After Escaping Marriage - Extra 30
Chapter 173: Extra 3 - Parallel World
Cheng Zhanxi still had class the next day, so the task of picking up the Cheng and Yu parents fell to Yu Qingtang.
Having just tasted the forbidden fruit, Cheng Zhanxi was young and full of energy. That morning, she unwrapped the gift she had unwrapped the night before all over again and almost ended up late. Yu Qingtang slept until noon, then got up and toasted two slices of bread, spread them with jam, and had them with hot milk for brunch before heading to the airport.
Yu Ci and her husband were on the same flight as the Chengs. After seeing that the flight had arrived, Yu Qingtang took a folded piece of paper from her bag, unfolded it, and held it up in front of her.
The group of four emerged, chatting and laughing. Yu Ci spotted her daughter at a glance, while Song Qingrou saw the name on the paper: Cheng Zhanxi.
The two women exchanged a look. Yu Ci said, “Look at Tangtang holding a sign with our Xixi’s name on it. Why doesn’t it feel out of place at all?”
Song Qingrou laughed heartily.
“I suppose that’s what you call a perfect match.”
Wei Tingyu waved at Yu Qingtang, signaling that they had seen her.
Yu Qingtang slowly put the paper away, ignoring her mother’s teasing gaze as she approached. She looked at Wei Tingyu and said, “Dad, Mom.” Then she turned to Cheng Yi and Song Qingrou. “Uncle, Auntie.”
Yu Ci smiled. “Why are you looking at everyone but me?”
Wei Tingyu tugged on his wife’s sleeve. They were in public; she could tease their daughter when they got home.
Yu Qingtang took them to the hotel they had booked. Cheng Zhanxi’s apartment had two rooms—one master bedroom and one study that doubled as a studio. It was practically a bachelor pad, and squeezing four more people inside would leave no room to move. While Yu Qingtang checked them in at the front desk, the four parents sat on a sofa in the hotel lobby, whispering to each other.
“The kids grow up in the blink of an eye. We used to be the ones arranging everything while they waited behind us, eating snacks.”
“I remember how clingy Xixi was to her big sister back then. She’d start looking for her if she was gone for even a moment.”
“Xixi was openly clingy with Tangtang, while Tangtang was secretly clingy with Xixi, and she’d even get jealous. Remember that one time our families went on a trip together…”
“Are you talking about the time in Hokkaido when Xixi was having so much fun she forgot to spend time with Tangtang, and Tangtang sulked for a whole day? We had no idea what happened and ended up deciding to go home early.”
“Hahahaha, yes, that’s the one. I think they were only six or seven at the time.”
“They were so much fun when they were little, both of them.”
Yu Qingtang, having finished checking them in, returned and coughed pointedly. The chatting parents exchanged a knowing glance and, out of consideration for the younger generation’s feelings, tactfully stopped.
A bellboy had already taken their luggage upstairs. Yu Qingtang led the parents to the elevators and pressed the button to go up.
Her phone vibrated, and Yu Qingtang took it out of her coat pocket.
[Girlfriend]: Did you pick up our parents?
Yu Qingtang typed: 【Yes, we’re at the hotel】
Seeing the gentle look in her daughter’s eyes, Yu Ci said knowingly, “Is that a message from Xixi? What did she say?”
Yu Qingtang’s fingers twitched uncomfortably. She put her phone away and said, “She was just asking if I’d picked you all up.”
Song Qingrou chimed in, “When does her class end?”
Yu Qingtang looked at Song Qingrou’s face and belatedly realized that Cheng Zhanxi’s mother would soon be her mother-in-law. Her pupils dilated as a sudden wave of nervousness washed over her. “Around sev-seven o’clock at the hotel.”
Yu Ci found this amusing. “Sev-seven o’clock? Seven times seven is forty-nine? That’s not right either. Aren’t there only twenty-four hours in a day?”
Wei Tingyu tugged at her clothes from behind.
Yu Ci pinched his waist in return.
Didn’t he know that in a few more years, Yu Qingtang would be completely past the fun-to-tease stage? If she didn’t tease her now while she was still thin-skinned, she’d never get another chance.
Cheng Yi and Song Qingrou were tired from their journey. At their door, they parted ways with Yu Ci and her husband, saying they would rest for a while and see them in the evening.
Yu Qingtang accompanied her parents into their suite. Wei Tingyu helped Yu Ci hang up her heavy coat, pushed the suitcase into the bedroom, and arranged their toiletries on the bathroom counter, leaving Yu Qingtang and Yu Ci in the living room.
When Wei Tingyu came out after tidying up, he saw his daughter’s face was bright red. He could only imagine what Yu Ci had said to her this time.
Wei Tingyu chuckled.
He called out gently, “A-Ci.”
Yu Ci stood up and, as she passed Yu Qingtang, reached out to pinch her daughter’s cheek.
Yu Qingtang looked up at her, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance in her eyes.
Yu Ci burst out laughing.
With both sets of parents resting, Yu Qingtang escaped the ordeal and went to the neighborhood near Cheng Zhanxi’s school, strolling down Rue Bonaparte. When she felt cold, she would step into a roadside café for a hot coffee, watching the winter street scene through the glass window as she waited for Cheng Zhanxi’s class to end.
Time seemed to slow down, becoming as tranquil and warm as the steam rising from her cup.
As dusk fell, Yu Qingtang met Cheng Zhanxi at the school gate. With her was Cindy, the mixed-race girl who was an excellent rock climber.
Before Yu Qingtang could introduce herself, Cindy recognized her and excitedly asked if she was Cheng Zhanxi’s girlfriend.
Yu Qingtang said yes, feeling a bit puzzled.
Cindy explained that Cheng Zhanxi had told her she had a girlfriend who was exceptionally beautiful and had a wonderful personality. The moment Cindy saw her, she thought she was “like an angel.”
Yu Qingtang smiled, thanked her graciously, and complimented her on her beauty as well.
Cindy enthusiastically invited Yu Qingtang to her rock-climbing club. Yu Qingtang naturally took Cheng Zhanxi’s hand and said she would definitely try it when she had the time.
The parents had come this time primarily to formally meet their daughter’s partner; celebrating Cheng Zhanxi’s birthday was secondary. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Yu Ci and her husband to make a special trip.
The two of them walked into the private dining room hand in hand, stood before their parents, and said in unison, “Dad, Mom, this is my girlfriend.”
The parents all beamed with smiles.
The two families were already the closest of friends, so the birthday dinner, which doubled as a meeting of the in-laws, was harmonious and joyful from start to finish.
After dinner, the two young women were taken to their parents’ rooms for separate chats. When they met up afterward, Cheng Zhanxi asked Yu Qingtang, “What did your mom say to you?”
Yu Qingtang countered, “What did your parents say to you?”
Cheng Zhanxi’s gaze flickered away almost imperceptibly. “Just that I should treat you well, listen to you, and not bully you.”
Yu Qingtang looked at her steadily. “Me too.”
Cheng Zhanxi gave a dry laugh.
“Well, our parents are certainly on the same page.”
“After all, my mom and your mom are best friends.”
Although Cheng Zhanxi’s acting skills at the time were not as good as Yu Qingtang’s, she wasn’t that easy to fool. As for Yu Qingtang, Cheng Zhanxi had practically no secrets from her. They both knew what their parents had really said—they could even guess with eighty to ninety percent accuracy, all because Song Qingrou and Yu Ci were best friends.
Both sets of parents had asked the same question: When do you plan to get engaged?
Cheng Zhanxi was still studying abroad. She had just started her sophomore year and had several years until graduation. The parents, as well as the girls themselves, felt it was best to get engaged first and marry after they had graduated and their careers were stable.
But talk of engagement brought up a crucial prerequisite: a proposal.
Who would tell their partner about a proposal beforehand? So, they both tacitly chose to keep it a secret.
Although a proposal might seem a bit fast for a newly formed couple, they both shared a strange feeling—even though they were only nineteen, it felt as if they had been together for two lifetimes.
Yu Qingtang stayed in Paris for a full week. When her vacation ended, she returned to her country, and the two began a long and arduous long-distance relationship.
Cheng Zhanxi’s longing was deeper than ever before. The good thing was that now she could express it without restraint. If she woke up in the middle of the night, crying and hugging her quilt, she could text Yu Qingtang, who would reply the moment she saw it. Whenever she had time, she would call or video chat and send her all sorts of gifts.
Cheng Zhanxi thought to herself: So this is what Yu Qingtang is like in a relationship. Being in a relationship is the best.
Afterward, she felt even more fortunate that she was the one in a relationship with Yu Qingtang.
Occasionally, Yu Qingtang would have her harmless little tantrums. The problems brought on by distance couldn’t be solved by video calls, but distance also brought a special kind of romance.
Even many years later, Yu Qingtang would never forget the afternoon she was walking to the cafeteria after class, talking to Cheng Zhanxi on the phone about the possible dishes of the day. As she turned the next corner, she saw Cheng Zhanxi standing at the cafeteria entrance, wearing a scarf and a knit hat, holding her phone and smiling at her. The feeling of being so moved was unforgettable.
Cheng Zhanxi, too, would never forget how Yu Qingtang, who was always so cool and composed and rarely lost her composure in front of her, dropped the books in her hands that day and threw herself into her arms.
“The books were innocent,” Cheng Zhanxi teased years later, swinging gently in a hanging chair, one foot dangling in the air, her pant leg rolled up to reveal a delicate, fair ankle as she brought up the old story.
Yu Qingtang was nestled in her arms, her eyes lazily lowered as her hands played with the woman’s long fingers. She feigned ignorance. “I don’t remember.”
“You cried that day. You got my whole scarf wet.”
“If I say I don’t remember, I don’t remember.” Yu Qingtang squeezed her bony knuckles, hard enough to make the woman above her cry out in pain.
“Tyrant,” Cheng Zhanxi dared to say only in her heart. She bent down and kissed Yu Qingtang’s long hair, and her fingers were, as she wished, freed.
Cheng Zhanxi then said, “Do you remember the day I proposed to you?”
Yu Qingtang’s expression softened. “I remember.”
It was Yu Qingtang’s twentieth birthday, during the season when the apricot blossoms were in full bloom. Cheng Zhanxi had made a special trip back to the country to celebrate with her. She gave Yu Qingtang an apricot blossom bracelet and a hand-drawn art book. The latter half of the book was hollowed out, concealing a diamond ring.
Yu Qingtang had also prepared a diamond ring, but since Cheng Zhanxi had beaten her to it, she couldn’t find the right opportunity and didn’t give it to her until summer vacation.
In the summer of 2011, after their sophomore year, the two got engaged.
At the time, same-sex marriage was not yet legal in their country, but since both sets of parents had no objections, their friends and relatives offered their heartfelt blessings.
At the start of their junior year, Cheng Zhanxi received a surprise from her new fiancée. Yu Qingtang had applied for an exchange program at her university and would be studying at Cheng Zhanxi’s school for a year.
Their original apartment was just big enough for one, and would be a bit cramped for two. Cheng Zhanxi found a bigger place with one bedroom, one study, two art studios, and a cat. The cat’s name was Momo—because it always meowed when it shouldn’t and made a fuss when it should be quiet. For example, when its owners were making love under the covers in the early morning, it would be outside, meowing and scratching at the door. Or it would seize the opportunity when Yu Qingtang opened a door, rushing into her studio with lightning speed, leaping onto the table, and then nimbly jumping down, leaving inky paw prints all over the floor.
“…”
Yu Qingtang would carry the cat to the corner for a lecture, while Cheng Zhanxi would dutifully fetch water and wipe the floor, smiling as she listened to Yu Qingtang’s earnest admonishments.
After lecturing the cat, Yu Qingtang would turn around and cradle it in her arms, stroking its fur. She wondered aloud, “Why does she love my studio so much? Don’t you have more paints in yours? Or is she colorblind?”
Cheng Zhanxi didn’t know either. “Hmm,” she mused with a smile, “Maybe you two are just fated to be.”
Momo snuggled into Yu Qingtang’s palm, poked out its round head, and let out a “meow.”
Cheng Zhanxi said, “See? She agrees with me.”
Yu Qingtang replied, “She can’t talk. You can interpret it however you want.”
Cheng Zhanxi laughed and continued to kneel on the floor, wiping it with a cloth.
Yu Qingtang watched for a moment, then placed the cat on the sofa, walked over, and took the cloth from her hand. “Let me do it. I don’t want you to get tired.”
“It’s just a little work. How could this tire me out?” Cheng Zhanxi couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Yu Qingtang glanced at her, her voice soft and a little low.
“Didn’t you say your back was sore when you woke up this morning?”
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