The Birthday Dinner, Part 2

"Why are you reacting this way? Am I wrong, Ren Ying?"

Ren Ying couldn't conceal her emotions any longer. A deep furrow etched between her eyebrows, and she leaned forward over the table, her response dripping with irritation,

"So, it's my fault that you're cheating? I was supposed to be your inspiration? Well, I apologize, but it seems like it's my fault that you can't create artwork that resonates with buyers! Apparently, I should have been tirelessly whipping your ass all this time for you to achieve success!"

Her words sounded far more loudly than she'd intended, drawing the gaze of fellow diners who had been peacefully enjoying their evening at the restaurant. Wen Jie, his discomfort all too apparent, wore an awkward grimace and almost whined,

"Could you please lower your voice, Ren Ying? Everyone's staring at us. This is embarrassing!"

Jie had no idea how dangerously close he was to awakening the beast. Ren Ying hesitated for a brief moment, wrestling with the temptation to lash out at her boyfriend right then and there. She then took a deep breath and, with a forced smile, responded,

"Embarrassing, huh? Isn't it embarrassing that you've never worked a day in all your thirty years of life? Continuously asking your girlfriend for pocket money isn't embarrassing to you? Blaming her for your own failures isn't embarrassing? Selling yourself like some kind of whore isn't embarrassing, huh?"

"Calm down, you're really acting like a total bitch right now, you know that?"

Finally, that minuscule, fragile thread within Ren Ying's mind, the one that had somehow managed to keep her anger in check, snapped. And it seemed that Wen Jie could sense it too. 

Opportunities to witness the poised and composed Ren Ying lose her composure were rare. But when they did occur, onlookers unanimously agreed that provoking this woman was the gravest mistake of their lives.

Though she had vowed never to reveal this side of herself to Wen Jie, tonight presented an ideal moment to finally shatter that promise.

As she slowly rose to her feet, Ren Ying began to loosen her right shoulder, executing a subtle, circular movement while simultaneously clenching her fist. Jie, taken aback by her reaction, made an attempt to stand as well, but his movements were sluggish. With an abrupt and rather resounding crash, he tumbled to the perfectly clean restaurant floor, his handsome face colliding with the force of Ren Ying's fist.

"Did you just call me a bitch, Wen Jie?!"

While the question seemed to demand an answer, Ren Ying wasn't particularly eager to hear it. She resolved that if her boyfriend had anything to say, her fist would serve as his only conversational partner.

She had lost control of herself completely. Years of unrelenting struggle, perpetual self-sacrifice, and the emotional turmoil she had endured... In the end, nothing paid off. All of it became pointless, useless, worthless. 

After all these years, she found herself once more with nothing to show for it.

"Miss, oh my God! You can't fight here! Please, calm down!"

As Ren Ying continued to pummel and slap Jie, the anxiety within the restaurant grew, and the intervention of the staff became an inevitable necessity.

Two tall, robust waiters firmly seized the woman by her arms, and, with determined effort, managed to separate her from her nearly lifeless boyfriend. She, however, still continued to struggle, attempting to break free from their powerful grip.

Ren Ying was silent as she watched others assist Wen Jie in regaining his footing. Her anger welled up within her, not solely due to her profound dislike for the man, but because, once more, she had permitted herself to be hurt and betrayed; she had allowed her vulnerability to surface in her heart.

***

"Why didn't you agree to press charges?"

Ren Ying continued to scribble carelessly, filling out the hospital form, while Wen Jie shifted the cooling pack from one of his bruised cheeks to the other, grimacing as he attempted to open his mouth.

Following the intervention that put an end to their restaurant fight, the restaurant's host promptly alerted the police. Subsequently, the couple found themselves immediately transported to the nearest police station to further address the situation.

To Ren Ying's considerable surprise, Jie opted not to press charges against her and, astonishingly, managed to persuade the officer that he was the one in the wrong, allowing them to be released right away. 

"What's the point? Let's just wrap this up and go. Think of it as... your birthday present."

Ren Ying halted, lifting her head and gazing at the stark white wall before her in the emergency ward. It had been a peculiar day, arguably the strangest in her entire life. Yet oddly enough, even an absurdly outrageous statement that slipped from her boyfriend's lips failed to stir any emotions within her.

Maybe, just maybe, it was finally over.

"Mr. Wu Wen Jie?"

A petite, rosy-cheeked nurse, dressed in the crisply white hospital uniform, called out for Jie from her post behind the registration desk, effectively pulling Ren Ying out of her contemplative reverie. She handed her boyfriend the registration form, which she still hadn't managed to complete, her gaze remaining fixed on the wall before her.

"Go ahead, I'll handle the payment."

Jie accepted the papers and gently shook his head.

"No need, it... will be covered."

"Ah... Right."

Ren Ying reached for her bag, which had been resting on the seat beside her, and finally rose to her feet.

"I won't be coming back to the apartment tonight, so you can stay there. Let me know when you're not home, so I can retrieve my things. Goodbye, then."

And just like that, without giving Jie an opportunity to respond, Ren Ying turned on her heels and began to stride away, finally leaving both him and her rather unpleasant thirtieth birthday in her wake.

As she mindlessly moved towards the wide glass hospital doors, paying little attention to her surroundings, she failed to notice a group of people entering from outside until her right arm brushed against the arm of another person.

"I'm sorry."

Still avoiding a look around, Ren Ying offered a brief nod to the other person and promptly pushed open the glass door, disappearing behind the row of ambulances parked right in front of it.

The person, in response, came to a stop and gently slid their left hand along the soft fabric of their jacket sleeve. They then pivoted slightly, hoping to catch one more glimpse of the woman whose touch had brushed against their arm.

"Mr. Zhou? This way, please," a different man's voice interjected politely, putting an end to that momentary pause and Mr. Zhou responded with a somewhat dazed smile, 

"Yes, certainly, let's go. Grandpa must be waiting."