Ex-Wife, Please Respect Yourself! - Chapter 4

In the dim bedroom, fragmented sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and fell onto the messy, unmade bed.

Cheng Luo was startled awake by a heavy weight pressing against her neck. If she had stayed asleep any longer, she would have struggled to breathe. Closing her eyes, she reached out to touch the weight and found it was warm. The shock woke her up instantly.

Opening her eyes, she saw her ex-wife, who had been living apart from her for three years, leaning against the crook of her shoulder. One arm was draped over Cheng Luo’s neck, while the other rested on her lower abdomen. Fortunately, her feet had remained decently on her own side of the bed.

Cheng Luo stayed motionless for several minutes as she slowly processed the situation. She remembered that she had been drunk the night before, then her ex-wife had arrived, and then she had asked her ex-wife not to leave.

Even if I asked her to stay, could she not have had the decency to sleep on the sofa? We are divorced! This is so embarrassing!

However, when she noticed the dark circles under her ex-wife’s eyes, she forgave her in her heart. After all, the woman had looked after her for half the night, and it was not Cheng Luo’s style to be ungrateful.

Still, even if we share a bed, could she not keep her arms and head to herself? We are divorced! Waking up like this is so embarrassing!

While Cheng Luo was immersed in her awkwardness, her ex-wife woke up. She accepted the current situation with complete naturalness and casually withdrew her hand. Before pulling away, she reached out to feel Cheng Luo’s forehead. “The fever has broken.”

Cheng Luo sincerely wanted to ask her, “Are you not embarrassed?”

But after thinking about it, she kept her mouth shut. If she did not speak, only she would be embarrassed. If she spoke, both would be awkward, or she might end up feeling even worse. Neither option seemed right.

To reduce the tension, Cheng Luo used her hands to brace herself against the mattress, slowly scooting away to establish a safe distance from her ex-wife.

“Do you have to film today?”

Cheng Luo shook her head vigorously like a spinning rattle.

The room fell into a profound silence, broken only by the sound of the quilt and sheets rubbing together as Cheng Luo moved.

Just as she reached the edge of the bed, her ex-wife suddenly reached out and pinned down the quilt that was about to slide off. She said helplessly, “I came here in a hurry and did not bring pajamas. Could you please stop pulling the quilt?”

Cheng Luo froze. Only now did she notice that her ex-wife’s beautifully shaped collarbones were exposed, along with her shoulders and neck.

Her face immediately turned as red as a ripe tomato. She quickly shoved the quilt she had pulled away back toward her ex-wife, throwing it over her to cover her bare skin.

“You! Put your clothes on quickly! I will wait for you outside!” With that, she scrambled off the bed and ran out of the room.

Zhai Qing’s head remained on Cheng Luo’s pillow, surrounded by a familiar scent. Listening to the clattering sounds coming from outside, she could not help but feel the corners of her mouth twitch upward.

Cheng Luo chewed on two ice cubes before her face finally felt less hot. She had not expected that after not seeing each other for so long, her ex-wife’s figure seemed to have improved. Her muscles appeared more defined, and lying there, she looked rather alluring.

Stop, stop, stop! Cheng Luo quickly cut off the inappropriate thoughts in her head, chanting ten times in her mind: Ex-wife, ex-wife, ex-wife.

After a while, her ex-wife emerged. She was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, her hair was a bit messy, and she wore the hotel’s spare slippers. She looked less distant and a bit more human.

“When are you going back?”

“I have a flight at three in the afternoon.”

Cheng Luo gave a dry “oh” and found herself with nothing else to say. She was not due back at work until tomorrow and had nothing to do today, so she watched as Zhai Qing walked past her into the kitchen.

“What are we having for breakfast?” Zhai Qing checked the fridge; it was quite well-stocked.

“Anything is fine. Actually, we could just have the hotel deliver something.” Cheng Luo was not used to her ex-wife being this domestic; she found the cold, robotic version more comfortable to deal with.

“Would you not mind if someone saw us?”

Cheng Luo finally remembered that point. It was better if she and Zhai Qing were not discovered together right now. She said gratefully, “You are right to be cautious. I will just have a boiled egg.”

She did not see the flash of annoyance that crossed her ex-wife’s face.

Once she knew breakfast was being handled, Cheng Luo hid back in the bedroom without any burden. The bed looked the same as before, with faint indentations from where they had been lying. She quickly smoothed it over, pretending nothing had happened.

However, since Zhai Qing was here, Nono must be home alone. She wondered if the child would be scared. Just as she went to grab her phone to call her daughter, she realized it was missing. It seemed to have disappeared after she finished her call with Zhai Qing last night.

Cheng Luo checked her coat pockets, but it was not there either. She rummaged through the room but found nothing, so she had to borrow Zhai Qing’s phone to make a call and see if she could hear it ringing.

Zhai Qing handed over the phone before Cheng Luo could even finish her request. Cheng Luo was about to ask for the passcode, but when she looked down, she realized she was already on the home screen. There seemed to be no password.

She skillfully dialed her own number and noticed that Zhai Qing’s contact name for her was still “Wife.” However, finding her phone was the priority, so she placed the call.

After a few seconds of silence in the room, Cheng Luo was about to give up when the call was suddenly answered. A familiar voice came through.

“Hello? Cheng Luo?” The voice sounded thick with sleep.

“It is me. Why do you have my phone?”

“It fell out when you got into the car yesterday. By the time I noticed, you were already gone. I intended to bring it to you later today, but I did not expect you to call so early.”

“Is that so? I drank too much and forgot.”

“Yes, but your ringtone is very unique. Whose phone are you using?”

“I just borrowed one. If you are not fully awake, go back to sleep. I will come to pick it up later.” Without waiting for a response, Cheng Luo hung up the call.

“Did you find it?” Zhai Qing asked after the call ended.

“I found it. It is with my friend.” Cheng Luo rubbed her nose guiltily. It was one thing to talk behind someone’s back, but being caught was embarrassing.

“Hey, can I call Nono? Will she be okay waking up and not seeing you?” In Cheng Luo’s memory, Nono was still a tiny infant who could not be left alone. Back when she looked after her, the child would surely have a crying fit if she did not see her mother in the morning.

“You can. She is very strong. I often go on long business trips.”

Cheng Luo did not believe her and dialed a video call herself, preparing to comfort her daughter.

The call was picked up quickly. Nono was sitting straight at her desk, holding a pen properly. Her hair had likely been tied by the nanny into a neat ponytail, revealing her beautiful features.

“Mama!” Nono was pleasantly surprised. Her mother’s assistant had said her mother went to find her Mommy, but she had not believed it at first. Then, she received the video call from her Mommy.

“Hello, Nono. Did you miss Mommy? What are you doing now?”

“I missed you very much! I am studying hard right now! I am not being lazy while Mama is away!”

“How wonderful! Your Mama is coming back this afternoon. You should stay home nicely with the nanny.”

“Mhm!” Nono agreed easily. Surprisingly, Cheng Luo felt a bit sad. She had not expected her daughter to be so independent already, no longer showing the same absolute reliance she had in the past.