I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The music playing in the mall came to a sudden halt, like a string on an instrument snapping mid-performance.

Shen Qingzi’s hand was as soft as in her memories, and that “half-black butterfly” once again fluttered through the strands of Zuo Yin’s hair.

A certain string in Zuo Yin’s own mind snapped along with the music.

Shen Qingzi gently rubbed Zuo Yin’s head and continued: “Don’t put excessive pressure on yourself just because of something I said. You are my student, so naturally, I hope you can surpass me, but I don’t want my expectations to become a heavy burden for you. You should become the person you expect to be, not the person I expect you to be.”

Zuo Yin looked at Shen Qingzi against the light. She still had that gentle demeanor, uttering such overly intimate words in a soft voice.

Was she overthinking things, or was this sentence itself a cover for the ambiguity of the previous statement?

Zuo Yin couldn’t guess, nor did she want to dwell on it. She simply nodded. “Mm.”

Shen Qingzi looked at an advertisement for the cinema nearby and said, “Then, please treat your teacher to a movie.”

“Okay,” Zuo Yin agreed.

Although she didn’t know what movies were playing recently, she was more than happy to go to the cinema with Shen Qingzi.

They took the escalator up and then a direct elevator to reach the theater. Since it was lunchtime, there weren’t many people. Looking at the promotional posters for various films along the way, Zuo Yin felt a bit overwhelmed by the choices.

Shen Qingzi found an empty spot to sit with Zuo Yin and carefully began picking a film.

Heartwarming films? Pass. Horror films? Pass. Shen Qingzi wavered between a comedy and an arthouse film, unsure which to choose.

She was actually very interested in the arthouse film, but considering she was taking Zuo Yin out to have fun and relax, she left the final decision to her. “Which one do you want to see?”

Zuo Yin looked at the movies displayed on her cracked phone screen and stopped at the schedule for Little Women.

“This one.”

Shen Qingzi was pleasantly surprised; that was exactly the arthouse film she wanted to see. “You like this type of movie?”

“It looks decent,” Zuo Yin replied, referring to the composition of the poster.

Shen Qingzi nodded. “That one it is, then.”

“Okay.” Zuo Yin clicked on the nearest showtime, but her phone froze at that moment.

The heavy rain yesterday had not only left her in a sorry state but had also caused moisture to seep into her phone. Zuo Yin stared at the struggling device, praying it wouldn’t fail her now.

Finally, after a long lag, the phone successfully entered the seat selection page.

The movie had been out for a while, so there weren’t many viewers; the noon screening Zuo Yin chose had large blocks of empty seats. Normally, she liked sitting in the back, but since she was with Shen Qingzi, she chose two seats right in the center of the prime viewing area.

“Here?”

Zuo Yin showed the selected seats to Shen Qingzi. Shen Qingzi nodded in approval, and Zuo Yin clicked to place the order.

Sixty-nine yuan for one, one hundred and thirty-three for two—a five-yuan discount for a new user.

Zuo Yin felt a slight sting in her wallet, but when she saw an option to add an individual Häagen-Dazs ice cream scoop for fifteen yuan, she still clicked “confirm.”

She had never watched a movie with anyone else before.

She had never come to a mall with a companion before.

She wanted to give Shen Qingzi the best she could within her means.

“I’ll go get the tickets,” Zuo Yin said, walking toward the ticket machine.

While printing the tickets, her phone lagged again. By the time she had the tickets in hand, her phone—which had been at thirty percent battery—went black.

Zuo Yin held the tickets and went to pick up the ice cream. While waiting, she reflexively held down the power button to try and restart the dead device.

However, the screen remained black; the bright startup logo never appeared.

This phone, which had been with her for three years, had finally given up the ghost today.

Zuo Yin glanced at the phone and put it back in her pocket. She didn’t sigh; she just began wondering where she could buy a cheap second-hand phone.

“Miss, your ice cream.”

As she was thinking, the server placed the ice cream in front of her.

Bad luck really did come in waves.

When the small cup of ice cream—not even as big as Zuo Yin’s palm—was placed before her, she finally understood the meaning of that phrase. She had really thought too highly of these capitalists; did she honestly think fifteen yuan would get her a large bowl of ice cream?

“Enjoy your meal,” the server said with a standard, friendly smile as Zuo Yin took the ice cream.

Zuo Yin felt a bit unhappy. Such a tiny ice cream would be a waste if she didn’t give it to Shen Qingzi, but if she did, she was afraid Shen Qingzi might look down on her. A person like Shen Qingzi, who was used to the finer things, surely wouldn’t care for such a small scoop of ice cream, right?

Shen Qingzi, who was looking down at her phone, noticed a familiar pair of shoes appear in her line of sight. She looked up to see Zuo Yin standing there.

However, the girl looked troubled, her eyes fixed on the ice cream in her hand as if facing a difficult dilemma.

Shen Qingzi put her phone down and asked, “You bought ice cream too?”

Zuo Yin looked up, startled, and offered the cup. “Do you want some, Teacher?”

The question lingering in Shen Qingzi’s mind was instantly answered. “Is it for me?”

“Mm,” Zuo Yin nodded.

Regardless of whether Shen Qingzi would be dismissive, she had to show her gratitude.

Shen Qingzi smiled. “Then I won’t be polite.”

Her soft fingers brushed against Zuo Yin’s fingers, which were chilled by the ice cream, leaving behind a trace of warmth. Zuo Yin silently clenched her fingers, and those negative thoughts instantly vanished.

“Xiao Yin, do you think this is ‘telepathy’ between teacher and student? You bought me ice cream, and I bought you fruit tea.” Shen Qingzi pointed to the two simply packaged drinks on the table. “This one is Cheesy Grape, and this one is Grapefruit. Pick which one you want.”

Her voice was so gentle that the simple word “telepathy” made Zuo Yin’s heart race.

Zuo Yin held the Cheesy Grape in her hands. This kind of bond, which she had never experienced before, was being guided by Shen Qingzi, bringing her a life experience entirely different from her past.

…

The movie started soon after. The large theater had only a scattered seven or eight people. In the cool-toned frames on screen, Jo was seen running through crowded streets with a suitcase.

Zuo Yin was deeply drawn into the imagery, following Jo into her story.

Splash!

With the sound of someone falling into water, the ice Amy was standing on cracked, and she fell into the freezing water without warning.

Zuo Yin felt a slight vibration from the armrest beside her.

Using the light from the screen, she glanced toward Shen Qingzi. She saw Shen Qingzi’s eyes fixed intently on the girl who had fallen through the ice, and a flicker of terror rose in her usually calm pupils.

Just now, the arm Shen Qingzi had placed on the armrest jerked violently, and her five fingers gripped the handle tightly. A vein protruded slightly under her fair skin.

Zuo Yin saw the clear look of fear on Shen Qingzi’s face, as if the scene playing out in the movie had triggered a painful memory.

Suddenly, Shen Qingzi felt a cool hand rest on the back of her tense hand. Those fingers gently stroked the webbing between her thumb and forefinger; though they were cool, the touch was comforting.

“It’s okay,” Zuo Yin soothed.

The words were so simple they might have seemed useless. But Shen Qingzi was truly comforted.

The scene in the movie had momentarily pulled her back into that day’s freezing, rushing water. She stared at the girl on screen; the cries for help rang out repeatedly, and in Shen Qingzi’s ears, they became Shen Yue’s voice.

The pain struck again, threatening to drag her down and drown her.

But this time, she wasn’t struggling alone. Another person had arrived from nowhere and reached out to grab her.

“It’s okay,” Zuo Yin repeated.

Zuo Yin’s voice sounded as emotionless as ever, but Shen Qingzi found it reassuring. Zuo Yin seemed to be mimicking the way Shen Qingzi usually treated her, gently stroking the skin on the back of her hand—clumsy, yet heartwarming.

“Mm,” Shen Qingzi regained some of her composure and nodded, still looking shaken.

Hearing the response, Zuo Yin—knowing her place—tried to pull her hand away. But just as she lifted it, Shen Qingzi turned her hand over and gripped Zuo Yin’s hand back.

The movie remained chaotic, but Zuo Yin could see that Shen Qingzi’s usually calm and composed face still held a fragile vulnerability.

She was someone who was needed by her. At least in this moment, she was.

As Amy was rescued by Jo and Laurie, Shen Qingzi gradually regained her composure. The light from the screen softened, but their joined hands did not let go.

Zuo Yin began to lose focus. Her eyes were on the screen, but her mind was replaying Shen Qingzi over and over.

The Shen Qingzi from just now gradually merged with the Shen Qingzi she had seen in Dunhuang. Melancholy, sorrowful, an indescribable sense of fragility, and an urgent insecurity that sought comfort from another.

Zuo Yin felt that if she peeled back the surface of Shen Qingzi’s innate gentleness, there was a hidden vulnerability she had yet to fully see.

“I heard Shen Qingzi isn’t Dean Shen’s biological daughter.”

“Shen Qingzi had a younger sister. They say that sister was the Dean’s biological child, but she was always in poor health and passed away when Shen Qingzi was a senior in college…”

The gossip that Zhang Zhang had dismissed as groundless echoed in Zuo Yin’s ears again. Could it be that these rumors weren’t entirely baseless?

Thoughtfully, Zuo Yin stole a glance at Shen Qingzi, only to find that she had fallen asleep in the darkness. The panic she had briefly glimpsed had faded, leaving only peace.

Zuo Yin voluntarily leaned over, letting Shen Qingzi’s head rest upon her shoulder.