After Becoming Roommates with My Flirty Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 41

After getting into the car, Zheng Yun pulled a tissue from her bag, intending to offer it to Yu Xia to wipe the rain from her arm. But Yu Xia had already taken out a tissue from her own bag and was wiping herself down.

Zheng Yun’s hand froze mid-motion.

Yu Xia glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and said softly, “Wipe your legs instead.”

Only then did Zheng Yun realize the car’s air conditioning was making her calves feel cold.

The rain had come down fiercely but lasted only half an hour.

As the taxi emerged from the River Tunnel, the sun flashed its final rays. The raindrops dried on the windows, leaving unsightly water stains etched jaggedly across the glass.

It was rush hour, and long lines of cars clogged the city streets, trapped in the bustling downtown area.

No one spoke in the car.

Midway through the ride, Chen Zhu called. She and her companion had avoided the worst of the traffic and were making good progress home. Chen Zhu’s voice brimmed with barely concealed excitement as she whispered, “Xiaxia, so this is what kissing feels like.”

Yu Xia pressed a hand to her forehead, listening to Chen Zhu’s excited chatter while her mind wandered.

“So other people’s lips are soft too,” Chen Zhu said, still a little embarrassed. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

Yu Xia really didn’t want to hear Chen Zhu’s first-kiss reflections while sharing a room with Zheng Yun. She gave a perfunctory response, and Chen Zhu reluctantly said goodbye.

“I’ll come find you to hang out again!”

“With Qi Shu!”

Yu Xia quickly hung up.

During college, Chen Zhu had shown no interest in romance. Whenever anyone tried to set her up, she’d retreat three steps, declaring her intention to remain a “queen of solitude” throughout her master’s and doctoral studies.

Yet, right after graduation, she’d met her soulmate and fallen head over heels in love, sparks flying like lightning bolts as they swiftly plunged into romance.

“What a coincidence,” Zheng Yun remarked warmly. “I never imagined the ‘little friend’ Qi Shu mentioned would be Chen Zhu.”

It was indeed a coincidence—so uncanny that for a moment, Yu Xia wondered if Zheng Yun had orchestrated the whole thing.

If Chen Zhu hadn’t actually been randomly matched with Qi Shu in that massive online game, Yu Xia wouldn’t have let go of her suspicions so easily.

“What’s Qi Shu like?” Yu Xia asked bluntly.

She was more concerned about whether her friend had found a good person. If Qi Shu turned out to be another Zheng Yun, prone to disappearing acts, Yu Xia didn’t want her friend to suffer the same heartache she had endured.

“She’s great,” Zheng Yun said, carefully considering what Yu Xia wanted to know. “She’s genuinely devoted to Chen Zhu. Even when they first met, Qi Shu told me she’d met a lively girl in the game.”

“She’s never been in a relationship before. We met in the student council during our undergraduate years. Everything she said at dinner today was true.”

Yu Xia turned her head, scrutinizing Zheng Yun’s expression to gauge the truthfulness of her words.

Her scrutiny was undisguised, a clear signal to Zheng Yun that she didn’t trust her and was meticulously examining every word for inconsistencies.

“Xiaxia,” Zheng Yun sighed with a bitter smile, “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Hmm,” Yu Xia acknowledged, “you’d just omit the truth.”

The car’s air conditioning was blasting, chilling Zheng Yun’s calves to the bone. She instinctively curled up.

“Driver, could you please turn up the heat a bit?” she asked, her voice slightly nasal after sneezing.

Yu Xia remained silent, staring out the window.

The conversation abruptly ended. Night fell, and streetlights flickered on, illuminating the faces of passersby.

The rain had drenched the city, but contrary to expectations, the temperature hadn’t dropped. As the car pulled into the residential complex and the door opened, a wave of humid heat rushed in.

The ground had already dried, leaving only the lingering dampness in the air to remind Yu Xia of the downpour.

After paying the fare, she grabbed her umbrella and stepped out of the car.

The umbrella was still wet. With a flick of her wrist, a few raindrops fell, darkening the pavement before evaporating in the night breeze.

Zheng Yun followed about a meter behind, the two women walking in tandem, as silent and distant as strangers.

“How much did you eat tonight?” Yu Xia finally broke the hour-long silence. “I’ll split the bill with you.”

“No need,” Zheng Yun shook her head. “Qi Shu is treating. There’s no reason for guests to pay.”

“Alright,” Yu Xia said, changing the subject. “Then I’ll pay you back for the room at Chuntianli.”

“Xiaxia,” Zheng Yun paused. “It’s been three years. There’s no need.”

Yu Xia lowered her head and initiated the payment on her phone. The screen’s glow illuminated her face, making her porcelain-white skin appear even colder. Zheng Yun involuntarily shivered.

“No matter how many years have passed, it’s still money,” Yu Xia said, having even calculated the interest and overpaid. “Consider it a loan.”

“Do we really need to be so distant?” Zheng Yun asked, pressing her lips together, her voice tinged with sadness. She didn’t accept the payment.

“There’s no ‘we’ here,” Yu Xia said, stopping mid-sentence, even she found her words absurd. “Even close siblings keep clear accounts. Besides, we’re not even related. I can’t repay your kindness.”

Her words were harsh, so harsh they felt like they were cutting her own tongue as she spoke them.

The living room light cast a small shadow over Zheng Yun’s head. With her head bowed, her expression and eyes were hidden, only her fluttering eyelashes, trembling slightly, were visible.

“Shall we have breakfast together tomorrow?” Zheng Yun suddenly asked.

Yu Xia didn’t know how to respond.

“No need,” she said.

In the end, Zheng Yun refused to accept the money. Yu Xia didn’t press the issue, fearing Zheng Yun might ask her again about having lunch together.

That night, Yu Xia lay under her blanket, the only light in the dark room coming from the air conditioner’s indicator.

Zheng Yun was an exceptionally considerate roommate, almost to the point of being thoughtful. The bathroom was always spotless, with no stray hairs, and the trash disappeared daily. The moment Yu Xia entered the room, the outside world fell silent, even the sounds of washing up were barely audible.

Apart from her occasional boundary-crossing intimacy, Zheng Yun seemed to have no other flaws.

Yu Xia pulled the blanket tighter around herself. The cold air couldn’t penetrate her soft cocoon, making her feel as cozy as being in a lover’s embrace.

This wasn’t bad at all, far better than sharing a place with a stranger and risking uncontrollable situations.

Time flew by in a blur of 9-to-9 workdays, filled with relentless overtime. Buried under a mountain of tasks for two weeks, Yu Xia was too busy playing the role of the Foolish Old Man, moving mountains of work, to indulge in sentimental musings.

When Chen Zhu called, Yu Xia was still sketching small props. She yawned and went to the break room to answer the call.

“What’s up?” Yu Xia asked, pouring herself a cup of water. Standing by the break room window, she gazed down at Nanqiao City. The hot water soothed her throat, offering a brief respite from her exhaustion.

“I quit,” Chen Zhu said. She must have been standing by the road; the blaring car horns made Yu Xia’s ears ring.

Yu Xia held the phone slightly away from her ear. “What happened?”

Chen Zhu kicked a row of streetlights in anger, the crisp metallic clang echoing in the air. She didn’t even feel the pain as she seethed, “Remember when we had dinner together a few weeks ago?”

Yu Xia listened to the full story.

That night, Chen Zhu’s balding middle-aged boss hadn’t seen who she was dining with, but he did see her get into Qi Shu’s sports car. Despite the torrential rain and the umbrellas obscuring Qi Shu’s face, the boss assumed Chen Zhu had landed a wealthy sugar daddy.

Today, when Qi Shu came to pick her up for dinner, Chen Zhu left work on time with her bag. As she walked to the door, she overheard her balding boss spreading rumors about her to colleagues. Refusing to tolerate it, she stormed over to confront him.

The angrier Chen Zhu got, the clearer her mind became, and the sharper her tongue grew. A natural-born fighter, she tore into the owner until his face flushed crimson, and he trembled as he pointed a shaking finger at her.

“Qi Shu came to the office looking for me when I didn’t show up. She found me there, tearing into the owner for being so unethical he’d shaved off the hair of eight generations of his ancestors,” Chen Zhu said, finally realizing how embarrassing this sounded. She stuck out her tongue and continued, “Qi Shu joined in on the tirade. After we finished, I went back to my desk, packed my things, and quit. I didn’t even want my last paycheck,” Chen Zhu said with a shudder. “The thought of that creep spreading rumors about me makes my skin crawl like centipedes are crawling all over me.”

“Where’s Qi Shu now?” Yu Xia asked.

“Getting me an iced milk tea,” Chen Zhu said, squatting down as her anger began to subside. “To cool me down.”

“Good job,” Yu Xia said, rubbing her temples. “I’ll ask my classmates if they know of any leads.”

“No need,” Chen Zhu sighed. “You never even ask for help finding your own jobs. I don’t want you owing anyone favors because of me. I’ll handle it myself.”

Yu Xia paused, then said, “I’ll treat you to dinner soon to celebrate your escape from that hellhole.”

“Let’s eat at your place,” Chen Zhu said, waving as she spotted Qi Shu emerging from the mall. “I heard from Qi Shu and Zheng Yun that you’ve been working overtime lately. When will you have some free time?”

Yu Xia couldn’t answer immediately. She shared an apartment with Zheng Yun, and even bringing mutual friends home required Zheng Yun’s consent.

“Xia… Yu Xia?” Zheng Yun greeted her in surprise.

Her surprise was genuine. Yu Xia’s appearance in the break room, making a phone call, was rarer than a special boss spawning in a game. She usually grabbed water and left without lingering.

“I recognize that voice! Is that Zheng Yun?” Chen Zhu exclaimed excitedly, completely forgetting their earlier argument. “Quick, ask her! I’ll ask her!”

Yu Xia glanced up at Zheng Yun. Knowing Yu Xia preferred to avoid personal conversations at work, Zheng Yun had already turned to leave when Yu Xia called out to her.

“Zheng Yun,” Yu Xia said, her tone as cold as a superior issuing orders. “The phone.”

Zheng Yun took the phone in stunned silence.

To prevent dropping it, she covered Yu Xia’s hand with her own, her palm pressing against the back of Yu Xia’s hand as she naturally took the phone.

“Hello? Chen Zhu?” Zheng Yun answered, not knowing who was on the other end until she heard Chen Zhu’s voice.

Yu Xia lowered her gaze. The back of her hand felt like it was burning where Zheng Yun’s palm had touched it. Could Zheng Yun’s palm be like a red-hot branding iron, searing her skin with a single touch?

“Let’s do it this weekend,” Zheng Yun said, turning to Yu Xia, who had just returned from her hometown. “Is that okay?”

“Sure,” Yu Xia replied, snapping out of her daze. “You handle the arrangements.”

Their colleague, Xiao Zhou, walked in and saw them standing together, Zheng Yun still holding Yu Xia’s phone. She casually asked, “What are you two up to?”

Yu Xia’s hand, holding her water cup, trembled slightly. She took a sip to hide her nervousness, her mind racing to come up with a plausible explanation.

“I was helping her deal with someone she didn’t want to answer the phone,” Zheng Yun said smoothly. “It’s all sorted out now.”

Zheng Yun shot Yu Xia a meaningful glance. Yu Xia took the phone and stared at the screen, which still showed an active call, lost in thought.

Fortunately, Xiao Zhou had always been a bit dense. She readily accepted Zheng Yun’s explanation, filled her water cup, and left, muttering to herself, “Weren’t they at each other’s throats just yesterday? How did they suddenly become besties?”

Zheng Yun exchanged a look with Yu Xia. “I should get back to work. I still have some tasks to finish.”

Yu Xia nodded and answered the phone. “Hello?”

Chen Zhu’s voice, filled with indignation, came through the line. “What do you mean, ‘someone you didn’t want to answer’?”

Yu Xia rubbed her temples. “I’ll explain later.”

It wasn’t until after 9 PM, when Yu Xia clocked out and returned home, that she finally had a chance to explain to Chen Zhu.

“I don’t want people to know Zheng Yun and I live together,” Yu Xia said, convinced her explanation was perfectly reasonable.

“Why not?” Chen Zhu, a woman of intense emotions, couldn’t understand.

“…If my colleagues find out, it’ll start rumors,” Yu Xia replied.

In truth, gossip about the two had already begun circulating at the company. Two striking young women who had recently joined and naturally started having lunch together were bound to attract speculation.

Fortunately, most people were discreet about their shipping fantasies, refraining from bringing it up directly to the subjects. Yu Xia hadn’t found it particularly bothersome.

“That’s perfect, then!” Qi Shu chimed in as she asked Chen Zhu if she wanted late-night snacks. Chen Zhu replied and continued, “You don’t want a boyfriend, and Zheng Yun can help you ward off unwanted advances. No one would think they could measure up to her, right?”

For a moment, Yu Xia almost agreed with Chen Zhu’s logic—until Qi Shu’s laughter shattered the serious atmosphere.

“No need,” Yu Xia said. “Spinning lies is mentally exhausting.”

Chen Zhu didn’t press the matter.

Now that she was free from her balding boss and had a girlfriend by her side, she was living a much more comfortable life than the struggling Yu Xia.

The two women exchanged goodnights and hung up.

Yu Xia set down her phone and noticed Zheng Yun standing quietly in the doorway.

“Finished?” Zheng Yun asked.

Her face also bore an unyielding weariness. The recent workload for Dream Chasers had been overwhelming, casting a pall over the entire office. No one was spared.

“Mm,” Yu Xia replied, pausing to think. “Thank you for today.”

She was referring to Zheng Yun’s help in covering for her.

“No need to thank me,” Zheng Yun said, changing her shoes, setting down her bag, and approaching with a warm smile. “If you really want to thank me…”

Yu Xia’s eyelid twitched, sensing that Zheng Yun was about to say something outrageous again.

“Want to have breakfast tomorrow?”

Yu Xia: ……

Why was Zheng Yun so persistent about making her breakfast?