Qi Xi shook her head and said, "No, just take me back to the hotel. I'm not going to your place." Any adult would know exactly what she meant by that.
"You!" Julian Zhu's barely contained emotions started to boil over. He glared at Qi Xi, his breathing heavy. "We've known each other for so long—fine, you never gave yourself to me before, but we're about to get married! Come on, tonight you're coming with me!"
Qi Xi looked at Julian Zhu, silently shook her head, and reached out to open the car door.
Click—the door didn't open. Julian Zhu was quicker and locked it first.
Qi Xi's move seemed to really piss him off. He lost control and shouted, "Why?! Just tell me why! You used to push me to get married, right? You were mad when I postponed the date! Now we're finally about to tie the knot, everything's perfect, so what are you unhappy about? Is it because of Jack Young? Don't tell me you already slept with him?!" Julian Zhu, face twisted and wild, lunged at Qi Xi: "Tonight, I don't care if you're willing or not—you're coming with me, period! You—"
Smack! A crisp slap landed hard on Julian Zhu's face. He was stunned for a moment, staring at Qi Xi—her eyes were red, her breath ragged, clearly furious. The woman who'd been so gentle all night finally snapped, roaring, "You call this 'getting married'?! You seriously have the nerve to say that? Can you look me in the eye and say this is a 'wedding'?!" She was like a lioness, furious as she yelled, "Open the door. Now!"
Julian Zhu was completely stunned by her outburst. He suddenly deflated like a popped balloon and slumped back into the driver's seat. With a click, he unlocked the doors.
But Qi Xi didn't open the door right away. Instead, she asked one last question: "Is there nothing you want to say to me?"
Julian Zhu, annoyed, waved her off and shouted, "Get out!!"
And so, Qi Xi left. Her thin figure disappeared into the crowd, and though she didn't wipe her eyes, no one could tell if she'd really cried.
Asking him—that was giving him a chance.
But unfortunately, he still didn't seize it.
Julian Zhu sat in the car, furious, wanting to punch and kick, wanting to scream. But in the end, he just buried his fingers in his hair, squeezed his eyes shut, and panted heavily. None of it helped him vent his feelings.
"Ju~lian~Zhu~" A creepy voice echoed right in his head. This high-tech communication couldn't be bugged, since it didn't make any sound waves. "Feeling murderous, aren't you?"
Murderous? Julian Zhu's eyes snapped open, blazing red. Yeah, right now, killing someone felt like the only way to let it out.
"Some little rats are scurrying around our turf, so do me a favor and go take care of them! And hey, I'm not making you work for free. You want to beat Jack Young, right? I’m suddenly interested—maybe I’ll help you out."
In mythology, it was a snake that tempted Adam and Eve into original sin...
Meanwhile, in the Bugatti, the vibe was way better than in the Ferrari, but still a little awkward. The two chatted here and there, and then Maggie Monroe suddenly said to Jack Young, "Take me to my aunt’s place, okay? I want to stay there tonight."
"Hm?" Jack Young glanced at her, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let’s go to your aunt’s."
When they reached the apartment complex, Jack Young lugged Maggie Monroe’s bags into the elevator. All those designer brands—Maggie didn’t even look at them. Inside, the place was empty; her aunt was still at rehearsal. With the big show coming up, all-nighters were pretty normal. Jack Young hadn’t agreed to play accompaniment for the concert, so he could stay out of it for now.
"I'm going to take a shower. You tidy up, okay?" For some reason, Maggie Monroe's voice was distant, and she kept her back to Jack Young the whole time.
Jack Young quickly sorted the designer brands and jewelry into neat piles. By the time he finished, Maggie was already out, towel-drying her hair. She'd changed into plain clothes and dialed down her stunning aura—back to her usual self. But she didn't say a word to Jack, just slipped out to the balcony and leaned there, silently letting the night breeze blow.
As far as he could remember, there had never been this kind of vibe between them before.
Jack Young hesitated for a moment, then put down what he was doing and followed her out to the balcony. He stood beside Maggie, leaning on the railing, looking at the same scenery she was. The night wind blew, hair fluttered, city lights sparkled in the distance, but here, it was so quiet it almost felt suffocating.
Jack Young was silent for a while, then finally asked, "Maggie, are you... mad at me?"
At first, Maggie ignored him, but eventually, she couldn't resist his gaze. She glanced over, half-smiling, half-sarcastic: "Big boss, you were so generous tonight—out-daddying the sugar daddies. You gave me so many gifts, I should be thrilled, right? Why would I be mad?"
If Jack Young still couldn't tell she was angry, he'd have to be an idiot.
Maggie rested her chin on her arm and sighed. "The last time you gave me a present was a year ago. I actually liked that one."
"I..." Jack Young's eyes widened, and suddenly, a wave of memories swept him away.
September 2013, Maggie’s birthday. Late at night, a man and a woman strolled side by side under the streetlights outside her apartment.
"You're leaving tomorrow?" The guy was confirming something he already knew, and had double-checked a dozen times before.
"Yeah."
"Today's your birthday." The guy was still stating the obvious, as if he couldn't help it.
"Yeah."
Neither said much, because there were some things you just couldn't put into words. After a few steps, the guy stopped—he didn't want to waste any more of their last moments together. "I've got a present for you." He handed it over: "Bought it online, the packaging’s nothing special, totally loser-level, but hey, goddess, do me a favor and just take it, okay?"
She opened the box and found an hourglass inside. Crystal, blue sand, elegant shape—maybe just a cheap online buy, but definitely not tacky. The careful girl noticed there was something engraved at the bottom: 'Time never to be forgotten.' Suddenly, she smiled, a truly beautiful smile, and looked up at him, her eyes sparkling like stars. "Yeah! I really like this present!"
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Whoosh—Jack Young snapped out of his memories. He glanced at all those designer brands he'd just organized. Compared to that old hourglass, these were worth a hundred times more. But suddenly, Jack got it—and felt a little ashamed. He looked at Maggie, her eyes just as bright and hopeful as before, still patient, still forgiving. Now he understood why she was mad, and exactly where he’d messed up.
If you mess up, just apologize.
"Maggie, I'm sorry."
The gifts were expensive, but the thought was missing. That simple hourglass back then held endless longing and affection. Tonight, all these lavish presents—what did they even mean? While I was throwing money around and showing off, I was looking at Maggie, praising Maggie, but my heart? My motives? Who was I really thinking about? If I’m honest, wasn’t all this just to—provoke Qi Xi?
From the moment I called Maggie for backup, all that showing off—wasn’t it just for that one reason?
"Today, I really messed up." Jack Young looked seriously at Maggie, his eyes full of apology. "I used you as a prop to show off."
No wonder Maggie sighed when I called her—she must've seen right through it. But even so, she still came, still shined like never before. That charm wasn’t for herself; she didn’t care about the glitz. All that elegance was just to help me out. Even if she was annoyed, she didn’t let me lose face in front of everyone.
Maggie, you’re making me feel really guilty right now.
Jack Young didn’t say everything he was thinking, but he looked at Maggie, eyes earnest and apologetic: "I’m sorry."
"Alright, alright, don’t be so guilty!" The city lights twinkled in the distance, and a blush flashed across Maggie’s face. She suddenly turned and waved her hand, her voice back to normal: "Honestly, it happens all the time. Who doesn’t want to show off with a hottie now and then? Sometimes I want to show you off too—it’s just human nature! And I did overreact, made a big deal out of nothing!" She turned back, gave Jack a friendly slap on the shoulder, her eyes sparkling: "But hey, a guy who can apologize to a girl? Not bad, Comrade Jack!"
Jack Young looked at the girl in front of him, then suddenly grabbed the hand she’d slapped his shoulder with. With his other arm, he wrapped her up in a hug around the waist.
"Eh?!" Maggie was caught off guard, her face turning bright red. "You, you, you—what are you trying to do?!"
"I agree, tonight’s gifts didn’t cut it. So let me give you a real one instead."
"A gift?" Maggie blushed even harder and tried to pull away, but with Jack’s arm around her waist, where could she go? "You—you haven’t given enough yet? It’s plenty, it’s all luxury stuff, I do like it!"
"But I don’t like it!" Jack Young laughed. "I want to give you something truly special. Honestly, there aren’t many people in the world who can give this gift."
"Yeah, right! What is it?" Maggie was super embarrassed, but also teasing: "If you say ‘the first kiss of an old virgin,’ I’m not accepting it!"
"As if! Hold tight!" Jack Young flexed his right arm, sprang off his feet, and shot straight up to the rooftop. Maggie’s mouth fell open in shock, but at least she didn’t scream and attract trouble.
"Don’t be scared, don’t freak out, no matter what you see." On the rooftop, Jack Young shifted Maggie securely onto his back, soothing her nerves with his sound techniques. "The gift I want to give you—this extraordinary world."
Whoosh—Jack Young took two steps, heading out of the city, away from the lights, beyond the rooftop, and leapt into the night.