After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 111
Chapter 111
The goldfish blew bubbles in the tank, swimming round and round out of sheer boredom.
The afternoon was lazy and tranquil. Light streamed in through the window, and tiny specks of light floated in the air, casting a hazy golden edge on Cheng Zhanxi's profile.
Yu Qingtang wrung her hands, looking at Cheng Zhanxi, who was calm and composed, occasionally casting a reassuring glance her way. She found it increasingly difficult to remain calm.
She sat in this house where she had lived for over twenty years, feeling as if she were the one about to meet the parents.
The sunlight shifted inch by inch across the floor. The little goldfish, hidden beneath the waterweeds, had fallen asleep, its tail fin erect, its gill covers fanning slowly and rhythmically.
Creak—
It suddenly woke up, causing ripples to spread across the bottom of the fish tank.
Fang Wenjiao pushed her grandfather's wheelchair, stopping at the doorway, dumbfounded as she watched Yu Qingtang suddenly stand up.
Fang Wenjiao had just opened the door, and before she could clearly see who was in the living room, Yu Qingtang shot up—not stood, but sprang, like a spring.
Fang Wenjiao was startled.
“Is... something the matter?”
Her attention was completely drawn to Yu Qingtang; she didn't even notice the chestnut-colored head of hair on the sofa, its back to her.
A trace of embarrassment flickered across Yu Qingtang's face; she didn't know what to say.
Since Yu Qingtang had stood up, Cheng Zhanxi had no choice but to follow suit, politely greeting them, “Grandfather, Grandma, hello.”
She was perfectly serious, and Fang Wenjiao replied earnestly, “Hello.”
The stern grandfather nodded and said, “Please sit.”
Cheng Zhanxi sat down as told, calmly adjusting her collar and cuffs.
Grandfather looked at Yu Qingtang, who was still standing there, and frowned slightly. “You sit too.”
Yu Qingtang didn't sit. She went to the kitchen to pour water for the two elders.
Fang Wenjiao: “?”
Grandfather glanced at his wife.
Fang Wenjiao withdrew her gaze from Yu Qingtang's retreating figure and said apologetically to Cheng Zhanxi, “We were taking an afternoon nap earlier, so our hospitality has been lacking. Why didn't you go upstairs to play with Momo?”
Though she was a grown young woman, in the eyes of the elderly, she was still a child.
Cheng Zhanxi said, “I came specifically to see you both today.”
The old house wasn't large. Cheng Zhanxi didn't deliberately lower her voice, so what was said in the living room could be heard in the kitchen. Yu Qingtang looked at the two glasses of water she had poured, her cheeks flushing slightly. She didn't bring the water out, listening silently.
Fang Wenjiao and Grandfather exchanged a glance.
Grandfather took over the conversation, his voice naturally authoritative. “Is there something you want to tell us?”
“Yes.” Cheng Zhanxi's attitude was humble. She looked at them seriously and said, each word clear, “Grandfather, Grandma, Yu Qingtang and I are dating. We are dating with the intention of getting married.”
Cheng Zhanxi didn't necessarily have to add the last sentence, but that was what she truly felt in her heart; the words she spoke didn't even convey one ten-thousandth of her inner feelings.
If possible, she wanted to propose marriage today.
“We are dating with the intention of getting married.”
Yu Qingtang lowered her gaze to her toes, the tips of her ears bright red.
Who—who said they were dating with the intention of getting married? How could she make such a decision on her own?
But...
Yu Qingtang bit her lower lip lightly. Wisps of sweetness enveloped her heart, making her eyes and brows dance, like wintersweet blossoms on a branch shaking off the first snow—stunningly beautiful.
There was silence in the living room for a long time.
Did Grandfather and Grandma not approve?
Yu Qingtang couldn't help but quietly peek from the kitchen doorway.
Just as she saw the figures in the living room, Fang Wenjiao called out in her direction, “Momo.”
Yu Qingtang turned back, picked up the water glasses, and, feigning composure, placed them on the coffee table in front of the two elders.
Fang Wenjiao didn't ask her why she had stayed in the kitchen for so long, only said, “What are your thoughts?”
Yu Qingtang felt a little shy, so she feigned ignorance despite understanding, and whispered, “What thoughts about what?”
Fang Wenjiao glanced at Cheng Zhanxi, who was still smiling, and said, “Didn't you hear what she just said in the kitchen?”
How was Yu Qingtang supposed to answer that? Say that she heard Cheng Zhanxi's confession?
That was too embarrassing.
So she mumbled an affirmative, meaning she had heard.
The previous engagement had been a farce. Fang Wenjiao didn't want Cheng Zhanxi's involvement to also end up as a farce; it needed to be laid out clearly.
She said to Cheng Zhanxi, “Repeat what you just said to us to Momo.”
Yu Qingtang was mortified. The word “Don't!” rushed to her throat. She opened her mouth and frantically signaled to Cheng Zhanxi with her eyes.
Cheng Zhanxi received the signal, looked into Yu Qingtang's eyes, and said word by word, “Yu Qingtang and I are dating. We are dating with the intention of getting married. I like her.”
Not only did she say it, but she added an extra sentence.
Yu Qingtang's ears buzzed, and her mind went blank for a moment.
Fang Wenjiao and Grandfather saw her face turn as red as a steamed shrimp and instantly understood.
Cheng Zhanxi pulled the mentally rebooting Yu Qingtang to sit beside her, took her hand, and said to the two elders, “I am serious. Please give us your blessing.”
What was there to bless or not bless? If this continued, Yu Qingtang would soon be so embarrassed she'd burrow into Cheng Zhanxi's arms.
Having received permission, Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang went upstairs.
Fang Wenjiao watched their backs disappear up the stairs, then looked at Grandfather, who had had the final say.
Fang Wenjiao said, “Why do I feel like Xiao Cheng came to propose marriage?”
Grandfather hummed ambiguously. “Proposing marriage on the first meeting? There's no such easy thing.”
Fang Wenjiao smiled. “Look at you. When you arranged Momo's engagement before, you didn't react this strongly.”
Grandfather said, full of self-righteousness, “How can that be the same?”
The Capital City was far away, and far removed from their lives. The Wei family, Wei Tingyu, the marriage Wei Tingyu had chosen for Yu Qingtang—essentially, the two of them had no say in it, only the right to be informed. Wei Tingyu made the decision, Yu Qingtang didn't object, and so the matter was settled. They rarely brought it up. Yu Qingtang had a solitary nature and hadn't been close to them since childhood. Initially, the two elders inevitably harbored some resentment due to their daughter's affairs. Later, they came to terms with it, but various factors had already become fixed, leading to many years of a lukewarm relationship between grandparents and granddaughter.
In the past six months, Yu Qingtang's changes had been obvious. She got along well with her uncle, aunt, and the children, gradually integrating into the family.
Grandparents and granddaughter were, after all, family. How could they not worry about the marriage of their only granddaughter who was close by?
Fang Wenjiao suddenly stood up and strode quickly in one direction.
Grandfather: “Where are you going?”
Fang Wenjiao said hurriedly, “I'm going to offer incense to A-Ci and tell her the good news.”
Before her words faded, the curtain had fallen, concealing her figure behind it in the memorial hall.
Three sticks of incense smoke curled upwards, lingering before the black and white photo frame.
Yu Ci's lips were slightly curved, gently gazing upon the world.
As soon as they entered the bedroom, Yu Qingtang pinched Cheng Zhanxi's side.
Cheng Zhanxi hissed softly and quickly hugged Yu Qingtang before she could move away.
Yu Qingtang: “You...”
Just as she uttered one word, Cheng Zhanxi quickly coaxed, “I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong. I was really wrong.”
Yu Qingtang kept a straight face. “Where were you wrong?”
Cheng Zhanxi said seriously, “I shouldn't have said I liked you in front of Grandfather and Grandma. I should have said it to you alone. I was too forward.”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Actually, that was indeed the reason. Cheng Zhanxi had been too bold. Her ears gradually grew hot.
Cheng Zhanxi had hit the nail on the head by chance this time. Seeing Yu Qingtang's shyness, she widened her eyes in surprise and said, “Was I right?”
A woman couldn't be exposed like that. Cheng Zhanxi's emotional intelligence temporarily went offline, and the consequence was Yu Qingtang becoming angry from embarrassment, trying to break free from her embrace. Yu Qingtang's strength was directly proportional to her kissing skills—though the improvement was minimal, Cheng Zhanxi was afraid of hurting her and didn't dare use too much force.
Yu Qingtang: “Let go... Mmph!”
Just as Yu Qingtang's hand pushed against Cheng Zhanxi's shoulder, she was overcome by the soft sweetness that invaded her lips and teeth, leaving her limp and weak.
The exclamation caught in her throat changed tone, turning into a low, ambiguous moan.
Yu Qingtang's fingers uncurled and then clenched, gripping the fabric of Cheng Zhanxi's shoulder.
The wet, deep kiss ended. Yu Qingtang almost forgot her own name, let alone what she had been angry about just moments before.
Yu Qingtang hugged Cheng Zhanxi's neck.
Cheng Zhanxi said, “Come up.”
Yu Qingtang hesitated for a moment, then clung to her like a koala on a eucalyptus tree.
Cheng Zhanxi supported her waist and hips, carrying her to sit on the chair by the desk, without putting her down.
The laptop was in standby mode. Cheng Zhanxi moved the mouse, and the screen lit up, requiring a password to unlock.
Yu Qingtang didn't speak, reaching for the keyboard.
chengyu.
After typing these pinyin letters, she looked at Cheng Zhanxi, who understandingly averted her gaze.
Yu Qingtang covered her hand as she typed 1314, her heart pounding. “Okay.”
Cheng Zhanxi looked at the email interface on the computer screen, not closely examining the math teaching content, and asked, “Have you been working all this time?”
Yu Qingtang brushed it off, “Mm.”
Cheng Zhanxi kissed her. “My baby has worked hard. What reward do you want?”
Reward? Was there an extra reward for her regular work?
Yu Qingtang didn't open her mouth, but her blinking eyes were speaking.
Cheng Zhanxi, never one to mince words, said, “Your reward is to top me tonight.”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
She silently lowered her gaze.
If there was anything Cheng Zhanxi was dissatisfied with in her current blissful life, it was not being completely satisfied at night. Although it was fine for her to be the top, Yu Qingtang couldn't always be the bottom. She had topped a hundred times, and Yu Qingtang hadn't topped even once.
Pillow princess Yu Qingtang, who was all heart but no action, who fell asleep right after, Yu Qingtang the pillow princess.
And according to her observations, Yu Qingtang not only didn't want to, but also didn't dare to.
With the lights on, she didn't even dare to look at Cheng Zhanxi, a stark contrast to when the lights were off. It once made Cheng Zhanxi wonder if there was something about her that Yu Qingtang couldn't look at directly. What game was this? Xu Xian and Lady White Snake? Did turning on the lights mean revealing her true form?
“I... I'll try my best.” Yu Qingtang's voice lacked any confidence.
That evening, Cheng Zhanxi couldn't refuse their warm hospitality and stayed for dinner in the old district. Afterwards, they took a walk before heading home together.
Yu Qingtang prepared the materials for the next day in the study. When she returned to the bedroom and didn't see Cheng Zhanxi, she detoured to the art studio. She glanced at the sign on the door; it wasn't the “Do Not Disturb” side. She raised her hand and knocked.
Cheng Zhanxi's voice came from inside, “Come in.”
Yu Qingtang pushed the door open and entered. Cheng Zhanxi was tidying the art studio; all the paintings of Yu Qingtang were placed in conspicuous spots.
Not long after they officially got together, Yu Qingtang was invited by Cheng Zhanxi into this art studio and learned why Cheng Zhanxi had previously declined to let her in.
An entire wall was covered with her.
Her walking into the rain and mist, her looking back under a rainbow, her standing under the school's kapok tree holding lesson plans, her surrounded by her lover and students celebrating her birthday—front views, side views, back views, sad, happy, laughing—painting after painting. Being there, love was everywhere.
Cheng Zhanxi hugged her from behind, resting her chin on Yu Qingtang's shoulder, kissing her cheeks and temples with light, gentle pecks.
Yu Qingtang had once thought that her relationship with Cheng Zhanxi would lead to even greater anxiety about potential loss—the happier she was, the more she feared losing it. But Cheng Zhanxi never gave her that chance.
Her love was like the sun, moon, and stars—taking turns, eternally bright through the long night.
Under her radiance, Yu Qingtang, this barren land, slowly sprouted new shoots. The green grass on the hillside swayed gently.
She would still wonder if she was worthy of her, but waking from a dream in the middle of the night, seeing Cheng Zhanxi sleeping soundly beside her, she would lean in to kiss her lips, feel her warm breath on her face, and know that this question was meaningless. She could never leave Cheng Zhanxi in this lifetime.
Cheng Zhanxi had just hung a painting when a pair of hands wrapped around her waist. Cheng Zhanxi lowered her head, her palm covering the woman's jade-like hand.
Yu Qingtang pressed her face against her back.
Cheng Zhanxi didn't speak, gently patting the back of her hand.
Yu Qingtang hugged her quietly for a while, then suddenly lifted her head and said, “Why are you so tall?”
Cheng Zhanxi: “Huh?”
Yu Qingtang, still hugging her waist, moved to her front and said plaintively, “When you hug me, you can rest your chin on my shoulder. When I hug you, I can only press against your back.”
Cheng Zhanxi was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
The height difference was natural; there was nothing she could do about it.
Yu Qingtang said, “I want to too.”
Cheng Zhanxi cooperatively bent her knees. Yu Qingtang hugged her again, easily resting her chin in the hollow of Cheng Zhanxi's shoulder, kissed the woman's ear, and said with satisfaction, “There.”
Cheng Zhanxi straightened up, instantly towering over her again.
Yu Qingtang looked up at her and sighed again.
Cheng Zhanxi was immensely amused.
Yu Qingtang's eyes also curved into crescents.
After she helped Cheng Zhanxi tidy the art studio, Cheng Zhanxi bent down, princess-carried her back to the room, and without pausing, went straight into the bathroom.
Water covered the floor of the shower room. Yu Qingtang's face was buried deep in Cheng Zhanxi's neck, her eyelashes dotted with hazy mist, her expression one of forbearance.
The water kept flowing.
Steam filled the entire glass enclosure.
Yu Qingtang lay exhausted on the bed. Cheng Zhanxi wrapped her in a large bath towel and gently dried the water from her skin. Yu Qingtang closed her eyes, about to sleep, but Cheng Zhanxi helped her up to blow-dry her hair.
Yu Qingtang buried her face in Cheng Zhanxi's embrace, letting her do as she pleased, just like in the bathroom.
After tidying up Yu Qingtang, the clock ticked towards half-past ten.
Not too late, they could go again.
She turned off the lights, held Yu Qingtang, and had her prop herself up above her.
Kissing, then... then... and again...
Ah.
More than ten minutes later, Yu Qingtang grabbed her wrist. Every pore in her body was urgently conveying the same message: Fuck me.
Cheng Zhanxi, breathing rapidly, felt a rush of heat to her head, and then...
Mm.
Dawn broke.
Cheng Zhanxi left a note saying she was going for a morning run.
Yu Qingtang wasn't used to morning exercise yet, so Cheng Zhanxi still had to go out to exercise alone.
When she returned, Yu Qingtang was still asleep. Cheng Zhanxi took out the note, wrote a new one, and tucked it into her palm. Cheng Zhanxi opened a drawer, cleared out two empty pink boxes—there were still four boxes left; she had restocked last week. Next to the pink boxes was a small wooden box belonging to Yu Qingtang. It was never locked, but Cheng Zhanxi respected her privacy and had never opened it.
But today, the lid of that exquisite small wooden box was half open, and it didn't look like it was accidentally left unclosed, but rather deliberately opened.
If it were anyone else, Cheng Zhanxi might have just closed it, but with Yu Qingtang, there was a precedent.
After they got together, Cheng Zhanxi changed her phone's lock screen, home screen, and chat backgrounds all to pictures of Yu Qingtang or photos of them together. Yu Qingtang had changed hers too, but she didn't say so, keeping it hidden. Cheng Zhanxi respected her in every way, so she never looked at her phone and would even avert her gaze when she saw Yu Qingtang using it, making it impossible to find out.
To this end, Yu Qingtang had tried setting an alarm to go off in the living room when she happened to be away. Cheng Zhanxi would turn off the alarm for her and ask if she had set it for something important, or if she needed a reminder, but she never asked for the lock screen password.
Later, she came up with an idea: she left her phone in the living room again, but before leaving, she sent a message to Xiang Tianyou. That boy, Xiang Tianyou, naturally replied quickly. Cheng Zhanxi said her phone screen lit up. Yu Qingtang called out from the bedroom, “Reply for me, the password is XXXXXX.” Cheng Zhanxi unlocked the screen, saw that the home screen wallpaper was her photo, and her eyes immediately crinkled with laughter.
Clicking into WeChat, it was still her photo. She laughed so hard she pressed her fist to her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
After a long while, Yu Qingtang walked out of the bedroom nonchalantly, her gaze avoiding the phone in Cheng Zhanxi's hand. She looked straight ahead, sat down beside her, her posture impeccably poised.
Cheng Zhanxi glanced at her, her eyes smiling.
Just one glance, and the composure Yu Qingtang was struggling to maintain immediately crumbled. Her face and ears turned beet red.
“Don't,” she blurted out.
Cheng Zhanxi smiled. “I haven't said anything yet.”
Yu Qingtang was so embarrassed her earlobes looked like they were about to bleed. “I just don't want you to say it.”
Cheng Zhanxi said, “How can that be? My baby set me as her wallpaper; everyone must know.”
Yu Qingtang was about to cry.
Of course, Cheng Zhanxi didn't actually announce it to her social circle, because she kissed Yu Qingtang and did this and that on the sofa.
Yu Qingtang was probably shy; the more she was teased, the more tense she became, and she cried quite hard. Cheng Zhanxi completely lost control, rarely failing to maintain her composure.
Returning to the present, Cheng Zhanxi saw the small wooden box. Before even opening it, the corners of her lips curved up.
Yu Qingtang had secretly prepared another surprise for her.
She opened the wooden box. Inside were all the notes Cheng Zhanxi had written her. On top was a new one, on which Yu Qingtang had drawn two interconnected hearts pierced by Cupid's arrow with colored pens.
Cheng Zhanxi took this note and wrote a new one to put inside: I've received your heart. Mine stays here.
She switched to a red pen and drew a heart.
After doing all this, Cheng Zhanxi chuckled to herself.
The last time she had done something so childish was when she was three, for a kindergarten assignment, and she had received a little red flower sticker.
Oscar Wilde said: Love is two fools chasing each other.
Being with Yu Qingtang, Cheng Zhanxi did all sorts of things she thought would never happen to her. She increasingly treated Yu Qingtang like a child, and herself like one too. If they saw ants moving house on the road, they would stop and call the other to look, making a fuss as if they had never seen ants before.
If life offered a chance to return to childhood, it was when one encountered love.
A few days later, on the Saturday of the May Day holiday, Yu Qingtang received a call from Wei Tingyu.
As usual, it was a call to the landline. Fang Wenjiao called out “Momo,” and Yu Qingtang came out from the kitchen, picked up the phone, and said nothing.
Wei Tingyu got straight to the point: “The other party has agreed to break off the engagement. The condition is that the Wei family takes responsibility for breaking the marriage agreement. Now they want to meet with you in person. If you're willing to come to the Capital, I'll arrange the meeting. If you're not willing, I'll go. Either way, the Wei family has to give an explanation; it makes no difference whether it's me or you.”
This was the first time Wei Tingyu had spoken to her at such length, and he was calm, without any annoyance.
Yu Qingtang held her breath, listening very slowly, very carefully. She closed her eyes and didn't speak for a long time.
Wei Tingyu: “Are you still there?”
Yu Qingtang opened her eyes, her voice devoid of emotion. “Yes.”
Wei Tingyu: “Give me an answer as soon as possible.” He sounded as if he had finished giving instructions and, without delay, added, “Give the phone to Grandma.”
Yu Qingtang handed over the receiver.
That evening, she asked Fang Wenjiao to call Wei Tingyu back and say she was willing to meet.
Although Wei Tingyu had arranged the marriage, she had personally agreed to it, and she was the one going back on her word. The wedding preparations were halfway through; it was only right and proper to apologize to the other party in person.
What was the surname of that family's young master?
Chen, or Zhong, or Wang?
She had heard Grandma mention it once by chance; it seemed to be Chen. (Grandma was from the south and didn't distinguish between front and back nasal sounds.)
Yu Qingtang thought about irrelevant things, trying not to think about Wei Tingyu, not to think about the deeper reason she had agreed—that she wanted to sit before the Chen family with Wei Tingyu, as father and daughter.
Wei Tingyu arranged for Yu Qingtang to meet the Cheng family on the weekend a week later.
Meanwhile, Cheng Zhanxi had taken a month-long leave and gone to Venice. She was invited to participate in the Venice Biennale and would exhibit her latest work.
It, along with Germany's Documenta in Kassel and Brazil's São Paulo Art Biennial, was known as one of the world's three major art exhibitions, hailed as a carnival of the art world.
The name Cheng Mo once again shone brightly in the country.
Yu Qingtang's hopes were dashed after arriving in the Capital. Wei Tingyu had no intention of going with her; instead, he had her meet the other party alone. The other party was also just one person, her “ex-fiancé,” Young Master Chen.
In the past year, Yu Qingtang only knew that her marriage partner had fallen ill, and there had been thoughts of switching her to another family. Later, Young Master Chen recovered, and it was him again. She didn't know about the switch from brother to sister and back to brother; she hadn't listened to a word the Wei family said and never took it to heart.
The only thing worth mentioning was that Wei Tingyu finally called her private number on Friday night to give her Young Master Chen's phone number, in case she couldn't find him at the appointed place the next day.
Wei Tingyu was a native of the Capital City, his pronunciation standard.
Yu Qingtang was taken aback for a moment.
So it was Cheng, not Chen.
Yu Qingtang's first reaction was Cheng Zhanxi's surname, Cheng. Then she smiled; she was probably going crazy thinking about Cheng Zhanxi. As a surname, “cheng” could also be the common 成 (Cheng), or the less common 乘 (Cheng), 晟 (Sheng), 城 (Cheng). Besides, 程 (Cheng) was a common surname; encountering someone with the same surname was normal.
She didn't dwell on it. Anyway, after tomorrow's meeting, he would be someone completely unrelated to her. They had no connection to begin with, and never would, past or future.
She didn't ask, and Wei Tingyu certainly wouldn't give her repeated instructions or say much more, ending the call crisply.
There was a time difference between the East Eighth Zone and Venice. Yu Qingtang woke up at seven in the morning and said goodnight to Cheng Zhanxi. Cheng Zhanxi, tired from a long day, didn't have the energy for a video call, sent a few voice messages, and went to sleep.
Yu Qingtang opened her suitcase, took out the black thin trench coat she had specially brought, changed into black trousers, and put on a pair of black-framed glasses.
She looked at herself in the full-length mirror, pursed her lips, and let her long bangs down a bit, covering one eye.
When she came out of the hotel lobby, almost no one noticed Yu Qingtang, a stark contrast to the previous day.
Better safe than sorry. It wasn't that Yu Qingtang had become narcissistic from being influenced by Cheng Zhanxi; she just didn't want her face to cause unnecessary complications.
Because it was her first time wearing glasses, even if they were non-prescription, Yu Qingtang's vision was slightly affected. When she arrived at the appointed cafe, she gave the name “Wei Qingtang” to the waiter. The waiter led her inside, and she saw a handsome young man sitting at a quiet table by the window.
He held a coffee cup in one hand, an iPad lay in front of him, his gaze focused. He wore a dark gray three-piece suit, his posture upright, a pair of thin-rimmed glasses on his nose, exuding an elegant aura, like a young nobleman.
Yu Qingtang hesitantly slowed her steps.
The young man saw the young woman approaching, placed his coffee back on the table, and looked over with a polite smile.
Behind the lenses, his peach-blossom eyes were gentle and affectionate.
He looked so much like someone Yu Qingtang knew well.
Cheng Yuanxi stood up, one hand pressing his suit cuff, and gentlemanly pulled out the opposite chair for her.
“Miss Wei, please sit.”
Yu Qingtang looked at his face.
Cheng Yuanxi looked at her halted steps and her meaningful gaze, his heart inexplicably tightening.
Could it be that Miss Wei had taken a liking to his face and wanted to “re-marry”?
“Miss Wei.” Cheng Yuanxi suppressed his tumultuous thoughts and gently repeated, “Please sit.”
Yu Qingtang sat down in the chair, and Cheng Yuanxi returned to his seat opposite her.
Before any pleasantries could be exchanged, the woman before him, with a peculiar expression, uttered a name: “Cheng Yuanxi?”
Cheng Yuanxi smiled and nodded. “Hello, Miss Wei.”
Yu Qingtang's expression became even more subtle. “What is Cheng Zhanxi to you?”
Cheng Yuanxi was slightly taken aback. His eyes behind the lenses narrowed, a flash of vigilance passing through them, but his smile remained unchanged. “She is my younger sister. Does Miss Wei know her?”
“I...”
Yu Qingtang had just started to speak when she suddenly remembered her current appearance. She quickly removed the black-framed glasses she was using as a disguise and tucked her long bangs behind her ear, revealing a face beautiful enough to take one's breath away.
Eyebrows like ink paintings, lips as red as cinnabar.
Cheng Yuanxi, without exception, held his breath for a few seconds, then quickly regained his composure.
He picked up his coffee and took a sip, then spoke unhurriedly, “Miss Wei, you still haven't said whether you know my younger sister, and what your relationship with her is.”
Yu Qingtang pinched her uncontrollably trembling knuckles under the table, struggling to suppress her nervousness, and opened her mouth again. “I am her...”
Before she could finish, a beautiful woman stood up excitedly from a nearby sofa, her eyes shining as she looked at Yu Qingtang.
Yu Qingtang turned her head and stared blankly at the beautiful woman.
The beautiful woman saw her face clearly, her joy overflowing, as if she was about to rush over immediately!
Just then, Cheng Yuanxi said helplessly, “Mom.”
He knew it. He had told her not to come and join the commotion. Song Qingrou had assured him she wouldn't, but what good were assurances?
A thunderbolt struck Yu Qingtang's mind, and her ears buzzed.
Mom?
Cheng Zhanxi's mother!!!
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