155: Vent your anger

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds.

He Mengyao's voice, when it sounded again, had lost its teasing tone: "Go find whoever you want, just don't find me!"

"Alright," Yu Heng said, "Then I'm hanging up."

"Wait," He Mengyao stopped him, "Yu Heng, can't you just let me have my way?"

"Haven't I let you have your way enough before?" Yu Heng leaned against the window sill. "When will you let me have my way?"

"Let you have your way with what?" He Mengyao paused, then her tone hardened, "Let you bully me in different ways? Let you cheat with your childhood friend?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Yu Heng frowned and retorted, "Did you eat gunpowder or something?"

"How is it not related?" He Mengyao's voice rose slightly, then dropped again, "Are you very smug now? You've been reborn, surrounded by women, all your past regrets can be made up for, no one cares if you sleep with your childhood friend, and we're divorced, so there's no psychological burden..."

Yu Heng pressed the hang-up button directly. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and turned to walk towards the stairwell.

He shouldn't have made that call.

He walked down the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

As he approached the corner on the second floor, his phone vibrated. Yu Heng took it out and saw it was He Mengyao.

He stared at the screen for two seconds, then answered.

"You hung up before I finished talking?" He Mengyao's voice came through, a little urgent and breathless.

"You didn't finish," Yu Heng continued walking down, "but I don't really want to listen anymore."

"No! You! Can't you..." He Mengyao's voice dropped again, "Can't you just coax me like you used to?"

Yu Heng stopped in the lobby on the first floor. People were coming and going in the lobby, students rushing past with books.

"Does coaxing you even work?" He walked to the corner, leaning against the wall. "Didn't we still argue when we were supposed to, and didn't we still get divorced when we were supposed to?"

"You're full of nonsense!" He Mengyao's voice was a little hoarse as she murmured, "When did you ever coax me on the day we divorced?"

"Tsk," Yu Heng clicked his tongue, "There's no point in saying these things. Let's just live our own lives from now on!"

This woman.

Still so angry even after the divorce.

Cheating with a childhood friend.

She really had been dwelling on that matter.

Once in his previous life, he drank too much, and Shen Yueling brought him back. At that time, she was at her parents' house.

Shen Yueling took off his clothes and happened to throw them onto the monitor on the bedside table.

This monitor was originally meant to prevent thieves, but He Mengyao insisted that she had slept with Shen Yueling that night.

Yu Heng pushed open the door of the teaching building, and the early winter wind swept in with fallen leaves.

He pulled up the collar of his hoodie and walked towards the dormitory area.

How boring.

He wasn't in the mood to argue with her about these old scores now.

——

In the dormitory, He Mengyao was lying on the bed, her face buried in her pillow.

The other two girls in the dorm were chattering about what to eat for dinner.

"Mengyao, are you going to the cafeteria tonight?"

"No," He Mengyao said muffledly.

"Not eating again?"

"Not hungry."

She rolled over and stared at the bunk above her.

When she called earlier, she was quite happy.

Yu Heng contacted her first, even if it was for Club matters, at least he contacted her.

But as they talked, that anger flared up.

Why should she be here reminiscing about their old relationship while he could do whatever he wanted?

He Mengyao picked up her phone and tapped on Yu Heng's WeChat profile picture.

His Moments were blank; he hadn't posted anything.

She opened the chat history and scrolled up.

Since their rebirth, they hadn't exchanged many words.

He Mengyao bit her lip.

She actually knew that what she said just now was excessive.

What cheating, what smugness.

She just couldn't get over it.

Couldn't get over the fact that Yu Heng had someone else by his side now, couldn't get over the fact that he wasn't coaxing her.

But once the words were out, they couldn't be taken back.

She threw her phone aside, covered her head with the quilt, and felt utterly annoyed.

---

It was already past three in the afternoon when Yu Heng pushed open the Villa door.

No one was in the living room. He threw his backpack on the sofa and heard movement inside the house.

"A Ling?" he called towards the stairwell.

"I'm here," Bai Xinran's voice came from the room. "You're back?"

Yu Heng entered Bai Xinran's room. She was sitting in front of the computer, wearing headphones, with the backend of a live streaming software open on the screen.

"What are you doing?" Yu Heng walked over.

"Looking at data," Bai Xinran took off her headphones and turned her swivel chair. "I'm about to transition to operations, you know."

"So diligent," Yu Heng sat down next to her, his hand naturally resting on her thigh. "Where's Yue Ling?"

"She went to school, said she had something to do," Bai Xinran said, looking at Yu Heng's face. "Are you in a bad mood?"

"Is it that obvious?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow.

"A little," Bai Xinran reached out, her fingertip touching his brow. "It's furrowed here."

Yu Heng caught her hand and kissed it at his lips.

"It's nothing," he said. "Just a bit tired."

Bai Xinran didn't ask further. She understood Yu Heng; he would say what he wanted to say, and asking about what he didn't want to say was useless.

She turned back to the computer and continued looking at the data.

Yu Heng's hand was still on her leg, his fingers idly caressing the skin on her inner thigh.

Bai Xinran's typing slowed by half a beat.

"If you're annoyed," Bai Xinran said, "then..."

Yu Heng turned his face to look at her: "Then what?"

"Then..." Bai Xinran said softly, "Let it out on me..."

Yu Heng stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "I'm angry because of someone else, and I'm taking it out on you. Aren't you wronged?"

"Not wronged..." Bai Xinran pursed her lips. "This is what I should do."

"So diligent," Yu Heng patted her head. "Good dog."

"Besides," Bai Xinran continued, "if I were wronged, wouldn't you still comfort me?"

He stood up, walked behind Bai Xinran, placed his hands on either side of her chair back, and leaned in close to her ear: "Then guess what I want to do now?"

Bai Xinran's ears felt a little warm, but she didn't dodge: "I don't know."

"Liar," Yu Heng's voice brushed against her earlobe. "Your heart is beating fast."

Bai Xinran pursed her lips, not denying it.

Yu Heng's hand slid down from the chair back, wrapped around her front, and pressed against her lower abdomen.

"Are you busy this afternoon?" he asked.

"No," Bai Xinran said. "I won't be live streaming for the next two days. I'm going to TikTok on the first of next month."

"That's good," Yu Heng's hand began to move upwards. "Then I'll take it out on you."

Bai Xinran's body tensed for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

Her hand was still on the mouse, but it wasn't moving.

"But," she whispered, "Sister Yueling... might be back soon."

"Then hurry up!" Yu Heng smiled, and after a long while, "Go rinse your mouth."