My Ex-Girlfriend Said She Was A Fairy - Chapter 6

Noticing Ji Qingyi’s gaze, Wen Yuchuan’s previously gloomy expression shifted back to his usual lazy demeanor.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled at the person reflected in the glass window.

Ji Qingyi saw Wen Yuchuan part his lips.

“Ji Qingyi.”

He called her name.

Whatever. Mentally forcing herself not to care, Ji Qingyi turned away.

Having avoided Wen Yuchuan, she now had to face Shen Xizhao. To be fair, both of them were quite difficult to deal with. Ji Qingyi looked at the junior across from her, whose lips curled into a flawless arc again, and sighed almost imperceptibly.

“Someone you know?”

“Yeah.”

Her head was spinning. Leaning on the table, Ji Qingyi responded absentmindedly. It was natural for Shen Xizhao to follow up with questions about Wen Yuchuan—after all, her deliberate evasion just now hinted at an unusual relationship between them. Though she understood the other’s curiosity, Ji Qingyi didn’t want to elaborate. She planned to respond coldly, hoping Shen Xizhao would drop the subject.

Shen Xizhao finally stopped probing and instead started praising the noodles here, suggesting they come together next time.

Ji Qingyi nodded along while her mind involuntarily drifted back to the person outside the window. He must have left by now… She didn’t turn to look, afraid Shen Xizhao would ask if she was checking whether that person was still there.

Propping her head up with one hand, Ji Qingyi felt even hungrier now after rushing over earlier. Her headache worsened, and the dizziness blurred her vision. Watching Shen Xizhao’s lips move soundlessly, she suddenly found the surroundings growing noisy, the words indistinct. A strange, inexplicable unease crept over her, though she couldn’t pinpoint its source.

Ji Qingyi lifted her head slightly, shifting her gaze from Shen Xizhao’s moving lips upward.

Shen Xizhao was also looking at her, wearing a bright, radiant smile, her clear eyes lingering on Ji Qingyi’s face for a long moment.

They locked eyes. A sudden ringing filled Ji Qingyi’s ears as she stared dazedly at that smiling face, her mind in complete disarray.

The odd sensation lasted only briefly before Ji Qingyi snapped out of it. She offered Shen Xizhao an apologetic smile, explaining that she was just exhausted and had zoned out for a moment. Shen Xizhao smiled back, understandingly assuring her it was fine.

Fortunately, their congee and noodles arrived just then, sparing them further awkward conversation.

Ji Qingyi had ordered century egg and lean pork congee, which was scalding hot. Even sipping carefully from the edge, she drank slowly. Seeing Shen Xizhao finish her noodle soup, Ji Qingyi suggested she could leave first, but Shen Xizhao insisted on waiting. Ji Qingyi didn’t argue, quietly focusing on her congee.

The warm food slid down her throat and settled in her stomach, offering slight relief. Yet the dizziness and feverish discomfort persisted. Though the congee had soothed her throat, the dryness and pain soon returned.

Maybe I should take the afternoon off. Ji Qingyi thought hazily. She couldn’t bear it anymore—it was too much.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Xizhao asked again.

Though grateful for the concern, Ji Qingyi didn’t want to explain her condition. There was no point in troubling the other person, whether she spoke up or not.

“Just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine. Let’s go back.”

Ji Qingyi forced another smile. Having finished her congee, she proposed leaving to cut off further conversation.

“She said it’s nothing,” Shen Xizhao found it hard to press further, so he didn’t say anything more. He simply stood up and walked out of the shop with her.

__

Ji Qingyi spotted the familiar figure standing at the entrance of the office building from afar.

Wen Yuchuan was looking down, her dark hair falling in front of her face, obscuring her expression. Ji Qingyi couldn’t see what she was feeling—only that she was standing there holding a cup of milk tea, unsure of what she intended to do.

“Waiting for you?”

Shen Xizhao noticed the person downstairs and asked.

“…Maybe.”

Though Ji Qingyi believed Wen Yuchuan wouldn’t do anything to embarrass her in public, the fact that she was here, waiting on the path she and her colleagues took back, was unsettling enough.

“Need help?”

Shen Xizhao could tell Ji Qingyi didn’t want to face the other person.

“No, you go ahead first later.”

Ji Qingyi said with a headache. These inexplicable and recurring troubles were really wearing her down, not to mention she was still feeling dizzy. But no matter what, the matter with Wen Yuchuan was something she had to handle alone.

“You could also run past her and go upstairs.”

Shen Xizhao joked, and Ji Qingyi suspected he was deliberately bringing up her earlier escape.

“No… that’s fine.”

Ji Qingyi sighed softly, not reacting to Shen Xizhao’s teasing. She just thought, I’m so tired, I can’t run anymore. Let’s just walk past normally. If Wen Yuchuan called out to stop her, she’d preemptively ask why she was here.

She can’t possibly say it’s on the way this time, Ji Qingyi thought, she shouldn’t have any excuses left.

They continued walking forward.

“Ji Qingyi.”

Wen Yuchuan lifted her head and called her name.

“You go ahead.”

Ji Qingyi spoke to Shen Xizhao again after hearing just that one call.

Shen Xizhao looked at her for a moment, then glanced at the woman approaching them before nodding with a smile and walking into the office building.

The moment he left, Wen Yuchuan stepped closer.

“You’re not feeling well. Take the day off.”

Ji Qingyi had just been about to speak when Wen Yuchuan said this. The unexpected words made her pause.

“It’s none of your business.”

Ji Qingyi instinctively retorted.

She was probably so feverish she was delirious, which was why she’d been so emotionally transparent in front of the other person today—first fleeing in panic, then snapping at her. After speaking, Ji Qingyi bit her lower lip, regretting her tone, just as she’d regretted running away earlier.

“But you’ll feel terrible.”

Wen Yuchuan frowned at the unnatural flush on Ji Qingyi’s face. She still remembered how miserable Ji Qingyi had been the last time she had a fever—even after it broke, she’d been dizzy for days. Back then, she’d clung to Wen Yuchuan, whimpering, unable to eat, and Wen Yuchuan had had to feed her bite by bite before she managed a few mouthfuls. If she ignored it now and ended up vomiting from the discomfort later, what then?

Ji Qingyi fell silent at the concern on Wen Yuchuan’s face. The other woman drew closer, and for some reason, Ji Qingyi forgot to step away. She was long accustomed to Wen Yuchuan’s proximity—even after a year apart, she didn’t react defensively to the shrinking distance between them.

A sudden wave of dizziness made her mind fog over again. Outside, the sun was glaringly bright, but Ji Qingyi felt as if she’d returned to the familiar misty rain. Wen Yuchuan leaned in, and she accepted the closeness without resistance.

“Let’s go back.”

The soft murmur drifted through the air, causing Ji Qingyi’s eyelashes to flutter as she snapped out of her daze.

“Why are you here?”

It was the question Ji Qingyi had meant to ask from the beginning.

“To buy milk tea.”

Wen Yuchuan straightened up, smiling as he shook the jasmine green milk tea in his hand.

“You walked all this way… Do you love it that much?”

“…Saving on delivery fees. Consider it a stroll.”

Wen Yuchuan even sighed after saying this, putting on a pitiful expression as if life had forced his hand.

…

If you’re this broke, why move in next to me? Ji Qingyi thought irritably. It couldn’t be that hard to find a place with similar conditions that’s cheaper, right? It’s not like Wen Yuchuan even commutes to work—living somewhere more remote wouldn’t matter.

Seeing the exasperated look on her face, Wen Yuchuan wanted to laugh but suppressed the urge, afraid she might storm off in anger and drag herself back to work despite being sick.

Ji Qingyi noticed Wen Yuchuan briefly avert his gaze before turning back with that same careless expression, and for no reason, her irritation flared again. Her head was already spinning, her body ached, and after dealing with that strange junior, now she had to handle someone as troublesome as Wen Yuchuan. Was it really fair to have such rotten luck every day? It was all because of what he’d said yesterday—he’d jinxed her. Fuming silently, she lowered her eyes.

“Shall we go back?”

Wen Yuchuan asked cautiously again. Ji Qingyi dipped her head slightly, her hair casting a shadow that obscured her emotions, so he leaned in, tilting his head to peer at her.

That cold stare again. Wen Yuchuan thought pessimistically that he’d really gone too far in the past. Even now, he could sense Ji Qingyi’s emotions, but they lacked intensity. Maybe after the highs and lows of their relationship, she was finally letting go, becoming the detached, unfeeling person she was always meant to be.

That was how it should have been. But… Wen Yuchuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just not now, he thought.

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Ji Qingyi reflected on how good she was at pretending. Just as she could put on a perfectly composed smile in the workplace, her act of indifference was just as masterful.

Yesterday had been too sudden, and just now had been the same—that was why she’d fled in a panic, making a fool of herself.

But now she was prepared. She stared at Wen Yuchuan expressionlessly, her gaze unwavering, deliberately refusing to look away. Maybe it was because her mind was too muddled, but her desire to outmatch him grew stronger in that moment. Every ounce of her rationality was focused on resisting those dark eyes. If she could hold his gaze without getting lost in them, that would be victory.

Stop acting so nonchalant, okay? I hate that. Ji Qingyi accused him silently in her heart, then immediately found it ridiculous. Wasn’t his carefree nature exactly what she’d loved about him? And yet, in the end, she couldn’t help but resent it.

Under her icy stare, Wen Yuchuan could only sigh helplessly. Finally, Ji Qingyi got what she wanted—his composure faltering.

My brain really must be fried, she thought dizzily, feeling an inexplicable flicker of satisfaction before catching herself. She didn’t even know why she was doing something so pointless. After a moment, she finally looked away, her eyes landing on the sunlight beyond the shadows. It was too bright, the glare making her dizzy again.

“Ji Qingyi, let’s go back.”

Wen Yuchuan spoke again in a low voice, almost pleading. She always murmured Ji Qingyi’s name softly, her tone clear yet Ji Qingyi found it indistinct, as if the gentle voice came from a distant memory.

Ji Qingyi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally stopped resisting. She only said she needed to go upstairs to get her bag, but Wen Yuchuan insisted on following her.

“What if you faint on the way?”

“I won’t.”

“What if someone stops you?”

Hearing her rebuttal, Wen Yuchuan chuckled and spoke again.

Ji Qingyi suspected she was subtly referring to Shen Xizhao and wanted to snap, “What’s it to you?” But seeing Wen Yuchuan deliberately lower her eyes, she held her tongue.