Chapter 13: Is It That Easy to Say No?

Page (1/3)

Xiao Song watched through the rearview mirror as the dog frolicked wildly and the boss nearly burst into tears. That dog... wasn’t it the one from Qiao Xu’s social circle? How did it end up being carried away by Mr. Xu? “Mr. Xu, are you stealing Qiao’s dog?” “Shut up, go home.” Xu Sian was both angry and hurt. Clearly, she left without any explanation, yet she was the one who sneaked back to the apartment to take the dog. And she had been so intimate with another man. After releasing her emotions, Qiao Xu felt the house was empty and bare. She opened the fridge, grabbed a cold beer, and took several big gulps. Meng Zhe’s call came through: “Xiao Xu, how’s it going? Did he give you a hard time?” Qiao Xu sniffled, trying to sound as normal as possible: “No, I gave the dog back to him.” “That’s good. It’s just a dog, nothing to worry about. I’ll buy you an identical one.” Qiao Xu knew Meng Zhe was trying to comfort her, but the consolation didn’t reach her heart. “No need, brother. I don’t want to keep a dog for now.” “Alright, nothing else. I’m hanging up.” Qiao Xu drew the blackout curtains, sat on the carpet with her knees bent, and buried her face in them. “There’s nothing left.” On Monday morning, Qiao Xu had regained the calm demeanor expected of a professional. Xu Sian tried to find an opportunity to explain himself, but she remained strictly businesslike. “Mr. Xu, here is the schedule for today and tomorrow. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” “Wait.” Xu Sian’s headache was unbearable; he was helpless whenever it came to dating her. “Mr. Xu, I still have work.” Qiao Xu’s voice was flat, as if the weekend’s incident involving the dog and the police wasn’t their concern. “Can you please remove me from your WeChat blacklist? For work…” “Mr. Xu, the secretaries and the executive office have a work group chat. Any work-related matters can be addressed there. As for private matters…” “Personally, I don’t see any need for private contact between us.” As Qiao Xu turned to leave, she heard him say, “You’ve had Cherry for four years, can you just give her up like that?” “That dog was your purchase; I’ve been the one stealing her these four years.” As she disappeared from his sight, Xu Sian slammed his fist heavily on the desk.

Page (2/3)

Damn it, her temper is even worse than four years ago. After work, Qiao Xu stood in front of the office building. As Xu Sian’s car emerged from the underground parking, she saw a white Jeep Wrangler parked right in front of her. It was the man who had picked him up yesterday. Qiao Xu opened the front passenger door and got in. The car drove away from Xu Sian’s sight. “What’s the emergency that you had to find me so quickly?” Meng Zhe lazily drove with one hand, “Just figured you’d be upset about losing the dog, so I thought I’d take you out.” Qiao Xu picked up her phone and replied to Ye Yurou and Fang Kexin in the group chat. “No thanks, just drop me home.” She wasn’t in the mood to go out. “By the way, brother, could you help me buy another Wuling mini electric car? Black, please.” Meng Zhe ran a repair shop and was an expert, so buying a car with him meant no getting scammed. “Sure, isn’t your birthday next month? Consider it a gift from me.” Qiao Xu responded with a grunt. Seeing her mood was low, Meng Zhe didn’t press to take her out. After dropping her off at the community entrance, he rolled down the window and said, “I’ll be off then. If you feel like hanging out later, just call me.” Qiao Xu waved, “Got it. Drive safely.” She stood by the roadside, waiting until Meng Zhe’s car disappeared before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Nearby, in the black Maybach’s driver seat, a man’s expression was cold, yet his dark eyes were filled with pain. He was once stingy with giving her a smoke, but now his motions were so practiced. He picked up his phone and dialed He Yanxun: “Check Qiao Xu’s relationship history over the past four years.” He Yanxun cursed softly, “Xu Sian, are you serious? Who said you’d given up? Who said you weren’t involved with her?” “Always prying into my ex’s past, do you think I’m some paparazzi?” He loosened his tie, threw it on the passenger seat, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. “You set the terms, no detail is too small.” Silence on the other end. He Yanxun finally said, “Why bother? Didn’t she just announce it officially on social media?” Xu Sian lit a cigarette. “I told you to check; just do it. Quit wasting words.” Returning home, Xu Sian found the dog slumped by the doorway. He squatted down and stroked its head, “What’s wrong, Cherry? Upset?” “But now there’s no way to give you back to her.” “She must hate us to death.”

Page (3/3)

By Friday, Xu Sian told Qiao Xu, who was reporting the schedule for the next week: “Cancel all next week’s appointments. I’m going to headquarters for a week-long meeting starting tomorrow.” “Understood, Mr. Xu.” “Qiao Xu.” “Yes, Mr. Xu, any other instructions?” Xu Sian clenched his temper; it had been a week, and she spoke to him like this—without any hint of emotion. “I’ll be away for a week. There’s no one to take care of the dog at home. Here’s my address. After work, please go an hour early each day to walk the dog.” “If it’s convenient, you can also bring her to your place.” Qiao Xu took the note with the address: “Yuemao Mansion, Building 4.” “Okay, Mr. Xu.” She felt she should refuse, but not having seen the dog for a week, she couldn’t lie to herself about not wanting to. Without Cherry, she hadn’t slept well for seven days. Even when she fell asleep, nightmares would jolt her awake—visions of their breakup quarrel four years ago. Actually, she had only said one sentence that day, but it had wounded Xu Sian deeply. She said, “Xu Sian, I don’t love you anymore.” Xu Sian’s flight was booked by Qiao Xu. After confirming he had boarded and the plane was airborne, she washed up, changed clothes, and took a taxi to Yuemao Mansion. Taxis couldn’t enter the villa area, but shuttle buses could. Perhaps Xu Sian had arranged this in advance because as soon as she mentioned Building 4, someone drove a shuttle to pick her up. At the gate of Villa 4, the iron gate was closed. Cherry ran freely in the yard. Qiao Xu hesitated at the gate, about to try the old apartment door code, when a housekeeper came out. “Miss Qiao?” “Hello, Auntie. I’m Qiao Xu.” The housekeeper opened the gate with an electronic key. “Hello, Miss Qiao. Mr. Xu said you’d be here this week to keep Cherry company.” Qiao Xu was puzzled by Xu Sian’s arrangements. His home already had a housekeeper to walk the dog; why was she needed? Cherry saw her mother and dashed over, its short legs moving swiftly as it jumped at her feet. Qiao Xu missed the dog too. She bent down and hugged it tightly. “Cherry, did you miss me?” Cherry kept nuzzling her chin. “Did Miss Qiao know Cherry before? When Mr. Xu just brought her back, she was shy and moody, only willing to be with him.”