After Escaping Marriage - Extra 14
Chapter 157: Extra 3 - Parallel World
Song Qingrou sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, a laptop resting on her knees. Her ten fingers moved nimbly, the sound of her typing flowing like water.
She heard the front door open. Busy with her manuscript, Song Qingrou merely glanced up. Seeing it was Cheng Zhanxi, she paid it no mind and lowered her head again, the clatter of the keyboard resuming.
A moment later, she looked up again, staring at the empty living room. Something felt off. Why hadn't Cheng Zhanxi said a single word today?
Song Qingrou asked the housekeeper if the young miss was back and received an affirmative answer. She placed her laptop on the coffee table, got up, and went upstairs to Cheng Zhanxi's room, knocking on the door.
"What is it?" Cheng Zhanxi's raised voice came from inside, as if she were deliberately using the volume to cover something up.
Song Qingrou frowned, pressing her ear to the door. "Auntie made you your favorite lotus seed soup."
"I know, I'll have it later."
"Mom brought it up for you. Open the door."
Cheng Zhanxi paused for a moment before saying, "Just leave it by the door, Mom. I was about to take a shower. I've already taken my clothes off, so it's not convenient to come out."
Song Qingrou said, "It won't be good if it gets cold. I'll take it back downstairs for you."
"...Okay. Thanks, Mom."
Song Qingrou stood quietly at the door for another moment before heading downstairs, empty-handed.
About ten minutes later, Cheng Zhanxi came down in her pajamas. Head bowed, she walked straight into the kitchen, ladled out some lotus seed soup, and sat at the dining table, spooning it into her mouth without a word.
Hmm.
Song Qingrou let out a soft, internal sigh. Was this really the same daughter who would run into her arms for a hug over the slightest thing?
If this wasn't out of character, what was?
Cheng Zhanxi put the bowl back in the kitchen.
"I'm going back to my room to study."
Song Qingrou turned her head, only managing to catch the sight of her daughter's back as she went upstairs.
Cheng Zhanxi, who had never known the taste of sorrow, was finally experiencing her first lesson in growing up: separation. Today it was Yu Qingtang; in the future, it would be her parents and her brother. The more Cheng Zhanxi thought about it, the sadder she became. She cried for Yu Qingtang, and she cried for her family. Before bed, she snuck downstairs to grab an ice pack from the fridge to soothe her eyes, which were just barely presentable the next morning.
She also stopped telling her family everything, no longer recounting her days with vivid descriptions and animated gestures. She was beginning to have her own secrets.
It wasn't just Song Qingrou who noticed; even Cheng Yi sensed it.
He came upstairs from the ground floor, pushed open the door, and looked at Song Qingrou, who was tidying the bedside table. "I feel like Xixi is hiding something from us."
Song Qingrou said, "It's about time she had things to hide from us."
Cheng Yi gave a wry smile. "I know, but when this day finally comes, I can't help but wish it would have come a little later."
Song Qingrou said, "Children will make their own way in life."
Cheng Yi let out a soft breath and smiled at her.
When it came to being open-minded, he truly was no match for Song Qingrou.
"Now that both kids are grown up, does that mean we have more freedom?" Cheng Yi asked with a smile.
"How much more freedom do you want?" Song Qingrou shot him a sideways glance.
Cheng Yi hummed thoughtfully. "How about a second honeymoon?"
Song Qingrou raised an eyebrow.
"Sure. I want to go to the beach and look at beautiful women."
"..."
But Song Qingrou didn't do nothing. Respect was one thing, but with Cheng Zhanxi at seventeen or eighteen, no parent could completely ignore the situation. The first thing Song Qingrou did after noticing Cheng Zhanxi's mood was to ask her best friend, Yu Qingtang. Yu Qingtang's feelings were mixed as she listened, but she finally said, "I told her I was planning to stay in the country for university. I don't know if that's the reason."
Song Qingrou said, "Oh, I see. Thank you, Xiao Tang."
"You're welcome, Auntie."
Song Qingrou made a few more calls. After she hung up, Cheng Yi, who was standing beside her, asked nervously, "How is it?"
Song Qingrou said, "It's nothing. The two best friends are about to be separated, so she's just unhappy."
She then relayed what Yu Qingtang had said.
Cheng Yi deeply agreed with Teacher Tian's assessment. "Qingtang really does have better prospects for development if she stays in the country. She can always go abroad in a few years for an exchange program. Maybe the two of them could even be schoolmates then. Besides, technology is so advanced now; going abroad and coming back is just a flight away. It's perfectly normal for a young girl to be reluctant to part with her best friend."
At this, Cheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest. "I thought Xixi was in a relationship. Thank goodness."
Song Qingrou said, "Aren't you afraid she'll start dating when she goes abroad?"
Cheng Yi's face immediately clouded over with worry.
Song Qingrou tapped him on the head. "Alright, old man. Our child will have to start her own family sooner or later. You might as well start preparing yourself mentally now."
But Cheng Yi said, "Not necessarily. What if she never gets married? It's trendy not to get married abroad these days. If she doesn't get married for her whole life, I'll support her for her whole life. That would be perfect."
Song Qingrou laughed. "That's enough out of you. I've never seen a father like you."
Cheng Yi laughed too, but then sighed. "If only she were like her brother and could marry Yu Ci's daughter, then our two families could become one, and nothing would have to change. Why didn't Yu Ci have another son? Oh, right, her health isn't good. Why didn't she have fraternal twins back then? We know their family inside and out, it would have made our close relationship even closer..."
Song Qingrou had already sat down at her vanity, listening to her husband ramble on and on in the room.
Right up until bedtime, Cheng Yi was still fretting. "What if Xixi falls for a foreigner when she's abroad? Wouldn't our family be separated by a vast ocean?"
Song Qingrou, with her eyes closed, slapped a hand on his head, annoyed. "Go to sleep! One more word and you can go sleep in the study!"
In her study, Yu Qingtang was painting a flower-and-bird piece, her mind calm and focused. The brush glided across the Xuan paper.
Like Cheng Zhanxi, she barely went to school at this stage. The difference between her and the many other art students was that while they were taking art classes, she was refining her painting skills at home, with occasional visits to Teacher Tian.
She and Cheng Zhanxi hadn't seen each other since that day, nor had Cheng Zhanxi called her at night anymore.
Yu Ci and her husband stood at the door of the study, wearing identical frowns.
Wei Tingyu opened his mouth, as if to say something to his wife, but then raised a hand to cover his own mouth. His eyes darted toward the staircase.
The couple went downstairs. Wei Tingyu lowered his hand and asked, "Don't you think Tangtang has been much quieter these past two days?"
Yu Ci said, "She's always been quiet. Just like you used to be."
Wei Tingyu was getting anxious. "This is no time to tease me. I'd bet anything that something's happened to her."
Yu Ci tilted her head. "Then you go ask her."
Wei Tingyu: "..." His bravado instantly deflated. He tugged on Yu Ci's sleeve and whispered, "You go ask."
Yu Ci shot him a look and picked up her phone from the coffee table.
Wei Tingyu: "?"
Yu Ci said, "Why ask her? There's a much better person to ask."
She dialed a number.
Wei Tingyu saw the name on the screen: Xixi.
Yu Ci's voice was gentle. "Is this Xixi?"
Cheng Zhanxi was puzzled to receive a call from Yu Ci, but she was still very polite. "Auntie."
Yu Ci spoke softly, "Auntie wanted to ask you something. Tangtang hasn't been in a very good mood these past couple of days. Do you know why?"
Cheng Zhanxi was silent for a moment. "It's probably because we can't be together for university anymore."
Yu Ci glanced toward the second-floor study. "Oh, I see. But you two don't have to be too sad. Flights are very fast these days. If you really want to, you can always find a way to see each other."
Cheng Zhanxi's spirits weren't high as she hummed in agreement. "Thank you, Auntie."
"I won't disturb your studies any longer. Good night."
"Good night, Auntie, Uncle. Rest well."
After the call ended, Wei Tingyu, who had been pressing his ear to the phone's earpiece, sighed. "Xixi is such a good kid."
Yu Ci's smiling gaze was full of meaning. "Isn't she just?"
But her own silly daughter couldn't catch up to her. Or more accurately, she was stubbornly holding on to her pride, unwilling to let it go. If she had even half the initiative her mother had back in the day, would she have missed even the last bus for a teenage romance?
Wei Tingyu sighed again and stood up. "I'll go warm up a glass of milk for Tangtang."
Yu Ci raised her hand. "I'll take it to her."
A smile finally appeared on Wei Tingyu's face, which had been clouded with worry all evening. "Okay, you take it."
Yu Ci knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Yu Ci walked in carrying the glass of milk. Yu Qingtang wasn't at her desk. On it lay a lifelike flower-and-bird painting, its free-flowing style elegant. The ink brush rested on a white jade brush holder.
Yu Ci turned her head and saw Yu Qingtang sitting on the long sofa, a book in her hands.
Yu Ci sat down beside her and handed her the milk.
"Nervous about the exams?"
"It's okay."
"So confident. You're my daughter, after all."
Yu Qingtang drank half the glass of milk and couldn't help but chuckle.
"You can do it." Yu Ci pinched her cheek—an opportunity that had become rarer and rarer as she grew up. She took the empty milk glass from Yu Qingtang's hand and said, "But make sure you get some rest. It's almost eleven. Once you're done painting, go to bed. Your reading can wait."
Yu Qingtang hummed in agreement.
Yu Ci got up to leave.
Yu Qingtang suddenly called out to her, "Mom."
Yu Ci turned back. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and then Yu Qingtang buried her face in her mother's embrace, perfectly still.
Yu Ci gently stroked her head.
Yu Qingtang let go, her eyes downcast, the tips of her ears tinged with a barely perceptible blush.
So reserved, even with her own mother. Yu Ci shook her head helplessly, then found herself feeling prematurely jealous of her daughter's future partner.
Yu Ci said, "I'll head out now. If you need anything, come find me and your father downstairs."
"Okay."
Yu Ci added pointedly, "There are some things you understand yourself, so Mom won't ask. At this stage, both you and she have more important things to do."
Yu Qingtang pressed her lips together and nodded seriously.
That night, Yu Qingtang tossed and turned in bed. One moment she would pull the covers over her head, the next she would push them down to her waist, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Yu Qingtang turned her head, her gaze falling on the silent phone on her bedside table.
Yu Qingtang bit her lip, reached for the phone, and, giving herself no chance to hesitate, pressed and held the number 3 for speed dial. But before the call could go through, her ringtone echoed through the bedroom.
Yu Qingtang saw the caller ID, and her heart couldn't help but speed up.
"Hello," she answered immediately, her voice uncharacteristically unsteady.
"It's me." After saying this, Cheng Zhanxi seemed to be thinking about what to say next. After a moment of silence, she said, "I've been really unhappy these past two days."
Yu Qingtang said, "Mm." She subconsciously added, "Me too."
"These past two days, I've thought about whether I should convince you to go abroad with me, or if I should stay here. But we're all grown up now. We should learn to be responsible for our own lives and not be so childish anymore." Cheng Zhanxi was quiet for a moment. "No matter how far apart we are, my heart will always be with you."
Yu Qingtang raised a hand to her forehead and slowly smiled.
She said, "Me too."
Cheng Zhanxi said, "There's still more than half a year before I go abroad. We still have a lot of time together. Besides, what if I don't get in, hahaha."
Cheng Zhanxi had a powerful ability to self-regulate. With just a few sentences, she had returned to her usual vibrant self.
Yu Qingtang chided, "What nonsense are you talking about? Spit it out."
Cheng Zhanxi turned her head to the side, the microphone moving with her, and clearly let her hear, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey."
After spitting, she seamlessly transitioned into a wheedling tone. "Yu Tangtang, I want to come to your place for dinner tomorrow."
It is said that people have their joys and sorrows, their meetings and partings. Cheng Zhanxi did not.
Yu Qingtang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'll have my dad buy groceries."
"I want to eat..." Cheng Zhanxi took a deep breath and deftly launched into a crosstalk-style monologue. "Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted duck, roasted spring chicken, roasted gosling..."
Yu Qingtang cut her off. "Do I look like a goose to you?"
Cheng Zhanxi burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! How can that be the same? A goose can be eaten, but you can't."
Worse than a goose, Yu Qingtang said calmly, "Who says I can't be eaten?"
Cheng Zhanxi froze.
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