Chapter Twenty-Five: I Hate You

Page (1/3)

The famous star fell for me without warning. In truth, Hua Jingjing hadn’t run very far—perhaps she simply had no time left. About fifty meters from where I stood, she found a small mound and immediately hid behind it.

In the stillness of the night, even separated by fifty meters, the sounds of her release reached my ears with perfect clarity. I suppressed my laughter, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and smoked as I waited. I thought to myself: after tonight, this woman will never be able to hold her head high in front of me again. And equally, she will hate me to her very core. The war between us has only just begun! Alas, with her poisonous nature, trouble will surely follow me henceforth. Though I have the upper hand now, who’s to say I won’t one day end up as humiliated as she is tonight? What a headache! Clearly, from now on I’ll need to be twice as cautious—the kind of days that are hard to endure. It would be best if she fired me tomorrow, sparing me from living in constant fear and torment.

Then another thought occurred: “Why should I wait for her to fire me? Why not quit on my own accord—cleanly rid myself of this woman forever? Afterwards, the world would be wide open, free as fish in the sea or birds in the sky, and no one would ever boss me around again.”

But I quickly dismissed the idea, thinking: This is classic cowardice, a mind fleeing from the threat of reprisal. I, Tang Qian, am no coward; that’s the one thing I’ll never be. If she wants to make trouble for me, let her try. It’s true that a real man shouldn’t quarrel with a woman, but I, Tang Qian, am a man—how could I tolerate being bullied by a woman?

As I was lost in these thoughts, Hua Jingjing’s phone, left on her seat, suddenly burst into song—a call was coming in. I didn’t intend to interfere, thinking it would stop on its own. But the phone kept ringing, endlessly. So I changed my mind, picked up her phone, and saw the caller ID displayed the word: Home.

It seemed to be a call from Hua Jingjing’s family. I called out loudly toward the mound, “Hey! You have a phone call!”

After waiting a while, there was no response from the mound.

I called again, “It’s from your family!”

This time, there was finally a reaction; Hua Jingjing’s weak voice floated over, “Don’t answer.”

“But it keeps ringing! It’s been going for ages.”

“Just turn it off! And don’t talk to me—are you afraid someone won’t know I’m… here?”

I chuckled to myself, looking around: desolate countryside, pitch black, not another soul in sight. Shaking my head, I powered off her persistently ringing phone.

No sooner had I closed Hua Jingjing’s phone than my own began to ring in my pocket. I tossed away my cigarette butt and pulled out my phone—Qiu Jieqin was calling.

“Hello, what’s up?”

Qiu Jieqin’s voice came through, plaintive and accusing: “You promised me you’d call today, I waited all day and you never did. Why?”

Only then did I remember: last night I’d promised to call her today. I hurriedly apologized, “Ah! I’m so sorry, I got busy today and forgot all about it. Really, I’m sorry!”

“Tang Qian, tell me honestly—did you do it on purpose? Am I really that annoying to you?”

“No, really, I just had a business meeting with my boss and got caught up, so I forgot. I swear, it wasn’t intentional.”

Page (2/3)

“So busy you didn’t even have a minute to call? I know you don’t care about me at all, you never even realize there’s a woman who needs your attention. I… I’m so unlucky…” Her voice broke, and she started to sob.

I was left speechless. After a long pause, I said, “Don’t cry. It’s my fault. I promise you—I’ll never forget again, okay?”

“I don’t believe you. You promised me the same thing yesterday.”

“Well… yesterday was special, but this time it’s real. If I ever forget again… you can fine me, really hard, how about that?”

“Pfft! Who wants your fines? Are you rich?”

“That’s exactly it—I’m not rich, so a fine is a serious punishment for me. Isn’t that sincere enough?”

Just then, Hua Jingjing called out from behind the mound, “Tang Qian!”

I moved my phone away and responded, “Yes?”

After a moment, Hua Jingjing spoke again, “See if there are tissues in my bag—I didn’t bring any.”

I remembered how she’d rushed out so hastily, probably bringing nothing at all. In this cold winter countryside, with not even a blade of grass, what could she use to… wipe with?

I smiled, “Alright, I’ll look. Wait a moment.” Then I put the phone back to my lips and said, “I have something to deal with here, let’s talk later.”

Suspiciously, Qiu Jieqin asked, “Who were you talking to just now? A man or a woman?”

I replied, “Don’t overthink it. It’s my boss. We ran into some trouble on the road and she needed me. I’ve got to go—bye!”

I put away my phone and opened Hua Jingjing’s handbag in the car. After searching for a while, I finally found most of a pack of tissues. I got out and walked toward the mound. The night wind was biting cold, and I suddenly had an indecent thought: with this wind and chill, she’s been squatting there for ages—hopefully she doesn’t freeze her behind.

A wicked smile crept across my face. Sometimes I wonder at myself: I’m usually a decent guy, but whenever I’m in a contest with Hua Jingjing, all sorts of shameless thoughts bubble up, unstoppable.

As I drew near the mound, Hua Jingjing cried out, “Don’t come any closer! Stay right there, don’t move!”

I stopped, grinning. “If I can’t come over, how will I give you the tissues?”

Hua Jingjing said, “Just don’t come any closer! You… you can throw them over!”

Page (3/3)

Judging the distance, I figured there were still seven or eight meters between me and the back of the mound. How could I toss such a light pack of tissues that far? So I stepped forward a few more paces, standing right in front of the mound. Hearing my footsteps, Hua Jingjing shrieked, “Tang Qian! If you dare come over, I’ll… I’ll die right here!”

I burst out laughing. “It smells so bad over there, who’d want to come close? Watch, I’m throwing the tissues now.” With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the pack behind the mound.

But the tissues were far too light, and the wind was much too strong. No sooner had I thrown them than I saw the pack blown away from the mound, rolling far off to the side.

Behind the mound, Hua Jingjing was furious and anxious. “Damn you, Tang Qian! You did that on purpose!” I kept laughing. “The wind’s too strong, what can I do? Why don’t you go fetch them yourself?”

Hua Jingjing was so angry she couldn’t speak for a while, then shouted, “How can I go fetch them like this? Are you trying to force me to beg you?”

I saw the pack being blown farther and farther away, disappearing into the night. I hurried after it, searching in the direction the wind had carried it, and after about twenty meters, I finally found it. With the tissues in hand, I strode wickedly toward Hua Jingjing.

Truth be told, I had no indecent intentions—just wanted to witness Hua Jingjing’s panic at my approach. The thought of making her so flustered filled me with a tidal surge of pleasure, and I forgot that my actions were bordering on obscene.

As expected, seeing me swaggering toward her, Hua Jingjing nearly fainted in terror, mortified and enraged. In desperation, she quickly stripped off her jacket and held it in front of herself.

I deliberately teased her, smiling, “The smell here is so peculiar!” I reached her, handed her the tissues, and added, “Hold tight, don’t let the wind blow them away again.”

Hua Jingjing snatched the tissues with a trembling hand. “Get away from me!” she said, her voice quavering, tears streaming down her cheeks once more.

I laughed heartily and turned to leave. Yet, a pang of conscience struck me; though this woman hardly deserved sympathy, perhaps I’d gone too far in tormenting her.

Back in the car, I lit another cigarette.

I felt that Hua Jingjing had been taught enough of a lesson. If I pushed her any further, she might very well go mad. Mercy where mercy is due—after all, it’s not a deep-seated hatred. As long as she doesn’t provoke me, there’s no need for me to actively goad her.

After a while, Hua Jingjing returned, stumbling and out of breath. She collapsed into the driver’s seat, motionless. Her face was pale, her breath weak, and tear marks still stained her cheeks.

I asked kindly, “How are you feeling now? Any better?”

Had I not asked, it would have been fine. But at my question, Hua Jingjing’s tears started flowing again. She ground out through clenched teeth, “Tang Qian! I hate you! I hate you to death! I’ll hate you for a lifetime!”