My Ex-Girlfriend Said She Was A Fairy - Chapter 1

Early spring still carried a chill.

The pedestrians below the office building walked briskly, most dressed in sharp professional attire that wasn’t warm enough, forcing them to clutch their coats tightly against the wind.

It was almost noon, but there wasn’t a trace of sunlight. The sky was a dull gray-black, with thick, oppressive clouds hanging low over the city.

As expected, it would probably start raining soon. Ji Qingyi, seated at her workstation, glanced at the gloomy sky outside and sighed.

With a grim expression, she tore her gaze away from the window and refocused on her computer screen.

She had finally completed the fourth draft of the proposal according to the client’s demands and submitted it, only for the client to suddenly change their mind and say the first version was better after all. If it had just been the first version, that would’ve been fine—Ji Qingyi had backups. But the client had also tacked on a slew of new conditions.

Staring at the bizarre, convoluted requests, Ji Qingyi felt a headache coming on. The difficulty level was on par with requesting “a black that’s also rainbow-colored.”

Her face was pale, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion, and she looked like a corpse that had been dead for three days. But she wasn’t a corpse—just a living, breathing person forced to slave away for money.

She sighed again at the design mockup on her screen. Complaining was pointless. Even after cursing in her heart, she still had to keep working—unless, by some miracle, a winning lottery ticket fell from the sky. Then she’d quit on the spot.

Work was already frustrating enough, and the terrible weather only made it worse.

The office lights were off, and the dim interior made Ji Qingyi feel increasingly stifled.

She hated rainy days.

The reason was somewhat ridiculous, and Ji Qingyi didn’t want to admit that her aversion was tied to Wen Yuchuan. But it was true—she’d only started hating rain after their breakup.

Before the breakup, she’d been indifferent to rain, neither liking nor disliking it. But afterward, her feelings had shifted.

Logically, Ji Qingyi should’ve moved on by now. She’d always been resilient, able to bounce back from even the worst setbacks after a short period. But nearly a year had passed, and every time she thought of Wen Yuchuan, she still felt a pang of discomfort.

“Tch.”

Sure enough, the rain began soon after. Ji Qingyi stared at her computer, unable to focus. The sound of raindrops tapping against the window finally made her click her tongue in irritation.

More damn rain. It was like a thread connecting her to the past—whenever it rained, her mind would inevitably follow that track back to old memories.

They’d had many stories together. No—looking back now, perhaps “incidents” was a better word. Either way, a significant portion of those events had happened in the rain.

Like that breakup scene she could never forget.

The humiliation of realizing she’d been played, the helplessness and embarrassment—it still made her sick to think about. Every time the memory resurfaced, Ji Qingyi would cringe with regret.

Staring at the proposal that needed revisions, her headache worsened, and she cursed inwardly again.

Whenever her mind uncontrollably wandered back to the past, she regretted ever dating Wen Yuchuan. Out of all the things she could’ve done, why did she have to go and give herself a criminal record of the heart?

To be fair, Wen Yuchuan had treated her well during their relationship. They remembered every offhand preference she’d mentioned, cared for her meticulously when she was sick, and always apologized first after arguments. Whether in emotional support or practical actions, there was nothing to criticize. Ji Qingyi had thought they’d stay like that forever—until the other person suddenly ended things.

Ji Qingyi sometimes wondered if it was because the other person had done too well while she hadn’t done enough, creating a disparity that ultimately led them to leave.

But if she dwelled on it a little longer, this self-reflection would quickly come to an end. After all, judging by the circumstances of their breakup, no matter how she looked at it, Wen Yuchuan was clearly the one with issues.

Realizing this only when the other person brought up the breakup—wasn’t that just laughable? Apart from admitting she had been blind, Ji Qingyi had nothing else to say…

If the person she had dated was simply a scumbag, that wouldn’t have been anything special. But dating someone with an abstract mind? Now that was genuinely rare.

Which was better—the former or the latter?

The answer, of course, was neither. But the latter was truly unforgettable. After all, not everyone could come up with such an absurd reason for a breakup.

At this thought, Ji Qingyi’s already muddled mind, as if unafraid of further chaos, involuntarily replayed the scene of their breakup.

__

It was summer.

They hadn’t seen each other in nearly a month. Upon learning that Wen Yuchuan’s photography assignment for a geography magazine had finally ended and that he had returned home, Ji Qingyi immediately bought a plane ticket—one that was still far too expensive for her at the time—and traveled across a city to see him.

She had wanted to surprise him, but after finally arriving at his apartment door, no matter how long she waited, he never answered. Ji Qingyi had no choice but to abandon the surprise and message Wen Yuchuan on WeChat, only to learn that he wasn’t even at the apartment—he was still out.

Though the surprise was ruined, Ji Qingyi’s excitement at the prospect of seeing him remained.

But that excitement was quickly worn away by two long hours of waiting. Ji Qingyi sat bored by the apartment door.

The weather was unpredictable. It had just finished raining, then the sun peeked out briefly, only for the sky to darken again in an instant, thick with clouds.

The stifling air barely moved in the dim, enclosed hallway. Sitting for so long left Ji Qingyi feeling breathless. Her clothes were still slightly damp, and the rising heat made her skin sticky and uncomfortable. Only the coolness of the wall pressed against her back offered any relief.

Even after the rain, the sweltering summer heat left Ji Qingyi dizzy and disoriented. She sat slumped on the floor, uneasy for reasons she couldn’t quite name.

She kept urging Wen Yuchuan to come back, but there was no reply. Staring blankly at the one-sided flood of messages in their chat, she thought, Maybe something urgent came up, and he hasn’t had time to check his phone. Though she couldn’t imagine what could possibly make him ignore her for so long when he knew she was waiting, she still made excuses for him in her heart.

It wasn’t until the rain began pouring down again, the sound of droplets hammering against the window pulling her back to reality, that Ji Qingyi snapped out of it.

She stood up dazedly and looked outside. Even with the rain, the stagnant air in the hallway remained oppressive. Watching the raindrops streak crooked trails down the glass, her chest grew heavier.

It had been raining when she first landed, too. She had never been to this city before—unfamiliar with the people, unfamiliar with the place. She had circled the airport several times following the signs before finally finding the exit. By then, the rain had grown heavier, and by the time she took a taxi to the apartment complex, it had become a downpour. She had stepped out of the car holding a tiny umbrella, barely enough to cover just herself.

The rain was too heavy, and with the wind blowing, the water slanted sideways. The precarious umbrella offered even less coverage, so by the time she reached the building, much of her was already drenched.

She hated troublesome things like getting caught in the rain, yet she didn’t complain at all. At that moment, she was simply in high spirits, thinking she would soon see Wen Yuchuan. She had deliberately not told him she was coming, wanting to surprise him.

Now, watching the rain start up again, she felt miserable. The sky grew darker, and the long wait made her increasingly irritable and impatient. Ji Qingyi clutched the still-damp hem of her skirt, determined to demand an explanation from him later.

Just then, Wen Yuchuan finally replied—just one cold, indifferent sentence.

“Come downstairs.”

Seeing only these four words after her long string of messages, Ji Qingyi felt wronged. But she foolishly consoled herself, thinking maybe it was just the nature of text messages failing to convey emotions, which was why he seemed so distant.

She didn’t know why Wen Yuchuan wanted her to come down, but she complied anyway.

Wen Yuchuan stood by the elevator entrance, waiting for Ji Qingyi. He smiled at her as usual, his long black hair casting shadows over his face.

Ji Qingyi couldn’t quite make out his expression, but she rushed toward him anyway. Wen Yuchuan, however, took a subtle step back just as she was about to collide with him.

Finally seeing the face she had longed for day and night, Ji Qingyi’s mood lifted uncontrollably. For a moment, she forgot all her earlier grievances and even overlooked his retreat.

Her eyes curved into a smile, and just as she was about to express how much she had missed him, the person before her spoke abruptly, without warning.

“Let’s break up.”

“……”

What?

Ji Qingyi froze, her smile stiffening. She stared at the person before her, who was smiling as usual, yet she felt no warmth or familiarity—as if he were a complete stranger.

Her smile faded. It was as if she had been plunged into water; despite the sweltering season, she suddenly felt cold. She didn’t understand why Wen Yuchuan would say this out of the blue. Maybe she should try to refuse, but she hated forcing things or begging someone to stay. So in the end, she stayed silent.

She didn’t speak—in truth, she couldn’t.

Her mind raced like a revolving lantern, replaying all the happy moments they had shared. She couldn’t think of a single reason why he would want to break up.

Why? Had he fallen out of love? Grown tired of her? Maybe. After all, it had been so long since they’d seen each other. Wasn’t it normal for feelings to fade? She was the only one who had been missing him.

Ji Qingyi tried hard to convince herself. Though she had gone through a lot of trouble just to see Wen Yuchuan, which annoyed her immensely, ultimately, she had done it all willingly. He hadn’t asked her to.

Most importantly, she was trembling with anger now. If they argued, she would surely lose. It was better to just walk away—cut her losses before things got uglier.

It might make her seem weak, but she didn’t want to waste words, lest she appear reluctant to let go.

Just as she was about to leave without looking back, she suddenly heard him volunteer the reason for the breakup.

“Because I’m a celestial being, and now I have to return to the heavens.”

Wen Yuchuan looked at Ji Qingyi with sincere eyes.

“……?”

Ji Qingyi felt like she’d been choked.

Ji Qingyi couldn’t allow herself to wallow in these embarrassing breakup memories. When her mind automatically replayed the line “I’m an immortal, and now I must return to the heavens,” she patted her cheeks lightly. Every time she recalled her ex’s absurd reason for breaking up, her body would involuntarily heat up, her cheeks flushing crimson.

She was overheating.

Miserably realizing that even after nearly a year, she still couldn’t recall this awkward experience without discomfort, Ji Qingyi sighed helplessly. But upon reflection, who could possibly keep a straight face when confronted with someone claiming to be a celestial being about to ascend to the heavens?

It’s understandable, Ji Qingyi consoled herself.

Having justified her lingering feelings for her ex, she found herself amused and chuckled twice—only to freeze when she accidentally met the stern gaze of her department head.

As expected, nothing good ever happened when it rained. Though internally exasperated, Ji Qingyi quickly schooled her expression, straightened her posture, and refocused on the design displayed on her computer.

So annoying. Still so annoying. Nothing was working—this approach, that approach. After a few more tweaks, frustration bubbled up again, exacerbated by the increasingly violent drumming of rain against the windows.

Today really is a terrible day, she thought, exhausted and resigned.

But the worst was yet to come.

By the time Ji Qingyi finally found inspiration and submitted a revised, somewhat satisfactory proposal, it was already afternoon.

Her hunger had long passed, leaving her lightheaded and devoid of appetite. The mere thought of eating felt like a chore.

Chewing? Swallowing? Too much effort. All she wanted was something light and soupy. In the end, she settled for ordering bubble tea—at least the sugar would stave off low bl00d sugar, even if it wouldn’t fill her up.

After placing the order, she headed downstairs to pick it up.

The rain showed no sign of stopping. As she stepped out of the office building, umbrella in hand, Ji Qingyi couldn’t help but lament again what an unlucky day this had been.

At that moment, she thought the worst of it was having to fetch her drink while dizzy and getting her coat soaked. But as it turned out, things could always get worse.

Walking along, she tried to console herself—at least it wasn’t summer yet, still some time away from the season she despised most.

But that consolation shattered the instant she bumped into someone while glancing at her phone. Before she could even apologize, before her eyes fully registered the person’s face—just from the silhouette backlit by the rain—she recognized him immediately.

Today was, indeed, an exceptionally terrible day.

Staring at Wen Yuchuan, who stood before her with a faint smirk, Ji Qingyi could only think one thing:

I want to die.