In the height of summer, cicadas shriek incessantly from the treetops, and a dog lies beneath the shade, its blood-red tongue lolling out.
It’s hot! Incredibly hot! The sweltering heat seems to suffocate everything, leaving everyone in a fretful state.
Shrouded in fatigue, Ji Qing takes out the keys to unlock her front door. The hit of cool air rushes forward is instantly soothing. But this tranquility is short-lived as she notices a chaos of clothing scattered across the living room floor.
Lin Jiankang, as usual, has carelessly strewn his clothes everywhere. As Ji Qing shakes her head, ready to begin tidying up, she realizes something odd. A lacy piece of lingerie? How did it come to be on the floor?
Puzzled, she suddenly hears a low, seductive female voice echoing from the bedroom, "Jiankang, you're so naughty!"
Isn’t that Anxin's voice? What is she doing here?
In the midst of her astonishment, a deep male grunt responds, “Sweetheart, you do prefer me naughty, don’t you?"
The voice is unmistakably Lin Jiankang’s - clear and familiar - only, this time, it carries a frivolous tone unlike his usual self-assured intonation.
"Jiankang, who do you prefer, me or Ji Qing?"
"Naturally, you. Ji Qing is too prudish and pretends to be morally upright. We’ve been together for many years, yet not even a kiss was shared. Who would prefer such a woman?"
"Really? When do you plan to tell her about us?"
"Soon!"
"What do you mean by 'soon'?"
"Anxin, we must be patient with this matter."
"How long should I wait? Honestly, it stings, knowing that you still belong to someone else."
“Sweetheart, your jealousy is quite strong. Don’t worry, I will explain everything to you. Now, let me show you some tender loving care.”
The ambiguous dialogues coupled with panting sounds resonated clearly in the room. Ji Qing felt her blood rushing up to her head.
She kicked open the door, and what she saw was a pair of entangled, naked bodies on the bed, “Lin Jian Kang!”
Her outburst interrupted the two people in bed who both looked over. “Qingqing, I…” seeing Ji Qing's sudden appearance, Lin Jiankang was shocked and hurriedly grabbed a blanket to cover his body.
“You bastard! How could you do this to me?” Ji Qing rushed to the bed and slapped Lin Jiankang right in the face.
She used all her strength for this slap. Five bright prints immediately appeared on Lin Jiankang's face. Her own hand felt like it was on fire, but compared to the pain in her heart, this was nothing.
“Jian Kang!” The woman's sugary sweet, sympathy-filled voice made Ji Qing turn her blazing eyes to the naked woman on the bed.
The seducer of her boyfriend, her supposed no-secrets-between-each-other best friend, didn't draw back her hand and clapped another SLAP on An Xin's face.
An Xin made no move to dodge but instead used her naked body to protect Lin Jiankang. “Qingqing, don’t blame Jiankang. I am not innocent here. I seduced him, I love Jiankang, I love him so much that without him, I can't live. I know that what happened was wrong, aim your anger at me. I won’t complain."
In this day and age, the adulteress had a sense of justice. Looking at An Xin, who showed no shame but instead had a defiant look in her eyes, Ji Qing’s anger surged again.
She grabbed a pillow from the bedside table and began beating An Xin with it. An Xin did not dodge, but instead just let out a shrieking scream.
“Qingqing, It’s all my fault, hit me instead!” When Lin Jiankang saw An Xin screaming in pain, he hurriedly spoke to stop her.
Their mutual protection act only made Ji Qing's eyes turn redder, “Disgusting lovers! Since your love is so deep, then I will let you be together!"
As she said this, she threw down the pillow and grabbed a table lamp. Seeing her menacingly holding the lamp, Lin Jiankang was startled, “Qingqing, no!” Then he reached out instinctively to block her.
Ji Qing lost her balance when he pushed her, she stumbled back, her back hitting the wall causing an agonizing pain, the lamp in her hand was also thrown out.
Upon seeing Ji Qing fall to the ground, Lin Jiankang leapt up, intending to help her. However, the smiling face that Ji Qing revealed to him from the ground was a little creepy, so he didn't dare to approach and only stood there, asking with concern: "Qing Qing, are you alright?"
"Lin Jiankang, take your bitch and get out of my house!"
"Qing Qing, this is my house too!"
Hearing what Lin Jiankang had said, Ji Qing then remembered that the house did indeed belong to him. She wobbled to get up from the ground and grabbing her bag, she left the apartment.
The darkness of night had already descended, and the neon lights of the city flickered on both sides of the street. Ji Qing aimlessly wandered the streets, not knowing how long she had been walking until she felt a nagging pain in her feet. That's when she stopped.
Spotting a bar nearby, Ji Qing walked in.
Ji Qing ordered a Margarita, now known as a cocktail. The taste of the Margarita was sour and salty, much like human tears. Ji Qing finally got to taste the sadness of the bartender who made this cocktail.
During times of sorrow, people have a habit of reminiscing. Ji Qing remembered the past with Lin Jiankang. They had been together for three years. She had always thought he loved her. Lin Jiankang had once made advances, but after being rejected once, he never mentioned it again.
Ji Qing always thought he was respecting her, but she never expected that he had been secretly having an affair with An Xin. If it wasn't for her returning early from a business trip today, she wouldn't have known about it.
Ji Qing didn't think she was conservative. She just wanted to save the precious moment for their wedding night. But all this seemed like a joke now.
A sexy dancer was swaying her body flexibly on stage, the music was deafeningly loud, the alcohol was spreading within Ji Qing's body, heating up her blood, igniting her sorrow and rage inch by inch.
What about love, marriage, the future? To hell with all of it! Didn't Lin Jiankang say she was dull and charmless?
She was going to be a completely different person tonight, not feeling pain over this sort of scum. She was going to seek her own happiness.
Putting down her glass, Ji Qing took out her phone and dialed Ye Xin’s number. "Help me find a man for tonight."
"A man?" Ye Xin was taken aback. "Qing Qing, have you been drinking?"
"Ye Xin, do you think I'm dreadfully boring?" Ji Qing asked in response.
"Boring? I don't think so."
"Lin Jiankang said that. He said it when he was in bed with Anxin."
"What! Lin Jiankang and Anxin?" Ye Xin was stunned by the news. It took her a moment to reply, "That bloody scoundrel! How could she have no shame, even going after her best friend's man..."
"There's no point talking about this now, Xin Xin, I suddenly realized how foolishly I've been living these years. You're right. To live life to the fullest, indulging in the pleasurable moments is indeed the ultimate boundary of life. I understand it now."
"Qing Qing, you and I are different. The philosophy I follow may not suit you." Ye Xin tried to persuade her.
"How would you know if it doesn't suit me if I've never tried? If you consider me a friend, find me a man." Ji Qing impatiently interrupted her.
Ye Xin fell silent for a moment, "Alright, Qing Qing, take a cab to the Hyatt Hotel and rest in my room. As for finding a man, I'll help you with that."
After ending the call, Ji Qing staggered to her feet and left the bar, taking a taxi to the Hyatt Hotel as Ye Xin suggested.
