Chapter 22

Shi Zhi shook her head. She fished out her phone from the sofa, opened a ride-hailing app, and tried to call a taxi.
Before coming, she hadn't expected it would be hard to get a car. She thought it was an old scenic area full of inns, with lots of tourists and mature services.
But the reality was: there were too few cars nearby, and the estimated wait time kept climbing endlessly.
At the banquet, Fu Xiling also hadn't eaten much. He'd originally wanted a late-night snack.
Eating alone was boring.
Seeing Shi Zhi fiddling with her phone, Fu Xiling leaned over with a smile and glanced at it. "Don't bother. You can't even order delivery out here..."
But when he saw what was on her screen clearly, Fu Xiling's smile disappeared.
Maybe the place was too remote; no drivers were accepting.
Shi Zhi was selecting a more expensive car type when Fu Xiling's hand reached in front of her.
He took her phone, his tone not great. "You're going back to the city?"
"Yes."
Fu Xiling canceled the trip and tossed the phone back to her. "You've got some nerve. In the middle of the night, in some remote mountain wilderness, you dare to take a cab. Come on—I'll drive you back."
Shi Zhi snapped out of her earlier daze and looked up at him. "You don't need to wait for Miss Yaoyao to arrive?"
Fu Xiling laughed—more like a laugh of irritation. "What's the point? If you leave, and I wait for her to come, am I supposed to do a one-man comedy show for her?"
Fu Xiling was decisive. He grabbed the car keys and headed out.
The lighting along the boardwalk steps was bright, but as a new project, the hotel thoughtfully prepared hand-held night lamps for guests.
Fu Xiling carried one and walked in front.
They didn't call the hotel's shuttle. They walked all the way down the mountain.
The road was long; the night was studded with starlight.
In heels, Shi Zhi walked away from Shen Jia's villa step by step without looking back.
She wasn't in high spirits. She also knew Fu Xiling might be angry, so she spoke first. "I didn't hold up my end of the cooperation. If there's a next chance, I'll help you."
Fu Xiling didn't press the matter. "It's not like you didn't help at all. We met so many elders and friends—once they know there's someone by my side, someone will tell Yaoyao."
The banquet hall's bustle continued. When they reached the parking lot at the foot of the mountain, the organizers were directing staff to set off fireworks.
Such dazzling fireworks—Shi Zhi didn't look up. She got straight into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt.
Fu Xiling didn't look either. He went around to the back of the car, grabbed something from the trunk, opened the passenger door, and put three bottles of red wine into Shi Zhi's arms. "That's all there is."
Shi Zhi hugged the bottles in surprise and, for the first time, said "thank you" to Fu Xiling.
There was a corkscrew set in the car. Shi Zhi opened wine skillfully, pulled out the cork, and took two swigs.
She was still wearing that black evening dress. The way she sat in the car, silently drinking with her head down, was intense.
Fu Xiling gave Shi Zhi some quiet time. Only when she opened the second bottle did he tease her. "Drink that much and don't throw up in my car."
Shi Zhi didn't blush when she drank; she even seemed to get paler. "Don't underestimate me."
After a pause, she asked, "Is Tao Jia really still contacting you?"
"Occasionally. She hasn't called. I used her to piss off Shen Jia on purpose."
Fu Xiling said Tao Jia only occasionally sent him a message or a Weibo DM. Usually it was holiday greetings—nothing special.
Then he asked Shi Zhi, "What—did you think of some new revenge idea again?"
Shi Zhi shook the bottle in her hand. "No. I won't do anything else. My thing with Shen Jia ends here. I don't want to spend any more energy on him."
Shi Zhi admitted she hadn't been pure in this relationship. She'd had too many little calculations.
In the past, when Shen Jia bought her boxed meals, she'd pay attention too.
She felt that if someone thought a food was disgusting, they wouldn't buy it for someone else.
She analyzed his behavior, quickly figured out Shen Jia's preferences, and deliberately disguised herself into the kind of image he would like more.
"I thought I was using him, but maybe I wasn't."
It was the first time Fu Xiling had seen Shi Zhi like this.
After getting revenge on her ex-boyfriend, she didn't seem particularly happy—just drinking sullenly.
At the time he didn't realize anything. He still chatted casually with Shi Zhi and asked, "Was he your first love?"
"More or less."
"...What did you like about Shen Jia?"
Shi Zhi answered smoothly. "Good grades, steady, gentle, good family background."
Fu Xiling even smiled. "The kind of guy you're describing—there should be a ton of them at B University."
Shi Zhi didn't answer. She tilted her head back and kept drinking.
She finished two bottles of red wine and stared quietly at the night outside the window. A long time later, she finally said, "There are a lot."
As she said it, the car happened to be changing lanes. Fu Xiling was distracted by the sign at the junction. By the time he really processed what her words meant, he frowned.
Shi Zhi was saying:
At B University there were plenty of people with good grades, steadiness, gentleness, and good family backgrounds—but she chose Shen Jia.
Because she only liked Shen Jia.
It was the first time Fu Xiling realized that Shi Zhi's earlier, pent-up urge to take revenge was also a kind of lingering affection.