After Escaping Marriage - Extra 22
Chapter 165: Extra 3 - Parallel World
Paris, a bar.
Yu Jianxing was standing at the entrance. When she saw Cheng Zhanxi, her face lit up with joy, and she rushed forward in a few quick strides. “You’re finally here. Everyone’s been waiting for you for ages. You…”
Her gaze went past Cheng Zhanxi’s shoulder and saw the familiar figure behind her. Her smile froze for a moment, then she greeted her casually, “Sui Sui.”
Qi Sui nodded politely.
After entering, Yu Jianxing gave Qi Sui an apologetic smile, then pulled Cheng Zhanxi aside and lowered her voice. “Why did you bring her again?”
Cheng Zhanxi smiled. “What do you mean, ‘again’?”
Yu Jianxing’s eyes widened. “I mean again, and again, and again, and again.”
Cheng Zhanxi laughed out loud.
“Following you around day in and day out, like a little shadow,” Yu Jianxing muttered.
It wasn’t that she had any particular issue with Qi Sui herself. The first time she met Qi Sui, the other girl was cold and gloomy, and Yu Jianxing felt it was best to keep her distance. Later, Cheng Zhanxi brought her into their circle of friends, and as her personality gradually became more likable, Yu Jianxing changed her opinion. But no matter how beautiful or nice someone was, they shouldn’t be stuck to Cheng Zhanxi’s side every single day. She had invited Cheng Zhanxi, not the two of them.
Cheng Zhanxi looked at Yu Jianxing and clicked her tongue.
Yu Jianxing made a zipping motion across her lips. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Cheng Zhanxi glanced around, casually observing the bar’s decor. A crowd had gathered around the bartender, a dazzling display of lights and colors, but Cheng Zhanxi, who usually loved lively scenes, withdrew her gaze with a lack of interest.
Yu Jianxing didn’t notice her unusual behavior and tactfully reminded her, “Shouldn’t you be keeping some distance from Qi Sui?”
If she remembered correctly, Cheng Zhanxi had someone she was in love with. Although she didn’t know if anything had come of it, if that person saw this, wouldn’t her chances be even slimmer?
Cheng Zhanxi just hummed in response, not saying much more.
Besides Yu Qingtang, Qi Sui was the first person to be so inseparable from her; not even Yu Jianxing could compare. Cheng Zhanxi didn’t consider Qi Sui more important than Yu Jianxing; it was just that the other girl was lonely and helpless, so she wanted to take care of her a little more.
Actually, Cheng Zhanxi hadn’t actively brought Qi Sui this time. In fact, it had been the same many times before; just as Yu Jianxing said, Qi Sui had followed her. Cheng Zhanxi was soft-hearted and didn’t have a romantic partner, so she didn’t care about avoiding suspicion and wasn’t sensitive about bringing Qi Sui along.
Yu Jianxing was a veteran of the dating scene, unlike a relationship novice like Cheng Zhanxi. She thought to herself, If this keeps up, people are going to start saying you two are girlfriends.
Then her thoughts took another turn. Could it be that Cheng Zhanxi had given up on Yu Qingtang and decided to embrace a new life, which was why she was letting Qi Sui push her boundaries?
Yu Jianxing rubbed her ear with her fingertip and asked Cheng Zhanxi indirectly, “So, uh, what do you think of Qi Sui?”
Cheng Zhanxi: “???”
Yu Jianxing: “…”
She could already read the confusion in Cheng Zhanxi’s eyes.
So Yu Jianxing asked directly, “Do you know she likes you?”
Cheng Zhanxi recalled the confession on the beach that night and nodded. “I know.” She had only known for a few days.
“Oh, you know.” Yu Jianxing’s eyes lit up, and she patted Cheng Zhanxi’s shoulder with a smile. “Then it’s all good.”
Since she knew, it meant Cheng Zhanxi was tacitly allowing it. Qi Sui seemed pretty great, too—talented and beautiful. It was much less stressful than having a secret crush on your best friend. Most importantly, if a confession between best friends failed, they couldn’t even be friends anymore. This way, everyone was happy.
Cheng Zhanxi: “???”
What did she mean, “all good”? What on earth was Yu Jianxing talking about?
Yu Jianxing, assuming they had a tacit understanding, completely underestimated how clueless Cheng Zhanxi was in this matter. She happily pulled her over to where their friends were gathered.
Cheng Zhanxi was confused for a while before pushing the matter to the back of her mind.
Feeling down because of Yu Qingtang’s lukewarm attitude, Cheng Zhanxi forced herself to have fun for a bit before sitting alone in a corner, drinking sullenly. A hand reached out and stopped the glass she was raising to her lips. Cheng Zhanxi looked up to see Qi Sui’s familiar face.
Qi Sui didn’t speak. She took the glass from Cheng Zhanxi’s hand, replaced it with freshly squeezed juice, and looked at her gently.
“Thanks.” Cheng Zhanxi smiled, not refusing her kind gesture.
Cheng Zhanxi didn’t drink often, but her tolerance was decent.
After the party ended, Qi Sui took her home. Cheng Zhanxi had her stay for a bit and poured her a cup of tea.
Qi Sui held the hot tea with both hands, sipping it slowly.
Cheng Zhanxi was leaning against the sofa, one arm draped over the side. A pleasant buzz from the alcohol washed over her, and she lazily half-closed her eyes, hovering on the edge of sleep.
Qi Sui stared at her without blinking, a dark, heavy color filling the depths of her eyes.
The act of being covered with a blanket startled Cheng Zhanxi from her light nap. She opened her eyes, and upon seeing Qi Sui’s approaching face, she instinctively leaned back, steadying herself on the edge of the sofa. She took the blanket from her hands and said, “I’ll do it.”
Her expression changed, and feeling she had been rude, she straightened up and said, “I’ll see you out.”
But Qi Sui didn’t move. She said, half-reproachfully, “It’s one in the morning.”
It was so late, and it wasn’t safe for a girl like Qi Sui to be out alone. Cheng Zhanxi had been drinking and couldn’t drive her. Besides, Qi Sui had been the one to bring her home in the first place; how could she ask Cheng Zhanxi to take her back?
Qi Sui waited for a moment, and sure enough, Cheng Zhanxi said, “Why don’t you stay here for the night? You can sleep in my room, and I’ll take the sofa.”
Qi Sui’s eyes showed a struggle. She really wanted to sleep in Cheng Zhanxi’s bed, to be surrounded by her scent, but as a guest staying over for the first time, she couldn’t possibly ask for that. She offered to take the sofa, but Cheng Zhanxi insisted she not.
A sudden thought occurred to Qi Sui, making her heart pound uncontrollably. She calmed herself for a few seconds before saying in a voice that betrayed no abnormality, “Why don’t we share the bed? We’re both girls, after all.”
Cheng Zhanxi blurted out, “No!”
The speed and intensity of her reaction startled even herself. As the word left her lips, it was as if the alcohol had vanished, leaving her mind unprecedentedly clear.
Qi Sui was taken aback for a moment. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I definitely won’t do anything to you.”
Cheng Zhanxi reflected on her attitude, softened her tone, and replied, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just… I really can’t. I…” She searched for a vague excuse, mumbling, “My family is pretty strict.”
The moment the words were out, Yu Qingtang’s face appeared in her mind.
A flash of deep self-mockery immediately crossed her eyes. Yu Qingtang probably didn’t even want to bother with her anymore. Time and distance could dilute anything, and that included Yu Qingtang’s feelings for her.
She just didn’t know how long it would take for her own hazy feelings for Yu Qingtang to disappear completely. Cheng Zhanxi wasn’t one to overthink things. If she liked someone, she let it run its course; if she didn’t, she would quietly wait for time to pass. She wouldn’t force herself to sever those feelings.
Qi Sui saw the shifting expressions on her face but didn’t know the reason. However, Cheng Zhanxi’s refusal was firm, and she didn’t argue further. She went into the room and brought out two thick blankets, laying one on the sofa and keeping one for cover. She apologized to Qi Sui, “Sorry for the poor arrangements.”
Qi Sui asked, “Where is the bathroom?”
Cheng Zhanxi personally led her there and got her disposable clothes and toiletries—Yu Jianxing occasionally crashed on her sofa, so she was well-stocked. She adjusted the water temperature for Qi Sui and stepped aside. Qi Sui looked at her and said pointedly, “Whoever gets to be your girlfriend will be very happy.”
Cheng Zhanxi just smiled. “You think so?”
She had no intention of chatting further and closed the bathroom door.
Cheng Zhanxi returned to her bedroom, went into her own bathroom to shower, and afterward, fell backward onto her bed, her limbs sinking into the soft mattress.
Cheng Zhanxi closed her eyes and lay there for a while before reaching for the phone on the nightstand and opening her chat with Yu Qingtang.
【Someone wanted to sleep in the same bed with me today. I refused.】
She stared at the line of text for a moment, then rubbed her forehead and laughed. What was she doing? Trying to earn points with Yu Qingtang? On what grounds? What right did she have?
Yu Qingtang would probably just reply with an “Mm,” and then give some noncommittal response to her follow-up questions. What was the point?
Cheng Zhanxi deleted the text and put her phone back.
Knock, knock—
A knock sounded at the door. Cheng Zhanxi sat up, tightened the belt of her robe, and checked herself over before going to open it.
Qi Sui was standing at the door.
Cheng Zhanxi asked politely, “Can I help you?”
Qi Sui said, “No, I just came to say good night.”
Cheng Zhanxi smiled gently. “Good night.”
“Good night.” Qi Sui’s gaze roamed over her. “Your pajamas are very nice.”
“A friend gave them to me.” Cheng Zhanxi stroked the silk robe; it felt cool and smooth. “They’re a bit old.”
“You still wear them even though they’re old. That must be a very important friend, right?”
Normally, Cheng Zhanxi would have smiled and agreed, perhaps even telling her about the friend who gave her the pajamas. But Qi Sui caught a trace of melancholy on Cheng Zhanxi’s face, as well as a clear reluctance to discuss it further.
“…I guess so.” Cheng Zhanxi ended the topic and said again, “Get some rest. Good night.”
She closed the door.
Qi Sui stood before the closed door, her eyes lowered in thought.
Cheng Zhanxi lay in bed, her thoughts a jumbled mess for a while, and then, unsurprisingly, she dreamed of Yu Qingtang. The white fog from her eighteenth year had dissipated. Yu Qingtang was holding her hand, walking on and on, deep into a forest. Amidst the gentle calls of deer, she cupped Cheng Zhanxi’s face and kissed her.
Her lips were slightly cool, but warm within, leading her to sink into the soft light of the water.
Cheng Zhanxi’s eyelashes trembled, her eyes moving beneath her lids, unwilling to wake up.
Bzz, bzz—
The vibration of her phone forcibly pulled her from the dream. Cheng Zhanxi kept her eyes closed for a moment, calmed her heart, and then picked up her phone.
From Yu Qingtang: 【If someone confesses to you, don't accept.】
Cheng Zhanxi’s eyelid twitched. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the faint morning light outside the window, then pinched her arm hard. Wincing, she looked down at her phone again.
The line of text was still there, neatly displayed in her chat window.
It wasn’t a dream.
Cheng Zhanxi’s expression was dazed. The initial ecstasy was followed by an unusual calm.
She locked her phone and tossed it back onto the nightstand. Whatever whim had possessed Yu Qingtang to send that message, she didn’t want to guess anymore, nor did she want to get caught up in the heart-pounding drama of her own one-sided feelings. In just over twenty days, Yu Qingtang would be coming for her birthday. She would ask her what she meant face-to-face.
If Yu Qingtang didn’t come this time… if she didn’t come, Cheng Zhanxi lowered her eyes, thinking dejectedly, there was nothing she could do.
Yu Qingtang checked her phone frequently throughout the day, so distracted she couldn’t even concentrate on her painting. Teacher Tian scolded her a few times, and his wife, Su E, told her to go home and rest.
Yu Qingtang, in a daze, got into the car to go home. Her phone screen was still on the message she had sent last night. Cheng Zhanxi had never replied.
Why hadn’t she replied? Had she already accepted someone else?
The driver in the driver’s seat saw Yu Qingtang raise a hand to wipe her eye in the rearview mirror. She then quickly lowered her head, blocking the driver’s view so he couldn’t see her expression.
The Wei family’s driver brought Yu Qingtang home. Yu Ci happened to be in the yard. Yu Qingtang greeted her mother and went inside. The driver glanced toward the main door, approached Yu Ci, and whispered, “Ma’am, I think the young miss was crying in the car just now.”
Yu Ci was surprised. “Was she?”
“Yes,” the driver said.
Yu Ci smiled. “It’s all right. I’ll ask her about it later.”
The driver acknowledged her and left, casting a worried glance at the window of Yu Qingtang’s second-floor room before he went.
He had been a driver for the Wei family for over twenty years, and this was the first time he had ever seen the young miss cry.
Yu Ci put down the gardening shears she was using to trim branches and stepped into the house.
Cheng Zhanxi’s birthday was December 2nd. Yu Qingtang took leave from school and from Teacher Tian, arriving in Paris a week early. She wanted to give Cheng Zhanxi a surprise, but she also had another motive, so she didn’t tell Cheng Zhanxi and went straight to her apartment.
Cheng Zhanxi had told Yu Qingtang the code to her door lock long ago; it was a combination of Cheng Yi’s and Song Qingrou’s birthdays. Yu Qingtang entered Cheng Yi’s birth year and Song Qingrou’s month and day. Her bank card PIN was the reverse. She was lazy and couldn’t remember number combinations, so she just recycled the same few passwords. Her computer login password was even a combination of her and Yu Qingtang’s birthdays.
You could say that if you knew her close relationships, you knew all her passwords.
After a “beep,” the door opened.
Yu Qingtang chewed on a piece of gum, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. Before she could even turn back to bring her suitcase inside, she keenly sensed that someone was there.
She knew Cheng Zhanxi’s class schedule like the back of her hand; there was no way she would be home at this time.
Yu Qingtang’s expression turned icy. Watching the unfamiliar young woman walk out of the kitchen wearing an apron, looking for all the world like the lady of the house, her heart sank to the bottom of a ravine.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
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