Luo Qingmeng climbed out of bed and madly pressed the doorbell. Once she finished, she hid inside her door and stared outside. There was no movement, so she held her breath and pressed it twice more.
The hallway was dimly lit and quiet, turning desolate. Watching the surveillance footage at night always felt scary. She stared at the monitor; all night long, only she came and went, while the other side remained completely still. This made her the only weirdo.
With no response, Luo Qingmeng felt utterly depressed. She grew pained by that dream that refused to fade. She pondered it over and over for a long time but could only return to her room and lie down. She slept poorly that night.
The next morning on her way to work, Luo Qingmeng stepped out and paid attention to the neighboring door. There was no sign of Qiu Shuxue. She glanced at her phone—it was seven-thirty in the morning, their usual time to head to work.
In just a few short days, she had grown accustomed to riding in Qiu Shuxue’s car. Now, without it, she felt an inexplicable discomfort. Swaying in the subway car left her dizzy and unsettled. It was probably true that it was hard to go from luxury to thrift. Luo Qingmeng resolved to keep her distance from Qiu Shuxue starting today, and to widen it further with time.
Luo Qingmeng had compared online reviews of Strait is the Gate recommended by others. Without exception, they all called Alisa “dramatic.” Luo Qingmeng just shook her head. No one had abandoned their religious faith or set aside romance to truly see Alisa.
Luo Qingmeng held a colorful piece of chalk and earnestly wrote a recommendation for Strait is the Gate. She removed the “heart-wrenching romance” tag and wrote a very long passage. At the end, she added: 【Even in the last lingering warmth of spring as it fades, please kiss your own soul—it’s trying to squeeze through a crowded strait gate.】
Her handwriting was beautiful. After finishing, she carefully reviewed it.
Sitting at the cash register, she occasionally glanced toward the blackboard. Passersby would also stare at the blackboard and read the recommendation. If their gazes met, Luo Qingmeng shyly averted her eyes. If a pedestrian came in to ask where the recommended book was, or even found a copy themselves to check out, she would proudly purse her lips, her cheeks flushing red.
Chen Xin, who was cleaning, turned her head to look at her. She sidled over lightly and stared at her cheeks. “Sis, how come you look so much prettier now? Fair and rosy, all soft and delicate. Can marriage really nourish you like this?”
Luo Qingmeng now applied essence to her face every day and used toner and lotion—all bought with Qiu Shuxue’s money. It would be a waste not to use it.
Qiu Shuxue…
She raised her eyebrow and tucked the hair by her ear behind it.
“I think so too. I do look prettier.”
After that, Luo Qingmeng adjusted her mindset. She worked quietly at the bookstore, busy with the recent influx of new books. It wasn’t until her day off that she realized it had been several days since she’d had any contact with Qiu Shuxue.
Her boss treated her to a meal once and gossiped, asking all sorts of questions. Truth be told, Luo Qingmeng had always seen her boss as a strong, capable woman—short at five-foot-three but always speaking with shrewd maturity. These past couple of days of prying had nearly shattered that image.
Luo Qingmeng thought that if it came to it, she could just return the fruit. She couldn’t finish it all by herself. That evening, she made up an excuse about having something to do and didn’t leave with her boss. The boss thought for a moment and agreed. Luo Qingmeng breathed a sigh of relief. As she left the bookstore, she glanced toward the milk tea shop up ahead. She didn’t see Qiu Shuxue. She hadn’t appeared at all these past few days, nor had she ordered any books through the mini-program.
Half the month had already passed, and she really felt depressed. Yesterday’s stunt had been like scraping off a layer of skin—her courage was still too small. Today, she absolutely had to go and mash the doorbell like crazy.
She had even quarreled with a bookstore customer during the day. On her way home from work, she felt irritated. Passing Qiu Shuxue’s door in her foul mood, she pressed the doorbell, mashing it furiously twice to vent her emotions. She was determined to make that scumbag guy and homewrecker suffer.
After pressing it, a surge of anger still built up inside her. She wanted to vent more but felt powerless. She blamed it on the fact that she’d only spent the homewrecker’s money, not the scumbag’s, which left her frustrated.
She thought for a moment, then pressed her fingers to her eyelids and pulled them down. Toward the surveillance camera, she made a retching sound—”Urgh!”—then spat, “Ptooey! Li An, may you drop dead. Who knew Li An was such an idiot? Anyone who stays with him won’t come to a good end either.”
After venting, Luo Qingmeng heard a strange woman’s voice from the elevator behind her. “Shuxue, is that your doorbell ringing?”
Then she heard a man’s voice.
Luo Qingmeng entered her fingerprint and slipped inside. She quickly shut the door and stared at the monitor. She saw Qiu Shuxue entering with a stylishly dressed woman—a yellow suit jacket, around twenty-five or twenty-six, about the same age as Qiu Shuxue.
As Qiu Shuxue came in, she glanced toward the neighboring door. “Probably the neighbor.”
“Hm? Do they need something from you?” the woman asked.
“I don’t know. They press it every day.” Qiu Shuxue placed her finger on the fingerprint scanner.
“Ah? What’s that about? Man or woman?”
Qiu Shuxue opened her door, and the two went inside. Luo Qingmeng couldn’t hear anything more. Slowly, her cheeks grew hot.
So Qiu Shuxue knew she had been pressing the doorbell all along?
An even stronger wave of anger spread through her. On her way back today, she had even wondered if Qiu Shuxue wasn’t home.
She felt an inexplicable anger and curiosity toward Qiu Shuxue, not understanding what she was up to. Sometimes, images of her being intimate with Li An flashed through her mind. She found it disgusting, and it inexplicably irritated her.
Luo Qingmeng searched her home and found the medical report Qiu Shuxue had given her last time. The report showed no illnesses—completely clean. They hadn’t truly done it, but they had touched and kissed. Their contact had been clean.
After reading it, Luo Qingmeng stuffed it back. As she did, her gaze fell on her own fingers from the edge of the drawer. Suddenly, she recalled that day on the sofa when she had pushed Qiu Shuxue away, and Qiu Shuxue had grabbed her finger and bitten it, her tongue wrapping around the pad. The scene was overly erotic… Luo Qingmeng frowned helplessly; it was hard to bear.
She often saw authors discussing sex. Back then, she hadn’t understood, hadn’t grasped the pleasure in it. Now, thinking back, frequently recalling someone—their lips, their tongue, their body—that must be deep loneliness. For twenty-eight years, she had been desireless and joyless. She had read about all sorts of indulgent desires in books without comprehension or rejection, because she fantasized too, yearning for touch in her lonely moments.
But why did that person have to be her ex-husband’s homewrecker?
Luo Qingmeng called Li An from home. After the divorce, Li An had directly blocked her number. She sent him a friend request with a note: 【You have seven days. If you don’t give me the money, I’ll go straight to your company and make a scene so you can’t function or get promoted.】
She prepared to send it but felt it wasn’t satisfying enough. She typed: 【Idiot, jerk, dead eunuch, get cancer.】
【I really will make a scene. I have no promotion prospects anyway, so I don’t care about a record. If you don’t pay up, I won’t let you live.】
Luo Qingmeng cooked herself some food and ate it. Moments later, the doorbell rang. She set down her bowl and chopsticks and stood warily. After waiting a few seconds, she went to check the monitor.
Sure enough, it was Qiu Shuxue pressing the doorbell, and the other woman stood with her. Curiosity shone in that woman’s eyes. Luo Qingmeng’s scalp suddenly tingled—surely Qiu Shuxue wouldn’t check the monitor in front of someone else.
She felt awkwardly embarrassed right down to her scalp.
It had been several days since the two of them had spoken. Luo Qingmeng gripped the door handle. Through the door, she lowered her voice and asked, “What is it?”
She couldn’t face Qiu Shuxue’s colleagues calmly either. Those women had smiled to her face but mocked her cooking behind her back.
“Lend me something,” Qiu Shuxue said.
“What?”
“Bowl and chopsticks, and a pot.”
Luo Qingmeng frowned. “Haven’t you heard? A woman’s kitchen—apart from ingredients and seasonings, all other utensils stay in her own space.”
Qiu Shuxue let out an “oh.”
She said nothing more and turned back with the woman. At her own door, she spoke with her friend. The door swung open from inside first, and there stood Li An, that scumbag. Li An smiled at her. “Couldn’t borrow any?”
Luo Qingmeng gritted her teeth hard. She felt so infuriated.
Qiu Shuxue made an “mm” sound. “Such a hassle.”
Li An gave her a gentle smile in return. “I’ll go buy some.”
“No need to buy new ones—that’s wasteful,” the woman in the black coat said. “Just order takeout if we have to.”
Li An said generously, “Hey, that would waste the private chef’s cooking. Andy and the others specially hired the master chef—it’s delicious. And this bit of money? Not a waste, no big deal.”
“Fine then, Brother Li’s generous.”
Luo Qingmeng nearly couldn’t hold back. Generous? This was generous? She desperately wanted to rush out and slap his face. You jerk, how dare you say that! When I asked you for money, you didn’t make a peep!
Luo Qingmeng almost charged out, but she looked down at herself—greasy-haired and apron-clad, without any imposing presence.
In that moment of distraction, Li An left. Qiu Shuxue entered the room and closed the door behind her. The more Luo Qingmeng thought about it, the worse she felt.
What was she even worrying about? She really wasn’t as bold as those fiery women. She should learn from them and charge out to embarrass the two of them.
Luo Qingmeng pinched her fingers hard. She couldn’t figure out what she was really thinking. She kept staring at the monitor but never saw Li An return. She went back, removed her apron.
With the weather warming up, Luo Qingmeng skipped soaking in the bath and opted for a shower instead. She used her favorite scented body wash, blow-dried her hair, then coiled it up, leaving two small strands by her temples. She tilted her head slightly, exposing her fair neck.
Even if she was going to play the shrew, she’d do it beautifully—as an exquisite, gorgeous shrew. She absolutely wouldn’t lose ground!
Luo Qingmeng reassured herself not to rush and to wait and see.
She applied a face mask and essence. She skipped foundation and lipstick—it would be too much. Instead, she grabbed her winter lip oil, applied it, and pursed her lips. She could even smell the fragrance on herself.
Luo Qingmeng looked at herself in the mirror. Indeed, her skin was like jade, and the jade seemed like water or mist. She lightly pinched her cheek; it was unbelievably soft. She suddenly understood why she had felt so irritable—Qiu Shuxue kept praising her, which made her fear that her beauty would fade, that her charm would dissipate.
She went to change her clothes. Between formal attire and pajamas, she slyly picked out a nightgown with a loose neckline for herself. She hooked her finger into the neckline and tugged it downward, revealing her full curves and the soft pink lace underneath. Hmph.
Now she was brimming with confidence.
Late at night.
Luo Qingmeng checked the surveillance footage again. In truth, she had taken her plan for revenge far too much for granted, assuming she could rattle that cheating bastard and his slut. But in reality, with her shy personality, she still instinctively shrank back and felt afraid when she thought about causing a scene in front of everyone.
She waited until the early hours of the morning. Several people finally left Qiu Shuxue’s home—all women. They waved goodbye to Qiu Shuxue and told her to have fun.
They hadn’t closed the door properly. Luo Qingmeng heard everything clearly because there was no announcement saying “door locked.” The ones leaving were all girls… Li An had to still be inside.
Luo Qingmeng forced down her fear. First, she grabbed a bottle of pepper spray from the storage cabinet. Then she fetched a knife from the kitchen.
After that, she walked to Qiu Shuxue’s door. She hid the knife behind her back and gently pushed the door open.
The door opened. Qiu Shuxue was standing right there in the entryway. Luo Qingmeng jumped in fright, and her foot instinctively stepped back toward the door. Qiu Shuxue had been facing the door the whole time. Her eyes swept over Luo Qingmeng without a hint of surprise, and she even curved her lips slightly. Luo Qingmeng’s heart, which had leaped into her throat, finally settled. From that one look, she understood—Qiu Shuxue still had feelings for her, still liked her charm. She held her chin high and looked toward the bathroom across the way, where the light was on and the sound of running water echoed. Luo Qingmeng took a deep breath and strode straight ahead.
Qiu Shuxue stepped in front of her to block her path. “Don’t do this.”
Luo Qingmeng whipped out the knife. She said furiously, “Get out of my way, or I’ll stab you.”
Qiu Shuxue narrowed her eyes slightly. Luo Qingmeng charged toward the bathroom with the knife raised. If Li An didn’t pay up today, she’d castrate him right there so he’d never have sex again. She’d been too merciful last time. Or she could scream her head off, draw the whole building’s attention to Li An’s naked body, then post the video online and make a total spectacle of him.
Luo Qingmeng shoved the bathroom door open. The warm light was on, and mist had condensed on the frosted glass. Qiu Shuxue’s clothes were draped over it, but she saw no other figure.
Luo Qingmeng was stunned. She had been watching the surveillance the whole time—Li An shouldn’t have left. Qiu Shuxue followed her in with a smile and asked, “Who are you looking for, sis? Your ex-husband? Or did you miss me and come find…?” She looked Luo Qingmeng up and down. Luo Qingmeng smelled sweet and looked stunning, with her pale skin peeking from the neckline of her chest. It seemed she had even applied some sweet, fragrant body lotion.
“You smell so good.”
Qiu Shuxue gently closed the door, positioning herself to block Luo Qingmeng’s path. Then, with her head lowered, she brazenly stared down at Luo Qingmeng’s chest.
The humid air spread wildly. Luo Qingmeng’s face instantly flushed red. She suspected she’d been set up—Li An had slipped away long ago, and these two didn’t want her to catch them in the act.
She couldn’t stay here. She thrust out her hand with the knife raised. “Get out of my way—I’ve got a knife!” She glared ferociously, but just then, voices sounded from outside. Someone called, “Shuxue, where are the tissues? And the red tea bags…?”
Luo Qingmeng’s eyes widened. How could there still be people in her home—and not just one? Another voice chimed in, “Probably in the cabinet next to her dining table.”
“It’s a bit high. Hard to reach without standing on a chair.”
“An-ge, you get it. You’re tall….”
Voices came from outside the door too. Several girls said in confusion, “We bought the barbecue and booze. The door’s closed—someone come open it.”
Li An grabbed the tissues and went to open the door. Luo Qingmeng took a deep breath. She was separated from them all by just this one door. She hadn’t expected so many people, but she was already here. She opened her mouth to shout, her vocal cords just starting to vibrate.
Qiu Shuxue pressed a finger to her lips. “It’s my birthday today. All my friends came to celebrate. And… Li An. I specially invited him over.”
Luo Qingmeng’s eyes went wide. She kept staring toward the door as her mind raced. At that moment, Qiu Shuxue gently grasped her hand. Her fingertip pressed against the knife and pushed it outward. Qiu Shuxue took another step closer, her gaze roaming up and down as if deciding where to kiss her. Luo Qingmeng warily moved to cover her chest and clamped her lips shut tight.
Qiu Shuxue said, “Sis, don’t be rash. Want to try the best kind of revenge? Find someone better. That’ll really stick it to your ex. And come to think of it, Li An is pretty into me….”
“What does that have to do with me? Stay away from me!” Luo Qingmeng backed up until her shoulders hit the glass.
Qiu Shuxue said softly, “Sis, put down the knife. Let’s do it…”
Luo Qingmeng heard her clearly. Her breathing trembled as she stared at her in disbelief. What nonsense was Qiu Shuxue spouting? Do it, do it, do it—do it where? Was Qiu Shuxue some kind of pervert? The place was a total mess inside and out…
Then, Qiu Shuxue’s other hand slid to the back of her head. Luo Qingmeng resisted on instinct—she didn’t really want to stab anyone. She tried to say something about the knife, but Qiu Shuxue’s lips descended and swallowed her words right into her throat. She didn’t have time to fight back before she was kissed.
