After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Yu Qingtang didn't stay the night. After hearing the even, steady breathing behind her, she waited a while longer, then turned over. In the moonlight, she confirmed Cheng Zhanxi was asleep before quietly getting up. She dressed, slipping into the clothes she'd discarded on the sofa hours earlier, and silently left, closing the hotel room door behind her.
Taking the private elevator downstairs, she encountered a slightly surprised receptionist at the 4 a.m. front desk, who maintained a polite, professional smile. "Hello, how can I help you?"
Yu Qingtang shook her head and walked out.
The receptionist watched her go, tilting her head slightly, but didn't give the incident much thought.
Strange guests were common, and leaving in the middle of the night wasn't unusual.
Finding a taxi at that hour was difficult, but thankfully, they were in the city center. Yu Qingtang used a ride-hailing app to book a cab. The driver was an ordinary middle-aged man, unremarkable in appearance. As Yu Qingtang sat in the back, her nerves were on edge, her mind replaying news reports of various crimes.
This was the first time she'd been out so late.
She regretted not waiting until daylight to leave the hotel.
The night was quiet and deep, the streets deserted. The darkness seemed like a gaping maw, lurking and ominous. They passed the street where Zero Degrees was located, and after another ten minutes, the taxi stopped in front of an upscale residential complex. Yu Qingtang got out, relieved to see the brightly lit security booth just a few steps away. Her anxiety, which had plagued her throughout the ride, finally subsided.
"If you're satisfied with the service, please give me a five-star rating," the driver's friendly voice drifted from the lowered window.
Yu Qingtang looked into the car and nodded.
The taxi drove off, swallowed by the darkness.
Yu Qingtang swiped her card to enter the complex, walking quickly under the bright streetlights towards her building. She took the elevator alone to her floor.
Only after entering her apartment and switching on the bright living room lights did she finally relax, changing her shoes at the entrance and pouring herself a glass of water before heading to the bathroom for a shower.
The woman last night had been very gentle, careful not to hurt her and considerate enough not to leave any marks. Only a lingering sensation in a certain place brought back fragmented memories as the water cascaded over her.
...
After changing into her pajamas, Yu Qingtang went to refill her water glass. Her eyes fell on an oil painting hanging on the living room wall – "Blizzard."
It was signed Cheng Mo.
Cheng Mo was a rising star in the art world, known for her oil paintings, though she also worked with charcoal and watercolor. She had gained recognition abroad first, her fame later spreading back to China. Yu Qingtang didn't know much about the artist, only a few details she'd picked up from a classmate who had accompanied her to an exhibition. She simply appreciated Cheng Mo's art, not the artist herself.
"Blizzard," painted last year, depicted a fishing boat battling a raging storm at sea under a dark, overcast sky. The mast was bent at a precarious angle, the boat teetering on the crest of a wave, its fate uncertain – would it be smashed to pieces in the next moment, or would it miraculously survive, eventually seeing the sun?
The colors were deep and restrained, masterfully applied, creating a powerful and dynamic image. Anyone standing before the painting couldn't help but be moved, feeling as though they were caught in the life-or-death struggle against the storm.
Yu Qingtang held her glass of water, gazing at the painting for a long time before chuckling self-deprecatingly and leaving the living room.
There was no escaping it. The blizzard would never cease.
Yu Qingtang had paid a hefty three million yuan for "Blizzard" at an auction in the capital. While not exactly struggling financially, the purchase had nearly depleted her savings. She wasn't usually so impulsive, but she had just learned of her arranged marriage to the Cheng family when she saw the painting, and overcome with a complex mix of emotions, she had bought it.
Perhaps it was a case of shared misfortune, empathizing with the struggling boat in the storm.
Only art could truly evoke such deep empathy.
Yu Qingtang had some unfinished business at school. The next day, she took a flight back to the capital. As she left the teachers' office, her phone rang.
Stepping into the shade, she answered, her voice cool and clear. "Second Uncle."
Second Uncle Wei's voice on the other end was cheerful. "Qingtang, would you like to come home? Grandfather is looking forward to seeing you."
Yu Qingtang suppressed a cynical smile. Lowering her eyes, she replied calmly, "Alright."
Second Uncle Wei: "We can also discuss your marriage then."
Yu Qingtang: "I'll leave it to your arrangements, Second Uncle."
Second Uncle Wei said hypocritically, "That won't do. We need your consent, of course."
Yu Qingtang glanced at the sun, blazing brightly overhead. It was 2 p.m., the hottest part of the day.
If she went to the Wei residence now, she could avoid dinner.
"I'll be there shortly." Yu Qingtang descended the steps and walked into the scorching sunlight.
Amidst the lush greenery in a quiet corner of the bustling city center stood a grand villa, the main residence of the Wei family.
Grandfather Wei was the head of the family. Over eighty years old, he was still sharp and energetic. He had four sons. Yu Qingtang's father was the third. The other branches of the family were flourishing and boisterous, while the third branch remained small. Yu Qingtang's mother had died from complications during childbirth, leaving only her father, Wei Tingyu, and Yu Qingtang herself.
Yu Qingtang had six older cousins from the first and second branches, making her the seventh grandchild.
She hadn't visited the Wei residence in a long time, so the security guard didn't recognize her, stopping her to register her name and calling the housekeeper for confirmation. After receiving a positive response, he gave Yu Qingtang a suspicious look before letting her pass.
A Wei family servant was sweeping the courtyard in front of the villa. Yu Qingtang tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and walked past without a glance.
The servant looked up, paused for a moment, then resumed sweeping the ground in front of Yu Qingtang, greeting her lazily, "Seventh Miss."
Dust from the broom rose, settling on Yu Qingtang's clean white shoes.
Yu Qingtang stepped aside, gave a quiet acknowledgement, and continued towards the entrance.
The sound of a car engine reached her ears. A black Maybach pulled up in front of the villa. Yu Qingtang didn't turn around, her pace unwavering.
The servant's respectful, fawning voice carried to her. "Ninth Miss, Twelfth Miss."
Wei Jiu narrowed her eyes, looking at the figure ahead.
The servant quickly offered a flattering remark, "Ninth Miss, that's the..."
He opened his mouth, then made exaggerated, nonsensical sounds, his expression comically over-the-top.
The innocent Wei Shier giggled.
Wei Jiu affectionately tapped her younger sister's nose and, looking at Yu Qingtang's retreating figure, called out mockingly, "Who's that? Oh, it's the mute coming home."
The cicadas buzzed incessantly in the summer heat.
Cheng Zhanxi dragged Yu Jianxing back to Zero Degrees, ignoring her friend's gossiping about the previous night, and headed straight for the back office.
Yu Jianxing was outgoing and sociable, having made friends with the bar owner during her time in Sicheng.
Cheng Zhanxi got straight to the point. "Last night, there was a woman sitting in the corner booth, wearing a bamboo green dress. She had a tear mole under her left eye and was very beautiful. Do you remember her?"
The bar owner, sitting across from her, replied, "Yes."
Beautiful women always attracted attention, especially for a lesbian bar owner who was a lesbian herself. In fact, the owner had even tried to chat with Yu Qingtang, but had been politely rebuffed.
"She comes here often," the bar owner said, thinking back. "I've seen her every time I've been here for the past three months or so."
Three months?
Wasn't that around the same time she'd arrived in Sicheng?
The bar owner added, "But I'm not here every day. I can ask the bartenders and servers who were on duty."
The bar's duty roster was easy to access. Everyone remembered Yu Qingtang vividly, having discussed the unusual customer amongst themselves. It didn't take long to confirm that she came almost every day, only absent for two or three days, presumably due to other commitments.
Cheng Zhanxi: "Did she ever accept anyone's invitation or leave with anyone else?"
Yu Qingtang had seemed very inexperienced last night, and there were other signs that led Cheng Zhanxi to believe it had been her first time. But that didn't mean much. Curiosity was the beginning of attraction, exploration its deepening. More than the act itself, Cheng Zhanxi wanted to understand her motivation.
The staff and the owner all shook their heads.
"Not that I recall. She always sits alone until about 10:30 p.m. and leaves very punctually. But I can't rule out the possibility that I missed something, with so many customers," the owner replied cautiously.
"Is she a local?"
"I'm afraid we don't know. We haven't seen her around before," the owner said apologetically.
Unable to glean any more information, Cheng Zhanxi thanked the bar owner and treated her to a meal.
For the next few days, Cheng Zhanxi spent her days painting in her studio and her evenings at Zero Degrees, hoping to run into Yu Qingtang again, but to no avail.
While disappointed, she was also somewhat relieved.
The weekend arrived before she knew it.
Cheng Zhanxi went to a local rock climbing gym. Yu Jianxing, her face a mask of misery, reluctantly put on the safety gear and harness, her legs trembling at the sight of the towering artificial rock wall.
Cheng Zhanxi's words brought her back to life.
"I've been going to Zero Degrees every night, and she hasn't shown up again."
Yu Jianxing perked up. "So, she hooked up with you and then stopped going to the bar?"
Cheng Zhanxi considered for a moment. "You could say that."
She tested her harness, applied chalk to her hands, and began her ascent. Without using ropes, she gripped, pulled, pushed, and climbed, her movements fluid and graceful, her slender, agile body clinging close to the wall like a nimble mountain goat.
A few young girls below, seemingly beginners, watched her effortless climb with awestruck whispers.
Cheng Zhanxi glanced back at them with a playful smile, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with charm.
The girls blushed, giggling and nudging each other.
Yu Jianxing, used to her friend's magnetic personality, called out, "Slow down!"
Cheng Zhanxi stopped and waited for Yu Jianxing to laboriously reach her level before continuing at a snail's pace to accommodate her.
Finding someone willing to climb with her in China wasn't easy.
Yu Jianxing said, "So, according to you, she sat in that bar for three months, not hooking up with anyone, then she went with you the first time you asked, and then she disappeared. Isn't that a little..." She winked at Cheng Zhanxi.
Cheng Zhanxi smiled.
After climbing a bit further, Cheng Zhanxi suddenly stopped, nibbling on her lower lip, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you think... she likes me?"
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