I Am The Third Party (GL) - Chapter 25

I called Qi Xi’s cell phone; it wasn’t out of service, but no one answered.

All night, no one answered. I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. I’d booked a high-speed train ticket back to the county town at 8:10 the following morning. I’d already told my family I’d be home the next day, and my mom had made me some chicken soup to nourish me.

Afraid I’d lost my energy for the journey the next day, I forced myself to close my eyes and count sheep. I couldn’t figure out where I was when I woke up, dazed and dazed. It was past six in the morning.

I got up and called Qi Xi again, but still no one answered. My heart sank, and I leaned against the wall to get hot water in the bathroom to wash my face.

I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I stared at my pale face in the vanity mirror.

I gently stroked my cheek, and drops of water dripped from my fingertips, seeping into my sleeve and soaking my arm. I ignored them, staring blankly in the mirror.

The face in the mirror had a slightly pointed chin and plump cheeks, both of which tinged pink with the heat from the red bloodshot.

I have a pair of small, almond-shaped eyes, their corners slightly tilted upward in a playful arc.

My nose is small, and my lips are a bit thin.

My grandfather used to say that people with thin lips are often heartless, and he hoped I would be someone who values ​​loyalty and loyalty. I wonder if I’ll ever live up to his expectations.

Lanlan once said that I’m not bad-looking, especially my eyes.

Although I have single eyelids, the undulating curves from the inner canthus to the outer corners of my eyes have a unique and mysterious beauty. It’s a pity I don’t like to dress up, otherwise I wouldn’t be single until now.

I don’t know what “good-looking” means; I don’t know what “special and mysterious beauty

” means. All I know now is the old saying, “A woman dresses to please herself.”

Even if she never cares about me, I probably won’t see her again.

Maybe I’m hoping for a lucky break, maybe we’ll run into each other again someday?

I have to look my best at all times, just for that unexpected chance encounter.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with anyone else. I just want to do something, not even change anything.

After wringing out the towel and wiping the water off my face, I returned to the bedroom and dug out my long-unused makeup bag from the bottom of my dresser.

Putting down my mascara, I thought for a moment, then stood up and walked to the closet. Pushing open the door, I pulled out a burgundy cashmere cinch-waist skirt. In front of the dressing mirror, I took off my gray sweater and undershirt and put on the cashmere skirt.

Most people can’t easily wear red; the brighter the color, the harder it is to pull off. But if you’re fair-skinned, everything’s a breeze.

Who says being lazy doesn’t have advantages?

I have exceptionally fair skin, and it’s precisely because I’m lazy and never leave the house that I dare to wear anything.

I used to prefer plain colors and dressed simply, rarely sporting bright colors. This red skirt was picked out for me by Xiaoli while we were shopping. She even said, “Xian’er, for someone as fair-skinned as you, it would be a waste if you didn’t wear something brighter.”

I spread my arms and spun around, and the slender woman in the mirror spun around as well.

I’m very thin, and the waist-cinching skirt perfectly defines my waistline. What’s wrong with having beautiful br3asts? I have a waist and legs.

Well, if I don’t wear something more revealing, it would be a waste of natural beauty.

I looked at my watch. It was almost seven o’clock. The taxi to the high-speed rail station would take about half an hour. I went downstairs to buy breakfast and could eat it in the taxi. If I had waited twenty minutes early for the train, I could leave now.

After finally checking that my luggage was intact, I carefully took out the fur coat, a gift from the unknown chairman, from the sealed bag hanging in the closet. I stroked the soft mink fur and couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s really beautiful.”

I put the coat on and turned around in the mirror several times. It looked so beautiful. As the saying goes, “A Buddha is made of gold, and a man is made of clothes.” The ancients were right.

I thought of Yan Sinan. She wore cheongsam and Hanfu, and every smile exuded her elegance. I probably will never reach that level in my lifetime.

Qi Xi loved Yan Sinan. Yan Sinan was beautiful and talented. I couldn’t compare to her in any way.

So, no regrets.

On the way, I nibbled on some KFC fried dough sticks for breakfast and drank a cup of soy milk. KFC’s soy milk tastes amazing! Hmm, I’ll get one for Qi Xi next time.

Oh, for Qi Xi…?

Oh, I forgot. Qi Xi hasn’t needed me to cook for her in over two months.

I still make enough for two people every day, though. Any leftovers I heat up for a midnight snack.

I feed the cats and dogs downstairs. Sometimes sparrows come to join in the fun, and I run over to scare them away. Watching the chirping little birds flee in panic gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I

arrived at the high-speed rail station quite early. Thankfully, there was no traffic today. However, the driver this time wasn’t very friendly, constantly turning back to remind me not to spill my drink. So, I angrily deleted my Didi Taxi app and switched to a faster one.

While waiting for the train, I bought a tube of Dior’s Christian Louboutin at the station’s boutique. It’s not clear if it’s cherry or soft pink; I can’t tell. It looks the same, but it’s pretty.

On the train, I listened to music and flipped through the high-speed rail magazine in the front seatback pocket. There were a few pages about City A’s commercial street, with an illustration of the Lumikki headquarters complex against a blue sky and white clouds—a truly stunning sight.

Next to it was a long article about Lumikki, with some gossip about Lumikki’s president, Asta. Xiao Xuewu and I had also gossiped about that during our meeting with Sun Minrui.

I was definitely stung.

I thought, if I’m going to find a man, I want one on Asta’s level.

This intrigued me. Asta had been in City A for so long, with no news, never in the news. No one knew what he looked like. Could it be that Xiao Xuewu was right, an old foreigner? But I heard Lumikki’s Finnish CEO is young and promising…

Lumikki… Lumikki…

Remembering Wei Ling’s instructions, I pulled out my phone and called Qi Xi again. Still no one answered.

I ended the call, staring out the window at the utility poles receding one after another, my mind swirling.

How about giving Yan Sinan a call?

“Who knows if she still had contact with Qi Xi later, and how many treacherous things she did. Qi Xi would have ended up in the same situation as she did.”

Suddenly, Wei Ling’s words flashed through my mind.

I frowned. I didn’t want Yan Sinan to know about this unless it was absolutely necessary.

Just like Wei Ling didn’t believe me, I didn’t believe Yan Sinan.

However, Wei Ling’s view of me was different from my view of Yan Sinan.

Wei Ling dared to tell me that thing, in fact, she was gambling. She was gambling on my feelings for Qi Xi. Fortunately, she won, and I would indeed complete the task she assigned me honestly.

She risked her life to leak the secret, and I shamelessly informed on it, all because we were gambling on our feelings for Qi Xi, but Yan Sinan wouldn’t, and Wei Ling and I were sure she wouldn’t.

I couldn’t quite see through Yan Sinan.

She seemed to be deeply in love with Qi Xi, but she didn’t love Qi Xi at all.

As a woman, Yan Sinan is very successful. Not only are those who love her fascinated by her, but she also tortures a group of rivals in love to the point where they wish they were dead or alive.

——————-

When he opened the door, my dad froze in his tracks, staring at me for a long moment. Mom’s voice came from the kitchen, “Zhengguo, is Xian’er back?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Come in, come in! I’m frying the celery, it’ll be ready soon!”

My dad glanced back at the kitchen scene and stealthily dragged me into the back room. He quietly closed the door, then checked to see if Mom was still there, wielding a spatula. Then he cleared his throat and sauntered over to me.

“Xianyu,” Dad said, leaning in closer to look at me. “Tell the truth.”

“What?” I backed away.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Nonsense!” I raged. My dad never gave me a day without worrying.

Dad tugged at the fur on my leather jacket, then tugged at my hair, which I’d curled with an electric baton this morning. “You’re dressed up like this for the first time, and you’re still saying no? Tell the truth, is it your brother Minrui?”

Sh1t, even if I fell for Xiao Cai, the security guard at the neighborhood gate, I’d still fall for Sun Minrui!

“No!” I shoved my dad’s face, which was more gossipy than Yuzai Xiaoyu’s. “Sun Minrui and I have nothing, so forget it. No one would even consider me!”

“Then why did you dress up so beautifully to show Dad?”

“What do you know? I’m changing from now on. As a woman, I need to treat myself better. The more I grow older, the more confident and beautiful I become! I’m happy for you. So don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Ouch,” Dad wailed, bursting out. “Xianyu’s mom, come and see! Our baby has finally come to her senses. I’ve lived for over fifty years and finally waited for this day!”

Mom came out with a spatula, pinched my dad’s waist, and said to me with a smile, “My Xianyu is beautiful even without makeup, and she’s even prettier with makeup. Don’t listen to your dad’s nonsense. Come and see the chicken soup I made for you.”

“Hey,”

I smiled with my eyes curled up.

It’s New Year’s Eve, and all the shops will close after seven p.m.

I took my two cousins ​​and one cousin to the supermarket to buy some cannons before seven.

The small county town had lax regulations, with no restrictions on fireworks or firecrackers. Most shops were closed and deserted, but groups of unruly children were out and about throwing black spiders (a type of firecracker that explodes when thrown on the ground).

So you had to be extra careful walking down the street; if you weren’t paying attention, you could easily get hit by a black spider on the side of your shoe. While it wouldn’t be a big deal, it would still give you a good scare.

My two younger cousins, one thirteen and the other fourteen, were the kind of brats who were just as naughty as monkeys. They ran ahead of me, and I couldn’t stop them even if I shouted.

I had to drag my nine-year-old cousin along with me to keep up with them.

I had to protect my little sister from the black spider and yell at the two brats to stop running. But the two little bastards turned around and flung two cannonballs at me, infuriating me. I chased them down and kicked them each, “What are you doing? What if you scare Tiantian?”

They were hooligans, but they still had some sense as older brothers. Seeing my little sister hiding in my arms, they felt embarrassed. They lowered their heads and quickly admitted their mistake, coaxing Tiantian to give her a White Rabbit candy later.

I was scolding the two boys, and just as I was getting angry, my phone rang. “

Who the hell is calling me at this hour? You’re just walking into this trap! You deserve this! “

I pulled out my phone, unchecked, and yelled, “Who’s there? Hurry up! I’m still here to teach these little bastards a lesson!”

“Little fairy.”

Bang—

some little bastard did it, and the black spider exploded again.

My heart skipped a beat. I took a breath, a chill, and clear mucus began to run from my nostrils.

The sky was turning yellow, and it was getting dark.

“Hey.” I sniffed, tilted my head back, and put my arms on my face.

“Something happened before, so I didn’t have my phone with me. You…hiss – what’s the matter?”

“What’s wrong with you?” I was very keenly aware of her slight moan, and my heart sank as if a piece of granite was hanging on it.

“It’s okay. Just talk about your things. Hiss –

” My nose was sore and my eyes were hot. “Qi Xi, I have something very important to tell you.”

She was silent for a moment and said, “Okay, I’m listening.”

“I met Wei Ling, and she asked me to tell you a message, and there is an envelope for you -“

“That woman went to see you?! She actually dared to come to you, I – ah, hiss, damn, do you know how to apply medicine? Your medical license must be fake!”

I slipped and almost fell down. Qi Xi also fell silent.

“Well, little fairy, listen to me—”

“Qi Xi,” I took a deep breath, grabbed the phone, and yelled with all my strength, “Where the hell are you now!”

After the roar, two streams of hot liquid slid down my cheeks, stinging my face a little. I suddenly realized that something was strange around me.

I thought for a long time and didn’t come back to my senses. When I looked up and saw my cousin holding Tiantian and looking at me innocently, I realized it.

Oh, I yelled a little louder.

Silence again.

Just when I thought I had exhausted the last bit of my patience, Qi Xi finally spoke, his voice very low.

She said, “I’m home.”

I nodded and replied with a single word, “Oh.”

“Huzi, come here,” I pulled out two hundred-yuan bills and shoved them into my third cousin’s hands. “Take this money and take your younger siblings to the supermarket. My cousin has something very important to do and needs to get back to City A right away. If your uncle and aunt ask about me, tell them someone smashed up my shop. Got it?”

I didn’t wait for his response. I sprinted to the bus stop. I could still catch the last train to the high-speed rail station.

All the tickets to City A on the 12306 app were sold out. I kept swiping until, after a long while, I finally got a refunded standing ticket. I pounced on it like a devil snatching a bun.

Luckily, I had all my documents and wallet on me. I grabbed my e-ticket with my ID and boarded the high-speed train.

When I got out of the taxi, I tossed a hundred-yuan bill to the driver and jumped out without waiting for the change.

I sprinted all the way home, counting the elevator floors as they ascended. What normally took seconds seemed to stretch so much longer.

“Girl, why are you so anxious? Did something happen at home?” an aunt in the elevator asked me with concern.

We’re finally here!

I rushed out of the elevator, “If I wasn’t anxious, something would happen to me!”

Yes, Qi Xi, I owe you this from my past life. If something happens to you, I’ll be at my wit’s end. If I don’t rush back to worship you, this great god, something will happen to me, right?

Open the door, go in, and open the door again.

The lights were on brightly, the curtains were half-drawn, dirty cotton was scattered on the floor, and the whole room was filled with the smell of rust.

My eyelids drooped, and I slipped my arms under Qi Xi’s armpits, avoiding the dark red wound on her waist that was wrapped in layers of gauze. I put my arms around her back, pulled her in tightly, and held her in my arms. Her bl00d and her breath filled my nostrils.

At this moment, I only had one thing in mind: to take a step, I just had to close my eyes; to hold her tightly, I just had to take a deep breath.