Sheng Muxi's eyes adjusted to the dim light.
The outlines of the living room furniture took shape in her eyes, and after sitting for a while, she turned on the light.
She checked her phone and saw a message from Chai Qianning from half an hour ago: "Teacher Sheng, would you like to have dinner together tonight?"
Even though they were neighbors, she couldn't bring herself not to reply.
Sheng Muxi: [I've already had dinner.]
Perhaps, she doesn't yet know what kind of emotions she should use to face Chai Qianning.
She needs time to calm down.
——
The light emanating from the top of the pillar surrounded several moths.
Chai Qianning leaned against the railing, glancing at the city's night view before her gaze lingered on a moth fluttering its wings near the lights. She raised her hand and yawned.
She sat down on an outdoor chair, and Su Ye sat opposite her, propping her chin up with her hand.
Several cans of beer were placed in front of him, and on the ground were scattered confetti and flattened cans from the revelry.
"They're playing Truth or Dare inside, do you want to go in and join in?" Su Ye said.
"No, now when I see people, my eyelids start to droop." Chai Qianning rested her hands on the table.
"How many hours of sleep do you get a day? You slept until the afternoon today."
"You can't just look at when I get up. Why don't you ask how late I went to bed last night?"
How late?
I didn't lie down until it was almost dawn.
Su Ye stood up: "Then I'll go in and take a look. Remember to call me when you leave."
Chai Qianning gave her an OK sign.
The evening breeze brushed against the top of people's hair.
Chai Qianning flipped her phone with one hand, turned on the screen from the side, and opened WeChat to take a look.
Sheng Muxi's reply seemed fine, just a normal conversation, but she still sensed something was off.
Ever since that "Are you asleep?" message she received in the early morning, she felt that the other person wasn't acting like usual. This made her wonder if the blind date that afternoon had left them in a bad mood.
Without thinking too much about it, after the party, Chai Qianning and Su Ye went out for a late-night snack before going home separately.
For the next few days, things didn't go too smoothly. Sometimes when she remembered, Chai Qianning would send a good morning or good night message to him on WeChat. If she forgot, she wouldn't send a message. Sheng Muxi spent most of his time at school on weekdays, so it was normal that the two of them didn't see each other often.
The only difference is that in the past, on weekends, the two would tacitly agree to go out for a meal or visit each other's homes. For example, Sheng Muxi liked to cook some new dishes on weekends, so he would invite her over to try them.
But this weekend, Sheng Muxi said she had something to do. Perhaps she really did, so Chai Qianning didn't bother her. Missing a meal over a weekend wasn't a big deal. Although she had already sensed that Sheng Muxi seemed to be deliberately being cold towards her.
Fang Jiaqin got a new ID card and no longer needed to live at her house. Sometimes she would ask her to come out and pick out bridesmaid dresses.
One day, when Chai Qianning returned from outside, she bumped into Sheng Muxi at the entrance of the residential complex. The two simply greeted each other as usual, and then took the same elevator up.
In the elevator, Chai Qianning casually asked, "Teacher Sheng, have you been very busy lately? I haven't seen you invite me to your house for dinner. Does your promise to let me come over for a meal still stand?"
Sheng Muxi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled faintly at her, "I have been quite busy lately."
Chai Qianning gave an "oh," wondering what the other person was so busy with, working from weekdays to weekends and back again. How could someone be so busy that they didn't even have time for a meal? It was just an excuse.
But since the other party was unwilling, she didn't force it. After several attempts to take the initiative were rejected, she stopped taking the initiative altogether.
She just couldn't understand whether Sheng Muxi's change in attitude towards her was related to that blind date.
She couldn't believe that Sheng Muxi couldn't see her intentions or her feelings from beginning to end. She thought that Sheng Muxi had seen through it; since he hadn't been resistant before, Chai Qianning assumed that he had feelings for her in that way from the start, and was just waiting for the right opportunity to break through that thin veil and officially be together.
But recently, Sheng Muxi has started to resist again. Could it be that she has really chosen to compromise and accept marriage, realizing that Chai Qianning's feelings for her are not pure, and that's why she is keeping her distance?
If that's really the case, Chai Qianning thought to herself, if she were to pester them again, wouldn't that be ungrateful?
Bar No. 12.
Chai Qianning and Su Ye were drinking in a private room.
The wine glass tapped lightly on the marble table, producing a crisp sound. Chai Qianning's almond-shaped eyes were hazy as she raised a finger and tapped it on the table: "From now on, I will never again make outrageous demands, saying that as long as it's someone I want to pursue, I can always win them over."
Chai Qianning comes from a well-off family and has hardly suffered since childhood. Her life has been smooth sailing, though not always perfect.
During her school years, she consistently ranked at the top of her class. Many men pursued her in college, and she rejected countless of them. She was beautiful and wealthy, a true "rich, beautiful, and successful woman," and her confidence was ingrained in her very being.
She's usually the one being pursued; she's too lazy to pursue others, but she often feels she has no affinity with the people who pursue her. Su Ye teases her, saying she deserves to be single.
She always has a fallacy to refute this, saying that when others pursue her, it's because they're interested in her, and all their enthusiasm is focused on them. She, on the other hand, isn't particularly enthusiastic. But if she were pursuing someone, she would definitely be more enthusiastic. Because that implies the other person is her type; ultimately, it's just a matter of whether she likes them or not.
Su Ye spat out, "Then why don't you take action?" She said she was lazy and didn't want to move, and would wait until she met someone she clicked with. But in reality, if she really met someone she clicked with, she would basically start taking the initiative before the other person even made the first move.
This is what her father told her: when an opportunity arises, don't let it come to you; seize it immediately. Profiting proactively is far more profitable than profiting passively.
Although feelings cannot be measured by interests, this was indeed the first time she had taken the initiative to pursue someone, and the results seemed less than ideal, leaving her with a taste of frustration.
Su Ye got her hair done, and her curly hair made Chai Qian Ning feel dizzy.
Su Ye leaned back on the sofa, swirling the liquid in her wine glass. Hearing Chai Qianning's words, she crossed her legs and said, "Looks like you've been quite shocked?"
"When I broke up with my girlfriend, what advice did you give me?"
Chai Qianning turned her gaze: "I forgot."
“You said it’s no big deal, the next one will be better.”
Chai Qianning blinked lightly.
Yeah, it's nothing serious.
But she couldn't help but wonder if the other person was angry because of the two words "Shall we do it?" she had sent that night.
Is this really necessary? Does the other person think that this kind of thing can only happen after a relationship is confirmed? Or is she just too open-minded? But she didn't actually take him to a hotel, did she? This kind of thing is consensual; she would only do that kind of thing with him if he agreed.
She made an excuse for the other person's recent coldness, but then felt that her self-righteous behavior was absurd. So, she decided to just let things cool off for a while.
Su Ye advised her not to get drunk, saying that adults are rational enough. She wasn't drunk, and after leaving the bar, she had dinner with Su Ye. It was just a small setback, and there was no need to keep it in mind.
If the other person doesn't intend for her to be the only one in love with him, then it's meaningless. She's very open-minded about it. After a moment of low spirits, she suddenly feels cheerful again and goes back to eating and playing.
She hadn't driven when she left, and now she was taking a taxi back. The driver dropped her off at the entrance of the residential area, and after paying the fare, she walked towards the gate and saw a car parked ahead. A woman got out of the car.
The woman wore high heels and a gray-black fitted long dress. A gentleman-looking man got out of the car and handed her his bag.
Chai Qianning slowed her pace. Even though the woman had her back to her, she could recognize Sheng Muxi without even looking at her face.
Judging from Sheng Muxi's outfit, she doesn't look like she's just come back from school. It's more like she dressed up specially for a dinner date or something.
A man and a woman stood by the roadside and chatted for a while. She couldn't see Sheng Muxi's expression, but she could see that the man lowered his eyes and smiled when he was talking about something.
What are you talking about that makes you so happy?
If she entered the residential area at this moment, she would definitely pass by Sheng Muxi, and Sheng Muxi would notice her. But for some inexplicable reason, she took a few steps back, turned around, and went to the pharmacy across the street to buy a box of digestive tablets.
She must have eaten too much to stand there watching them chat.
Just as she was about to ignore them and walk towards the gate of the residential area, Sheng Muxi finished talking with the man and was about to walk into the residential area.
And just like that, Sheng Muxi turned around and saw Chai Qianning.
The wind seemed a bit strong tonight, making the plastic bag Chai Qianning was carrying rattle. Sheng Muxi smiled slightly at her, and Chai Qianning, not wanting to show anything unusual, greeted her as usual.
After exchanging greetings, they didn't say anything more. Fortunately, the distance from the gate of the residential area to their apartment building wasn't too far, and they arrived in just a few minutes.
The elevator doors opened, and a family stepped out. The child skipped and hopped around noisily as they exited, followed closely by the adults. Sheng Muxi went in first, pressed the 10th floor, and then the 11th floor. Chai Qianning stood in the left corner of the elevator, with a distance of about three or four adults between them.
—It's because the elevator in this building is so spacious.
It was a bit odd that the two of them were standing on the side.
Sheng Muxi's long eyelashes fluttered a few times under the incandescent light, and her gaze finally settled on the transparent plastic bag that Chai Qianning was carrying.
The name of the pharmacy was written on it, and inside, what looked like a box of medicine was obscured by the green lettering on the outside of the plastic bag, so she couldn't see what kind of medicine it was.
She raised her eyes slightly and saw Chai Qianning's profile beneath a few strands of hair, while Chai Qianning herself was looking down at her phone.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Sheng Muxi asked.
Chai Qianning was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the other person to speak first. She squeezed the plastic bag between her fingers, without turning to look at her, and replied indifferently, "Yeah, I'm feeling uneasy."
Just as Sheng Muxi was about to ask something, the elevator reached the 10th floor. Chai Qianning didn't give her a chance to ask and walked out.
As the gaps in the elevator gradually narrowed, the figure slowly disappeared from sight, until finally, only faint shadows remained on the cold, hard surface.
Sheng Muxi ran her fingers through her hair, letting them slide down her long hair, and her eyelids twitched.
Feeling unwell? Heart discomfort?
heart disease?
——
The plastic bag rustled as Chai Qianning took out a digestive tablet, opened it, squeezed out a tablet, and put it in her mouth.
The thing she had figured out that afternoon was now stuck in her head again. She rested her chin on her hand, turned her head to look at the scenery outside the French windows, moved her mouth, bit the thin slice with her teeth, and swallowed it.
She casually reached under the TV cabinet and took out a bottle of Wanglaoji herbal tea that Fang Jiaqin had stocked up on at her house. She pulled the tab, and the light brown liquid slid down her throat.
She casually scratched her head, a few strands of hair looking a bit frizzy, just like her current mood. She threw herself into the beanbag chair and started playing games, playing until midnight.
She glanced at the time, put down her phone, and went to take a shower.
There was a small mirror in the bathroom, which was covered with a layer of white fog by the heat inside.
Chai Qianning wiped her wet hand on the mirror, and a clear spot appeared on the mirror, revealing a tooth mark slightly below her collarbone.
I've been calculating the time; it's been a month already, and it still hasn't gone away.
She raised her finger, her fingertip tracing the marks on it. The more she thought about it, the more suffocated she felt. She decided to stop thinking about it!
A few days later, on Saturday, Chai Qianning made plans to go out with Fang Jiaqin. She planned to drive there, so she took the elevator directly to the underground parking garage on the basement level.
She had just driven her car out of the residential area.
Then, the man who had chatted with Sheng Muxi last time appeared at the entrance of the community in his car, and Sheng Muxi got into his car.
It was hot, and the sunlight made the car windows reflect light.
Chai Qianning tapped her fingers lightly and rhythmically on the steering wheel, and only after watching the car drive away did she step on the gas.