My Ex Who Dumped Me Comes to Hook Me Up Every Day - Chapter 27

“What… did you say?” Jiang Yuhuai’s voice trembled slightly at the end.

Jin Zhou followed the sound and looked up at her side.

Seemingly surprised by her proactive invitation, Jiang Yuhuai’s lips parted slightly, her eyes widened, and her expression mixed surprise with hesitation.

She was the one who suggested going home together.

Jiang Yuhuai was the one who said she wanted to go home.

Jin Zhou pressed her lips together.

When she had tried to leave earlier, Jiang Yuhuai had publicly declared that they still had things to discuss and insisted on walking with her.

But now that Jin Zhou had taken a step back, Jiang Yuhuai had retreated as well.

What was Jiang Yuhuai thinking?

She couldn’t understand.

Jin Zhou lowered her gaze and turned to walk away.

Jiang Yuhuai’s voice grew urgent. “Where are you going?”

Jin Zhou replied coldly, “Take a taxi home yourself. I’m leaving.”

Jiang Yuhuai raised her voice. “That’s not right! You clearly said we’d go home together!”

Jin Zhou paused but didn’t turn around. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go home with me?”

Jiang Yuhuai hurried after her, stopping beside Jin Zhou. “I never said I didn’t want to.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The rebuttal came without hesitation, yet it lacked conviction.

Jin Zhou glanced at Jiang Yuhuai, deciding to drop the matter for now.

She continued walking toward the parking lot, but a tentative voice called out from behind.

“But… I still want to go home first.”

Jin Zhou’s steps faltered, and she turned to face her.

“Jiang Yuhuai, if you don’t want to go, I won’t force you.”

Jiang Yuhuai froze, seemingly confused by Jin Zhou’s sudden change of heart.

Annoyed by her innocent act, a flicker of impatience flashed in Jin Zhou’s eyes.

“You were so eager to stay and sing and drink with them earlier. Didn’t you even consider that we were supposed to go to my place tonight?”

Jiang Yuhuai’s lips parted slightly, a hint of surprise crossing her face.

As the realization dawned, a faint smile crept into her eyes.

Jin Zhou frowned, puzzled. “What are you smiling at?”

What am I smiling at?

At your hypocrisy, of course.

But she couldn’t say that aloud.

Jiang Yuhuai knew Jin Zhou’s temperament well: she responded to gentleness, not force.

When someone is angry, temporarily admitting fault and showing weakness is the best way to soothe their ruffled feathers.

“I was wrong, okay? Please don’t be angry anymore, Zhouzhou…” Jiang Yuhuai took Jin Zhou’s hand, her voice dripping with coquettishness.

Like clear, cool spring water, her words carried a lingering sweetness on the tongue.

Jin Zhou’s heart warmed, though she showed no sign of it on her face.

She pulled her hand free from Jiang Yuhuai’s cool grip, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not angry. You’re just being presumptuous.”

Jiang Yuhuai didn’t call her bluff, instead explaining gently, “I stayed behind that time because I thought you’d be with Wen Yan and the others. I wanted to spend more time with you.”

“When I heard you were leaving, I changed my plans, didn’t I?”

Jin Zhou thought back. It seemed that was indeed the case.

Jiang Yuhuai blinked. “As for saying I wanted to go home, it was just because I hadn’t packed any underwear or spare clothes.”

To get her things?

Not as an excuse to stay home?

She agreed to go singing and drinking just to spend more time with me… not because of Jiang Shuyi or anyone else?

It turned out she had misunderstood Jiang Yuhuai.

People always become particularly busy when they’re embarrassed.

“…Oh,” Jin Zhou replied stiffly.

She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, touched the tip of her nose, and glanced around the parking garage.

After all her fidgeting, Jiang Yuhuai’s gaze remained fixed on her.

“So,” Jin Zhou said, “what were you planning for Zhouzhou to wear? The same lace outfit as last time?”

Jin Zhou choked, feigning composure. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Jiang Yuhuai’s eyes flickered slightly. “Really don’t know, or pretending not to?”

Of course I’m pretending not to know.

Since that night, Jin Zhou’s memories had been returning in fragments.

The paper-thin shirt.

The lace underwear.

And the vivid image of her drunkenly vomiting all over Jiang Yuhuai.

Jin Zhou, flustered and annoyed, snapped, “Jiang Yuhuai, you’re so annoying.”

Jiang Yuhuai stared into her eyes for a long moment before replying slowly, “But Jin Zhou—I like you very much.”

Her voice carried its characteristic earnestness, the cool, unique timbre echoing softly in the empty underground parking garage.

Instead of fading with time, the words sent waves of tingling warmth through her.

It wasn’t a burning, passionate “I love you,” nor a calm, unwavering affection.

The phrase “I really like you” mirrored Jiang Yuhuai’s feelings for Jin Zhou—intense and unchanging, yet always tempered with a hint of restraint.

It seemed to carry a secret, like a thorn lodged between their hearts. As long as it remained, they could never return to their former wholeness.

Hearing Jiang Yuhuai say those words again after so many years made Jin Zhou’s heart skip a beat.

The scales in her heart had already tipped heavily toward believing that Jiang Yuhuai still loved her, but her words remained sharp and unforgiving.

“I don’t believe you,” Jin Zhou retorted, her response sounding almost deliberately contrarian.

Yet Jiang Yuhuai showed no sign of impatience. Her brow relaxed, her lips curved into a natural smile, and her eyes brimmed with overflowing affection.

“Then I don’t believe you either,” she replied.

When had Jin Zhou first heard Jiang Yuhuai say “I like you”?

On her 18th birthday.

It was the first time she had a home truly her own.

And the first time she completely possessed Jiang Yuhuai.

Jiang Yuhuai, her hands pressed nervously against her chest, tentatively asked, “Is it ready?”

Blindfolded, she was plunged into complete darkness, her feet treading unfamiliar ground.

Yet panic and fear occupied only a small corner of her heart; the rest was filled with curiosity.

Curiosity… What exactly was the surprise Jin Zhou had promised?

A young girl’s flustered voice called out from the room, “Almost ready! Just a moment!”

Tap-tap-tap—

Hurried footsteps drew closer.

First came an unfamiliar fragrance, then a gentle touch at the back of her head.

The room was unlit, requiring little adjustment time.

Everything quickly came into focus.

“Jiang Yuhuai, this will be our home from now on. Do you like it?”

Jin Zhou stood in the center of the room, a floor-to-ceiling window behind her.

She held a bouquet of white baby’s breath, her expression a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Neon lights reflected off the mirrored walls, enveloping her in a soft glow. The delicate flowers seemed to transform into a sky full of stars.

It was dreamlike, beautiful, and almost unreal.

Jiang Yuhuai stared, mesmerized. Without thinking, she instinctively replied, “I love it.”

Jin Zhou’s eyes widened slightly, her amber irises glowing like two luminous pearls in the night.

Jiang Yuhuai belatedly realized she had spoken those two buried words aloud. Her lips parted, and she hesitated before saying, “I meant… this place.”

The attempt to cover up her slip was almost painfully obvious.

The bedside lamp automatically switched on according to its timer, illuminating Jiang Yuhuai’s expression before she could mask it.

Her beautiful peach blossom eyes darted around, avoiding Jin Zhou’s gaze.

Her clearly defined eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips pressed together in nervous tension.

A faint, almost imperceptible blush tinted her cheeks, born of that fleeting moment of shyness.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Jin Zhou froze, nearly forgetting to breathe.

Jiang Yuhuai was blushing.

Not the shy, introverted kind that could be explained in a few words. This was pure, unadulterated shyness.

A shyness about her and Jin Zhou, an ambiguous shyness that defied explanation.

For Jin Zhou, reaching this conclusion was a novel experience.

Before today, if you had asked, “Does Jiang Yuhuai like Jin Zhou?”

Jin Zhou would have answered unequivocally, “No.”

From the very first day she began pursuing Jiang Yuhuai, Jin Zhou had known the answer in her heart.

Jiang Yuhuai had indeed agreed to be with her.

But that was all.

Not because Jin Zhou held a unique, irreplaceable place in her heart.

It wasn’t because Jiang Yuhuai reciprocated her feelings.

Jin Zhou couldn’t even be sure whether Jiang Yuhuai preferred men or women.

Nor could she tell if Jiang Yuhuai truly understood the secret, damp emotions Jin Zhou harbored for her every night.

The only certainty was that Jiang Yuhuai saw her merely as a close friend—a special “bestie,” nothing more.

Yet even this was enough for Jin Zhou.

Jiang Yuhuai was like a clear, cold moon, hanging high in the sky.

Mortals could see the moon but could never touch it, let alone claim it as their own.

Mortals didn’t realize that one was in the heavens while the other was on earth.

Jin Zhou didn’t know that from that fleeting glance at the doorway, her fate had become inextricably intertwined with Jiang Yuhuai’s.

Sometimes, Jin Zhou wondered if she hadn’t been so lucky, she might have remained Jiang Yuhuai’s ambiguous best friend for life.

But if fortune smiled upon her, perhaps one day she could become the one who made the moon in the sky dim its light, reserving its warmth solely for her.

That day seemed to have arrived sooner than she imagined.

Looking at Jiang Yuhuai, who stood across from her, lost in blissful shock at the sight before her, Jin Zhou felt a sense of unreality.

This Jiang Yuhuai seemed different from the one she knew.

Does she like Jin Zhou?

Jin Zhou answered in her heart: Maybe she does.

Then I should gather my courage and ask her again, right?

Jin Zhou took a deep breath and looked at the person before her with earnest sincerity.

“Jiang Yuhuai, I like you. Do you like me?”

As soon as the words left her lips, Jin Zhou felt a pang of regret.

She worried that her directness might scare the newly sprouted seedling back into its shell.

She also feared seeing disgust or revulsion on Jiang Yuhuai’s face—a reaction she couldn’t bear.

The air hung in silence for several seconds, perhaps longer.

Until Jin Zhou heard those two words again.

“Like.”

“What did you say you like?” Jin Zhou asked, thinking she might have misheard.

“Jin Zhou.”

Jiang Yuhuai’s hands were hidden behind her back, twisting the hem of her shirt into a crumpled ball. Afraid her meaning wasn’t clear enough, she added, “…I like you very much.”

Jin Zhou had imagined this moment countless times. She had always believed that when Jiang Yuhuai truly fell in love with her, she would be overjoyed beyond measure.

Yet now that the moment had arrived, Jin Zhou felt only a slight ache at the tip of her nose.

She instinctively reached for the pure silver necklace she wore around her neck.

The pendant was a crescent moon.

It was a birthday gift from Jiang Yuhuai.

Among all the designer jewelry she owned, it was the most unassuming piece.

Yet it was also Jin Zhou’s most cherished birthday gift.

She regarded the pendant as Jiang Yuhuai himself.

Wearing the necklace close to her heart, she kept him as close as her own heartbeat.

Originally, Jin Zhou had been content with just this.

But the eighteen-year-old Jin Zhou now possessed more than just the necklace.

Just moments ago, the lofty moon had shed its radiant glow and truly descended before her.