A Time-Limited Romance with Movie Queen Ex - Chapter 27.1

“Besides, you and Scott signed a contract, so I have every right to inquire, don’t I?” Rong Qingyao followed up with another statement, as if trying to reinforce the tenuous almost nonexistent connection between herself and Luo Mijin.

Clearly, the word “contract” stung Luo Mijin.

She lowered her eyes and let out a faint, bitter laugh. “That’s right, we did sign a contract.”

“I did agree to perform at your engagement party, but that’s all it entails. It doesn’t mean I have to accept your kindness. The contract doesn’t stipulate that, does it?”

Lan Mingyu frowned, her gaze shifting between the two.

So this was the nature of their relationship ex-girlfriends… and it didn’t seem like an amicable breakup.

Rong Qingyao’s eyes turned icy cold, the warm yellow glow of the streetlights doing nothing to soften her expression.

The traffic light at the intersection changed twice. She remained silent, wrestling with some unnamed emotion, until she finally managed to summon a perfectly composed smile.

“I overstepped. My apologies. Since Miss Luo maintains such a professional attitude, I’ll look forward to your brilliant performance at the engagement party.”

This businesslike tone left Luo Mijin at a loss once again. Was this show of kindness merely to ensure that she, the performer, would “repay the favor” by giving her all at the engagement party?

She had never known Rong Qingyao to place such importance on marriage or to yearn for it so deeply. Perhaps there was only one explanation for it.

And that answer made Luo Mijin feel suffocated, Rong Qingyao truly loved her fiancé, Scott.

Luo Mijin felt cold, a bone-deep chill. The injured fingers ached with a piercing pain, and the delicate skin where the woman had touched her burned as if scorched.

This terrible winter had dragged on far too long.

All she could do was grit her teeth and reply, “I will. You can count on it.”

Rong Qingyao maintained her unaffected smile. “Miss Lan, I have a sincere suggestion for you. She actually prefers amusement parks over movie theaters. As a rather inadequate ex, this is the best and most practical advice I can offer.”

“Luoluo?” Lan Mingyu’s mind went blank for a moment. Had Rong Qingyao figured out her feelings for Luo Mijin?

Otherwise, why would her words suddenly turn so sharp, carrying an irrational yet captivating edge?

Lan Mingyu realized her impression of Rong Qingyao as someone composed, intellectual, and elegantly restrained might be due for a complete overhaul.

At the very least, she could tell that Rong Qingyao’s rationality was beginning to crack.

But from what standpoint was Rong Qingyao speaking? As a jealous ex-girlfriend?

An unprecedented mix of crisis and exhilaration struck Lan Mingyu. Being envied by the ex of the person she liked felt oddly satisfying, but the ex’s excellence and beauty also left her uneasy.

Luo Mijin, however, was utterly bewildered by Rong Qingyao’s blatantly provocative words. She couldn’t understand what Rong Qingyao was trying to accomplish. Bringing up their past wouldn’t make either of them happy.

They had never been on the same path. Seven years ago, she had already failed to keep up with Rong Qingyao’s pace. In life, dissatisfaction was the norm.

It was all understandable and inevitable simply a matter of fate running its course.

Luo Mijin comforted herself with these thoughts.

Feeling slightly apologetic as she looked at Lan Mingyu, Luo Mijin didn’t want her friend to feel uncomfortable or confused. “Not at all, I find watching movies quite interesting now. Amusement parks and such are too childish.”

Rong Qingyao, who had turned to open the car door, froze in place. With her back to Luo Mijin, she deliberately spoke in a light tone:

“Is that so? I thought you’d never change, just like you said before. I didn’t expect so much transformation in just a few years. How surprising.”

“After all, I’ve grown up.”

“Yes, growing up makes one realize how childish the past was,” Rong Qingyao said gracefully as she got into the car. “Miss Lan, her hand is injured. Please remind her to change the dressing or take her to see a doctor.”

“Wh-what? Oh, right, I will.”

Overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information, Lan Mingyu’s reactions became sluggish.

“Oh, and perhaps you should send me your current dietary preferences something light, so the food at the engagement party won’t be to your distaste.”

Luo Mijin felt as if something was stuck in her throat. She shook her head stiffly. “No need to trouble yourself. After all, it’s your and Mr. Scott’s engagement party. It has little to do with me.”

Rong Qingyao rolled down the window. Her high-bunned black hair resembled clouds, and her porcelain-white profile was aloof and elegant. “True.”

“Then forget it.”

There were too many emotions to sort through for all three of them present.

The black Bentley rolled up its window and, under the driver’s skilled control, smoothly exited the parking spot, merging into the endless stream of traffic.

Rong Qingyao didn’t know what expression Luo Mijin wore now whether she still cared even a little or was eagerly rushing to a sweet movie date with her “lover.”

The car’s temperature was just right. She sat dazed and silent, not even hearing the driver and Yan Si repeatedly asking where to go.

She had naively clung to the fantasy that Luo Mijin might not have changed much, still preferring amusement parks over cinemas. Yet again, she was utterly defeated.

This proved once more that her past understanding of Luo Mijin had been as laughably shallow as following a map to find a horse.

In truth, Luo Mijin’s life was far more vibrant than she could have imagined.

By the time she noticed the familiar dull ache pulsing with her heartbeat, it was too late. She slumped weakly against the backseat, letting numbness take over.

From the moment she reunited with Luo Mijin, she had been like an out-of-control aircraft hurtling at high speed, perpetually on the verge of crashing.

Impulsive, impatient, emotions always taking the lead, she acted and spoke without considering the consequences.

Now she had even stooped to the absurd extreme of declaring feelings that had expired seven years ago. Her overwhelming possessiveness was hard to restrain, leading to this humiliating situation.

She had to charge headfirst into the expected wall of rejection just like her mother. She had sworn never to become that kind of person.

Sworn to master her emotions, never lingering over people or things unworthy or already past.

She thought of how her mother had spent her life begging her father for love, only to be met with even more shocking indifference and oppression.

For this unrequited, abandoned love, her mother languished half her life, even losing the will to live.

On the day her mother took her own life, Rong Qingyao made a solemn vow to herself: begging others for love would never be part of her story.

Begging for love and seeking confirmation of affection is a humiliating act. If the person you love doesn’t love you back, should you rationally let go or… scheme to win them back?

Besides, the privilege of coquettishly asking for love belongs only to those who are already loved. She was not someone easily loved by others.

There had been moments when she wanted to tell Luo Mijin that the engagement ceremony and the so-called fiancé were all lies to lay everything bare, to drag the seven years of damp darkness into the sunlight and let them scream for a response.

But she was afraid that after confessing, she would only face the final judgment: Luo Mijin’s indifferent, airy remark, “Oh, I see.”

It would be like excitedly telling someone not to spend money on a birthday gift for you, only to realize they didn’t even remember your birthday.

Just the thought of such a possibility made her feel pathetic, like a fool lost in wishful thinking.

See? She hadn’t even said anything yet, and her pride was already shattered.

Keeping silent was neither punishment nor luck just the way it had always been.

From beginning to end, she was merely someone who had been barged into, granted something only to lose it, with no say in whether they met or parted.

Noticing Rong Qingyao’s unusual mood, Yan Si sat stiffly for a while before hesitantly turning around, words caught in her throat.

She had just heard Rong Qingyao say, “Even though we’ve broken up…” It felt like stumbling upon a shocking secret.

As Rong Qingyao’s personal assistant, she knew better than anyone how contradictory this woman was.

Despite disliking the cold and snow, Rong Qingyao would travel to the polar regions every winter just to see the aurora.

She would stay in a snowbound cabin, light a fire, and point at the stars in the sky looking almost like a madwoman.

In daily life, Rong Qingyao had almost no hobbies or pastimes. She didn’t drink, didn’t like coffee, rarely went out, had no interest in flowers, and didn’t keep pets.

Yet nearly every property she owned had a glass greenhouse, meticulously maintained to create an ecosystem suitable for butterflies.

The greenhouse flourished with vibrant flowers and fluttering butterflies, but Rong Qingyao seldom stopped to admire the sight.

When the time was right, she would release the healthy butterflies back into the wild year after year, day after day.

Truthfully, Rong Qingyao was a solitary person. On days without work, she never sought social interaction, either reading or staring blankly at an outdated gaming console.

The book she read was titled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which was baffling.

As for the broken console, she refused to replace or discard it, even commissioning someone to restore the games inside.

She would just stare at the game screen, never playing.

Only now did Yan Si realize, all of this must be connected to Luo Mijin, with her wild, striking features and the little dimples when she smiled.

“Um, where exactly are we going?” The driver, after aimlessly circling the city, glanced at Yan Si for help again.

Yan Si turned back, interrupting Rong Qingyao’s thoughts. “Ms. Rong, we’ve been driving around for half an hour. Do you have a destination in mind?”

From the back seat, Rong Qingyao murmured as if waking from a dream:

“My apologies. I wasn’t paying attention. Let’s go to the tennis club.”

Hearing this, Yan Si immediately placed an order on a food delivery app for a case of electrolyte water and high-protein bars.

Whenever Rong Qingyao felt anxious or down, she would go play tennis always booking an entire court for herself, hitting balls alone against a ball machine.

She would play for hours, often until she was completely exhausted.

Lan Mingyu wanted to remind Rong Qingyao not to overexert herself, but when she turned back, she found the woman had closed her eyes again, her face serene like a flawless, exquisite doll in a display window only the lingering gloom between her brows remained.

**

It wasn’t until the Bentley had driven far away that Luo Mijin finally regained her composure enough to speak normally.

She looked apologetically at Lan Mingyu. “I’m sorry, she might not be in a good mood today. She’s not usually like this. I apologize on her behalf.”

“No, I’m not upset,” Lan Mingyu replied, still processing the overwhelming information, her response slightly delayed. “Luoluo, are you two really… Is Miss Rong really your girlfriend?”

She suspected that even Luo Mijin herself might not realize how instinctively she defended Rong Qingyao.

For some reason, Lan Mingyu felt that Rong Qingyao and Luo Mijin must have been deeply in love once.

Though Luo Mijin had told her about her sexual orientation, over the years, aside from work and taking care of her younger sister, Luo Mijin had shown little interest in anything or anyone else.

There had been no shortage of people expressing interest in her at cafés or the bars where she performed, but Luo Mijin had never paid them any attention.

“Yes, we were. Once. We dated… back in college,” Luo Mijin said, looking utterly exhausted, the corners of her eyes faintly red. “Then we broke up. I never expected to run into her again here.”

“Why did you two break up?” Lan Mingyu could tell Luo Mijin didn’t want to elaborate, but she couldn’t suppress her curiosity and restlessness.

How could anyone bear to break up with such a dazzling, beautiful girlfriend? If it were her, she’d want to keep a celebrity girlfriend like that by her side every second, treasuring her so much she’d fear she might slip away.

Luo Mijin didn’t know how to answer that question. Why had they broken up?

Like Sun Wukong unable to escape the Buddha’s palm perhaps it was fate, or perhaps they just hadn’t loved each other enough?

The past was the past. She didn’t have the energy to dig deeper, nor the detachment to analyze it like an outsider.

“It’s a long story. Hard to explain. But basically, it was my fault. No, it was entirely my fault. She did nothing wrong.”

“Your fault? Did you stop loving her and dump her?” Lan Mingyu pressed. “If you fell out of love, breaking up honestly isn’t really a mistake.”

Luo Mijin let out a bitter laugh, unsure how to respond, and could only shake her head before nodding slightly.

Recognizing this as a refusal to continue, Lan Mingyu gradually regained her composure. “So… are you really going to play drums at Miss Rong’s engagement party?”

Luo Mijin forced a calm tone. “Of course. I signed a contract, it’s work. There’s no reason to refuse.”

“I never imagined she’d be getting engaged. A lot of fans are going to be heartbroken.” Lan Mingyu couldn’t help but feel a secret flicker of relief. At least Rong Qingyao was getting engaged otherwise.

Luo Mijin didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent.

“Maybe we should just go home today and skip the movie,” Lan Mingyu wondered whether to cancel the champagne roses she’d ordered from the florist. After all, today’s circumstances weren’t ideal for a confession.

“Of course we’re going. You’ve been looking forward to it for so long,” Luo Mijin smiled beneath the cedar tree, her slightly curved eyes melancholy yet beautiful.

“How about we pick a different movie? Let me see what other interesting films are playing.”

For both personal and logical reasons, Lan Mingyu didn’t want Luo Mijin to see Rong Qingyao again. Since they’d broken up, it was better to make a clean break lingering attachments never did anyone any good.

Support