After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 131
Chapter 131
The sharp-tipped wooden arrow streaked through the air like a meteor and with a “thud,” hit the red bullseye dead center.
Yu Qingtang lowered her longbow, standing with her hands at her sides, looked at the target in the distance, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Song Qingrou, who had set her phone to silent mode, took a photo of her and sent it to Cheng Zhanxi.
[Song Qingrou]: Isn't your wife cool?
[Cheng Zhanxi]: Grateful, Mother. I've set it as my screensaver.
Yu Qingtang rested for a dozen seconds or so, raised her longbow again, skillfully took an arrow from the quiver beside her, and nocked it on the bowstring.
Twang—
The bowstring vibrated, and the next second, the arrow appeared in the center of the red bullseye.
[Song Qingrou]: [Image]
[Song Qingrou]: Five arrows in a row, all bullseyes. This is only her third time trying archery. [Thumbs up]
[Cheng Zhanxi]: [Shocked]
[Song Qingrou]: Although her stamina isn't great, her accuracy is truly exceptional, a natural talent. Daughter, you're lucky.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: Mom, are you thinking some strange things? [Side-eye]
[Song Qingrou]: Some things we don't need to spell out, or it'll be you who's embarrassed. By the way, I plan to take her to play darts later. She should like it.
Cheng Zhanxi placed her phone screen-down on the coffee table and laughed, resting her knuckles on her forehead.
Although Cheng Zhanxi had finished her work at the studio, she was only relatively free. She spent most of her time at home painting. Yu Qingtang still occasionally went to the Cheng family home to be with Song Qingrou. Having reduced the intensity of her training, Yu Qingtang gradually adapted to working out three times a week. The newly developed activities like archery and darts perfectly suited Yu Qingtang's preferences and offered more variety than typical fitness routines.
Yu Qingtang went horse riding at least twice a week to bond with her Da Bai.
Her life in the Capital City was busier and more colorful than expected. After Cheng Zhanxi started her break, it was actually Cheng Zhanxi who saw less of Yu Qingtang.
Cheng Zhanxi once complained half-jokingly, “You spend more time outside now than you do at home with me.”
Yu Qingtang immediately reflected deeply on her actions and said seriously, “Then I won’t go out tomorrow.”
Cheng Zhanxi quickly said, “No need. I’m also in the studio when I’m at home. You’ll be very bored.”
Yu Qingtang said, “It’s fine, I can read.”
The next day, she indeed didn't go out and read in the hanging chair in the living room.
When Cheng Zhanxi came out to get water, she would see her at first glance. Yu Qingtang, sensing the gaze, looked in the direction of the woman's eyes and smiled faintly, her lips curving.
It seemed they had already found their life's destination, which was spending day after day with that person.
But life isn't a storybook where you can flip to the end in a single page.
That evening, Cheng Zhanxi held Yu Qingtang on her lap. The two shared a Pocky stick, biting it from each end, one bite at a time. When they reached the last bite, it was impossible to tell whose it was, and their lips met in a kiss.
After a long, wet kiss, Cheng Zhanxi tucked Yu Qingtang's long hair behind her ear and said, “Shall we go to the seaside tomorrow?”
Yu Qingtang said, “Okay.”
Cheng Zhanxi thought to herself, Aren't you curious why we're going to the seaside? But Yu Qingtang didn't ask, which was exactly what Cheng Zhanxi wanted.
Yu Qingtang was starting to enjoy this game. She took another Pocky stick from the side and put it in her mouth.
Cheng Zhanxi unexpectedly snatched it away with her fingers and kissed her directly, their lips and tongues tangling.
Yu Qingtang let out a low hum and wrapped her arms around Cheng Zhanxi's head.
The sofa had become one of their most frequented spots. Often, kissing would lead to things heating up. And they didn't want the trouble of going back to the bedroom. Cheng Zhanxi was considering whether to get a more comfortable sofa. The current one was rather firm, and every time, Yu Qingtang's knees would end up red from kneeling on it.
Summers in the Capital City were hot. Even by mid-August, the sun blazed, and the heat was oppressive. The day Cheng Zhanxi chose happened to have a brief drop in temperature. The two set off early in the morning, driving themselves. The weather was cool, and they rolled down the car windows to enjoy the refreshing breeze. After a few hours' drive, they arrived in Q City.
The Cheng family had a seaside villa in Q City. The mountains were lush green, and the water held a hint of azure. The average temperature in July and August was below 25°C, making the climate pleasant.
The coastline stretched out, long and gentle. Under the sun, the fine grains of sand looked like scattered gold dust. The two walked hand in hand, barefoot on the beach. Their skirts fluttered. They left a long trail of side-by-side footprints.
Yu Qingtang built a castle out of sand. Cheng Zhanxi wrote both their names outside the castle and took a selfie with Yu Qingtang behind her.
At sunset, the sea horizon was dyed gold by the setting sun. It was as if countless stars twinkled on the surface of the sea. The starlight danced towards the endless distance, connecting with the red sun, of which only half remained visible. The crimson glow of the sunset and the sea reflected each other, scattering red agate, a truly magnificent sight.
The seawater lapped against the reefs on the shore, making a low murmur that had remained unchanged for millennia.
Humans experience a sense of eternity in the face of two things: one is the starry sky, and the other is the sea.
As the white waves curled, Cheng Zhanxi handed Yu Qingtang a book.
Yu Qingtang looked down at the cover. It was a light blue, close to the color of the sky. On it were drawn two little girls, facing each other. Their four small hands were clasped together. Behind them was colorful sunlight. They were smiling brightly, so very brightly.
Beside them was a lush green meadow, a towering tree, an easel set up, and on the grass next to the easel, there was a white porcelain cup of ginger milk curd.
Yu Qingtang glanced at her and opened the first page of the picture book.
It was a drawing. In it, a woman in a long black trench coat, her face cool and aloof, was using her fingers to pick out damp hair stuck to her neck. Another woman with a suitcase had her hand slightly extended, holding a pack of tissues.
—Hello, I have tissues, do you want some…
The picture book had two pages, left and right. The second picture had the same background, only Cheng Zhanxi was at the doorway, while Yu Qingtang had already walked far away, disappearing into the depths of a rainbow.
She was still holding that pack of tissues, her expression dazed.
Above the center of the two pictures, there was a short text: “First meeting. If I had known I would fall in love with you, I would definitely have asked for your name that day.”
Yu Qingtang turned to the second page.
The second meeting was at a bar.
Cheng Zhanxi saw Yu Qingtang alone and sat down in front of her. Yu Qingtang said something shocking.
—Did you bring your medical report?
—Go to a hotel?
The scene changed to outside the bar. Yu Qingtang was standing with a woman in a blue dress. Cheng Zhanxi was shouting from not far away.
—Does she have a medical report?
Caption: “Second meeting. If heaven gave me another chance, I would definitely answer ‘Yes’ when you asked me.”
Yu Qingtang couldn't help but chuckle, her lips curving into a smile. She turned to the third page.
It depicted that night at the hotel.
Yu Qingtang had once minded it immensely, considering it a fall from grace. She didn't want Cheng Zhanxi to remember, and Cheng Zhanxi cooperatively “forgot.” Later, during a long late-night talk, Cheng Zhanxi, after learning her true thoughts, told her it wasn't a fall from grace, but a fairy descending to the mortal realm for the first time in millennia, happening to land right in her palm. After saying this, she solemnly kissed her forehead, undoing the memory seal of that night.
If it hadn't been for that night, Cheng Zhanxi might not have believed so strongly in the fate between them. Perhaps she would have left Sicheng earlier, and it's uncertain if they would have even had a third meeting. Every arrangement of fate has its reasons. In the unseen workings of destiny, heaven intended for them to choose each other.
The specific content of the drawing won't be described. It was vivid and evocative, sparking the imagination. Yu Qingtang decided that this book absolutely could not be seen by anyone other than her and Cheng Zhanxi.
Cheng Zhanxi's caption for these two pictures was: “If I had known it would be so long before we had sex again after this, I should have gone at it until dawn.”
Improper.
Yu Qingtang couldn't help but laugh and pinched Cheng Zhanxi's waist.
Cheng Zhanxi didn't dodge or avoid it, taking the pinch. She caught Yu Qingtang's hand and pecked the back of it. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “You didn't have such thoughts?”
Yu Qingtang said, “I didn't.”
Cheng Zhanxi said, “Not even a little bit? You never thought about it even once? Didn't you miss my skills?”
Yu Qingtang: “…”
Her cheeks flushed slightly, unnaturally. She whispered, “Can we not talk about this?”
Cheng Zhanxi recalled, “I remember we had a very pleasant time that night. You bit my finger tightly and held me tight, not letting me leave.”
Yu Qingtang: “…”
Before Yu Qingtang could become angry from embarrassment, Cheng Zhanxi moved past this part and said with a smile, “I won’t say any more. You continue looking, there’s still a lot more.”
Yu Qingtang grabbed her index finger and bit it.
Cheng Zhanxi said, “Not that mouth.”
Yu Qingtang took a deep breath.
Cheng Zhanxi, knowing when to yield, bowed her head and said, “I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
Yu Qingtang slowly exhaled that breath and gave her a warning look.
She composed herself, closed her eyes for a moment, and let her heart calm down to the sound of the waves.
The fourth page of the picture book.
This picture showed Cheng Zhanxi catching a thief. Yu Qingtang was knocked down by the running thief and happened to fall into Cheng Zhanxi's arms.
After Yu Qingtang left, Cheng Zhanxi took the thief to the police station. She returned to the small path where they had met, lost in thought. A small thought bubble appeared beside her head: Class XX (Seven), XX Middle School.
Caption: “Third meeting. The most correct and fortunate decision I’ve made so far was to resolutely go and find you.”
Yu Qingtang turned her face to look at Cheng Zhanxi. This time, she looked at her quietly for a long time. She reached out her hand. Cheng Zhanxi placed her hand in Yu Qingtang's palm and tilted her head with a smile.
The fifth page of the picture book.
Cheng Zhanxi arrived at Sicheng No. 1 Middle School to report for duty. Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, she leaned against the office doorway. Yu Qingtang looked up from a corner inside, her expression blank.
—This is the new PE teacher.
—Who is she?
Yu Qingtang was teaching in the classroom. Cheng Zhanxi quietly went to the classroom to see her. She was caught by Yu Qingtang at the classroom door, her eyes calm.
—I think her name is… Medical Report?
Cheng Zhanxi's caption: “First day as colleagues. The one hundred and seventy-ninth day my heart beat for her.”
The sixth page, the seventh page…
Yu Qingtang turned the pages one by one. Cheng Zhanxi had drawn their story, bit by bit. Accompanied by short text. It took her through the process of their acquaintance and falling in love all over again. Some things hadn't left a deep impression on Yu Qingtang. But drawn from Cheng Zhanxi's perspective, they evoked a different feeling.
She knew Cheng Zhanxi loved her. But she didn't know her love was so vast, so deep.
A connection from when they were six or seven years old. Continued more than twenty years later to this day. They had transformed from childhood playmates into lovers who would stay together for life.
The last drawing was a long panoramic image, from left to right. Two little girls ran freely in the grass, chasing butterflies with nets; They gradually grew up, their figures becoming slender. As young girls in the bloom of youth, wearing blue and white school uniforms. They bought ice cream after school and walked home hand in hand; Their high school uniforms changed into university graduation gowns. The taller girl made a V-sign with her fingers under the chin of the shorter, beautiful girl, smiling radiantly like sunshine.
They graduated, started working. One stood on the lecture podium, the other picked up a paintbrush.
Life passed smoothly. Every day, Cheng Zhanxi would go to the school to pick her up from work. In summer, she would feed her ice cream; in winter, she would bring her hot milk tea. During their leisure time, the two would snuggle together, lazing on the sofa doing nothing. At night, they slept in each other's arms. It was as if they hadn't reunited after many years, but had never been apart.
At the end of the drawing, they were wearing pure white wedding dresses. Holding bouquets, they walked into a sacred hall.
Yu Qingtang caressed the page with her fingertips, lingering there for a long time. She turned the page, only to find there was nothing more. The latter half of the picture book was hollowed out. Inside, a diamond ring was conspicuously hidden.
Yu Qingtang froze.
Cheng Zhanxi took out the diamond ring and knelt on one knee before her.
With the sea breeze, the sunset, and the sound of waves crashing on the shore, Cheng Zhanxi presented the ring in her hand and said earnestly, “I heard that this sea has existed for tens of thousands of years. My love for you didn't exist ten thousand years ago, but it will begin from this moment and last for the next ten thousand years.”
“Will you marry me, and be with me for a lifetime?”
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