Chapter 6: She didn’t want Qu An’ge to be a star.

The moment Xu Mi’s footsteps stopped, Qu An’ge knew there was hope. She hurried to the entrance to put on her shoes, but Xu Mi spoke coldly: “The dishes.”

Qu An’ge froze, looking up blankly. Under Xu Mi’s increasingly impatient expression, a sudden realization dawned on her. She quickly leaned against the wall to support herself as she awkwardly put her slippers back on and went to clear the dining table. To leave a good impression on Xu Mi, she did this meticulously and with special earnestness. So much so that by the time she finished washing the dishes, half an hour had passed. Xu Mi then commented: “Great. At least you didn’t break any dishes.”

Qu An’ge recalled that she seemed to have indeed broken dishes before. She felt that Xu Mi saying this was also a way of reminiscing about the past, which would help repair their relationship. She hurriedly said, “The me from before was indeed thoughtless.”

But Xu Mi didn’t take the bait. She studied the flowers in the basin, seemingly considering which ones to take. Qu An’ge actively tried to assert her presence: “We can pair the hydrangeas and lilies into small bouquets, wrap them with newspaper, and then sell the roses separately. That way, we can meet the different needs of various people.”

Xu Mi glanced at the clock on the wall, felt there was still time, and since Qu An’ge had, for once, said something reasonable, she nodded with an “Mm.”

There was a period when Qu An’ge really enjoyed wrapping bouquets; it was probably a way to relieve stress. Things like paint-by-number kits had a similar effect. So she was quite practiced at this. After receiving approval, she went to the bedroom desk drawer and took out old newspapers. Only after taking them out did she say: “Ah, but we still need ribbons or something. Though we could use cotton thread and clear tape, a ribbon would be prettier. Do we have any ribbons at home?”

Xu Mi was silent for a moment, then walked to the bedside drawer in the bedroom and took out a roll of blue ribbon. It was a shade of blue with a hint of green, neither too dark nor too light. Qu An’ge glanced at it and said, “I like this color.”

Xu Mi gave Qu An’ge a deep look. Qu An’ge, oblivious, took the ribbon and started wrapping the bouquets. Meanwhile, Xu Mi began recalling the origin of this ribbon. It was left over from last year. Back then, she had meticulously prepared Qu An’ge’s birthday gift, choosing wrapping paper printed with magnolias and this blue-green ribbon, because these were Qu An’ge’s favorite flower and favorite color. At the time, Qu An’ge had complimented the delicate packaging. But now, she seemed to have completely forgotten about it.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed. She was merely surprised, realizing that she thought her reservoir of disappointment had already been filled to the brim. She never expected that encountering some small things would still deepen it.

If Qu An’ge knew what Xu Mi was thinking, she would certainly cry out in grievance. Even if her 2012 self had the worst memory, she would still definitely remember this. But her 2022 self truly forgot. She only remembered that for her 2011 birthday, the last gift she received from Xu Mi was a pair of earrings. Those earrings got lost during frequent moves later. She later had an identical pair custom-made, using better gemstones and metal, but ultimately, they weren’t the same pair anymore — though they were still with her right now, kept in the inner compartment of her suitcase.

Unaware of all this, her current self confidently started wrapping bouquets, hoping that her excellent flower-arranging skills would garner admiration and praise from Xu Mi. So, silently and swiftly, she wrapped over a dozen bouquets. By the time she finished, the sky had darkened. Xu Mi called a halt to Qu An’ge’s work, saying they could go out now.

Qu An’ge’s disappointment that Xu Mi hadn’t praised her bouquet-wrapping skills quickly vanished, replaced by the joy of going out on a date with Xu Mi. Yes, in her heart, she felt that anytime they went out together, it absolutely counted as a date.

The two of them placed the flowers into two plastic bags and carried them outside. Walking out of the residential community, Xu Mi noticed they were attracting a lot of attention. This was something she never experienced when going out alone. But even though Qu An’ge was a beauty, she never used to have such a high rate of attention before, either. Xu Mi couldn’t help but glance back at Qu An’ge. The other girl had simply tied her hair up in a bun, stray hairs messy at the temples. She wore a white T-shirt with a blue-trimmed collar, light blue jeans, and a pair of white flip-flops on her feet — oh, those flip-flops were originally blue, just faded.

But even in such a simple outfit, on Qu An’ge, it looked like something straight out of a fashion magazine spread. Xu Mi looked for a long time but couldn’t pinpoint anything specific; she just felt like something was indeed different from before.

Maybe it was because she was standing straighter. Or maybe it was the expression on her face. Or perhaps it was just some intangible aura that made this entire street seem like Qu An’ge’s personal runway. She genuinely drew all eyes.

Xu Mi couldn’t help but frown. Qu An’ge remained oblivious. Reaching the intersection, she took out her phone wanting to call a taxi, but seeing her phone, she remembered she couldn’t hail rides with it yet. She looked around, trying to find a taxi.

But Xu Mi kept walking forward. Seeing Qu An’ge stop, she said impatiently: “Why aren’t you walking?”

Qu An’ge said: “To sell flowers, we need a place with high foot traffic. Can’t do it here. Let’s go to the commercial district downtown.”

Xu Mi said coldly, “Of course I know that.”

Qu An’ge said, “Then we need to take a taxi.”

Xu Mi: “…”

Xu Mi stood silent, just quietly looking at Qu An’ge. Qu An’ge felt a chill under that stare and couldn’t help but take a step back, her voice trembling: “W-what’s wrong?”

Xu Mi said: “Remember how much money you owe?”

Qu An’ge thought for a moment and realized what Xu Mi meant: “One million?”

A cold sneer appeared on Xu Mi’s face. Qu An’ge hurriedly said: “I get it, I get it. Let’s take the subway! Subway!”

Xu Mi gave her a puzzled look and said: “There’s no subway station here.”

Qu An’ge said: “Oh, oh, I misremembered. Then take the bus.” She remembered now; at this time, this city only had one subway line open.

She immediately strode quickly towards the bus station not far away.

To be honest, Qu An’ge couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a bus. It wasn’t her boasting about her financial status, but even if she was in a hurry with no car, she would take the subway, not a bus. So when the bus started moving, Qu An’ge, who had no seat and had to stand, almost fell flat on the floor, unable to keep her balance. Luckily, Xu Mi was right beside her. She fell onto Xu Mi, and Xu Mi grabbed her arm to steady her.

She was half a head taller than Xu Mi. Her fall landed her in the crook of Xu Mi’s shoulder. The stale odor of the bus was briefly masked by the scent of shampoo from Xu Mi’s hair. Qu An’ge momentarily indulged, wishing she could just stay lying in Xu Mi’s arms forever. But Xu Mi was already pushing her back up. Qu An’ge clung to Xu Mi’s arm, whimpering, “I can’t stand steady.”

Xu Mi’s voice was icy: “Stand properly. I’m letting go.”

Xu Mi gave Qu An’ge no time to prepare, immediately letting go as she said she would. Qu An’ge pitched forward and nearly fell again, hastily bracing herself on the back of a seat. In doing so, she caught a middle-aged woman’s hair. The woman looked up, displeased. Qu An’ge hurriedly said, “Sorry, I’m sorry.”

The woman’s displeased expression turned to one of surprise upon seeing Qu An’ge. She looked up and said, “You’re stunning! Are you a star?”

Qu An’ge tried hard to suppress a smug look: “Not yet, not yet.”

Watching Qu An’ge, Xu Mi understood from that response that Qu An’ge indeed hadn’t given up on her dream of being a star.

Logically, a person should support the dreams of the one they love. But Xu Mi had already been burned by this. To be honest, if they were going to continue being together, she didn’t want Qu An’ge to be a star.

To put it another way: if Qu An’ge wanted to be a star, then better a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one. She might as well continue staying away from her.