After the Real Young Miss Became My Canary - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Falling is Not a Big Deal.

And then she relaxed.

How could Song Zhi possibly know about this? She must be too nervous, but she was still a little uneasy.

Xie Chu immediately pulled a long face.

Song Zhi said, intrigued, “There really is?”

Xie Chu nodded helplessly. “Oh my god, my mom just told me to bring you some chicken soup, but I was too lazy to go to your place, so I secretly drank it and told her you did. How did you know? Oh no, I’m sorry, don’t tell my mom, or she’ll kill me.”

Her mother was the child of Song Zhi’s grandmother’s sister. By辈分 (family seniority), Song Zhi called her “Auntie,” so she was considered half-sister to Song Zhi. The two families lived next door since childhood and had a good relationship, and her mother often thought of her.

Song Zhi intentionally put on a cold face. “It’s good that you’re sorry. Why don’t you order a whole meal to apologize?”

Xie Chu said, “You haven’t eaten? You’re drinking on an empty stomach?”

She hurriedly ordered someone to bring food.

When she turned her head, she saw that a few bottles of high-proof liquor on the table were already empty. She quickly tried to pat Song Zhi’s back to make her throw up.

Song Zhi slightly raised her hand, dodging Xie Chu’s outstretched hand.

Song Zhi was too lazy to show any expression, so she just stared at the wine glass with lowered eyelashes.

Xie Chu had a bit of a headache. Even when she was this drunk, she still remembered not liking to be touched. She was also relieved that she hadn’t mixed much alcohol.

Then she heard Song Zhi ask flatly, “Xie Chu, do you care about other people?”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but the words came out much more easily.

Xie Chu said, “Of course. Like my mom, my grandma…”

“Without blood ties.”

“That depends. For a friend or something, I’d care a little, but with friends, you play when you can, and you part ways when you can’t.”

Song Zhi was a little dizzy, but she felt that something was about to come to her. The blue-purple light on the walls was still flashing, making her even more dizzy. “What if you care a lot?”

Xie Chu said, “Care a lot? Is it someone you like?”

…

Suddenly, the blood rushing through her body and to her head stopped. The color drained from her face, and she turned her head stiffly, staring straight at Xie Chu. “Like?”

Xie Chu looked at her innocently. “Yeah.”

Song Zhi frowned, a little confused. “What does it mean to like someone?”

Xie Chu said, “It’s, well, when you’re out and you pass a jewelry store and see something suitable for her, you want to buy it for her; you pass a perfume store and want to get her a bottle of perfume; if you’re meeting her at four tomorrow afternoon, you start looking forward to it tonight—that’s what liking someone is.”

Song Zhi said, “When you called me this morning, were you looking forward to it? When you were in France, did you want to bring me a gift?”

Xie Chu hissed. “A little.”

Song Zhi asked, confused, “Do you like me?”

Xie Chu stood up abruptly, startled. “Don’t talk nonsense.” She covered herself. “Don’t tarnish my innocence.”

Song Zhi unsparingly rolled her eyes. “You? Take a look in the mirror.”

Then she became serious and asked blankly, “So what is it to like someone?”

Xie Chu said, “When you meet, you want to hold hands, kiss, hug? I’m not sure.”

She had never been in a relationship, so how could she know? The little bit of experience she had now was what her friends said on social media.

Song Zhi hummed, too lazy to make an expression, and just drank. Another glass of blue-tinted wine went into her mouth and down her throat. “I don’t.”

She couldn’t even imagine what that would be like.

But if the person were Shen Ying, it seemed like it might not be so bad?

Xie Chu said, “Then you don’t like her.”

Song Zhi stared at the wine glass and suddenly said blankly, “Maybe… when you pass a flower shop, you want to get her a bouquet of flowers; when you pass a perfume store, you think about what perfume you should wear when you see her; when you’re meeting her at four tomorrow, you start looking forward to it from the moment you find out.”

She looked at the multi-faceted glass, which was reflecting a shimmering, colorful light under the multicolored lamps.

The room was dim, but the glass reflected her clear features.

She saw her own confused eyes. She met her own gaze, but another pair of eyes appeared in her mind.

Cold and clear, yet misty and tranquil.

Her eyes were always without a smile, but when she closed them, a small red mole on her eyelid would suddenly appear.

She felt as if that red mole had burned her. Her heart suddenly felt scorched and became hot.

She suddenly remembered the back that stood in front of her in the dim hallway, the small lamp that was always on at night, and the hand that gently held hers on a rainy night.

Popping sound.

A seed sprouted roots in the soil. She seemed to understand something. She was incredibly clear-headed.

She could no longer lie to herself.

She didn’t want pork ribs; she just wanted a hug.

Xie Chu said, “Oh, you know more about this than I do.”

Seeing Song Zhi about to drink another glass of wine, she quickly stopped her. “Hey, hey, hey, stop drinking. You’ll get drunk.”

Song Zhi looked at her with a strange gaze.

She only took a sip of the wine and poured the rest onto her clothes.

A dress made by a top Italian designer, crafted from natural silk that a single silkworm produces only a few grams of a year, was ruined by a single glass of wine.

Xie Chu was startled. “What are you doing? Are you drunk?”

Song Zhi said, “No, I’m sober.”

Song Zhi’s eyebrows slowly curved, forming a beautiful crescent. She said slowly, “I’m completely sober now.”

Xie Chu was dumbfounded.

Could Song Zhi automatically expel alcohol and sober up?

That would be truly magical.

Song Zhi suddenly turned and said, “Do me a favor.”

Xie Chu said, “What?”

Song Zhi whispered something to her. Xie Chu’s hand trembled, and she looked at Song Zhi with a strange expression, but she ultimately agreed.

Song Zhi took a piece of cake from the table with her hand, slowly ate it, and then stood up.

Her light blue gradient shirt shone faintly under the lights, and her face seemed to be glowing as well.

Song Zhi smiled at Xie Chu and said, “I’m leaving.”

Xie Chu was stunned, watching her walk out with light steps. Perhaps she was in a good mood, because when she was close to the door, she even hummed a very cheerful tune.

She looked as if she had been running with a thirty-pound weight and had suddenly unloaded it. Not only was her body as light as a swallow, but her heart was as well.

Xie Chu began to think about everything she had said since Song Zhi entered the room. What did she say that could have made Song Zhi so happy?

Before she could come to a conclusion, she suddenly remembered something. “Song Zhi, don’t drink and drive!”

Song Zhi stood at the door, not turning around, just smiling and waving, indicating that she knew.

Song Zhi was a good, law-abiding citizen. She left her car at the door of Tenp and stood by the road.

She hailed a taxi.

Maybe it was the courage from the alcohol, or maybe it was from Xie Chu.

In any case, Song Zhi felt that her own courage wasn’t enough.

She was rebellious, and it was true that she disregarded the opinions and thoughts of everyone else, but this was the first time she was doing something so unconventional.

The moment she understood, she even felt that she was crazy, stupid, and foolish.

Otherwise, why would she want to kiss Shen Ying?

But sitting idly by was not her style. If she dared to think it, she dared to do it.

So she came.

Song Zhi no longer cared if the dirt on the steps would get on her clothes or her hands.

She sat on the steps at the door and gently knocked on the door with her hand.

If once didn’t work, she knocked twice. If twice didn’t work, she knocked three times. She just kept knocking.

Until a cold voice came from inside. “Who is it?”

Song Zhi didn’t answer, and continued to knock gently.

It was like a cat scratching.

Listening to the approaching footsteps, Song Zhi didn’t know what was wrong with her mind, but she opened her mouth and squeezed out a faint sound.

The voice was very faint and soft, and combined with the scratching on the door, it sounded like a newborn cat.

Shen Ying stood at the door with a frown.

Since the last time, she had rarely opened the door for people who knocked unexpectedly. Lately, with so many debt collectors, she was even more cautious.

Those debt collectors had agreed to a two-month repayment plan, but for some reason, they suddenly turned hostile this time.

She stopped at the door and didn’t move until a few minutes passed and the faint sounds from outside continued.

She hadn’t fed a cat recently, and this was the second floor. How could a kitten possibly get up here?

The tiny sounds outside the door continued, and they were getting quieter.

A newborn kitten hadn’t grown its fur yet, so it couldn’t withstand the cold like a furry cat. It was approaching December, and it was freezing outside.

But she was very clear that this was likely a setup, and they were after something big.

How could a newborn cat appear at someone’s door for no reason?

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ying walked back to the kitchen. It was only six or seven steps from the door to the kitchen.

She quickly set up a pan and was about to open the oil bottle cap when she regretted it. She put the oil back and poured water into the pan instead.

Once the water started bubbling, she estimated that seven or eight minutes had passed. She then grabbed a screwdriver. She couldn’t find a hammer, it might have been thrown into a corner somewhere.

The faint scratching at the door continued, but there were no more meows. Shen Ying turned off the light, put one hand behind her back, and suddenly pulled the door open with the other.

A drunk person appeared suddenly, and the smell of alcohol wafted in. Shen Ying instinctively raised the screwdriver, ready to strike.

The person mumbled something, and the old, broken light outside the door suddenly came on, revealing the finely made-up face of a woman with a slight flush.

She looked at Shen Ying with a hazy gaze and giggled. Her eyes, which were as lively as a fan, were bright and sparkling.

Her perky nose was also a rosy red, and Shen Ying’s gaze unconsciously moved down.

Her lips were a watery, translucent red.

Red and wet.

Shen Ying immediately lowered her hand. After the initial shock subsided, a thin layer of sweat appeared on her slender back.

It was a good thing she saw her. It was a good thing the light suddenly came on.

Otherwise…

She couldn’t bear to think about it.

Song Zhi stumbled to her feet. She hadn’t felt drunk at the bar, but at this moment, she suddenly felt like she was genuinely intoxicated.

She took a step toward the door, her feet unsteady. Her left foot tripped over her right, causing her to lunge forward.

She immediately raised a hand to grab the door.

Her feigned hazy eyes caught a glimpse of the person standing at the door.

In that instant, her mind raced.

The hand that was about to reach out was forcefully retracted.

Song Zhi closed her eyes, her whole body stiff like frozen water, and she fell forward.

She secretly opened her eyes just a crack and saw Shen Ying silently take a step back.

Song Zhi immediately closed her eyes, pretending not to know, and fell straight down.

At worst, she would just fall.

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