A Time-Limited Romance with Movie Queen Ex - Chapter 29.2

“Are you okay? You seemed fine when I left for drinks,” Bai Jinhuai whispered to Rong Qingyao, wondering what could have happened in such a short time.

Returning the phone to Scott, Rong Qingyao stood up calmly, her expression indifferent. “I’m fine. Let’s go back.”

“Did someone call me?” Scott checked the call log, momentarily unable to recall whose number it was.

Unable to explain anything, Rong Qingyao walked straight out, her long hair drifting eerily in the night snow like a lost wandering ghost.

No, more like a seductive ghost, Bai Jinhuai concluded as she followed behind.

“You’ll take me home, right? Or maybe I should go to your place, liven it up a bit. Otherwise, with you looking so ghostly, you might scare the plants when you get back.”

“Suit yourself.”

As business partners during their startup days, Bai Jinhuai had often stayed at Rong Qingyao’s various properties for convenience, just to discuss business matters with the woman who worked tirelessly to save money for their ventures.

“Honestly, I don’t even like staying at your place. You don’t even bother buying chairs, it doesn’t feel like a home. Sometimes I see you playing video games in the dark at ungodly hours. Creepy.”

The alcohol had made Bai Jinhuai unusually chatty. She noticed Rong Qingyao pressing her temples repeatedly, her expression tinged with hidden pain.

“Headache again? Didn’t take your meds?”

“They don’t help much.”

Bai Jinhuai sighed heavily, leaning on Rong Qingyao’s shoulder to steady herself as they walked. “We’ve seen so many specialists over the years, but nothing seems to work. Today must’ve been especially rough on you, it’s worse, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’ll be careful,” Rong Qingyao replied, knowing it was just an empty reassurance for both of them.

There was never a day of peace.

“We’ve secretly acquired seven percent of the Cen family’s shares. We’re getting closer to your goal, cheer up.” Bai Jinhuai tried to ease her friend’s suffering. “Your mother’s vengeance, and yours, will soon be fulfilled. Taking what Old Master Cen values most is the best way.”

“Too slow… too slow,” Rong Qingyao muttered under her breath, stopping abruptly as her eyes dropped in a neurotic repetition.

Whether in the past or now, she was always too slow, never escaping the traps fate set for her.

“What are you planning? Toppling an old-money powerhouse like the Cens, we can’t afford any missteps. If it weren’t for all the rot within their family, we’d never have gotten this far.”

“I’ll be cautious.”

Exhausted, Rong Qingyao slid into the backseat of the limousine. After instructing the driver to return to the mountain villa, she sat upright, silently staring out the window.

Bai Jinhuai didn’t press further, sprawling ungracefully on the other side and dozing off.

Ever since hanging up the call earlier, Rong Qingyao had been lost in confusion and self-reproach.

From the moment she first met Luo Mijing, she had keenly sensed the mistake in it. She knew she’d fall too deep yet let herself drift, never cutting ties decisively.

Now she was like a willingly fallen clown, tormenting herself by witnessing up close the sweet life of her first love with someone else.

Perhaps this was her belated punishment for succumbing to temptation.

If she hadn’t agreed to attend Luo Mijing’s birthday, hadn’t shared fried chicken with her on the rooftop, if they hadn’t warmed each other in the car waiting for the Aurora, if they hadn’t kissed in the snow, if she hadn’t given in to a moment of weakness, she probably would have been better off than she is now.

Instead, even after seven years, she still remembers every detail of searching for Luo Mijing after their breakup, as vividly as if it were yesterday.

Driven by pride, resentment and pain threaten to overwhelm her. From her bleak childhood to adulthood, she has always strived to unify body and mind, to make them submit to her will.

She especially wanted them to understand that pride is worthless, that excessive pride yields no positive returns.

But tonight’s phone call clearly proves that no matter how much time passes, the pride she thought she’d buried remains terrifyingly intact.

Countless moments from her life begin flashing back being pushed into a mud pit by other children, bullied beyond resistance; the Cen family, strangers to her, calling her “bastard” and “illegitimate child” over the phone.

When she first arrived at the Cen household, her biological grandparents looked at her as if she were an enemy, their words dripping with blame, how her mother had ruined their son, how she was unworthy of him.

Her so-called father feigned concern, telling her how much they resembled each other, both ambitious, born to stand at the pinnacle of power.

He would teach her how to make glory bow at her feet.

Power, power, wherever she went, those two words suffocated her. Just a little more power than someone else, and you could dictate their life or death.

Then there was Luo Anbang personally visiting her at school, politely but bluntly telling her how twisted and disgraceful her relationship with Luo Mijing was.

He even recommended a psychiatric hospital, earnestly suggesting she seek treatment for the “disease” of homosexuality.

But more than that, he emphasized the vast gap between her and Luo Mijing, framing their relationship as nothing more than a lowly scheme by a poor student.

“Her birthright is a summit you’ll never reach in your lifetime.”

“I understand and even admire your relentless ambition to climb, but not at the cost of destroying my granddaughter.”

“Stop before it’s too late. Neither you nor my granddaughter needs this sick, repulsive relationship. If you’re smart, you’ll know what choice to make.”

“Your being together only disgusts others. Is that what you want? I doubt it’s what my granddaughter wants.”

Thinking of the conditions the old man had offered to separate them, Rong Qingyao smirked. It had sounded so tempting to a poor, greedy student from a destitute background.

Besides, Luo Anbang was a master negotiator, alternating between carrot and stick, his threats perfectly calculated to break someone like her.

The feeling of being manipulated was truly wretched.

Did she regret her choice back then?

Rong Qingyao asked herself, smiling as she gazed at the black chess piece resting in her palm.

No answer was needed.

**

The coldest winter was nearly over. Sunlight once again bathed every avenue of the city as the gray snow slowly melted.

The metropolis felt like an airtight oven, stuffing dazed pedestrians and vehicles onto a baking tray, turning them into a sugary, oily mixture waiting to be molded into society’s ideal shape.

In her newly rented attic, Luo Mijing pushed open the brick-red window and saw a golden street corner where a new fried chicken shop had opened.

This suddenly made her miss her former self, the one who could fearlessly leap from the third floor to declare her love despite Rong Qingyao’s rejection. But now, time had drained her of all courage, leaving only wretchedness behind.

The punishment from the latter half of last night arrived as expected. The cake she had lied about enjoying, mixed with the scorching acid of guilt, made her vomit over and over again, like an incurable patient.

After finally stopping her vomiting, she took a shower but still couldn’t sleep. The ringing in her ears grew longer each time.

The consequence of staying up late was that she had even less energy when moving, several times becoming so weak that her vision darkened. She had to eat a cheap orange candy to avoid fainting from low blood sugar.

She had gone from someone who disliked sweets to carrying candy with her at all times.

Such an unavoidable change was undeniably a reflection of her life.

Staring at the fried chicken shop outside her window for a long time, Luo Mijing took out her accounting notebook. After carefully considering her recent income and expenses, she decided to order herself some honey mustard fried chicken.

No cola though, too much like that day, and she might end up with indigestion again.

After eating, she went alone to the hospital to accompany her younger sister Luo Zhiwen, changing her IV drip, washing her, and reading her a horror story.

“Zhiwen, that Doraemon figurine you wanted should arrive in a few days. I’ll put it by your bedside when it comes.”

“And that person is coming to visit you too. I don’t know if you still want to see her, but it’s okay, she won’t stay long.”

“Yes, she keeps her promises very well. Though it’s a bit late…” Luo Mijing paused before continuing, “But it’s not her fault. Don’t blame her when you wake up.”

Thinking of how the doctors said Zhiwen was now showing signs of heart failure, with no certainty of finding a matching donor, she felt more than ever how naive and childish her past self had been.

She used to love uncertainty, the flowing wind, running unrestrained, hopping onto random buses, even especially enjoying blind box purchases.

Now she had to admit that not getting definite answers often brought panic.

Like not knowing if her sister would ever wake up, or what would become of her own life, not even a rough answer to reference.

When visiting hours ended, Luo Mijing gave the sunflowers she’d brought a final spritz of water, told her sister when she’d visit next, and left the ward.

The over 200,000 yuan from the bar performance would take six more working days to reach her account. After promising the hospital payment in six days, she rushed straight to the bar called Tinkle Tea.

The band’s gigs weren’t regular during slow periods they might go months without work, and she was just a temporary fill-in drummer anyway.

As a former rich girl who’d lived her whole life in a gilded cage, she had no real skills to speak of and struggled with normal social interactions.

Without a college degree, finding a stable, well-paying job was nearly impossible.

In the bar’s backstage lounge, the band members crowded around excitedly when Luo Mijing entered.

“Riddle, thanks to you, the bar owner thought our performance went well. They want us to do a three-month residency!”

Her eyes brightened as a smile appeared, faint dimples forming at the corners of her mouth.

She typed on her phone and showed them a simple line:

[Yes, this is really great.]

“You’re really… quite amusing,” said the bassist, a tall girl who often enjoyed chatting with Luo Mijing. “Want to know why a small band like ours suddenly got its big break?”

Luo Mijing looked up at her quietly, her light-colored pupils appearing pure and harmless.

“How can you still be so calm? I wonder when I’ll ever see you excited,” the bassist sighed, giving up and getting straight to the point. “That wealthy lady who tipped you last time is back, and she brought a crowd of guests who specifically asked for our band.”

The guitarist, tuning his instrument nearby, shook his head of bright golden curls and chimed in.

“Loyal fans like that are rare, Riddle. You should really seize the opportunity, maybe even reel her in. Then we’d all rise with your success.”

“Right! Is the wealthy lady pretty? How old is she? Married or single? Has she made any special requests of you?”

Luo Mijing smiled and shook her head, steadfastly maintaining her silent persona.

“Come on, don’t be so dense. Gender isn’t an issue, you could at least try getting to know her. Focus on her soul and mind.”

“Speaking of which, after all this time, we still don’t know if Riddle prefers men or women,” the lead singer joined in on the one-sided gossip. “Seems like more girls chase after you, have you ever thought about responding?”

Hearing yet another tedious question, Luo Mijing lowered her head to polish her drumsticks, the benefits of her silent act now fully apparent.

“Alright, your wealthy lady is waiting for you. Go on, and make sure to keep her happy. Remember, when one rises, the rest follow.”

With resignation, Luo Mijing stood and made her way to the other side of the bar. As soon as she entered the room, she spotted a new envelope on the table, adorned with the outline of a black-veined golden butterfly.

Opening the letter, she read:

[Fox: Hello, Riddle. I’m feeling really down. Do you have any song recommendations to lift the mood?]

Songs to lift the mood?

Luo Mijing searched her memory but regretfully realized most of the music she listened to was inexplicably melancholic.

Perhaps it had been too long since she’d truly felt happy, she’d lost the ability to even imagine it.

In this one outlet where she could confide, she didn’t want to be a liar spinning empty words.

She didn’t want to become a long-nosed Pinocchio.

[Riddle: I can’t think of any songs like that, but there’s one food that always makes me feel better. Want to know what it is?]

[Fox: Of course.]

**[Riddle: To me, it’s more than just food, it’s like my source of energy.

It’s a story from a long time ago.

My family was very strict with me. Birthdays had rigid protocols, what flavor of cake to eat, who to invite, what gifts to receive, and what to give in return.

That year, I specifically invited that person to my birthday party. Honestly, I was worried they wouldn’t come because they were really good at rejecting me always with perfectly logical reasons.

But they did come, bringing fried chicken and cola. I’d only mentioned wanting fried chicken once, casually, when we first met.]**

But she remembered, and I was so happy to have someone who truly listened to me.

We shared fried chicken and cola together, it was the happiest birthday I’d ever had.

And the most amazing coincidence was that she shared the same birthday as me. Isn’t that lucky? We were born on the exact same day.

That day, I’d prepared a gift for her too, and she accepted it. Honestly, I’d thought she might refuse.

But she didn’t seem to want to disappoint me.

Yes, that person never once let me down.

I’m sorry, I’m not very good at expressing myself, this might sound a bit messy, and it’s really such a small thing.

But now, whenever I think of the taste of that fried chicken and cola from that night, I feel like no matter how difficult things get, no matter how dark the road ahead, I can push through.

This is my favorite food and flavor.

I don’t know if this will be of any use to you, but I want to pass on this joy of never being disappointed.

May you also eat the food you love every day and find happiness because of it.

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