After the Divorce, the Whole World is Waiting for Us to Get Back Together - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

When Meng Zhijin uttered the word “kid,” the first person to look up was Yu Tong.

It wasn’t for any deep reason; Yu Tong had started acting early and was currently a freshman who hadn’t graduated yet. Being the youngest participant across both seasons of Our Romantic World, she was often called “kid” by crews on set. It had become a Pavlovian response for her.

But this time, before Yu Tong could fully react, Cheng Xi had already stepped to Meng Zhijin’s side.

“What are you making?”

Cheng Xi’s voice was casual and natural. She stood beside Meng Zhijin with a familiarity that suggested they did this every day. Yu Tong froze, blinking as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Taro, draw your card,” a tall, slender woman called out to Yu Tong—her partner, Xu Changyan, whose shoulder-length hair gave her a sharp, capable look.

“Coming!” Yu Tong snapped out of it and hurried toward the living room where the production crew was stationed.

The kitchen fell quiet again, the hanging light softly enveloping the two women standing together. Before Cheng Xi could figure out the dish, Meng Zhijin extended a spoon filled with sauce toward her. The pungent, spicy aroma of minced garlic erupted from the stove as the sauce bubbled, its deep reddish-brown color looking incredibly inviting.

Cheng Xi didn’t take the spoon. Instead, out of habit, she simply leaned her head forward. Her red lips met the silver spoon, staining slightly with the color of the sauce.

“How is it?” Meng Zhijin asked.

“Mm,” Cheng Xi didn’t skimp on praise. “Your skills haven’t declined.”

Though Meng Zhijin looked like someone who wouldn’t lift a finger in the kitchen, her cooking was actually superb. Before the divorce, whenever they had time, Meng Zhijin would cook personally…

Cheng Xi’s gaze faltered. She realized belatedly how natural that movement had been—just like every moment they had shared in the past. Emotions are the hardest things to parse. She could control herself enough to act out a script, but she couldn’t block the residual reflexes of her body.

“Help me plate the vegetables in that pot,” Meng Zhijin said. Cheng Xi reflexively nodded to comply.

However, when she stood before the steaming pot, she paused. Floating in the water was the very head of lettuce she had taken out of the fridge earlier. The lettuce she had washed for her salad was now blanched a deep, cooked green.

Cheng Xi frowned. “You boiled my lettuce?”

“I made enough for four. Invite your friend over to eat later,” Meng Zhijin said calmly, turning off the stove.

Under Cheng Xi’s resentful gaze, Meng Zhijin calmly fished out the lettuce. She drizzled the bubbling savory sauce over the neatly arranged greens, releasing an aroma that combined richness with fresh crispness.

Meng Zhijin looked at Cheng Xi, her voice flat: “You don’t need to lose weight.”

The protest stuck in Cheng Xi’s throat. She swallowed it. She admitted defeat.

By the time Yu Tong and her partner finished organizing their room, Meng Zhijin had prepared a lavish lunch for four. Yu Tong’s eyes widened at the spread, and she ate until she was stuffed. Nearby, the staff members—stuck at their posts—couldn’t stop swallowing their saliva, their stomachs growling audibly.

Cheng Xi watched them and decided her “unprincipled” forgiveness of Meng Zhijin’s lettuce theft was justified.

After the meal, Yu Tong’s partner, Xu Changyan, took over the cleanup, quietly loading the dishwasher. Cheng Xi leaned back in her chair, sipping her wine, and surreptitiously watched Xu Changyan. The woman felt cold, laconic, and socially awkward; Cheng Xi wondered how she had been paired with the bubbly Yu Tong. A rookie model and a popular actress—it felt like an odd match.

But then again, Cheng Xi thought, aren’t Meng Zhijin and I an odd match too?

“Sister Cheng Xi, what are your plans for the afternoon?” Yu Tong’s voice broke her thoughts.

Cheng Xi shook her head. “Nothing.” She glanced at Meng Zhijin, who was grabbing more wine at the bar. “Teacher Meng probably needs to go up and catch up on sleep.”

Yu Tong nodded. “Since you have no plans, why don’t we play something?” She dragged over a small suitcase she had left in the living room. “I brought Monopoly, Truth or Dare cards, Ludo, Adventure Island…”

“Adventure Island?” Cheng Xi looked at the large box. “Is it new?”

“Yeah! It combines board games with Truth or Dare, and apparently, there’s a mystery script-killing element…” Yu Tong read the back. “Anyway, it looks fun.”

“Let’s play that,” Cheng Xi said, intrigued.

“Sure,” Yu Tong said, then looked at Cheng Xi. “But this game is best played in teams. If we play, it’ll be two against one for you. Don’t say we’re bullying you later!”

Cheng Xi didn’t care. She rolled up her sleeves, her competitive streak flaring. “Two against one it is. I won’t go easy on you.”

Clack.

A glass was placed on the table. Meng Zhijin, who was supposed to go upstairs, pulled out a chair and sat next to Cheng Xi.

“You got up so early and cooked a whole meal,” Cheng Xi said, surprised. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’m not sleepy,” Meng Zhijin replied simply, taking the rulebook from Yu Tong. “Shall we start?”

The game was a chaotic trek. Finally, Xu Changyan became the first to fall into a trap, forced to choose Truth or Dare.

Yu Tong, acting as the host, drew a Truth card: “Have you ever been pursued by someone?”

Xu Changyan: “Yes.” Yu Tong: “Did you accept?” Xu Changyan: “No.”

The exchange was calm, but Cheng Xi sensed a strange spark. Her intuition told her Yu Tong and Xu Changyan had history. They definitely knew each other before this…

“Haha! Teacher Meng, your luck is terrible!” Yu Tong’s exclamation pulled Cheng Xi back.

While Cheng Xi was spacing out, Meng Zhijin had rolled the dice. It landed on a three.

Yu Tong slapped her leg in glee. “Because of Teacher Meng’s blunder, both she and Sister Cheng Xi have fallen into the Miasma Mushroom trap! You’re infected! Teacher Meng needs to complete a Truth and a Dare to ‘detoxify,’ otherwise, you’ll both lose random items based on the dice roll to escape.”

Cheng Xi panicked. She had just won a “Secret Treasure Key” through a puzzle—a key Yu Tong had been eyeing. If they lost it now, her competitive heart would break. But the decision was in Meng Zhijin’s hands.

Would someone as private as Meng Zhijin really reveal personal secrets on camera for a game?

“Teacher Meng, what do you choose?” Yu Tong asked expectantly.

Meng Zhijin’s expression didn’t change. “Truth and Dare.”

Cheng Xi was stunned. She couldn’t believe her ears.

“Teacher Meng,” Yu Tong reminded her, “it has to be one of each to clear the miasma for both you and Sister Cheng Xi.”

“Mm,” Meng Zhijin nodded, as if she wasn’t about to expose her privacy to millions of viewers.

Yu Tong was thrilled. She drew a Truth card and gave a wicked grin. “Question: Does Teacher Meng have any lingering regrets to this day?”

“Yes,” Meng Zhijin said. Her voice was even calmer and more frank than Xu Changyan’s.

Cheng Xi’s heart skipped a beat. When someone you were once bound to admits to a regret, you can’t help but wonder if it involves you.

Yu Tong, sensing the tension, pressed on: “Please elaborate in detail.”

Under the bright lights, Meng Zhijin paused. Then she asked, “Is this the Dare?”

“No, this is the question on the Truth card,” Yu Tong showed her. “You have to answer it fully.”

But Meng Zhijin was smarter. She pointed out a loophole in Yu Tong’s rules: “You said I only had to answer one Truth. You are the one who split the card’s question into two sentences.”

Yu Tong was stumped. She realized Meng Zhijin was much harder to trick than Xu Changyan. She sighed in defeat. “Fine. Then… the Dare.”

She snapped a card out. As she read it, a grin wider than the previous one spread across her face. A sense of foreboding—like a dark cloud—settled over Cheng Xi’s head.

This time, Yu Tong read the whole thing in one breath: “Teacher Meng, please kiss the person to your left. The duration must be no less than 30 seconds.”

The room fell silent.

The person sitting to Meng Zhijin’s left was none other than Cheng Xi.

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