Chapter Forty-Five: Going Their Separate Ways

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I carefully examined Luo Qing’s hairstyle. After thinking for a moment, I said, “If I remember correctly, when we first met, you had long, straight black hair. But after your birthday, you suddenly changed your style and went for golden waves.”

“When we first met…” Luo Qing seemed to ignore the point I had been making entirely, apparently lost in memories of that time. “You mean at Splendor Bar?”

I nodded and continued, “Back then, with that hairstyle and your aura, you looked incredibly noble and aloof. A complete ice queen… dressed in a black trench coat and wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses. You really gave off the feeling of an old Shanghai gangster movie. But speaking of which, I’ve always wondered why you were wearing sunglasses at night.”

Luo Qing playfully stuck out her tongue and murmured, “You still remember that?”

“Of course I do. I’ve seen all kinds of eccentric people in my time, but in real life, you’re the only girl I’ve ever seen wearing sunglasses in the dead of night.”

“All right…” Luo Qing seemed to admit that her behavior had been rather strange. “I had my reasons. I have a lot of enemies, after all. More precisely, my family has a lot of enemies.”

I naturally understood what she meant. Although we lived in a society governed by law, there was still no shortage of darkness lurking in the shadows. Take Qi Tian, who had lost his temper out of humiliation back then. If we had made even one wrong choice at the time, the consequences might have left me with lifelong regrets.

Luo Qing’s temper was peculiar, and sometimes she acted far too impulsively, but she had never done anything truly outrageous. In some ways, she was still very childish. I believed that even if she had enemies in society, it certainly was not because of anything she had done. Besides, judging from the spectacle made when her father came to take her away from Sister Ke Wen’s bar, it was clear that he must have fought his way up from nothing when he was young. With that in mind, everything became much easier to understand.

“Since you know how dangerous the outside world can be, why do you keep sneaking out to drink in the middle of the night? Aren’t you afraid some bad guy will kidnap you?” I asked with a smile.

“I don’t know. Maybe I just like that kind of free life…” Luo Qing said. “You saw it yourself. The first time I went to a bar, I had bodyguards with me. Actually, it wasn’t only my first time at a bar—it was also the first time I had, technically speaking, gone out alone. But I didn’t have any fun. So later, I secretly went out by myself. That was when I ended up running into so many things… and meeting a fool like you.”

As she spoke, Luo Qing suddenly laughed. Her beautiful eyes curved into little crescents, and she looked at me with unmistakable pride.

“You’ve got some nerve calling me that. You’re a female drunkard…” I was helpless in the face of Luo Qing and could only fight back verbally. “If you can’t hold your liquor, drink less. Don’t you know alcohol is the greatest source of trouble in this world?”

Luo Qing stood up and picked up the stuffed bear she had thrown earlier. Ignoring me, she gently stroked its snowy-white fur with her delicate hands before pouting and saying, “I don’t think drinking causes trouble at all. On the contrary, it gave me something wonderful.”

“Something wonderful?”

Luo Qing did not answer. She devoted herself to stroking the toy bear in her arms, as though it were a living creature. Her movements were gentle and tender.

Seeing that Luo Qing no longer seemed interested in talking to me, I took a cigarette from my pack. It was a cheap, inferior brand. I walked out onto the balcony, lit it, and opened the window a crack to let the smell of tobacco escape.

Perhaps this return would be only temporary. Since I had come back to Yichun, I should at least visit Sister Shi Yu and Sister Ke Wen. I could treat them to a meal and thank them for taking care of me all this time. As for the promise I had once made to them, I might not be able to fulfill it anymore. Dreams ultimately remained nothing more than fantasies. Perhaps I was simply an ordinary person—the most ordinary existence among millions.

I also needed to visit Yang Xiaoyu and see how she had been managing the cold-drink shop these past few days. She was still only a child, but her ability to work was far greater than mine. She was steady and hardworking. I believed that “The Search” would undergo a very successful transformation in her hands.

“Yang Chen.”

The sudden call startled me. I turned my head instinctively.

To my surprise, the moment I turned around, Luo Qing snatched the half-smoked cigarette from my mouth. She must have been planning it for quite some time. Before I could reach out to take it back, she had already run a considerable distance away. Then she flashed me a victorious V-sign and actually continued smoking the cigarette herself.

“Hey!” I shouted, running toward her.

Luo Qing took only one puff before choking and coughing violently. By the time I reached her, I scolded her, “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You’re a pampered young lady. What if you accidentally burned your hand and ended up with a cigarette-shaped mark?”

While coughing, Luo Qing waved at me dismissively. Then she looked at me with a baffling smile. “Can I take that to mean you’re worried about me?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it does.”

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“I…”

Before I could finish, Luo Qing abruptly raised a hand to interrupt me. Then she held the cigarette out toward me and complained, “What a lousy cigarette. Here, take it back.”

I accepted it and looked at her. She seemed somewhat unhappy, though I had no idea what had upset her this time. Her moods changed far too quickly. Was this what people meant when they said a woman could turn against you faster than one could turn a page?

After all that commotion, there was hardly anything left of the cigarette to smoke. I walked over to the table and stubbed it out.

“You’re such an idiot. Such a fool,” Luo Qing muttered repeatedly as she stood by the kitchen door.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She stamped her foot, returned to the bed, and sat down. Then she picked up the toy bear again and began playing with it.

“By the way, earlier you said you wanted my opinion on which hairstyle looked best. Do you still want to hear it?”

“No.”

“You really don’t want to hear it?”

“No.”

“Fine, then.” I had no desire to make a fool of myself again.

Just then, my phone rang. I took it out and saw that Goddess Su was calling.

“Hello?”

“Yang Chen, how is that girl? Is she all right?” Su Xuefei’s voice sounded soft and listless, as though she had no energy.

“She’s fine. Full of life. She’s probably just been exhausted lately. Give her a few days of rest and she’ll be back at full strength.” I hurriedly put some distance between myself and Luo Qing. If she heard us, she would definitely make a scene again.

“That’s good. Where are you now?” Su Xuefei seemed relieved, and her mood appeared to improve as well.

“What orders do you have for me, Goddess Su?”

Su Xuefei giggled softly on the other end of the line before saying, “What orders could I possibly have? I’m just hungry and wanted to go out for a meal with you.”

“Oh…”

“What’s wrong? Are you busy?” Su Xuefei hesitated. “If you are, never mind. I can go out and eat by myself.”

“No, I’m not busy. Are you still at the hotel? I’ll take a cab over.”

After hanging up, I stretched lazily and stood up to get dressed.

“Where are you going?” Luo Qing asked, rising as soon as she saw me pick up my clothes.

“Out to treat someone to a meal.”

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“Who?”

“I don’t have to tell you that, do I? Are you conducting a background check?” I got dressed and prepared to leave.

“Wait for me.” Luo Qing ran over to get her clothes and began putting them on.

“What? You want to come too?” I understood this girl less and less. She changed her mind every few minutes, and I had no idea what was going on inside her little heart. “I’m warning you now: I only have a thousand yuan on me. I can’t afford some lavish feast. I’ll also need to buy a ticket home in a few days.”

“Who said I was going to eat with you? Didn’t I already eat?” Luo Qing shot me a glare. Then she took her wallet from her bag and handed it to me. “Borrow this for now. Don’t starve to death because you can’t afford a meal.”

“That won’t be necessary. Our meal will only cost a few dozen yuan. I can still afford that much.”

“Fine. Starve to death, then. I wonder which beauty you’re going to have lunch with.” Luo Qing pouted, finished getting dressed, and walked over to me. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go. She’ll get impatient if you keep her waiting.”

“You’re really not coming with me?” I asked suspiciously.

“We’ll go our separate ways as soon as we leave.” Luo Qing seemed offended by my doubt. She pushed open the door and walked out first, not waiting for me as she headed downstairs.

I followed her out. Before leaving, I deliberately glanced at Zhao Ke Wen’s door next door. It was tightly shut. I had no idea how things stood between Zhao Ke Wen, Zhang Chuang, and Li Huixin, or what story was hidden behind their tangled feelings. I knew nothing about it. But as far as my own feelings were concerned, no matter what Sister Ke Wen chose to do, I had no right to blame her.

And yet, whenever I thought of the pain on Li Huixin’s face that day, my heart began to ache faintly.

With a sigh, I walked out of the building. Luo Qing stood with both hands in her pockets, staring blankly at the desolate street.

“What’s wrong?”

“None of your business.”

Luo Qing turned around. Her bright-red down jacket was impossible to miss, and paired with her twin ponytails, it gave her a rather adorably clueless air. I smiled without realizing it.

“What are you laughing at?”

“None of your business.” I returned her words in kind.

Luo Qing rushed over and punched me once to vent her displeasure. Then she pointed down the street and called out, “Which way are you going?”

I knew she meant that we were supposed to part ways. I casually pointed toward the hotel where Goddess Su was staying and then watched Luo Qing closely. I had no idea what business she had outside. Most likely, she had come out only to spite me. If I had not received the phone call, I would never have guessed that she had any intention of stepping outside in such bitter weather.

She confirmed the direction, then turned without the slightest hesitation and strode away in the exact opposite direction from the one I had pointed toward. She did not look back even once. Her manner was extraordinarily carefree, once again demonstrating the decisive, do-as-you-say style befitting a heroine.

I shook my head with a bitter smile. Luo Qing was still the same as ever, doing whatever she pleased. Even if she had just said we were going our separate ways, she could simply have gone about her own business after leaving. Did she really have to walk in the opposite direction? Once she cooled down, she would only have to turn around again.

What was the point?

(Nine-Headed Bird Academy)

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