A Time-Limited Romance with Movie Queen Ex - Chapter 22

After getting off the plane, Luo Mijin repeatedly checked her gaming device to see if she had received any messages from that nine-tailed fox.

But the message box labeled [Fox Senpai] remained silent, making her wonder if her phone was broken.

Maybe Senior Qingyao was studying, Luo Mijin comforted herself.

During her limited time at school, she had carefully absorbed every piece of information about Rong Qingyao.

It was nothing more than how Rong Qingyao had high emotional intelligence, was well-liked, studied diligently, excelled academically, and was a top student in the eyes of professors and teachers.

It was as if Rong Qingyao was born flawless almost everyone who mentioned her would show admiration, even adoration.

“Senior Rong is just too amazing, with both high IQ and EQ. I’m so envious of her cheat-like life,” a classmate sitting in front of Luo Mijin had once said.

Standing in a phone booth outside the airport, watching the drifting plane tree leaves, Luo Mijin recounted everything about Rong Qingyao to her younger sister, Luo Zhiwen, in meticulous detail.

After patiently listening to Luo Mijin’s half-hour-long ramble, Luo Zhiwen was utterly surprised, her sister had never spoken this much in one go before.

“From what you’ve said, your senior really sounds incredible. Her name is Rong Qingyao, right? I’ll remember that. We should find a way to meet her, how about this summer?”

“Yeah, she’s great,” Luo Mijin murmured into the bright yellow phone receiver, her lowered eyes carrying an indescribable softness. “But I think she must be exhausted too.”

Luo Zhiwen fell silent for a moment before suddenly breaking into a sweet smile.

“I knew my Mijin is the kindest, most considerate, and smartest person.”

“Stop calling me Mijin so casually, I’m your older sister.”

“Fine, fine, Sis, you’re my sister.” After a round of playful banter, Luo Zhiwen grew thoughtful. “Then you have to treat her well, okay? No throwing tantrums like when you were little, no disappearing acts, and absolutely no hurting yourself. Got it?”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll figure out a way to visit you this summer.”

**

Returning to school a week later, Luo Mijin only realized the summer sports meet was underway when she arrived at the field wearing a black bucket hat.

Under the blazing afternoon sun, she stood at the edge of the crowd and finally spotted Rong Qingyao amidst the throng.

Still dressed in her simple, unassuming attire white shirt, black pants, and sneakers her slender figure moved gracefully as she handed out water bottles to the athletes, though her gait seemed slightly off, as if she were injured.

Luo Mijin studied Rong Qingyao’s pale profile intently, realizing this version of her was different there was something inexplicable about her.

She wore a warm, approachable smile, effortlessly navigating the crowd and the waves of cheers.

It was impressive how no one could tell that Senior Rong Qingyao ever had moments of exhaustion or frustration.

Then, as if sensing her gaze, Rong Qingyao looked up and spotted Luo Mijin standing apart from the crowd.

As the sports meet neared its end, another champion was crowned, and the crowd erupted in cheers. They stood at opposite ends of the celebration, their thoughts hidden in the sea of people.

Someone brought cakes, milk tea, and fresh fruit to celebrate the athletes, and soon, a small party was suggested.

A circle formed as many sat on the ground, and several classmates tried to pull Rong Qingyao down to join them.

But in that brief moment, when Rong Qingyao looked up again, Luo Mijin was gone.

“Qingyao, go over there,” a classmate said with a giggle beside Rong Qingyao. “That guy is the heartthrob of the Fine Arts department. I heard he came specifically for you.”

“I have something to attend to need to make a phone call,” Rong Qingyao replied with a smile as she stood up and left the crowd.

Following her intuition, Rong Qingyao walked past several red-brick-and-white-tiled teaching buildings on campus until she found Luo Mijin beneath a corner orange tree.

Luo Mijin was lounging lazily on a stone bench, her head bowed toward a circle of flowers and plants, murmuring something softly.

“The rains have been so frequent this summer. You must feel cold too, right?”

As she drew closer, Rong Qingyao could see the earnest, solemn expression on Luo Mijin’s face and hear her words more clearly.

“This year’s blooming season seems earlier than usual. The flowers you’ve bloomed are, of course, beautiful.”

Luo Mijin suddenly paused, sniffing the air like a puppy before abruptly looking up and spotting Rong Qingyao, who had been “eavesdropping” for quite some time.

“You walked so fast, I didn’t even have time to look for you,” Rong Qingyao said, unfazed despite being caught spying, even turning the tables with ease.

“Afraid of being noticed by them, yet forced to pretend to fit in,” Luo Mijin answered with complete honesty.

Rong Qingyao gave a slight nod in agreement as pristine white petals drifted down behind her. “What are you doing here?”

Thinking “waiting for you” sounded too affected, Luo Mijin tactfully replied, “Talking to this white rose.”

Rong Qingyao waited for her to continue.

“When I was little, I couldn’t speak. My family grew anxious and harsh, but the harsher they were, the more I couldn’t talk.”

“Then these flowers taught me, and I slowly learned to speak,” Luo Mijin’s gaze drifted slightly, her voice lowering. “I even secretly tried learning from cats.”

“Can flowers of different species understand each other?”

A surge of certainty pulsed in Luo Mijin’s chest, she knew Rong Qingyao wouldn’t think she was a freak.

Just as Rong Qingyao would always find her when she disappeared into the crowd.

“They have dialects, but they understand each other.”

Hearing this, Rong Qingyao smiled genuinely, as if bathed in spring warmth.

“Senior Qingyao, did you hurt your leg?” Luo Mijin pulled out a bundle of medicine from her bag. “Let me see.”

“It’s nothing,” Rong Qingyao took an uneasy step back.

“Let me check,” Luo Mijin insisted, guiding her to sit before carefully rolling up her pant leg to reveal a bleeding knee. “Good thing I bought Yunnan Baiyao.”

She took out hydrogen peroxide, bandages, Yunnan Baiyao, and cotton swabs, meticulously disinfecting the wound.

“It’s not too deep, but it needs thorough cleaning.”

“Alright,” Rong Qingyao murmured, her gaze softening.

Luo Mijin applied the medicine as gently as possible, slowly spreading the hydrogen peroxide, but still caught Rong Qingyao’s faint, sharp inhale.

“Did I hurt you?”

“It’s fine,” Rong Qingyao’s eyes glistened. “Just… go a little slower, not too rough.”

Luo Mijin took a deep breath. “Okay. Tell me if it’s too much, I’ll stop right away.”

The wind picked up. Rong Qingyao struggled to steady her uneven breaths as the humid air enveloped them, the scent of orange blossoms mingling with the heat of Luo Mijin’s fingers, stirring up a cloying dampness.

An alarm blared in the blankness of her mind, Rong Qingyao realized she was teetering on the edge of a dangerous threshold, one step away from irreversible consequences.

Someone like Luo Mijin naturally shone brilliantly without even trying, yet this person only radiated light for her.

But she and Luo Mijin were two different kinds of people. If the world were a high-stakes gamble, some were born with good fortune and ample chips.

While others had nothing at all, forced to stake even themselves as collateral.

As the one being wagered, she had no right nor should she possess any of this.

Not just to remind herself, but also to make Luo Mijin understand the insurmountable chasm between them, Rong Qingyao wanted to lay everything bare.

This was enough. Stopping here was perfect enough to leave behind memories.

“Mijin, do you want to know about me?” She wanted to give Luo Mijin a proper confession, from beginning to end, as a farewell gift.

“Of course, if you’re willing to tell me.”

Before Rong Qingyao could speak, she saw several towering bodyguards approaching Luo Mijin.

“Young Miss, it’s time to return home. The master will be upset otherwise.”

“But…” Luo Mijin frowned, perhaps aware of the consequences of defiance, and reluctantly relented. “Fine, I’ll go back with you.”

The bodyguards followed silently behind her like an impenetrable black wall, separating them.

“Senior, come to my birthday party the day after tomorrow.” Luo Mijin turned back, flashing a childlike smile and mimicking a gaming gesture. “You have to come, I’ll message you the details.”

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