Chapter 17 (1/2)

Chapter 17

After Cheng Zheng had washed up in the toilet, he walked out to find Yun Jin dabbing hard at her trouser stain with a troubled expression on her face.

“Stop rubbing it. You’ve been at it for over ten minutes. Any more and your pants will tear.” He came to sit beside her.

Yun Jin ignored him and turned her back on him as she continued to dab relentlessly. The thought of it was so vile that she started to despise herself for getting into such a situation.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” He felt a little embarra.s.sed. “You hit me really hard by the way.”

“I wish I could beat you to death.” Yun Jin spoke through gritted teeth.

“Don’t you feel a teensy sorry for hurting me?” Cheng Zheng grabbed Yun Jin’s hand and placed it on his cheek “Feel it. It’s really swollen right!”

Yun Jin’s expression remained frosty; she refused to joke around anymore.

Cheng Zheng was nervous on seeing her reaction. He was almost afraid that the hand he was grasping would slap him across his face once again. When this woman put her mind to it, there was nothing she was incapable of. He certainly didn’t want to be on the receiving end again.

Seeing that she steadfastly ignored him, he continued “Aye, so are you and Shen Ju An truly done? I knew it right from the start. Hey have you lost your tongue? I hate it when you remain quiet.”

Yun Jin tossed the tissue in her hand and stood up abruptly. “I don’t want your affections.”

“Then whose do you want? Shen Ju An? I’m afraid he’s not as devoted as you think him to be.” Cheng Zheng followed her in standing up.

Yun Jin laughed coldly “Even if he’s not in the picture, I would still not consider you.”

Cheng Zheng was provoked “I just don’t get it! How am I not good enough for you?”

“With your temper, there is no …” Yun Jin stopped herself mid-sentence. “Forget it. You don’t have to change because you’re you and I’m me. There’s no need to change for the other.” She headed for the door.

“What’s wrong with my temper? At least I’m not like you who don’t mean what you say.” Cheng Zheng stood his ground and retorted.

Yun Jin sighed “You should return where you came from.” Without waiting for his response, she left.

“Yeah leave!” His voice trailed behind her.

Cheng Zheng flew off that night but Yun Jin did not send him off.

When the hostel lights had long gone out, Yun Jin received a call from Cheng Zheng. Set in a noisy background, his voice was faint. “… If I said I would change, would you admit that you have some feelings for me? Would you?”

Yun Jin clutched the receiver in the dark and ignored his relentless questioning.

“Would you? Would you? …”

The speed at which Yun Jin’s and Shen Ju An’s romance had blossomed and subsequently fizzled out was a shock to everyone. But it was hard for a graduating student to maintain a relations.h.i.+p anyway, they weren’t the only couple to have such an outcome. Since both of them kept their silence on the issue, no one gave it further thought.

Yun Jin’s heart was empty although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She was not exactly heartbroken. When she had first seen him after their break-up, she felt more awkward than sad. On the other hand, Shen Ju An had greeted her cheerily “Yun Jin, it’s been a while since we’ve met. How are you?”

Yun Jin had lowered her gaze and mumbled an excuse to take her leave.

“I thought we could still be friends.” He smiled as he looked at her.

On seeing his sincere and warm smile, Yun Jin had chided herself for being so petty and immediately smiled in return.

Yun Jin’s soph.o.m.ore year in university ended with the graduation of Shen Ju An. During the vacation, she had initially planned to follow Mo Yu Hua’s lead in staying on campus and taking on more odd jobs. However, her mother called and summoned her home. She had wanted to find out more over the phone but her mother avoided her questions and said they would talk more when they met.

So Yun Jin took an almost twenty-hours long train ride back home. She was worried that something bad had happened. The moment she set her luggage down at home, she started to interrogate her mother. But her mother was unusually evasive and an unexpected blush coloured her cheeks.

Yun Jin knew instinctively. When her mother approached the clothing factory to find a job, the boss had interviewed her and discovered her background as an accountant so he sent her to the finance arm of the company. As the days pa.s.sed, she and the boss fell for each other. The boss of the clothing factory was a year younger than her mother and was a divorcee with a daughter. He had recently broached the topic of marriage and this was the sole reason her mother had called her back urgently.

Seeing her mother’s expectant and anxious face, Yun Jin knew she had no right to stand in the way of her mother’s happiness. Her mother was already over forty, such chances would be hard to come by again. She hugged her nervous mother and said “I know daddy would want you to be happy, as do I.”

Her mother’s eyes glistened but this time it was due to joy.

That night, Yun Jin lay in bed alone. A sorrowful feeling of loneliness was gnawing at her. Her mother finding her second happiness meant that she belonged to another family now and Yun Jin would be all alone. She had hoped of building a future with Shen Ju An but unfortunately, she simply did not have the fortune of spending the rest of her life with such an outstanding man.

At her mother’s arrangement, Yun Jin met the guy a few times. He was on the opposite spectrum as her father. Her father looked frail but refine whereas he looked honest but ordinary. In fact, he appeared older than his age. He didn’t seem to have had much of an education but she could tell he was very considerate towards her mother and that was all Yun Jin asked for. Yun Jin went along with her mother’s wishes and greeted him as uncle. He had rubbed his hands and was so happy that his smile reached from ear to ear.