After Running Away From Her Wedding, The Tsundere Young Lady Went Crazy - Chapter 28

I’m about to break

“Huh?” Ji Songshu was stunned. “But, it’s one in the morning right now.”

“Once it passes midnight, it’s ‘today’.”

“Ah!” Ye Qingyu suddenly slapped her forehead again.

“I forgot, she isn’t in Fengyuan right now. Let’s do it next time. Next time we’ll have a meal together and I’ll introduce you two. Bring your partner along too; let me meet them so I can help vet them for you.”

“Um, okay,” Ji Songshu said. “But she’s quite busy, I’m not sure if she’ll come if I ask.”

This wait lasted for several more days.

In the days that followed, Ji Songshu lived quite a carefree life. She slept until the sun was high in the sky, went to school when she had classes, ate and went shopping with Ye Qingyu every day, and then practiced the piano all through the night.

However, the good times did not last long.

A phone call from her aunt brought Ji Songshu’s happy life to an end.

Although Pei Jiyue had gone abroad, she hadn’t filed for a leave of absence, so her coursework still needed to be completed normally.

Ji Songshu received a class schedule that complemented—and sometimes even overlapped—with her own.

Consequently, she became so busy her feet hardly touched the ground. To make matters worse, Pei Jiyue’s major had absolutely nothing to do with her own; she understood nothing of the complex terminology in Sociology and had to force herself to grind through the textbooks.

However, since Pei Jiyue used to have trouble getting out of bed and would often pay her to substitute for classes, no one noticed anything unusual now that she was pulling a full-on impersonation. Some classmates even struck up conversations with her enthusiastically.

At the same time, she didn’t drop her part-time job at the coffee shop, though she reduced the frequency. Having grown accustomed to living on a tight budget, the lack of a fixed income source still left her feeling somewhat anxious and uneasy, despite having money on hand.

One day, she returned home and collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion. Forcing herself to stay conscious, she sent a message to Shang Keyu. Dazed from fatigue, she sent a long string of voice notes in a muddle. When she woke up the next morning and listened to them, her expression shattered.

“I miss you… Do you not want me anymore? (Sniffles) When exactly are you coming back? If you don’t come back soon, the temporary mark is going to fade… I feel like I’m about to break.”

Why is she still stuck in the ABO script! Ji Songshu was speechless.

But strangely enough, ever since the last time she sent a message late, Shang Keyu had actually—miraculously—begun to take the initiative to message her. A “little spark” icon had even appeared between them.

Though the content mostly consisted of using her as a notepad:

「9:00, attend the building ribbon-cutting ceremony.」

「13:30, partner summit.」

「16:30, Marketing Department meeting.」

Things like that made her unsure whether to reply or not. After all, she was neither Shang Keyu’s business partner nor a marketing employee. If she had to say, she was a Ji Songshu species belonging to the Secretary Department Memo category.

Occasionally, there were traps interspersed within, such as this one:

「17:30, Zhaokang Hospital.」

Ji Songshu had scrolled past similar dialogues before. “Baby, I saw a dog doing somersaults on the way to the hospital!” “Quick, film it for me!” “You don’t even care why I’m going to the hospital!”

At a time like this, one should express concern for the other person.

So, Ji Songshu replied: 「Why are you going to the hospital? Are you sick?」

「No,」 Shang Keyu replied.

Ji Songshu was baffled. If you aren’t sick, why go to the hospital? To buy the hospital?

…If it was Shang Keyu, that was actually a possibility.

After all, Shang Keyu was the kind of person so rich that even if she stood on the roof of a skyscraper throwing bills for three hundred days straight, it wouldn’t change the first digit of her balance.

So envious, Ji Songshu sighed faintly.

Meanwhile, another matter was approaching.

There were only two weeks left until the performance at the Fengyuan Grand Theater. Shang Keyu’s violinist friend was about to land in the country.

Her concert tickets were hard to come by, and the venue was the largest and most prestigious in the city.

For a novice performer like Ji Songshu, who had only picked up the piano again for a few weeks, to step onto the city’s grandest stage and perform under the gaze of tens of thousands of audience members was a truly daunting task. A slight slip-up would not only ruin someone else’s show but would also lead to her being dragged and mocked all over the internet.

On this day, Ji Songshu planned to do a rehearsal for herself.

To that end, she went to rummage through Pei Jiyue’s closet, wanting to try on the black-and-white color-blocked dress Shang Keyu had requested beforehand.

But, to her surprise, all she found was a pile of shredded fabric. The dress had been cut into strips. When she picked it up and shook it, a note fluttered out with the following written on it:

「Pei Jiyue」

The handwriting was so messy that it was likely written while Pei Jiyue was packing her bags after getting the news about going abroad.

Honestly, she’s not even here and she’s still causing trouble!

Ji Songshu stomped her feet in anger. She could only rely on her memory to search for the same style online.

She searched left and right, looked up and down, but not a single one was close. Since she had already promised Shang Keyu she would wear that dress, she didn’t want to break her word. Trust is a rare and precious thing.

This matter plagued Ji Songshu. When she went to the hospital to visit Xiaoxi, she thought of it and couldn’t help but let out a plaintive sigh.

Shen Weiyi was paying attention to her every move and quickly noticed. She asked gently, “What’s wrong? If something is bothering you, you can tell me.”

“I’m fine,” Ji Songshu smiled.

“Your troubles are written all over your face. You’ll feel better if you say it out loud. Maybe I can actually help you solve it.”

With little hope, Ji Songshu described the appearance of the dress. Shen Weiyi thought for a moment and pulled up a photo on her phone. “Is it this one?”

Ji Songshu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! Have you seen it?”

“I have one.”

“Can I borrow it for a day? It doesn’t matter if it’s not my size.”

Shen Weiyi gazed at her deeply, looking directly into her eyes, and said in a firm yet earnest voice:

“It is your size.”

“Because this was originally the birthday gift I prepared for you. When I saw it, I felt it suited you perfectly and that you would definitely like it.”

Meeting such an intense gaze, Ji Songshu found the words stuck in her throat for a moment.

“There’s still some time before my birthday,” she licked her lips, her voice dry. “Besides, this is too expensive. Let me pay you for it; just consider that I bought it.”

Shen Weiyi said euphemistically, “The price might be a bit beyond your acceptable ran”

“I can afford it,” Ji Songshu cut her off.

“I don’t need you to give me money. Just have a meal with me, okay?” Shen Weiyi softened her attitude, sounding almost like she was pleading. “It’s just a meal. We can talk about Xiaoxi’s condition.”

That expression was impossible to refuse. Ji Songshu hesitated for a second. She murmured, and considering that Xiaoxi was still being treated under Shen Weiyi, she couldn’t bring herself to be too decisive in her rejection, so she agreed.

“Then tomorrow afternoon, I’ll come to the school to pick you up.”

The next day was Friday. Ji Songshu and Ye Qingyu had an elective class together.

After the bell rang, students filed out of the classroom.

Once the noise subsided, Ji Songshu nudged Ye Qingyu, who was sleeping on the desk. They waited until everyone was gone before slowly leaving the classroom.

Ye Qingyu rubbed her eyes and muttered, “I’m so hungry. Should we go have hotpot for lunch? A new revolving hotpot place opened on Degenerate Street. I heard the pot base rotates too. The dishes don’t just revolve, they rotate on their own. It’s too ridiculous.”

“Sorry, Qingqing, I have plans with someone today.”

“Oho!” Ye Qingyu had a look of sudden realization, and then said gleefully, “I get it, it’s that mysterious date of yours, right?”

“No, it’s just a friend. An ordinary friend.”

“Mhm, friend, friend, ordinary friend. Everyone is a friend before marriage, even a girlfriend is a friend. I get it.” Ye Qingyu smiled mischievously.

Ji Songshu was about to explain when she suddenly heard a commotion from the crowd nearby. She turned to see a car slowly driving toward her.

The car window rolled down, and Shen Weiyi smiled warmly. “Songshu, have you been waiting long?” She also nodded to Ye Qingyu. “Songshu told me about you. Ye Qingyu, hello.”

Ye Qingyu’s eyes widened instantly. Her gaze scanned Shen Weiyi’s face as she secretly nudged Ji Songshu with her elbow, her tone full of teasing: “Doesn’t look bad at all. You have great taste.”

“It’s really not like that, you’ve got the wrong person.” Ji Songshu winked at Ye Qingyu, hinting for her to stop talking.

Ye Qingyu winked back, signaling for her to rest easy.

She felt she had perfectly caught Ji Songshu’s meaning.

“Oh my!” Ye Qingyu shouted, her eyes as wide as copper bells. “I just remembered I have something to do at home. I’ll head out first so I don’t disturb your meal.”

After that, she gave Ji Songshu two winks and vanished, leaving Ji Songshu standing there in a daze.

“Your friend is very interesting,” Shen Weiyi said.

Ji Songshu’s lips quirked, and she let out a helpless sigh before opening the door and getting into the car.

The weather that day was actually quite nice, sunny with pleasant temperatures—but the forecast said it would rain in the evening. Thus, every cloud in the sky seemed like an ominous shadow, and every gust of wind carried the heavy sense of an approaching storm.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ji Songshu felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

For a moment, she thought that if Shang Keyu knew she was out eating with Shen Weiyi, she would definitely be unhappy.

But Shang Keyu is currently on a business trip in Suilin City, thousands of kilometers away. She won’t know. Ji Songshu tried hard to convince herself, striving to brush away that shadow in her heart.

On the other side, Ye Qingyu ran in one breath until she reached the street corner before stopping. She turned back, but Ji Songshu was already nowhere to be seen.

Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly had a devious idea. She took out her phone and started making a call.

The phone rang twice. Before it was even picked up, Ye Qingyu suddenly remembered that her busy-to-death childhood friend was currently on a business trip in another city. She had almost forgotten again; the woman was so busy she never proactively asked her to hang out.

Just as she was about to hang up, the call connected.

Since it went through, Ye Qingyu asked casually, “Hey, Shang Keyu, when are you coming back to Fengyuan?”

“I’ve already gotten off the plane.”

“That fast?” Ye Qingyu was shocked. “Didn’t you say it would take a month? It’s only been a little over a week.”

“Because someone wants me to come back early,” Shang Keyu’s voice trailed off with a hint of a smile.

“I didn’t expect you to be able to read my mind,” Ye Qingyu giggled.

“It’s perfect that you’re back. Come catch an affair with me—uh, no, my bestie is having a meal with her partner. Accompany me to go creep on them from the shadows.”

“Why should I accompany you to do such a thing?”

“Hey! You haven’t gone out to eat with me in forever!” Ye Qingyu said dissatisfied. “One word: are you coming or not?”

“Give me the address.”