Boyfriend's passive-aggressive behavior, she turns the tables and makes him her backup option.

Si Nian shoved Xie Jingyao away, clutching her bitten lip, and yelled at him, "Are you crazy?!"

Xie Jingyao wiped his lips. "Exciting, isn't it? Do you like it?"

"You're sick in the head," Si Nian couldn't help but curse.

"I think a woman like you who is prone to cheating must really enjoy the feeling of having an affair behind her husband's back."

Snapped.

A crisp slap landed on Xie Jingyao's face.

Si Nian gave him a cold look. "Don't act like I've wronged you. Weren't you just playing around back then?"

Xie Jingyao's eyes suddenly turned fierce. He grabbed Si Nian's wrist with such force that he almost broke her hand bones.

"Who gave you the audacity to hit me?"

Si Nian struggled violently, her eyes reddening with pain. "You were the one who spoke rudely first, and then you acted like a scoundrel towards me!"

Seeing the pain on her face, Xie Jingyao released her. He touched his own flushed cheek. "Just a kiss, and you call that being a pervert?"

Si Nian frowned, finding his thought process peculiar: "Go out on the street and kiss any woman you like, see if she reports you for being a pervert."

Xie Jingyao looked at her and said slowly, "I'm not that casual."

Si Nian looked away. "I know we broke up back then because I dumped you, and you feel resentful. But don't label me as a cheater. I didn't cheat on you while we were together. As for when I was with other men after we broke up, what business is it of yours?"

Xie Jingyao seemed to have heard something amusing, and he scoffed, "Me, feeling unbalanced? Stop trying to make yourself look good."

"Since there's no imbalance, what's the point of you saying these sarcastic things?"

Xie Jingyao grabbed Si Nian's chin, forcing her to lift her face and meet his gaze.

"There's nothing to be upset about. I, Xie Jingyao, can take it all and let it go. But I just want to hear the truth from you: when exactly did you get together with that guy surnamed Lin?"

He desperately wanted to know whether he had been the other woman or the one who had cheated on him, given that his relationship with Si Nian had ended without a clear resolution.

It has nothing to do with whether he can let go or not; he just can't understand it. They've had their share of arguments when they were together.

But after arguing, they cool off for a few days and then make up.

Why did Si Nian do something so ruthless after that argument?

The last time they argued that year, it was quite a fierce argument. It wasn't until a week later that he calmed down and went to find Si Nian.

He went back to try and coax her, only to find that she had already moved out of the place they lived together.

Then his men stammered and told him that they had found Si Nian in a star-rated hotel, but there was another man in her room.

When Xie Jingyao arrived, the room was slightly messy. Si Nian calmly got dressed and broke up with him.

Si Nian didn't know why Xie Jingyao was so conflicted, or when exactly she and Lin Tinghan had gotten together.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "When I returned to China, I was with Lin Tinghan."

"You two hadn't been together before?"

"no."

"Did you sleep with him before?"

"I don't need to answer your questions about privacy, do I?" Si Nian said, pushing Xie Jingyao's hand away from her chin.

"You went back to China the day after you broke up with me."

"..."

Xie Jingyao sneered, "So even if you didn't cheat back then, it was a seamless transition. That's disgusting."

Si Nian didn't seem embarrassed by the sarcasm. Instead, she laughed and said, "A seamless transition is better than cheating, right? Besides, I crave love. I can't live without a man by my side, can I?"

Xie Jingyao paused for a moment: "You're quite vengeful. Is it really necessary to hold a grudge for so long over something you said in the heat of the moment? You even cursed me to go to hell soon."

Si Nian knew that Xie Jingyao was referring to the time when he cornered her at the hotel and they argued, saying things they didn't mean. However, Si Nian wasn't concerned about that argument.

She would never forget how contemptuous and playful Xie Jingyao's tone was when he mentioned her to his family while she was in a coma.

She has heard countless insults and derogatory remarks since she was a child.

Even when her stepfather pointed at her face and called her a shameless slut who should have gone out to sell herself long ago, she never felt so disgusted.

"There's no point in bringing up the past." Si Nian first gathered her thoughts, then stood up straight and asked Xie Jingyao, "Where's my zither? Can I take it now?"

Xie Jingyao realized Si Nian's avoidance.

He was no longer persistent.

He led Si Nian to the study next door, took out the zither, and said, "Let's test the sound."

Si Nian sat in the chair, slightly parted her legs, and placed the cello between her legs to secure it.

She drew her bow, and the deep notes of the cello rose with her movements.

She adjusted the tone while holding the bow.

Si Nian closed her eyes and sensed it. "It seems there's still a problem. The voice sounds hollow."

Xie Jingyao half-squatted in front of her, helping her adjust it, "Try again."

Si Nian continued to play the violin, and a deep, resonant tone slowly rose.

She was familiar with Xie Jingyao's piano repair techniques; he had repaired her piano when she was abroad.

Xie Jingyao's mother came from a musical family, and he was exposed to countless famous teachers from a young age.

This is why, when she learned that Xie Jingyao was at Teacher Chen's house and had stolen her piano on the way, she didn't demand that Xie Jingyao return it in a strong tone.

Because she believed that if Xie Jingyao was willing to repair her piano, he would definitely be able to fix it.

Si Nian put down the bow and placed the cello in its case.

"Thank you. I'll transfer the money to you according to Teacher Chen's repair fee schedule," Si Nian said to Xie Jingyao.

Xie Jingyao narrowed his eyes, his voice tinged with arrogance, "Do you think I'm inferior to your paltry sums?"

Si Nian paused in her transfer. "That's right, Young Master Xie definitely wouldn't be interested in a few hundred thousand. Thank you then."

"Just saying thank you?" Xie Jingyao suddenly leaned closer.

Si Nian instinctively backed away, "What do you want to do? Don't do anything rash..."

Seeing her wary look, Xie Jingyao sneered without hesitation, "Do you think you're some kind of celestial being? Always acting like you're about to molest me?"

"So what do you want?"

"You owe me a favor, promise me something."

"What is it?"

Xie Jingyao straightened up, casually pulled out a wet wipe, and wiped his hands: "I haven't decided yet, I'll tell you when I do."

"..."

Seeing her silence, Xie Jingyao added, "Don't worry, it won't be about you sacrificing yourself or killing your husband."

Si Nian tightened her grip slightly. "Then let me know when you've thought it through."

She got up and left. Xie Jingyao watched her retreating figure, his gaze gradually becoming somber and complex.

Polly was standing next to him by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Baoli whimpered and stomped her feet anxiously as Si Nian gradually disappeared from sight.

Xie Jingyao reached out and touched its head.

Bao Li bit his clothes and tried to pull him away, as if she wanted him to call Si Nian back.

Xie Jingyao curled his lips slightly mischievously, cupped Baoli's dog head in his hands, and said to it, "Your mother abandoned you a long time ago."