After the Divorce, the Whole World is Waiting for Us to Get Back Together - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Dim celebration lights flickered incongruously within the gloomy space while distorted, off-key music continued to play.

Every corner of the environment was filled with unsettling horror, but that single phrase, “I’m back,” seemed to travel through time, reaching Cheng Xi and holding her tight. Cheng Xi was intimately familiar with the warmth of the palm against her forearm.

She looked up at Meng Zhijin, her gaze somewhat dazed and blank.

Back.

It was as if she were saying she had walked out of that enclosed passage. Or perhaps it meant that Cheng Xi’s anxious heart had finally returned to its rightful place. Or more likely, it meant she had returned to Cheng Xi’s side from the gap of those two missing years.

Cheng Xi had slammed into Meng Zhijin’s embrace with such force that even though Meng Zhijin had caught her, the impact left her mind muddled for a moment. She stared at the person who had returned, unable to distinguish whether her sudden peace of mind was due to the guilt of letting Meng Zhijin sacrifice herself or because she actually cared for her.

Cheng Xi couldn’t figure it out; she simply couldn’t.

While she was still catching her breath, Meng Zhijin’s voice fell near her ear: “Kid, what did you call me just now?”

The voice was calm, yet it seemed to carry a hint of a smile. Cheng Xi’s eyes widened in a daze. She was surprised and somewhat incredulous, her voice hesitating and lagging as she tested: “You… you heard it?”

Meng Zhijin gave a small nod.

Her expression remained cold and gentle, yet it was like a judge throwing down a sentencing slip, hitting Cheng Xi right on the forehead. If Meng Zhijin had heard everything, it meant those two uncontrolled, desperate cries of “Sister” had also been heard through the walkie-talkie.

“…”

Cheng Xi bit her lip hard. A feeling of being caught red-handed by the person involved swept over her like Meng Zhijin’s shadow. Cheng Xi knew perfectly well they were filming a show; using such intimate nicknames wouldn’t cause much trouble and might even serve as “fan service.”

However, this kind of ambiguity felt like it shouldn’t exist between them. They both knew better than anyone that this nickname wasn’t a calculated move for the cameras.

Cheng Xi didn’t know how Meng Zhijin could so naturally bring the nickname she used in private back then into the show. But she couldn’t bring herself to call her ex-wife that. Or rather, she didn’t want that name to be tainted by the staged insincerity of the cameras.

At that moment, Meng Zhijin’s voice rang out again: “I didn’t do it on purpose. You kept holding the talk button; I couldn’t speak to you at all.”

The voice was sincere, yet a bit innocent. Her explanation seemed to embody the idiom “care leads to chaos.”

Whether it was because Meng Zhijin was holding her or because of those embarrassing words—or both—Cheng Xi felt the surroundings grow warm. Her voice held a touch of her usual rebelliousness mixed with a reservedness uncharacteristic of her personality as she gave Meng Zhijin a soft “Oh” and silently separated herself from her.

The eerie environment held a strange silence as the two walked toward the hall, their long, slanted shadows moving side-by-side. Under these circumstances, the key question previously masked by the various interludes resurfaced in Cheng Xi’s mind. She looked up at Meng Zhijin, asking in confusion: “Teacher Meng, how did you get out?”

“That little girl wasn’t the culprit who locked us in. She ran away so she could come to the back door to save me,” Meng Zhijin explained.

“Is that so?” Cheng Xi was surprised. “I guess I misunderstood her…”

Hearing this, Meng Zhijin didn’t blame Cheng Xi for being emotional at the time. She simply analyzed: “I think the Nightmare Town corridor was a trap designed by the ‘Big Boss.’ If we had ignored the girl, we would have stumbled into the corridor by mistake, but we wouldn’t have been able to win together. It feels like a trap the production team designed to stir things up.”

“Typical of them,” Cheng Xi snorted toward the camera.

As they spoke, they arrived at the final hall. The twisted music played on, yet no other groups had arrived yet. Cheng Xi saw three somewhat gaudy European high-back thrones in the dim room, with a box placed on each.

Being back here, the excitement of victory finally flooded her completely. Cheng Xi strode to the middle throne and sat down, inviting Meng Zhijin: “Want to share half?”

Meng Zhijin shook her head. “This belongs to you.”

It was hard to tell if she was staying in character or breaking it, but after saying that, she added: “Your Highness.”

The pure British accent sounded a bit “chuunibyou” under the twisted fairy-tale music, yet it also felt serious. The last time Meng Zhijin had said that to Cheng Xi, she had leaned down and kissed her palm.

Though much time had passed, yesterday’s program had served as a refresher for that image. Thus, Cheng Xi’s palm seemed to be awakened by those words, tracing the shape of the kiss that had landed there. It was like a strong liquor swallowed quickly; she didn’t feel it then, but the aftereffect was immense. Tender and hot, it made her heart race.

The hall was dimly lit; even as they met eyes, they couldn’t see each other’s expressions clearly. Cheng Xi didn’t know if Meng Zhijin was saying this to her on purpose or for the audience. She felt like mocking Meng Zhijin’s cunning, yet she also wanted to hold onto the heat in her palm.

BANG!

Just then, the door on the other side of the hall was shoved open. Having relaxed, Cheng Xi—who hadn’t screamed once throughout the ordeal—was genuinely startled. She saw Yu Tong pulling Xu Changyan’s hand, rushing out of the other door as if fleeing for her life.

“Are we out?” Yu Tong looked at the celebratory hall, still catching her breath. “He didn’t chase us, did he?!”

“No, it’s fine now,” Xu Changyan said, reaching out to wipe away a stray tear from the corner of Yu Tong’s eye. “You were great.”

Realizing she was finally safe, Yu Tong felt like crying even more. She looked around and noticed Cheng Xi’s group was already there, greeting them with a tearful voice: “Sister Cheng Xi, you guys are out too…”

“Mhm,” Cheng Xi nodded. Remembering Yu Tong’s screams she heard earlier, she didn’t tease her. “Taro, take a seat first.”

“Sister Cheng Xi, do you have any idea how scary our puzzle was? That zombie grabbed my arm just now…” Yu Tong sat down and began recounting her tragic experience. “I was terrified, I just grabbed Changyan and ran.”

“And… I think I heard a ‘thud’ and an ‘ouch,’ but I didn’t care…” Yu Tong was crying like a blooming pear tree, but also showed her natural airheadedness. “Changyan, I didn’t hit you, did I?”

“No,” Xu Changyan shook his head, blocking the camera’s view to fix Yu Tong’s hair as she sat in the chair.

Cheng Xi realized Yu Tong was likely the legendary “beat-them-while-crying” type and shook her head with a smile. “Alright, it’s fine now.”

While Yu Tong calmed down, the remaining two groups emerged one after another. Su Miaomiao came in third, but she came out alone; He Chen came out later with the staff during the final wrap-up. The light was poor, but Cheng Xi could see that the man’s face was dark with frustration.

“Congratulations to everyone for escaping Nightmare Town!”

The director, who had been hiding for a long time, finally appeared, and the hall was finally lit with normal lights. Holding his cards, he began announcing the ranks and points:

“According to the rankings, the points added are as follows: Teacher Meng and Teacher Cheng are in first place with 10 points, plus you triggered the hidden rule, earning a chance to double your base points.”

“Taro and Changyan are second, triggering the hidden rule for a chance to add the square of two to your base points.”

“Su Miaomiao is third. Unfortunately, you did not trigger the hidden rule.”

“Teacher Sun and Teacher Gao are last with no base points, but you also triggered the hidden rule, earning an extra two points.”

Su Miaomiao was extremely confused. “Why am I the only one without hidden bonus points?”

Because you chose to flee alone, Cheng Xi thought, but she held back and didn’t say the sneer out loud.

The director’s explanation was much gentler than Cheng Xi’s internal one: “Apologies, but it is because you chose to escape on your own.”

Su Miaomiao knew that, of course, and began playing the victim with watery eyes: “But I didn’t know there was such a rule… I was so scared…”

Everyone in the industry knew exactly why she was playing the pity card. But the director was principled and unmoved: “That’s why they are called hidden rules. Nightmare Town is never what it seems on the surface; it was a test of your relationships by the Nightmare Hag.”

The director’s words were a bit suggestive, tying together people who were clearly just acting as couples. Unconsciously, Cheng Xi looked at Meng Zhijin standing beside her. They shared a deeper layer of secrets than the others. They were once closer than anyone. Many things are easy to give up, but hard to forget. The memories of the past had been dusted off, and the engravings beneath were still brand new. It seemed like no one had actually forgotten…

“Look at our Xiao He, poor little guy.” Sun Ran’s voice interrupted Cheng Xi’s thoughts. Because they had worked together in the last episode, Sun Ran had a good impression of He Chen and was willing to help him by bringing the conversation to him.

He Chen shook his head and flashed a professional idol smile, his expression management perfect. “I’m fine. Teacher Gao gave me a lot of encouragement.”

“To tell you the truth, Teacher Gao gave me a lot of encouragement too,” Cheng Xi couldn’t help but interject.

“Me too,” Yu Tong nodded. “Teacher Gao has a great voice; he really is a rocker.”

“I was genuinely terrified!” Gao Mingtai said with sheepish honesty. “You young people play too hard these days. I’m old; my heart can’t take it.”

“Hahahaha…” Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became incredibly lively.

Just like the first episode, after the heart-pounding escape room in the morning, the afternoon was free time for everyone to relax. There were no interviews this time, and everyone was exceptionally leisurely.

Meng Zhijin had the habit of taking an afternoon nap. When she woke up, she was alone in the room. Looking at the empty room, a flash of melancholy crossed her dark eyes. Shaking herself awake, she reached for her phone and opened Weibo.

The trending topics had changed, yet hadn’t changed much. Since the pilot aired last night, trending tags had exploded—it was a massive hit. Especially her and Cheng Xi.

The tag #ChengXiMengZhijin was still sitting at the top of the entertainment section. Meng Zhijin lingered on the tag for a long time before clicking in.

The clip of their entrance was still pinned at the top of the feed, and the scrolling comments on the auto-playing video nearly covered the screen. In less than twenty-four hours, the view count had already broken six digits—truly impressive data.

Meng Zhijin scrolled down and saw that someone had caught a split-second moment from the teaser where she swapped the cilantro seasoning dish for Cheng Xi. Suddenly, the comment section was filled with: “I’m shipping it, I’m shipping it!”, “They are for real, right?!”, “My dead CP has been resurrected and it’s killing me with sweetness”, “Thank you, production team”…

Meng Zhijin’s brow curved slightly. In this near-carnival of excitement, her shoulders—usually tense on camera—relaxed a little. There were no fan wars or malicious speculations from marketing accounts. This scene, anticipated by everyone, belonged entirely to them.

Her dark lashes drooped slightly at that thought, a touch of obscurity spreading in her eyes. This should have belonged to them all along…

Right then, a notification popped up, pulling her thoughts back. The familiar fox-eared avatar of Cheng Xi jumped onto the screen. It was a message from the “big fan” of Cheng Xi that Meng Zhijin’s alt account followed.

“Sister, I saw you’ve liked a lot of CP edits of our Little Fox and Teacher Meng these past two days. Are you shipping them too? Are you interested in joining our CP fan group to hang out? We have editing masters, amazing fan artists, and writers in the group. Plenty of ‘food’ and lots of perks!”

Before Meng Zhijin could reply, a well-made Q-style promotional image was sent over, featuring her and Cheng Xi in their outfits from the start of the show:

“Friend, care to learn about “QianCheng Si Jin” (Bound by Fate)?”

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