After Becoming Roommates with My Flirty Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 46

Yu Xia’s prepared words caught in her throat. Her fingertip pressed against the screen, her entire body froze, and a crack appeared in her usually cold expression, revealing a hint of confusion.

She mentally replayed her entire shower routine.

She couldn’t remember.

Her mind had been preoccupied with other matters. She had instinctively grabbed the shower gel from its usual spot without paying attention, and even after showering, she hadn’t noticed anything was amiss until Zheng Yun mentioned it.

“…I’m sorry,” Yu Xia apologized, pressing her lips together. “I didn’t realize.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Zheng Yun turned her head, her smiling eyes fixed on Yu Xia’s profile.

“I accidentally used your things,” Yu Xia said, her gaze unwavering as she stared straight at the words on the screen. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Zheng Yun chuckled softly. “You don’t need to apologize to me.”

She leaned closer, their scents mingling, her warm breath brushing against Yu Xia’s peach-colored earlobe. The proximity was intensely intimate. Yu Xia instinctively tried to pull away, but Zheng Yun gently gripped her wrist, which rested on the sofa, and chuckled softly. “Consider this my reward.”

Yu Xia closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and turned to Zheng Yun. “If we’re not working, I’m going to bed.”

“Can I come with you?” Zheng Yun asked again.

Yu Xia froze, caught between standing up and staying put, trapped in a dilemma.

“What kind of tone do you think we should use here?” Before Yu Xia could steel herself, Zheng Yun abruptly shifted the conversation back to work.

Outside the window, cicadas suddenly began to buzz loudly, startling the night wind into a swirling frenzy. Yu Xia lowered her gaze. The document’s white background made her skin appear even colder, colder than an unmelted ice cube. The black text blurred before her eyes, dancing into strange, shifting patterns.

Absurd, Yu Xia thought.

She stood up abruptly, looking down at Zheng Yun from above. “Is it amusing to toy with me?”

The small coffee table slid a few inches, and the ice cubes in the glass clinked against the side, their crisp sound punctuating the spreading silence.

“That’s not what I meant,” Zheng Yun said, steadying the slipping blanket and looking up to explain.

Yu Xia remained silent, studying Zheng Yun’s expression as if observing a live model for subtle emotional cues, trying to discern if any hidden feelings lay beneath his earnest facade.

“You’re perfectly capable of independent creation,” Yu Xia said, her words sharp and precise. “Or you could consult Cen Xue—she lives next door. Either way would be better than wasting your time discussing this with me.”

Her tone was almost accusatory: “Any of these ideas would be better spent writing into the project to impress the Team Lead than wasting on me. You went through all this trouble to trick me out here just to hear your pointless ramblings?”

Dark clouds hung over Nanqiao City like a heavy lid. The downpour hadn’t yet arrived, but the humidity had already settled in, invisible droplets clinging to skin like a sticky film that even the air conditioning couldn’t dispel, leaving the air thick and oppressive.

“It’s not a waste when it’s for you,” Zheng Yun said, rubbing his temples with one hand, the gesture concealing his eyes. “Besides, the reason I’m working to get a permanent position is for you.”

“Zheng Yun,” Yu Xia leaned down, grasped Zheng Yun’s wrist, and moved it aside, forcing Zheng Yun to look directly at her. “Are you saying you did all this… for me?”

“Mm-hmm,” Zheng Yun nodded.

“And your sudden disappearance three years ago too?” Yu Xia stared intently at her, as if trying to pry the truth from Zheng Yun’s eyes.

Zheng Yun turned her face away, falling silent.

Yu Xia had no intention of letting her off the hook. She forcefully turned Zheng Yun’s face back, pressing, “You said it was for me, so why won’t you tell me?”

Zheng Yun remained stubbornly silent, refusing to speak further.

Yu Xia, already knowing she wouldn’t get any answers, withdrew her hand and turned to leave. “Focus on getting promoted. I remember your mother liked our company. If you get promoted, she’ll be happier.”

Without looking back, she disappeared into the corridor’s darkness. The moment the door closed, a muffled rumble of thunder echoed from the horizon.

Zheng Yun sat motionless, the red marks on her slender arm lingering stubbornly. After several seconds, she covered her face and leaned back.

Nanqiao City had been raining for a week straight. Every day at the office, colleagues complained about feeling damp and uncomfortable, which lowered the overall mood. Everyone seemed weighed down by exhaustion.

Zheng Yun began working long hours, leaving early and returning late. Yu Xia rarely saw her at home, but her desk was always stocked with Yu Xia’s favorite snacks.

Yu Xia used these treats to gauge how well Zheng Yun had slept the night before:

– If it was porridge, Zheng Yun had likely returned early enough to prepare it. – If it was bread, Zheng Yun had come home too late to make porridge and had simply grabbed an extra loaf while buying her own breakfast.

Yu Xia wasn’t one to waste food, and there was no way to return the snacks to Zheng Yun at the office.

On WeChat, Zheng Yun only responded with cute emoji stickers. Their interactions at work were limited to group settings with colleagues present, and even chance encounters in the break room had ceased. Zheng Yun had regressed from “ex-girlfriend roommate” to “ordinary colleague roommate.” The only reminder of their past was the daily breakfast Zheng Yun brought—no one brings breakfast for an ordinary colleague without reason.

This continued until one night when Yu Xia suddenly received a call from Ms. Ke Qian.

It was past one in the morning. Yu Xia had just finished her practice sketches and fallen asleep. Her mood had been as gloomy as the weather lately, and the untimely phone call only made things worse. When she answered, her voice was sharp with irritation.

“What is it?” she demanded bluntly.

“Can’t a mother even ask how you’re doing?” Ke Qian’s anger flared at Yu Xia’s tone, and she immediately began to interrogate her.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up,” Yu Xia said, too tired to argue. Before the last syllable had even faded, she was already lowering the phone, ready to disconnect.

“Wait!” Ke Qian, realizing Yu Xia’s temper from the fading voice, softened her tone. “Your birthday’s coming up. Niannian and I are planning to come celebrate with you.”

“I don’t need that,” Yu Xia snapped, her drowsiness fueling her impatience. “Can you please stop contacting me about things that have nothing to do with me?”

She didn’t even need to think to know who had come up with this idea. Years ago, when Yu Xia was in college and away from home, she’d only receive Ms. Ke Qian’s perfunctory birthday wishes in the final hours of the day, after Yu Nian had fallen asleep.

“Why are you talking to your mother like that?” Ms. Ke Qian snapped, her own temper flaring. “We haven’t celebrated your birthday together in years…”

“And this year will be no different. Don’t call me unless it’s important,” Yu Xia interrupted coldly. “Goodbye.”

“Wait!” Ms. Ke Qian finally realized Yu Xia wasn’t just complaining. “Niannian has a fever.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Yu Xia asked impatiently. “Take her to the hospital.”

“How can you be so cold? She’s still your sister!” Ms. Ke Qian’s anger surged. “She’s really suffering right now!”

“Has she ever treated me like a sister?” Yu Xia scoffed. “Do you want me to take a cold shower and run three kilometers to suffer just like her? Would that finally make you happy?”

“Of course she sees you as her sister!” Ms. Ke Qian frowned. “She even suggested celebrating your birthday together this time. Don’t speak so harshly.”

“Don’t you find that laughable yourself?” Yu Xia got out of bed and pushed open the window. The night wind, still damp from the rain, carried away some of her pent-up heat.

She paused, then continued, “I have work tomorrow. Stop beating around the bush.”

“Niannian wants to celebrate her birthday with her Zheng Yun-jie,” Ms. Ke Qian said, immediately realizing how absurd it sounded and quickly adding, “She mentioned you too.”

“Ask Zheng Yun,” Yu Xia replied. “If she agrees, I’ll stay out that day to give you space.”

“She said she’ll do whatever you say,” Ke Qian frowned, clutching her phone. “She also mentioned she’s already prepared a birthday celebration for you.”

Yu Xia’s hand, resting on the windowsill, froze. She instinctively asked, “Already prepared?”

Before Ke Qian could answer, Yu Nian’s voice drifted from afar: “Mommy, I feel so awful! Did Zheng Yun-jie agree?”

Sick, Yu Nian was even more clingy than usual, her drawn-out, pleading tones nearly impossible to resist.

Yu Xia was one of the few who could.

“Mommy’s asking now. Your Zheng Yun-jie has something to take care of and said she’ll call back later,” Ke Qian cooed soothingly, as if she hadn’t been scolding Yu Xia in the hallway just moments ago.

Or perhaps Yu Nian was the daughter who shared her bl00d, while Yu Xia was merely a poor relative passing through, sponging off their family.

Yu Xia had grown accustomed to this treatment over the years. But perhaps the days of relentless rain had dulled her mind, or perhaps the late hour and her drowsiness had worn her down.

Or perhaps it was simply because Zheng Yun was involved.

Yu Xia gripped her phone tightly, listening to Yu Nian and Ke Qian stage their mother-daughter drama before her. The night breeze brushed her bangs aside, her bright eyes merging with the darkness, cold and unreadable.

“Did Zheng Yun say it’s up to me?” Yu Xia asked.

Ke Qian finally calmed Yu Nian down, covered the phone, and hurried out a few steps to speak in a low voice. “Yes, she did.”

“Then come,” Yu Xia replied, nodding as she gazed into the night.

“Is there any gift you’d like?” Ms. Ke Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief, asking cautiously.

“Just leave me alone. That’s the best gift,” Yu Xia sneered. “Hanging up now.”

Before Ke Qian could react, she ended the call.

Listening to the busy signal, Ke Qian sighed softly, lamenting how Yu Xia had grown increasingly rebellious with age. She turned back into the hospital room to deliver the good news to Yu Nian.

“Niannian, your Zheng Yun-jie has agreed! Once you’re discharged in a few days, let’s go pick out a birthday gift for her together,” Ke Qian said, tucking Yu Nian’s blanket in and asking tentatively.

“Why do we have to buy her a gift?” Yu Nian frowned. “She never celebrated her birthday with us before. This time, we’re going to have fun with Zheng Yun-jie, so why can’t she just celebrate on her own, like always?”

Ke Qian paused, recalling Yu Xia’s earlier words. She rarely scolded Yu Nian, but this time she couldn’t help herself. “She’s your own sister! How can you say such hurtful things?”

Yu Nian, who had been about to fall asleep, was startled by Ke Qian’s words. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she retorted, “Mom, why are you scolding me for her? What did I say wrong?”

Her voice grew more agitated, her hands waving wildly, tugging at the IV line. Ke Qian swiftly pressed down on her arm, fearing the needle would dislodge.

Yu Nian continued, “I don’t even understand why you wanted her to share an apartment with Zheng Yun-jie. Her temper is so awful! I can’t imagine how miserable Zheng Yun-jie must be living with her…”

“It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Ke Qian quickly soothed, afraid of triggering another episode. “Let’s celebrate together later and forget about the gift, okay?”

Ke Qian stroked Yu Nian’s chest, helping her catch her breath.

“That’s just how it is,” Yu Nian said, her tone still defiant. “It’s good enough to spend time with her. Someone like her should just be alone.”

After coaxing Yu Nian to sleep, Ke Qian stared at her profile, suddenly pondering Yu Xia’s words.

Meanwhile, Yu Xia leaned against the doorframe, waiting for Zheng Yun to come home.

Yu Xia knew Zheng Yun hadn’t returned yet. She was a light sleeper, and when she hadn’t heard Zheng Yun come in before falling asleep, and was then awakened shortly after, she was certain Zheng Yun was still out.

It was late at night, and the lights in the distant internet company skyscrapers were mostly extinguished. Zheng Yun’s continued absence made Yu Xia’s eyelid twitch. She debated whether to call and check on her.

Just as the thought formed, the door opened. Light from the elevator hall spilled into the living room, illuminating Zheng Yun’s slender but weary figure. She quietly set down her bag and was about to sit down to change her shoes when Yu Xia stepped into the hallway and switched on the living room lights.

Zheng Yun looked up in surprise.

“Did I wake you?” Zheng Yun asked softly, placing her shoes next to Yu Xia’s.

“Did my mom call you?” Yu Xia cut to the chase.

“Yes,” Zheng Yun nodded. “She asked if I could come celebrate your birthday with you.”

Zheng Yun went into the kitchen to wash her hands. After washing up, she returned to continue the conversation. “I didn’t agree. I told her it depends on what you want.”

Yu Xia closed her eyes, once again experiencing Ke Qian’s business acumen—speaking to each person in a way that suits them.

She knew it would sound odd if Yu Nian directly asked to hang out with Zheng Yun, so she used Yu Xia’s birthday as an excuse.

So skilled with words, yet she’s never said a kind word to me.

“I agreed,” Yu Xia informed her. “Yu Nian will be coming too.”

“I understand,” Zheng Yun nodded.

“You don’t need to bring me breakfast in the morning anymore,” Yu Xia added.

This statement received no response. Yu Xia looked up to see Zheng Yun covering her ears with both hands, staring blankly at her.

She’s already an adult, Yu Xia thought, speechless. She closed the door, hiding the upward curve of her lips.