A loud banging on the door dragged Zhao Wei out of his already fragile sleep. He groaned, pulling the blanket over his head in a weak attempt to block out the noise. Whoever was at the door clearly wasn't planning to leave anytime soon, judging by the persistent thumping.
"Zhao! Open the damn door!"
He knew that voice.
Too well.
Another groan escaped his lips, muffled by the pillow.
Great, it was Li Na.
He debated just ignoring her and hoping she would give up, but knowing her, she would probably just keep banging until the neighbors complained. With a heavy sigh, he tossed the blanket aside and sat up, blinking groggily at the dim light filtering in through the curtains.
Stumbling out of bed, Zhao Wei rubbed his face, trying to shake off the lingering sleepiness. His joints cracked as he stretched on his way to the door, his bare feet dragging across the cold floor.
He unlocked and opened the door just enough to see Li Na standing there, arms crossed, her expression a mix of irritation and impatience. She looked the same as always—petite, sharp-featured, and impeccably dressed, even at this hour of the morning. Meanwhile, Zhao Wei was standing there in crumpled sweatpants and a faded old T-shirt, hair sticking up at odd angles.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep. He leaned against the doorframe, not even pretending to hide his lack of enthusiasm.
Li Na didn't waste time. "We need to talk."
Zhao Wei resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, they did. It was always we need to talk with her, which usually meant she needs to talk, and he needs to listen while trying not to lose his mind.
"Fine," he muttered, stepping back to let her in. She brushed past him, her perfume lingering in the air—sweet, floral, and strangely suffocating.
Li Na made a beeline for the tiny living room, her heels clicking against the wooden floor. Zhao Wei followed at a slower pace, scratching the back of his head as he tried to prepare himself for whatever lecture was coming his way. He knew the drill by now. It always started the same way: concern, disappointment, a hint of frustration. He could practically recite her lines by heart at this point.
She spun around to face him, arms still crossed, her brow furrowed in that way that made it clear she was gearing up for a serious conversation. Zhao Wei plopped down onto the worn-out couch, slouching back and crossing his arms over his chest. Might as well get comfortable.
"Zhao, this isn't working," she began, her tone clipped and businesslike. "I've tried to be patient, but you're not making any progress. You've been job hunting for two years, and it's like… you're not even trying anymore."
There it was. The classic try harder speech. Zhao Wei barely managed to suppress a groan. Instead, he stared at her, expression blank, waiting for her to get to the point. He knew better than to interrupt—Li Na liked to hear herself talk, and any attempt to cut her off would just drag this out longer.
"I can't keep doing this," she continued, pacing now. "I need someone who's ambitious, someone who has a plan. And you? You're just… stuck. You're not even trying to improve your situation."
"I am trying," Zhao Wei said quietly, but she didn't seem to hear him—or didn't care to.
"Look, I know things have been hard, but at some point, you have to take responsibility for your life. You can't just sit around waiting for something to happen."
Zhao Wei bit back the urge to snap back at her. He was tired—tired of the constant rejections, tired of feeling like a failure, and especially tired of Li Na acting like he wasn't already doing everything he could. He hated that she always made it sound so simple, like all he had to do was snap his fingers, and everything would magically fall into place.
She kept talking, but Zhao Wei had stopped listening. His mind drifted, her words blurring into background noise. He didn't have the energy for this right now. All he wanted was to go back to bed and forget this conversation ever happened.
"…so, I think it's best if we end things here," Li Na was saying when his attention snapped back.
Wait. What?
He blinked, sitting up a little straighter. "You're… breaking up with me?"
"Yes," she said, with the same cold, detached tone she used when discussing anything remotely serious. "I can't do this anymore, Zhao. It's not healthy—for either of us."
For a moment, Zhao Wei just sat there, processing her words. Then, much to his own surprise, he realized he didn't feel much of anything.
No anger, no sadness, just… relief.
"Okay," he said simply, standing up. "If that's what you want."
Li Na blinked, clearly not expecting such an easy response. "That's it? No argument? No… nothing?"
"What do you want me to say, Mia?" he asked tiredly. "You've already made up your mind. I'm too tired to fight about it."
For a moment, there was silence between them. Then Li Na sighed, grabbing her bag. "I hope you figure things out, Zhao. I really do."
He didn't bother responding. He just watched as she walked to the door, opened it, and left without another word. The door clicked shut behind her, and Zhao Wei stood there, staring at it for a few seconds before letting out a long breath.
"Well… that happened," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.
Honestly, he should have seen this coming. Their relationship had been on life support for a while now, and truth be told, he wasn't exactly heartbroken over it ending. Having Li Na around had felt more like a chore than anything else lately. She was always pushing him to try harder, as if he wasn't already giving everything he had.
He walked back to the couch, flopping down onto it with a groan. His mind felt oddly blank, like he was too tired to even process what had just happened.
"Guess I'm single now," he muttered, staring up at the ceiling.
There was something oddly freeing about the thought. No more lectures, no more guilt-tripping. Just him, his crappy apartment, and the endless job hunt. It wasn't much, but at least it was his.
For now, that was enough.
Then another knock echoed through his apartment. His head fell back against the cushion, and he muttered under his breath, "Fuck. What now?"