Chapter 9 — After the Storm, the Sky Is Blue for Thousands of Miles

I walked in front of Hua An and looked down at her from above.

“Hua An,” I squatted down, looked straight into her empty eyes, and said softly:

“You always say, I'm just someone who picks up what you left behind.

But have you ever thought about it - from the beginning, you had nothing. Your so-called 'possession' is just a dream of your own delusion."

“Chu Du An's love, the care of his friends, the goodwill of everyone...

You take all those things for granted, spend them lavishly, and even want to take them for your own. But the truth is – those things never belonged to you.”

“You're jealous of me, so you want to destroy me.

You want to prove you're better than me. He wants to prove that only he is worthy of the best things. But what about the results? You destroyed yourself with your own hands.” Hua An's body trembled violently, her eyes looking at me finally revealed a trace of fear. I stood up and didn't look at her anymore.

“From today,” I turned to everyone in the room and stated clearly,

“I, On Chich, have no more friends named Hua An.

Where there is me, there will be no her. Wherever she is, please don't call me." Having finished speaking, I picked up my bag, turned and left the room. Behind was dead silence, and desperate sobbing that Hua An could not suppress. Stepping out of Lan Dinh club, the night wind blew across my face - cold, but very pleasant. I took a deep breath, feeling like the rock that had been pressing on my chest for a month had finally been lifted. A black car, quietly parked on the side of the road. It's Chu Du An's car. The car window rolled down, revealing his tired and uneasy face. Seeing me, he immediately pushed the car door open and quickly walked over.

“Chich Chich…”

He wanted to say something, but when he saw my calm expression, the words got stuck in his throat. We stood there, silently looking at each other for a long time.

“Get in the car, I'll take you home.”

In the end, he was the one to break the silence first. I don't refuse. The car was very quiet, only the sound of the wind from the air conditioner. He drove very slowly, very steadily. Almost home, I finally opened my mouth:

“That divorce agreement, I haven't signed it yet.”

Chu Du An's hand holding the steering wheel suddenly tightened, the car shook slightly. He didn't say anything, just held his breath, waiting for me to continue.

“It's okay not to divorce,” I said, “but I have conditions.”

His eyes lit up immediately, like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline. He stopped the car quickly, turned around, and looked at me urgently.

"You say it! I agree to any condition!"

I looked straight into his eyes, word by word:

“First – from today, all your social accounts, phone, WeChat, social networks, must be permanently public to me.

I can check at any time, don't hide anything.”

“Okay!” – I did not hesitate at all.

“Second – from now on, anything related to the opposite sex, no matter how big or small, you must report immediately.

Let me decide whether you should participate or not, and how to handle it.”

“Okay!”

“Third,” I paused for a moment, looked into his eyes, and said the most important thing:

“From now on, within one year, you must pursue me again from the beginning.”

Chu Du An was stunned.

“In this one year, they We are husband and wife in the period of 'retreatful separation'.

Still living in the same house, but sleeping in separate rooms. You can be good to me, take care of me, give me gifts - but all of that, you have to be someone who is pursuing me."

“After one year, if I'm satisfied, that divorce agreement – I will tear it up right in front of you.

If we can regain the initial trust and feelings, we will start all over again.”

“And what if… you're not satisfied?” – His voice trembled slightly.

I'm calm:

“Then we will go together to the civil affairs department and make that agreement come true.

At that time, the breakup was peaceful, no one blamed anyone else. The car fell silent again. I don't give you a definite answer, but an opportunity to start over. This opportunity is full of challenges and unknowns – you need 100% sincerity and patience, to heal the rift you have created. To him, that's not fair. But in this life, are there many things that are fair? You made a mistake, you have to pay the price. A moment later, Chu Du An finally spoke, his voice hoarse but extremely determined:

“Okay.

I agree.”

"On Chich, thank you... thank you for still giving me a chance."

He looked at me, his eyes red.

“Don't thank me.” – I turned to look out the window, watching the street lights recede behind me.

“Chu Du An, this is your last chance.

I hope you... don't ruin it anymore.”

11

"Pursuit" Zhou Yu'an, officially took office.

He moved back home, but completely complied with my rule – sleeping on the sofa bed in the office. The next morning, while I was still sleeping, I smelled the delicious smell of food. I walked out of the bedroom and saw Chu Du An wearing an apron and busy in the kitchen. On the dining table were already laid out millet porridge, shrimp dumplings and fried eggs - all my favorite dishes. Seeing me, he seemed a bit nervous and wiped his hands hastily:

“Are you awake? Eat quickly, it's still hot."

I didn't say anything, just sat down to eat quietly. The taste is very delicious, a familiar taste from the past. After eating, he took part in washing the dishes, then mopping the shiny floor, even the windows were spotlessly clean. I sat on the sofa, looking at his busy back, with hundreds of thoughts in my mind. In the past, we often did these things together. Lazy weekends lie in bed, then go to the kitchen together - one cooks porridge, the other fries eggs - laughing and chatting. Now, he is the only one left to perform a monologue. In the evening, he cooked a table full of my favorite dishes. While eating, he continuously picked up food for me, but I couldn't eat many bites, just attentively watching me eat.

"I'm going to see Hua An this afternoon." – He suddenly said.

My hand stopped and I raised my head to look at him.

“I talked to her boss.

She took advantage of her position to reveal company secrets, deceive partners, causing serious influence. She was fired. In addition, he asked a lawyer to file a lawsuit, accusing her of slander and invasion of privacy." I was a bit surprised. I didn't expect him to act so decisively.

“I think that poisonous grass must be rooted out so it doesn't leave any negative consequences.”

He looked at me, his eyes had never been so serious:

“I don't want her to have any more chances to hurt you, or ruin our lives.”

I didn't say anything, just bowed my head and continued eating.