The Film Empress is My Old Lover - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Past

A cicada on a tree let out a long, drawn-out cry.

The person in front of her was so close. It seemed she could even smell her hair.

Mei Shi’s breath poured out onto Jiang Yi’s neck. She held her breath. It was a dry summer day, and there was no wind under the tree, but the spot on Jiang Yi’s throat that Mei Shi was staring at felt like it was being brushed by downy feathers.

—Is that her breath? It smells of soda.

“Are you an alpha?” Jiang Yi asked.

Mei Shi leaned in, tilting her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Jiang Yi’s neck. Jiang Yi’s neck was very long and slender, like a swan’s. She tied the bow twice, feeling that it still didn’t look good enough, and undid it again to retie it. “…No.”

Jiang Yi looked at the top of Mei Shi’s head. Mei Shi’s hair was of good quality and soft, unlike her own coarse hair. “Oh, then you’re an omega.”

Mei Shi: “…No.”

“Beta?” Jiang Yi blinked.

The bow was tied.

Mei Shi stepped back, straightened her body, and looked forward. She quickly glanced at Jiang Yi’s neck, propped her hands on the chair, and swung her legs back and forth.

“Not that either,” Mei Shi said, a little flustered, looking at her toes, because she had lied again.

Jiang Yi was silent for a while. She hooked the silk ribbon of the bow around her finger, twirling it idly.

“So…”

“I don’t have a brother.”

Jiang Yi finished her sentence.

Mei Shi mumbled a reply. She picked up the Coke can, but when she drank, she found it was empty. Frustrated, she tipped the can twice.

Jiang Yi concluded, “You came to the hospital because your differentiation is also late.”

“Yes,” Mei Shi looked at Jiang Yi. “But I didn’t want to… you know, say it out loud and have those people look at me like I’m pathetic.”

Jiang Yi lowered the hand that was toying with the ribbon and nodded. “Mm.”

“Why did you…” Mei Shi asked hesitantly. “Why did you just say it like that?”

“Huh?” Jiang Yi took a couple of seconds to process. “Because, if you show up here, it’s most likely for a differentiation issue. It would be a clumsy lie to pretend it’s for something else.”

Mei Shi, the clumsy liar: “…”

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Yi said, her eyes curved into a smile. “That must have made you unhappy, right?”

You’ve already said all the good and bad things, Mei Shi thought. How can I be angry? So, to appear generous, she said nonchalantly, “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Jiang Yi took a sip of Coke and placed it on the chair. She slid it toward Mei Shi’s hand, and the slightly cold can touched Mei Shi’s casually bent pinky finger.

Mei Shi froze.

Jiang Yi said, “Yours is empty. Do you want to drink mine?”

Mei Shi: “…”

“It’s okay,” Jiang Yi said. “I’m not an alpha or an omega, not even a beta. It’s fine.”

Mei Shi: “…”

Mei Shi picked up the can, hesitating.

Jiang Yi leaned in lightly. Mei Shi felt the hem of her pleated skirt brush against her knee. Jiang Yi pointed a finger at the can’s opening. “See, this is where my lips touched it.”

“You can put your lips on it here,” she said, pointing to the spot seriously.

Mei Shi: “…”

“I… I’m not thirsty,” Mei Shi said, pushing the can back to Jiang Yi. “Don’t say such… weird things.”

Jiang Yi looked puzzled. “Huh?”

Mei Shi: “…Do you have OCD?”

Jiang Yi thought for a second. “I don’t think so.”

Mei Shi: “…”

“Time’s about up,” Mei Shi said, checking the time on her phone. “Let’s go back and get our results.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yi replied.

For some reason, Mei Shi felt a hint of regret in her tone.

Was she regretting that I didn’t drink her soda?

They walked back, taking the stairs from the resting area behind the outpatient building. Mei Shi said, “It’s only two floors. We can go straight up from here…”

Mei Shi’s words suddenly stopped. Jiang Yi, who was right behind her, was about to ask what was wrong when Mei Shi turned around, her back against the wall at the corner of the hallway, her eyes wide as she blinked.

Jiang Yi: “Hmm?”

Mei Shi’s face was hot and flushed. She reached out, trying to cover Jiang Yi’s eyes.

Jiang Yi ducked and dodged, her gaze going past Mei Shi, curiously looking ahead.

Mei Shi: “…”

It was a couple, passionately embracing.

“They’re kissing,” Jiang Yi mouthed to Mei Shi.

Mei Shi: “…”

Jiang Yi didn’t look any longer. She walked over to Mei Shi and leaned against the wall, striking the same pose as Mei Shi.

Mei Shi turned her head and mouthed, “Are we eavesdropping?”

Jiang Yi: “?”

A rustling sound came from behind the wall, the sound of clothes rubbing together, and the panting of a girl and a girl. Mei Shi froze, her face turning red. She gripped the hem of her shirt and looked at Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi was looking at her.

—With a look of leisurely amusement.

Their shoulders were only a sliver apart. They could see the soft hairs on each other’s faces.

Mei Shi realized they were too close and leaned back slightly.

Jiang Yi leaned in. Her clear, bright eyes stared intently at Mei Shi. Her moist eyes held a strong curiosity. “What did you just say?”

…

Mei Shi’s gaze dropped to Jiang Yi’s lips. She parted her own lips.

Jiang Yi’s eyelashes fluttered like fans, following Mei Shi’s gaze. Her eyes fell on Mei Shi’s open lips. She raised an eyebrow and leaned in even closer to look.

A red tongue, like the meat of a clam in its shell.

A soft moan came from behind the wall. Mei Shi snapped out of it and looked at the wall in horror.

Jiang Yi followed her gaze.

Upstairs, someone had chosen to take this shady path. The sound of their footsteps was like a rapid drumbeat on Jiang Yi and Mei Shi’s hearts.

—They’re going to be found.

They looked at each other. The same thought flashed through their minds, and they both panicked. Their faces grew hot.

Mei Shi raised her hand and pointed outside. Jiang Yi nodded, and then watched as Mei Shi closed her eyes, held her breath, and let out a loud cough!

Jiang Yi: “!”

A panicked jostling sound came from the couple behind the wall.

“Run!” Mei Shi, who had already run two meters away, yelled back at the frozen Jiang Yi.

They ran out of the building, smiles of mischief on their faces.

Mei Shi led the way, bypassing the main outpatient hall and taking another route. Halfway there, she suddenly stopped. Jiang Yi ran into her, her nose hitting the back of Mei Shi’s head.

They both groaned.

“…”

Jiang Yi covered her nose, her eyes closed. Tears dripped onto the back of her hand.

“S-S-Sorry…” Mei Shi was startled. “I just… I suddenly remembered your skirt.”

Jiang Yi waved her hand. Her nose hurt so much she couldn’t speak. She turned her back to wipe away her tears.

Mei Shi felt terribly guilty. “Um, can I take a look? Do you want to get an X-ray to see if anything’s broken? Um, it should be fine, right? I’m pretty well-padded, haha… ha…”

Mei Shi was at a loss. She let out a couple of dry laughs and then fell silent, standing awkwardly. Her hands, like a penguin’s, would stick out and then back to her sides, repeating the motion, not knowing what to do.

Jiang Yi turned sideways, and out of the corner of her eye, she took in Mei Shi’s helplessness. She moved her hand away. Her nose was red, and her eyes were even redder. She forced a smile.

“Hehe,” Mei Shi said, putting on a fawning face, showing her two rows of neat, white teeth.

Jiang Yi froze, then burst out laughing. “…Hehe.”

…

“Here you go, Jiang Yi.” At the results window, Mei Shi retrieved their two reports. She glanced at the top of Jiang Yi’s report and handed it to her.

Before getting the reports, Mei Shi had asked for Jiang Yi’s name. This was the first time Jiang Yi’s name had rolled off her tongue.

It felt a little strange.

Jiang Yi put away her documents without looking at them. “What about yours?”

They walked toward the clinic, ready to have a follow-up consultation with their reports. Mei Shi said, “My friends like to call me ‘Liuliumei’.”

Jiang Yi turned her head, looking curious.

Mei Shi touched her nose. “My name is Mei Shi. ‘Meishi’ means ‘nothing’.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

The outpatient building became more crowded. Mei Shi took two steps back. A group of people walked between her and Jiang Yi. “You can laugh if you want to.”

Jiang Yi laughed, her phoenix eyes curving.

Mei Shi: “You can call me Xiao Shi.”

Jiang Yi: “You can call me Xiao Yi.”

“I can’t do that. My aunt is over thirty,” Mei Shi said, refusing with a straight face.

Jiang Yi couldn’t remember how many times Mei Shi had made her laugh today. Her lips lifted, and a beautiful curve appeared at the corners of her mouth as she laughed.

“I’m here,” Mei Shi said, pointing to the clinic door in front of her.

Jiang Yi: “I’m down that hallway.”

“Then, I’m going in,” Mei Shi said.

Jiang Yi nodded and walked forward.

They separated. Surrounding them were curious children and adults. The children were there for checkups, and the adults were there to accompany them. Only the two of them were late-differentiating anomalies.

Mei Shi opened the door but suddenly called out to Jiang Yi, who was a few steps away. “Jiang Yi.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Yi turned to look at her.

Mei Shi held up her report. “There will be a good result.”

“There will be a good result,” Jiang Yi replied with a smile.

…

The sky had turned cloudy without her noticing. After a gust of wind, a light rain began to fall. Jiang Yi walked through the corridor.

Outside the window, a gentle drizzle turned into a heavy downpour, and large raindrops hit the leaves of the trees.

“You’re back?” Aunt Li saw Jiang Yi and quickly took the report from her hands. “I’ll go ask for you. Yi Yi, you just wait outside.”

Jiang Yi gently shook her head. “I’ll go myself.”

Aunt Li: “…”

“Did a family member not come with you?” the doctor asked.

Mei Shi looked away from the window. “No. I come twice a year. I know the way. I don’t need a family member to accompany me.”

The doctor looked at Mei Shi with a solemn expression. “Sigh…”

“Am I not going to live much longer?” Mei Shi asked with a laugh.

The doctor was speechless. “It’s not that bad. It’s rare for someone your age to have not differentiated. It’s a rare disease. You know, the technology to treat this isn’t mature yet, and very few cases have lived past thirty…”

Mei Shi said optimistically, “Thirty is a great age. Women get old after thirty. I don’t want to get old. I’m willing to die early.”

The doctor: “…That’s with the special medication.”

Mei Shi: “Huh?”

The doctor said, “If you don’t differentiate before you’re twenty, you probably won’t ever have a secondary gender. You’ll need to rely on medication to keep your hormones stable, and this medicine has significant side effects.”

“What will happen?”

“It will accelerate aging.”

Silence spread.

In the office, the doctor sighed and patted Mei Shi on the shoulder in comfort.

“From now on, you’ll need to come for a checkup every three months. If it still doesn’t work next year, you can consider…” The doctor hinted, “There’s a type of injection abroad that can promote differentiation, but the failure rate is very high.”

Mei Shi walked out of the hospital. She stood outside the outpatient building. The rain was heavy. In no time, a curtain of rain had formed under the eaves.

It looked like a waterfall.

She squatted down, wrapping her arms around her knees, hugging herself.

“Hello, Mom.” Her phone vibrated. Mei Shi answered. “Mm, the results are out. Uncle Guo said they’re okay. The pheromone concentration has increased. I’ll need a checkup every three months from now on… Mm, the chances of differentiating are high…”

“Don’t come pick me up. I’ll take a taxi back. I want to buy some drawing paper. I’ll be home late… Okay, I’m coming back right now. How big could the rain be? Got it! Bye.”

Mei Shi hung up and let out a long breath. She stood up on her knees, taking a deep breath, smelling the fragrance of the summer rain, dirt, and flowers. “I’ll take it one step at a time!”

After saying that, she crumpled the report in her hand into a ball and stuffed it into the trash can at the entrance.

She hailed a taxi on the street, opened the car door, and got in.

“Driver, please go to…” Mei Shi stopped herself. “I forgot about Jiang Yi…”

Mei Shi wanted to open the car door, but the driver said impatiently, “Are you going or not?”

Jiang Yi walked out of the hospital. Behind her, a middle-aged woman was crying sadly. Mei Shi froze, clutching the car door, not knowing if she should interrupt.

Did she get bad results?

They had just wished each other well.

Jiang Yi stood under the eaves of the main entrance, reaching out to catch some of the water dripping from the roof. She seemed bored. She looked behind her. Was she looking for someone?

Mei Shi wanted to get out of the car.

Just then, a man walked up quickly and held a black umbrella over Jiang Yi’s head, leading her to the parking lot not far away.

The taxi driver started the car. The view became distant and long. Mei Shi came back to her senses. “Hey! I didn’t say to go yet!”

“Get out if you’re not going!” the driver said angrily.

Mei Shi grumbled, “What an attitude… To the City Bookstore!”

…

I forgot to get her contact information.

In the car, Aunt Li sat in the passenger seat, sobbing.

Jiang Yi sat in the back, propping her face up. She thought idly, I forgot to get her contact information. It suddenly started pouring. Was she in a hurry to get home to avoid the rain?

Or did she forget about me?

…

“I told you to come back early. Look at you, you’re soaked! You already have a weak body…”

In Mei’s house, Mei Shi came out of the bathroom, sneezing. She walked through the narrow living room into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She leaned her head in, her eyes catching sight of the ice inside.

Mei’s mother was scrubbing Mei Shi’s clothes on the balcony, muttering, “With rain this heavy, you won’t be able to get a taxi if you’re not careful. See, didn’t I tell you? I said I would go pick you up…”

“But you ran back in the rain anyway… If your useless father finds out, he’ll blame me for not taking good care of you!”

Mei Shi washed the grapes and carried them into her room.

Mei’s mother saw her small action. “Eating something cold again!”

Mei Shi was startled. She hooked her foot around the door and quickly shut it. It was a rainy day, and the sky had turned dark quickly. It was only six or seven in the evening, but it already felt like dusk.

Mei Shi opened the glass window, letting the cool, rainy wind blow in. She climbed onto her bed, put the glass bowl to the side, bent one leg, and leaned against the headboard. She turned on the lamp next to her.

In the faint yellow light, she spread her sketchbook on her lap and began to draw.

A shirt, a bow, a pleated skirt, knee-high white socks, and a pair of leather shoes… Sitting on a long bench, drinking Coke, trying to hold back a laugh, unable to stop crying… Staring into her eyes…

Mei Shi admired her own masterpiece, picking up the last grape from the bowl. She couldn’t bear to eat it, so she played with it in her mouth.

And all those drawings pointed to one subject—Jiang Yi.