My Ex Who Dumped Me Comes to Hook Me Up Every Day - Chapter 8

When Jin Zhou saw Jiang Yuhuai standing leisurely at her doorstep, radiating an aura of confidence in her trench coat, Jin Zhou’s first impulse was to curse.

But she suppressed the urge, instead glaring coldly at Jiang Yuhuai, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Jiang Yuhuai simply gazed at her with gentle eyes and offered a casual greeting, as if Jin Zhou were not a long-lost ex-girlfriend, but a partner returning home late from work.

A chill ran through Jin Zhou at this implication. After a pause, she demanded bluntly, “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Yuhuai pulled a plastic bag from behind her back. “I figured Lawyer Jin might not have eaten yet, so I brought some groceries.”

“I don’t need them. Leave.”

Jiang Yuhuai’s movements stiffened momentarily. She lowered her gaze and said with a forced smile, “You helped me today. I just wanted to cook you a meal to show my gratitude. Is even that too much to ask?”

“Yes.”

Jin Zhou’s response was immediate and left no room for negotiation.

She reached for the door, but her path was blocked by the plastic bag filled with groceries—or rather, by Jiang Yuhuai’s hand holding the bag.

The bag contained fresh vegetables and meat, and it was surprisingly heavy.

Perhaps from waiting too long, the delicate, pale hand had begun to tremble slightly.

Jiang Yuhuai remained silent, her gaze fixed on Jin Zhou, a hint of stubbornness flickering in her eyes.

Jin Zhou finally lost her patience.

“Jiang Yuhuai, what do you want?”

“Just to have a simple meal with you.”

Realizing the ambiguity of her words, Jiang Yuhuai quickly added, “To thank you for helping me out today.”

Jin Zhou pressed, “Thank me—for helping you out?”

Jiang Yuhuai nodded.

Jin Zhou found this absurd and raised her eyes to meet Jiang Yuhuai’s gaze.

“You could have avoided it by simply taking a step back. Did you really need my help, Dr. Jiang?”

Jiang Yuhuai maintained her composure even as she lied.

“I was startled and didn’t react in time…”

Jin Zhou cut her off. “But you saw me coming, didn’t you?”

Jiang Yuhuai paused, then forced herself to look away, feigning composure.

“Yes, but…”

Setting aside matters of the heart, Jiang Yuhuai’s inner self had always been steadfast and resilient. This unwavering determination had allowed her to complete her eight-year combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program despite financial hardship.

She could remain composed even when pelted with eggs in public, simply changing her clothes and returning to discuss Chong Sheng’s condition with Jin Zhou.

Seeing such a person flustered and embarrassed by a few words was a rare sight.

But Jin Zhou had no interest in savoring Jiang Yuhuai’s discomfort.

She brushed past her and opened the door.

To avoid a repeat of their previous encounter, Jin Zhou pressed herself tightly against the doorframe, moving with deliberate caution.

When she glanced sideways and saw Jiang Yuhuai standing motionless, her eyes lowered, she breathed a sigh of relief.

After slipping inside, Jin Zhou immediately reached to close the door, her movements swift as if fearing Jiang Yuhuai might change her mind.

Just then, Jiang Yuhuai grabbed her sleeve.

“Jin Zhou, don’t go.”

Jin Zhou froze.

In her memories, she recalled having said those same words to Jiang Yuhuai once.

How had Jiang Yuhuai responded then?

She had said:

“We can’t be together anymore, Jin Zhou.”

Now, the roles were reversed, and it was Jiang Yuhuai who spoke those words.

The absurdity of the situation was undeniable.

Yet Jin Zhou couldn’t deny a dark satisfaction, a fleeting sense of vindictive pleasure.

But such satisfaction was fleeting.

Memories long buried beneath the dust of time had begun to stir, stirred by Jiang Yuhuai’s increasingly frequent appearances.

The memories of her past—the humiliating compromises, the loss of self, and the dehumanizing, drunken existence—haunted her mind like restless ghosts, impossible to shake off.

This was what Jin Zhou found most infuriating.

She stopped walking and turned back, her voice sharp. “Jiang Yuhuai, what do you really want?”

Jiang Yuhuai opened her mouth. “I want…”

I want you to love me again.

The words caught in her throat. She knew that even if she spoke them, they would never bring satisfaction to either of them.

Jin Zhou cut through her hesitation. “Still after money? How much? I’ll give it to you. Just get out of my sight and never show your face again. Is that clear?”

In the tense silence, Jiang Yuhuai’s breathing quickened for a few seconds, betraying her awareness of the sarcasm. She bit down hard on her lower lip until it paled from the pressure.

“I don’t want money.”

Jin Zhou regarded her with a mocking smile. “Then want nothing at all. Get lost.”

With that, she turned to open the door, refusing to acknowledge Jiang Yuhuai’s reaction.

The air hung heavy for a moment.

Then, from behind her, came Jiang Yuhuai’s low, resolute voice.

“I want you.”

Hearing these words, Jin Zhou’s expression turned to astonishment.

Her first thought was that Jiang Yuhuai must have lost her mind, uttering such nonsensical words even at this point.

Her second thought was that her own mind might be malfunctioning, still listening attentively to the other woman’s absurd statements.

Out of politeness, she smiled and replied, “Go home early. Don’t come back again.”

Jiang Yuhuai’s fingers clenched, her voice losing its usual composure. “Jin Zhou, I’m serious.”

Jin Zhou opened the door, then turned back to face her. “I’m serious too.”

Bang!

With that, Jin Zhou slammed the door shut.

She refused to dwell on who might be standing outside or what they wanted.

First, she took a shower.

Then she threw together a quick sandwich for dinner.

Tomorrow was going to be busy, and she needed to get to bed early.

After finishing the last sip of ice water, Jin Zhou turned off the living room lights and headed for her bedroom.

But as the room darkened, she paused in the pitch-blackness.

Her thoughts, which had been settling down, suddenly stirred to life again.

Has Jiang Yuhuai left?

Should I go check on her?

Even though this is a one-apartment-per-floor building, there shouldn’t be any danger outside.

But she doesn’t seem to have eaten. It wouldn’t look good if she fainted at my doorstep.

I should go check on her.

Driven by a sense of responsibility for Jiang Yuhuai’s safety, Jin Zhou’s footsteps naturally veered slightly as she passed the door.

She tiptoed closer and tapped the video intercom on the door.

The corridor was dark, allowing only a vague outline to be seen.

The hallway was empty; Jiang Yuhuai’s figure was nowhere in sight.

Jin Zhou pressed her ear against the door for a moment, listening intently. There was no sound.

She sighed in relief and was about to turn away when—

Ding-dong—

A crisp notification tone rang out.

Separated by only a door, the sound carried clearly into Jin Zhou’s ears.

She froze, then adjusted the video intercom’s camera to scan the area.

When the camera tilted forty-five degrees downward, the screen finally captured the figure huddled in the corner by the door.

Jiang Yuhuai, wearing a trench coat, sat on the floor with a bulging bag beside her, looking like a homeless person.

It was both comical and pitiful.

Jin Zhou still vividly remembered the day they met at the law firm, when Jiang Yuhuai had left her hand hanging in the air.

“Excuse me, there might be germs. Could you please sanitize?”

A person who couldn’t even shake hands was now squatting casually on the dirty ground.

What kind of severe germaphobe is this?

Jin Zhou curled her lips into a wry smile, finding the situation somewhat absurd.

So that day was just a deliberate attempt to embarrass me, wasn’t it?

Suddenly, she felt like washing her hands of Jiang Yuhuai.

What did it matter to her whether Jiang Yuhuai left or not?

Even if she fainted, what concern was it of hers?

Jin Zhou turned to retreat to her bedroom.

But her raised leg remained suspended in mid-air, her foot refusing to move.

She stood frozen in internal conflict for a long moment.

Finally, Jin Zhou turned back.

On the screen, Jiang Yuhuai remained motionless.

She leaned against the wall, curled into a quiet ball, as if asleep.

But Jin Zhou could faintly see her hands clutching her thin coat, as if she were cold.

This wasn’t the first time Jin Zhou had seen Jiang Yuhuai like this.

When they first got together, Jiang Yuhuai often went out to do part-time jobs.

Sometimes, Jin Zhou would follow her secretly, curious about what she was doing.

When they arrived at the locations, she discovered that these jobs were mostly dressing up as mascots at amusement parks or handing out flyers on the street.

These jobs typically paid eighty yuan a day and offered no designated rest areas. When tired, Jiang Yuhuai could only squat in a corner, close her eyes, and take a short nap.

Jin Zhou frowned, unsure of Jiang Yuhuai’s true intentions.

But lingering at her doorstep without leaving was also unacceptable.

After a moment of silence, she finally opened the door.

Jiang Yuhuai remained quietly leaning against the wall, motionless, clearly asleep.

Looking down at her, Jin Zhou finally saw the details of her face clearly in the dim night.

Perhaps due to the poor environment and restless sleep, even in her light slumber, Jiang Yuhuai’s face remained tense, her brows furrowed, and the corners of her mouth turned slightly downward.

Her body trembled faintly.

It didn’t seem like a physiological chill, but rather like she was afraid.

After Jin Zhou followed Jiang Yuhuai that one time, she noticed that Jiang Yuhuai’s sleep quality seemed poor. Even when asleep, she always frowned tightly, her body trembling involuntarily.

Jin Zhou had an inexplicable intuition: Jiang Yuhuai seemed to be afraid of something.

But what was she afraid of? Jin Zhou didn’t know.

Later, she had tried to ask Jiang Yuhuai, both directly and indirectly, but Jiang Yuhuai always brushed her off with flimsy excuses.

Jin Zhou felt sorry for her and often sent her red envelopes under various pretexts. Jiang Yuhuai never refused, accepting every one.

Yet even so, Jiang Yuhuai continued to go out for days at a time. The only difference now was that she knew Jin Zhou had followed her before and earnestly told her not to do it again. Jin Zhou obediently agreed, leaving her completely in the dark about what Jiang Yuhuai was busy with.

And now, despite the years that had passed and the completely different circumstances, Jin Zhou still sensed that same emotion emanating from Jiang Yuhuai: fear.

What was she afraid of this time?