Eh?
Liang Rou’s heart gave another violent jolt.
She never expected that her taste in Oden would be the thing to give her away.
“So…”
Wen Xiaoliang spoke slowly, her gaze clinging to Liang Rou’s body like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.
“You two must have worked together before, right? Or should I say… did you have some sort of close relationship with him? Whether you dated… or became good friends.”
Huh?
Hearing this, Liang Rou’s tense body suddenly relaxed.
So that’s what it was.
Now Wen Xiaoliang suspected she had some sort of connection with her former self as a man, and that was why their tastes were the same.
Oh, well, that made sense.
After all, how could anyone imagine that in just half a year, a man who stood nearly 1.8 meters tall would suddenly become a little girl of about 1.6 meters? Even if you went to Thailand for surgery, or Korea for plastic surgery, you couldn’t recover in just half a year—let alone change your height.
Wait.
A sudden chill crept up Liang Rou’s spine.
With Wen Xiaoliang’s jealousy, if she really suspected that Liang Rou had some history with her former self—like having dated or been best friends—she would go crazy with jealousy…
Even though it’s a law-abiding society and she couldn’t kill anyone, she would definitely cause Liang Rou a lot of trouble.
Ex-girlfriends are just like that.
“Ah?”
Liang Rou stared at her bowl of Oden in surprise, tilting her head innocently.
“Does your boyfriend like the same Oden flavor as I do? What a coincidence. But, Sister Wen, I really don’t know your boyfriend…”
She looked at Wen Xiaoliang with eyes full of sympathy.
“Sis, I believe you’ll find your boyfriend for sure. Hmm… If you don’t mind, I can post a missing person notice for you on Moments! I don’t know that many people, but, but what if someone just happens to run into him?”
Liang Rou’s gaze was incredibly sincere.
This time, she didn’t avoid Wen Xiaoliang’s eyes, but bravely met her gaze.
She understood that she couldn’t act so flustered anymore, or she would really arouse Wen Xiaoliang’s suspicion.
Wen Xiaoliang looked at the girl in front of her and didn’t speak for a long time.
About half a minute passed.
“Alright~”
She smiled, her gaze no longer chilling, and Liang Rou’s pounding heart finally calmed down a bit.
Wen Xiaoliang took out her phone and handed her QR code to the girl across from her.
“This is my v, add me. I feel like we have some fate between us. A lot of your habits and little quirks are just like my boyfriend’s. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were his little sister.”
Wen Xiaoliang tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table, looking at Liang Rou with a half-smile.
“But I know everything about him. He doesn’t have a little sister. In his world…” Wen Xiaoliang’s cheeks gradually flushed as she touched her face with her other hand, “there’s only me!”
That one sentence made Liang Rou feel as if she’d fallen into an ice cave.
The familiar suffocating feeling surged up, as if an invisible hand was squeezing her throat.
“Beep~”
Friend added successfully.
Liang Rou put her phone back in her bag and forced what she thought was a sweet smile at Wen Xiaoliang.
“Sister Wen, I really need to get home now, or the clothes on my balcony will have been washed for nothing.”
This time, Wen Xiaoliang didn’t try to stop her. She nodded lightly and waved at Liang Rou.
“See you next time then~ Liang~ Rou~”
For some reason, Liang Rou felt that when Wen Xiaoliang said her name, she put special emphasis on the word “Liang.” She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she’d rather believe it was just her nerves.
Having gotten permission, Liang Rou tightened her grip on her backpack strap, hurried downstairs, and dashed straight into the pouring rain without caring, buckling her helmet and riding her little electric scooter out into the downpour.
She’d rather get soaked and come down with a fever than stay another minute with that terrifying woman, Wen Xiaoliang.
She had a feeling that woman was like her nightmare—once she appeared in her life, she’d never be able to shake her off.
Actually, there’s a kind of love called “Even though I still love you, I won’t be with you again.” That was exactly how it was between her and Wen Xiaoliang.
Even though she knew how much Wen Xiaoliang loved her, knew how much she’d given up and worked for her…
But she really didn’t want to be with her anymore.
In the heavy rain, Liang Rou wiped her face, unable to tell whether it was tears or rain on her cheeks.
Back in her tiny, cozy home, Liang Rou finally felt alive again.
She took off her wet clothes that clung to her skin, tossed them into the washing machine, and enjoyed a thorough Hot Water Bath.
Standing under the showerhead, surrounded by mist, Liang Rou thought of how Wen Xiaoliang had gone out to do part-time jobs and bought her first smartphone for her.
It wasn’t expensive, but it made her so happy.
“……”
Back outside just now.
It really must have been tears.
“Hoo~”
Liang Rou shook her head, tossing those chaotic thoughts away.
“Some things just aren’t worth remembering. My life is still long, isn’t it?” she said.
But guilt and fear had already drowned her, making her lie in bed and fall into nightmare after nightmare.
She didn’t message An Luxi for comfort, because she felt it wouldn’t be fair to An Luxi.
Seeing her ex-girlfriend, getting emotionally shaken, and then seeking comfort from her current girlfriend… that’s a bit scummy, isn’t it?
“I hope I don’t get a fever…”
Liang Rou stared blankly at the ceiling.
She guessed right.
The next morning, as soon as Liang Rou opened her eyes, her whole body felt sore and weak, her mouth was dry, her throat felt odd, her head was dizzy, and her temples ached terribly.
“No way…?”
She smacked her own mouth hard.
“Jinx!”
But there was nothing she could do.
The life of a working person isn’t really a life.
She’s not in school anymore—if she misses a day, she won’t get this month’s Full Attendance Award, and that’s five hundred yuan! Her girlfriend’s birthday is next month, Xia Rui’s birthday is the month after that.
One is her girlfriend and she has to buy a gift, the other is her colleague and friend, and she owes her a birthday present too.
“Sigh.”
Liang Rou let out a sigh and dragged herself out of bed.
She took some fever medicine, stuffed another packet in her bag, and hurried off to the Company.
But as soon as she finished clocking in, all her energy vanished. She slumped weakly at her workstation.
“…That damn bald guy better not come over…!” she prayed.
Xia Rui immediately noticed her senior’s odd state.
Without hesitation, she stood up from her own workstation and walked over to Liang Rou’s desk.
“Sen—”
Before she could finish, Xia Rui’s gaze landed on Liang Rou’s phone.
Liang Rou’s phone screen was lit up, showing an unread message: [Little Deer: Good morning, Rou Rou~]