After Becoming Roommates with My Flirty Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 45

Yu Xia arrived home first.

Chen Zhu and Qi Shu had already left, but before leaving, they had tidied up the living room and bedroom, leaving the windows sparkling and the air faintly fragrant. Two different styles of bedsheets hung on the balcony, their shadows intertwining as the sun dipped westward.

Slipping into her slippers, Yu Xia walked around the dining table and out onto the balcony.

Nanqiao’s summer felt like a boiling pot. The evening breeze, far from gentle, pierced through the wire mesh screen and struck Yu Xia, its heat making her cheeks flush.

Hesitantly, she pinched a corner of one of the bedsheets, bringing it to her nose. A faint pine scent lingered—the familiar fragrance of her laundry detergent.

Perhaps it was the sun’s heat making her dizzy, but a sudden wave of melancholy washed over her. Her brow furrowed briefly before smoothing out again.

She pulled out her phone just as a message from Chen Zhu popped up:

Zhu: I washed your sheets for you! Qi Shu had to take care of something, so I threw both our sheets in together. Don’t worry, I used your detergent since I know you don’t like using other people’s stuff. I’ll come visit again soon!

The time showed it was after lunch. Yu Xia hadn’t checked her phone much that afternoon, so she only saw the message now.

She looked up. The bright yellow bedsheets, as dazzling as Zheng Yun herself, swayed back and forth before her eyes.

A gust of wind caught a corner of the sheet, brushing against Yu Xia’s nose and making it itch. She instinctively pinched the mischievous fabric, but before she could let go—

“Xia… Xia?” The door creaked open. Zheng Yun stood in the doorway, twisting the key. The heat had flushed her pale cheeks with a hint of pink, and damp strands of dark hair were gathered into a low ponytail behind her. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes widened, and her lips, still healing from a wound, parted slightly, her voice betraying disbelief and surprise.

Yu Xia turned to meet those astonished eyes, feeling utterly trapped.

If anyone else had been there—even a stranger—Yu Xia could have calmly explained her situation. But it was Zheng Yun who had walked in on this.

Of all people, it had to be Zheng Yun.

With Zheng Yun, transparency was the one thing Yu Xia could never achieve.

No matter what she did, even something as simple as eating or washing dishes, she couldn’t act as naturally as she would with a regular friend.

That’s right, she thought. After sleeping together, after our lips have brushed against places that should never be seen, how could we ever claim to be “open and honest”?

Yu Xia turned her head away in self-abandonment, lowered her hand, opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

No explanation would sound right. She decided to say nothing at all.

Zheng Yun returned home later than usual after stopping at the supermarket to buy groceries. She placed the bags on the entryway cabinet, sat on the bench to change her shoes, and bowed her head for a few seconds as if pondering the ultimate secrets of the universe. When she looked up, an irrepressible smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

“Xiaxia, what do you want for dinner?” she asked.

“Anything is fine,” Yu Xia replied, gazing at the brilliant sunset, afraid to turn around.

She had even forgotten to decline Zheng Yun’s invitation to dinner.

Zheng Yun was cooking.

Yu Xia was picking at Chen Zhu’s flaws on her phone.

Chen Zhu had been riding high lately, basking in the glow of newfound romance. As she put it herself, “Now I finally understand why people become more tolerant of the world after falling in love.” This newfound tolerance even extended to Yu Xia’s nitpicking, giving her the air of a maternal figure embracing all creation.

Xia: Why did you wash my things with hers?

Chen Zhu: Because Qi Shu had something to do. Didn’t we wash our clothes together when we were in college?

Yu Xia: She’s different from you.

Chen Zhu: We’re both women, and she’s even cleaner than I am.

Yu Xia: I’m not close to her.

Chen Zhu: You’ve slept with her. What’s not close about that?

Yu Xia: ……

She knew that Chen Zhu’s “slept with” meant something different from what she was thinking, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty.

And annoyed.

Seeing Yu Xia’s delayed response, Chen Zhu sent one final, probing message:

Chen Zhu: Why are you suddenly so concerned about this? Did you get caught sniffing her bedsheets?

Yu Xia expressionlessly turned off her phone, vowing to ignore her friend who valued romance over friendship for a week.

Chen Zhu put down her phone, cupped her cheeks, and smiled brightly as Qi Shu emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate.

“What’s got you so cheerful?” Qi Shu asked, untying her apron with a smile.

Chen Zhu recounted her conversation with Yu Xia.

Qi Shu paused, considering Yu Xia and Zheng Yun’s relationship, then glanced at her own happy girlfriend.

Well, Yu Xia can suffer a little.

After sending the message, Yu Xia went to the kitchen to help Zheng Yun.

She usually declined dinner invitations, but she had forgotten today, so she had no reason to sit back and enjoy the meal as a guest.

The living room was air-conditioned, but with the door open, the kitchen wasn’t as cool.

When Yu Xia entered, Zheng Yun was staring blankly at the pot. The water inside was bubbling vigorously, steam rising in thick clouds. Zheng Yun gazed at the bubbles in a daze, a faint smile playing on her lips.

This scene feels familiar…

“…The water’s hot,” Yu Xia said.

“Hmm?” Zheng Yun snapped out of her reverie, suppressing her smile. “Okay,” she replied softly.

As she added vegetables to the pot, she struck up a conversation with Yu Xia. “Your friend is quite interesting.”

“Yeah,” Yu Xia grunted, her anger flaring at the thought of Chen Zhu.

“Before she left this morning, she told me she was just joking and not to take it seriously,” Zheng Yun said gently, her voice soft and soothing.

Yu Xia silently washed and chopped vegetables.

“She also said—” Zheng Yun’s suppressed smile escaped—”that she really enjoyed playing with me and hopes to see me again next time she visits.”

Yu Xia finished chopping the vegetables, transferred them to a plate, and replied expressionlessly, “I’m going to tell her boyfriend.”

Zheng Yun chuckled. “…That’s not what I meant.”

Yu Xia didn’t respond.

Zheng Yun cautiously pressed further, “What I mean is… can we keep living together?”

Yu Xia continued washing vegetables, crystalline droplets dancing off her fingertips onto the marble countertop. Her peripheral vision tracked the water beads as her voice, barely audible above the sound of running water, murmured, “I never said I was moving out.”

The kitchen was the liveliest part of the house in the evening. The sizzle of oil splattering in pans from upstairs and downstairs, the hum of the range hood working diligently, the ceaseless traffic outside, and the neighbor scolding their child—all these sounds formed a cacophony. Yu Xia’s words, like a fleeting bird, vanished into the fading twilight, leaving only the faint rustle of wings that dissipated half a second later.

Zheng Yun clearly hadn’t heard her properly.

But Yu Xia had no intention of repeating herself.

After dinner, Yu Xia volunteered to clear the table. Zheng Yun settled on the sofa, her laptop on the coffee table, catching up on work she hadn’t finished during the day. Occasionally, she glanced up at Yu Xia, who was bent over the sink, diligently washing dishes.

The night hadn’t fully descended yet. The afterglow of sunset lingered faintly on the horizon, though the city lights obscured any stars. Streetlights flickered on one after another, and the sounds of children’s laughter mingled with the barking of a disobedient puppy from downstairs—an ordinary evening.

Yu Xia finished washing the dishes and was about to return to her room when Zheng Yun called out to her.

“Xiaxia, I wanted to discuss a few details about the new card design.”

The warm yellow light softened Zheng Yun’s features, making her look particularly gentle, like tranquil water under moonlight—serene and profound. Yu Xia stared at the space between her brows for a moment before turning and continuing toward her room. “I don’t want to work overtime after coming home.”

“I want to get promoted to a permanent position,” Zheng Yun said, cradling her chin with a pitiful expression. “The Writing Team is still hiring, so I might not get the spot.”

Yu Xia walked further into the room without looking back. “Your promotion has nothing to do with me.”

“I want to be as amazing as you are,” Zheng Yun’s words landed just as Yu Xia entered her room, failing to stop her from closing the door.

Zheng Yun sighed softly, leaned back on the sofa, and let her curled lashes droop slightly, revealing a hint of confusion. But she quickly composed herself and returned to work mode.

Throughout the evening, Yu Xia went in and out of the living room several times.

First, she went to get water. Zheng Yun was sitting at her computer, frowning and rubbing her forehead. The white screen illuminated her deeply troubled expression. Her usually neat hairstyle was disheveled from her constant scratching. Hearing the door open, she looked up in a daze, her eyes taking several seconds to focus.

Seeing the cup in Yu Xia’s hand, she pointed to the refrigerator. “Xiaxia, there are frozen lemons in the fridge. You should try them.”

Yu Xia nodded, thanked her, and didn’t hesitate to take one.

Zheng Yun shook her head, said “You’re welcome,” and returned to her work.

Yu Xia clutched the cup and poured water at the dining table.

Zheng Yun continued to scratch her head, leaving red marks on her usually smooth forehead, her usual composure completely gone.

So, no one can truly smile while working after all.

After getting her water and tidying the table, Yu Xia retreated to her room.

The second time she came out, she intended to take a shower. Just then, Zheng Yun, stuck on her writing, was washing her face in the bathroom. In summer, the tap water ran warm. Zheng Yun, her face still wet, stared blankly into the mirror. Hearing the movement behind her, she turned around belatedly and moved aside. “Xiaxia, are you going to shower?”

Yu Xia nodded, clutching a bath towel.

Zheng Yun stumbled out of the bathroom, looking utterly dejected. Her retreating figure was as forlorn as someone whose thesis, written after three sleepless nights, had been rejected by their advisor for a flawed topic.

Yu Xia watched her for a few seconds before entering the bathroom.

When she emerged from her shower, Zheng Yun was still in the living room, battling her laptop. Yu Xia glanced at her from the hallway before retreating to her room.

Her third appearance was to do laundry and change the bedsheets.

As she passed through the living room, Zheng Yun was still there, having shifted to lie on the sofa. Yu Xia initially thought she was asleep, pausing to stare for a few seconds. Her gaze drifted to the sofa blanket beside Zheng Yun. After a moment’s hesitation, she took a step forward when Zheng Yun suddenly rolled over, sat up, and stared blankly for a few seconds.

“…Xiaxia?”

“I’m getting the bedsheets,” Yu Xia replied, pivoting sharply toward the balcony.

Her resolute back conveyed unwavering determination, as if she had never hesitated.

The corners of Zheng Yun’s lips drooped the instant Yu Xia turned away with the sheets. Her eyelids lowered as she let out a soft sigh.

After collecting the sheets, making the bed, and settling down, Yu Xia glanced at her phone.

It was 9:30 PM, an early bedtime even for early sleepers.

The air conditioner was set to 24 degrees Celsius, the sheets had been freshly washed, her body felt perfectly healthy, and the surroundings were quiet. Lying in bed now, whether reading a book or scrolling through her phone, would have been bliss.

But Yu Xia sat on the bed, lost in thought for so long that she felt it was already time to sleep.

9:40 PM.

Resignedly, Yu Xia sat up, opened the door, and went to the living room.

Zheng Yun wasn’t there. Yu Xia glanced around, found her nowhere in sight, and sat down on her own, glancing at Zheng Yun’s computer screen.

The dense, overlapping revision marks revealed Zheng Yun’s struggle. Yu Xia’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly—at least it showed Zheng Yun was genuinely working.

Zheng Yun emerged from the kitchen, carrying a crystal-clear glass of lemon water. Ice spheres rolled, bright yellow lemon slices swirled. Noticing Yu Xia leaning over, she fluttered her eyelashes, set the glass on the table, and asked softly, “Xiaxia?”

Yu Xia didn’t look up. “You’re being too noisy. Finish up early and get some rest.”

Zheng Yun didn’t call her out on her lie. She simply sat down beside Yu Xia. “Thank you, Xiaxia, for helping me get promoted.”

“You would have gotten promoted even without my help,” Yu Xia said, skimming through Zheng Yun’s writing. “Your work ethic deserves it.”

“Really?” Zheng Yun asked, tilting her head and resting her chin in her hand.

“Mm-hmm.”

Zheng Yun’s eyes curved into a bright smile. “Does that mean I can keep living with you?”

“The two things aren’t related,” Yu Xia replied sternly, her expression cold and precise.

Zheng Yun was about to press further when Yu Xia pointed at the computer screen. “I think the tone here could be adjusted…”

Zheng Yun leaned in to look at the screen. In the cramped space, the two women stood shoulder to shoulder, their closeness resembling the cozy intimacy of a couple watching a movie together.

“What do you think?” Yu Xia asked.

The distance between them was so close that Zheng Yun’s shallow breaths stirred the fine hairs on Yu Xia’s cheek. A faint chill, carrying a delicate fragrance, enveloped them both. Zheng Yun didn’t dare turn her head, fearing her lips might brush against Yu Xia’s cheek, causing unnecessary… complications.

Yu Xia momentarily lost herself in thought, her mind drifting back to the awkward kiss from the previous night.

“I think…” Zheng Yun drawled, a teasing smile playing on her lips, “you used the wrong body wash in the shower.”

She leaned closer, her delicate nose brushing past Yu Xia’s hair near her earlobe, grazing Yu Xia’s neck as she sniffed.

“You smell like me.”