PSMD – Chapter 2

Qiu Yang knew how fast news spread among the elders, but this time she was still a bit surprised. How could it be like a rocket?

Was it even two minutes? A question mark popped up above Qiu Yang’s head.

But she didn’t show any of these thoughts. Her face remained expressionless, and she merely paused her steps for a moment before continuing forward.

She didn’t answer Xiao Shen’s question.

The smile on Shen Ningruo’s lips slowly faded. Being left hanging like this by Qiu Yang was unexpected.

But it wasn’t entirely surprising, nor did she feel annoyed.

Thinking this, Shen Ningruo matched Qiu Yang’s pace, keeping in sync with her rhythm, their shoulders maintaining a distance of about two fists apart.

They walked a bit slowly, and the distance between them and the group gradually widened.

A female voice sounded over the airport broadcast, announcing flight arrival information.

Qiu Yang’s breathing was steady and even, with no interaction at all with Shen Ningruo. She kept her eyes straight ahead the entire way.

She knew some people in the world were naturally more proactive, like this Xiao Shen. After hearing that she also “liked” older men, she was waiting for her “kindred spirit.”

Like Tao Sixian, for example.

Qiu Yang remembered her first encounter with Tao Sixian.

At the time, she was drinking at a bar when a guy kept bothering her for her WeChat. She was annoyed and repeatedly refused without success. Tao Sixian, who happened to be passing by, saw this and came to help her out.

That was also a form of proactivity.

Qiu Yang’s eyes dimmed slightly.

When would she get rid of this habit of constantly thinking about her ex?

She didn’t know.

She hadn’t been this prone to reminiscing when they were together. Now that they had broken up, these scenes kept popping up on their own.

Every word, every look, every interaction felt like an invisible knife, stabbing her deeper, making her bleed more.

Could six years truly make everything fade?

Qiu Yang couldn’t help but wonder.

Soon they reached the baggage claim. Qiu Yang’s gaze was vacant, fixed on the conveyor belt.

She stood on the outer edge of the group, her ears picking up many sounds. Everyone was chattering about everything, but she didn’t hear a single word.

After waiting for two minutes, suitcases started appearing on the conveyor belt. The guide reminded everyone not to take the wrong luggage.

The aunties and uncles responded with a couple of sounds, then seriously looked for their own luggage, but at the same time, they were distracted by chatting, their faces beaming with bright smiles.

Qiu Yang couldn’t smile, but just a week ago, she had worn such a smile.

She quietly waited for her suitcase.

The suitcase was new and very eye-catching—fluorescent green.

When the suitcase reached her, her expression softened slightly. She walked over and pulled the attention-grabbing suitcase in front of her.

Green is a beautiful color, but now it also carries an extra layer of meaning that everyone knows. And the tour group couldn’t possibly hand out green hats.

Qiu Yang bought a suitcase like this simply to make herself sober up—

It was Tao Sixian who cheated on her, not her who wronged Tao Sixian.

The failure of their relationship was entirely initiated by Tao Sixian.

Qiu Yang tightened her grip on the handle.

Not everyone in the group had retrieved their luggage yet, but those who had consciously stepped back a bit, giving others space to avoid crowding.

Qiu Yang was no exception, moving further to the side of the group. This also increased the distance between her and Xiao Shen.

This was good. She didn’t need to be “the same kind of person” as anyone else. She came to Xicheng simply to draw a conclusion for herself.

Her phone vibrated again at this moment. It was Miao Yi replying to her message.

Miao Yi: 【Have fun!】

Immediately after, Miao Yi sent a video.

In the video was a cat sleeping on a climbing frame. Seeing someone filming, it moved slightly, then closed its eyes and went back to sleep.

Qiu Yang’s attention was drawn a little, and a faint smile finally appeared in her eyes, though her hat brim was low, so no one could see it.

This was her cat.

Most people, when facing their pets, can’t help but show a unique tenderness reserved just for them.

Miao Yi added: 【Just enjoy yourself, I’ll take good care of Pingzi.】

The cat’s name was Pingzi, and Tao Sixian had named it.

Qiu Yang’s thoughts jumped back to things about Tao Sixian. She looked at the message from Miao Yi, her finger paused, and finally, she replied: 【Okay, thanks.】

No matter what, the cat was innocent.

Just as she finished replying and put away her phone, she saw a fluorescent green suitcase appear in front of her, along with black leggings and combat boots.

It was Xiao Shen.

Qiu Yang slowly raised her head. As her eyes met Xiao Shen’s, she saw Xiao Shen lift her eyelids slightly: “You took the wrong one.”

“This suitcase is yours.”

Qiu Yang: “…”

“Mine has a sticker,” Shen Ningruo said lazily, with a hint of weariness. She pushed her little red hat up slightly, revealing her smooth forehead completely. She pointed to the suitcase next to Qiu Yang and said, “Look, isn’t there a cat emoji sticker on it?”

Xiao Shen’s Mandarin was standard, but the end of her sentences still had a slight upward lilt, revealing a hint of amusement.

Qiu Yang’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slightly turned her head, lowering her gaze to look to the side.

Indeed, there was a cat emoji sticker on the top of that suitcase.

Qiu Yang’s mind was completely elsewhere at the moment, so she naturally hadn’t noticed such a detail.

These two suitcases weren’t exactly the same, but they looked very similar.

Qiu Yang hadn’t expected that even suitcases could be such a near-perfect match with Xiao Shen, just like the excuse about liking older men.

“Sorry,” Qiu Yang said. It would be too impolite not to speak now; she had already ignored her once.

“It’s okay,” Shen Ningruo leaned forward slightly, pulled her suitcase in front of her, then straightened up, and added two words, “What a coincidence.”

There wasn’t much height difference between them, but Qiu Yang was slightly lowering her head, and her hat brim was pulled low.

Shen Ningruo could only see Qiu Yang’s slightly pointed chin.

Qiu Yang held the handle of her own suitcase and hummed in response.

Two coincidences in a row left her a bit bewildered.

But she was certain she had never met this Xiao Shen before.

And even if she had, such coincidences could only be explained by metaphysics.

The guide began organizing the group to head outside: “Everyone, please get your luggage. Our bus is already parked. Now, follow me…”

First the plane, then the bus, to reach the destination.

Xicheng was a nationally renowned tourist city. Its tourism industry was developed and comprehensive, with a large flow of visitors every year.

The city planning and construction were excellent. Now, in early spring in March, the flowers, plants, and trees along the road were like receptionists at a hotel entrance, saying “Welcome” to everyone they saw.

Qiu Yang placed her suitcase and got on the bus.

This bus had 22 seats, including the driver. The left side had two rows of double seats, and the right side had a row of single seats.

Qiu Yang was the last passenger to board. She took a look and saw there was only one single seat suitable for her.

But Xiao Shen was sitting in front of this single seat, and Auntie Zhao Mingfen and Auntie Wu Xiaoqiong were sitting next to the aisle.

She inexplicably felt like she was surrounded by wolves and tigers. Qiu Yang walked over and sat down, opening the window slightly.

The sun was more intense than when they first arrived, so she pulled the curtain to block it.

The two guides got on the bus with smiles. One sat in the co-pilot seat, and the other stood first, holding a microphone with a speaker next to it.

Qiu Yang frowned slightly, hesitating whether to put on noise-canceling headphones for some peace and quiet, when the guide with the microphone already had a brilliant smile: “Our bus has departed and is now heading to the guesthouse. First, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Jin Yuan. Aunties and Uncles can call me Xiao Jin…”

“No, I made a slight mistake just now. There are also two people my age here, but you can still call me Xiao Jin…”

The bus drove on the road, and Jin Yuan’s voice escaped through the window, mixing with the wind.

Qiu Yang felt a bit sleepy again from the sunlight occasionally falling on her face. She simply pulled her hat brim down further and put on her headphones.

Xicheng Airport was in the suburbs, some distance from the city center.

The bus drove on. After Jin Yuan finished introducing Xicheng and the locations and matters of this trip, he finally sat down.

The bus was finally quiet, and Qiu Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

She had never participated in a tour group before, only seen what it was like in TV dramas. Now that she was experiencing it herself, she felt it would have been better to come alone.

Guides made a living by talking, but this was too much talking.

Qiu Yang pinched her brow, adjusted her posture, and tried to sleep again.

By the time the bus arrived outside the guesthouse, Qiu Yang still hadn’t fallen asleep.

People started getting off, and the aunties and uncles became lively again.

Qiu Yang wanted to keep her distance from the group, be invisible, and thought about being the last to get off.

But Zhao Mingfen didn’t give her the chance. After getting up, she pulled Qiu Yang’s wrist, her tone still enthusiastic: “Xiao Qiu, come on, let’s get off.”

Qiu Yang: …

Forget it.

She reluctantly got up.

After collecting luggage, Jin Yuan counted the number of people and led everyone into the guesthouse lobby.

Twenty people was quite a lot, plus suitcases and various large and small bags, all crowded together.

“Xiao Qiu,” it was clear that Zhao Mingfen was still somewhat unable to recover from the shock of Qiu Yang liking older men. Her expression became complicated again, “I still don’t quite understand the trend among young people these days.”

“Mingfen, you don’t understand this. Young people these days, they say age is not a problem,” Wu Xiaoqiong stood nearby, as if she had figured it out, “I just asked Xiao Shen what she was after. She said she was after their age and that they don’t shower.”

“Isn’t that a line from a TV show?”

“Well, that Su Daqiang in the TV show wasn’t that old, was he?”

“True.”

Qiu Yang listened to the two of them talking back and forth like a crosstalk performance, and a slight smile gradually appeared, but she quickly suppressed it.

She glanced around casually and saw Xiao Shen talking to other aunties up ahead. She blinked, and the other person seemed to sense her gaze and looked over.

Qiu Yang was caught red-handed, but she didn’t show any panic. She remained calm and shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Just then, the guide started distributing room cards. Qiu Yang had told Jin Yuan in advance that she wanted a single room with a large bed.

These were all strangers, and she didn’t want to share a room with anyone.

After getting their room cards, everyone went back to their rooms first.

The sound of suitcases rolling on the floor combined was quite noisy. Qiu Yang’s face was expressionless as she reached her door.

Inserted the card, opened the door.

Just as Qiu Yang was about to step inside, a female voice sounded behind her: “Hey.”

She was sensitive to sounds, so she knew who the voice belonged to immediately, even with just one word.

Qiu Yang didn’t want to pay attention to Xiao Shen. She was about to step into the room.

“Why were you peeking at me just now?” Shen Ningruo cleared her throat and asked deliberately, then moved a little closer to Qiu Yang, leaning her back against the wall and tilting her head to look at Qiu Yang’s profile.

Shen Ningruo had already taken off her little red hat, and her outstanding temperament was even more prominent.

Her features were striking, slightly aggressive.

She had a lot of hair, styled in waves, giving her the vibe of a 20th-century Hong Kong actress.

In short, this woman was very good-looking.

But Qiu Yang smelled a hint of danger because the other person was too proactive.

Qiu Yang pursed her lips, looked at the other person’s flawless face, and said lightly, “Are you trying to hit on me?”