Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 24
As soon as the call connected, Xie Jing immediately asked, “Hello? Qin Ning, are you okay?”
Qin Ning’s voice came through the receiver, a little hoarse. “I’m fine.”
“I sent you a message on WeChat. Did you see it?” Xie Jing could vaguely sense something was off about Qin Ning’s tone, but she held back from asking directly.
“Just saw it,” Qin Ning replied. “I missed you too.”
After that, she fell silent. Just as Xie Jing was about to say something else, WeChat notifications started popping up one after another.
Qin Ning: “I really, really missed you too.”
Qin Ning: “My grandma was hospitalized these past few days. I kept my phone on silent so I wouldn’t disturb her.”
Qin Ning: “I didn’t ignore you on purpose. I just didn’t want you to worry.”
Qin Ning: “You can message me anytime. As long as I see it and I’m free, I’ll reply right away.”
“Your grandma was hospitalized? Is she okay?” Xie Jing wasn’t concerned about whether Qin Ning replied to her or not—what mattered was her grandma. She had never even known that Qin Ning had a grandmother; this was the first time she’d mentioned her.
“She’s getting old and has trouble walking. A few days ago, she fell down the stairs and was in the ICU for a few days. She was just transferred to a regular ward today.” Qin Ning had been running around nonstop taking care of her grandma. Apart from eating and sleeping, she barely had time to do anything else.
“I see… then I shouldn’t bother you. Go take care of your grandma.” Xie Jing was about to hang up when Qin Ning quickly stopped her.
“Wait, Xie Jing, don’t hang up yet. I want to hear your voice a little longer.”
Hearing this, Xie Jing’s finger hovered over the screen, pausing.
“Then I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to these past few days at home.”
“Okay.” Qin Ning put on her headphones. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“A few days ago, I went to the back gate of No. 2 High School to eat those rice rolls I used to love. That whole street’s changed a lot—so many buildings were torn down, I barely recognized the place.”
“No. 2 High also built a few new teaching buildings, renovated the sports field, and even dug out an artificial lake in the garden. It looks super grand now.”
“I also max-leveled my Zhu Xian account these past few days. If you’re too busy, I can help level yours too so your monthly pass doesn’t go to waste.”
“If you need any help with anything, just let me know.”
Qin Ning: “Okay.”
That night, Xie Jing rambled on about all sorts of things. Qin Ning listened quietly the entire time, occasionally responding with a few words. They only ended the call when Xie Jing’s mom called her downstairs for dinner.
Xie Jing stayed at home for about half a month. As Spring Festival approached, festive vibes gradually filled the air. Red Chinese knots were hung along the streets, every house was decorated with lights and lanterns, and the warm holiday atmosphere softened the harshness of winter.
She took photos of the festive scenes and sent them to Qin Ning. She figured, since Qin Ning had moved to Jinghai right after middle school, she probably missed her hometown from time to time.
After receiving the pictures, Qin Ning sent back a few photos of snowy scenery for Xie Jing to enjoy.
Xie Jing had never seen a persimmon tree in the north. When she saw golden-orange persimmons hanging on bare branches like little yolks, she couldn’t help but ask, curious, “Are the persimmons sweet?”
“Very sweet. You can eat them right off the tree,” Qin Ning said, holding a softened persimmon in her hand. “If you want some, I’ll bring you a few when school starts again.”
“Won’t they spoil?” Xie Jing asked excitedly.
“They won’t.”
Xie Jing trusted Qin Ning completely. “Then I’ll bring you some local specialties from Jiangcheng too!”
Qin Ning: “Okay.”
“Do you like Eight-Treasure Cake? My dad made it himself. It has lots of herbs in it—super nourishing. And we also have sausage. Do you prefer sweet or savory?” Xie Jing racked her brain, trying to think of everything she could possibly bring Qin Ning—snacks, drinks, herbal teas, even toys.
“Either is fine. I like whatever you bring.” Qin Ning wasn’t picky. Having lived in both the north and south, she was used to both sweet and savory foods—as long as Xie Jing didn’t bring her a bag of dried mushrooms.
Xie Jing: “Alrighty!”
As the holiday spirit reached its peak, the winter break passed by two-thirds before anyone realized.
On New Year’s Eve, Xie Jing got up early to help out—putting up couplets, setting off firecrackers—she wanted to be involved in everything.
Mrs. Xie watched her daughter jumping around excitedly and couldn’t help but laugh. Even at eighteen, she was still such a child.
That night, as the New Year approached, Xie Jing quietly called Qin Ning. Compared to the constant booming of fireworks outside her window, it was unusually quiet on Qin Ning’s end.
“Qin Ning, are you in your room?” she asked.
Qin Ning: “Yeah.”
“Do you have a window?”
Qin Ning: “I do. Why?”
“Go to the window and look up,” Xie Jing said. After a few seconds, she added, “Do you see those three stars lined up together?”
Qin Ning looked up, her eyes scanning the sky before landing on a spot. “I see them.”
“We may be miles apart, but right now we’re looking at the same sky. Those three stars witness how much we miss each other. Through them, I can picture you standing at your window.” As the countdown ended and fireworks exploded in the sky, Xie Jing’s voice rang out, “It’s a new year again. I hope you’re always happy, Qin Ning.”
Qin Ning: “Happy New Year, Xiao Jing.”
Time flew after the new year. On the second day, Xie Jing visited her grandmother’s. On the third day, she stayed home to welcome visiting relatives. This went on until the Lantern Festival.
After that, it was time to return to school. Mrs. Xie packed two huge bags for her—one with daily necessities, and one full of local specialties.
“Mama, I appreciate you, but I’m not a superhero! I can’t carry all this!” Xie Jing pointed to the humidifier, electric kettle, hot water bottle, and heated blanket in disbelief.
She couldn’t understand why her mom insisted on lugging everything across 2,000 kilometers when all of it could be bought near school.
But Mrs. Xie easily shut her down with a single line: “Nothing you buy outside is as good as what you bring from home.” Though she had a habit of stuffing her daughter’s luggage full of everything imaginable, she also knew her daughter wasn’t exactly strong. So, she had two bodyguards carry the luggage to be checked in. Someone was already arranged to pick it up at Jinghai. All Xie Jing needed to do was bring her
backpack and phone and hop on the plane.
Before this, she never imagined she’d look forward to going back to school. But over the break, she thought of Qin Ning constantly. Even when gaming, she couldn’t stop missing her. Whenever she saw Qin Ning’s grayed-out profile picture, her heart would sink a little.
All she could think about at home was: Why is time moving so slowly? Why is winter break so long? I want to go back to school!
She was practically racing back.
As soon as she got off the plane, she spotted Qin Ning.
“Qin Ning—!”
She dashed forward and leapt into her arms.
It had only been a little over a month, but it felt like a lifetime.
She remembered bragging before the break that a month would pass in no time. Reality had promptly slapped her in the face.
Xie Jing: “I’m never saying time apart goes by fast ever again.”
Now, she finally understood the look Qin Ning had given her back then.
Qin Ning wrapped her arms around Xie Jing’s waist and kissed her on the forehead. “A day apart feels like three autumns.”
Xie Jing: “Quoting poetry in public, huh? You know we’re at the airport, right? Isn’t it weird to kiss me here?”
Qin Ning: “I like you. I couldn’t help it.”
Xie Jing felt the same—so she dragged her straight back to the dorm.
But she miscalculated. Even back in the dorm, there was no chance to kiss. Zhou Yan and Chen Yuan had already returned and were cleaning up.
“You two even came back on the same day. What a coincidence,” Zhou Yan said suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you spent the whole break together?”
Xie Jing: “Not that lucky. I went south for the New Year, Qin Ning stayed in Jinghai. We were separated by mountains, rivers, and stars.”
Zhou Yan was surprised. “Wait, Qin Ning’s local? How come you never go home on weekends?”
That made Xie Jing pause. “Yeah, Qin Ning, since you’re from Jinghai, why don’t you go home on weekends?”
Qin Ning just looked at her and didn’t reply.
Xie Jing suddenly realized—was it because of her that Qin Ning didn’t go home?
If so, that would be a huge sin.
Zhou Yan’s face said she knew.
Sensing the atmosphere, Xie Jing wisely dropped the topic. The moment passed quickly.
Soon after, Mrs. Xie called to say the two giant bags had arrived downstairs. Xie Jing got help from her roommates, and after a few trips—they lived on a lower floor—they managed to bring everything up in smaller loads.
When they returned, Zhou Yan pointed at the mountain of snacks and asked if she could try some.
Xie Jing waved generously. “Go ahead, help yourself.”
She had already set aside Qin Ning’s portion.
Xie Jing also finally got her golden-orange persimmons. The soft, sweet flavor melted in her mouth—so good she felt like rolling in the snow outside the playground to express her joy.
Zhou Yan: “Is it that good?”
She picked a glossy persimmon, peeled it, and popped it in her mouth. One suck and it turned into persimmon.zip.
Zhou Yan: “It really is sweet.”
Then she moved on to the pastries. Midway through, a sudden warm trickle ran down her nose. Before she could react, Xie Jing had already noticed something was off.
Xie Jing: “Holy crap, Zhou Yan—you’re having a nosebleed!”