After Becoming Roommates with My Flirty Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 4

Summer 2020: A sweltering heatwave gripped the city.

Yu Xia’s planned trip was canceled due to an urgent matter at Chen Zhu’s home. Undeterred, Yu Xia randomly stuck a dart into a map, chose her destination, and left with her suitcase.

Ke Qian and Yu Donghai were away on a two-day business trip, leaving Yu Xia to look after Yu Nian at home. As Yu Xia passed Yu Nian’s room before leaving, she heard Yu Nian on the phone, giggling.

She lowered her hand from the door, didn’t turn back, and walked straight out.

By the time Ke Qian called, Yu Xia was almost at her destination.

“Xiaxia, we just got home. Where did you go?” Ke Qian’s voice was weary, tinged with reproach. “You weren’t home to watch Niannian. What if something happened to her?”

Yu Xia had grown numb to Ke Qian’s calls that only asked about Yu Nian’s well-being when she was away. Even if something happened to her, Yu Nian would be fine. The household had three maids: one for cooking, one for cleaning, and one specifically for caring for Yu Nian.

The maid assigned to Yu Nian was a retired nurse turned caregiver—far more qualified than Yu Xia, who was studying art. After all, when Yu Nian had a seizure, Yu Xia couldn’t exactly draw a talisman to save her.

She wouldn’t tell Ke Qian any of this. Ke Qian would only repeat those same tired phrases that had worn her ears raw. After a two-second pause, she said, “The signal’s bad. I can’t hear you clearly. I’ll hang up now.”

Yuncheng didn’t have high-speed rail lines, so Yu Xia had to transfer to a green-skinned train in the provincial capital. The twenty-hour journey found her lying on the lower bunk, listening to the rhythmic clanging of the train wheels against the tracks, surrounded by the sounds of snoring and crying children. Yet, her mind remained remarkably calm.

She glanced at her phone.

July 3rd, 4:30 AM. Only an hour and a half until arrival.

The province where Yuncheng was located was a major tourist destination. When Yu Xia boarded the train, Yu Nian had checked travel guides and found that three or four nearby cities were popular tourist spots.

Yuncheng, however, was the exception. It lacked mountains, rivers, distinctive local cuisine, or notable attractions, barely mentioned in travel guides.

“Nothing special. Worth a visit if you’re bored.”

But that didn’t matter. As long as she wasn’t at home, even farming would feel like a relief.

She had no intention of staying in Yuncheng long, planning to leave after two days.

At 6:00 AM sharp, the train arrived on time.

Summer mornings dawned early. By 6:00 AM, the sky was already bright, cloudless, and the sun beat down directly. As Yu Xia stepped off the train, a wave of heat, carrying a faint cool breeze, enveloped her in a sweltering embrace.

She booked a guesthouse online, planning to stay for two days while searching for places that might spark her creative inspiration.

After confirming the location and check-in details with the host the previous night, she took a taxi from the train station to the guesthouse.

Taxi drivers in every city are talkative, and Yuncheng was no exception. The driver, an older woman, struck up a conversation as she drove.

“You don’t look like a local, young lady. Are you here for a trip?”

The train had been so noisy all night that Yu Xia hadn’t slept well. Feeling drowsy, she leaned against the back window and mumbled a listless “Mm.”

“Want me to recommend some places to visit? You can’t come all this way and not see anything!”

“No need, thank you.”

Yu Xia planned to get a local SIM card later. She didn’t want to use her original one during the trip. If things went as expected, Ke Qian would call to bombard her with questions about Yu Nian as soon as she woke up and demanded she return home immediately.

The taxi’s air conditioning wasn’t on, and all the windows were wide open. The wind rushed through the car, whipping Yu Xia’s hair around her face.

At the end of the road, a brilliant red sun slowly rose, its rays kissing Yu Xia’s cheeks and leaving a rosy blush. In this small city, traffic rules seemed more like suggestions, with cars and electric scooters sharing the same lanes. Yu Xia’s eyes were half-closed as she quietly observed this city, which even travel bloggers who could hype up a patch of grass as a five-star attraction would disdain.

“Yuncheng may be a bit run-down, but the people are good-hearted. We have all the same food as other places,” the driver, a middle-aged woman, had stopped talking after noticing Yu Xia’s lack of interest. She only spoke up again now, adding, “We’ll be there after this turn.”

Yu Xia suddenly realized the woman was probably just worried about her first impression of Yuncheng. She pressed her lips together and simply thanked her.

“Mm, thank you.”

After getting out of the car, Yu Xia retrieved her luggage from the trunk and followed the street numbers to find the guesthouse. A string of wind chimes hung by the entrance. As she pulled open the door, the chimes clinked together in a crisp, melodious tinkling.

A figure lay sprawled across the wooden front desk, fast asleep. Yu Xia glanced at the wall clock—it was half past six.

“Xiao Jiu, wake up! A guest has arrived.”

A woman emerged from the back, carrying a plate of watermelon. Her hair was casually tied in a messy ponytail, and she wore black-framed glasses, perfectly matching the guesthouse’s rustic charm.

“Ah…” Xiao Jiu propped her head up from the front desk, her eyes barely open and her hair sticking up in disarray, looking like a cat dragged from its bed by its owner. “Go check in first. Choose any room you like—you’re the only guest we have right now.”

With that, she slumped back down to sleep.

The woman carrying the watermelon sighed, set the plate on the wooden counter, and turned to Yu Xia. “Would you like a slice?”

Yu Xia shook her head in refusal.

The woman didn’t press the matter. She picked up the key ring and led Yu Xia upstairs.

“You’re the only guest right now, so you can choose any room you like,” the woman said kindly. “The inn only provides accommodation—no meals included. If you want to eat here, you’ll need to let us know in advance so we can cook extra. Yuncheng has a decent nightlife, but if you’re alone, it’s best not to stay out too late.”

Yu Xia nodded.

Traveling alone, she had a basic sense of safety.

All the rooms were open, presumably for ventilation, offering unobstructed views of the surroundings.

Yu Xia chose the most spacious room on the top floor. A narrow river flowed behind the small building. Yuncheng had no heavy industry, and the surrounding cities were focused on developing tourism, making the river surprisingly clear.

“I’ll take this one,” she said, accepting the key from the owner.

“We’ll always text you before coming upstairs. If you hear a knock, call us,” the owner added as he left.

Yu Xia was so tired her mind felt numb.

Thinking she looked puzzled, the owner took off his jacket, revealing lean muscles that clearly came from regular exercise.

“I can handle a few guys no problem,” he said, patting his bicep proudly. “You’re safe here.”

Yu Xia: “……”

She closed the door, barely had time to admire the city view before taking a shower and collapsing into bed.

When she woke up, the sun was already setting. After a quick wash and change, she headed out.

The best time to experience a city’s vibrant energy is at dusk. In smaller towns, the nights are especially lively, with locals, occasional tourists, and college students home for vacation crowding the night markets, creating a lively atmosphere.

As expected, she had several missed calls. Yu Xia went to a phone shop to get a new SIM card, texted Ke Qian that she was sketching out of town, removed the SIM card, and set Ke Qian’s messages to “Do Not Disturb.”

She wasn’t trying to be difficult with Ke Qian; she simply wanted to enjoy her peaceful days without interruption.

Yu Xia spent the entire day lying in her guesthouse room, glued to her phone.

Just as the online guides had warned, Yuncheng truly offered little of interest. She scrolled through several local bloggers’ guides, but her seasoned traveler’s eye cut through the filters, revealing that none of the recommended spots were particularly appealing.

Not being a “check-in” blogger, she had no urge to photograph every location. Instead, she unpacked her easel and went to the rooftop to paint the sunset.

She painted casually, mixing colors carelessly—purples and pinks swirled together, brushed onto the canvas in broad strokes. Mid-stroke, Xiao Jiu came up to hang laundry, peeked curiously at the canvas, and was instantly captivated.

Yu Xia preferred not to chat while painting, so she offered Xiao Jiu a few perfunctory replies. Xiao Jiu pulled up a stool and sat quietly in the breeze until dinnertime.

Xiao Jiu asked if she wanted to join them for dinner, offering to split their portions with her. Yu Xia, who disliked imposing on others, politely declined.

Yuncheng was too dull. She planned to leave tomorrow, but first, she’d take a quick stroll around town, just to say she’d “checked it off the list.”

Xiao Jiu pointed her toward a nearby night market, reminding her to stay safe.

Yu Xia strolled leisurely through the evening breeze. The paint stains on her white T-shirt didn’t look out of place; they seemed like part of the original design. Her shoulder-length hair was casually tied into a low ponytail, and her slender legs peeked out from beneath her shorts, ending in a pair of canvas sneakers—a perfectly relaxed outfit.

Yet the moment she stood still, she didn’t blend in with the locals of Yuncheng.

The locals were warm, lively, and always greeted people with a smile, like tireless summer cicadas.

Yu Xia, on the other hand, was like an ice cube pulled straight from the freezer—so cold that even standing near her made people shiver.

With little appetite, Yu Xia decided to buy some fruit for a makeshift dinner. She turned toward the local market.

The small market had vegetable stalls right next to fruit stands. After picking out a few oranges and paying, Yu Xia headed out in the opposite direction, checking Chen Zhu’s messages as she walked.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, and the cicadas’ buzzing intensified, like the volume in her headphones had been cranked up. Startled, Yu Xia looked up and her eyes were met with a scene as perfect as a natural painting.

If this were a painting she had created, her teacher would have frowned and asked why she had chosen such a chaotic background. Rotting vegetable leaves and fruit peels littered the road, the unevenly spaced roadside trees looked like they hadn’t been pruned since planting, stalls were haphazardly arranged, and several styrofoam boxes lay askew, kicked to the side of the road by passersby. Even a scruffy dog, tethered by a rope, lay sprawled by the curb.

Everything in the scene, except for the woman, was a chaotic mess—a typical market ecosystem.

But she was different.

Standing amidst the chaos, her slender arm hovered in the air as she carefully selected oranges. Her ivory-white qipao clung to her slender yet curvaceous figure, resembling a distant mountain range rendered in ink wash painting with just a few strokes of deep blue-green.

Her hair was styled into an intricate bun, the jade hairpin accentuating its jet-black sheen.

From Yu Xia’s perspective, she could only glimpse half of the woman’s profile. Yet every smile and frown made her seem like a celestial being who had stepped out of a landscape painting.

“How much?” the celestial being asked, handing the plastic bag to the vendor.

“Seven yuan and thirty cents,” the vendor replied loudly after weighing the bag.

After admiring the ink wash painting, Yu Xia picked up her bag of oranges and prepared to move on.

“Could you round it down?” the fairy asked again.

“Sure, sure, just give me seven yuan,” the owner readily agreed, rounding down the price.

The fairy pulled out seven yuan in small change from her small shoulder bag and handed it to the owner.

In this day and age, cash payments weren’t uncommon, but they were mostly used by elderly people or middle and high school students who didn’t have convenient access to mobile payment apps.

This fairy’s down-to-earth gesture was truly refreshing.

Yu Xia hadn’t seen an adult pay with small change in ages, and she stopped in her tracks.

As soon as the fairy finished paying, she turned her head and met Yu Xia’s gaze, who was still standing there. Even more captivating than peach blossom eyes were peach blossom eyes framed by long, fluttering lashes. With just a blink, someone could drown in the depths of those enchanting pools.

Having completed the sale, the stall owner reclined back in his rocking chair. The fan beside him whirred loudly, its gusts so strong that even mosquitoes struggled to stay airborne, stumbling toward the nearby trees.

Yu Xia’s gaydar, dormant for nineteen years, suddenly lit up like a beacon.