After Escaping Marriage - Extra 29
Chapter 172: Extra 3 - Parallel World
“It’s not your fault. There’s nothing wrong with being kind. The ones at fault are those who take advantage of it.” Yu Qingtang gently patted Cheng Zhanxi’s back, rubbing her chin against her temple as she spoke earnestly into her ear.
Cheng Zhanxi responded with a soft sob.
Yu Qingtang held her tightly.
Cheng Zhanxi rested at home for the afternoon, and her low spirits gradually eased. She dragged Qi Sui’s number into her blacklist. In the evening, she called Yu Jianxing to complain about herself, saying she must have been blind to believe Qi Sui. On the other end of the line, Yu Jianxing was utterly amazed, saying you can know a person’s face but not their heart, and wondering how such a seemingly nice young girl could be so scheming. She then praised Yu Qingtang for being clever enough to have prepared a recording pen, adding that she wanted to buy one too. “Having a wife is really great,” and so on.
When Yu Qingtang opened the kitchen door and came out again, she heard laughter from the living room.
Cheng Zhanxi was on the phone with one leg crossed on the sofa, her posture relaxed and casual. There was a smile in her eyes, and no trace of her earlier dejection.
Yu Qingtang was both relieved and rather amused. How could someone be so carefree? After such a serious incident, she was acting as if nothing had happened in just a short while, not taking it to heart at all.
On second thought, this also proved she really didn’t care much about Qi Sui. Yu Qingtang walked over and pinched Cheng Zhanxi’s slightly fleshy cheek.
She was only nineteen, her features not yet fully matured, like a half-ripe red fruit on a branch, crisp and fresh.
Cheng Zhanxi tilted her face up, rubbing her cheek against Yu Qingtang’s palm and narrowing her eyes in comfort.
Yu Qingtang smiled faintly, ruffled her hair as if petting a puppy, and went into the kitchen to cook.
Yu Jianxing: “Hello? Why did you stop talking?”
Cheng Zhanxi ditched her friend for her lover. “I’m going to keep my girlfriend company, talk to you later.” She hung up immediately after.
Yu Jianxing: “…”
Confirmed: she was just a tool.
Cheng Zhanxi clung to Yu Qingtang, sticking to her from inside the kitchen to out. During the meal, she even wanted to share a chair with Yu Qingtang, but it was too small. She was eager to try holding Yu Qingtang on her lap, but silently gave up on the idea under Yu Qingtang’s gaze and ate her meal obediently.
Deep in the night.
Cheng Zhanxi woke up covered in a cold sweat, startling Yu Qingtang awake beside her. Yu Qingtang turned on the light, felt the sweat-soaked pajamas on her back, and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
Cheng Zhanxi stared motionlessly at the wall in front of her, looking as if she’d lost her soul.
Yu Qingtang sat up and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. She then pried open Cheng Zhanxi’s clenched fist, took a tissue, and wiped away the cold, damp sweat from her palm before pulling her into an embrace.
The warmth of the other woman’s body made Cheng Zhanxi’s stiff frame soften, inch by inch. She rested in Yu Qingtang’s arms, still shaken, and said in a hoarse voice, “I had a nightmare.”
Yu Qingtang stroked her long hair.
Cheng Zhanxi spoke incoherently, describing how in the dream, she had brought Qi Sui home and taken care of her personally. Qi Sui’s mental state was terrible; she had attempted suicide several times and couldn’t live without her, so Cheng Zhanxi had agreed to be her girlfriend. But unexpectedly, Qi Sui had turned around and imprisoned her, forbidding her from having a normal social life or going out with friends, watching her every move, and having emotional breakdowns or hysterical fits at the slightest provocation. What pained Cheng Zhanxi the most was that she could never develop feelings for Qi Sui. She had forced herself to be with her out of pity, which in the end had completely extinguished her own flame.
In that dream, there was no Yu Qingtang—not even a single trace of her existence in Cheng Zhanxi’s life.
It was as if they were two strangers, scattered to the ends of the earth, who had never met.
Yu Qingtang was silent for a long time after listening. She soothed the still-trembling Cheng Zhanxi and said gently, “Dreams are the opposite of reality.”
Cheng Zhanxi asked dazedly, “Really?”
She suddenly got out of bed, pulled open the desk drawer, and took out a photo album from inside. She sat back on the bed and opened it on her lap.
They were born only a few months apart. Because their families were close, when Cheng Zhanxi was born, Yu Ci had specially brought over the infant Yu Qingtang. The two babies lay in the same small bed, Yu Qingtang holding her little sister’s tiny fist, both sleeping sweetly.
Their parents had taken a precious photo to commemorate it.
From the day Cheng Zhanxi first opened her eyes, Yu Qingtang was there. Afterwards, they played together, grew up together, and learned to paint together, letting each other into their hearts little by little until they became one of a kind.
After all those years, how could they just vanish in a dream?
Cheng Zhanxi wiped away a tear, sniffled softly, and caressed every photo of herself with Yu Qingtang in the album. Gradually, her heart settled.
It was just a nightmare, Cheng Zhanxi thought, letting out a long breath.
She put the album back. As sleepiness washed over her, she turned off the light and held Yu Qingtang, falling back asleep.
She fell asleep quickly, her breathing soon becoming even.
Yu Qingtang nestled in her embrace, but her eyes showed no hint of sleepiness.
She hadn’t told Cheng Zhanxi that she’d had the same dream, on the very night of Qi Sui’s “incident.” She didn’t know if it was a sign from heaven or the worst-case scenario playing out in her subconscious, but it made her even more determined to ensure Cheng Zhanxi cut ties with Qi Sui completely.
Dreams are the opposite of reality.
She and Cheng Zhanxi had known each other since they were small, childhood sweethearts. There would be no accidents, no major or minor setbacks. Starting from this year, at nineteen, they would love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.
In the night sky after a snowfall, the moon hanging on the horizon seemed exceptionally bright.
Breathing in Cheng Zhanxi’s fresh, clean, snow-like scent, Yu Qingtang drifted into a peaceful sleep.
On Sunday, Cheng Zhanxi took Yu Qingtang out shopping.
Yu Qingtang had been to Paris several times, but she was always in a rush and had never had a chance to properly see the city. They had planned to stroll around and eat, but after just a few steps, they dove into the Louvre and spent the entire day there. The Louvre is ranked as one of the world’s four great museums, yet Yu Qingtang had never been. There were many places in Paris, including the Musée d’Orsay just a few hundred meters away, that she had passed by many times without ever going inside.
Subconsciously, she had been saving these places to visit with Cheng Zhanxi, and now her wish was coming true.
At the entrance to the Musée d’Orsay, Cheng Zhanxi returned with the tickets to find Yu Qingtang gazing at the main gate with a smile.
She asked, “What are you smiling at?”
Yu Qingtang: “The paintings are wonderful.”
Cheng Zhanxi: “…”
They were still at the entrance. What did she mean, “the paintings are wonderful”? Hahahaha.
Yu Qingtang took Cheng Zhanxi’s hand, tucked both their joined hands into Cheng Zhanxi’s overcoat pocket, and said with a faint smile, “Let’s go in.”
Cheng Zhanxi tilted her head, pretending to lean in and whisper something, and used the opportunity to kiss her on the ear.
Yu Qingtang glanced up at her, then hugged her arm and nestled her face intimately against her shoulder.
On December 1st, the day before Cheng Zhanxi’s birthday, Yu Qingtang spent the day making her a fresh cream cake with a three-layer mango and pudding filling.
When Cheng Zhanxi returned from class, she saw a light purple, ribbon-tied cake box in the entryway.
There was no sign of Yu Qingtang in the living room or the kitchen. She opened her mouth to call out but stopped herself. She quietly peeked under the ribbon on the cake box and looked through the transparent packaging. On the cake, written in her favorite strawberry jam, were the words: Girlfriend, Happy Birthday.
Cheng Zhanxi was so happy she danced for joy, performing a solo tango right there in the entryway. Yu Qingtang had been in the bedroom the whole time, watching her through the crack in the door. Seeing her dance so energetically, the corners of her lips lifted, and she wondered if she should come out.
After a moment’s thought, she waited until Cheng Zhanxi’s excitement had mostly subsided, then opened the bedroom door and said, “You’re back.”
Cheng Zhanxi cleared her throat and asked, feigning seriousness, “Did you buy me this cake?”
Yu Qingtang shook her head and said, “I made it myself.”
“You made it?” The serious expression Cheng Zhanxi had just put on immediately crumbled, and she beamed.
Yu Qingtang couldn’t help but smile too. “Go wash your hands. We’ll eat first.”
“Okay.” Before heading to the washroom, Cheng Zhanxi bounded over, cupped Yu Qingtang’s face, and gave her a firm kiss on the lips. “Thanks, baby.”
The tips of Yu Qingtang’s ears burned. “Go on,” she chided.
After dinner and a shower, it was time for cake. Yu Qingtang placed a birthday crown on Cheng Zhanxi’s head and stuck candles in the cake. Cheng Zhanxi watched her, her eyes filled with joy, before belatedly asking, “By the way, isn’t my birthday tomorrow? Why are we celebrating today?”
Lighting the candles with a lighter, Yu Qingtang said, “Your parents and my parents are coming over tomorrow. There will be a lot of people, so I wanted to celebrate with just you first.”
Cheng Zhanxi realized she was right. This was their first birthday together—a very meaningful occasion. It was better to celebrate it alone, just the two of them.
Yu Qingtang set the lighter down and turned off the dining room lights. The flickering candlelight illuminated their young faces.
Yu Qingtang said, “Make a wish.”
Cheng Zhanxi clasped her hands before her chest, closed her eyes, and said earnestly, “First wish: I hope Yu Qingtang will never leave me.”
“Second wish: I hope Yu Qingtang will be happy every single day.”
Touched, Yu Qingtang smiled. “Don’t just make wishes for me. Make one for yourself.”
Cheng Zhanxi said, “I was just about to.”
She closed her eyes and, with unusual seriousness, made her third wish in her heart: I hope all of this is real.
Her eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. The flickering candlelight illuminated the pure, lovely face of her young lover.
Together, they blew out the candles. They cut two slices of cake, put them on plates, and carried them to the sofa to eat while watching the British drama Fingersmith.
The drama had elements of suspense, and the two female leads—especially the noble lady, Maud—were stunningly beautiful and captivating. Cheng Zhanxi had never seen it before and was soon engrossed, forgetting the cake in her hand. Yu Qingtang held the paper plate and fed her a bite from time to time.
The show reached the scene where the maid, Sue, puts on a glove to file Maud’s teeth. Maud’s hesitant, longing gaze filled the scene with so much tension it made one’s blood race, and the viewer’s heart couldn’t help but beat faster.
Just then, Yu Qingtang offered her a bite of cake. Cheng Zhanxi opened her mouth to take it, but the pad of Yu Qingtang’s finger pressed gently against her lips.
Cheng Zhanxi’s throat went dry.
Yu Qingtang cupped her cheek, the pad of her thumb stroking her soft lips as she said softly, “You got some cream on you.”
She withdrew her hand.
In the show, Sue also withdrew her hand, Maud’s eyes lingering on her.
Cheng Zhanxi caught Yu Qingtang’s wrist.
Yu Qingtang lifted her gaze, her expression full of unspoken words.
The TV was paused. Cheng Zhanxi got up, turned it off, finished her cake in a couple of bites, and then swept Yu Qingtang up into her arms and carried her to the bedroom.
The clock struck twelve, heralding a new day and the official start of Cheng Zhanxi’s birthday.
Yu Qingtang gave herself to her as a gift.
The process will not be detailed, but in short, Cheng Zhanxi adored this gift.
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