Chapter 19: What If She Doesn't Come Back?
1164 Words
Dinner was a disaster. Chutang had nothing to say to any of them, so she finished her meal in silence and retreated to her room as quickly as possible.
Back in her bedroom, she spotted the gift box on her desk and remembered the watch she had bought for Jiang Shixu. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number.
"Hey, Shixu. Remember that gift I mentioned? I’d like to drop it off. Are you at the estate?"
"I am."
"Great. I’ll be there in a bit."
***
At Jinghe Garden, Gu Zechuan walked through the front door with Chen Wan trailing behind him. The housekeeper, Auntie Zhang, peered past them toward the driveway.
"Sir? Is Miss Ruan not with you?"
Gu Zechuan frowned. "She’s not here?"
Auntie Zhang looked confused. "I thought she went out with you. She hasn't been home in days."
A cold knot of unease tightened in Zechuan’s stomach. He pushed past her and sprinted up the stairs.
He burst into Ruan Chutang’s room and stopped dead. The vanity was bare—every bottle of perfume, every tube of lipstick, gone. The small trinkets that had made the room hers had vanished. He wrenched open the wardrobe. Empty. Not a single dress remained.
The room had been stripped back to the sterile, hollow space it was before she had moved in.
Zechuan’s breath hitched. He spun around and shouted down the stairs, "When did she move her things out?"
Auntie Zhang flinched at the fury in his voice. "I... I went in to clean the morning after she left, and the room was empty. I thought you knew..."
Zechuan’s fists clenched at his sides. He pulled out his phone and hit her speed dial. *Beep... beep... beep...*
The call went straight to a busy signal. She had blocked him.
Next, he called Su Qiuyi. Chutang didn’t have many friends in the city, but those two had been close.
"Chutang? No, she hasn't reached out," Qiuyi said, sounding surprised. "I have no idea where she is. Let me message her."
There was a pause, then a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. "Wait... there's a red exclamation mark. She blocked me too. Why would she do that? We didn't even have a fight."
Zechuan’s jaw tightened. "Nothing?"
"Nothing," Qiuyi sighed.
Chen Wan had been listening from the doorway. Realizing Chutang was truly gone, a wave of triumph washed over her. "Zechuan, is it over between you two?"
Zechuan went still. Over? He hadn't intended for it to be over. That night, when he’d told her he never wanted to see her again, he had been speaking out of pure spite. Even when she blocked him, he’d assumed she was just throwing a tantrum, waiting for him to come crawling back with an apology.
But she had cleared out the house. This wasn't just a temper tantrum.
Seeing his dark expression, Chen Wan stepped forward and slipped her arm through his. "Zechuan, if you’ve broken up, then maybe it’s for the best. Let’s go on a trip. Just the two of us. It’ll clear your head."
The panic in Zechuan’s chest slowly curdled into resentment. Fine. If that’s how she wanted to play it. Chutang was actually trying to leave him. He wanted to see just how long she could last. Ten days? Two weeks?
He was furious that she had left without a word, and he decided right then to freeze her out. He’d show her that his life was just as vibrant—if not better—without her.
He forced a smirk. "Sure. Where do you want to go? You pick."
"Really?" Chen Wan’s eyes lit up. "I’ve always wanted to see Xinjiang. Kanas is supposed to be beautiful this time of year."
Kanas. The name tasted familiar on his tongue. He remembered now—Chutang had mentioned it. She’d wanted to go there for the October holiday.
What had he told her back then? *It'll be too crowded. Why bother?*
And yet, here he was. The irony wasn't lost on him, but his spite outweighed his guilt. "Fine. Xinjiang it is."
After watching TV with Chen Wan for an hour, the restlessness in his bones became unbearable. "You just got out of the hospital. Get some rest. I have to head out for a bit."
Chen Wan was smart enough not to pry. She knew he was reeling from the breakup and needed space to blow off steam. "Okay," she said with a sweet, supportive smile. "I’ll be here when you get back."
The moment he stepped outside, Zechuan called Jiang Yuzhou. "Zhou, let’s get a drink. Get the guys together."
***
At the exclusive club where they usually hung out, Zechuan walked into the private lounge. His inner circle was already there, drinks in hand.
Lin Chen'an looked up and grinned. "Zechuan! Where’s Chen Wan? I thought she’d be glued to your side."
Zechuan gave him a sharp look. "Why would she be with me?"
"Uh..." Lin Chen'an blinked, caught off guard.
Before he could recover, Zechuan added, "Ruan Chutang is my girlfriend. Why aren't you asking about her?"
The room went silent.
"Wait, Zechuan," Lin Chen'an said carefully. "Ever since Chen Wan got back, you’ve brought her everywhere. Why are you bringing up Chutang now? You’re the one who said she was boring and didn't know how to have fun."
Zechuan’s face tightened. He couldn't even argue.
Jiang Yuzhou jumped in to break the tension. "Hey, we haven't seen you in days. What have you been up to?"
Zechuan slumped onto the leather sofa and lit a cigarette. "Chen Wan was in the hospital. I was there with her."
Yuzhou’s expression turned skeptical. "Zechuan, you just said Chutang is your girlfriend. You’ve been at the hospital with your ex for days—did Chutang not blow up at you?"
Zechuan’s face darkened. She hadn't just blown up; she’d walked out. "She's trying to break up with me."
The men exchanged knowing glances. Lin Chen'an let out a snort. "Chutang? Break up with *you*? You’re the best guy she’s ever going to get. I’ll bet my car she’s back within ten days."
"Exactly," another friend chimed in. "She’s been obsessed with you for three years. She can't live without you. I give her eight days."
"She’s just playing hard to ball," a third added. "She’s waiting for you to chase her. I bet she’ll be crying for you to take her back within two weeks."
Hearing them, the tension in Zechuan’s shoulders finally began to bleed away. He took a long pull of his drink, his lip curling in a confident sneer. "Chase her? Not a chance."
But then, Jiang Yuzhou spoke up in a small, uncertain voice. "But... what if she doesn't come back?"
The question hung in the air, cold and heavy. Zechuan froze. What if she really didn't come back?
It was a possibility he had never even considered.
- Writer
