After the Divorce, the Whole World is Waiting for Us to Get Back Together - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Cheng Xi had once read a scientific tidbit while idling online that said the tips of human hair have no sensation.

Yet at this very moment, she could feel Meng Zhijin’s fingers moving through her long hair, the sensation of each comb-like stroke triggering a lingering itch.

Like a cat suddenly touched, Cheng Xi straightened her back in her chair and turned her head to ask, “What are you doing?”

“Your hair almost fell into the sauce dish,” Meng Zhijin explained, without letting go of the long tresses she held in her hand.

The itch at the ends of her hair had nowhere to settle, so it drove wantonly toward her heart. Cheng Xi found it hard to describe the feeling; she simply sat even straighter and offered to take over: “I can do it myself.”

Her reaching fingers sought the hair tie, and her warm fingertips brushed against the back of Meng Zhijin’s hand.

Then, her hand was caught and held by Meng Zhijin.

Cheng Xi froze.

The long hair tucked under her ear was brushed back behind it as Meng Zhijin whispered a reminder: “The cameras are filming.”

Their distance was so close that the voice brushing past her ear carried a sly warmth. Cheng Xi’s movements stalled. The light could not penetrate her slightly lowered eyelashes, and the gaze hidden beneath shifted back and forth.

It felt as if something had blocked her chest for a moment, only to be suddenly cleared away.

So… it really is just for the show’s effect?

A few seconds later, Cheng Xi calmly withdrew her hand, and a few strands of hair slipped from Meng Zhijin’s palm as she moved. She didn’t look back; her eyes still held that usual unruly look.

With a tilt of her head that carried a sense of haughty command, she said to Meng Zhijin behind her, “Then tie it properly.”

Who here isn’t a professional actor, after all?

The warm glow of the lights and the rising steam dispersed the slight chill of the suburban summer night. Amidst the sounds of chatting and interaction, two shadows sat quietly side by side. One behind the other, though they shared no eye contact, they possessed a gentleness that stood apart from the surrounding bustle.

The cameras recorded this vividly, making it look as though this was their everyday way of interacting.

“It’s grown long,” Meng Zhijin remarked thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Cheng Xi nodded. She hooked a strand of hair that reached her shoulder, her gaze slightly boastful. “Even though I dye and perm it often, my hair quality is still pretty good, right?”

“Mhm.” Meng Zhijin nodded, her fingers once again threading through Cheng Xi’s long hair. A layer of faint perspiration coated her fingertips, along with the distinct scent belonging to this person.

Meng Zhijin didn’t move too quickly, carefully organizing the hair before looping the tie around it.

The hair, which hadn’t been tied up in a long time, was now gathered high on her head. The ponytail cascading from Meng Zhijin’s hands felt somewhat heavy. Cheng Xi reached back to touch it, feeling a bit unaccustomed. While adjusting it, she said to Meng Zhijin, “I thought you’d just bunch it up and tie it once to save trouble.”

Her scrutinizing gaze was casual, yet serious. The overhead light fell on her, outlining her tilted profile in gold, while her faded lipstick softened her usual flamboyance.

She wasn’t the only one whose memories were out of control. Meng Zhijin just looked at her, remaining silent for a long time.

Yu Tong was the first to notice the change in Cheng Xi, exclaiming in surprise, “Sister Cheng Xi, you tied your hair up?”

Interrupted from her state of appreciation, Cheng Xi simply asked Yu Tong, “How is it? Does it look good?”

“It looks great!” Yu Tong nodded, praising her without holding back. “Sister Cheng Xi, you remind me of the school beauty everyone used to talk about back in high school!”

Cheng Xi didn’t feign modesty; her eyes curved up boldly. “To be honest, I really was the school beauty in high school.”

“Now I really want to see your high school graduation photo. You’ve really changed styles like this, Sister Cheng Xi; you look so youthful.” As Yu Tong spoke, she scrutinized Cheng Xi, trying to find the differences between her current self and her past self.

She didn’t find any differences, but something else came to mind. She said thoughtfully, “But I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…”

Cheng Xi was curious. She couldn’t remember the last time she had worn a ponytail. “Where?”

“Where was it…” As Yu Tong struggled to remember, Xu Changyan’s voice drifted over smoothly from the side. “Teacher Cheng had this hairstyle in Daylight.”

Yu Tong’s distress was instantly resolved, and she nodded repeatedly. “Right, right! I remember in the movie, Teacher Meng often tied Sister Cheng Xi’s hair.”

She then looked at Cheng Xi, her almond eyes full of shipper-fueled excitement. “So, was what just happened a reenactment of a scene?”

The moment those words were out, Cheng Xi felt the gazes of everyone in the room converge on her.

Was it?

How would Cheng Xi know? She hadn’t started the incident, and the process was merely to cooperate with the CP interaction with Meng Zhijin. Naturally, the conclusion should also be handled by Meng Zhijin.

Thinking this, Cheng Xi rested her chin on her hand and lazily drifted her gaze toward Meng Zhijin. “Is that so, Teacher Meng?”

Meng Zhijin took a small sip of the wine in her hand, maintaining her gentle yet cool and distant demeanor. “I don’t remember very clearly.”

The onlookers felt a bit disappointed; the teasing hadn’t succeeded, as it was brushed aside by Meng Zhijin’s half-truth.

“Why do I feel like Xiao Xi hasn’t changed at all over the years?” Sun Ran didn’t let the atmosphere cool down, thoughtfully tossing a new topic to Cheng Xi. “How old were Xiao Xi and Zhijin when you filmed Daylight? Were you even eighteen?”

Cheng Xi couldn’t help but laugh and said a bit shyly, “I was already twenty-one then, Teacher Sun.”

“Twenty-one?” Sun Ran was clearly surprised. “Heavens, how can someone look exactly the same at fifteen, twenty-one, and twenty-five? They say every five years is a new stage, but your ‘stage’ is barely a slope.”

The ponytail felt a bit heavy, and Cheng Xi reached up to stroke it again during Sun Ran’s words. The curtain of hair fell suddenly from her hand, hiding her slowly shifting eyes.

The clever fox looked up at the camera, her gaze drifting toward Meng Zhijin as if unintentionally. “Isn’t it because I’m afraid someone might forget me?”

Cheng Xi’s words weren’t explicitly clear, but they were laced with blatant ambiguity.

Despite knowing better than anyone how mischievous this person could be, Meng Zhijin’s hand tightened around her wine glass. After a pause, she replied, “No one will forget you.”

“You just need to produce more good work.”

What could have been said in one sentence was split into two by Meng Zhijin, reversing the cause and effect. After finishing, she turned to Yu Tong and said to her with equal fairness, “Taro, you too.”

The hotpot party lasted until nearly midnight. Gao Mingtai’s guitar became the bond that kept everyone together during the later interactions. The production crew grew worried that staying up any later would delay the official filming schedule for tomorrow, so the chief director took the lead and knocked on the cabin door.

“Good evening, members of the Romantic Cabin.”

As the party neared its end, everyone was feeling the effects of the alcohol, and their greetings were casual. “Good evening, Director.”

The director responded politely and began the transition: “Welcome to the Romantic Cabin. The theme of this season of Our Romantic World is romance in different dimensions. The dimension we are experiencing this time is the starlight over the wilderness.”

“The mission will be officially released tomorrow morning. Please get a good night’s rest, members of the Romantic Cabin, to welcome a new world tomorrow.”

The aerial drone pulled the outdoor shot higher and further away, and the party in the only lit villa on the mountain came to an end.

Having already had wine at noon and continuing to drink during the lively evening chats, Cheng Xi was feeling a bit tipsy. She said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs with Meng Zhijin.

The hallway lights were dim but bright enough. Cheng Xi wasn’t exactly cautious as she climbed the dozens of stairs. Suddenly, she felt her leg go weak. Her foot, which she hadn’t managed to lift in time, caught on a step, and she began to fall.

But she didn’t fall.

A cool hand rested on Cheng Xi’s waist, providing strong support. A faint fragrance floated in the air—light enough to be hard to detect in an alcohol-soaked environment, yet captured clearly by Cheng Xi.

It happened so fast that Cheng Xi’s brain hadn’t even processed it before a familiar voice sounded behind her ear.

“Careful.”

It was Meng Zhijin supporting her from behind. That slender arm rested against her waist, looking gentlemanly and polite. However, the extreme proximity meant that with a slight shift of her gaze, Cheng Xi could see the snowy-white skin beneath Meng Zhijin’s shirt. The delicate luster of the cold-white skin radiated a warmth that contradicted its appearance.

Cheng Xi didn’t know if it was lingering shock, but her heart was thumping against her ribs. The alcohol made her mind unclear, and her previously blank head was suddenly filled with many emotions.

Without knowing what she was thinking, Cheng Xi asked ghost-like, “Are there… cameras here too?”

Meng Zhijin looked up at the orb-like camera hanging at the end of the hallway and answered truthfully, “Yes.”

“Mm…” Cheng Xi hummed, as if repeating Meng Zhijin’s words.

She tilted her head to look at the distant camera and leaned even more recklessly against Meng Zhijin, a smile spreading on her lips. “Then I’ll have to trouble Teacher Meng.”

Warm breath mixed with the scent of wine brushed against Meng Zhijin’s neck. She knew clearly that Cheng Xi was being mischievous for the camera, yet her heart still took a violent leap.

It was hard to resist.

Meng Zhijin supported Cheng Xi through the final few steps. After setting her on the bed to sober up, she took her things to the bathroom to remove her makeup and wash up.

Running water rinsed over her fingers, icy cold, as if it could suppress all the restless palpitations. Meng Zhijin calmly rinsed off the last bit of cleanser foam from the side of her pinky. As she threaded her fingers together, the water coated her knuckles in a crystalline sheen, revealing a beautiful pink hue.

The door opened in the mirror unnoticed, and the flow of water around her fingers suddenly rippled.

Abruptly, Meng Zhijin felt her waist being embraced from behind. Then, a soft warmth pressed against her back.

Cheng Xi rested her chin on Meng Zhijin’s shoulder blade, her voice against her ear sounding exceptionally ambiguous: “Teacher Meng, should we discuss… our sleeping positions for later?”

Support After the Divorce, the Whole World is Waiting for Us to Get Back Together