PSMD – Chapter 3

Every year, many people travel to Xicheng, and a considerable number of them are young.

Among these young people, there’s a small portion who come with the mindset of having a casual encounter.

A glance at a guesthouse, bumping shoulders on the street, conversations in a bar.

Perhaps these are all the beginnings of a casual encounter.

Miao Yi told Qiu Yang all this, and then she instructed Qiu Yang to protect herself when she went to Xicheng.

Qiu Yang nodded at the time, saying she would be careful.

But she didn’t expect that she seemed to have encountered such a situation as soon as she arrived in Xicheng.

It was true that she liked women, but she didn’t have a so-called “gaydar”; she couldn’t tell if the Xiao Shen standing in front of her was the same as her.

And Qiu Yang didn’t regret saying what she just did. It was a test—

If Xiao Shen reacted strongly, she was undoubtedly straight. Then Qiu Yang would take the opportunity to state that she liked women, thereby making Xiao Shen keep her distance.

She had just finished thinking about this outcome when Xiao Shen didn’t give her any extra time and answered her question: “Yes.”

The sun in Xicheng was strong, and the guesthouse stood under such weather.

The corridor was long, and the sunlight couldn’t penetrate directly, but there was still light, so Qiu Yang could clearly see the expression of the person in front of her.

She hadn’t thought about how to respond if Xiao Shen’s answer was like this.

Subconsciously, she felt it shouldn’t be like this.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Ningruo’s tone was slightly assertive. Seeing Qiu Yang’s stunned expression, her lips curved slightly. “You asked, and I answered.”

Xiao Shen’s voice was very pleasant. Qiu Yang’s thoughts returned. She looked at the other person’s bright face and finally uttered four words: “Then go ahead and think.”

It wasn’t until Qiu Yang’s door closed and she disappeared that Shen Ningruo finally understood what Qiu Yang had just said.

-Are you trying to hit on me?

-Yes.

-Then go ahead and think.

Shen Ningruo savored the brief conversation, then shook her head with a chuckle and walked to the room opposite Qiu Yang’s.

Coincidentally, they were staying right across from each other.

Qiu Yang returned to her room, took off her little red hat, and placed it on the cabinet beside her.

She still didn’t know Xiao Shen’s name, but she had already put this person on her danger list. It would be better to have less contact in the future.

Get through these seven days, endure these seven days.

Then everything would get better.

As Qiu Yang thought this, the full weight of her fatigue caught up to her.

She sat on the sofa and looked at the room’s layout and furnishings.

The decor was simple, with a comfortable mint green color.

Walls, wardrobe, lighting, coffee table…

Qiu Yang pursed her lips and glanced at her fluorescent green suitcase again.

Perhaps this was fate.

She took out her phone from her bag, took a photo of the room, and posted it on Weibo.

There was no caption, just a picture.

A message popped up on WeChat at that moment. Qiu Yang opened it.

The sender was Tao Sixian, with three characters and a question mark.

Tao Sixian: 【Where are you?】

Qiu Yang’s fingertips slid across the screen. Her mind was a mess, like a malfunctioning part, making her feel uncomfortable.

She was hesitating whether to open it when Tao Sixian sent another message.

【Can we get back together? I like you.】

Qiu Yang suddenly became calm, and all that struggle disappeared.

She had been fooled by sweet past memories during the past week. In fact, she knew exactly what kind of person Tao Sixian was.

Even if you only see clearly when you break up.

Qiu Yang’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and her brows furrowed.

She opened the chat window with Tao Sixian and sent back one word: 【Get lost.】

How could there be such a person in the world?

Getting married today, yet turning around and messaging her ex asking to reconcile, taking everything for granted, completely disregarding whether Qiu Yang, the ex, would feel awful seeing these words.

A qualified ex should be like they’re dead. Tao Sixian was not only unqualified but was also dancing on the grave.

Qiu Yang closed her eyes, calmed her emotions, and then looked at her phone again.

Tao Sixian had already replied: 【Yangyang, I told you, he and I were forced to get engaged and married because of family matters. There’s no love between us. The only person I like is you.】

Yes.

When they broke up a week ago, Tao Sixian said the same thing, but Qiu Yang only found it ironic.

She got engaged behind her back, and only told her everything when the wedding date was approaching.

At the end, she even cordially invited Qiu Yang to be a bridesmaid at her wedding.

Qiu Yang cursed on the spot, asking if she was crazy.

Tao Sixian was simply a lunatic. The more Qiu Yang thought about it, the less she could calm down.

Now they hadn’t been in contact for a week, and when she received Tao Sixian’s message again, she was still shocked and didn’t reply to Tao Sixian.

Time had somehow reached one o’clock. Jin Yuan notified everyone in the WeChat group to come out for lunch.

Qiu Yang didn’t have much appetite. She had lost five pounds after her breakup because she hadn’t been eating properly, and her chin had become much sharper.

But today she hadn’t eaten a single bite, her stomach was empty and felt a bit acidic.

She hesitated for a moment, then stood up, walked to the door, pulled out the card, and left the room.

Most of the aunties and uncles were already in the lobby. Qiu Yang saw Xiao Shen at a glance. Xiao Shen seemed very popular; the elders chatting with her were laughing happily.

“Everyone’s here,” said the other tour guide, Tu Xinxin. “Let’s go eat.”

Travel expenses, accommodation, and food costs had already been paid. Joining a tour group was convenient; you just had to follow the guides.

There were many guesthouses, hotels, and hostels in Xicheng. The area they were staying in was almost entirely guesthouses; you could see a shop sign every few steps.

Qiu Yang walked at the back of the group again. The sun here was scorching. She hadn’t applied sunscreen before leaving, so she simply took out her sun umbrella and held it up behind her.

However, she wasn’t the only one using an umbrella. Some aunties also felt hot and used them, as did a certain young person named Shen.

Qiu Yang glanced at Xiao Shen’s long legs, just for a second, then looked away.

Xiao Shen’s very certain “Yes” suddenly came to mind.

From childhood, Qiu Yang had been the “child next door” praised by neighbors. She was well-behaved and had a good personality. She had received many confessions over the years, but she had truly encountered few as direct as Xiao Shen.

And…

Xiao Shen’s wasn’t a confession.

She didn’t think Xiao Shen had fallen in love with her at first sight. She was more inclined to believe that Xiao Shen came to Xicheng specifically for a casual encounter, or was simply bored.

But Qiu Yang hadn’t thought about having a casual encounter in Xicheng, even if the other person was a beautiful older woman.

The greenery in the guesthouse area was also well-maintained, and every household had flowers planted at their doorstep. It was early spring in March, and they were blooming brilliantly.

Tourists walked and stopped along the way. Qiu Yang, holding an umbrella, was also called by Zhao Mingfen and Wu Xiaoqiong to help take photos.

Zhao Mingfen even took out a mirrorless camera and put it in Qiu Yang’s hand: “Xiao Qiu, take good pictures. Auntie trusts your skills.”

“Okay.”

And this way, no one was holding the umbrella.

Qiu Yang was really afraid of getting tanned. She had good skin and protected it wherever she went.

But although these two aunties talked a lot, they were very caring towards her, and Qiu Yang didn’t want to spoil their fun.

She thought for two seconds, put the umbrella aside, and aimed the lens at the two aunties who were still posing.

Just as she raised the camera, an umbrella appeared over her head, along with a sentence: “What if you get sunburned? The UV rays are very strong here.”

It was Xiao Shen again.

Qiu Yang didn’t even turn her head, just looked at the scene in the mirrorless camera and didn’t reply.

She was a bit bothered by Xiao Shen’s answer at the guesthouse, even though it was a question she had asked.

Zhao Mingfen and Wu Xiaoqiong held their scarves, standing against the wind, smiling like the flowers beside them. Qiu Yang adjusted the angle and pressed the shutter.

After taking a few more photos, she saw Jin Yuan turn back and tell them to catch up with the group.

Zhao Mingfen took the mirrorless camera back to admire the photos, saying as she looked: “Xiao Qiu, you take really good pictures, much better than your Auntie Xiaoqiong.”

She was even throwing shade.

Wu Xiaoqiong was clearly unconvinced: “No matter what, it’s better than your pictures, right? Zhao Mingfen, you made me look like a dwarf before, why don’t you mention that?”

“Then you made me look like Su Daqiang!” Zhao Mingfen retorted stubbornly. “I couldn’t even post it on my Moments.”

Everyone loves beauty, and the elders also wanted to post nice photos on their Moments.

Listening to the two aunties arguing again, Qiu Yang cleared her throat, but didn’t try to mediate. She just turned to look at Xiao Shen: “How long are you going to hold the umbrella?”

The photos were done, yet this person still hadn’t taken the umbrella away.

Shen Ningruo raised an eyebrow and asked in return: “Isn’t it you who’s standing under my umbrella and not moving?”

Qiu Yang: “…”

Without another word, Qiu Yang bent down to pick up her own umbrella and was about to leave.

Shen Ningruo reached out and stopped her, still looking languid: “I don’t have any bad intentions. My name is Shen Ningruo. What’s your name?”