Unmatched Chapter 38
byAnyone with a modicum of emotional intelligence wouldn’t bring up an ex in front of someone’s current partner.
Li Yin managed to stand out from Xie Jianhe’s large roster of lovers and become the legitimate Mrs. Xie, so naturally, she wasn’t lacking in emotional intelligence.
She was saying this deliberately for Zhao Shuyi to hear.
Zhao Shuyi knew this, but since she had already started talking, leaving immediately would make him seem too concerned.
He smiled gracefully. “I don’t know. When did this happen?”
Li Yin said, “Little Qi doesn’t talk about it, so we don’t know which year it started either.”
Her heels were high, but she was still a head shorter than Zhao Shuyi when they stood together. She tilted her chin slightly while speaking, sighing, “It seems like seven or eight years ago? One night, his father and I came home after a social engagement. As soon as we entered, we found the servants were all gone, and the house was empty. Little Qi was sitting alone on the stairs drinking heavily, with broken bottles scattered on the floor. His father asked what was wrong, but he wouldn’t answer. Later, we learned from the Old Butler that he had been heartbroken—the person he had a crush on didn’t like him.”
“…”
“Compared to his later extreme behaviors, drinking heavily was still normal. For a while, he went out every day to act crazy, and when he came back at night, he would cry.”
“He cries?” Zhao Shuyi interjected.
“Yes, and when he cries, it’s terrifying,” Li Yin said. “When others cry, they look pitiful, but him? He looks ferocious, cursing anyone he sees. Then, fueled by alcohol, he would climb onto the railing of the terrace, acting as if life wasn’t worth living, threatening to jump. It scared us badly.”
Zhao Shuyi: “…”
“This is no joke.” Although Li Yin intended to sow discord, these incidents were clearly not fabricated on the spot, otherwise they wouldn’t be so vivid and specific. “Seeing him try to kill himself over a girl, his father was both heartbroken and furious, criticizing him for being spineless and unmanly, saying it would embarrass the Zhao Family if word got out. You know Little Qi’s temper; being sad didn’t stop him from talking back. If his father dared to curse once, he’d retort ten times. Alas… those two argued every day, and Xie Yuran couldn’t stop them.”
She glanced at Zhao Shuyi like an actor observing the audience’s reaction, seemingly hoping he would be overcome with jealousy and force a smile.
Who didn’t know that his relationship with Xie Qi was currently hot and heavy? Xie Qi posted an average of one display of affection on his Moments every day; it was hard for others to miss.
But Zhao Shuyi’s expression didn’t change. He remained as cold and calm as ever, as if Xie Qi’s youthful past had nothing to do with him. “What happened later? Why did he stop liking that person?”
“Who said he stopped liking them? Before the engagement this year, he even threw a huge fit, refusing to be with anyone else…”
Halfway through her sentence, Li Yin “belatedly” realized she had misspoken and awkwardly glanced at Zhao Shuyi. “Ah, he definitely likes you the most now. As for that person… they’re in the past, right? People always look forward.”
The performance should have ended here, but despite her strenuous effort, Zhao Shuyi remained indifferent. He even continued the conversation along her lines. “I remember now.”
“What?”
“Xie Yuran mentioned this too.”
“…”
“She said Xie Qi used to constantly chase after someone, but I thought it was a joke at the time and didn’t take it seriously.” Zhao Shuyi suddenly realized. “So it was true.”
And what Xie Qi himself had said a few days ago, the person he “most wanted to invite” to his birthday.
It turned out they were all the same person.
“I’m sorry, Shuyi, I probably shouldn’t have brought this up,” Li Yin said falsely. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to say that Little Qi is a good kid. Once he likes someone, he gives his whole heart and is very good to his partner.”
She claimed she shouldn’t have mentioned it, yet she added fuel to the fire. “Oh, did you know this too? When Little Qi applied for university, he originally had a top choice, but he changed schools to pursue that person. What a pity, though; chasing them didn’t lead to anything.”
“…”
“What do you call that? Not enough fate, I suppose. It just shows that you are his true destiny.”
It was difficult for her to awkwardly smooth things over.
“I see.”
Zhao Shuyi finally understood why Xie Qi hadn’t applied to the same university as him back then, even though his school was better.
Xie Qi had even blamed him for that “get lost” comment, saying he was sensible and left when told to—it turned out he was pursuing true love. He hid it deeply.
Li Yin feigned curiosity. “Who exactly is that person? An immortal? So hard to catch. It’s truly strange.”
“Who knows?” Zhao Shuyi still looked detached. “Feelings aren’t rational. Maybe they just clicked.”
“That’s true.”
Li Yin adjusted her hair, raising a hand to shield the scorching sun. “Oh, I have a big mouth, I accidentally talked too much… The sun is really hot here.”
Zhao Shuyi chuckled.
Li Yin wanted to leave. “I need to go back inside. I didn’t put on sunscreen.”
She smiled at Zhao Shuyi and waved goodbye.
As the back of her sea-blue dress gradually faded until it disappeared, Zhao Shuyi’s expression slowly turned cold.
He gripped his phone, silent for a few minutes, then left the garden and returned to his room.
Around three in the afternoon, Xie Qi knocked on his door.
Zhao Shuyi was smoking by the window. He didn’t react to the knock, knowing it was Xie Qi and that he would find a way to enter himself.
Sure enough, Xie Qi had a room key. He knocked symbolically twice before entering uninvited, walking through the open-plan living room to Zhao Shuyi and hugging him from behind.
“Gege.” He started with a whine.
After two days apart, Xie Qi seemed to be suffering from a lack of “Zhao Shuyi energy.” He buried his face in Zhao Shuyi’s neck, taking two deep breaths before recovering, tightening his arms around his waist. “Hey, why are you ignoring me?”
Zhao Shuyi took a deep drag of his cigarette, turned his head, and blew smoke right into Xie Qi’s face.
He remembered Xie Qi’s aversion to smoke; he never used to do this. Xie Qi didn’t get angry, just waved the smoke away. “What are you doing?”
Zhao Shuyi asked, “Are you done with your business?”
“Not that busy. I wanted to see you,” Xie Qi said. “Are you hungry? Should we go eat something first?”
“Not hungry.”
Zhao Shuyi stared out the window, motionless for a long time. The lines of his profile were softened by the sunlight, like a filtered close-up, his expression indistinct.
Xie Qi observed him for a few seconds, then keenly asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”
“No,” Zhao Shuyi denied. “Just bored.”
Xie Qi immediately said, “You won’t be bored tonight. My favorite band is performing, and there’s a musical—it’s the play you said you were interested in last time, the one you could watch with me. Do you remember?”
“No.”
Zhao Shuyi’s reply was cold. Xie Qi choked up, as if a ladle of cold water had been poured over his head. He was frozen for a few seconds, then feigned anger. “It’s my birthday today, Zhao Shuyi. What is that attitude?”
“What about me?” Zhao Shuyi asked knowingly.
“You’re so cold.”
“You can’t handle it?”
Zhao Shuyi glanced at him. “If you can’t handle it, stay away from me. Go play with your friends. There are plenty of people willing to humor you, right?”
“…”
Xie Qi froze.
He was used to Zhao Shuyi’s hot and cold behavior; it was part of the “test.” They were both willing participants in this dynamic.
But today, Zhao Shuyi was exceptionally cold; it didn’t seem like a simple “test.”
“Did someone make you angry?” Xie Qi asked softly.
Zhao Shuyi frowned, extinguished his cigarette, and turned away from Xie Qi’s embrace. The moment their eyes met, Xie Qi’s nervousness was exposed. He could only hug tighter, pressing Zhao Shuyi forcefully against the windowsill.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t answer, suddenly saying, “I have a question, Xie Qi. When did you start liking me?”
“Huh?” Xie Qi was startled, instinctively deflecting. “Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Because I’m curious. I heard you used to have a secret crush—”
Zhao Shuyi was interrupted by Xie Qi’s rapid denials. “No, that’s not true! Who told you nonsense?”
Zhao Shuyi scoffed. “So guilty? I don’t care, I’m just making conversation.”
“…”
His face truly conveyed “I don’t care.” This cold, heartless expression suited him best; it was as natural and real as breathing, raising no suspicion.
Xie Qi wilted. “I know you don’t care.”
Was that an admission? But Zhao Shuyi didn’t understand why he suddenly looked so down. Had he not let go of his old feelings, feeling sad just thinking about them?
That was a bit too disgusting.
Zhao Shuyi had a unique perspective on emotions: any feeling that made him uncomfortable was “disgusting.”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t find other adjectives, but that disgusting feeling wasn’t worth his effort to describe with richer, more precise words.
Like flies—who would be keen on meticulously describing their appearance?
He didn’t want to savor it for a second longer.
“Don’t stick so close,” Zhao Shuyi pushed Xie Qi away. “It’s hot.”
“…” Xie Qi was forced to step back. The last bit of warmth on him was extinguished, and the good mood he had when he entered was completely gone.
Zhao Shuyi walked back to the living room, looking for the air conditioner remote. With a soft chime, the cold air spread.
Xie Qi’s gaze followed him. After a long silence, he finally thought of something to break the deadlock. “Will you still give me a gift today?”
“Of course,” Zhao Shuyi opened the wardrobe, taking something out of the pocket of a hanging suit. “Is this what you want?”
Xie Qi glanced at it. It was a ring box.
“You want me to propose, right?” Zhao Shuyi said. “Should I propose here now, or publicly tonight?”
“Do I get to decide?”
“Yes.” Zhao Shuyi was expressionless. “It’s your birthday today. I will satisfy your requests as much as possible.”
“…”
He knew exactly what would make Xie Qi happier, yet he insisted on this unnecessary action. If this wasn’t intentional torment, what was?
The “Zhao Shuyi energy” Xie Qi had just replenished was instantly depleted again, and his face was pale.
Zhao Shuyi watched him.
It felt like a silent contest of strength that wouldn’t stop until someone surrendered.
But today, the torment seemed excessive, and Xie Qi was unwilling to be the loser. He remained silent for a few minutes, then said, “Whatever you want. You don’t have to give me anything.”
“That wouldn’t be right,” Zhao Shuyi said politely. “I didn’t prepare anything else besides the ring.”
“…”
He continued to look at Xie Qi, his gaze like a net, enveloping Xie Qi within his sight.
In the past few days, he would have been satisfied if Xie Qi had just softened slightly, but today, he suddenly felt it wasn’t enough.
Perhaps the comparison had raised his threshold. He wanted Xie Qi to cry, preferably to climb onto the terrace railing and jump for him. Only then would he be truly loyal, pass the test, and earn his approval.
But even that thought felt a bit disgusting.
Zhao Shuyi suppressed the intense emotional fluctuation, unwilling to continue the meaningless argument.
“You should go back to your business,” he dismissed Xie Qi. “I will be there on time tonight. The ring and the proposal will happen. I won’t disappoint you.”
Xie Qi opened his mouth, unsure how to respond, and could only leave.