After Escaping Marriage - Extra 21
Chapter 164: Extra 3 - Parallel World
【How about I come celebrate your birthday with you?】
Cheng Zhanxi placed her phone face down on the desk with a soft clatter. She pushed her long hair back, gazed out the window for a moment, then stood up to get some water.
Celebrate her birthday, celebrate her birthday. Someone had just confessed to her, she had told her so seriously, and all she could think about was celebrating her birthday? Had she not seen the previous message, or did she simply not care?
Cheng Zhanxi tilted her head back and downed the cold water in one go. She looked down, copied her last message, and sent it again:
【Today, someone confessed to me】
Yu Qingtang finally gave a direct reply: 【Mm, did you say yes?】
A flicker of faint self-mockery crossed Cheng Zhanxi's eyes. She typed: 【Guess?】
Distance becomes an obstacle precisely because you can't see the other person's expression and demeanor face-to-face. Cheng Zhanxi imagined Yu Qingtang's indifference, while Yu Qingtang assumed Cheng Zhanxi was being casual and relaxed. If they could see each other's faces at that moment, they would discover their expressions were identical.
Yu Qingtang's long, slender knuckles, gripping the edge of her phone, turned white, the veins on the back of her hand standing out.
Cheng Zhanxi was a natural charmer; ever since going abroad, she'd had a constant stream of admirers. People expressing their interest in her every other day was a common occurrence. Getting confessed to was routine for her, and rejecting them had become a conditioned reflex. Cheng Zhanxi didn't hide these things from her, but she also didn't bring them up proactively, except for when she had first left the country. Only when Yu Qingtang pretended to ask casually if anyone had confessed to her recently would Cheng Zhanxi reply in her usual tone, "Yes, but I turned them down." Then they would happily move on to other topics.
This was the first time, as far as Yu Qingtang could remember, that she had proactively told her someone had confessed, and without revealing the outcome.
Had she finally found someone she truly liked?
She closed her eyes and typed: 【No】
【Why?】
【A feeling】
【Hahahaha】
Cheng Zhanxi's message didn't feel like a "hahahaha" at all. It was more like she was forcing a smile.
Cheng Zhanxi was in a daze for a moment. She wondered: when had the two of them reached this point? They had gone from being completely open with each other, sharing everything, to this—saying things they didn't mean, unable to even tell for themselves if their words were true or false.
Was this the price of growing up? But Song Qingrou had never told her that growing up meant losing even your best friend.
She had thought that as long as she stayed the same, they could maintain the status quo. But reality had shown her that ever since she had developed those hazy, romantic feelings for Yu Qingtang, everything had changed.
【I have something to do, talk later】
With that message, Yu Qingtang ended their conversation.
Cheng Zhanxi scoffed when she saw it and didn't reply.
Thousands of miles away, Song Qingrou received a call from her daughter.
Song Qingrou answered the call, but after an initial "Mom," there was a long silence.
Song Qingrou slowly pulled her fingers back from her laptop. Her expression grew serious, but her tone was gentle. "Xixi, what's wrong?"
Cheng Zhanxi turned her face away and sniffled softly. "Nothing."
"Are you... crying?"
"No."
"You can tell Mom if something's happened," Song Qingrou said worriedly.
"Really, it's nothing." Cheng Zhanxi wiped a tear from her cheek and let out two loud, forced laughs.
Song Qingrou sighed inwardly.
She didn't press the issue. "Your birthday is next month. Your dad and I will come visit. Your brother can't get away, but he's already prepared your gift. He said he'll come see you next time he's free."
Cheng Zhanxi said sweetly, "Thanks, Mom and Dad."
Song Qingrou chatted with her for a bit, then asked, "Why did you call me?"
"No reason," Cheng Zhanxi said.
She was just sad and wanted to hear her mother's voice.
Song Qingrou sighed silently and brought up a new topic. "A while ago, Tangtang won an award and was featured in a traditional Chinese painting magazine. Did she tell you?"
"Mhm." Cheng Zhanxi opened a drawer. On the cover of the magazine inside was a half-body photo of Yu Qingtang, dressed in white with black hair, looking coolly elegant.
"As long as you two are on good terms, her mother and I can rest easy."
A strange feeling surfaced in Cheng Zhanxi's heart. Her mother's words were a bit odd, but she didn't dwell on it and closed the drawer.
"She..." Cheng Zhanxi started, then hesitated.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." Cheng Zhanxi forced a lighthearted laugh and asked, "I just wanted to gossip a little. Has she been secretly seeing a boyfriend behind my back?"
Song Qingrou pondered. "That, I really don't know."
Cheng Zhanxi's heart skipped a beat, and she held her breath.
Song Qingrou continued, "But from what I recall, she hasn't been close with any boys, and her mother hasn't mentioned anything."
"What about girls?" Cheng Zhanxi pressed.
"Huh?"
"I have something else to do, I'm hanging up now." Cheng Zhanxi hurriedly ended the call and pressed a hand to her wildly beating heart.
Song Qingrou stared blankly, listening to the dial tone.
After a moment of stunned silence, Song Qingrou turned and called Yu Ci.
Yu Ci clicked her tongue. "What are these two kids doing?"
Song Qingrou said, "How should I know? When we were dating, we weren't this complicated. If you liked someone, you just went for it. You face the music whether you act or not, so what's the point of beating around the bush like this?"
Yu Ci said, "It's like they're regressing as they get older."
Song Qingrou agreed, "Exactly!" Then she added, "But watching them waste their time like this, I just... ugh."
Life is only a few short decades; every year that passes is one less. How rare is it to find someone you mutually love? They should be cherishing the time they can have together.
Yu Ci smiled. "I'll have a chat with Tangtang tonight."
After all these years, it was time to give them a push. If they waited for Yu Qingtang to figure it out on her own, her daughter-in-law-to-be might just fly away.
Yu Ci rested her hands on her knees, lost in thought.
"Teacher, I'll be heading back now." Yu Qingtang cleaned the calligraphy brush and placed it on the rack.
"Go on," Teacher Tian said with a wave of his hand.
Yu Qingtang walked out of the gate of the Tian residence and looked up at the sky.
It had rained not long ago, and the air in Jingcheng had become fresh. The blue and white contours of the firmament were faintly visible.
Yu Qingtang stood in a daze for a moment before walking to the black car at the gate, bending down, and getting in.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home."
Yu Qingtang pushed open the door to her home. On the living room sofa, two figures were entwined.
Yu Ci was pressing Wei Tingyu down on the sofa, kissing him passionately. From Yu Qingtang's angle, she could only see her father's short black hair and Yu Ci's fair, slender hands cupping the back of his head.
Yu Qingtang: "..."
After a brief moment of surprise, she gave them a distant nod from the entryway and skillfully skirted the sofa to head upstairs.
"Wait a second." Yu Ci wiped her mouth, patted Wei Tingyu's shoulder to signal for him to go to their room first, and said to Yu Qingtang, "Mom wants to have a word with you."
Wei Tingyu quietly protested that he wanted to listen too, but was "dismissed" by Yu Ci with the reason, "This is between us women."
Yu Qingtang stopped and turned to look at her. "Mom," she said flatly, "if you're planning to mock me, don't bother. I'm not in a good mood lately."
Yu Ci smiled. "I'm not going to mock you. Sit."
Yu Qingtang sat on the single armchair next to her.
Yu Ci asked with a smile, "Still haven't confessed?"
She knew it!
Yu Qingtang's face darkened, and she stood up to leave.
Yu Ci stopped her. "Be patient. How are you going to win a girlfriend with so little patience?"
Yu Qingtang kept her back to her.
Yu Ci: "It was understandable that you didn't confess back in high school, but Xixi is almost twenty now. Tell me, what are you worried about?"
Yu Qingtang's back stiffened.
After a long pause, she tilted her head up slightly and said in a low voice, "What if she doesn't like me? We wouldn't even be able to maintain our current relationship. I'd lose the right to even stand in the closest spot beside her."
"Is that so?" Yu Ci's voice was nonchalant. "Somehow, I don't think that's it."
Yu Qingtang turned around.
Yu Ci gestured to the sofa with her chin. Yu Qingtang sat down again, this time without any impatience.
Yu Ci looked at her and said, "In my memory, you're not someone who's timid and hesitant."
"I..."
"You are my daughter," Yu Ci interrupted. "Sometimes, I know you better than you know yourself. Are you really afraid you won't be able to be friends anymore? I don't believe you're unaware that if things continue like this, you'll stop being friends sooner or later anyway."
The color drained from Yu Qingtang's face.
Wei Tingyu brought over two glasses of water. Yu Ci shot him a soft glare. Wei Tingyu set the water down, gave her a sly look, and returned to the room.
Yu Qingtang took in her parents' interaction.
A struggle flickered within her. She slowly exhaled and said in a low voice, "I'm waiting."
Yu Ci asked, "Waiting for what?"
Yu Qingtang bit her lower lip.
Yu Ci rubbed the water glass with her thumb, amused. "You're not waiting for Cheng Zhanxi to confess to you, are you?"
But Yu Qingtang didn't find it funny at all. She said with utmost seriousness, "Didn't you also wait for Dad to confess to you first?"
Growing up in a harmonious family, Yu Qingtang had heard her parents' love story countless times. Back then, Yu Ci had fallen for Wei Tingyu at first sight. She gave him drawings in class and asked for his name. Wei Tingyu rejected her at first, but gradually found himself unable to resist and fell in love. Once Yu Ci had more or less won him over, she stopped her offensive and started playing hard to get. In the end, it was Wei Tingyu who confessed to her, and she readily accepted, bringing their romance to fruition.
Yu Ci didn't quite understand. "So?"
What did that have to do with her?
Under her mother's puzzled gaze, Yu Qingtang slowly lowered her head, but her voice was steady and calm. "I don't want to lose to you, Mom."
Yu Ci: "..."
She never would have imagined that the biggest obstacle on her daughter's path to winning a wife was herself.
Yu Ci said, sounding incredulous, "What are you competing with me for? Is the prize for winning a girlfriend or something?"
"No!" Yu Qingtang denied it immediately.
Yu Ci pressed her, but she wouldn't answer.
Overly reserved people were like that; it was impossible to pry words out of her. She remembered how it had taken her several years of effort to get Wei Tingyu to express himself directly and not keep everything bottled up.
A daughter wasn't a husband; you couldn't just train her. You had to respect her personality.
Yu Ci thought for a moment and seemed to have an epiphany.
Not only did Yu Qingtang resemble her eighty or ninety percent in looks, but she had also followed in her mother's professional footsteps. Everywhere she went, people would mention Yu Ci to her. In Yu Qingtang's mind, Yu Ci was both a person she admired and worshipped, and a high mountain she had to climb, a vast sea she had to cross.
She herself was also extremely proud, with a strong sense of self-esteem. If she were completely like Yu Ci—extroverted, proactive, and fearless—what couldn't she accomplish? Unfortunately, the genes that determined her personality came from Wei Tingyu. Since she was a child, she had been reserved on the outside but passionate within, and stubborn too. She never said anything, so how could anyone know what she was really thinking?
Yu Ci rested her forehead in her hand, shaking her head with a wry smile.
With a single sentence, she shattered the principle Yu Qingtang had clung to for so many years.
"The premise for me waiting for your dad to confess was that he knew I liked him. All he had to do was say the word, and we would be together. What about you?" Yu Ci looked into her eyes and said, "Does Cheng Zhanxi know you like her?"
Yu Qingtang pressed her lips together tightly, their color draining away.
"Wait," Yu Ci scoffed. "You're not even looking at the reality of the situation. My waiting was a confident, strategic move. What is your waiting? Waiting until she's completely discouraged with you and turns to someone else?"
Yu Qingtang clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
Yu Ci's voice softened. "You know that Xixi is less mature than you when it comes to romance. To put it bluntly, she's dense. There are so many bad people out there. Aren't you afraid she'll get hurt or deceived while she's still so naive? With her personality, I think it's very possible."
Yu Qingtang's eyes shot up.
"The worst thing you can do in matters of the heart is to compete, to fight over who's on top. You were the one who fell first, and you're the older sister. What's wrong with yielding to her a little?" Yu Ci moved closer, tapped a finger on Yu Qingtang's chest, and said word by word, "If you still want a chance to be with her, then put down your precious pride, confess to her properly, and let her know you adore her."
Yu Qingtang looked at her mother, her eyes filled with bewilderment. "What if she rejects me?"
Yu Ci laughed heartily. "So what? If she rejects you, then you pursue her openly. Are you any worse than anyone else?"
Her almond-shaped eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? You're my daughter, Yu Ci's daughter!"
Wei Tingyu, who had been eavesdropping with his ear pressed to the door, couldn't help but pull it open. "And me! Tangtang, don't be afraid. Your mother and I both support you!"
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Yu Ci said, "I can't guarantee anything else, but when it comes to going to the Cheng family to propose marriage, our family will definitely be the fastest!"
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Wei Tingyu couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just chimed in loudly, "Right!"
Yu Qingtang looked at her confident parents and couldn't help but burst out laughing. As she laughed, her eyes began to sting uncontrollably.
She turned her face away and said in a choked, low voice, "I'm going upstairs."
Yu Ci grabbed her wrist, then pressed her head down onto her shoulder. "Why are you hiding to cry? You still have your mom."
The dampness on her neck instantly spread.
Wei Tingyu came over, wrapping one arm around his wife and the other around his daughter. His large, warm hand rested on Yu Qingtang's back, patting it gently.
"And Dad, too. Don't be afraid, sweetheart."
Nestled in her parents' embrace, Yu Qingtang finally cried out loud.
After she finished crying, Yu Ci, for once, didn't make fun of her. She held her hand and sat on the sofa, speaking to her softly and intimately. Wei Tingyu went into the kitchen, tied on a pale green apron, and glanced at his wife and daughter with a smile through the glass door before lighting the blue flame of the stove.
Cheng Zhanxi's birthday was less than a month away. After dinner, Yu Qingtang went upstairs and solemnly drew a red circle on her calendar with a pen.
She went to the bathroom to shower, changed into an old nightgown, and savored the memory of that kiss from two years ago—so brief it was hardly a memory at all. Only then did she come out, shake open the covers, and lie down in her soft bed.
Yu Qingtang stared unblinkingly at the ceiling. After a long while, she shot up into a sitting position, grabbed the phone from her nightstand, and sent a message.
【If someone confesses to you, don't say yes】
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