Chapter 85

The next morning, Yan Ningxi got up unwaveringly at eight o’clock as usual. When she rose, Ming You spoke up: “I’m going to the art school again today to work on a PPT with friends and get familiar with the professional teachers’ lesson content. I’ll eat lunch and dinner out. You do your own thing, and don’t worry about me tonight either.”

Plans couldn’t keep up with changes. The mutton soup hotpot they’d just arranged the night before fell through again. This mutton truly went through one setback after another; she just couldn’t get it into her mouth no matter what.

Yan Ningxi replied with “Okay.”

She made breakfast as usual. When she left, Ming You still hadn’t gotten up. Normally, when Ming You lazed in bed, she would face the bedroom door and sleep her way over to this side after Yan Ningxi got up, so that Yan Ningxi could give her a good morning kiss before leaving home.

But today, Ming You slept in the middle of the bed, facing the window, with the blanket pulled over her face.

Yan Ningxi stood by the door for a moment: “Breakfast is in the kitchen. Remember to eat some when you get up. See you tonight.” What answered her was dead silence.

The bedroom door closed.

Ming You opened her eyes and pushed the blanket down, stretching out both arms.

As expected.

That woman Yan Ningxi, who was even more aloof than her, wouldn’t take a single step closer. She had only taken one step back in a fit of pique, and the distance between them had become so estranged it wasn’t even as close as ordinary friends.

She didn’t ask for much—just a casual coaxing from Yan Ningxi, one step forward from her, and she would have gladly met her halfway.

But Yan Ningxi was a hard-hearted woman who wouldn’t even give her that one step.

Tears welled up at some point, sliding over the bridge of her nose and dripping onto the pillow from the corner of her eye. She finally realized that Yan Ningxi’s heart, deeply buried within her and even colder and more ruthless than her own, had yet to be warmed and melted.

And Yan Ningxi’s so-called “good” toward her was nothing more than a therapist’s “treatment” methods for a patient.

He Huan was like this, and so was Yan Ningxi.

In the eyes of these teachers who spouted righteousness and morality, she was just a typical “problem student” with issues. To accommodate her mental state, they had no choice but to tolerate and indulge her to the greatest extent possible.

What they felt for her wasn’t the kind of liking she wanted, let alone love. At most, it was just women’s “overflowing maternal instincts” being triggered by her.

…

The entire day, Yan Ningxi didn’t receive any messages from Ming You. But she still bought groceries and went home. It wasn’t until nine o’clock at night, as she sat hugging her knees on the sofa, that she finally messaged Ming You.

【Yan Ningxi: What time will you be back?】

Ming You’s reply came half an hour later: 【Sorry, I was just driving.】

【Yan Ningxi: You there yet?】

【Ming You: I’m home. Not going to your place tonight.】

【Ming You: Just remembered my mom’s birthday is in a couple days. I’ll stay to keep her company. I saw the weather report— the rain in Huai’an City won’t stop so soon. Remember to close the windows when you head out during the day and before bed at night.】

【Yan Ningxi: Okay, I’ll be careful.】

【Yan Ningxi: Happy birthday to Auntie. Good night.】

Only after Ming You sent her “good night” did Yan Ningxi finally give up, truly convinced the girl wasn’t coming back.

Not just tonight, but tomorrow night, the night after, and many nights after that.

At the end of last December, the girl had stormed off once because of her lecturing, but on the first day of January, she had braved the cold rain and rushed over to find her, travel-worn.

Before the Lunar New Year, the girl had been upset by her again and left.

This time, how many days would they be apart? When and where would they meet again during the New Year? What would the girl say and do when they met? And what should she herself say and do?

The more she recalled all the grievances the girl had suffered here with her, the worse Yan Ningxi felt, the more she felt it wasn’t worth it for the girl.

She turned off the TV that was playing Tom and Jerry, went to the kitchen, and packed away all the ingredients she’d bought into the fridge.

Ming You had said that morning she would eat out at night, but Yan Ningxi still clung to a sliver of hope—what if Ming You came back late and was hungry, or what if she hadn’t eaten dinner outside?

There were no what-ifs anymore.

After washing up and lying in bed, Yan Ningxi couldn’t fall asleep no matter what. In the end, she hugged her fluffy blanket to the living room and lay flat on the sofa.

The sofa was only wide enough for one person. This way, perhaps she wouldn’t feel the unbearable emptiness beside her and miss Ming You’s embrace so intensely.

Yan Ningxi slept on the sofa that night.

She didn’t remember when she fell asleep, only that when she woke up in the middle of the night, the light in the entryway and the one on the TV cabinet were still on. But she didn’t want to turn them off at all, so she rolled over with her back to the TV and wrapped the blanket around herself again and again.

Still, there was no warmth.

Ming You had slept on the sofa too, more than once. How had she gotten through those nights?

At this thought, Yan Ningxi’s chest felt even more stuffy, and she lost all desire to sleep.

She picked up her phone and scrolled through her chat history with Ming You. From the “good night” a few hours ago, she kept scrolling up to their first message after adding each other as friends on the first day.

And the voice message she’d saved before New Year’s Day, she played on speaker and listened to countless times.

—Yan Ningxi, I miss you so much.

She wished so badly that this was a message Ming You sent right now. Then she would honestly reply: “I miss you too.”

…

After dawn, before eight o’clock, Yan Ningxi sent Ming You a “good morning.”

Today was Ming You’s first day working as a teaching assistant.

Yan Ningxi had heard Ming You say that students in the film and media major at the art school had classes at 8:20. Ming You needed to arrive at school by eight at the latest. But she didn’t know how far Ming You’s home was from the art school, how long her drive would take, or even whether Ming You missed her as much as she missed Ming You.

【Yan Ningxi: Morning. Good luck on your first day at work, Teacher Ming.】

【Ming You: Morning. Thanks.】 Ming You’s reply came faster than Yan Ningxi expected. But the content lacked the words she hoped to see.

The “Sister Yan” that the girl loved calling most had vanished.

And so another full day passed with Yan Ningxi restless and distracted, her mental state even worse than yesterday. She even zoned out several times while chatting with a client.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the client’s first time, so they didn’t blame Yan Ningxi for being unprofessional and even showed her some concern.

On the second night and third night after Ming You left, Yan Ningxi still slept on the sofa. There were no “good nights” or “good mornings” on her phone.

On the fourth day, a news story about “XX Scenic Area Cable Car Crash Kills Two, Injures Two” topped the hot searches. Yan Ningxi didn’t see this high-trending news until five in the afternoon, after finishing her work.

Sitting in her office, she watched a video shot by an eyewitness on her computer. In less than a minute, it captured the cable car swaying before plummeting.

A heart-stopping moment, utterly horrifying.

Recalling last year’s incident on the mountain when the cable car had stalled mid-air, it hadn’t seemed so scary back then because Ming You had been by her side. Now, just watching someone else’s ordeal made her whole body go numb with lingering fear.

Four people, two dead and two injured—how many families and survivors would plunge into the pain of life and death separation?

But life’s uncertainties abound; you never know whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.

Perhaps the person who was standing right in front of you laughing and chatting just yesterday would be forever separated from you today. No time for goodbyes, no time for hugs, not even a chance to see each other one last time.

Life was one-of-a-kind; the loss of it couldn’t be remedied by mending the fold only after the sheep was lost.

After watching the news, Yan Ningxi sat in her office for a long time, thinking for a long time, before packing up and leaving work.

With no Ming You waiting at home, she no longer hurried back. After exiting the building, she wandered into a nearby mall, seeking peace amid the crowd to clear her jumbled thoughts.

She passed a brand-name watch store—the very one for the model Ming You had worn initially. She’d only seen Ming You wearing it during their first few meetings; later, it was probably sidelined after getting wet.

Yan Ningxi walked in.

The sales assistant followed closely: “Welcome. Is the lady buying for herself or picking out for a friend? Any styles you like?”

“A simple and elegant mechanical watch, suitable for a girl around twenty.”

“For young girls, I’d recommend our newest Moonlight series, or the classic Starlight series—they’re both very fitting…”

The watches were nice, and she spotted two that matched Ming You’s vibe perfectly, but the prices were steep.

One over eight thousand, the other just over ten thousand.

Far beyond what she could buy without batting an eye right now.

In the end, Yan Ningxi left the store empty-handed, no longer in the mood to pick out apology gifts to coax her. She wanted to cherish her fate with Ming You, to give her the best, but she couldn’t even afford a decent watch.

Drifting aimlessly with the crowd from one hall to another, she looked up inadvertently and found herself at the restaurant where she and Ming You had eaten out for the first time.

It was past seven, but the place was packed, full house, with a waitlist for tables.

The welcoming server kindly asked: “How many in your party, miss? If you’re dining here, I’ll get you a number. Small tables for 1-4, three tables ahead. Large table, just one ahead. What do you think…”

“No thanks.”

She got lost at the restaurant entrance amid the flow of people, wanting to leave but unsure where to go next, her mind a chaotic mess.

She admitted it—she missed Ming You. She’d started missing her from that morning she left the apartment. And the longing grew stronger with each passing day.

Stepping aside, Yan Ningxi messaged Qi Xuexin: 【Where are you?】

【Qi Xuexin: Bar.】

【Qi Xuexin: Drinking vinegar.】

【Yan Ningxi: Can I come?】

【Qi Xuexin: Sure.】

Just as she got Yan Ningxi’s second question, Qi Xuexin called: “Yan Huahua, what’s this mean? You alone? Where’s your big baby at home?”

“Gone.”

“Gone?” Qi Xuexin said in surprise. “No way, you fought again?”

“…” Again. The word fit, but did their calm split really count as a fight?

“Come quick if you’re coming—hard to talk on the phone. I’ve got some rival drama here too; you can help me brainstorm when you arrive. Waiting for you.”

Rival drama?

Who was helping whom brainstorm?

Yan Ningxi had contacted Qi Xuexin originally to seek her advice.

Advice on how to apologize, how to coax her back.

…

This was Yan Ningxi’s third time at the bar. Qi Xuexin was drinking alone in a corner booth.

Sitting beside her, she asked: “Where’s Wei Kejia?”

“Off playing with an ex.” Qi Xuexin brushed past her own drama, leaning bonelessly on Yan Ningxi’s shoulder. Looking at her face, she asked, “Spill—what’d you do to piss off Little Pomelo this time?”

“…”

“Or did she piss you off?”

“No.” Yan Ningxi shook her head. “She found a document on my computer by accident while using it—a case analysis I’d done on her early on as a psych consult example. It had no specific details, just a brief character summary about her. Afterward, she didn’t argue with me; she just turned cold in her words and actions. She’s been at the art school as a TA these past few days. She left yesterday morning and hasn’t come back to the apartment.”

Once she understood the whole story, Qi Xuexin handed her another drink from the table: “From an impartial standpoint, you’re clearly at fault here. But luckily, it was just a nutrient-free intro, written early before you even had feelings for her—forgivable. She’s so clingy with you and listens to you too. Just explain properly, then… take her on a date, buy a gift to coax her, and done?”

“I looked. Can’t afford it.” Yan Ningxi tossed back the drink, choking and coughing from drinking too fast.

“How not afford it? You’re overthinking again.” Qi Xuexin quickly grabbed tissues to hand her, continuing her grand lecture.

“Between little lovebirds, it’s all about romance and mood, not sky-high pricey gifts. Take those cheap slippers for tens of bucks—you bought them specially for her, right? You saw and heard it yourself when I came in that day: a pair of ordinary fuzzy slippers, and she guarded them like a Dog Cub protecting food, afraid I’d wear them, even flaunted them right in front of me. Why? Because you bought them. Not ’cause she’s scared I’d give her foot fungus, right?”

“…” No wonder Ming You could always go toe-to-toe with Qi Xuexin. With her mouth that was all reason and sweet-talking in the first half before turning into utter bullshit to piss people off in the second, even Yan Ningxi—who had endured it for years—still needed time to process it. Forget about the hair-trigger Ming You.

Wei Kejia quietly walked over and sat down across from the two of them. One glare from Qi Xuexin made her swallow the greeting she had been about to give Yan Ningxi.

Yan Ningxi sensed the awkward atmosphere and said to Wei Kejia, “Good evening, Boss Wei.”

Having stewed in frustration all evening, Wei Kejia finally had someone to vent to. “Teacher Yan, save me! Some old friends showed up tonight to hang out. I couldn’t turn them away, and I didn’t hide anything either. Fine, yeah, one of them’s my ex—but I swear I had no idea she was coming. I point to the heavens: we cut off all contact ages ago. No chance of rekindling this lifetime or the next. There’s only room for Teacher Qi in my heart.”

So the “enemy” was a love rival?

Yan Ningxi asked Qi Xuexin, “Did you meet her?”

“Yep.”

Wei Kejia quickly added, “I introduced Teacher Qi as my girlfriend right away and told them…”

Qi Xuexin snatched the lighter off the table and chucked it at her. “Get lost! You’re pissing me off just by existing right now. Go entertain your friends and bring a few more drinks for me and Teacher Yan. Behave yourself, or we’ll settle this later.”

Wei Kejia caught the lighter, leaned forward, and swiped Qi Xuexin’s cigarette case too as she cooed, “Baby, I’m all yours. No one’s taking advantage of me. Besides, didn’t you just stake your claim on me in front of everyone?”

“Scram!” Qi Xuexin only got angrier.

As if she’d been the one staking her claim—it was clearly Wei Kejia who had “force-kissed” her in public.

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” Wei Kejia stood up. “Teacher Yan, please keep an eye on her for me. Call if anything comes up—I’ll be right there.”

The moment she turned around, she came face-to-face with her “risen-from-the-dead” ex. Wei Kejia’s expression changed. “What are you doing here?”