The True Record of a Flirty Omega's Failed Balancing Act - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

◎ Ex-wife comes knocking late at night ◎

Due to her sister, Xu Guiyi did not live in the school dorms. However, the apartment she rented was not very close to the school. It took her an hour to ride her electric bike back and forth. The only, and biggest, advantage of this apartment was that it was in the old city, where everything was cheap.

The old city, as the name suggests, has old buildings and facilities. Xu Guiyi’s complex was no exception, with dozens of six-story buildings crowded together, making it feel suffocating.

Xu Guiyi rode her electric bike, which had been with her for seven years, back to the complex. The bike was in a state of disrepair. The lights had long been broken, and the brakes were hard to lock.

But thankfully, it hadn’t caused any accidents.

……

“Watch out!”

As she reached the entrance of the complex, Xu Guiyi saw a figure suddenly rush out from the side of the road. She quickly squeezed the brakes, but the bike, as if possessed, slid forward for a few meters. With a practiced sideways drift, Xu Guiyi barely grazed the person’s side, and after a wobble, she managed to stop the bike.

“Watch where you’re going next time.”

A few years ago, if someone had suddenly blocked her like this, Xu Guiyi would have probably gotten off and scolded them. But at this moment, Xu Guiyi was in a hurry to get home to her sister and didn’t have the time or energy to argue with people who couldn’t see straight.

She twisted the throttle, ready to leave again.

“Guiyi, it’s me.”

Just as she was about to go, a pair of delicate hands lightly pulled on her sleeve.

Xu Guiyi turned her head and saw a pair of dewy, lively eyes blinking at her. Seeing Xu Guiyi meet her gaze, the almond-shaped eyes immediately curved into crescent moons, brimming with a full smile. She quickly pulled down her mask and waved to Xu Guiyi.

“Guiyi, long time no see.”

Five years. It really had been a long time.

“What are you doing here?”

Xu Guiyi gave her a casual glance, her expression normal, showing neither impatience nor excitement. Her tone was as calm as if she were asking a stranger why they were holding her back.

Then, she subtly pushed away Ning Chanyue’s hand from her sleeve. Ning Chanyue was startled for a moment, then put her hands behind her back, lightly rubbing the fingertips that had just touched her sleeve.

Five years really can turn a couple who were once inseparable into strangers.

“I… want to talk to you. Is it convenient for me to come up to your place?”

The curve of Ning Chanyue’s lips faded for a moment, but quickly returned. The two puffy areas under her eyes were like crescent bays, making her smile even more beautiful and moving.

Xu Guiyi suddenly remembered high school, when Ning Chanyue had also held onto her sleeve and smiled at her like this, bright and ethereal. She was easily captivated by her appearance.

She looked up at Ning Chanyue’s face, a face she had secretly fallen for countless times and stared at countless times while holding her close in bed at night.

Her face still had the makeup from the stage, and the glitter under her eyes shimmered with every slight movement. She was wearing a red silk fishtail dress. The luxurious tail of the dress occasionally swept the ground, as if being desecrated by the unsightly floor.

She was so different from herself. Xu Guiyi had casually thrown on a white shirt before leaving home. In the morning, she had just hastily washed her face, forgetting to even use face wash. She was so unkempt they looked like people from two different worlds.

No, maybe from the very beginning, they were people from two different worlds.

So Xu Guiyi pursed her lips and directly rejected Ning Chanyue’s request.

“My place is a mess, it’s not convenient for you to come over. And… don’t come again.”

After saying that, Xu Guiyi put her feet back on the pedals of the electric bike, twisted the throttle, and a gust of wind swept by, lifting the wispy hair at Ning Chanyue’s temples.

Xu Guiyi turned several corners and reached her building. She pushed the electric bike into the shed across the street, picked up the two bags of black rice porridge and a few steamed buns she had bought on the way, efficiently propped up the bike, plugged it in to charge, took out the key, and prepared to leave the shed.

But as soon as she turned around, she saw Ning Chanyue standing at the entrance of the shed. She had run so fast that she was now clutching her chest and gasping for breath. Seeing Xu Guiyi come out, she quickly straightened up and smiled at her again.

Xu Guiyi just gave her a glance, deliberately ignoring her, and walked past Ning Chanyue. But the bag of black rice porridge in her hand, swaying as she walked, happened to hook onto the hem of Ning Chanyue’s dress.

The next second, she heard Ning Chanyue’s gasp of surprise.

The decorations on the dress tore a slit in the bag of black rice porridge. The hot porridge, like a mudslide, poured down Ning Chanyue’s dress and landed squarely on the back of her foot.

In just an instant, a large area of Ning Chanyue’s foot turned red.

Xu Guiyi looked up at her. Ning Chanyue’s eyes also seemed to be red from the pain, filled with tears, but she sniffled, trying hard not to let them fall.

“I’m sorry, let me wipe it for you.”

Xu Guiyi took out a few tissues from her backpack and knelt down to wipe the porridge stuck to her foot. But as soon as the tissue touched her foot, she heard Ning Chanyue gasp, and her leg instinctively pulled back.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Ning Chanyue was about to shake her head, but halfway through, as if she had remembered something, she tremblingly extended her leg again, nodded, and said in a shaky voice, “Yes, it hurts. I probably can’t walk.”

Seeing this, Xu Guiyi put her bag down beside her, took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and poured a little at a time on the burned area of Ning Chanyue’s foot to cool it down. After all the remnants were washed onto the ground, she took out some more tissues, rolled them into thin strips, and while gently blowing on the burned part of Ning Chanyue’s foot, she slowly dabbed the water off.

Ning Chanyue looked down at Xu Guiyi doing this.

Xu Guiyi’s movements were gentle and meticulous, probably out of guilt. Her demeanor was completely different from the coldness she had shown on the bike. It was like… before.

After Xu Guiyi’s treatment, Ning Chanyue’s foot didn’t hurt as much, but for some reason, her eyes became even redder.

“Let’s just handle it like this for now,” Xu Guiyi stood up with her bag. But when she met Ning Chanyue’s gaze, she saw the tears on the verge of spilling and was stunned. “If it still hurts, I’ll take you upstairs to put some medicine on it.”

“Okay.”

As if afraid Xu Guiyi would change her mind, as soon as Xu Guiyi’s voice fell, Ning Chanyue nodded heavily twice.

Xu Guiyi took Ning Chanyue’s wrist, intending to put her arm on her own shoulder to help her walk better. But as soon as her hand was in mid-air, a tear from Ning Chanyue’s brimming eyes fell onto her hand. The teardrop rolled down the back of Xu Guiyi’s hand, to Ning Chanyue’s palm, and finally fell to the ground and disappeared. But the trail of tears was clearly visible on both of their wrists.

Xu Guiyi sighed, took the remaining tissues from her pocket, and gently wiped Ning Chanyue’s damp eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth to comfort the Ning Chanyue she had made cry. “Don’t cry. It’s not pretty when you cry.”

Xu Guiyi was very close to Ning Chanyue, so close that Ning Chanyue could not only feel Xu Guiyi’s slightly cool fingertips but also her warm breath on her skin and the faint sandalwood scent of her pheromones that had snuck into her nose.

In an instant, Ning Chanyue’s heart fluttered like an undercurrent winding down a cave, turbulent and rapid. Her heart was beating so intensely that even her breathing became cautious and shaky, as if she was afraid of accidentally disturbing the fleeting warmth.

After a long time, Ning Chanyue dreamily placed her hand on Xu Guiyi’s wrist again and said to her, “I won’t cry. Let’s… go home.”

She had always listened to Xu Guiyi the most. If she promised Xu Guiyi she wouldn’t cry, then she definitely wouldn’t cry anymore.

So Xu Guiyi put Ning Chanyue’s arm on her shoulder again and walked forward, step by step. After making sure that Ning Chanyue could keep up by hopping on one leg, she maintained that rhythm and helped her up the stairs.

It took them nearly ten minutes to get to the fourth floor. Xu Guiyi took out her key and opened the door.

The apartment Xu Guiyi rented was not big, about 60 square meters. The interior layout could be seen at a glance from the doorway. Xu Guiyi was helping Ning Chanyue into the room, but Ning Chanyue hesitated for a moment before dazed, following Xu Guiyi inside.

Xu Guiyi had not lied to her. Her home was indeed a mess. Most of the living room floor was covered with children’s toys. The coffee table had torn notebooks piled on it. The dining room on the right was even worse, with all the pots and pans that should have been in the kitchen stacked on the dining table, and the tablecloth under the table was covered with stains of varying depths.

She bit her lip, looking at Xu Guiyi with some confusion.

After all, in her memory, Xu Guiyi’s home was not like this.

Ever since Ning Chanyue had known her, Xu Guiyi’s home had always been a bright, spacious apartment with one unit per floor. It not only had an endless supply of snacks and fruits but also a pair of doting parents who cared for both Xu Guiyi and her, making her incredibly envious.

Xu Guiyi helped Ning Chanyue to the sofa. Seeing Ning Chanyue staring at her, her eyes unblinking, she knew what Ning Chanyue wanted to ask, so she said, “My parents are gone. I sold the old house, and now I live with my sister.”

When Xu Guiyi said this, her expression remained calm, as if stating a fact unrelated to herself, which in turn made Ning Chanyue, whose eyes had widened, seem out of place.

But she didn’t say anything more. The next second, Xu Guiyi pulled her arm away from Ning Chanyue’s shoulder, turned, and knelt down. She pulled a shoebox out from under the coffee table, rummaged through it, and pulled out a tube of erythromycin ointment that was half full. She held it up in front of Ning Chanyue.

“We don’t have any expensive medicine at home, only this. If you can’t accept it, I can buy you some expensive medicine on my phone.”

Ning Chanyue was still reeling from the shock. Hearing Xu Guiyi’s caring words, she seemed to remember something. The hand that was about to take the ointment paused. She pursed her lips, her voice tight, “It’s fine.”

Ning Chanyue knew why Xu Guiyi said that. It was because she used to be very picky. Probably because she had a difficult childhood and had not seen many good things, so when she started making some money as an extra in college, she would be choosy about the cheap things at home, eagerly throwing them away and replacing them with expensive items.

She had argued with Xu Guiyi about this several times.

After she and Xu Guiyi broke up, she had speculated countless times whether it was these actions that made Xu Guiyi unhappy with her. That little bit of disappointment accumulated, and that’s why she suddenly left her.

She had only been in the door for a few minutes, and Xu Guiyi had only said two sentences. But those two light words seemed to have turned into hard fists, hitting her heart one after another, leaving her speechless.

Ning Chanyue sullenly looked down and unscrewed the cap of the ointment. She didn’t ask Xu Guiyi to help her again. She squeezed out a section of the ointment, ready to apply it to the still-stinging burn on her foot.

“I’m sorry.”

As Ning Chanyue’s hand touched the back of her foot, she suddenly looked up at Xu Guiyi, who was standing in front of her, and said this without any context.

But hearing Ning Chanyue’s apology, the always calm and distant Xu Guiyi’s expression suddenly froze. But when she realized what Ning Chanyue was apologizing for, her expression returned to normal. She shrugged and said, “It’s all in the past.”

The air between the two was unusually calm, as calm as any other casual conversation they had in the past. And, of course, as calm as… the night before a storm.

“When your foot feels better, you should go,” Xu Guiyi seemed not to want Ning Chanyue to stay. Seeing that Ning Chanyue was silent, she added, “I can get a taxi for you to take you back to where you live.”

“No, no. Can I stay a little longer?” Ning Chanyue paused, afraid that Xu Guiyi would refuse, and quickly added, “Did you not have dinner yet? I spilled your porridge, so let me order you some takeout.”

Just let her stay a little longer, just let her feel this hard-won warmth for a little while longer.

But just as Ning Chanyue picked up her phone and was about to open the takeout app, an unexpected call popped up.

You Zhuoqing. After glancing at the contact’s name, Ning Chanyue took a deep breath and decisively ended the call.

Afterward, she seemed to feel guilty and glanced at Xu Guiyi, who was sitting beside her.

“You Zhuoqing?”

Xu Guiyi’s voice suddenly lowered. She had clearly seen the name on the call log. Her face darkened, and she turned slightly, casting a heavy shadow on Ning Chanyue.

Before Ning Chanyue could even open her mouth to explain, Xu Guiyi frowned again, and her voice carried a hint of impatience. “You should go. This place is too small for a big shot like you.”

Xu Guiyi gave a forceful order for her to leave.

“I…”

Ning Chanyue pursed her lips. She knew very well why Xu Guiyi’s mood had suddenly soured. After all, who wouldn’t mind their ex-girlfriend receiving a call from the person they cheated with, and who she was still married to, right in front of them?

Ning Chanyue’s hand holding the phone turned a little white. Although she didn’t know how much credibility her words had after the company and the media’s rampant promotion, she still tried to defend herself. “I never married her.”

“Why are you explaining this? Whether you’re married or not, what does it have to do with me now?”

Ning Chanyue looked at Xu Guiyi. She seemed to shrug nonchalantly, and her expression quickly returned to her usual calm. But for some reason, her light tone felt like a thousand-pound weight, pulling her heart down and making her unable to breathe.

Does she really not care about me at all anymore…?

Ning Chanyue moved closer to Xu Guiyi’s side, but Xu Guiyi’s hair happened to fall, blocking her face.

She ignored her, and Ning Chanyue couldn’t see her clearly.

But then, Ning Chanyue smelled the oppressive pheromones that an Alpha emits when their emotions fluctuate. Xu Guiyi seemed to be deliberately holding back, but as an Omega who had spent so much time with her, no matter how much she tried to suppress her aggressive pheromones, Ning Chanyue would still be unconsciously affected.

However, since there was aggression, it meant that Xu Guiyi still cared about her and this matter… right?

The sharp sandalwood scent made Ning Chanyue’s head spin, and her vision went a little dark. But she quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead and, after a few breaths, forced out a smile and continued to explain, “Guiyi, You Zhuoqing and I aren’t like what the media says…”

Knock, knock, knock.

A sudden, rapid, and forceful knock on the door interrupted Ning Chanyue’s attempt to explain. Xu Guiyi seemed to know who it was. She didn’t respond to Ning Chanyue’s pale words. Instead, she glanced at the time on her phone, then hurried to the door and opened it.

So late, who could it be?