a pile of cardboard boxes, shouting loudly.

The Gold Chain Man swaggered over, cursing under his breath.

“You little b1tch runs fast, huh? Why’d you stop?”

The others closed in, their eyes gleaming with predatory intent.

Jiang Yuhuai rose to her feet, her gaze wary as she surveyed the group.

The Gold Chain Man scrutinized her face. “You look a lot like your poor mother. Both beautiful, but that stubborn streak of yours is rather off-putting.”

Hearing him mention her mother, Jiang Yuhuai’s fists clenched. She spoke coldly, “I’ve already called the police. I advise you to leave now.”

The surrounding men jeered, “Aww, you called the cops? I’m so scared!”

The Gold Chain Man smirked. “You dare call the police? Have you forgotten what happened to your mother?”

What happened?

She nearly went to prison.

Their family’s wealth was once again wiped out.

Remembering the sudden surge of white hair that had appeared on her mother’s head overnight, Jiang Yuhuai felt an uncontrollable rage surge through her, her eyes reddening.

“You…”

Seeing her fury only amused the Gold Chain Man. He lightly scraped the small knife across her neck.

“Hand over your phone. Let me take a look.”

A girl in a white mini-skirt approached, carrying a cup of coffee.

“Bonjour, est-ce que je peux m’asseoir ici?”

“Hello, may I sit here?”

Jin Zhou snapped out of her daze and politely replied, “Désolée, c’est déjà pris.”

“I’m sorry, this seat is taken.”

She glanced at her watch.

17:55

In China, it was exactly 23:55.

With only five minutes left until the day ended, time seemed to stretch out endlessly.

Jin Zhou took a sip of her unsweetened Americano.

Yet it didn’t taste bitter.

Tick-tock…

Tick-tock…

Finally, after what felt like an eternity,

the hour and minute hands on the clock overlapped.

Exactly six o’clock.

November 7th had passed in China.

Jiang Yuhuai hadn’t called after all.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Jin Zhou’s lips.

She finally accepted the fact that she and Jiang Yuhuai had become parallel lines that would never intersect again.

It was always meant to be this way.

She lowered her gaze and added the phone number she had memorized by heart to her blacklist.

Red and blue lights flashed as the ambulance sped down the road.

“BP 90/60, heart rate 130, sinus tachycardia, SpO2 92%. Shallow, rapid breathing at 28 breaths per minute.”

“Initiate massive transfusion protocol. Alert the trauma center to prepare an operating room.”

“What… time is it?” Jiang Yuhuai’s wound continued to bleed, her consciousness fading.

Jiang Shuyi wiped away tears and forced a smile. “Half past twelve.”

Jiang Yuhuai’s lips moved slightly, but she said nothing.

Then let it be. No need to worry her.