Chapter 33 Part 2

Gu Ningzi waited until the Bakery closed. Chi Nuan changed out of her work clothes and went out with her.

It had stopped raining outside.

Small puddles on the ground glimmered under the streetlights. Chi Nuan followed Gu Ningzi to where her car was parked.

“Tired?” Gu Ningzi asked Chi Nuan.

Chi Nuan: “Not really, I’m fine.”

They got in the car, and the headlights cast a warm yellow glow. In the small, enclosed space cut off from the outside world, Chi Nuan suddenly zoned out again, staring blankly at Gu Ningzi.

She did not want to like her, but she could not fool herself—she still did. Gu Ningzi’s arrival that evening effortlessly crumbled the emotional walls Chi Nuan had painstakingly built up over this time.

…She did not know what to do.

Chi Nuan had been spacing out since getting in the car. Gu Ningzi leaned over to buckle her seatbelt for her. As they crossed paths, their eyes met.

Her breath brushed against Chi Nuan’s skin, and Gu Ningzi’s familiar scent pulled her back to reality. Chi Nuan pressed back against the seatback. “…Thanks.”

Gu Ningzi’s features softened excessively. “You have dark circles, and your chin’s gotten pointy. You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“…” Chi Nuan fell silent.

Gu Ningzi asked her, “How much longer do you have to do this part-time gig?”

Chi Nuan said, “Ends after this week.”

Gu Ningzi nodded and started the car, driving her home.

The bus ride usually took half an hour, but Gu Ningzi did it in just over ten minutes. Before saying goodbye after dropping Chi Nuan at her complex, she handed her a bag of candies.

She had remembered what she promised before.

Chi Nuan watched the car’s taillights fade into the night. Gu Ningzi had really just come to see her and take her home.

Only when the taillights vanished completely from sight did Chi Nuan turn and head upstairs.

Chi Qingchuan was in the living room, folding the clean, dried clothes and blankets for the little baby. Chi Nuan put away the candies, washed her hands, and went to help.

The clothes were so tiny, all in soft pastel colors—adorable.

Chi Nuan perked up and said, “I wonder if Little Wutong will be born before September, or he’ll be super late for school later.”

Little Wutong was the milk name Chi Qingchuan had given the unborn baby. Since it echoed the seasonal references in Chi Qingchuan and Chi Nuan’s names, Yue Yun had no objections.

Chi Qingchuan smiled. “You as an auntie are already worrying about the baby’s studies before it’s even born.”

Chi Qingchuan glanced toward the kitchen. “I stewed some Tremella Soup; it should be ready. You and Yunyun go have a bowl.”

Chi Nuan went to the kitchen, ladled three bowls of Tremella Soup, and set them on the dining table. Chi Qingchuan coaxed Yue Yun out of the room too.

The baby was full-term, making pregnancy even harder for her, and Yue Yun had started getting morning sickness again lately. Seeing her changed figure and poor complexion in the mirror only made her mood more irritable.

The Chi siblings deferred to her in everything, and Chi Qingchuan tried every trick to get her to eat more.

Yue Yun finished her Tremella Soup without feeling nauseous, brushed her teeth, and went to rest in the room.

Chi Nuan glanced at the wall clock and took the initiative to wash the pot and dishes. Only after Chi Qingchuan finished his nighttime routine did she go shower.

As she dried her hair coming out, she could not help checking the time again.

Gu Ningzi’s message came near 11 p.m., telling Chi Nuan she had gotten home.

Only then did Chi Nuan relax and lie down in bed, replying, “It’s too far here, Gu Ningzi. Don’t do this again.”

A few minutes later, Gu Ningzi replied: “You don’t want to see me?”

I want to see you. I’ve been missing you the whole vacation. Chi Nuan hugged her pillow. “I’m just worried about you. It was raining hard today.”

Gu Ningzi: “Got it [OK]”

Chi Nuan got up to turn off the light and popped a chocolate candy into her mouth. In the pitch-black room, she watched the screen’s glow fade.

The next day—Qixi Festival.

From the moment Chi Nuan left the back kitchen to help at the front, Sister Mu kept venting to her about her boyfriend. “He booked the train tickets and was supposed to come see me today, but it rained there, so he canceled and didn’t come! Then he said he’d ordered flowers online to send over. Who wants his flowers? I’m so pissed!”

Chi Nuan recalled her words from yesterday. “…Are you going to break up with him?”

Sister Mu said firmly, “I’ll give him one more chance. Let’s see how many flowers he sends!”

Chi Nuan: “…”

To mark the occasion, the Boss Lady paid wages early and even gave out red envelopes to everyone. Chi Nuan sweetly thanked her, planning to hit the mall after work to buy something for the soon-to-be-born Little Wutong.

In the evening, Sister Mu’s roses arrived—11 of them. The florist said it symbolized “forever.”

Sister Mu let out two “heh heh” laughs. Then Chi Nuan watched as the next 11 customers who paid each received a free Red Rose.

Chi Nuan: “…”

Sister Mu: “It’s not that I’m vain. On our first Valentine’s, he brushed it off like this. I can guess how it’ll be in the future with my toes! High-speed rail’s only half an hour. It’s not like driving would be dangerous. A little rain—what’s the big deal? And these roses? Just 11? He doesn’t value me at all!”

Sister Mu wiped the corner of her eye aggrievedly. “He loves basketball, so I got him those sneakers he’s wanted forever. But him? How does he treat me?”

Chi Nuan comforted her, “Sister Mu, it’s the thought that counts…”

Sister Mu: “He just doesn’t value me.”

Chi Nuan: “…”

Chi Nuan could not console her and quietly kept working.

The weather turned overcast from evening onward, but thankfully no rain fell. Because it was a holiday, the Boss Lady called it quits before eight and let everyone go celebrate.

The staff cheered, saw off the last customer, finished cleaning up together, and clocked out one by one.

Chi Nuan grabbed her little bag and pushed open the store door to leave.

The Bakery was on a bustling pedestrian street. Right outside, crowds of couples rubbed shoulders. She had not gone far when her mobile phone rang.

It was Gu Ningzi.

Chi Nuan hesitated and answered.

“Where are you?” Gu Ningzi asked from the other end, her breathing a bit ragged.

“…Just got off work,” Chi Nuan said.

“Where?”

“Just left the store. What’s up?” As Chi Nuan spoke, as if sensing something, she turned around on the spot.

In the distance, a building projected a dazzling light show. The street teemed with pedestrians, faces beaming with happiness.

It all faded to silence and colorlessness.

—Gu Ningzi moved the mobile phone from her ear, her gaze piercing through the crowd to land precisely on Chi Nuan.