Chapter 23: I Miss You, Though We Just Parted
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Crestfallen and disappointed over her ruined plans, Jin Qingyue carried the luggage back into her room. She then decided to go out but was stopped by her Mother, “Where are you going again?”
“To take a breather.”
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving again, with just your credit card, after leaving your luggage behind. Qingyue, won’t you just allow your Father and I to have some peace of mind? I read on the news yesterday about a girl from overseas who got killed while travelling. Look how chaotic it is overseas. Besides, whatever can be found outside, we have it here at home too,” nagged Mrs. Jin worriedly.
“The thing is, I don’t have friends to hang out with at home. There’s nothing much for me to do either. How boring,” retorted Jin Qingyue.
“Your Sister-in-law doesn’t have much to do at home either. Why don’t you go accompany her? You two should get along just fine, since you’re of similar age.”
Pursing her lips, Jin Qingyue answered, “I’m not going! There’s nothing to talk about with her. Forget it, I’ll go back and play my video games.”
She had been playing video games for more than half a year, though she did enjoy herself more while she was overseas because she got to be with her friends. In fact, she had not achieved much, other than just enjoy life.
Just as she was chatting idly for a while with her in-game friends, a man claiming to be from the city asked to meet up with her in person. The man had invited her to go to the dance club with him and a few of his friends.
Thinking that it was not too bad of an idea, Jin Qingyue agreed to his suggestion.
After an entire morning of video games and a great nap, it was almost evening and time for Jin Qingyue to leave. Lying to her Mother that she was just going to meet her cla.s.smates, she eagerly agreed to stick to her strict curfew of 10 PM and hurried out.
“You’re LittleFairy?” asked a man dressed in a suit, who approached her as soon as she arrived at the dance club.
“And you must be Mr.Baiyun?” said Jin Qingyue as she looked him up and down. She thought he was rather good-looking and well-built.
“Yes, my real name is s.h.i.+ Shaochuan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Your name sounds pretty familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere before,” said Jin Qingyue between laughs.
s.h.i.+ Shaochuan let out an intentional cough, thinking that Jin Qingyue must have known something from the news. After all, it was a rather well-known fact that he was her Sister-in-law An Xiaoning’s ex-husband.
“There are too many people who share the exact same name. What’s yours?” asked s.h.i.+ Shaochuan, chuckling.
Jin Qingyue was reluctant to reveal her full name, although there were no photos or information about her online. She was not going to take that risk, especially since he was someone she had just met online.
“You may call me ‘Yueyue."”
“Sure. Shall we enter, Yueyue?”
“Alright,” agreed Jin Qingyue. She had initially planned to flee immediately and deny that she was the person behind the username ‘LittleFairy’ if the ‘Mr.Baiyun’ she was going to meet had turned out to be hideous-looking. However, he happened to be rather das.h.i.+ng and had a pleasant smile. Thus, she thought it would be totally alright to be friends with him.
If Jin Qingyue had been aware that he was her Sister-in-law’s ex-husband, however, she would have definitely ignored him.
Without a doubt.
They were having a whale of a time as they danced for a while at the crowded dance club and had a few drinks.
s.h.i.+ Shaochuan was amazed by Jin Qingyue’s impressive dance skills.
He actually had the same mindset as her — to not admit that he was the man online if she had turned out to be plump and unappealing. However, Jin Qingyue had turned out to be beyond his expectations. She was not only gorgeous but also had a beautiful figure.
Since he still had to drive, he did not have much to drink. However, he kept offering liquor to Jin Qingyue whenever she was tired of dancing. Though she had a good alcohol tolerance, she could not help it and chugged a good amount of liquor.
“I promised my Mother I would be home by 10,” said Jin Qingyue while she was still rather conscious.
“I’ll send you home since I’m driving.”
Jin Qingyue did not drive to the dance club for she knew she would be drinking that night and that she should not drink and drive.
“Alright, please send me to Beimen 1 .” Beimen was just a stone’s throw away from her home.
“Come, get in,” said s.h.i.+ Shaochuan as he helped her into the back seat.
Having arrived at Beimen, he parked the car and walked to the back.
Jin Qingyue had already fallen asleep.
s.h.i.+ Shaochuan then tried to unb.u.t.ton her blouse with his hands.
She opened her eyes and asked, still in a daze, “What are you doing?”
“I like you so much, Yueyue,” said s.h.i.+ Shaochuan as he kissed her forehead.
Jin Qingyue did not resist. Instead, very confused, she asked, “But it’s our… first… meeting… how much do you like me?”
“I like you as much as you can imagine.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
It was half past 10 PM. “Look at this daughter of ours, refusing to pick up all my calls. She had agreed to stick to her curfew of 10 PM, but it’s already almost 11:40 PM and she’s still not home yet,” panicked Mrs. Jin who was sitting in the living room. She began to feel more and more anxious with each pa.s.sing minute.
“I guess she will be home very soon,” said Mr. Jin rea.s.suringly.
Just as he expected, Jin Qingyue returned shortly after. “Mother,” greeted Jin Qingyue who was all flushed and red like a tomato.
“You’ve been drinking.”
“Yeah, I’m going back to my room to sleep,” said Jin Qingyue, stumbling back into her room.
Mrs. Jin hurriedly chased after her and asked, “How about I brew you something to clear away the effects of the alcohol?”
“No, it’s fine,” rejected Jin Qingyue, waving her hand.
She fell straight onto her bed the moment she entered her room and broke into a sudden smile as she opened her eyes.
She then reached into the pocket of her coat to retrieve her undergarments, which she then proceeded to fling onto her bed.
The sound of a text message notification could be heard just as she came out of the shower.
Feeling a headache coming on, she began to read the words on the screen of her phone while squinting.
It was a text from s.h.i.+ Shaochuan, which read: I miss you, though we just parted. See you next time, pretty girl.
Without replying, she cast her phone aside and had a great stretch before quickly falling into a deep sleep.
——
“Boss, someone is calling you again!” cranked An Xiaoning’s ringtone, which woke her from her sleep unexpectedly.
“h.e.l.lo?” she answered.
“Sister, it’s me, Mei Yangyang.”
An Xiaoning opened her drowsy eyes and answered as she sat up slowly, “Oh, it’s you.”
“I heeded your advice and set up my stall in a more crowded place yesterday. Although there were still people who weren’t convinced by my skills, I had managed to earn 200-odd yuan yesterday. So I decided to give you a call to express my grat.i.tude, Sister.”
“That’s great. Are you going to do fortune-telling for a living, though?”
“No, I’ve never thought of that. I’m actually thinking of looking for a job. After all, fortune-telling can be pretty taxing on one’s health, thus it won’t be a sustainable job in the long run. How about you, Sister?”
“I’ve never considered making a living out of it, either. I’m currently looking for a job.”
“I heard the media broadcasting company is looking out for actors to stand in as pa.s.sers-by, and I’ve decided to go have a look in a few days. Would you like to come together, Sister? They’re offering 100-odd yuan for a day’s filming.”
“I haven’t decided.”
“I’ve thought about it all. In the future, I will read fortunes for a few days a month, on top of working a proper job. I should be able to not have to worry about making ends meet, and even save some money for myself,” squealed Mei Yangyang, exceptionally thrilled and excited.
Just as An Xiaoning was about to reply, she felt an arm hugging her waist tightly. After shooting her husband a glare, she continued to speak over the phone, “100 yuan a day is a tad too little.”
“It’ll add up to about three or four thousand a month, that’s not little for us. Give it some thought, Sister. You can call me if you’re interested. Let’s go together.”
“Sure,” agreed An Xiaoning, though she had no intention of going at all. To her, a few hundred a day was indeed not much, especially since her current savings were enough to last her an entire lifetime. She probably would not want to look for a job if it wasn’t for boredom. Besides, who would not love the idea of just resting comfortably and doing nothing at home?
However, an overly comfortable life was not for her. She did not want to spend her days doing nothing except go for high tea, frequent mahjong sessions, and visit beauty salons, as typical wives of rich men did.