After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 36
Chapter 36
When Cheng Zhanxi stood up from her chair, she swayed unsteadily and had to steady herself by holding onto the desk.
Lost in thought, she returned to her desk only to find her chair missing.
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
Was even the chair conspiring against her?!
Just then, Yu Qingtang pushed her forgotten chair over, head bowed, placing it back in its original position. She quickly glanced at Cheng Zhanxi before lowering her eyes again, feeling inexplicably guilty, and said in a whisper, "Ms. Cheng, your chair."
Cheng Zhanxi's mind was in turmoil, but she still managed to reply gently, "Thank you, Ms. Yu."
Yu Qingtang didn't dare look up at her and replied even more softly, "You're welcome."
Cheng Zhanxi sat behind her desk, replaying every detail in her mind over and over again.
After a long moment, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sent Yu Qingtang a message.
[Ms. Yu, are you really just slightly face-blind?]
Yu Qingtang gazed at the soul-searching question on her phone, falling into deep thought for a moment before replying:
[I didn’t need to remember people before, so I assumed that I was.]
Cheng Zhanxi sent her a meme.
[[Cheng mode collapse.jpg]]
When Yu Qingtang looked back at Cheng Zhanxi, she was lying on the table, her face buried in her arms, motionless, seemingly devastated.
Yu Qingtang uneasily pressed her lips together.
Cheng Zhanxi stayed like that until school ended. In the middle, overwhelmed by sadness, she decided to take a nap.
When the dismissal bell rang, Yu Qingtang turned off her computer, sat in her seat, and stared blankly at the back of Cheng Zhanxi’s head.
The gaze from behind was so focused and intense that Cheng Zhanxi slowly turned her face back, resting it on her arms, and locked eyes with Yu Qingtang.
Yu Qingtang's lips relaxed slightly, as if trying to force a smile.
Although the attempt failed, Cheng Zhanxi’s worries vanished completely.
"Ms. Yu," she rested her chin on her hand, looking at her in this posture, her eyes sparkling and her smile radiant.
Yu Qingtang’s cheeks heated slightly.
"Shall I treat you to dinner?"
"Do you think one dinner can mend my broken heart?"
"How much do you want?"
"At least a semester’s worth."
"..."
"Just kidding, how gullible are you?"
Yu Qingtang looked at her, her thin lips moving, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Yu Qingtang thought to herself: You’re the first person to call me gullible.
She locked her drawer, stood up, and said, "Let’s go eat."
"What should we eat?" Cheng Zhanxi quickly tidied her desk, and Yu Qingtang was already standing in front of her: "I’m apologizing, so you decide what to eat."
Cheng Zhanxi pretended to think for a moment, then said, "I want hot pot."
Yu Qingtang furrowed her brows, seemingly reluctant, but still lowered her eyes and softly agreed: "Alright."
A moment later, she hesitantly raised her eyes and asked, "What about tonight’s evening study session…?"
Cheng Zhanxi reached out and grabbed her wrist, saying, "They’ve all submitted a petition to the school. Can’t you be angry for once? Give those brats a little lesson. Besides, tonight isn’t your evening study session anyway, why would you go?"
"But…"
"No buts, listen to me."
"...Fine."
As Yu Qingtang uttered these two words, a trace of hidden rebellion surged within her, bringing an odd sense of relief.
Delighted, Cheng Zhanxi led her toward the faculty parking lot, imagining Yu Qingtang sitting on the backseat of her motorcycle, tightly hugging her waist, cruising through the streets under the sunset. Halfway there, she realized she’d only brought one helmet, regretted it deeply, and decided to hail a taxi instead.
No. 1 High School wasn’t far from downtown, and it was rush hour. Cheng Zhanxi opened her ride-hailing app, which showed a ten-minute wait time.
She showed her phone to Yu Qingtang: "Shall we walk instead?"
Yu Qingtang, hands in her pockets, indicated no problem.
As they walked, Cheng Zhanxi chatted casually.
"Ms. Yu, have you ever eaten hot pot?"
"Yes."
Cheng Zhanxi looked at her, and Yu Qingtang added: "I ate it in college."
"Often?"
"Rarely." Yu Qingtang disliked sitting around a steaming hot pot with many people, chopsticks fishing around in the pot, loud conversations buzzing around the table.
Cheng Zhanxi raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself as expected.
Yu Qingtang’s aloof nature likely meant she rarely participated in hot pot gatherings.
The commercial district was always bustling. As the sun set, the traffic flowed like golden dragons.
When the red light at the intersection turned green, Cheng Zhanxi naturally held Yu Qingtang’s wrist and crossed the road with her. Amidst the peak-hour crowd, Cheng Zhanxi leaned closer to Yu Qingtang while holding her hand tightly. The faint scent of wood emanated from the woman, with base notes of vetiver, amber, and sandalwood—rich, warm, soft, and enduring.
...Ms. Cheng changed her perfume again, and it’s seasonal too.
Yu Qingtang subtly tilted her head, discreetly inhaling Cheng Zhanxi’s pleasant fragrance.
"Why are there so many people?" Cheng Zhanxi looked at the packed waiting area, where people were continuously picking up numbers at the reception. She turned back to Yu Qingtang with an apologetic smile and said, "It’ll probably take a long time. Should we eat something else?"
Yu Qingtang: "If you want to eat hot pot, we’ll wait."
Her expression was neutral, her voice calm, but Cheng Zhanxi felt sweetness in her heart.
She almost started imagining a mutual-love scenario, with Yu Qingtang being insincere, but the painful conversation from earlier pulled her back to reality.
Cheng Zhanxi told Yu Qingtang to wait while she went to the reception to get a number.
When she left, Yu Qingtang remained exactly as she was, like an obedient child listening to their parents.
Cheng Zhanxi: "Got it."
Yu Qingtang glanced at the ticket Cheng Zhanxi handed to her; there were still over ten tables ahead of them.
Cheng Zhanxi: "At least half an hour. Shall we wander around the mall?"
Yu Qingtang gave her a composed glance.
Cheng Zhanxi promptly rephrased: "Let’s wait here then."
Yu Qingtang’s patience was nearly depleted. She shouldn’t push her luck.
One table went in, and the two took their previous seats to wait. Yu Qingtang maintained her usual silence, while Cheng Zhanxi didn’t keep talking and instead took out her phone to busy herself with something.
As Cheng Zhanxi quieted down, Yu Qingtang couldn’t help but sneak glances at her from the corner of her eye.
Today, Cheng Zhanxi wore a white shirt paired with a light-colored vest and khaki casual trousers. Her profile was exquisitely refined and profound, her legs naturally crossed, her posture upright even while sitting, revealing an air of grace and elegance. Deep down, she possessed the free-spiritedness of an artist.
The calling of numbers at the reception brought Yu Qingtang back to reality. She uncomfortably pursed her lips, suddenly feeling like a thief caught in the act.
She stealthily glanced at Cheng Zhanxi, who seemed not to have noticed?
Yu Qingtang’s slightly faster-than-usual heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
Cheng Zhanxi switched the leg she was resting from the left to the right and suddenly curved her lips into a gentle smile.
After an indeterminate amount of time...
"Number 65!"
Cheng Zhanxi stood up: "Coming."
By this time, there were even more people than when they first arrived. Initially unnoticed in the corner, now stepping forward, whispers of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
Even after they entered, some people secretly took pictures of their backs.
"Are there truly fairies in this world?"
"We’re all eating hot pot, how come others look like that, while I look so plain? It must be that I don't deserve it."
"I wonder which table they’re sitting at, let’s go and bump into them inside."
"They obviously make a couple, and both are equally beautiful. Let’s not bother them."
"Who said I meant that? It’s nice to look at such beautiful young women for a bit longer!"
The server led Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang to their seats and poured tea for them. Sneaking a glance at Cheng Zhanxi, who sat on the outer side with rosy lips and porcelain-white teeth, the server spoke politely but with a hint of restraint: "You may scan the QR code at the corner of the table to place your order."
"Thank you."
Naturally, Cheng Zhanxi picked up her phone to scan the code, but Yu Qingtang said: "Let me do it."
Cheng Zhanxi smiled: "I forgot."
Resting her chin on her hand, she looked across at the woman, her eyes shining brightly like stars.
Yu Qingtang concentrated on ordering, not noticing her gaze.
The water in the teacup overflowed, spilling onto the table.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cheng Zhanxi noticed, tapped the table lightly with her knuckles, and gently reminded with a smile: "Hello?"
The server snapped out of it, hurriedly put down the teapot, apologized repeatedly, and wiped away the water with a tissue.
"Sorry."
"It’s okay."
The server flushed red and left.
Yu Qingtang witnessed this scene, her brows arching slightly, and said lightly: "Ms. Cheng is beloved by everyone."
Cheng Zhanxi implied meaningfully: "But I only like the person I like."
Yu Qingtang didn’t continue the topic and handed her the phone.
"See if there’s anything else you want to add."
Cheng Zhanxi looked at the items Yu Qingtang had ordered—the most classic hot pot dishes: tripe, goose intestines, duck blood, yellow throat, tender beef, etc. Estimating their appetites, Cheng Zhanxi thought it was about right. Flipping to the beverage page, she asked: "Ms. Yu, can you handle spicy food?"
They had ordered medium spice, and Cheng Zhanxi had seen reviews on a food app saying the spiciness here was quite strong.
"I can handle a bit."
Cheng Zhanxi added sour plum juice, and Yu Qingtang placed the order.
The two went together to the self-service condiment station.
Cheng Zhanxi liked beef sauce, adding a bit of mushrooms, garlic, scallions, sesame oil, oyster sauce...
Bright colors, full flavors.
Cheng Zhanxi skillfully mixed her sauce and noticed that Yu Qingtang’s plate only had sesame oil with a few lonely scallions floating on top. Her hand was hesitatingly reaching for the spoon in the garlic bowl.
The last time Yu Qingtang stepped into a hot pot restaurant was five or six years ago—it was a copper hot pot in the capital, not this kind of spicy hot pot. The sauces at the condiment station were varied, and recognizing them alone took effort. She wasn’t sure how to mix them to make them taste good.
"Ms. Yu," Cheng Zhanxi’s clear and gentle voice suddenly came from beside her, "I have a secret recipe for sauce. Would you like to try it?"
Yu Qingtang looked at her.
Naturally, Cheng Zhanxi took her plate and mixed the same sauce for her.
"If you don’t like it, I’ll change it for you."
Yu Qingtang murmured softly in acknowledgment.
Cheng Zhanxi prepared two servings of sauce and then went to get ice cream—two bowls.
Cheng Zhanxi’s bowl had milk and chocolate flavors, while Yu Qingtang’s had four flavors, including taro and mango.
"I don’t know what you like, so I scooped a little bit of everything."
"Thank you." Yu Qingtang pursed her lips, feeling somewhat apologetic, but with Cheng Zhanxi’s teacup already full, she had no chance to offer pouring service.
The hot pot restaurant was crowded, and the pot base took a while to arrive. Cheng Zhanxi ate the ice cream scoop by scoop with a small spoon. Sure, the store’s self-service ice cream wasn’t as good as what she had at home, but Cheng Zhanxi didn’t care much for gourmet food—whether luxurious delicacies or simple fare, she enjoyed every bite, signaling with her eyes for Yu Qingtang to eat as well.
Yu Qingtang slowly picked up her small spoon, scooped a tiny bit of ice cream, and the refreshing mango flavor melted on her tongue, making her shiver slightly.
Cheng Zhanxi chuckled softly.
Yu Qingtang put down her spoon.
Pleasingly, Cheng Zhanxi coaxed her gently: "I’m sorry, have another bite."
Yu Qingtang didn’t know whether to pick up the spoon or not.
If she did, it would seem like she was sulking over this small matter, but if she didn’t, it would be even pettier.
Just then, the waiter arrived with the steaming hot red broth, relieving Yu Qingtang’s awkwardness.
Yu Qingtang used the communal chopsticks to drop a few slices of tender beef into the pot, strictly following the cooking times listed on the menu. When the time was up, she fished them out and placed them into Cheng Zhanxi’s bowl, surprising her greatly.
Then came goose intestines, tripe, yellow throat…
"Ms-, Ms. Yu."
"Hmm?"
"I can manage myself, my bowl is full."
"Okay."
Yu Qingtang placed a cooked piece of tripe into her own bowl, dipped it in the special sauce Cheng Zhanxi had prepared for her, and brought it to her mouth.
"How is it?" Cheng Zhanxi watched her expectantly.
"Mm." Yu Qingtang paused and added, "Not bad."
Cheng Zhanxi noticed her slight inhalation and said: "Let me prepare another oil-based dipping sauce for you; it will help with the spiciness."
Before Yu Qingtang could respond, Cheng Zhanxi had already left.
Yu Qingtang had overestimated her ability to handle spiciness. This place was indeed very spicy, and she drank most of the sour plum juice. Her lips turned a striking crimson, her face flushed like peach blossoms, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her pale forehead. She kept instinctively inhaling as she ate.
Cheng Zhanxi couldn’t help but relax her brows and suppress a laugh.
Yu Qingtang usually dressed modestly and reservedly, often making others overlook her youthful appearance. Her skin was as smooth as a freshly peeled egg yolk, her eyebrows like ink drawings, her eyes like autumn waves. Compared to recent graduates, she was no less charming. The tear mole at the corner of her upturned eyes added a natural allure.
Now, sweating from eating hot pot, she had taken off her trench coat and draped it on the side. Her gray-blue shirt was loosely unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to her forearms. Her cheeks were pink beneath the white, youthful and vibrant.
This wasn’t Yu Jiejie—this was clearly Yu Meimei.
After finishing the hot pot, Yu Qingtang went to pay the bill, while Cheng Zhanxi stood behind her, draping Yu Qingtang’s coat over her arm.
After settling the bill, Yu Qingtang turned back to speak to her: "Alright, let’s go." Her lips were still red and unusually plump, opening and closing, revealing a soft, bright red tongue inside.
Cheng Zhanxi’s gaze darkened slightly, and she subtly shifted her eyes away.
Yu Qingtang reached out to retrieve her trench coat from Cheng Zhanxi’s arm, putting it on but leaving it unbuttoned. Her gray-blue shirt remained as it was, exposing her delicate collarbone. Her face was still youthful, but her demeanor had changed completely from before—intellectual, elegant, with a touch of rare gentleness and clarity.
Switching seamlessly between younger and older sister roles without any sense of incongruity.
Leaving the mall, the two headed home separately.
Cheng Zhanxi washed away the smell of hot pot and repeatedly replayed scenes from the evening in her mind, each one stirring her emotions immensely.
She buried her face in her pillow, tossing and turning on the bed.
The more she learned about Yu Qingtang, the more she wanted to get closer to her, to possess all of her. This desire hadn’t faded with the end of the mutual-love scenario; instead, it grew stronger and more overwhelming.
Before sleeping, Yu Qingtang lay in bed and scrolled through the photos she’d secretly taken of the hot pot while Cheng Zhanxi wasn’t around. The two dipping sauces received prominent close-ups.
Yu Qingtang flipped through them one by one, fully aware that she hadn’t captured Cheng Zhanxi in the photos. Still, she couldn’t resist zooming in to search for details, hoping to catch a glimpse of her shadow.
After viewing them all, her finger hovered over the delete button in the bottom-right corner for several seconds before slowly retreating.
...I’ll delete them after Ms. Cheng leaves Sicheng.
Yu Qingtang placed her phone back on the bedside table, turned off the light, and closed her eyes.
Cheng Zhanxi dreamed last night, and the dream was filled with Yu Qingtang. When the alarm clock rang in the morning, she couldn’t bear to wake up. Closing her eyes again, she continued the beautiful dream, spending intimate moments with Yu Qingtang in her sleep.
As a result, she woke up late but not too late—just in time for the first class.
When Cheng Zhanxi stepped into the office, she sensed a subtle atmosphere.
Teacher Wen Zhihan was cornering Yu Qingtang at her desk, speaking to her with a stern expression.
The few other teachers present were busy with their tasks. Cheng Zhanxi approached, and Wen Zhihan’s voice lowered appropriately, allowing her to hear only fragments of a sentence:
"You...don’t need to...not worth it...waste of time..."
Yu Qingtang didn’t respond, which was expected by Cheng Zhanxi.
She passed Wen Zhihan and saw Cheng Zhanxi entering. She nodded at her.
Cheng Zhanxi said: "Good morning."
She also greeted Wen Zhihan’s back: "Good morning, Teacher Wen."
Wen Zhihan turned around, forcing a polite smile: "Good morning."
Yu Qingtang spoke indifferently: "I need to prepare my lessons."
Wen Zhihan retreated and suddenly turned her head to look at Cheng Zhanxi, asking: "Does Ms. Cheng have a moment?"
Cheng Zhanxi pointed at herself in disbelief.
Wen Zhihan nodded.
Cheng Zhanxi anticipated the reason and gestured outside with her chin: "Let’s talk outside."
The two went behind the teaching building, where tall trees stood, the air fresh. The meeting of the two rivals appeared exceptionally friendly on the surface.
Wen Zhihan: "I didn’t have classes yesterday and wasn’t at school. I only heard about Class Seven’s joint complaint today."
Cheng Zhanxi responded indifferently: "So?"
Wen Zhihan cut straight to the chase, revealing a sharp edge: "Her personality isn’t suited for teaching. She should be in a research institute with like-minded people studying mathematics, not wasting her youth here and being hurt by a bunch of immature children."
"And your purpose in asking me here is?"
"To persuade her to resign and pursue a Ph.D. abroad."
"What makes you think I’ll do as you say?"
"Because you like her."
Cheng Zhanxi laughed: "Am I that obvious?"
Wen Zhihan, in no mood for jokes, said seriously: "Ms. Cheng, we both know our feelings. If you can convince her to leave secondary education and further her studies, I promise I won’t appear before her anymore." She continued, "My main purpose in coming to teach alongside her wasn’t to pursue her. If it were possible, we would’ve been together during our years as classmates. As a friend, I can’t stand idly by while she stagnates here."
Cheng Zhanxi’s smile gradually faded.
She paused for a moment and asked: "Why did she choose to become a teacher? Did she tell you?"
Wen Zhihan shook her head: "No."
Would she have used such a clumsy method to chase her if she knew?
Cheng Zhanxi tightened her lips and said: "Sorry, I can’t follow your advice."
Wen Zhihan was puzzled: "Why? You know she isn’t happy here. Right now, you’re the only one who can persuade her."
Cheng Zhanxi automatically ignored the first part of her statement and asked curiously: "Why only me?"
Wen Zhihan replied: "You’re the first person she has treated differently."
Cheng Zhanxi beamed: "Tell me more?"
Wen Zhihan: "..."
Was this person shameless now?
Cheng Zhanxi carried her shamelessness to the fullest extent, learning about Yu Qingtang from ages 20 to 27 from Wen Zhihan—a solitary individual whose life was as stagnant as a still pond, devoid of ripples. Not only was she unhappy at school, but she had never been happy.
Cheng Zhanxi didn’t believe changing environments would make Yu Qingtang happy. The root cause wasn’t external; it was within herself.
Even if she quit today and changed jobs, she would likely continue living mechanically, in a state of neither joy nor sorrow, desire nor demand.
Wen Zhihan wasn’t incapable of understanding Cheng Zhanxi’s words, but she disagreed: "How do you know unless you try?"
Cheng Zhanxi countered: "It’s her life, and she decides. Neither you nor I have the right to make that decision."
Wen Zhihan was left speechless.
Cheng Zhanxi cleared her throat and said: "By the way, you mentioned she treats me differently. Any specific examples?"
Rival radar was sometimes sharper than one’s own senses. Cheng Zhanxi felt the mutual-love script she had torn apart yesterday might be salvageable.
Class Seven’s third period this morning was math.
During the second-period break, Cheng Zhanxi flooded Yu Qingtang’s chat interface with memes of "Cheng mode heart.jpg," worrying to the point of sweaty palms. Yu Qingtang appeared much calmer, picking up her textbook as the preparatory bell rang.
"Ms. Yu—" Cheng Zhanxi called out to her.
Yu Qingtang turned her head.
Cheng Zhanxi earnestly said: "If you ever feel unhappy, you can always come back. I’ll be right here waiting for you."
Yu Qingtang nodded: "Alright."
Though she verbally agreed, Cheng Zhanxi believed she wouldn’t return. With her delayed reactions, today’s unhappiness would likely only register tomorrow, and before it could overwhelm her, she’d process it quickly.
However, Cheng Zhanxi couldn’t always stay by her side. She could be her support when tired, but she couldn’t guide her step by step.
After Yu Qingtang left, Cheng Zhanxi became restless, pacing back and forth. The forty-five-minute class dragged on endlessly in the office.
The tiles on the office floor were practically worn down by her footsteps. Finally, the dismissal bell rang.
Cheng Zhanxi rushed to the door in an instant, eagerly awaiting.
Nearly all the teachers had returned, but Yu Qingtang was nowhere to be seen.
After a long while.
Yu Qingtang’s slender figure came into view, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, graceful like jade and bamboo. She carried a large bouquet of flowers in her arms and approached Cheng Zhanxi at the doorway.
The two silently walked in together, drawing astonished stares from the other teachers as they proceeded to the innermost desk.
Cheng Zhanxi looked at the flowers, then at her.
Yu Qingtang also looked down at the flowers, then at her face, and handed them over with both hands.
Cheng Zhanxi: ??? Rounding up, this is practically a marriage proposal!!
Comments
Post a Comment