After Escaping Marriage - Extra 23
Chapter 166: Extra 3 - Parallel World
【I'm at your door. I brought you a gift.】
Cheng Zhanxi frowned at the message and replied politely: 【Just leave it at the door.】
Qi Sui didn't reply. Cheng Zhanxi put her phone back in her pocket, not caring whether she left the gift at the door as instructed or took it with her.
Yu Jianxing sidled up to her and asked slyly, "Who are you texting?"
"Qi Sui," Cheng Zhanxi said flatly.
Yu Jianxing's expression was tinged with regret. "Are you really going to keep your distance from her?"
"What else?" Cheng Zhanxi's expression was placid. She calculated the time until her birthday—half a month. Yu Qingtang would be here in half a month. Should she remind her not to forget? Would that seem too deliberate?
"I thought you liked her," Yu Jianxing muttered.
"Hm? What did you say?" Cheng Zhanxi was distracted and didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing." Yu Jianxing smiled and dropped the subject. Since Cheng Zhanxi wasn't interested, there was no need to say more.
Just as Cheng Zhanxi had said before, once you crossed the line of friendship, you could never go back. This was the first time a close friend had confessed to her. Cheng Zhanxi had hesitated for several days before deciding to distance herself from her. After that day Qi Sui stayed over on her couch, Cheng Zhanxi had started giving her the cold shoulder. She no longer took Qi Sui everywhere with her, and Qi Sui couldn't follow even if she wanted to, because Cheng Zhanxi never told her where she was going.
Qi Sui must have sensed it, as she stopped contacting her frequently, saying she had gone traveling.
Two weeks later, which was today, Qi Sui messaged her to say she had brought a gift.
Cheng Zhanxi felt bad, but she still didn't want to see her, lest it cause unnecessary complications.
Cheng Zhanxi had a full day of classes, followed by a club activity in the evening.
She was chatting with Cindy, her rock-climbing partner, with an arm slung over her shoulder. Amid their laughter, the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated.
Qi Sui: 【Are you not done with class yet?】
They had been best friends, after all. Qi Sui had her class schedule.
A jolt went through Cheng Zhanxi. She frowned and typed: 【You haven't gone back yet?】
Qi Sui: 【I want to give you the gift in person. I'm worried it won't be safe if I leave it at the door.】
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
It had been at least six hours since this afternoon. Had she been waiting all this time?
Cheng Zhanxi's weakness for being soft-hearted kicked in. She immediately removed Cindy's arm from her shoulder and said hurriedly, "I have to go home for a bit."
Cindy grabbed her, not letting her go. "What's the rush?" she laughed. She teased her with a newly learned Chinese phrase, "Hiding a beauty in a golden house?"
Cheng Zhanxi: "..."
What kind of nonsense phrases was she learning?
Seeing the commotion, Yu Jianxing squeezed over to join in. "What's going on? What's going on?"
Cindy laughed. "She's hiding a beauty in a golden house."
Yu Jianxing's eyes lit up. "Really? Really?"
Cheng Zhanxi slapped a hand on her forehead.
Yu Jianxing clutched her forehead with an "Ouch!" when a phone screen suddenly appeared before her eyes. "Huh?" she grunted, and, with Cheng Zhanxi still holding the phone, she read the conversation with Qi Sui.
"You can't go back!" Yu Jianxing said quickly.
"Why not?"
"If you go back, you'll be falling right into her trap, won't you?" Yu Jianxing adopted the air of an expert who had "seen it all before."
"Then what do you suggest I do?"
"Let her wait. If she can't wait for you, she'll naturally go back."
"..."
Cheng Zhanxi didn't speak, but Yu Jianxing could read the disapproval in her eyes.
Cheng Zhanxi had no other real flaws, except that she was overly soft-hearted and brimming with sympathy. As long as you grasped her weak spot, you had her wrapped around your finger. And now, the first person to master this technique had appeared.
Just as she was struggling with what to do, a new message from Qi Sui came in.
【What's your door code? I'll put the thing inside and leave.】
Cheng Zhanxi thought deeply.
She didn't have many valuables at home. She quickly banished that thought; out of trust for Qi Sui's character, she shouldn't suspect her of touching her things.
Qi Sui: 【My uncle is rushing me to come home.】
The corner of Cheng Zhanxi's brow twitched uneasily.
Qi Sui's parents had died early, and her uncle's home, where she lived under someone else's roof... it was better not to mention it. If she went back late, the consequences would be unimaginable. Cheng Zhanxi recalled the old scars she had seen on Qi Sui's arms and back, and a string of numbers slipped from her fingertips.
Cheng Zhanxi: 【The code is 6xxxxx. Put the gift in the entryway and hurry back.】
Qi Sui: 【Thank you.】
Cheng Zhanxi sighed.
Cheng Zhanxi didn't get home until very late that night. Just inside the door, a beautifully wrapped gift box was indeed sitting in the entryway. Cheng Zhanxi didn't open it. Instead, she pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers and walked straight past the entryway into her bedroom.
She had had a few drinks with friends that evening, so she went to sleep right after her shower.
The alarm woke her in the morning. After washing up, she rushed out. Just as she was nearing the school gate, she stopped as if remembering something and added a line to her phone's reminders: "Change the door lock code."
After a pause, she added: "Remember to tell Yu Qingtang the new code."
This time... she decided to set it to Yu Qingtang's birthday.
Cheng Zhanxi had gone to school. At that moment, in her home, two women stood facing each other.
"Who are you?" Yu Qingtang's questioning tone was calm, not harsh or hysterical. One hand still gripped the handle of her suitcase, as if she were the mistress of the house returning from a trip, looking matter-of-factly at the uninvited guest who had appeared in her home.
Qi Sui looked back at her, her female intuition raising a strong sense of alarm.
She hadn't gotten Cheng Zhanxi's permission; she had taken it upon herself to come to Cheng Zhanxi's home to cook for her. The person before her was likely closer to Cheng Zhanxi than she was. If this woman were in the same position as her, she wouldn't be holding a suitcase, nor would she have entered so naturally.
Who are you? she asked in her heart, the same question Yu Qingtang had voiced.
But Qi Sui showed none of this on her face. "I'm a friend of Cheng Zhanxi's," she said lightly.
Yu Qingtang withdrew her gaze from the garish apron and said indifferently, "Is that so?"
Without waiting for Qi Sui's response, she dragged her suitcase into Cheng Zhanxi's room.
Qi Sui's pupils contracted. She resisted the urge to stop her, standing rooted to the spot, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.
After a long moment, her heaving chest calmed, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
What if she was just one of Cheng Zhanxi's relatives? And even if she did like Cheng Zhanxi, taking a huge step back, how could anyone know who would win or lose until the very end?
Someone who has seen the sun is unwilling to return to such darkness.
In the bedroom, Yu Qingtang leaned her back against the door and closed her eyes. Blood, swept up by emotion, rushed through her veins. Her temples throbbed, and a blue vein stood out on her fair forehead.
The moment she saw Qi Sui, she'd had the impulse to slam the door and leave, but reason stopped her. She had come this time to have a showdown with Cheng Zhanxi. After so many years of ambiguity, she had to make things clear. To storm off because of a stranger would be playing right into the other woman's hands, wouldn't it?
Most importantly, she trusted Cheng Zhanxi. As long as Cheng Zhanxi hadn't told her she had a girlfriend, Yu Qingtang wouldn't believe the person outside was anyone significant to her.
At most, she was someone Cheng Zhanxi was ambiguous with. Yu Qingtang licked her dry lips and calmed her racing heart. Could I possibly be inferior to her?
Even as Yu Qingtang convinced herself over and over, her fingertips still trembled when she took out her phone to message Cheng Zhanxi.
【Are you home?】
After class, Cheng Zhanxi habitually lit up her phone screen to check for new messages and saw Yu Qingtang's baffling question.
Cheng Zhanxi typed: 【No, what's up?】
Sitting at Cheng Zhanxi's desk, Yu Qingtang slowly typed: 【Why is there someone else in your home?】
She could have been more gradual, but she was tired of this feeling of being slowly worn down by a dull knife. If Cheng Zhanxi said the woman outside was her girlfriend, Yu Qingtang would leave immediately.
Cheng Zhanxi stopped dead in her tracks, her heart bursting with joy.
【You're at my place? Right now?】
【I'm coming back right now!】
"Help me ask the professor for a leave of absence, I have an emergency!" Cheng Zhanxi said rapidly to the classmate beside her. Before the classmate could even react, she was gone like a gust of wind.
The afterimage of the young woman running flashed through the classmate's vision. He blinked in confusion.
He had never seen her skip a class before. What could be so urgent?
Cheng Zhanxi sprinted down the street. After the initial euphoria in her mind calmed down, Yu Qingtang's first question surfaced.
-Why is there someone else in your home?
Who? The cleaner? The police? The landlord?
Cheng Zhanxi didn't slow her pace as she pondered this, and a few minutes later, she was back at her apartment building. She quickly punched in the code with her fingertips and pushed the door open. The smile on her face froze when she saw the woman in the living room.
Cheng Zhanxi frowned. "Qi Sui?"
Qi Sui nodded at her, a hint of helplessness on her pale, delicate face.
"I'm sor—"
Cheng Zhanxi politely cut her off. "Excuse me." She looked around and called out, "Yu Qingtang." Then she strode toward the bedroom.
Qi Sui's face turned deathly pale.
Cheng Zhanxi didn't notice her strange reaction as she called Yu Qingtang's name.
The bedroom door opened from the inside, and Yu Qingtang, slender in a black trench coat, appeared before her.
Cheng Zhanxi's eyes lit up. She strode over and swept her into a hug, lifting her off her feet. Yu Qingtang patted her shoulder, and only then did Cheng Zhanxi put her down. She grasped her hands, her voice filled with irrepressible joy. "Why did you come without a word? I didn't even get to pick you up."
Yu Qingtang smiled faintly. "I came because I wanted to."
"And here I was, counting down the days."
"No need to count anymore. I took a week off."
"The sun must have risen in the west. I can't believe you have so much free time."
"Indeed." Yu Qingtang chuckled, not sparing Qi Sui so much as a glance. When dealing with an enemy, ignoring them was the most effective blow.
The two of them talked as if no one else was there. Not far away, Qi Sui's eyes were tinged with a faint gloom.
When Yu Qingtang had had enough of their chat, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, finally looked at Qi Sui in the middle of the living room, and asked Cheng Zhanxi with an innocent expression, "And this is...?"
Yu Ci was beautiful and popular, so she naturally attracted a lot of admirers. Yu Qingtang had seen her father, Wei Tingyu, put an arm around Yu Ci's shoulder and politely ask who someone was, with the proud air of "I'm the only one for her." Yu Qingtang thought to herself that she had learned seventy or eighty percent of Wei Tingyu's technique.
Cheng Zhanxi introduced her: "A friend of mine." She didn't say Qi Sui's name.
Cheng Zhanxi said softly to Yu Qingtang, "Go into the room first. I have something to take care of."
Yu Qingtang looked up at Cheng Zhanxi, who was half a head taller than her, and hummed softly in agreement. Then she tugged on her sleeve and said in a low, soft voice, "Then be quick."
...She was acting more and more like a pampered consort.
Cheng Zhanxi looked into her clear eyes. She raised her hand, hovering it two or three centimeters above the crown of her head. Her fingertips curled slightly before she slowly drew her hand back.
She hummed a low agreement, promising, "I'll be quick."
Yu Qingtang turned to go back to the room. Before closing the door, she didn't forget to give Qi Sui a provocative look that only she could see.
If Yu Ci were here, she would have roared with laughter and praised her for having her father's style.
Cheng Zhanxi took the doorknob and closed the door for Yu Qingtang.
Then she turned around, her gaze on Qi Sui turning abruptly cold, devoid of any warmth. "Why are you here?"
A pallor like that from excessive blood loss appeared on Qi Sui's face. She lowered her head and stammered, "I'm sorry."
On any other day, Cheng Zhanxi would have softened by now, but today, she had no sympathy to spare. She just wanted to get this over with quickly. "Qi Sui, I remember I made it clear to you that night. I don't like you."
"I know," Qi Sui's voice grew even more timid.
Cheng Zhanxi moved her lips, swallowing the harsh words that rose in her throat. She said in a heavy voice, "You should go."
Qi Sui silently untied her apron and went to the kitchen to turn off the stove.
Cheng Zhanxi saw her to the door and handed back the gift that had been left in the entryway the night before.
Qi Sui glanced at her, her eyes filled with grief.
Cheng Zhanxi hardened her heart and closed the door.
She stood in place, took two deep breaths, and turned around.
Yu Qingtang was standing at the bedroom door. There was no telling how long she had been watching.
Cheng Zhanxi's heart skipped a beat. She almost blurted out the classic TV drama line, "Let me explain."
But to prevent the "I'm not listening, I'm not listening" scene, she immediately launched into a rapid explanation. "She's a friend of mine. Her knowing the code was an accident. I was planning to change it after school today, but I didn't expect her to come over this morning on her own. I didn't know beforehand, really!"
Yu Qingtang watched her quietly.
Cheng Zhanxi met her gaze for a second, then frantically rummaged through the entryway for a piece of paper. She looked at it and said nervously, "What was the admin code again?"
She saw the numbers clearly, pulled the door open, and said, "I'm changing the code right now."
She looked at Yu Qingtang, who was still standing there, and said awkwardly, "Aren't you going to come and watch?"
Yu Qingtang walked over, her face expressionless.
Beep, beep—
The sound of the code being entered was incessant.
Cheng Zhanxi changed the code to her birthday right in front of her, then bit her lip and looked at her nervously.
The corners of Yu Qingtang's lips turned up slightly before she resumed her indifferent expression. She lifted her chin slightly and said, "I'm leaving."
The threat was gone. It was time for her to throw a little tantrum like a pampered consort.
Hmph.
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