PSMD – Chapter 173

Before coming, they planned to spend a few days having fun in Xicheng to make up for the “regret” of not joining the tour group at all last time. But after they actually arrived, they didn’t go out every day, or rather, they only visited three scenic spots in total.

Qiu Yang still brought her DSLR camera, taking photos wherever they went and posting them on Weibo.

They spent this entire week in Xicheng. Pingzi had been picked up by Yao Yao and Yue Chu beforehand, just like last time. As a result, when they went to pick Pingzi up after returning to Yuncheng, the cat looked a bit fatter again.

It was sound asleep in Yao Yao’s arms, completely undisturbed by the noise at the door, while Yao Yao looked peaceful reading a book.

Yue Chu opened the door. She put slippers on the floor and said, “This is how they get along now.”

Qiu Yang: “…”

Shen Ningruo: “…”

Alright, that’s cats for you.

Qiu Yang opened her mouth, about to call out to Pingzi, when she saw Yao Yao make a shushing gesture towards her: “Yangyang, quiet down, you’ll wake up our Pangpang.”

Shen Ningruo raised an eyebrow: “‘Our Pangpang’?”

“Yeah.”

“Haven’t you seen how clingy it is now?”

Yao Yao’s reply had a hint of provocation.

Yue Chu shrugged, looking helpless herself.

Qiu Yang walked towards the sofa. This time, she didn’t make a sound, just gently picked up the freeze-dried treat jar from the coffee table and shook it. Pingzi immediately woke up and looked clearly stunned the moment it saw Qiu Yang.

Qiu Yang reached out and stroked its head: “What’s wrong, Pangpang? Are you questioning your cat life?”

Pingzi: “Meow.”

Shen Ningruo sat down beside them, clicking her tongue a few times: “Heartless little cat.”

Yao Yao looked down at Pingzi, putting on a pitiful expression: “Pangpang, Auntie can’t save you this time, you have to go home.”

Yue Chu got water for Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo and put it on the coffee table, changing the subject: “How was your trip to Xicheng this time?”

“It was good.”

“The bed was much softer than last time.”

Shen Ningruo answered seriously.

Qiu Yang glanced at her sideways. Shen Ningruo also put on an innocent look: “We went out during the day and came back to rest at night, and that bed was indeed more comfortable.”

“I know,” Qiu Yang raised an eyebrow. “Why are you explaining? Shen Ningruo.”

Yao Yao burst out laughing. Pingzi was startled and quickly jumped down to find a safe place to hide.

“Yao Yao and I plan to visit Xicheng sometime soon too,” Yue Chu said, her lips curving up.

Qiu Yang nodded: “Xicheng is quite fun to explore.” She walked over to where Pingzi was hiding and picked it up: “Time to go home, Pangpang.”

Pingzi was clearly unhappy with the nickname. It wagged its tail to express its feelings.

Shen Ningruo squeezed its paw: “You’re not happy? Wait until we get home and weigh you. I want to see how many more ounces you’ve gained.”

Yue Chu and Yao Yao were very fond of Pingzi and didn’t spoil it during the week. It wasn’t completely heartless; at least it showed reluctance to leave Yue Chu and Yao Yao when it was time to go.

Of course, what it was most reluctant to leave was the life here, which was completely free and easy. At home, it would be controlled.

To slow down its weight gain, Qiu Yang strictly controlled its food portions.

On the way back, Qiu Yang drove. Shen Ningruo sat in the passenger seat with the cat carrier on her lap, Pingzi’s head sticking out for air.

Even though the cat carrier had excellent ventilation.

Qiu Yang was in a great mood, her lips curved up the whole time. As they passed another traffic light, she remembered something: “Oh right, Xiao Yuan messaged me. He said he’s in a relationship.”

“Really?” Shen Ningruo became curious. “Could it be that subordinate he mentioned before?”

Qiu Yang was a little surprised: “How did you know?”

“It’s Manager Duan, who was transferred when I was still at Wanming.”

Over the past few months, Wen Yuan had mentioned Duan Qingzhu with moderate frequency. Qiu Yang had been a little suspicious from the start, occasionally seeing Wen Yuan look embarrassed. Now, everything made sense.

So it was because he liked Duan Qingzhu.

The company didn’t oppose office romances. Duan Qingzhu was also someone Qiu Yan had personally mentored, and her work ability was strong.

Wen Yuan didn’t have any particular feelings for her at first, just seeing her as a subordinate. But after more interaction, his feelings changed.

Duan Qingzhu had already returned to work in Beijing, and her position at Wanming in Yuncheng had been filled. Most of Wen Yuan’s work was also in Beijing. When he occasionally returned to Yuncheng for work, he would think of Duan Qingzhu’s face.

Wen Yuan was in his twenties and had been in relationships before, but this time felt a little different to him.

The most notable point was that Duan Qingzhu didn’t pay much attention to him at first, just seeing him as her superior with no other thoughts.

Furthermore, Wen Yuan was three or four years younger than her, which made Duan Qingzhu even less inclined to think of him romantically.

She didn’t like relationships with younger men.

Hearing Qiu Yang talk about this now, Shen Ningruo couldn’t help but clear her throat: “Xiao Yang, have I ever told you that my brother used to like Xiao Yuan?”

“You have.”

“You also said President Qin had moved on.”

“Yeah,” Shen Ningruo sighed. “At first, I was thinking how much of a coincidence it would be if Xiao Yuan also liked my brother.”

“But my brother didn’t have much hope. He also thought it was impossible for Xiao Yuan to like him. Still, when he found out Xiao Yuan liked women, he felt a little disappointed. Matters of the heart can never be forced. He’d always been a single person by choice, and he finally met someone who made his heart flutter, but his luck wasn’t great.”

“Are you saying your luck is good?” Qiu Yang retorted with a smile. “You knew beforehand that I liked women. That’s practically cheating. If I were straight, I’d like to see what you would do.”

Shen Ningruo stroked Pingzi’s head, carefully considering the meaning of her words: “If you were straight, I would definitely be straight too. If we met, we’d be friends at most.”

Shen Ningruo then let out a soft hum: “Before I met you, I thought I was completely straight. It wasn’t that I hadn’t had same-sex admirers before, but my heart never skipped a beat.”

The two chatted the whole way. Pingzi just watched their mouths open and close, not understanding a single word.

Never mind, Pingzi comforted itself.

It was just a little cat.

Le Yu’s call came just as they arrived home: “Hello? Xiao Qiu Yang, you’re back, right?”

“Mhm, we’re back.”

“Senior Le Yu, what’s wrong?”

Le Yu let out a heavy sigh: “I’m so worried right now.”

Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo exchanged a look and immediately guessed the answer: “Had a fight?”

Le Yu and Dong Yu got together on Qixi Festival last year. It had been over half a year now. Their relationship was still in the adjustment phase, and they would occasionally have a fight. The frequency wasn’t high, but each time Le Yu felt a bit helpless.

“Bingo, you got it right.”

“Want to come out for a drink?”

This was Le Yu’s usual way of drowning her sorrows. Even though Shen Ningruo and Le Yu hadn’t known each other for long, they were already used to it.

“Come drink at our place,” Shen Ningruo answered for Qiu Yang. “I just bought a batch of new wine and haven’t had a chance to drink it yet.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Today was Sunday, so they didn’t have to work. It was still afternoon, and the roads weren’t congested. Le Yu rang the doorbell half an hour later.

Her face was bare, and the dark circles under her eyes were quite noticeable. She clearly looked like she had stayed up all night.

Qiu Yang was a little worried: “Senior Le Yu, you didn’t stay up all night again, did you?”

“Not exactly.”

“I just saw Yuncheng at 4 AM.”

Le Yu sat down on the blanket: “She went home after we argued. She’s not answering calls or replying to messages.”

Shen Ningruo got wine from the cabinet: “Is it the same old problem?”

“Yes.”

“I thought all night about whether I have some kind of emotional deficiency. She always says she lacks a sense of security, but I feel like I show her a lot of affection, right? Why is it still like this?”

“Then your ‘feeling’ and her feelings are different,” Qiu Yang said, taking cups and putting them on the coffee table.

Their circle of friends had a good relationship, occasionally having dinner together, and drinking was a frequent occurrence.

Shen Ningruo opened the wine bottle and looked at Le Yu’s haggard appearance: “But what was it about this time?”

“Last time I went drinking, a woman added me on WeChat saying she wanted to exchange information about wine. She was just a pure drinking buddy. Dong Yu saw it. At first, she just looked a bit serious, but after I explained what happened and she saw the chat history, she got angry.”

Le Yu put her phone on the table and scrolled through her chat history with the drinking buddy: “You guys judge. Isn’t her getting angry completely unreasonable?”

Shen Ningruo poured wine for Le Yu. Qiu Yang took the phone and actually started scrolling through Le Yu’s chat history with the drinking buddy. After a few seconds, Shen Ningruo also leaned over and started looking.

Le Yu tilted her head back and drank a glass of wine. Her alcohol tolerance was the best among their group, so one glass didn’t affect her much.

While Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang were looking at the chat history, she started drinking a second glass. This time she drank a bit slower. When she was halfway through, she noticed Qiu Yang looking at her.

Le Yu held her glass: “What’s wrong, Xiao Qiu Yang? What kind of look is that?”

“You still don’t think there’s a problem with this?” Qiu Yang turned the phone screen towards her.

This page was probably where the drinking buddy asked her when they could drink together again.

At the end, it said—”I really like drinking with you.”

Le Yu blinked: “What’s wrong with that? She just likes drinking.”

Shen Ningruo couldn’t help but rub her forehead: “Oh, Senior Le Yu, don’t you know that sentence is hinting at her feelings?”

“Impossible.”

“She knows I have a girlfriend.”

“So what if she knows?” Qiu Yang continued scrolling. “Later on, she hinted at liking you several times, subtly. You acted like you didn’t notice and thought her feelings for you were pure. But Senior, you’re ignoring the fact that Dong Yu is your girlfriend. As long as she sees even a little bit of this chat history, she’ll sensitively pick up on a different vibe, let alone us outsiders.”

Le Yu swallowed hard: “R-really?”

“Otherwise, would it be fake?”

“Some of the words your drinking buddy used were actually a bit too ambiguous. Did you really not notice?”

Le Yu picked up her glass and took two sips. After thinking for a few seconds, she gave her answer: “I actually had a slightly strange feeling, but I was afraid of wrongly accusing someone. Besides, I haven’t met this drinking buddy since the first time. I’m not that narcissistic to think someone would like me just from seeing me once.”

Shen Ningruo also poured herself some wine. She pushed her glass forward and clinked it with Le Yu’s: “Then please be a little more narcissistic.”

“We can tell you for sure, your drinking buddy, she’s totally into you.”

“So when Dong Yu brought it up, what was your attitude?” Qiu Yang was a little confused.

Le Yu waved her hand: “Just look at my chat history with her yourself. It’s pinned.”

Qiu Yang scrolled as she was told. She didn’t know before looking, but after looking, she was speechless.

It wasn’t that Le Yu hadn’t been in serious relationships before, but previously, she was almost always the one being pampered. Even when they argued, the other person would always be the first to back down. Now, suddenly encountering Dong Yu, such a stubborn younger woman who didn’t always go along with her like her previous partners, her way of handling problems was a bit strange and awkward.

Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang looked at the messages she sent to Dong Yu, their temples throbbing.

“If I were Dong Yu, I would have broken up with you,” Shen Ningruo didn’t hold back and spoke her mind. “At a time like this, aren’t you supposed to be comforting her properly?”

“I did comfort her,” Le Yu protested. “I’m wrong, I’m sorry. Doesn’t that count as comforting?”

Qiu Yang put the phone face down on the coffee table: “Reading this chat history is making my blood pressure rise.”

Shen Ningruo nodded in agreement: “Mine too.”

“No, is it really that bad?” Le Yu didn’t believe it and looked at the chat history again herself.

Qiu Yang’s gaze was calm: “Senior, that’s not how you comfort someone. What you should be doing isn’t explaining your innocence with the drinking buddy, especially since that drinking buddy really does have ulterior motives for you.”

Le Yu thought for about ten seconds before slapping her forehead: “I get it.”

She immediately stood up: “Ruoruo, Xiao Qiu Yang, we’ll drink again next time. I’m going to find her first.”

“Go ahead.”

“You didn’t drive, did you?”

“No, I knew I’d be drinking so I didn’t drive. I took a taxi.” While Le Yu was talking, she had already walked to the door to change her shoes. She was very fast and left soon after opening the door.

Pingzi was lying on the climbing frame. It looked at the closed door and closed its eyes again.

Humans, truly unpredictable.

Le Yu was a bit naive, while Dong Yu, the younger one, had more thoughts and was sensitive. This was the most serious fight they had since they got together, but it was truly Le Yu’s way of handling things that was the main problem.

Shen Ningruo picked up her glass again and clinked it with Qiu Yang’s: “Good thing, good thing, Xiao Yang. I didn’t know how to comfort people before either. It’s a good thing you taught me.”

Qiu Yang raised her hand and smoothed her hair, her eyes curving into a smile: “Yeah.”

“If I hadn’t asked you to hug me before, it might not have gone so smoothly.”

Shen Ningruo pulled her hand and held it in her palm: “I really had no experience back then. It’s different now.”

After saying that, Shen Ningruo lowered her head slightly and pressed a kiss on Qiu Yang’s arm.

“Yes, yes, yes, Director Shen is very quick to ‘slide on her knees’ whenever she makes a mistake now,” Qiu Yang leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.

It wasn’t until evening that Qiu Yang received a message from Le Yu, telling them she had successfully comforted Dong Yu.

It really wasn’t easy.

【Congratulations.】Qiu Yang replied.

At the same time, Le Yu also clarified things with the drinking buddy. The drinking buddy was quite straightforward now, honestly telling her that she liked her. This entire conversation was essentially live-streamed under Dong Yu’s eyes. So, after explaining everything, Le Yu deleted the person and promised it wouldn’t happen again.

Along with all this came Le Yu’s tears and snot. She cried profusely, and Dong Yu, who loved her so much, naturally felt heartache.

Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang imagined Le Yu’s “pathetic” state and felt a bit bewildered.

Because Le Yu didn’t seem like she would act like that on the surface.

Maybe that was the contrast.

After spending those few days in Xicheng, whenever Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang were inside the guesthouse, they were basically on the sofa or the bed. After a week, both of them were still a bit tired. On their first night back in Yuncheng, they tacitly decided to rest.

When they opened their eyes again, it was Monday, time to go back to work.

This kind of life had continued for so long that they were already used to it and enjoyed it immensely.

Shen Ningruo first drove Qiu Yang to her company. Before Qiu Yang got out of the car, they kissed each other again.

“See you tonight,” Shen Ningruo squeezed Qiu Yang’s hand.

“Okay.”

“See you tonight.”

Shen Ningruo still hadn’t let go of Qiu Yang’s hand, which made Qiu Yang pause: “What’s wrong, Ruoruo?”

Shen Ningruo lowered her head and looked at their clasped hands: “We don’t have matching couple rings yet.”

“Then should we have another wedding?” Qiu Yang responded playfully.

Shen Ningruo thought seriously for several seconds before putting on a solemn expression: “It’s a bit early to have a wedding now. We haven’t even been together for a year.”

“Then what does Director Shen mean?” Qiu Yang became interested, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the road outside.

Shen Ningruo raised the corner of her mouth: “I don’t know either.”

Qiu Yang: “…”

“I thought you had an answer.”

Shen Ningruo chuckled. She first let go of Qiu Yang’s hand, then rummaged through her bag and took out a small, exquisite box: “I don’t know when the wedding will be, but I think the couple rings are for now.”

Her gaze was fixed on Qiu Yang’s face: “Will you? Xiao Yang.”

“Put on this ring, and you’ll be firmly caught by me.”

Qiu Yang pursed her lips: “Of course I will.”

“But…”

“I bought a pair too.”

“…”

“It’s okay, we can wear them interchangeably.”

【The End】