Chapter 15 A Man’s Intuition (Revised)
A man’s intuition…
A man’s intuition had reached its peak at this moment.
Three years of a romantic relationship.
Du Henian began to suspect whether this was a point in Tang Man’s cycle of getting tired of things. He wondered if he had been numbed by the comfort of his past life, leading to a new person invading Tang Man’s life without his knowledge.
The man sat in the car, the phone call not yet disconnected. His breathing was steady as he quickly began to recall the moments he and Tang Man had shared together over the past month.
The silent estrangement had spread, and he had neglected Tang Man’s banishment due to his busyness with a new project.
He suddenly recalled that when Tang Man broke up with that person back then, it was the same. The one-sided banishment and coldness made the other party know when to quit.
She never actively mentioned her weariness and fatigue towards the other party, but instead ended a relationship by slowly reducing the connection between the two, saying goodbye in a resolute manner, erasing her existence layer by layer, as if this way could make it seem a little more affectionate.
Suddenly, the panic of losing control filled Du Henian’s heart.
He exerted a great deal of effort to keep his tone normal when conversing with Tang Man, so as not to appear too stiff.
“Do you have any plans today?” Du Henian asked with a forced smile.
Tang Man took a sip of porridge and was about to answer when Si Jiahe happened to place a plate of washed fruits on the table.
“Man Man, the soup will be ready in another hour. I’ll stir-fry some other dishes later, and we can deliver them to Uncle together at noon.”
Tang Man nodded. She waited for Si Jiahe to leave, but after a few seconds, the boy only glanced at her and sat down across from her.
Meeting her gaze, Si Jiahe’s eyes fell on the lit-up screen of the phone she held near her ear. He slowly pursed his lips and smiled, “I haven’t had breakfast either.”
Tang Man couldn’t say anything more at this point. Du Henian on the other end of the phone hadn’t heard her speak for a long time, so he asked again. She could only clear her throat, cover the phone’s speaker, and say to Si Jiahe that she would go answer a call first, and there was no need to clear the tableware yet as she would continue eating later.
Then she stood up, left the dining room, and walked towards the bedroom, answering Du Henian’s question on the other end of the phone.
She wasn’t thick-skinned enough to take Du Henian’s call in front of Si Jiahe.
“I might go to the hospital again today,” Tang Man said as she shuffled into the room in slippers, closing the door behind her and leaning against it, her gaze falling on the nearby gauze curtains.
“Really?” Du Henian asked softly, “Do you want me to drive you there later? I happen to be free today, as the previous project has already landed and entered the final stage.”
A moment of silence.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she kicked the thick carpet on the floor and said, “I drove back yesterday, so there’s no need to trouble you to make another trip. You can pick me up when I leave the hospital later. Let’s meet at the coffee shop next to the hospital and clarify things.”
It took several seconds before Du Henian responded with a hum.
Only then did Tang Man let out a sigh of relief.
The two chatted for a few more sentences, mostly with Du Henian initiating the topics and Tang Man following along with a sentence or two. She felt that he was imperceptibly inquiring about her work and life during this period.
The long-term coldness had already made the other party suspicious. Across the long distance and the cold optical fiber, she could still sense the faint suspicion from Du Henian’s end.
It was also at this point that Tang Man realized they had become so tired and indifferent that they no longer had any mutually interesting topics to discuss when together. Or rather, her heart was so flat and dull that she was listless about any topic Du Henian brought up, responding halfheartedly.
After hanging up the phone, she stood leaning against the door for a while, watching the sunlight gradually shine onto the bed through the half-drawn curtains. The scattered dust was also clearly visible under the light, just like when people have been together for a long time, all the despicable traits and shortcomings are no longer hidden.
This was perhaps also the reason why her mother’s boyfriends changed frequently.
After a good while, she finally blinked her eyes, hearing the knocking on the door and Si Jiahe’s inquiring voice. She quickly changed into a set of clothes and opened the door to walk out.
She had stayed inside for a bit too long.
Meanwhile, Du Henian, who was sitting in the car, remained seated for a long time after ending the call. He stared in the direction of the apartment in silence for a long while before finally unlocking his phone screen and finding a number in his contacts to make a call.
After a moment, a file with an unknown subject arrived in his mailbox. Using his phone, he opened and decompressed it, revealing a series of photos.
