The Film Empress is My Old Lover - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Past

Morning.

The villa.

Jiang Yi sat on the edge of the bed. Aunt Li was slightly bent over, skillfully tying a bow in the black ribbon around her neck.

“A teacher is coming to give lessons this afternoon, in French and music,” Jiang Yi said softly to Aunt Li, propping her hands beside her and tilting her neck back slightly.

Aunt Li smiled without a word. “That’s right. So we need to leave early and get everything done this morning.”

Once the bow was tied, Aunt Li stood up.

Jiang Yi turned her head and sighed at the view outside the window.

Aunt Li couldn’t help but laugh. She walked to the coffee table and took the tray Jiang Yi had used yesterday. “You finished all the grapes?”

Jiang Yi: “Mm-hmm.”

“Weren’t they sweet? Shall I wash another bowl for you when we get back from the hospital?” Aunt Li said, coaxing Jiang Yi with a smile.

Jiang Yi didn’t say anything. She was propped up, lazily looking out the window. Her black hair fell like silk over her shoulders, glistening as it hung in the air.

“Let’s go.”

Outside the door, the driver bowed and opened the car door.

Jiang Yi got into the car, a book in her hand. She used the drive to the hospital to memorize vocabulary. Aunt Li sat beside her, organizing Jiang Yi’s past medical records.

“You came back from Pingyang. I don’t know if you’ll have to redo all these tests. We might as well just buy a ticket and go back to Pingyang to see a doctor there,” Aunt Li chattered.

Jiang Yi quietly recited words, not responding.

The car arrived at the city hospital. Jiang Yi and Aunt Li got out one after another. They walked into the outpatient hall and followed the signs to the undifferentiated clinic.

Most of the people there were children between the ages of twelve and fifteen.

This was the age when most alphas and omegas differentiated. Jiang Yi had just turned eighteen yesterday. At 1.68 meters tall, she stood out among the sea of young children, drawing many curious stares.

After registering and the consultation, they were given a list of tests to do at different departments. Jiang Yi turned to Aunt Li and said, “Auntie, find a place to sit down. I can go by myself.”

Aunt Li: “How can I do that?”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Yi said with a smile, pointing to the waiting area nearby. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Aunt Li guessed that Jiang Yi was embarrassed to have an adult following her so closely among a group of patients who were clearly younger than her. So she sat down in the resting area.

Jiang Yi was a child who grew up with her grandparents in Pingyang City, and she rarely saw her parents. Although she seemed polite and filial, she was a child with a heavy heart.

Aunt Li sighed, remembering that it was Jiang Yi’s birthday yesterday, and neither of her parents came back. Jiang Yi was all alone in that huge house.

Jiang Yi lowered her head. The queue was long, with nearly ten people waiting to be called. She looked at the display screen and put a Bluetooth earbud into her ear.

Suddenly, Jiang Yi’s eyes froze. She had found a familiar figure in the crowd.

Jiang Yi took out her earbud.

Her gaze fell on the girl in front, who was wearing denim overalls and a striped, rainbow-colored halter top. Mei Shi was reaching back to rub the nape of her neck.

Her neck was red.

She hasn’t differentiated either? Jiang Yi couldn’t help but wonder.

Mei Shi was about the same height as Jiang Yi. She stood out among the parents in their plain clothes and the children who were shorter than her.

She scratched the back of her neck again.

An omega’s neck shouldn’t be scratched constantly.

Mei Shi was looking down, playing a match-3 game when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She didn’t even look up and said, “No cutting in line.”

The shadow in her peripheral vision stopped, and Mei Shi heard a soft laugh.

It was like a refreshing stream among the chirping of the children.

Mei Shi paused, then abruptly turned her head to look behind her shoulder.

Today, Jiang Yi was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a one-finger-wide black bow tied at the neck. She was also wearing a pleated skirt, a pair of leather shoes, and knee-high white socks.

—Elegant.

Mei Shi said, “It’s you.”

Jiang Yi nodded. “Hello.”

—What a coincidence, Jiang Yi said silently in her heart, her eyes curved into a smile.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

They both spoke at the same time and then froze.

Mei Shi’s expression was strange. Her match-3 game showed a level failed. She hesitated whether to start a new game to avoid the topic.

Jiang Yi, with her phoenix eyes and low-prescription glasses, looked at Mei Shi with clear eyes, waiting for her to answer.

Mei Shi felt her scalp tighten under that gaze, as if refusing Jiang Yi was a crime. “I… I brought my brother to see a doctor. He… well, to get his pheromone concentration checked.”

“Oh,” Jiang Yi replied.

Mei Shi looked at Jiang Yi, signaling that it was her turn to answer.

Jiang Yi said seriously, “My differentiation is late. I’ve come to see a doctor.”

“Cough!” Mei Shi choked and immediately covered her mouth, looking at Jiang Yi in surprise. “Wh-What?”

Jiang Yi: “I haven’t differentiated yet, so…”

“Okay, I get it!” Mei Shi immediately interrupted Jiang Yi.

There were a few parents lined up behind them. They must have overheard their conversation because they immediately gave her surprised and pitiful looks.

—She’s so old and still hasn’t differentiated.

—Is something wrong with her? Not differentiating means a shorter life span.

—She’s so cute. What a shame.

Mei Shi didn’t need to look to know what they were thinking. She reached out to grab Jiang Yi’s arm but retracted her hand when she touched Jiang Yi’s skin. She stepped aside and said softly, “Come over here…”

Jiang Yi stood her ground and looked back.

“Go on, go on.” The people in the back row showed kindness to Jiang Yi, looking at her with pity.

Jiang Yi gave a slight bow, indicating thanks.

Mei Shi carefully avoided Jiang Yi, not wanting to touch her pristine white clothes. “How could you just say that out loud?”

“What?” Jiang Yi stood in front of Mei Shi and turned to ask.

As she turned, the long hair that was secured by a hair clip swayed, brushing against Mei Shi’s exposed forearm. It was an itchy sensation.

Mei Shi scratched her arm twice. It was their turn to get their tests done. Jiang Yi walked into the testing room, and a few minutes later, it was Mei Shi’s turn.

They went in and out one after the other. When Mei Shi came out, she found Jiang Yi standing at the door waiting for her. She adjusted the ponytail at the back of her head, where a needle had just drawn some fluid.

The results took a long time to come out. Mei Shi didn’t want to stay in this suffocating environment.

“Want to walk around outside?” Mei Shi asked.

They left the building and found an empty bench in the hospital’s inpatient area. Once they were free from the stares, Mei Shi felt a little lightheaded.

Mei Shi stretched her arms and yawned. Her long arms passed behind Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi was looking down, adjusting the bow at her neck. She didn’t notice that her back was tilted against the back of the bench and the soft hairs on her neck were resting on Mei Shi’s arm.

Like static electricity, Mei Shi’s yawn was suddenly cut short as she pulled her hands back.

Jiang Yi froze. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s itchy.”

Mei Shi scratched her arm until it was red. “Nothing. There’s a vending machine over there. I… I’ll go buy us a drink. What do you want?”

Jiang Yi gave up on adjusting her collar. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll go!” Mei Shi got up and ran off without waiting for Jiang Yi to say anything.

Jiang Yi: “…”

Mei Shi used her phone to scan the QR code. The machine slowly pushed the drink out. She stared at it, feeling that the spot where Jiang Yi’s hair had brushed against her was still itchy.

A kind of itch that she couldn’t scratch.

That soft, fuzzy feeling.

She couldn’t tell if it was her skin or her heart that was being stimulated. It made her feel annoyed and want to vent.

It was like when you stop a yawn halfway, or when you’re sleeping soundly and are suddenly startled awake, or when you’re in the middle of a comfortable stretch and someone slaps you hard on the back.

Mei Shi licked her lips, biting down hard on them. The pain was what finally dispelled the annoying itchiness in her heart.

“Here,” Mei Shi said, handing a can of Coke to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi reached out and took it. “Thank you. Is this Coke?”

Mei Shi popped the can open. “You’ve never had Coke?”

“No,” Jiang Yi replied.

She didn’t sound like she was faking it. Mei Shi thought to herself. She handed the opened can to Jiang Yi and took the other one from her hand. “You drink this one. Nobody dislikes fat guy happy water.”

Condensation formed on the can, and Mei Shi’s fingers left their imprints on it.

Jiang Yi took it with two fingers on each hand, holding the top and bottom of the can. She then turned the can to adjust its position, perfectly aligning her right fingertips with the imprints Mei Shi had left behind.

“…”

Mei Shi felt as if her heart was being tickled by a feather. That unbearable itchiness resurfaced. What kind of strange habit was this?

Mei Shi resisted the urge to ask Jiang Yi if she had OCD.

Mei Shi opened the second can of soda. She glanced at Jiang Yi out of the corner of her eye.

Jiang Yi’s phoenix eyes were covered by long, thick eyelashes, like a brush. In the sunlight, Mei Shi could clearly see the shadow cast by her long lashes.

She held the Coke can, sipping in small amounts. It seemed like this was her first time drinking a carbonated beverage. The bubbles made her nose a little red, but she still managed to hold back a gasp.

It came out as two quiet coughs. She covered her mouth with her hand, coughing softly.

—So delicate. A girl like this must have differentiated into an omega, Mei Shi thought distractedly.

“It’s a little…” Jiang Yi couldn’t find the right word. The taste of the bubbles stimulated her tastebuds. The sour and refreshing sensation was very strong.

She reached up and touched her throat, her fair, slender fingers rubbing and kneading her neck.

Mei Shi: “…”

Mei Shi looked away. It was strange, but the Coke didn’t seem to be refreshing her at all today.

Jiang Yi turned. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Mei Shi said.

Suddenly, there was nothing to talk about.

Mei Shi looked at the dappled shadows of the trees above them. She shuffled her feet together and apart, her toes tapping against each other. Under the scorching sun, the occasional passerby looked at them curiously.

But most people in a hospital were in a hurry, so they seemed out of place in their leisure.

Jiang Yi put the Coke on the bench and looked down to adjust the bow at her collar. Her shirt had a slightly high neck and a soft, silky ribbon that was tied into the shape of a flower—like a gift waiting to be unwrapped.

Mei Shi couldn’t stop looking at her. She was startled by her own thoughts.

How could Jiang Yi be like a gift?

She curled her fingers, picking at the wood chips on the bench where Jiang Yi couldn’t see. “Th-That…”

Jiang Yi: “Hmm?”

Mei Shi cleared her throat and raised her voice, as if doing so would make her feel more at ease. “You don’t know how to tie a bow?”

“That’s right. I’m not good at it,” Jiang Yi said, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

Mei Shi coughed into her pursed lips. “I’ll help you.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Yi said, propping her arms up on the space between them on the bench. She tilted her neck back and presented her front to Mei Shi.

The fragrant scent wafted into Mei Shi’s nose. The pristine white shirt hugged the girl’s delicate figure. From this angle, the soft curves were particularly noticeable.

The pleated neckline, like a ribbon on a cake box, was waiting to be untied to reveal the gift underneath—its true self.

Mei Shi’s lips parted slightly. She was feeling hot and let out a scorching breath.