Chapter 17 Drifting Apart

Chapter 17: Estrangement

The night wind blew at Mou Wen's clothes and her hair tied up in a stubborn bun. In that moment, she became aware of herself: she was unwilling to accept any contempt from Xie Chong. The wind laid her feelings bare.

She ran all the way to the gate, where the streetlights on Wanliu Middle Road were dim. She decided to run home. When she was a student, she ran laps around the track every morning; this distance was no big deal for her. By the time she reached home, her bad mood would have been blown away by the wind.

She should not be affected by this random shrew of a woman.

Someone ran toward her silently, passed her like the wind, and finally stopped in front of her.

It was Xie Chong.

Would he hit me for yelling at him? Mou Wen touched her canvas bag, which held a small fruit knife. She thought that if he dared to touch her, she'd slice him with it.

Xie Chong stood there, planted, hands on his hips, just looking at her: "Mou Wen, aren't you the one who's so good at demanding money without blinking? Weren't you just killing it a minute ago?"

Mou Wen was caught off guard: "What are you talking about?"

"Since you can ask for money with a clear conscience, why were you so groveling to that client yesterday?" Xie Chong's voice went up before he could stop it: "Can't you see how sleazy his look at you was?"

"What are you talking about?" Mou Wen asked again, her voice shaking a little. In her heart, she was purposely pushing aside the unease Mr. Liao gave her. She was focused solely on signing him, telling herself to keep her eyes on the goal, and she could just pretend she didn't see it.

Xie Chong stepped closer and his voice got louder: "I'm asking you! Can't you see how sleazy his look at you was? Can't you?"

His voice ripped through the night air. Mou Wen even felt the leaves on the roadside were shaking and falling apart with every word he said.

"Speak up! You can't see it, is that it?" Xie Chong kept pressing her.

Mou Wen took a step back, putting more distance between them. Xie Chong's questions were cutting; she felt like he was yanking her ear, forcing her to listen and respond.

"Yes! I saw it! So what? What's it to you?" Mou Wen shouted: "What does that have to do with you? Who the hell are you to control me? Just because some guy gives me a sleazy look, you think you can treat me like that?"

"So how are you any different from him!" Mou Wen shouted, her eyes burning red: "You're both just clients to me! The two of you are the same—neither one of you respects me! Who are you to talk about him? Bottom line, if I do his renovation, I make more money! He's a better deal than you!"

Mou Wen thought: He could look at me like that, and I could let it slide; but you threw your wallet into the tree, and that hurt me. You stomped all over my pride.

Then, all of a sudden, they both went quiet.

Xie Chong's chest was rising and falling hard. He stared at the ground for a long while. The street was dead quiet—no cars, no people, just the two of them.

"Make your money standing up, Mou Wen," Xie Chong suddenly said softly. "Make your money standing up."

"Otherwise, you'll regret it one day."

Xie Chong met Mou Wen's astonished gaze, and a flicker of tenderness showed in his eyes.

She had just graduated. So many people in this world were like predators; they'd use every trick to swallow her whole. She wanted money, so they baited her with it. They made her bow her head and accept it willingly.

Xie Chong stood under the tall potted plant and saw that man's eyes roaming over Mou Wen's body a few times. He was like a seasoned hunter, and Mou Wen seemed totally clueless. No, she knew. She was too smart not to. She just acted like she didn't.

Xie Chong had seen enough of the world to know he wasn't wrong. That man was a wolf in sheep's clothing—worse than a real wolf. When you see a wolf, you run the other way before it can get near you; when you see a wolf in sheep's clothing, you think the little lamb is cute, you let your guard down, you walk right up to it, until it's right in front of you, and then it lunges, rips into you, and eats you alive. That guy was exactly like that.

Xie Chong figured it wasn't his business, no matter what. He hadn't wanted to say anything or get involved; he wanted to stay out of it. But he couldn't do it. He'd been thinking all day about that look—the one loaded with hidden meaning. It was a trap meant to snare Mou Wen.

He didn't want Mou Wen to be so fawning and eager to please. She was more than capable of winning clients on her skills and character alone. She didn't have to stoop to that.

A taxi came from down the road, and Xie Chong stuck his arm out to flag it down for her. Mou Wen was still in a daze, and he said again: "Make your money standing up."

He took Mou Wen's arm through her sleeve and walked her to the curb. The car stopped, he opened the back door for her, then took out a thick wad of cash from his pants pocket, pulled out a hundred, handed it to the driver, and said: "Xiaonanzhuang. Give her the change."

Mou Wen stared at that fat wad of cash and remembered the wallet dangling from the tree. In that moment, she got why it hadn't fallen: because there was no money inside.

Xie Chong said: "The wallet was empty. I didn't want it, so I tossed it. Sorry, the joke got out of hand."

He gave the taxi a pat and said to her: "Go. Text me when you're home. If you still want to talk to me, that is."

Xie Chong stepped back, and the taxi drove off. He made a mental note of the license plate.

Mou Wen's head was completely empty and spinning. What Xie Chong had said kept replaying in her head. She thought back to what Xiao Gu had told her—Xiao Gu must have picked up on something off about Mr. Liao too. Everyone had noticed. And she knew it too.

But she wanted the money so bad. She figured as long as she was careful, she'd be fine. She'd underestimated how complicated, nasty, and ruthless the adult world could be.

When she got home, she didn't text him.

Mou Wen didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

Xie Chong walked past the tree and glanced up—the wallet was still up there. He jumped, grabbed a branch, and shook it until the wallet dropped. He pulled out the photo, ripped it up, and tossed the wallet in the trash.

Back home, he started feeling sick to his stomach. He figured he must've had some bad booze, or maybe because he'd played a shitty joke on Mou Wen, the universe was paying him back. That night he threw up and had the runs more than once. By the next day, he looked rough. But he still headed to Jingdezhen.

There was still a ton of work waiting for him in Jingdezhen; he had to get back ASAP.

Mou Wen slept in until she woke up on her own. After getting up, she sat on the bed, put her laptop on her lap, and quietly worked on her drawings. Meanwhile, Chu Ling was reading on her bed. They'd chat every now and then.

According to Mr. Liao, his wife wanted an American country-style remodel. She figured she had to get it done over the weekend, no excuses, and hopefully set up a meeting with Mr. Liao on Monday.

She didn't leave the house all weekend, hunched over her design, looking a mess. Sunday night, she texted Mr. Liao to set up a meeting. Mr. Liao said, sure, how about lunch? We can talk over food?

Mou Wen thought it over and figured, in broad daylight, what could go wrong? She agreed.

Monday morning, an unexpected visitor showed up at the office.

The woman said she was Mr. Liao's wife, said Mr. Liao had to leave for a sudden business trip, so she'd come to look at the renovation plan.

Mou Wen grabbed her laptop and headed to the meeting room, feeling good. The second she pushed the door open, she saw an elegant woman in her fifties staring at her with a knowing look, like: So you're the one?

Mou Wen hadn't expected Mrs. Liao to be that much older than Mr. Liao. Caught off guard, she quickly set down her laptop, stepped forward, and held out her hand: "Hello, Mrs. Liao, I'm Mou Wen."

Mrs. Liao gave her a limp handshake, her eyes locked on Mou Wen's face.

"I finished the first draft over the weekend. Let me walk you through it, Mrs. Liao."

While Mou Wen was fiddling with the projector, Mrs. Liao suddenly said: "Call me Miss Liao. Because that Mr. Liao you keep talking about—his real last name is Gao."

Mou Wen froze, trying to figure out how to respond. She hadn't expected Mr. Liao's last name to be fake.

Miss Liao added: "Don't worry about it. Between the two of us, he's the one with the money." Then she gave Mou Wen a wink.

"Since you're here, let me give you a proper rundown of the plan. I—"

"It's fine, you're young. The plan'll get approved no matter what. I just wanted to see you for myself... You two were supposed to have lunch today to go over the plan, right? Go on." Miss Liao stood up and walked out. Mou Wen scrambled to follow and walk her out, all the way to the elevator, and pressed the button for her.

Miss Liao said: "Enjoy your meal. Have a few more. I really don't mind."

Mou Wen had no idea what she meant and saw her off, totally confused. She wasn't sure if she should still go to lunch, but then that Mr. Liao—er, Mr. Gao—called her: "My wife came to see you, right? That doesn't change our lunch plans."

Mou Wen was young and green, and she really couldn't figure out what was going on. Just then, Xiao Gu came back from measuring a place, and she told him about Miss Liao.

She said she was gorgeous and classy, but she looked older than Mr. Liao. The way she looked at me was weird, like she thought I was sleeping with Mr. Liao...

Xiao Gu listened and whispered to Mou Wen, "That's not rare. A rich wife and a kept man—we see that a lot with our clients."

"I don't get it," Mou Wen said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Xiao Gu broke it down for her: "Odds are Miss Liao's loaded, and Mr. Gao's a kept man. He's always messing around with other women, and Miss Liao came to see who he's after this time."

"If I were Miss Liao, I'd be angry—using my money to screw around outside..."

"You don't get it, Engineer Mou. Mr. Gao will pay Miss Liao back double... How do I put this? Maybe Mr. Gao acts like a wolf with young women, but turns around and acts like a dog for Miss Liao. The more he plays the wolf, the harder he plays the dog for her. It's..."

"It's about control, right?" Mou Wen asked cautiously.

"Yes," Xiao Gu said seriously. "You can go to lunch on your own and see what happens. It's a public place anyway. Don't worry, I'll be right outside watching."

Mou Wen adored Xiao Gu.

She was such a kind, gentle soul.

She went to the meeting with Mr. Gao.

The second they met, the "refined and elegant" Mr. Gao stood up to pull out her chair, then his hand "casually" landed on her shoulder, guiding her into the seat.

"Call me Mr. Gao if you want—it's just a name." He raised his hand to order, not the least bit embarrassed about the morning's incident. When Mou Wen said she wanted to show him the design, he cut her off: "Whatever you did is fine."

Then he changed the subject.

He talked about that day at the venue, how Mou Wen walked toward him in a white dress, and his heart just soared. He thought: no matter what, Mou Wen had to design his home.

Mou Wen listened in silence.

Then she remembered what Xie Chong had asked her: "He's eyeing you like a creep—can't you see that?"

She suddenly looked up and met Mr. Gao's gaze as he sized her up. It was the look of a predator eyeing its prey—invasive, predatory.

Mou Wen didn't say anything and lowered her head again.

Then Mr. Gao said, "I really like you. If you want, I can buy you a small place and give you a monthly allowance. Of course, if you want to keep working, that's fine too."

"I know you don't hate me."

"I also know you're smart and know what you want. Otherwise, you wouldn't have singled me out at that party."

Mou Wen's head was spinning.

This all came out of nowhere. In her mind, contempt or filth between people should always wear a mask, should be more subtle. She never expected it to be so blunt.

She'd treated him as a potential client, but he thought she was offering an olive branch. He actually thought she was coming on to him.

She took a deep breath and asked, "What about Miss Liao? What would she think?"

"She likes you too. She doesn't mind."

The moment he finished that sentence, Mou Wen threw a punch.

Her fist had never hit anyone before, but it landed squarely on Mr. Gao's nose. Seeing him clutching his nose, she walked up to him, grabbed his collar with the strength she once used to catch lambs, and cursed in Mongolian: "Noyin gulug!" (You son of a bitch!)

Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at the bastard!

It was Mou Wen's first time throwing a punch. She turned and walked out of the restaurant. Xiao Gu came up to her and asked, "What happened? What did he say?"

"He wanted to keep me as his mistress."

"I knew it!" Xiao Gu was furious. "I knew it! It's always like this! They always think money can buy everything."

Mou Wen loved money dearly, but she didn't regret it. Back at the office, she went to Lin Weisen and told him about the bastard Gao. She said, "I've finished the design, but I don't want to keep this client. Master, I'm handing this client to you. Whether you can close the deal is up to you."

"If I close it, I'll give you a bonus," Lin Weisen said.

"No need, Master. I don't want a cent."

Mou Wen had loved money since she was a child—she loved it too much. She admitted she was a little Pixiu as a child and a big Pixiu as an adult. She had poured so much effort into that standalone villa, but so what?

In this city of Beijing, she learned her most profound lesson—refusal. She learned to say no.

Mou Wen's heart felt light. That day in the villa, the discomfort that bastard had brought her was gone. She no longer cared about his money, nor did she respect him anymore. Some people weren't worthy of respect.

Lin Weisen comforted her: "How do I put this? This kind of thing is common. In the world of the rich, everyone has their own 'excitement.' Once you've seen more, you won't react like this."

"I know, Master," Mou Wen said. "We'll see."

For her, this incident shook her considerably. Mr. Gao naturally wouldn't let her off easily—the bastard had his ways of being shameless. But Mou Wen wasn't afraid of him either. She threatened him: "Why do you think I dared to hit you?"

Mr. Gao said nothing.

"Do you think I'd dare hit you if I didn't have backing?"

"Just you wait."

Mou Wen fabricated a powerful background for herself. As she said this, her gaze was fierce. The usually pretentious bastard Gao showed a look of guilt and fear, and Mou Wen pointed at the tip of his nose, then turned and walked away.

She didn't tell Xie Chong about what happened either.

She didn't want to talk to Xie Chong. In her heart, her acquaintance with Xie Chong had come to an end. They weren't on the same path. Xie Chong was just a kind man who had moved her when she first arrived in Beijing.

She still treated Xiao Gu to dry-fried duck heads.

Xiao Gu said while eating, "I can't have these while breastfeeding—afraid the baby will get heaty. I also want spicy hotpot, ice cream... Engineer Mou, let's eat whenever we have time? I can treat you too."

"I'll treat you," Mou Wen said. "I'm all alone—one person full means the whole family's full!"

Xiao Gu laughed. "Some people say you're stingy, but I say Engineer Mou isn't. Engineer Mou is really good to me."

"They're not worth it," Mou Wen said. "We don't earn money easily. Every cent should be spent where it counts—on those who are good to us, those we care about. For everyone else, I'm stingy. I don't care what they say."

Mou Wen felt that no matter how big Beijing was, it was still like the grassland. On their grassland, any sound would be swallowed by the wind. In Beijing, any rumor would be drowned out by the crowd. It was the same.

At the end of September, Mou Wen received a call from Xie Chong.

The moment the call connected, she said directly, "Mr. Xie, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I've dropped that client," Mou Wen said. "You were right—I need to earn money standing up."

Xie Chong was silent for a moment, then said, "Mou Wen, congratulations. I also have good news for you."

"What?"

"Earlier in Jingdezhen, someone hijacked my goods. Now their goods are stuck there, while mine have shipped overseas today."

"My goodness, how did you manage that?" Mou Wen was thrilled for Xie Chong, because she knew how capable he was.

"It's a long story, but just a small trick. I'll tell you in person later." Xie Chong said, with zero modesty, and Mou Wen could sense his tail practically wagging through the phone.

"Actually, I knew about the client situation from your Engineer Lin. I mainly called today to congratulate you—you nailed it."

He's congratulating me. Mou Wen's nose stung a little, and she felt a secret little swell of pride: He's happy for me.

Xie Chong said, "I still have things to do. Don't forget to open your gift when you get home."

"What gift? Why would I have a gift?"

"Don't overthink it. I saw it, thought it suited you, and grabbed it."

"Thank you, Mr. Xie."

Mou Wen practically sprinted home without a pause. On her doorstep, she found an exquisitely wrapped package. A beautifully painted wooden box with a shepherd boy tending cattle, with an elegant lock and key already inserted.

Mou Wen carefully carried the wooden box inside, set it on the table between her bed and Chu Ling's, and opened it.

Inside were a bunch of small wooden boxes in different sizes, each painted with different grassland scenes: sunset over the meadows, wind bending the grass to reveal cattle and sheep, birch forests and grasslands on both sides of a river...

A name card was stuck to the box, reading "Dear Ms. Mou Wen, Congratulations on Your New Home."

She opened them one by one, finding a Pixiu money box, a small bowl with a grape trellis and a fan, a teacup with little fish swimming around... These dozen or so items were all things Mou Wen used to scoff at as "all show, no substance."

His "congratulations on your new home" wasn't about her actually moving, but to congratulate her on learning to let go. She'd learned to let go, and in doing so, gained more. Her heart had finally found a place to call home.

Mou Wen couldn't quite define Xie Chong.

Sometimes he's a pain, sometimes adorable, sometimes a total kid, and sometimes just so gentle. He's a thousand different people, yet somehow always solid.

She thought of him as someone she really liked, and although there was no possibility between them, thinking of how kind he was to her made her cry little golden tears again. They were happy little golden tears—tears of self-affirmation for having good taste, for not being blind enough to fall for a loser.

Chu Ling came in and saw Mou Wen's eyes still red, as if she had just cried, and asked, "What's wrong, Wenwen?"

Mou Wen sniffled and joked, "Chu Ling, do you know anyone who likes buying these things? I think these could sell for a good price."

Chu Ling stepped forward to look. These exquisite items were all handmade and nearly impossible to find in Beijing: "I don't know what to say. Whoever sent these must be a romanticist, right? It's rare to meet such people in our lives."

Mou Wen spread her arms and wrapped them around the gifts, as if embracing the romantic, childlike Xie Chong.

"Is it the person you were waiting for on the phone earlier?" Chu Ling asked.

This time Mou Wen didn't avoid it. She nodded: "It's him."

She put the gifts away because Chu Ling said they were too precious, and it would be heartbreaking if they broke. They agreed that once they bought their own houses, they would use these items to enrich their daily lives.

Xie Chong asked her, "Did you receive it?"

She asked, "When are you coming back? I still owe you two meals."

"How about now?" Xie Chong said. "Come out. Meet me in the back alley."

Mou Wen squealed, jumped off the bed, and rushed out the door.