TREATING BOYFRIEND AS EX

Chapter 8 Cheng Shi laughed triumphantly

Sitting in the car, Jiao Didi gazed out at the dazzling city lights, and then, with no preamble, asked, "Do you look down on me?"

It was an abrupt question, one that only Lu Yan could understand.

"No, no one is truly free to choose their path. Sometimes, circumstances are beyond our control," Lu Yan replied, one hand on the wheel, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

The rest of the ride passed in silence.

Before long, they arrived at their respective doorsteps.

"Goodnight," Jiao Didi said, pressing the password to unlock the door before closing it behind her.

Lu Yan stood outside for a long while, staring at the door across from him, lost in thought.

Inside her home, Jiao Didi stood in the emptiness of the room, letting out a dry laugh at the stillness that surrounded her.

That night, a variety of unsettling dreams tormented Jiao Didi. In one, Lu Yan and Cheng Shi were getting married, with Cheng Shi laughing triumphantly while Lu Yan turned away indifferently. In another, her parents turned their backs and left her. She called out desperately, but no matter how loudly, they never turned back.

"Dididi, wake up, Dididi..."

Jiao Didi opened her eyes to see Lu Yan's anxious face looming over her. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether she was still dreaming or not, and instinctively threw herself into his arms.

She sobbed softly, "Lu Yan, I dreamt that you no longer wanted me."

Lu Yan did not embrace her back.

It was only then that she snapped back to reality, pulling away from him and wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"I made breakfast. Come out and eat."

Lu Yan stepped out of the room, casually closing the door behind him.

Jiao Didi lingered in her room for another hour, taking her time to change before finally emerging.

On the dining table, there was a simple breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, congee, and fried dough sticks. The congee was thick and delicate. Jiao Didi took a spoonful and found it to be delicious. She set the spoon down and looked up at Lu Yan, who was also eating his congee and holding a piece of bread.

To an outsider, they might have appeared like a married couple, rather than a pair of ex-lovers.

Curiously, Jiao Didi asked, "How did you get in?"

"I have your fingerprint file. I saw you hadn’t left, so I rang the doorbell, but when you didn’t answer, I just let myself in to check."

"Oh..." Jiao Didi understood, nodding slowly.

She couldn't help but sigh. "So, the fingerprint lock isn't as secure as I thought."

Lu Yan remained oblivious to any guilt, as though it was perfectly normal.

Jiao Didi couldn't help but admire his thick skin. No wonder he was a business tycoon.

Lu Yan, changing the subject, asked, "Do you have plans today? How about we have lunch together?"

After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Jiao Didi responded, "Lu Yan, you're so good to me. How am I ever supposed to find a new boyfriend?"

Lu Yan smiled helplessly.

After reluctantly sending him out the door, Jiao Didi found herself wondering if it was time to move to a new place. But then she remembered how this apartment faced the sea. In the evenings, sitting on the balcony, she could watch the waves, feel the sea breeze, and savor the moment. It was a luxury she wasn’t quite ready to give up.

However, if she did move, Lu Yan would surely think that he was somehow different from everyone else. For now, she decided to leave things as they were. Everyone needed a transitional period, didn’t they?

Later that evening, the Jiao family home was brightly lit, with all the servants wearing smiles. It was the master’s birthday, and each servant had received a generous red envelope. The atmosphere was one of joy and celebration.

Ye Yun saw Jiao Didi and immediately grabbed her hand in delight. "I was just about to call you to see where you were."

"Where’s Dad? I brought a gift for him."

Ye Yun turned and pointed to the side hall. "He’s in there chatting with Liu Fangcheng."

Jiao Didi noticed her mother’s calm expression and breathed a sigh of relief.

The butler came in to announce that dinner was ready.

Everyone took their seats. Since Jiao Didi could remember, Liu Uncle had always been there for her father’s birthday. When she was little, she had liked him—he was kind and approachable. But as she grew older, she began to understand things better, and their relationship had become more distant.

"Uncle Liu, hello," Jiao Didi greeted as she handed her father his birthday gift.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Jiao Feng accepted the gift without opening it, placing it aside. He had always been distant toward her, not like other fathers who doted on their children. It was as if she were just a guest in the home.

When she was younger, she had once cried to her mother, asking if her father disliked her. Ye Yun would always gently reassure her. But at night, she could hear her parents’ hushed arguments. As a child, she would silently cry into her pillow, confused and helpless.

As time passed, her father returned home less and less. Eventually, every time she saw him, Liu Uncle would be there too. Her mother’s initial excitement had turned to emptiness, and now, indifference.

Jiao Didi began to understand her mother’s feelings. Love, like water, could slip through one’s fingers, and there was nothing one could do about it.

Thinking of Lu Yan, she let out a bitter laugh.

The best way to forget a man, Jiao Didi thought, was to start a new relationship.

Recently, a wealthy young man named Xie Anjie had been pursuing her. His family owned a mine, he looked decent enough, and she didn’t find him repulsive.

Xie Anjie drove his Ferrari to drop Jiao Didi off at home. As she stepped out of the passenger seat, he suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

"Ah...stop, that's annoying!" she giggled, lightly pushing him away. They leaned against the car, whispering sweetly.

At that moment, Lu Yan drove by in his Bugatti, slowing down as he approached. The car window rolled down.

The couple by the car caught his attention. Xie Anjie kissed Jiao Didi’s cheek, and when Jiao Didi, sensing someone’s gaze, looked up, her eyes met Lu Yan’s.

She gently pushed Xie Anjie away. "It’s late. You should head home."

With a reluctant sigh, Xie Anjie got in his car, and Jiao Didi blew him a few playful kisses before he drove off.

Lu Yan, meanwhile, had returned home and poured himself a glass of red wine. Holding the glass, he stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the balcony, his cold eyes watching the scene unfold below.

Jiao Didi, about to unlock her door, was startled by a voice from behind.

"New boyfriend?" Lu Yan’s voice rang out.

Jiao Didi jumped, turning to see him standing there. Her hand flew to her chest as she gasped, "You scared me."

"It’s late. Shouldn’t you be going to bed?"

Lu Yan pursed his lips, his gaze unwavering. "You still haven’t answered me."

She could smell the alcohol on his breath, and, with the air of a drunken man, he seemed incapable of having a normal conversation.

Reluctantly, she played along. "Yes, new boyfriend. I’m going inside now. Goodnight."

In a sudden, drunken outburst, Lu Yan grabbed her, roughly wiping the spot where Xie Anjie had kissed her.

"Lu Yan, what are you doing?" she cried out.

She struggled free, giving him a swift kick. Lu Yan, caught off guard, fell to the ground, motionless.

"Hey, Lu Yan?"

She slapped his face a few times, and he groggily turned his head away, mumbling something incoherent. He was clearly drunk. With no choice, she opened the door and helped him inside, guiding him to the sofa.

She covered him with a thin blanket, staring at his face in silence. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the carpet beneath the sofa.

At precisely eight in the morning, Lu Yan woke up, shaking his head to clear the fogginess from his mind. He pinched his nose bridge, looked around, and smiled when he realized he was in Jiao Didi's home.

Then...

"Ah, that hurts!"

A sharp, high-pitched scream pierced the peaceful silence.

Outside, the birds fluttered in alarm, taking flight.