After Escaping Marriage - Extra 7
Chapter 150: Extra 3 - Parallel World
Cheng Zhanxi had a penchant for making shocking statements, and the news spread like wildfire. Even their teacher heard about it and, assuming the two students were in a puppy-love relationship, called their homes.
Song Qingrou and Yu Ci explained to the teacher that the two had a childhood betrothal, and that it was normal for the young masters and misses of prominent families like theirs to have marriage arrangements from a young age. The teacher couldn't say much more, only asking the children not to be too conspicuous at school.
But the rumor—if it could even be called that—of Yu Qingtang being Cheng Yuanxi’s wife followed her throughout her entire elementary school years. The culprit, Cheng Zhanxi, would periodically have to endure Yu Qingtang’s suddenly darkened expression. Yet, Yu Qingtang never said a word, so Cheng Zhanxi could only tread carefully whenever she was angry.
Cheng Yuanxi was on the school soccer team, and Cheng Zhanxi loved watching her brother play. She would bring Yu Qingtang along to the matches. During halftime, she ran over to give him some water, and Yu Qingtang overheard people behind them whispering:
“Wow, is that Cheng Yuanxi’s girlfriend?”
“Which one, which one?”
“The one in the white tracksuit. The really fair-skinned, pretty girl.”
“Ahhh, they look so good together.”
Yu Qingtang: “…”
Cheng Zhanxi looked down at her empty right hand, which had just been flung away. “…”
What is it now?
In that moment, she was the very picture of what would later be called an “oblivious boyfriend,” never knowing what was making her girlfriend angry.
Yu Qingtang left the soccer field, leaving the spectator stands behind.
Cheng Zhanxi wore a troubled expression. After weighing her brother against Yu Qingtang, she bolted after her.
Cheng Yuanxi, who hadn’t even gotten a sip of water: “?”
A teammate slung an arm over Cheng Yuanxi’s shoulder, handed him a bottle of water, and said, “Love is fleeting, but bros are forever.”
Cheng Yuanxi smiled.
At that moment, it hadn’t occurred to him that “bros” and “love” could be found in the same person.
When Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang were in the fourth grade, Cheng Yuanxi moved up to junior high. Because of the three-year age gap, they would never again attend the same school at the same time. When Yu Qingtang graduated from elementary school, she was finally free of the rumors about her and Cheng Yuanxi—provided Cheng Zhanxi kept her mouth shut.
With Cheng Yuanxi at a different school, the objective conditions for Cheng Zhanxi to run her mouth were gone, so she stopped mentioning her brother. In her heart, however, she still thought of Yu Qingtang as her sister-in-law. In her mind, the fact that a sister-in-law was her brother’s wife was secondary; what mattered was that if Yu Qingtang were her sister-in-law, she could live at her house forever, and the two of them could always be together.
Although Yu Qingtang could be moody at times, getting angry for no apparent reason, she was generally gentle and patient. She often helped Cheng Zhanxi with her schoolwork, and when Cheng Zhanxi forgot to do her homework, she would say “no” but then honestly let her copy it anyway. Cheng Zhanxi had made many new friends, but her favorite was still Yu Qingtang.
Besides, Yu Qingtang was the prettiest of all her friends!
The Cheng Zhanxi of junior high was quite different from her elementary school self. Her personality had matured and calmed down a bit; she was no longer as restless as before. She didn’t fidget in class anymore and could sit still and listen attentively. She developed early and shot up in height. Dressed in the private junior high’s uniform, a gold school crest of clustered leaves pinned to her chest, she had the graceful beauty of a young girl standing quietly.
The two of them weren’t in the same class in junior high. When Yu Qingtang was told someone was at the door for her, she came out to see this very scene.
Cheng Zhanxi’s long hair was tied back, with a few unruly strands framing her forehead, glowing a pale gold in the sunlight. Her youthful face already hinted at the beauty to come, like a newborn, luminous moon.
The boys and girls passing by in the hallway all stared at her. Some bumped into their classmates, murmuring quiet apologies. Even the air itself seemed to grow thin.
By the time Yu Qingtang came to her senses, her heart was pounding from a lack of oxygen.
Ignoring the second wave of commotion her own appearance caused, Yu Qingtang walked up to Cheng Zhanxi and stopped two steps away. She looked up at her slightly, a flicker of almost imperceptible resentment in her eyes.
They had grown up together and eaten pretty much the same things, so why was Cheng Zhanxi half a head taller than her?
Yu Qingtang ignored her racing heart and asked coolly, “Do you need something?”
Cheng Zhanxi had changed a lot, but one thing remained the same: she still loved making friends. Just one month into the school year, everyone in her grade knew who she was, and she had friends in every class.
Cheng Zhanxi said, “Nothing, I just missed you a little, so I came to see you.”
Her classroom was two floors away from Yu Qingtang’s, so it was quite a trek to come up. A strange feeling welled up in Yu Qingtang’s chest, like taking a bite from the sweet center of a watermelon on a hot summer day. She couldn’t help but curve her eyes into a smile.
Cheng Zhanxi’s expression froze for a second.
It was so rare to see Yu Qingtang smile like that.
The older Yu Qingtang got, the more aloof she became, and her emotions grew more and more restrained. Making her smile was harder than reaching the heavens.
“You like it when I come up to see you?” Cheng Zhanxi blurted out.
A wave of inexplicable shame and annoyance washed over Yu Qingtang, and her face hardened.
Cheng Zhanxi: “?”
So does she like it or not?
Yu Qingtang asked, “Have you finished your homework?”
Cheng Zhanxi’s face fell.
“Go do your homework,” Yu Qingtang said. “All you think about is playing all day.”
Cheng Zhanxi defended herself. “I don’t think about playing all day. I was tenth in my class on the last exam.”
“And you’re satisfied with just tenth?” Yu Qingtang, who was firmly seated in the number one spot for their grade, looked down on her.
“Not everyone can be like you. I think it’s pretty amazing,” Cheng Zhanxi muttered under her breath.
“Come to my house tonight,” Yu Qingtang said. “I’ll tutor you in math.”
But Cheng Zhanxi replied, “Not tonight. I promised Gu Jia I’d go to her house to hang out.”
Yu Qingtang frowned. “Hang out and do what?”
“I don’t know,” Cheng Zhanxi said. “She said she has something fun, hahaha.”
Yu Qingtang turned and went back into her classroom.
Cheng Zhanxi followed right behind her. Yu Qingtang’s classmates greeted her, and Cheng Zhanxi greeted each one back with familiar ease. Yu Qingtang closed her eyes, forcefully suppressing the anger that was flaring up inside her.
Cheng Zhanxi made a pleading gesture to the student sitting next to Yu Qingtang, who knowingly made room for her.
Cheng Zhanxi had no idea what she was angry about. She leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Are you on your period or something?” That would explain why she was so irritable and quick to anger.
A vein throbbed on Yu Qingtang’s temple. She closed her eyes.
After trying to coax her this way and that to no avail, Cheng Zhanxi threw caution to the wind and planted a kiss on her cheek. She misjudged the force, and it made a loud “smack.”
The students in Yu Qingtang’s class: Ooh—
A crimson tide surged beneath Yu Qingtang’s fair skin, as fierce as molten lava. Before the heat could consume her entire face, Yu Qingtang mustered her patience and softened her tone. “Go back. Class is about to start.”
The moment Cheng Zhanxi heard her voice, she deemed the danger to have passed and left happily.
Yu Qingtang buried her face in her hands, but her ears, still exposed to the air, were an unavoidable, blood-red testament to her embarrassment.
Yu Ci stood at the door of the study, knocked gently twice, and entered.
A book was open in front of Yu Qingtang, and a pen was in her hand, but her eyes were gazing out the window at the night sky, lost in thought.
Yu Ci placed a glass of warm milk by her hand. Yu Qingtang snapped out of her daze and said, “Thank you, Mom.”
Watching her pick up the glass and drink the milk, Yu Ci asked casually, “How come Xixi didn’t come over tonight?”
Yu Qingtang set down the empty glass, a white mustache of milk foam on her upper lip. “She went to a classmate’s house to hang out,” she said lightly.
Yu Ci looked into her daughter’s eyes with a knowing gaze. “Is that why you’re so unhappy?”
“I’m not unhappy,” Yu Qingtang said.
Yu Ci smiled. “Really?”
Yu Qingtang stood up, avoiding the question. “I’m going to wash the glass.”
Yu Ci followed behind her. “Have you ever thought about…”
Yu Qingtang’s heart suddenly lurched. She didn’t know what caused this sudden palpitation; there was even a temporary ringing in her ears.
Several seconds passed before her brain processed the information from her auditory nerves and she “heard” the rest of Yu Ci’s sentence: “…making a few more friends. You only have Xixi as a friend, while she has many. In the long run, your mindset could become unbalanced, and problems will arise between you two.”
Yu Qingtang stopped and turned back to ask, “What kind of problems?”
Yu Ci thought for a moment. “Maybe she won’t be able to handle your possessiveness, or you’ll feel she’s too fickle and can’t give you the same level of affection. In any case, it won’t be a good outcome.”
Wei Tingyu walked over just in time to hear Yu Ci’s last sentence and was suddenly alarmed.
His daughter was in a relationship already?!
She was only thirteen!
But he didn’t dare ask in front of her, so he could only suppress his questions.
Yu Qingtang lowered her gaze. “I understand.”
Wei Tingyu: “!!!”
What does she understand? I, her father, still don’t know anything!
“Tangtang!”
Yu Qingtang looked up, her gaze calm. “Dad.”
Wei Tingyu looked like he was about to cry.
Yu Qingtang: “?”
Wei Tingyu forced a smile. “Dad’s fine.”
Back in the bedroom, Yu Ci didn’t know whether to laugh or cry after hearing Wei Tingyu’s speculation. “What are you thinking? I was talking about her and Xixi, the Cheng family’s daughter.”
Wei Tingyu asked, “Then what’s all this about being fickle and possessive?”
Yu Ci explained it to him.
Wei Tingyu laughed. “You scared me. I’ve noticed Tangtang has been out of sorts lately, and I thought she had a crush on some boy.”
Yu Ci laughed heartily.
The couple looked at each other, and their smiles froze at the same time.
It couldn’t be, right?
They both shook their heads in unison.
No way.
Time for bed.
Yu Qingtang took her mother’s words to heart and began consciously making friends at school. She was an excellent student with outstanding looks, usually an unapproachable ice queen admired from afar. When she suddenly descended to the mortal realm, the classmates she chose to befriend felt a strong sense of unreality.
Soon, Yu Qingtang had friends around her.
During a break between classes, Cheng Zhanxi made a special trip to Yu Qingtang’s floor to ask her to go to the bathroom together. She happened to see Yu Qingtang coming out of her classroom with another girl’s arm linked through hers.
Cheng Zhanxi stared at the girl, then looked at Yu Qingtang in disbelief.
The other girl suddenly had the distinct feeling of a mistress being caught in the act by the legal wife. She let go of Yu Qingtang’s arm and said awkwardly, “I have something to do, so I’ll just…” She then fled the battlefield with great haste.
Cheng Zhanxi’s brow relaxed, then furrowed again. “Who is she?” she asked.
“Nie Mengyu,” Yu Qingtang said.
Cheng Zhanxi grew even more agitated. “I didn’t ask for her name.”
“Then what did you ask?” Yu Qingtang replied.
Cheng Zhanxi was taken aback.
Right, what was I asking?
Forget it.
Cheng Zhanxi stepped forward and linked her arm with Yu Qingtang’s, squeezing her long, slender fingers. As if nothing had happened, she was as intimate as ever, smiling as she said, “Going to the bathroom? I held it for two whole classes just to come find you.”
Yu Qingtang: “…”
She shot Cheng Zhanxi a sideways glance, then started walking. “Speak more elegantly,” she said coolly.
Cheng Zhanxi rested her chin on Yu Qingtang’s shoulder, grinning. “Where was I not being elegant? Besides, I only say things like that to you.”
Yu Qingtang stopped walking.
“What’s wrong?” Cheng Zhanxi asked, confused.
“Nothing,” Yu Qingtang said, but a faint smile unconsciously appeared in her eyes.
She liked Cheng Zhanxi’s “only to you.”
The thought of Nie Mengyu from just now made Cheng Zhanxi feel uncomfortable. She took the initiative and said, “I’ll come to your house for tutoring tonight.”
Yu Qingtang gave a faint “Mm.”
Cheng Zhanxi asked again, “Have you ever tutored anyone else?”
“No.” Yu Qingtang lifted her free hand, her fingertips hooking a strand of hair behind her ear. She said, trying to cover up her feelings, “Do you think everyone is as dumb as you?”
Cheng Zhanxi was so delighted by the first part of her sentence that, for once, she didn’t argue back about being called dumb.
The two went to the girls’ bathroom hand in hand and entered adjacent stalls. Cheng Zhanxi smiled at her before going in, and Yu Qingtang, as hoped, was amused into a smile.
However, after Yu Qingtang came out and washed her hands, she waited by the door for a long time, but Cheng Zhanxi never emerged.
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