Chapter 10: Sharing the Load

He thought about what Rong Jiqiao had said a few days ago.

"I just wanted to help share some of the burden."

An electric scooter. A shared apartment.

She was still with him, that was all—just because she hadn't found anything better yet.

He stared in that direction for a few seconds.

In the end, he turned the scooter around and rode off the opposite way, making sure Rong Jiqiao never saw him.

...

Over on Zhu Xiaoyue's side.

Seeing her boyfriend's attitude, her enthusiasm for helping Rong Jiqiao cooled instantly. "Right, she has a boyfriend. Oh, I just thought of something—traffic on the Second Ring Road is probably awful at this hour. Jiqiao, wouldn't the subway be faster?"

If Rong Jiqiao couldn't read the subtext in that, she'd have lived all these years for nothing.

She cast one wistful glance at the free ride, then said, "Oh, you're right, I forgot. You two go ahead—I'll take the subway, it's faster."

Zhu Xiaoyue's boyfriend still wasn't ready to give up, but Zhu Xiaoyue shoved him into the driver's seat before he could try anything.

"Let's go. We'll get a ticket if we sit here too long."

Once the car pulled away, her boyfriend still hadn't let it go, stealing several glances at Rong Jiqiao's retreating figure in the rearview mirror.

Zhu Xiaoyue saw right through him, grinding her teeth in the passenger seat. "What's so interesting to look at! She's nothing but a love-struck fool—her boyfriend's a security guard and she still won't leave him. Otherwise, with nothing but a pretty face, how would she even survive around here?"

Her boyfriend kept up the act. "What are you imagining? She's your colleague. I was just being nice, offering a ride."

Zhu Xiaoyue sat there with a face like thunder, cursing Rong Jiqiao and her own boyfriend in equal measure.

...

Back home, Rong Jiqiao threw together a simple dinner.

Duan Yan wasn't back yet. She covered the food and went to shower first.

Lying in bed waiting, drowsiness crept up on her. She drifted, half-asleep.

The lock clicked. Duan Yan was back.

Rong Jiqiao didn't open her eyes. She heard him rummage for a bowl in the kitchen, then the sound of chopsticks tapping against porcelain.

He was eating the food she'd left him.

The sound was soft, steady. One bite at a time.

After he finished, Duan Yan washed the dishes and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

Rong Jiqiao rolled over, pretending to sleep.

Duan Yan said nothing. He pulled a small box from his pocket and set it on the nightstand.

Rong Jiqiao heard the movement and opened her eyes.

"Awake?"

Rong Jiqiao sat up. "You're back."

Duan Yan pointed at the nightstand. "For you."

Rong Jiqiao paused, then picked up the box and opened it.

A necklace. Silver chain, a tiny star pendant that caught the light with a soft gleam.

She held it up, the chain swaying between her fingertips.

"How much?"

"Five thousand."

Rong Jiqiao's hand jerked. She nearly dropped it.

"That much?!"

Duan Yan leaned back against the headboard. "Got a bonus."

Rong Jiqiao stared at the necklace, her throat tight.

She really did love it.

But forget it.

If she took this necklace, she really would be bleeding Duan Yan dry.

She placed it back in the box, closed the lid, and forced the words out.

"I don't want it. Return it."

Duan Yan turned his head to look at her. "You don't like it?"

Rong Jiqiao bit her lip. "I do like it."

"Then why don't you want it?"

Rong Jiqiao pushed the box back toward him. "I told you, there's no need to buy something this expensive right now."

Duan Yan: "It's not expensive. I was worried you'd think it was too cheap."

Rong Jiqiao stared at the little box, fingertips curling.

"I..."

Duan Yan stood, pulled a clean set of sleepwear from the wardrobe, and paused. Back still turned to her, he said, "I was worried that if it was cheap, you'd think I was being stingy."

Rong Jiqiao's throat felt packed with cotton. She couldn't get a word out for the longest time.

Her mind raced. "No... no, I really do think it's too expensive. Shouldn't we be saving money right now?"

"Before, you'd spend every penny you had. One dollar, you'd spend one dollar. A hundred, you'd spend a hundred." Duan Yan cut in, voice flat. "Since when did you start wanting to save?"

Rong Jiqiao's back went rigid.

She'd nearly forgotten—in her past life, she'd lived paycheck to paycheck.

The moment her wages came in: makeup, clothes, milk tea. Gone in days.

"I... I do save too." Rong Jiqiao forced the words out. "How else do you think I had money to pay your medical bills back then?"

At this point, the lie had to be carried all the way through. There was no coming clean. Not anymore.

Duan Yan didn't question it. He just nodded. "Fair enough."

Rong Jiqiao let out a breath.

Duan Yan sat back down on the edge of the bed, picked up the box, and opened it. He lifted the necklace out, the silver chain swaying under the light.

"If we're going to build a life together, we can't do without savings." Rong Jiqiao seized the opening.

Duan Yan placed the necklace back and closed the lid. "That's true."

He paused, then looked up at her. "When we get married, there'll be even more to spend."

Rong Jiqiao swallowed. Her smile went stiff.

She tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Right."

Her heart was hammering.

Marriage?

She wasn't greedy enough to set her sights on marriage with Duan Yan.

Duan Yan's real savior was the one who'd become his wife someday.

She was just a stand-in. The moment he found the real one, she'd be the one to go.

Not knowing any of what was running through Rong Jiqiao's head, Duan Yan simply said, "I already bought it. Just keep it."

With all those thoughts weighing on her, Rong Jiqiao's chest felt tight. She put the necklace away. "Don't buy things like this next time."

"Mm."

Duan Yan turned to go shower.

When he came out, Rong Jiqiao was lying on her stomach, phone held in front of her face, legs kicking up behind her and swaying back and forth, a grin on her lips.

He stopped by the bed, hair still dripping, water sliding from the tips and landing on his shoulders.

"What are you watching?"

Rong Jiqiao didn't look up. "Short videos."

Duan Yan toweled his hair. "Smiling like that?"

Rong Jiqiao finally looked up, eyes bright. "It's hilarious. Wanna see?"

Duan Yan sat on the edge of the bed. Rong Jiqiao handed him the phone.

In the video, the female lead looked panic-stricken. The male lead stood in the doorway, face white as a sheet.

Rong Jiqiao narrated, "The girl cheated on him. He caught her red-handed."

Duan Yan stared at the screen. Said nothing.

Rong Jiqiao went on, "She thought he was going to break up with her. She was terrified."

In the video, the male lead spoke, his voice shaking. "Why are you asking me for a divorce? You cheated—just break up with him. What does what's between you two have to do with me?"

Rong Jiqiao was dying of laughter. "Look at this guy. He really, really loves her."

Duan Yan handed the phone back, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Yeah."

Rong Jiqiao took the phone, watched it one more time, laughter spilling out of her.

When she'd laughed enough, she tossed the phone aside and flopped flat on her back. "Do you think a guy like that is just stupid?"