"Hey, are you really going to leave me out here all alone?" Fang Jiaqin knocked for a while, but the person inside still wouldn't open the door for her.
"I bought you your favorite snacks."
"I heard you. Don't pretend you didn't hear me."
Fang Jiaqin pouted and hugged the snacks to her chest: "Ningning, oh no, Ningning, please have mercy on me, how could you bear to leave me all alone?"
As she spoke, she pretended to wipe away her tears, opened a bag of potato chips, started eating, and leaned against the door to continue saying, "Sister Ningning, how can I live without you? Even if you're still angry with me, you can't not let me in. What if something bad happens to me outside?"
She stuffed another potato chip into her mouth, not in a hurry for Chai Qianning to open the door for her.
She had honed her skills to perfection since childhood in the art of wearing down Chai Qianning.
"I was wrong, honey, darling, baby..."
Sheng Muxi stepped out of the elevator, holding a bunch of keys in her hand. Just as she reached Chai Qianning's door, she heard this sentence.
Her brow twitched. She saw a woman in pajamas standing at the door, carrying a bag.
Judging from the scene at the door, the two seemed to have had a fight.
Going back is not an option, nor is staying back. Sheng Muxi stood there for a few seconds, unsure whether to go back or not.
"My dearest, baby, darling, my precious..."
Fang Jiaqin continued calling out, then belatedly realized that someone was standing behind her. Just as she was about to turn around to look, the door opened.
“You…” Chai Qianning opened the door and saw Fang Jiaqin, and at the same time, she also saw Sheng Muxi behind her.
"Pop, baby, you're the best! I knew you wouldn't have the heart to leave me outside." Fang Jiaqin jumped inside with a joyful leap.
Fang Jiaqin's sexual orientation is as straight as it gets. During her time abroad, she dated several boyfriends. So, for her, calling girls "wife" or "baby" is no big deal. She would do the same for any other girl she knows.
However, Sheng Muxi didn't think so.
After Chai Qianning opened the door, her attention was focused on Sheng Muxi, and she didn't pay much attention to how Fang Jiaqin addressed her.
She gently called out to Sheng Muxi, "Teacher Sheng."
Sheng Muxi walked a little closer and pursed her lips: "Did I come at the wrong time?"
"No, not at all." Chai Qianning made way for her, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"
"No need. I'll give the key back to you." Sheng Muxi placed the key in Chai Qianning's hand, then turned and left.
Chapter 33 Sour Plum
The white light from the motion-sensor lights in the corridor shone on Sheng Muxi, making her look as if she were covered in frost.
Chai Qianning didn't close the door immediately. Instead, she watched the other person until they were out of sight of the elevator before closing the door.
She had just sprayed air freshener in the living room, and now the air was filled with the scent of gardenias.
"Spraying too much air freshener can cause poisoning." Fang Jiaqin took a deep breath, her nose filled with the scent of gardenias, and she couldn't even smell the opened snacks.
Chai Qianning snatched the potato chips from her hand and started eating them herself: "Who told you to eat durian?"
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? Is it really that smelly?"
"Let me put it this way, the smell was no different from poop in the toilet to me."
Fang Jiaqin's snacks were taken away by her, so she took out a bag of small fish to eat. She had just opened it and taken a bite when she heard Chai Qianning say something that almost made her spit it out.
"Why are you saying such disgusting things when I'm eating?" Fang Jiaqin had a small fish snack in her mouth, unsure whether to swallow it or spit it out.
"You know what disgusting is?" Chai Qianning finished the last potato chip in the package, wiped her fingers with a tissue, and prepared to go back to her room after brushing her teeth.
For someone who drools at the sight of durian, Fang Jiaqin simply couldn't understand Chai Qianning's extreme aversion to it.
"Such a delicious thing, and you've compared it to that stuff in the toilet... tsk tsk." Fang Jiaqin smacked her lips, silently mourning for her beloved durian for a few seconds.
Inside the room.
Chai Qianning picked up the air conditioner remote, switched it to sleep mode, lay down on the bed, opened her phone, and saw that it wasn't too late. Tomorrow was the weekend, so she sent Sheng Muxi a message: "Want to grab a bite to eat together tomorrow?"
She knew that Sheng Muxi didn't go to bed that early.
But several minutes passed and the other party did not reply.
Without thinking too much about it, she assumed that the other person was just too busy lately and wanted to rest early.
Just as she was about to open the game, play a few rounds, and then go to sleep, she received Sheng Muxi's reply as soon as she clicked the game icon: 【Tomorrow.】
Judging from the tone, it sounds like something's going to happen tomorrow.
Chai Qianning: [Are you busy tomorrow? The day after tomorrow is fine too.]
The chat box displayed "The other party is typing" at the top. Chai Qianning stared at it for a long time, but no new messages popped up. She waited until the top line of text disappeared, but still didn't see a reply from the other party.
Is going out for a meal such a difficult thing that you have to type it out so many times and still can't compose a single text message reply?
Not wanting to make the other person feel pressured, she added: "Anytime is fine, as long as you're available. If not this week, then next week."
Upstairs, Sheng Muxi was nestled on the sofa in the living room, with an idol drama playing on the TV in front of her, the name of which was unknown, serving as background noise.
She actually has nothing planned for tomorrow and the day after, but for some reason, she felt uneasy after coming up from the tenth floor, and she couldn't explain why. In short, she felt she shouldn't be feeling uneasy; it was a very inexplicable thing.
Shi Manwen had stayed at her house before, just as friends. But Shi Manwen wouldn't call her by such an intimate nickname because they both knew each other was gay. So even in the closest friendships, a certain distance was maintained.
But everyone has a different way of getting along with friends.
What is she thinking? Perhaps Chai Qianning and that person are just friends. Why is she feeling uncomfortable?
Seeing the message in the chat box, she realized that she hadn't replied to the other person, even though the screen had been on and she had been holding her phone the whole time.
Realizing she might have given the other person the wrong impression that she was busy, she quickly typed a reply: "[If you're free, let's go out for dinner tomorrow. You choose the place.]"
Chai Qianning: [Okay, goodnight.]
Sheng Muxi: [Good night.]
After sending "Goodnight," Sheng Muxi couldn't fall asleep at all. She swiped around on her phone screen and finally opened a game she had downloaded but hadn't played much to pass the time. Unexpectedly, she discovered that Chai Qianning was online.
Switching to WeChat, Sheng Muxi sent a message: [Didn't we say goodnight? Why are you still playing games?]
Chai Qianning: [Aren't you playing games too?]
Sheng Muxi: [I didn't hit him.]
Chai Qianning: [Then how did you know I was playing games? You must have wanted to play too.]
Sheng Muxi: [...]
After being caught, Chai Qianning was not flustered at all. She even had an excuse to invite the other party to play a game together, which was still the same ancient-style game as before.
Compared to the previous time, Sheng Muxi's performance was much better, and the two were finally able to play the game somewhat normally.
The two were on voice chat when Fang Jiaqin suddenly knocked on Chai Qianning's door. Chai Qianning, holding her phone, went to open the door.
"What's wrong? It's so late, I'm about to go to sleep."
"Asleep?" Fang Jiaqin glanced at her phone screen. "Do you think I'd believe that?"
"So what exactly do you want?"
Fang Jiaqin waved the face mask in her hand: "I brought it back from abroad, it's really good, do you want some?"
"Thanks." Chai Qianning took the face mask from her hand and closed the door.
Clearly, Sheng Muxi had heard what was happening on her end. After a few seconds of silence, Chai Qianning asked, "What's wrong? Are you sleepy?"
Sheng Muxi: "Your friend just now?"
Chai Qianning: "Yes, she lost her ID card, so she'll stay at my house for a few days."
Sheng Muxi: "Oh, oh."
Finally, the other person added, "Just friends?"
Upon hearing this, Chai Qianning paused for several seconds, then belatedly realized something, and a slight smile appeared on her lips: "Teacher Sheng, why are you so concerned about this?"
Sheng Muxi felt that these words were indeed a bit abrupt. At the moment, she and Chai Qianning were just neighbors and friends. What were the other party's relationships with others, and what did they have to do with her?
"It's nothing, just asking casually," Sheng Muxi said, lightly changing the subject.
Chai Qianning swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
The following day, Chai Qianning chose a Japanese restaurant near Shangyang Plaza.
The time is set for the evening, so we can take a walk around the square after dinner. It gets especially lively there at night.
Before leaving, Chai Qianning put on makeup. As she passed through the living room, Fang Jiaqin, who was curled up on the sofa watching a drama, glanced at her and immediately saw through her: "Dressed up like this, are you going on a date?"
Chai Qianning slung her bag over her shoulder, there was no need to hide it from her: "Mm."
Seemingly surprised that the other party admitted it so easily, Fang Jiaqin paused the video: "You have a boyfriend?"
"No," Chai Qianning replied briefly.
Fang Jiaqin blinked, not asking any further questions, and instead brought up other things: "Do you know that Xu Yuan is getting married?"
Xu Yuan is a year older than both of them. They knew each other before, but Xu Yuan went to work in another city a few years ago, so Chai Qianning hasn't seen her much. Occasionally, they would greet each other on WeChat and chat for a few words during holidays, but in the past year, their communication on WeChat has decreased.
"I don't know." Chai Qianning paused, then asked, "Xu Yuan is back?"
“Yes, I only found out today. She must be coming back to get married,” Fang Jiaqin said.
Chai Qianning and Sheng Muxi had arranged a time, so she accepted the invitation immediately and went out.
Upon arriving near Shangyang Plaza, Chai Qianning got out of the car first, while Sheng Muxi went to find a parking space.
Because it was the weekend, and this area is a large commercial district, there was a lot of foot traffic.
Chai Qianning stood there for a while, and when Sheng Muxi came over, the two of them went into the shop together.
This Japanese restaurant is a bit pricey, but it's well-decorated and clean. Most of the customers are young people, especially couples.
While waiting for the food to be served, Sheng Muxi's phone rang, and she went outside to answer it.
The shop is located on the first floor, and the bustling scene outside is reflected in the glass. Sheng Muxi stands at the entrance, holding her phone in one hand and pressing it to her ear. Her long, honey-brown hair cascades down her back, and her graceful silhouette is captivating.
Chai Qianning rested her chin on her hand listlessly, tilting her head to look at the French windows. Her thin shadow was reflected on the glass, overlapping with Sheng Muxi's back outside, hazy and indistinct.
After watching for a while, she lowered her eyes and played with her phone.