Chapter 20: Another Compromise

“Lu Jinyan, you’re being way too much of a bully!”
A Li’s tears spilled down as if they cost nothing, streaming endlessly from her eyes.
Even if one had raised a pet for two years, there would be some affection, wouldn’t there? How could this man be so heartless toward her?
Not a single cent for her!
Such a miser!
“Yes, I’m bullying you. So what?”
Lu Jinyan even retorted with the utmost confidence.
“You bastard! You absolute bastard!”
A Li struggled to hit him, though she knew her strength was useless against a man.
But to her surprise, Lu Jinyan didn’t stop her. He let her hit him as much as she pleased.
It was almost insulting.
Did he think she was so weak that even if she hit him, it wouldn’t hurt?
A Li, both anxious and furious, just wanted to hurt Lu Jinyan.
She opened her mouth and bit down hard on his neck, exposed above the collar.
She wanted to bite this heartless man to death!
A muffled groan escaped Lu Jinyan; he hadn’t expected A Li to actually bite him.
Her mouth might be small, but her bite was sharp and painful.
He stifled his groan but didn’t push her away, letting her bite him, as if allowing her anger to dissipate a little was enough.
A Li tasted the metallic tang of blood spreading in her mouth.
She’d bitten him hard enough to draw blood.
Why didn’t he avoid her? Why didn’t he push her away?
Every time A Li thought Lu Jinyan didn’t care about her, this man would suddenly reveal a trace of tenderness and indulgence, making her mistakenly believe he actually cared.

Was she hopelessly infatuated?
People online always said that loving a man too much only brings sorrow upon oneself.
That was exactly her now—knowing she shouldn’t soften, yet unable to resist the faint attachment and reluctance growing in her heart every time Lu Jinyan tolerated her tantrums.
For a fleeting moment, she even thought, if he was willing to keep her by his side, perhaps she should just stop struggling altogether.
But as soon as this thought surfaced, A Li wanted to slap herself.
She felt so spineless.
Sensing that the small mouth biting him had loosened, Lu Jinyan looked at the little head buried against his shoulder, raised his hand to gently stroke her, and said softly, “A Li…”
A Li let go of him, then lay down with her back to him, her voice hoarse as she said, “I want to be alone.”
“Eat something first…”
Before Lu Jinyan could finish,
A Li suddenly propped herself up, grabbed the bowl next to her, and quickly gulped down the porridge. She ate so fast she nearly choked.
Coughing,
Lu Jinyan immediately patted her back gently, saying, “Slow down, there’s no one fighting you for it.”
A Li pushed his hand away. “I’ve finished eating!”
Then she lay down again.
…
Looking at A Li’s defensive, resistant posture, Lu Jinyan’s eyes flickered, but in the end, he said nothing more.
This girl probably didn’t plan to get a divorce anymore.
He knew she was feeling down, so he didn’t push her further, letting her have some quiet to herself.
Lu Jinyan left.
A Li heard the door close.
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.
This protest had ended, as always, in her compromise.

**
Perhaps out of guilt,
In the days that followed, Lu Jinyan brought her different gifts every day.
Sometimes it was a necklace.
Sometimes a luxury watch.
Each item was expensive—Aunt Liu said that selling any one of them could fetch at least several hundred thousand.
But A Li felt nothing for these gifts.
In the end, they were all from Lu Jinyan.
If he wanted to take them back, it would be just a word from him.
The weather was nice that day.
Aunt Liu worried A Li would turn dull if she stayed cooped up at home, so she encouraged her to go for a walk. A Li didn’t refuse.
She wandered the streets aimlessly. With no family or friends, when she felt upset, she had no one to talk to.
“Hey, aren’t you the young lady from the other day?”
Suddenly,
A voice called out to her.
A Li paused and turned to see the shop assistant who had invited her into the piano store the other day.
Only then did she realize that, without noticing, she’d wandered back to the entrance of that very piano store.
“Miss, would you like to come in and play the piano?”
The shop assistant smiled warmly.
A Li knew the woman was trying to make a sale, but she had no intention of buying and didn’t want the woman to waste her efforts. She shook her head, “No, thank you. I’m not buying a piano.”
To her surprise, the assistant’s smile remained. “That’s all right. You don’t have to buy one. Mr. Song instructed us last time that if you ever come by, you’re welcome to play whenever you like.”