After Becoming Roommates with My Flirty Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 13

Yu Xia didn’t sleep well at all, while Zheng Yun slept soundly.

Yu Xia had been sleeping alone since she was three years old. Since then, apart from dormitories, she had never shared a room with anyone for the intimate act of sleeping together. Even holding hands all night felt strange, the warmth of Zheng Yun’s palm unfamiliar.

She stared at the ceiling for a long time, finally accepting that this wasn’t a dream. Zheng Yun’s hand was still clasped around her knuckles, their fingers intertwined in a way that was far from platonic.

Why did I let Zheng Yun invade my personal space like this? she wondered, as if possessed.

Xiao Jiu’s words echoed in her mind: “I don’t know if you just want to sleep with me or if you actually want to be with me.”

Yu Xia glanced at Zheng Yun, who was sleeping soundly beside her. Does she just want to sleep with me, or does she actually want to be with me?

Knock, knock. Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Just as Yu Xia looked away, Zheng Yun woke up.

Rubbing her eyes, Zheng Yun sat up and instinctively withdrew her hand to rub her eyes.

Knock, knock. The knocking came again, but not at Yu Xia’s door.

Zheng Yun paused, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went to answer the door.

“Looking for me?” Zheng Yun asked, opening the door. Still groggy from her long sleep, her voice was husky and languid, her eyes half-closed, and her cheeks flushed with the warmth of a restful slumber.

Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t this progress a bit too rapid?”

Zheng Yun, not fully awake and her mind still sluggish, didn’t process Xiao Qi’s comment. She instinctively replied, “Mm-hmm. What’s up?”

“…Xiao Jiu has a fever,” Xiao Qi said, getting straight to the point. “I’m driving her to the hospital later. I’ve left two spare keys at the front desk. You’ll have to handle meals yourselves today; we might be back very late.”

Zheng Yun nodded vaguely. “How high is the fever?”

Xiao Qi shook her head. “Low-grade, nothing serious, but we’re taking her to the hospital just to be safe.”

Before leaving, Xiao Qi waved at Yu Xia, who was sitting on the bed, still dazed. “Well, I won’t interrupt your little world.”

Yu Xia had heard the entire exchange.

She didn’t understand why Zheng Yun hadn’t denied that they had merely shared a bed and nothing more. Xiao Qi seemed to assume they had done something. Yu Xia flexed her fingers, her palm still tingling with the lingering warmth of their touch.

The morning breeze finally roused Zheng Yun fully. As she replayed the conversation in her mind, she suddenly realized she had answered one question incorrectly.

Zheng Yun picked up the blanket, intending to return to her own room, and said with annoyance, “I didn’t react quickly enough just now.”

Yu Xia remained silent.

Zheng Yun sat beside her and continued, “I’ll explain everything when they get back tonight.”

Yu Xia nodded lightly.

She looked down at her palm, her heart wavering.

Zheng Yun always did this—teasing her, declaring her affection, then hastily clarifying.

Even though Yu Xia had already agreed to hold hands.

“Don’t be upset,” Zheng Yun sighed. “I won’t let anyone misunderstand you.”

Yu Xia pressed her lips together and asked in a hoarse voice, “Do you hold hands with ordinary friends?”

Zheng Yun opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. She swallowed them back and rephrased, “I used to hold hands with close friends I had no romantic feelings for while shopping.”

Yu Xia, still groggy from a restless sleep and a bit grumpy, frowned at her in confusion. She looked fierce as a two-month-old tiger—slightly intimidating, but not much.

Zheng Yun stood up with the blanket, her smile radiant. “But not anymore.”

Before Yu Xia could fully process what she meant, Zheng Yun left the room with the blanket.

Yu Xia sat up and pushed open the window. It took her two minutes to finally understand.

The rain was gradually easing, and the clear skies predicted by the weather forecast were drawing near. Yet Yu Xia’s gloomy mood had already cleared ahead of schedule.

Though Xiao Qi had told them to sort things out themselves, she still left breakfast for them, hastily cooking some plain congee before rushing Xiao Jiu to the doctor. By the time Yu Xia had changed and tidied herself up, Zheng Yun was already preparing side dishes to go with the congee.

During breakfast, Zheng Yun suggested that Yu Xia accompany her to buy a phone that afternoon, to avoid a repeat of the previous night’s situation.

With no urgent matters to attend to, Yu Xia nodded in agreement.

Zheng Yun cooked lunch herself, her lighter flavors suiting Yu Xia’s palate better than Xiao Qi and Xiao Jiu’s cooking. After finishing, the two hailed a taxi and headed straight downtown.

On the way, Yu Xia couldn’t help but wonder why Zheng Yun hadn’t bought a phone sooner. Even someone as indifferent to technology as Yu Xia had to reply to several messages daily.

Zheng Yun simply said she didn’t see the need.

“When you have a phone, you’re always distracted by online information,” Zheng Yun said, gazing at the gradually brightening sky. “Without it, you can truly experience the world around you.”

Yu Xia sensed she wasn’t telling the whole truth. She felt more than casual curiosity about Zheng Yun, but she had no intention of pressing her for answers.

Just as she didn’t want to talk about her family, everyone had secrets they wanted to keep hidden.

The rain had eased, and the traffic had thinned. The taxi sped smoothly to the city center. Zheng Yun bought her new phone with the same efficiency Yu Xia showed when buying clothes: she simply pointed out the model, paid, and took the phone.

Zheng Yun rummaged through her bag for a spare SIM card, inserted it, turned on the phone, and activated it.

The first thing she said after activation was, “Yu Xia, add me as a friend and send me yesterday’s photo.”

Yu Xia complied.

She scanned Zheng Yun’s WeChat QR code. Her profile picture was a Samoyed. Zheng Yun explained it was her neighbor’s dog, who was very fond of her.

Yu Xia scrolled through her album for their “couple photo” and sent it beneath the “We’re friends now! Let’s chat~” message, marking their first exchange.

Zheng Yun saved the photo and immediately set it as both her lock screen and wallpaper with a single tap.

Watching Zheng Yun’s seamless actions, Yu Xia thought, Ordinary friends would probably set a group photo as their lock screen and wallpaper too. It’s nothing special.

As the two women left the phone store, they ran into someone they’d rather avoid: the neighbor’s auntie who had previously cornered Zheng Yun.

The auntie was accompanied by a man about her height, slightly better-looking than the average passerby, with a nonchalant expression. He bore a striking resemblance to her, likely the son she had been trying to introduce to Zheng Yun. The auntie was frowning and nagging incessantly, even shoving her son forward, but he remained slick and oily as ever.

Zheng Yun clearly spotted them too. She tried to pull Yu Xia away, but before they could react, the auntie noticed her.

No wonder the auntie had such a sharp eye. Even in the bustling commercial district, Zheng Yun and Yu Xia, despite their casual attire, seemed to radiate an almost otherworldly glow, drawing gazes like moths to a flame. If not for Yu Xia’s icy expression, countless people would have approached them.

Zheng Yun couldn’t escape and sighed in exasperation.

The auntie was already closing in.

Yu Xia stepped in front of Zheng Yun, her eyes flashing with hostility, a cold smirk playing on her lips.

If Chen Zhu were here, she would recognize this look well. In the next moment, Yu Xia was about to unleash a scathing verbal assault.

“Little Zheng, what a coincidence!” Auntie chuckled. “I just happened to be out with my son, Little Hui, and ran into you. Isn’t this fate?”

“Even a pervert who spies on a goddess bathing would call it fate,” Yu Xia sneered.

Knowing she couldn’t win an argument with Yu Xia, Auntie tried to pull Zheng Yun out from behind her. Yu Xia shielded Zheng Yun, raising her voice: “What do you think you’re doing? Trying to kidnap her?”

The bustling street was already full of onlookers, but Yu Xia’s raised voice drew even more attention. People who had been stealing glances now stared openly.

“No need to get physical,” a concerned passerby said. “Can’t you just talk things out calmly?”

Auntie’s son’s eyes lit up at the sight of Zheng Yun. He suddenly adopted a more presentable demeanor, the kind that might fool naive young women. He approached Yu Xia and Zheng Yun, feigning sincerity. “My mom’s just a little anxious. How about this? I’ll treat you both to dinner. Would you do us the honor?”

Yu Xia retorted coldly, “Your face isn’t worthy of the honor.”

Yu Xia had been in a foul mood these past few days, partly because of Zheng Yun’s aloofness. Unable to vent her frustration, Zhang Hui became an easy target, bearing the full brunt of her anger.

Zhang Hui probably never imagined his charm would fail him one day. Unable to maintain his composure and unwilling to lose face in front of the beauty, he gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “Quite a few young ladies have complimented my looks, Miss. Perhaps you’re just biased against me…”

Yu Xia frowned. She hadn’t even bothered to dress up today, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans with a gray hoodie she’d bought yesterday. Straightening her back, she asked, her voice sharp and deliberate, “Are you even as tall as me?”

The man froze for a moment, anger flashing across his face. But with onlookers gathering, he couldn’t afford to lose face.

Yu Xia scoffed. “Or do you think you’re better-looking than me?”

A little girl in her mother’s arms piped up in a childish voice, “Mommy, I think this big sister is prettier.”

The crowd, eager for drama, burst into laughter.