My Ex-Girlfriend Said She Was A Fairy - Chapter 12

After finishing breakfast and taking her medicine, Ji Qingyi called a locksmith. She would be able to go home soon, but for now, she had to stay here, staring at Wen Yuchuan’s smiling face.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

“Whatever.”

Ji Qingyi leaned against the armrest of the sofa, watching the time on her phone and praying for the locksmith to hurry up.

Her eyes started to ache from staring at the screen for too long, so she finally put it down and looked ahead instead.

The door to the balcony was slightly ajar, and the white curtains fluttered in the breeze, rising and falling repeatedly. Watching the shifting patterns of light and shadow, Ji Qingyi thought that staying here might actually be comfortable—if only Wen Yuchuan didn’t annoy her so much.

The curtains billowed again, the sheer white fabric translucent under the sunlight, undulating like giant waves. The overly bright light made her dazed, and in her groggy state, Ji Qingyi felt as if she were in a dream. She nestled comfortably against the sofa, but suddenly, her field of vision darkened.

Wen Yuchuan stood beside the sofa, blocking the light from outside. Backlit, Ji Qingyi could only see her silhouette, outlined by a halo of white light, making her seem even more ethereal—like an illusion that could vanish at any moment.

Wen Yuchuan rested her hand on the sofa’s armrest and slowly crouched down, gradually closing the distance between them.

Ji Qingyi was wrapped in a blanket, its fuzzy fabric extending to Wen Yuchuan’s hand. She nuzzled against the soft material, watching as the other woman drew closer, yet she didn’t feel the urge to retreat. Her thoughts were sluggish, unable to process anything. She stared into Wen Yuchuan’s eyes, her fingers idly tapping against the blanket, counting down the seconds until contact.

“What are you looking at?”

Just as Ji Qingyi thought Wen Yuchuan was about to kiss her, the other woman suddenly stopped. The illusory silhouette became real again, breaking the silence.

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

Ji Qingyi snapped out of it and immediately sat up straight, putting distance between them.

“Still dizzy?”

Wen Yuchuan pressed her hand against Ji Qingyi’s forehead again, the slight coolness of her fingers transferring to Ji Qingyi’s skin.

The gesture was meaningless by now—they both knew her temperature wouldn’t change in such a short time. Yet Wen Yuchuan did it anyway, not to check for a fever, but seemingly just to touch her.

“…A little.”

Ji Qingyi answered obediently. She didn’t refuse but instead accepted this pointless contact.

“Cold?”

“No.”

“Stomachache?”

“No.”

“Then…”

“What is it?”

Ji Qingyi finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked. The moment she spoke, Wen Yuchuan pinched her cheek, making her squint uncomfortably. When she opened her eyes again, she was glaring.

“Then why do you look so pale?”

Wen Yuchuan stared at Ji Qingyi’s bloodless lips.

“…Maybe I’m just mentally exhausted.”

Ji Qingyi averted her gaze from those dark eyes.

“Uncomfortable staying here?”

It obviously wasn’t about the environment, but Wen Yuchuan pretended not to understand, watching her with feigned innocence.

“Maybe it’s not the place.”

“Hmm… then what is it?”

“Maybe I’ve run into something unlucky.”

“Oh?”

“Like, I’ve had a string of bad luck lately.”

“That’s terrible.”

Wen Yuchuan said sympathetically.

“It all started the afternoon before yesterday.”

Ji Qingyi glanced at her as she spoke.

“Is that so? Why is that?”

“I’d like to ask the same—why is that?”

Ji Qingyi stared directly into Wen Yuchuan’s eyes, baffled that he could still feign innocence when everything was clearly his fault.

After a moment of silent confrontation, Wen Yuchuan’s initially lowered eyes crinkled slightly, curving upward as the corners of his lips lifted.

He knew exactly what she meant but was pretending otherwise. Ji Qingyi could only shoot him another glare of displeasure—though, of course, it carried no real threat.

“Are you saying everything that’s happened since the afternoon before yesterday has been unlucky?”

Wen Yuchuan looked at her with amusement as he asked.

Everything? That was too broad. The correct qualifier should be: everything related to Wen Yuchuan had been unlucky. Ji Qingyi thought to herself.

“Not everything,” she said, glaring at him, “but catching a fever just from standing in the cold wind was definitely unlucky.”

“That really is unfortunate.”

“Speaking of which, why was I standing in the cold wind in the first place?”

Ji Qingyi pressed on, watching for any reaction, but his expression remained unchanged.

“I don’t know either. Why was that?”

Wen Yuchuan smiled as he looked at her.

“…”

Of course, it was because she hadn’t wanted to see him, which was why she’d run outside to endure the chilly breeze. Ji Qingyi fumed inwardly. But who knew even that wouldn’t keep him away? In the end, the two of them had still walked back to the apartment together.

With a sigh, Ji Qingyi gave up. If he couldn’t figure out something so obvious, his brain might as well be donated to science.

She had thrown so many veiled jabs at him, but his clueless act rendered them all useless—like punching a ball of cotton. Still, while the feeling was frustrating, it was also soft and not entirely unpleasant. Her thoughts tangled chaotically as she absentmindedly stroked the fuzzy blanket, her mood improving slightly.

Not wanting to engage with him any further, she simply stayed silent and slumped back down. The air grew quiet again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. By now, Ji Qingyi had grown accustomed to their wordless coexistence.

“I’m heading back.”

Ten minutes later, Ji Qingyi glanced at her phone and announced. She had received a message from the locksmith saying he had arrived.

Wen Yuchuan didn’t respond, and Ji Qingyi thought he might finally let her go without interference. But Wen Yuchuan had never been one to take a hint. Instead of letting her leave, he followed her out the door with that same infuriating smile.

After paying the locksmith, Ji Qingyi had intended to step inside immediately, but the person standing at her door—completely indifferent to her mood—forced her to turn and glare at him again.

Her intention to shoo him away was obvious, but his feigned innocence left her with no recourse. Force wasn’t an option—she couldn’t overpower him anyway.

“You should go back too.”

“After treating you to several meals, you won’t even invite me in for a glass of water?”

His dark eyes fixed on her before lowering, adopting a pitiful expression.

Always so good at pretending. Did he even care who he was performing for? What was the point of putting on this act for his ex-girlfriend, someone he was no longer involved with? Did he really think she’d feel sorry for him? Ji Qingyi stared at him, exasperated.

“I can pay you back for the meals.”

“That’s too cold.”

Aren’t we exactly that kind of distant relationship? Ji Qingyi wanted to say, but before she could speak, he cut her off.

“Or you could treat me to a meal instead.”

“What kind of forced buying and selling is this?” Ji Qingyi was momentarily speechless. But the fact remained that the other party had treated her to a meal, and she had thoroughly enjoyed it, making it difficult for her to outright refuse.

“Then I’ll just treat you to some water instead.”

After a brief silence, Ji Qingyi opted for a simpler way to reciprocate.

Wen Yuchuan didn’t seem to mind at all, accepting her choice with a faint smile before stepping right into Ji Qingyi’s apartment as if she were also the owner of the place.

“Make yourself at home.”

Ji Qingyi gestured toward the cold wooden stool as she spoke.

When she had first moved in, she had considered buying comfortable cushions, but later realized she hardly ever sat in the living room, preferring to stay in her bedroom. Since she had few friends and rarely entertained guests, she couldn’t be bothered to go through the trouble.

When Ji Qingyi had rented this apartment, she never could have imagined that Wen Yuchuan would become her first guest after moving in. Back then, she hadn’t even considered the possibility of ever seeing Wen Yuchuan again, let alone becoming neighbors.

It was all so absurd. Ji Qingyi had long since given up trying to make sense of this ridiculously coincidental situation. She had suspected that Wen Yuchuan had deliberately moved in next to her, but without proof, bringing it up would only make her seem presumptuous. So she decided to drop the subject.

Ji Qingyi pressed the button to boil water and returned to the living room, only to find Wen Yuchuan gone—the balcony door was left open.

Had she forgotten to close it earlier? Ji Qingyi walked out and saw Wen Yuchuan leaning against the railing, turning her head at the sound of her footsteps.

Without any security bars, the view outside was unobstructed—though there wasn’t much to see beyond rows of high-rises.

“You can see my balcony from here.”

Wen Yuchuan pointed to the side. The two balconies were separated by a distance of about one and a half meters—not too far, but compared to where they had lived before, it was worlds apart.

Ji Qingyi couldn’t help but recall the days when they used to chat across their balconies during their ambiguous past.

Leaning out over the half-meter gap, she had once asked to borrow a light. The ember from Wen Yuchuan’s cigarette had touched hers, leaving only two glowing red dots visible in the darkness.

Back then, Ji Qingyi had still smoked menthol cigarettes, the crisp scent lingering in the air. After lighting her cigarette, Wen Yuchuan had grinned and said it smelled nice.

That possibility no longer existed. Ji Qingyi stared at the gap between the two balconies. If they tried to lean out for a light now, they’d probably fall before their cigarettes even touched. To Ji Qingyi, this was a good thing—at least it prevented a repeat of the past.

But it didn’t seem to matter much anyway.

Ji Qingyi sighed as she watched Wen Yuchuan standing in her apartment. The other woman clearly had no interest in exchanging words across a gap—she had barged right in instead. Though, admittedly, Ji Qingyi had allowed it…

In the end, none of these changes posed any real obstacle to Wen Yuchuan. She only cared about whether she wanted to come over—and if she did, she’d shamelessly show up.

How annoying. Ji Qingyi silently grumbled to herself, but upon reflection, she realized Wen Yuchuan hadn’t been forceful. Things had unfolded this way because Ji Qingyi herself hadn’t refused. Every time, she had unknowingly allowed it to happen. Did that make her an accomplice?

“So?”

The more Ji Qingyi thought about it, the more she felt she had been too lenient, letting things escalate to this point. A wave of irritation rose in her chest, sharpening her tone.

“If you come out, then I can see you.”

“I won’t come out.”

“You have to come out to hang the laundry.”

“Why do you want to see me?”

“If we run into each other, I’ll look.”

“Then it’s best if we don’t run into each other.”

After saying this, Ji Qingyi belatedly realized she was once again engaging in childish banter with the other person.

Every time she talked to this person, it felt like her IQ dropped. She wasted energy arguing over trivial, meaningless things. Once she became aware of this, Ji Qingyi was exasperated—both at the other person and at herself. She didn’t want to entertain the root cause of her own stupidity any longer, so she turned and went back inside.

Wen Yuchuan just smiled as she watched Ji Qingyi. To her, every little reaction from the other girl was adorable.

“The water’s boiled. Drink it quickly.”

Hearing the click of the kettle’s switch, Ji Qingyi immediately spoke to Wen Yuchuan.

She had never entertained guests before, nor had she ever planned to. After rummaging through her home, she couldn’t even find a proper cup to offer. In the end, she had to use the bowl she normally ate instant noodles out of to serve water.

“You want me to drink it right after it’s boiled?”

“Yeah, hurry up and drink.”

“I’ll burn to death.”

“That’s fine.”

Ji Qingyi said expressionlessly, her eagerness for the other person to leave her house immediately written all over her face.

Learn to read the room, will you? No—more accurately, learn to do something to make the other person’s expression improve after reading their face. Like, for example, drinking the water right now and then promptly rolling out the door.

Staring at Wen Yuchuan, Ji Qingyi prayed sincerely in her heart.