After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The rain was still falling.
But the sound of it suddenly became distant, faint, and ethereal.
Cheng Zhanxi found herself gazing into a pair of eyes quieter than the night, more beautiful than the moonlight.
Several seconds passed before she took a shallow breath, her heart pounding at an abnormal rate.
The woman before her was around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with picturesque features and unusually pale skin. Only her thin lips held a hint of color, lending her a fragile beauty. A tear mole beneath her left eye was particularly striking.
The placement of a tear mole held significance. If positioned lower, it resembled a falling tear, giving an impression of vulnerability. However, this woman's tear mole was located at the outer corner of her upper eyelid, miraculously aligning with the upward curve of her eyeliner. This placement, instead of softening her features, created an aura of untouchable aloofness and restraint.
Beneath her black trench coat, she wore a pristine white shirt, buttoned meticulously to the top, revealing a slender neck and elegantly curved jawline.
She exuded a subtle air of scholarly refinement.
Cheng Zhanxi opened her mouth to speak but fell silent as the woman moved.
Yu Qingtang calmly glanced at Cheng Zhanxi, who was pulling a suitcase, offered a polite nod, and then turned back.
She didn't reach for the tissues.
A polite refusal.
Cheng Zhanxi casually withdrew her hand, putting the tissues in her coat pocket. She turned her gaze away from Yu Qingtang, observing her discreetly from the corner of her eye.
The rain continued to fall.
The downpour intensified, engulfing the entire city in a torrential curtain of rain. Blue-violet lightning occasionally flashed through the dark, heavy clouds, momentarily tearing through the dark sky. The wind howled, whipping fallen leaves into the air.
They stood together under the same awning, listening to the same rain.
Neither of them spoke.
The storm passed as quickly as it had arrived.
Soon, the dark clouds dispersed, revealing a golden-red sunset. A rainbow arched across the sky, stretching from one end of the street to the other, seemingly into infinity.
Only a gentle drizzle remained.
Yu Qingtang opened the door and stepped into the misty rain, her figure slowly disappearing into the rainbow's embrace.
Three months later.
A "Do Not Disturb" sign hung on the studio door. Yu Jianxing, making her third attempt to visit, was about to tiptoe away when the closed door creaked open.
Cheng Zhanxi greeted her with a casual smile and nod. "You're here."
Yu Jianxing put an arm around Cheng Zhanxi's shoulder and peered into the half-open studio, teasing, "What's our artist working on these days?"
Cheng Zhanxi stepped aside, smiling. "See for yourself. Feel free to look around. I'm going to wash my face."
She preferred not to be disturbed while painting and forbade anyone from entering her studio, but after she was finished, it didn't matter.
Yu Jianxing was her friend in Sicheng, a classmate from their time studying abroad. The art academy they attended had extremely strict admission requirements, so students from the same country naturally became friends. Yu Jianxing studied sculpture and had taken on a project for the Sicheng city government, so she would be staying there for quite some time.
Yu Jianxing stepped into the brightly lit studio. Cheng Zhanxi had recently tidied up; the easel, canvases, paint boxes, palettes, and brushes were all neatly arranged.
Anything related to art required inspiration, and inspiration wasn't always readily available. Cheng Zhanxi wasn't a particularly prolific painter, her work heavily reliant on flashes of inspiration.
Yu Jianxing remembered a time when Cheng Zhanxi had accepted a commission for a mural—a painting directly on a wall—with a three-month deadline. For two months and twenty-nine days, she'd been searching for inspiration, nearly tearing her hair out with worry. Then, on the last day, as if divinely inspired, she locked herself in the client's villa and completed the mural in one go, covering an entire wall with a magnificent, sweeping scene. It became a much-discussed anecdote in their circle.
Having only arrived three months ago, Yu Jianxing expected the studio to be empty, with only a few works in progress. She was surprised to find it filled with paintings.
There were only two or three oil paintings, one of which was the piece Cheng Zhanxi had been working on earlier, the paint still wet. The rest were charcoal drawings or watercolors, media that allowed for quicker execution. Yu Jianxing carefully examined the paintings on the walls and tables. They were all either profiles or figures seen from behind, never a full face. After careful observation, she realized they all depicted the same person, a woman.
When Cheng Zhanxi returned from the bathroom, she saw Yu Jianxing's teasing look.
Cheng Zhanxi chuckled. "What?"
"Who's that?" Yu Jianxing asked, not waiting for an answer. "Your fiancée?"
"..." Cheng Zhanxi explained, "No, it's someone I met when I first arrived in Sicheng. I think I have a bit of a... well..."
The corners of her lips curved upwards slightly, but she didn't elaborate.
"A bit of a what?" Yu Jianxing pressed.
"It doesn't matter what it is. We'll never meet again anyway." Cheng Zhanxi brushed her off casually.
Sicheng was a big city, and unless something unexpected happened, she wouldn't be staying there long. The person she'd met would just become a pleasant memory. Not every beautiful encounter in life had to be pursued. Beauty couldn't last forever in reality, but it could in memory.
"And," Cheng Zhanxi reminded her with a sigh, "please stop talking about my fiancée. You know how I feel about that."
Yu Jianxing laughed.
Speaking of this sudden engagement, Yu Jianxing found it quite comical.
The Cheng and Wei families had indeed arranged a marriage, but it was originally between Cheng Zhanxi's older brother, Cheng Yuanxi, and Miss Wei. Unfortunately, Cheng Yuanxi preferred men and couldn't fulfill the agreement. Since Miss Wei's mother, Madam Wei, had died in childbirth, and time had passed, everyone had forgotten about the arrangement. However, the Wei family brought it up again, and the Cheng family considered having Cheng Zhanxi take her brother's place.
Cheng Zhanxi's mother didn't intend to force a marriage immediately, merely suggesting they meet. If they got along, they could date before getting married. However, Cheng Zhanxi, with her independent and carefree nature, always resisted being pushed, and she'd run straight to Sicheng from the capital.
Cheng Zhanxi: "You're still laughing?"
Yu Jianxing cleared her throat, stopped laughing, and suggested, "Want to go to a bar tonight?"
Cheng Zhanxi refused. "No."
Crowded and noisy places weren't her preference. She'd rather take a walk alone.
Cheng Zhanxi raised an eyebrow, making a counter-proposal. "How about rock climbing?"
Yu Jianxing's face immediately fell.
As a seemingly gentle and refined artist, not only did Cheng Zhanxi dislike quiet activities, but her love for racing, rock climbing, and windsurfing seemed a bit excessive. Yu Jianxing suspected she should have pursued athletics instead of painting.
Cheng Zhanxi watched her, a composed look on her face.
"I'll go to the bar with you, and you go rock climbing with me this weekend. How about that?"
After a difficult internal struggle, Yu Jianxing reluctantly nodded.
"Deal."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled faintly, her expression cheerful. "When do we leave? I'll go change."
Yu Jianxing glanced at her watch. "We can go as soon as you're ready. It's getting late."
Cheng Zhanxi shrugged. "Alright."
Yu Jianxing had dressed up for the occasion, so she didn't need to freshen up. She touched up her makeup using a small mirror and then sat on the living room sofa, playing on her phone while she waited for Cheng Zhanxi.
Hearing the bedroom door open, she looked up towards the entrance and her eyes widened.
Cheng Zhanxi had changed into a flowing white silk shirt and high-waisted, wide-leg black suit trousers. Her chestnut curls cascaded casually down her back, giving her a mature, relaxed, and laid-back look.
Tall and leggy, she was a natural clothes horse, looking good in anything. What shocked Yu Jianxing most was the pair of retro gold-rimmed glasses with a chain hanging around Cheng Zhanxi's neck.
Impeccably dressed, with her deceptively gentle appearance, she exuded an alluring, rebellious air, incredibly eye-catching.
Yu Jianxing stood up, immediately changing her mind. "Let's not go."
With Cheng Zhanxi looking like that, would anyone even look at her?
Cheng Zhanxi pushed her glasses up her nose, the chain swaying gently with the movement. Her almond-shaped eyes, sparkling with amusement behind the lenses, met Yu Jianxing's. "I'm easy. Whatever you want."
Yu Jianxing gritted her teeth. "Let's go!"
She wasn't bad looking herself. At least thirty percent of people would look at her!
The bar was called "Zero Degrees" and was a locally renowned lesbian bar in this era of legalized same-sex marriage.
Yu Jianxing wasn't looking for a hookup, just a relaxing evening out, enjoying the ambiance and admiring the beautiful people. As they got out of the car in front of Zero Degrees, just before entering, Yu Jianxing paused and said with a smile, "I forgot to congratulate you. Your 'Blizzard' sold for a hefty three million."
Cheng Zhanxi glanced at the bar's entrance, just a few steps away, the silhouettes of people visible inside. She gave Yu Jianxing a sideways glance and said lazily, "Don't you think saying that here makes it sound a bit perfunctory?"
Yu Jianxing burst out laughing.
They entered the bar side by side and sat at the bar counter.
Yu Jianxing ordered a cocktail. Cheng Zhanxi, her long legs comfortably resting on the floor, snapped her fingers. "Juice, please."
Yu Jianxing: "..."
"Don't you think you're being a bit perfunctory too?" Yu Jianxing stopped the bartender and changed Cheng Zhanxi's order to a Margarita.
Cheng Zhanxi just smiled and said nothing, listlessly surveying her surroundings.
She didn't frequent bars, having done most of her socializing abroad. While artists needed to be able to immerse themselves in their own worlds, they also needed to experience the richness of the real world, which could serve as a source of inspiration for their creations. Politely declining one woman after another who approached her, Cheng Zhanxi frowned almost imperceptibly. She took a sip of her drink, deciding to suggest heading home once Yu Jianxing finished her dance in the middle of the floor.
The music was deafening, the lights flashed chaotically, and the dance floor was a frenzy of movement, couples kissing passionately everywhere. Cheng Zhanxi, who had been engrossed in her work for the past six months, found it a bit overwhelming.
Yu Jianxing returned from the dance floor, sweating, and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp before ordering another.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
Yu Jianxing didn't return to the dance floor but sipped her drink, so Cheng Zhanxi abandoned her plan to leave. Perhaps because they were sitting together, fewer people approached her. Cheng Zhanxi switched to juice, slowly sipping it through a straw, her gaze drifting towards the quieter corners of the bar.
Some couples were intimate in the dark corners, while others sat alone.
Suddenly, Cheng Zhanxi's gaze focused.
A figure about halfway across the bar, facing away from her, looked familiar.
Yu Jianxing followed her gaze, tilting her head and squinting through slightly intoxicated eyes. "That person... looks a lot like the one in your paintings, doesn't she?"
Cheng Zhanxi's lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak.
Yu Jianxing: "No way!" Seeing Cheng Zhanxi's tacit agreement, she almost choked on her drink, coughing before saying, "What a coincidence!"
Cheng Zhanxi thought: I'd also like to know, what a coincidence.
She released the straw from her lips, her eyes fixed on the figure.
If this was fate bringing them together, shouldn't she try something?
Just as she was hesitating, the figure turned and looked towards her.
Those quiet eyes, more beautiful than the moonlight.
The bar's lighting illuminated her pale, almost translucent cheeks, highlighting her captivating tear mole.
Cheng Zhanxi's heart skipped a beat.
Yu Qingtang was on her third glass of juice.
She didn't handle alcohol well, so to avoid any mishaps, she abstained.
Beautiful women were always the center of attention. Yu Qingtang, in a simple long dress, her long, straight black hair cascading over her shoulders, her skin strikingly pale, and her features flawlessly delicate, had been approached constantly since entering the bar, despite sitting alone in a corner.
Footsteps approached, accompanied by a soft, gentle female voice: "Hello, is this seat taken?"
Yu Qingtang thought: The eighteenth? Or the nineteenth?
She looked up.
Meeting her gaze, Cheng Zhanxi suddenly felt a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
Would she recognize her?
Yu Qingtang gave her the same calm look as before, then lowered her eyelids, gesturing with her chin to the opposite seat.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
From her actions, Cheng Zhanxi drew two conclusions: one, she didn't recognize her; two, she really didn't like to talk.
If it weren't for her reaction to her words, Cheng Zhanxi would have suspected she had a hearing impairment, like the little girl on the train. She had a fleeting thought: if Momo had grown up safely, would she be similar to the woman before her?
Cheng Zhanxi collected her thoughts and calmly sat down opposite Yu Qingtang.
Yu Jianxing was practically dying of laughter inwardly.
Cheng Zhanxi had a wonderful personality, striking looks, and a prominent family background. She was a magnet for attention wherever she went. This was the first person who had ever been so indifferent to her.
Holding her juice glass with both hands, under Yu Jianxing's amused gaze, Cheng Zhanxi leaned forward slightly and said, her lips parting softly, "We've met before. Do you remember?"
Yu Qingtang raised her eyes again and looked at her impassively.
Cheng Zhanxi stiffened slightly. The woman's look made her feel as though she was trying to pick someone up, using the most clumsy method possible.
Trying to sound casual and natural, Cheng Zhanxi added with a faint smile, "Three months ago, there was a heavy downpour in Sicheng. We sheltered from the rain together in a convenience store." Meeting Yu Qingtang's probing gaze, she continued gently, "You were soaked, and I offered you some tissues. Does that ring a bell?"
"..." Yu Qingtang's response was no response.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
She really didn't remember at all.
A subtle awkwardness settled between them.
Yu Jianxing silently offered Cheng Zhanxi three seconds of pity. She had admirers lining up from the capital to France, and yet, here she was, facing defeat in little Sicheng.
Just as Cheng Zhanxi was wondering how to start another conversation, Yu Qingtang, across from her, spoke in her cool, clear voice.
"Do you have your medical report with you?"
Cheng Zhanxi's first thought was: So she can talk.
Her second thought: Her voice was as cold as she was, like a winter frost.
Only then did she ask, surprised, "What?"
Yu Qingtang repeated emotionlessly, "Your medical report."
Yu Jianxing hissed through her teeth: Crazy! Who carries their medical report around with them?!
To her surprise, Cheng Zhanxi said, "Let me check. One moment, please."
She grabbed her bag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a manila envelope. After glancing at it, she smiled faintly. "I do."
She had randomly put it in her bag last time and had completely forgotten about it.
Yu Jianxing: "???"
What kind of bizarre conversation was this?
Cheng Zhanxi didn't hand over the report. Instead, she asked with a slight smile, "Why do you need it?"
Yu Qingtang looked at her, an unreadable expression flickering in her eyes.
After a long pause, she said something astonishing: "Want to go to a hotel?"
Cheng Zhanxi: ??? This isn't how I imagined the plot would go?
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