It wasn’t until she saw Han Yu that He Lindi finally remembered who Chi Shuo’s former friend and love rival was. Back when Han Yu confessed to her, she didn’t even know the other person’s name, so when Chi Shuo asked, she genuinely had no impression at all.
Especially after she started dating Ding Miaoran, some girls at school still confessed to her even after she and Ding Miaoran broke up. With so many people, He Lindi naturally couldn’t match the name Han Yu with a face.
“I remember you now,” He Lindi said to Han Yu with a smile. “So it was you.”
Han Yu snorted lightly. “Oh.” She picked up her cup from the table and took a sip. “What an honor, being remembered by Teacher He.”
Today was Han Yu’s birthday. She usually celebrated quite flamboyantly, but this year she had opted for a slightly more low-key affair. She had only invited Chi Shuo and He Lindi for dinner. Her girlfriend was supposed to come too, but they had argued again.
Han Yu finished speaking, her brows knitting. “I think my girlfriend and I might really break up this time.”
He Lindi had learned the reason for their argument on the way over. Seeing Han Yu like this now, she sighed. “If the relationship makes you feel tired, then… there’s really no need to waste everyone’s time.”
They had finished dinner and were now at Han Yu’s KTV, in the same private room where Han Yu had confessed her feelings back then.
Chi Shuo was holding a microphone, singing a love song off to the side. He Lindi and Han Yu had drinks placed before them, eating snacks and drinking alcohol.
“When you confessed to your girlfriend back then, Shuo Shuo and I weren’t together yet,” He Lindi recalled. “You’ve been together for two years. Think about it—was there more happiness or sadness in those two years? That should make the decision easier.”
Han Yu looked pained. She knew He Lindi’s words made sense, but she couldn’t help feeling conflicted about the relationship.
Chi Shuo glanced at them, didn’t join the conversation, and continued singing her song.
Han Yu scratched her head. “I don’t know.”
He Lindi picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. She still didn’t drink much; she was mainly keeping Han Yu company now.
Han Yu paused. “But when a relationship gets tiring, it’s really…”
He Lindi said softly, “I’m not forcing you to break up. You can talk it through properly and resolve it.”
The reason for Han Yu’s fight with her girlfriend this time was still the same old “ex-girlfriend” issue. They had had a cold war and a huge fight over this before, but later her girlfriend seriously apologized and promised it would never happen again. Yet now, less than a year later, her girlfriend was getting close with her ex again.
Han Yu was very possessive, but she was also afraid of angering her girlfriend. So, she casually asked if the person she was gaming with was her ex. Her girlfriend immediately blew up, thinking she was being suspicious again and didn’t trust their relationship.
A pile of accusations rained down. Han Yu was stunned, snapped “Are you annoying or what?”, stormed out, and started another round of cold war. Even today, on Han Yu’s birthday, she hadn’t received a single birthday wish from her girlfriend.
Thinking of this, Han Yu downed the wine in her cup. The cup hit the coffee table with a “bang.” She said, “It’s meaningless.” The next second, tears streamed down her face. “There are still two hours left. If she doesn’t call or message me by then, I really don’t want her anymore.”
Her voice was already noticeably slurred. He Lindi hadn’t even finished one glass, while Han Yu had already downed two or three bottles.
Chi Shuo sighed and looked at He Lindi, who shrugged.
Chi Shuo put down the microphone, paused the song, sat down to Han Yu’s left, and patted her shoulder. “Xiao Yu, why don’t you go home and sleep first?”
“No.” Han Yu shook her lowered head, clutching her phone. “I’ll just wait for her, I’ll wait a little longer.”
He Lindi pursed her lips and offered her truest opinion: “Since you’re in a relationship, being completely cut off from your ex is the most basic thing.” She said, “Aside from special circumstances… have you asked her about her current relationship with her ex? Actually, if it’s just friendship, another possibility is that she never liked her at all.”
The room was dark. Han Yu’s tears fell unseen, but her sniffles were audible. “I don’t dare ask.”
She had never asked about her girlfriend’s ex. She was afraid she couldn’t compare to the other person in her girlfriend’s heart. If that were true, Han Yu didn’t know what she would do.
She thought she had learned to be carefree long ago. After being rejected by He Lindi back then, she was sad for a while but quickly got over it, thinking it was no big deal not being with someone like He Lindi; she would meet someone she liked more, someone better.
She thought every girlfriend she dated afterward would be the last, but in the end, she always faced a breakup. Han Yu felt cursed, like she couldn’t escape it.
Chi Shuo took a sip of the drink on the table. Since she had to drive later, she wouldn’t drink alcohol. She repeated her earlier suggestion, “Xiao Yu, go get some sleep. You’ll feel much better after sleeping.”
Han Yu sniffled and slowly nodded. “Okay.” She tilted her head up, covering her face with her hands. “I’ll go in a bit.”
“Okay.”
He Lindi spoke up from the side. “Shuo Shuo Jie Jie, I want to pick a song.” After speaking, she stood up and went to the song selection station, scrolled through, and chose Jay Chou’s “Sunny Day.”
Chi Shuo didn’t refuse and picked up the microphone to sing. Perhaps because of Han Yu, Chi Shuo sang with more sadness than usual. Not for any particular reason, just thinking maybe a good cry would do Han Yu some good.
Song after song passed. Han Yu had already collapsed onto the sofa, her phone still clutched tightly in her hand, yet it remained stubbornly silent.
Chi Shuo and He Lindi both sighed softly, called an employee to bring a thin blanket for her, and stopped singing, quietly waiting for time to pass.
He Lindi, affected by the alcohol, grew sleepy and leaned against Chi Shuo, dozing off. Chi Shuo browsed the internet alone.
The room fell quiet. Han Yu’s KTV had excellent soundproofing. Even though other rooms were singing loudly, they couldn’t hear anything here.
At 11:50 PM, the private room door opened. The person who entered was Han Yu’s girlfriend.
Chi Shuo only noticed then that it had started raining outside, because Han Yu’s girlfriend held an umbrella dripping with water. The rain outside seemed quite heavy, yet they hadn’t noticed at all.
He Lindi wasn’t sleeping deeply. Sensing Chi Shuo turn her head, she slowly opened her eyes and woke up. She saw a girl walk up to Han Yu, tears in her eyes.
Han Yu hadn’t woken up yet. She had drunk too much, and before sleeping, she had downed another two bottles, clearly wanting to get drunk first.
No one spoke in the room. Chi Shuo and He Lindi’s eyes were fixed on the girl. They watched her crouch beside the sofa, then take Han Yu’s hand, her voice trembling as she apologized, “I’m sorry…”
Leaving Han Yu’s KTV, the rain outside had stopped, but the ground was still wet, reflecting the streetlights.
It was November now, and the nights were very cold. Both women couldn’t help wrapping their clothes tighter, then holding each other’s hands tightly.
He Lindi’s drunkenness hadn’t completely faded, but it didn’t affect her normal thinking. “Do you think they’ve made up?”
In the final minutes of Han Yu’s birthday, her girlfriend rushed over to wish her a happy birthday and apologize. Before Chi Shuo and He Lindi left, Han Yu and her girlfriend were hugging each other.
“Yes.” Chi Shuo avoided a puddle. “They definitely made up. Otherwise, that final hug… could it have been a breakup hug?”
He Lindi switched topics. “I suddenly feel like we have very little entanglement with our exes.”
Chi Shuo: “…”
Chi Shuo questioned her, “Are you sure?”
He Lindi replied confidently, “Isn’t it?”
Chi Shuo clicked her tongue and sighed. “I’m the one with little entanglement. After breaking up with Shen Qu, we never contacted each other again. Later, even when we met, we barely interacted, just a few times in total.” Her tone gradually turned sour. “Unlike some people, who stay in touch with their ex after breaking up, even take half a month off for their wedding, send a huge red envelope when they get pregnant, and even pre-booked the godmother title before the baby was born…”
Ding Miaoran’s child had already been born, over a year old now, a boy who looked very delicate.
He Lindi released her hand. She mimicked Sun Wukong having the Tight-Fillet Spell chanted at him. “Master, master, stop chanting, stop chanting.”
Chi Shuo stopped walking, her voice laced with laughter. “How did I become Tang Sanzang this time?”
It was already midnight, few people on the street. He Lindi touched her face and replied, “Because I want to eat you.”
After speaking, she wrapped her arms around Chi Shuo’s neck, brought her face close, and gently bit Chi Shuo’s neck. The bite was very gentle. Chi Shuo smelled the faint scent of alcohol on her, then felt He Lindi’s next move—she licked her neck.
Chi Shuo rolled her throat, pulled He Lindi’s hand again, and walked towards the car. “Stop fooling around, let’s go home.”
Because it had rained, the surrounding air felt damp and somewhat cool.
Chi Shuo put He Lindi in the passenger seat, then leaned over to fasten her seatbelt. Before she could straighten up, He Lindi hugged her.
He Lindi whispered softly, “Wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Let me hug you.”
He Lindi nuzzled her hair. “You are my only one, always have been.”
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