The True Record of a Flirty Omega's Failed Balancing Act - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

◎This Doesn’t Seem Like You◎

“Is this the place You Zhuoqing talked about?”

Xu Guiyi asked this after she and Ning Chanyue arrived on her electric scooter at the address You Zhuoqing had sent.

Hearing this, Ning Chanyue looked up from the back seat and saw a square, box-like building in front of them. Although Ning Chanyue had never been here, according to the location You Zhuoqing had sent, the building should be a crematorium.

It was in the suburbs and extremely desolate. There were no other buildings, not even a person… So even if it wasn’t, it probably was.

So Ning Chanyue nodded and said, “It should be. She just messaged me and said she’s inside taking care of some paperwork.”

After that, Ning Chanyue got off the scooter. Her eyes were downcast, and she still looked as dispirited as she had the day before. She took two steps forward, waved her hand, and prepared to say goodbye to Xu Guiyi.

But just as Ning Chanyue was about to turn, she felt Xu Guiyi grab her wrist again, so she looked back.

Xu Guiyi asked worriedly, “Are you sure you don’t need me to go with you? I can still take time off now.”

That’s right, this morning, when You Zhuoqing messaged her to schedule a meeting, Ning Chanyue had honestly told Xu Guiyi about her mother’s death. Xu Guiyi’s first reaction was to want to go with her.

But perhaps intentionally not wanting Xu Guiyi and You Zhuoqing to meet, or perhaps not wanting to involve the already overworked Xu Guiyi in this matter, Ning Chanyue had refused.

Just like now, Ning Chanyue bit her lip and slowly shook her head again, honestly saying, “No. I don’t want to repeat what happened yesterday.”

“Okay then… How about a hug?”

This suggestion from Xu Guiyi made Ning Chanyue’s eyes suddenly widen a little.

“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing… I just think it’s a little strange.”

After all, since she and Xu Guiyi reunited a few weeks ago, she had never been so proactive.

But maybe it was because she pitied her…

Thinking this, Ning Chanyue still nodded and said, “Okay.”

So in the next second, she saw Xu Guiyi, who was still on the electric scooter, put her feet on the ground and open her arms to hug her…

Xu Guiyi’s helmet was a little cold.

This was Ning Chanyue’s first thought.

But Ning Chanyue’s movements paused for a moment before she hugged Xu Guiyi back.

“What do you want for dinner tonight? I’m getting off work early, at 7. I’ll make it for you when I get back.” Xu Guiyi said this in her ear as she hugged her.

“Hmm… I haven’t decided. I’ll message you when I think of something.”

“Okay,” Xu Guiyi’s hand patted Ning Chanyue’s back in a comforting way, and she said, “Then you should go quickly. It’s sunny outside. Don’t keep You Zhuoqing waiting for too long.”

After saying this, Xu Guiyi released her arms, but Ning Chanyue tilted her head to look at Xu Guiyi and didn’t move.

“Is something else wrong?” Xu Guiyi asked openly.

In contrast, Ning Chanyue’s thoughts were not so open. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away with You Zhuoqing?”

After all, You Zhuoqing would start acting a little strangely whenever she heard anything about Xu Guiyi. But now… Xu Guiyi didn’t seem to be like that at all.

But then, she heard a soft chuckle from Xu Guiyi, who said, “Of course I’m not afraid. You definitely won’t go with her. After all, I took you back, so I have to trust you, don’t I?”

Hmm… That’s true. After Xu Guiyi finished speaking, Ning Chanyue belatedly felt as if she had asked a not-so-smart question.

After all, she had said yesterday that one of the reasons she asked her to take her back was to escape from You Zhuoqing, and… she couldn’t leave Xu Guiyi’s pheromones now.

Perhaps she had been forced to adapt to You Zhuoqing’s reactive behavior towards Xu Guiyi, and her mindset hadn’t changed yet after seeing a perfectly normal Xu Guiyi.

Thinking this, Ning Chanyue also smiled. She looked up, preparing to wave goodbye to Xu Guiyi again, but when her gaze fell on Xu Guiyi’s face, she couldn’t help but be stunned again.

In fact, this was just an extraordinarily simple scene. All she saw was Xu Guiyi looking at her as well, smiling and waving.

But for some reason, even though they had just reunited and there might still be some distance between them, when Ning Chanyue saw Xu Guiyi’s gentle smile, it suddenly reminded her of their high school days, of every time they parted at the intersection after school.

It was also this kind of dawdling and clinging.

But perhaps seeing that she hadn’t spoken for a while, Xu Guiyi was the first to speak. “I’ll get going then. See you tonight. Let me know if you feel uncomfortable.”

“Okay, see you tonight.”

With that, Xu Guiyi waved at Ning Chanyue again, adjusted her helmet, and left.

Perhaps still clinging to the past, or maybe genuinely reluctant to part, Ning Chanyue only turned around after watching Xu Guiyi disappear around the corner.

But as soon as she turned around, Ning Chanyue’s brows suddenly furrowed—

Because she saw a familiar figure, You Zhuoqing.

At this moment, she was slowly walking towards her.

When had she been there? How long had she been watching her and Xu Guiyi?

But Ning Chanyue didn’t stay stunned for long this time, because soon, You Zhuoqing walked up to her. Her voice was dry and hoarse, as if squeezed from her throat. She said with a strong hint of jealousy, “Why didn’t she come with you?”

Ning Chanyue glanced at You Zhuoqing, who was very close to her. She was visibly exhausted. She didn’t know how many nights she hadn’t slept well. Her eyes were completely red and bloodshot. But after only a few seconds on You Zhuoqing’s face, Ning Chanyue forced herself to look away.

Then, Ning Chanyue took a deep breath and said, “Because I didn’t want her to see you. I was afraid you’d say something hurtful to her again.”

After saying this, Ning Chanyue walked towards the crematorium.

Upon hearing Ning Chanyue’s answer, the corners of You Zhuoqing’s mouth, which had been trying to turn upward, stiffened. Seeing Ning Chanyue walk away, she took a few seconds to react before following. When she caught up to Ning Chanyue, she said, “Then… then I was just afraid you’d leave, too, wasn’t I?”

For some reason, upon hearing this, Ning Chanyue’s steps paused. She looked You Zhuoqing up and down, but didn’t say anything. She just stared at You Zhuoqing’s bloodshot eyes for a few seconds before walking into the crematorium.

…

In fact, after entering the crematorium, Ning Chanyue couldn’t remember much of what happened next.

She only remembered feeling a chilly cold as soon as she walked in, and her mood seemed to plummet with it. At first, she was able to handle some of the staff’s questions and the condolences from the few people who came to mourn her mother.

But when she saw her mother’s pale face, the brief but precious memories of the past flooded back into her mind, and tears began to roll down her cheeks. After that, You Zhuoqing and her sister’s girlfriend, Chen Luanqing, were mostly in charge of the rest of the matters.

It wasn’t until the sound from the furnace gradually ceased and the staff handed the ashes to her sister, whom she had never met before, to take home and bury properly, that her consciousness slowly returned. She walked out of the crematorium with You Zhuoqing.

They were the last ones to leave among those who came to see her mother. Ning Chanyue remembered that before she stepped into the crematorium, the weather was bright and sunny, but now, perhaps because it was getting late, the sky had already dimmed slightly, casting a layer of gray over the world.

“Are you feeling better?”

You Zhuoqing walked behind Ning Chanyue. Seeing that Ning Chanyue was silent, she might have thought she was feeling sentimental again. So, just like she did inside the crematorium, she pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Ning Chanyue.

But this time, Ning Chanyue didn’t take them as she had before. She said in a slightly hoarse voice, “It’s fine. I’m much better.”

“Then… are you going back now?”

You Zhuoqing awkwardly retracted her hand with the tissues. When they reached the side of the road, she asked Ning Chanyue this.

Ning Chanyue turned around and nodded naturally.

“…Wait a moment. I have some things for you.”

After saying this, You Zhuoqing seemed to be afraid that Ning Chanyue wouldn’t wait and would just leave. She kept her eyes on her as she walked to her parked car. You Zhuoqing’s upper body disappeared into the car, and she was rummaging for something.

This was a very normal action, but as You Zhuoqing rummaged, Ning Chanyue’s eyebrows slowly began to furrow.

Because she thought… out here in the middle of nowhere, You Zhuoqing wouldn’t really be so desperate as to use some tool and take her away from here, would she?

But it… it shouldn’t be, right?

The unpleasant memories of the past lingered in Ning Chanyue’s mind. At this moment, she gripped her phone tightly, her gaze fixed on You Zhuoqing. She felt that as soon as she saw You Zhuoqing pull out something bad, she would immediately call the police and leave this place.

But she didn’t.

When You Zhuoqing walked back to her with a bag of things, showing them to her one by one, Ning Chanyue felt a little bit like a villain judging a… well, You Zhuoqing might not be a saint, but her thoughts were still a bit dark.

Because You Zhuoqing took the things out of the bag one by one, introducing them to her as she spoke. “This is the medicine I bought at the hospital yesterday. Xu Guiyi’s family might not have it, and it’s no use to me, so you should take it back… This is sandalwood-scented pheromones. I told you last night that if she’s not with you, smelling this can help in an emergency… Oh, and this. This is a letter of things to note that I wrote. I asked the doctor about your condition again this morning. I was afraid you wouldn’t notice, so I wrote it down for you.”

After saying that, You Zhuoqing handed the paper over. But before she could look at the contents in detail, Ning Chanyue froze the moment she touched the paper.

Because she felt that the paper had a dry, brittle feel, like a fallen leaf in autumn. She could hear a crisp sound with a sudden touch.

So Ning Chanyue looked down. But when she lowered her head, she saw a few dried water stains on the paper.

No, not water… These were clearly tear stains.

Ning Chanyue looked up in surprise. She saw that You Zhuoqing’s eyes were glistening with a faint, moist red, whether from being bloodshot or from sadness.

Perhaps the gloomy mood from inside the crematorium hadn’t fully dissipated. Seeing You Zhuoqing like this, Ning Chanyue’s heart suddenly clenched. She pursed her lips and then asked, “Why are you suddenly like this, You Zhuoqing?”

This doesn’t seem like you.