Chapter 12 Part 1

Chi Nuan entered the room, where Gu Ningzi had already lain down. The bedside lamp was on, and Gu Ningzi covered her eyes with her arm.

Chi Nuan moved lightly and turned off the light before getting into bed.

As soon as she lay down, Gu Ningzi asked her, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Chi Nuan said, “Going home. What about you?”

Gu Ningzi said, “Staying home.”

They exchanged a few more words before both fell asleep.

Chi Nuan had a dream. In the dream, Chi Qingchuan and Yue Yun argued fiercely. She watched them, her heart aching terribly, yet she couldn’t utter a single word.

Her chest felt stuffy and uncomfortable. Chi Nuan woke up, her face damp with tears.

She wanted to wipe away her tears. As she moved her hand, she realized that Gu Ningzi was holding her wrist.

She turned to look.

Gu Ningzi’s black hair partially covered her face, her sleeping expression peaceful and docile.

……

The next morning, though there was no alarm to wake her, Chi Nuan’s biological clock had formed a habit, so she woke up very early.

Gu Ningzi had woken even earlier and stood by the window, looking outside.

The curtains weren’t fully drawn; sunlight leaked in through a slight gap. Gu Ningzi’s slender back bathed half in the light and shadow, appearing terribly fragile.

“Gu Ningzi.”

Gu Ningzi turned around. Chi Nuan sat up in bed and asked her, “What are you looking at?”

Gu Ningzi said, “The sky has cleared.”

Breakfast was the usual delivery. Chi Nuan drank porridge while Gu Ningzi sat across from her, eating wontons.

After breakfast, Gu Ningzi walked Chi Nuan out of the courtyard. It was still early, and the weather was cool and refreshing. Chi Nuan smiled and waved goodbye to Gu Ningzi.

……

Chi Nuan arrived home close to noon. Chi Qingchuan had gotten up early, prepared all the ingredients for lunch, and then gone to work—though Yue Yun wasn’t home to eat.

Chi Nuan was alone at home and buried herself in several sets of practice tests.

As evening approached, Chi Qingchuan called her. He said Mr. Ji had urgent business in L City and wouldn’t be home until very late that night, his tone full of apology.

“Got it, Brother. You go ahead with your work.”

Chi Qingchuan added, “I just found out your sister-in-law went out with friends today. They’re treating her to dinner too, so eat by yourself and don’t wait for her.”

It was nearing 9 p.m. when Yue Yun returned.

She wore a fitted dress, her long wavy hair loosely tied with a ribbon. From behind, there was almost no sign of her pregnancy.

Yue Yun kicked off her flats, tossed a handheld bag casually onto the shelf, collapsed onto the sofa, and closed her eyes to rub her temples.

Chi Nuan fetched slippers for her and placed them by her feet.

Yue Yun sighed.

“Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?” Chi Nuan asked, puzzled.

Yue Yun ignored her.

After Chi Nuan finished her shower, she heard Yue Yun talking on the phone with her mother in the living room.

“I saw Lulu. Yeah, she gave me a wallet with a cash check for twenty-eight thousand inside. She said she might be abroad when I have the baby and wanted to give the red envelope early.”

“…”

“Yeah, the wallet’s pretty expensive too.”

“…”

“Stop it, Mom. What’s the point of saying that all the time? Her family isn’t as well-off as mine, she’s not as pretty as me, but she’s got good luck, I guess.”

As Yue Yun spoke, she glanced at Chi Nuan’s retreating back.

Chi Nuan hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but Yue Yun’s words reached her ears clearly. She closed her bedroom door. At that moment, she still couldn’t fully grasp the world of desires among the elite.

Though she and Chi Qingchuan lived frugally, he never spent extravagantly. Chi Nuan worked part-time during holidays, and with their parents’ savings and compensation after their death, their life had never been truly destitute.

When material needs aligned with aspirations, days could always go on; but if one’s horizons outpaced reality too much, one inevitably saw current life as mere drudgery and indignity.

Blinded by love before marriage, Yue Yun realized post-wedding the growing gap between herself and her friend Lulu. After a scolding from her mother, she felt deeply stifled. Back in her room, she locked the door without a word. Chi Qingchuan returned near dawn, couldn’t enter the room, and ended up sleeping on the sofa all night.

The next day, before dawn, Chi Qingchuan went to the market to buy vegetables, prepared breakfast for Chi Nuan and Yue Yun, left a note, and headed out to work again.

Chi Nuan heard the noise, rubbed her eyes, and came out, bumping into Chi Qingchuan who was about to leave.

“It’s the weekend today; you can sleep more,” Chi Qingchuan said, reaching up to ruffle her hair.

“Brother, you’re working today too?”

“There’s an issue at the company. Mr. Ji is still in L City; I need to pick him up. He has a meeting in the afternoon.”

The round trip from Yuncheng to L City took over six hours. Chi Nuan’s eyes widened in shock. “Then why did you come back last night? …What time did you get home?”

Chi Qingchuan smiled. “With just you two at home, I wasn’t at ease.”

Yue Yun didn’t get up until nearly noon. Chi Nuan was picking vegetables in the kitchen when Yue Yun came out, didn’t greet her, changed clothes, and left directly.

Chi Nuan stared blankly at the fresh green leaves, then rinsed her hands clean under the water. She returned to her room and fished out the candy Gu Ningzi had given her last time from the side pocket of her schoolbag. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth.

……

Chi Nuan returned to school in low spirits. Before she even entered the dorm, she heard laughter inside.

Xu Dan laughed the loudest: “Here, here—Xue Wen, put a bit more blush on her here. Hahaha, she looks like a total seductive vixen.”

Du Min’s voice followed: “I think you’re just jealous and envious. Pfft!”