Chapter 2 Smoke and Promises
Outside, the night was completely dark.
Cool wind brushed my face, bringing me back a little.
Lin Fei leaned against the railing, blowing out a smoke ring, looking listless. “How long are you staying this time?”
Cigarette smell lingered in the air. I shook my head after a pause.
“I’m here for a company project. The main work is in this city. Not sure how long yet.”
Lin Fei put out her cigarette, turned, and hugged me. Warmth seeped through her soft body.
“I feel so bad for you, Su Mian,” she said, voice softening.
“But honestly, you’re too Stubborn. Living alone like this, you’re going to ruin yourself.
“We’re supposed to be good friends. The only way I get to see you is by pretending you still owe me money.”
She sounded genuinely sad.
I gave an awkward smile.
It was because she and Gu Jingyu were close, and Gu Jingyu and Chen Yinian had grown up together.
I didn’t dare see her often.
Sorry.
“I broke things off with Gu,” Lin Fei said slowly. “I’m flying to Hong Kong tomorrow. Next time I ask to meet, don’t say no, okay?”
I hesitated, then nodded.
She was my only friend left.
After we parted, I took a nearby bus.
Fifteen stops to my tiny rental.
I stared tiredly at the neon lights sliding past the window, replaying every detail of seeing him again.
Thinner. Taller, maybe. Still devastatingly handsome.
Behind me, some students gasped about spotting a Rolls-Royce.
I put in my earphones and blocked out the world.
I obsessed over him, sick and twisted.
When I got off, I took the earphones out.
I’d just paid Lin Fei back. Money was tight, and I didn’t plan to stay long.
I’d rented a Coffin Apartment a bit closer to work.
One bed, one toilet—carved out of a stairwell, narrow as a coffin.
Someone once laughed at me: with all the rich friends I had, I still lived like this. I was an idiot.
Lin Fei agreed.
I was Stubborn.
But I refused to cling like a parasite to anyone I cared about.
Friend or lover.
If this project succeeded, I’d reward myself.
I’d go see him—just one secret glance.