Chapter Twenty-Three: Estrangement and Distance

Cheng Jiu glanced at him. “Mind your own business.”
Little Ten fell silent, having been scolded.
Even Jiang Tang had never seen Cheng Jiu so harsh.
Little Ten couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but he sensed that something was off between Cheng Jiu and Xin Gan, an atmosphere impossible to grasp.

Back in the car, Xin Gan sat stiffly in the back seat. Perhaps because of the unpleasantness with Cheng Jiu earlier, her complexion was pale, and she refused to look at him at all.
Cheng Jiu got in, and through the rearview mirror, he saw her hands resting flatly on her thighs, her pale lips pressed together, delicate brows slightly furrowed, eyes lowered. He withdrew his gaze carelessly, inserted the key into the ignition, turned it, and started the engine.

The journey was agonizing for Xin Gan, especially as the motion sickness worsened her nausea. At lunch, she’d forced herself to eat most of a bowl of beef noodles, leaving a third barely touched, unable to swallow any more.
Her impression of him was mixed—neither wholly good nor bad, but he was certainly not easy to get along with.
Suddenly, she felt fortunate that he had agreed to call off the marriage. Had she actually married him, she feared her days would be unbearably difficult.
She did not want to marry a man she didn’t like.
Nor did she wish to live as her mother once had.
Cheng Jiu was unaware that, in just half a day, her opinion of him had plummeted.

Another half hour passed before Songli noticed something was wrong with Xin Gan.
“Sister, you’re sweating so much.”
The child’s words were incomplete, and Little Ten assumed the air conditioning wasn’t cool enough. “I’ll turn it down a bit.”
Cheng Jiu’s thin lips curled, but he didn’t respond.
Xin Gan took a deep breath, suddenly speaking urgently, “Stop the car, pull over, I can’t take it anymore!”
After a sharp brake, the car came to a steady halt by the roadside. Xin Gan flung open the door and rushed out, bending over to vomit at the curb.
She’d been holding back all day, but it was no use.
Cheng Jiu, seeing this, unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, but didn’t approach her immediately. He stood by the car door, waiting.
Xin Gan felt as if her stomach would come up through her throat. She lacked the strength to stand, so she crouched by the roadside, retching.
Little Ten hurried over with tissues and a bottle of water, offering them to her. “Miss Xin, are you alright? Feeling any better?”
Xin Gan shook her head, too exhausted to speak.
She took a few tissues, murmured a thank you, wiped her mouth, and caught Cheng Jiu in her peripheral vision, standing by the car smoking, his expression indifferent as he watched her. The feeling was like needles pressing into her back, as if he were amused by her predicament. She couldn’t help but think that every time she was at her most disheveled, he was there to witness it. Now, she’d surely hear about it from him again.

Thinking this, her stomach churned once more and she turned to face the other way, avoiding Little Ten.
Songli also tried to get out, but Cheng Jiu turned and glared, sternly saying, “Who told you to get out? Get back in.”
Songli was startled, withdrew his hand, and stayed seated.
Xin Gan vomited everything she’d eaten at lunch, leaving her stomach empty and finally feeling better. She rinsed her mouth and thanked Little Ten several times, making him feel embarrassed. “No need to thank me, it’s nothing. By the way, Miss Xin, are you prone to motion sickness? I have some medicine for that in the car. Wait here, I’ll get it for you.”
Cheng Jiu finished his cigarette, Xin Gan finished vomiting, cleaned up, and came back.
The hostility in Cheng Jiu’s demeanor had eased somewhat. He glanced at her and said indifferently, “If you’re not feeling well, you should say so sooner.”
Xin Gan, polite and distant, replied, “Sorry for causing a delay.”
Clearly, she wanted to keep her distance from him, avoiding unnecessary interaction.
So for the rest of the journey, she spoke not a word to him, preferring to chat idly with Little Ten rather than acknowledge Cheng Jiu at all.