I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Snow had fallen all night, and looking out, the earth was swathed in a layer of silver and white, exceptionally beautiful.

Zuo Yin returned to the dormitory carrying two packed meals from the cafeteria. As soon as she opened the door, she heard the lively sound of Japanese. Yuan Yuan was sitting cross-legged on her beanbag chair, potato chips on her lap and a Coke by her side, leisurely watching an anime on her iPad.

There were no classes this morning. Zhang Zhang had gone out with her friends, and Xu Xu was off tutoring with her boyfriend. Yuan Yuan couldn’t find anyone to bring her food, so she had messaged Zuo Yin.

“Your rice bowl,” Zuo Yin said, placing the lunch box and Yuan Yuan’s meal card next to her.

“Thanks!” Yuan Yuan’s voice was bright. She held up a chip and looked at Zuo Yin. “Want some?”

“No, thanks.” Zuo Yin shook her head, but her gaze lingered on the iPad. Upon closer inspection, she saw Yuan Yuan was watching Howl’s Moving Castle.

She liked that movie very much, too.

“Howl’s Moving Castle! It’s so good,” Yuan Yuan introduced enthusiastically. “Want to watch together? Howl is so handsome! Look, he’s about to turn back to black hair—he looks so good!”

Zuo Yin nodded, agreeing with her opinion, but politely declined again: “Thank you, but no.”

“Come on, it’s lonely watching alone.” Yuan Yuan was persistent. She pulled over Xu Xu’s gaming chair, pressed Zuo Yin into it, and handed her a carton of yogurt. “This is for you. I know you don’t like Coke.”

Zuo Yin had no choice but to accept. She took the peach yogurt and set her own lunch box on Yuan Yuan’s desk. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Yuan Yuan shifted the iPad to the center between them. “I love Howl so much. For a while, I bought so many Howl badges. Look!” She opened her cabinet, showing a white satchel pinned with a circular badge of Howl’s face. “Which character do you like?”

Zuo Yin pointed to the scarecrow jumping on the screen. “Him.”

Unlike most, Zuo Yin’s favorite wasn’t Sophie or Howl, but Turnip Head—the stubborn scarecrow. Lonely as he was, he had developed feelings for the girl who accidentally saved him, guarded her silently, and eventually let go and left once he knew Sophie’s heart belonged to another. It was a graceful, if lonely, exit.

“Him?” Yuan Yuan was surprised, but then she smiled. “But he does look really good after he changes back. It seems our Xiao Yin likes the gentle supporting male lead.”

Zuo Yin only smiled and didn’t speak. On screen, Sophie and Howl stood together, interacting with familiar intimacy. Turnip Head stood to the side with a smile on his face, but Zuo Yin felt he must be very sad. It was just like how she felt seeing Zhou Lin talk to Shen Qingzi.

Perhaps she was a “Turnip Head” herself—equally poor at expressing herself, and equally isolated before meeting her.

Just then, both of their phones vibrated. A notification popped up in the class group: The biennial National Oil Painting Exhibition is about to open, calling for submissions from all over society.

Zuo Yin stared at the words, suddenly remembering the expectations Shen Lai had expressed to her a few days ago. She hadn’t expected the exhibition to come so soon.

“Xiao Yin, are you going to enter?” Yuan Yuan asked.

“Mhm.” Zuo Yin nodded. She wanted to go, but this was her first time participating in such a competition. She had no experience. She wasn’t sure if her current skills could win an award, or if she could even make it past the preliminary round.

“I think you’ll definitely win if you go! Maybe even a Gold Award, and then you’ll be famous!” Yuan Yuan was buzzing with excitement, but Zuo Yin remained expressionless.

“Painters from all over the country participate in these awards. I’m just a student. Don’t say things like that.”

“Oh, okay.” Yuan Yuan immediately toned down her enthusiasm and nodded. “Let’s keep eating then.”

Zuo Yin nodded, her eyes on Turnip Head, but her mind was fixed on that notification. She wanted to call Shen Qingzi to ask for her opinion—or perhaps go to the hospital to see her directly.

…

The sky was growing dark. The sun was still out, but the moon was already eager to appear on the other side. Sparrows landed on snow-laden branches, flapping their wings and shaking off white powder.

Shen Qingzi looked at the brightly lit ward. The daytime visitors had all left, and the nurse had just finished her shift. The room suddenly became quiet and a bit lonely. She looked at the calendar on her phone. Tomorrow’s date was marked with a red dot and a small birthday cake icon.

Tomorrow was Shen Yue’s lunar birthday. In previous years, Shen Qingzi would visit Shen Yue alone. She didn’t want to miss it this year. However, this morning, Zhou Lin and Shen Lai had seemingly anticipated her thoughts; through a mix of cajoling and stern orders, they had commanded her to stay put in the hospital. It seemed she wouldn’t be able to sneak out on her own.

“Sigh.” Shen Qingzi sighed, her thin shoulders drooping slightly.

Knock, knock.

Two crisp knocks came from the door. Shen Qingzi had talked with Shen Lai and the others for a long time and was exhausted. Leaning against the headboard, she didn’t really want to host an uninvited guest.

“Teacher?” Seeing no response, and fearing Shen Qingzi had fallen asleep again, Zuo Yin cautiously pushed the door open.

Shen Qingzi looked up and saw Zuo Yin poking half her body in. The girl was as reserved as ever, her caution written all over her face. The “Closed for Business” look on Shen Qingzi’s face immediately vanished, replaced by a smile. “Xiao Yin? Why are you here?”

“I don’t have classes tonight, so I came to see you.” Zuo Yin felt a twinge of guilt—”no classes” was a lie; she had skipped. She didn’t dare look Shen Qingzi in the eye, moving to the bedside and pulling up a chair.

“Want some pomelo?” Shen Qingzi pointed to a fruit basket Xu Ji had brought that morning.

“Sure.” Zuo Yin nodded. Coming from the cold wind into the warm room, she wasn’t actually hungry, but because Shen Qingzi offered, she didn’t refuse.

Shen Qingzi pulled back the covers to get out of bed.

“I’ll do it, Teacher,” Zuo Yin said quickly.

Shen Qingzi declined her help, skillfully pulling a fruit knife from the cabinet. “Let me walk around a bit. I’ve been in bed all day; I feel like my limbs are atrophying.”

“Okay.” Zuo Yin didn’t insist, standing by to help instead.

The sharp fruit knife glinted. In Shen Qingzi’s hands, it precisely sliced the top off the pomelo, revealing juicy pulp. She held the round fruit with one hand and sliced downward with the other; a task that looked strenuous seemed effortless in her hands. If she weren’t in a hospital gown, Zuo Yin would have forgotten she was a patient.

“Try it. Teacher Xu brought this.” Before Shen Qingzi finished speaking, a piece of pomelo was placed in Zuo Yin’s hand.

“Thank you,” Zuo Yin said, putting it in her mouth. The juice burst on her tongue—cool, slightly tart, and bittersweet. Even though it wasn’t particularly sweet, it made Zuo Yin feel a strange sweetness in her heart.

“It’s not good,” Shen Qingzi frowned. “Teacher Xu got scammed.”

“It’s okay,” Zuo Yin said, eating another piece.

“Eat the one Yuqing brought instead.” Shen Qingzi took a container from the small fridge. Inside, pieces of red pomelo were neatly arranged, looking much more inviting. “Hers is much better than Teacher Xu’s.”

Zuo Yin was a bit overwhelmed by the hospitality. To an observer, it might look like she was the patient.

“Um… Teacher.” Shen Qingzi’s usual tenderness made Zuo Yin feel that the unpleasantness between them had finally dissipated. She decided to bring up the exhibition to get her advice.

“What is it?” Shen Qingzi looked up, her cheek bulging with pomelo like a little hamster.

Seeing this contrast, Zuo Yin felt a sudden thump in her heart. She dazed for a moment before speaking. “The National Oil Painting Exhibition is calling for entries. I want to participate.”

“That’s a good thing! Go for it,” Shen Qingzi agreed immediately, as expected.

Zuo Yin licked her lip, hiding her thoughts carefully. “I’ll need a lot of guidance from you later.”

“Of course.” Shen Qingzi agreed without a second thought.

Zuo Yin’s eyes lit up, her dark pupils reflecting a thousand stars. And in the center of those stars stood Shen Qingzi. “Thank you, Teacher.”

“It’s nothing.” Shen Qingzi felt Zuo Yin was being too polite and handed her another piece of pomelo.

In truth, Shen Qingzi realized that her recent actions went against her usual principles. She looked at Zuo Yin, consciously trying to forget the discomfort of that night, abandoning her rules to keep this girl—who had “inappropriate” feelings for her—by her side. This was something she had never done before.

The pomelo juice burst in her mouth, sweetness wrapped in a hint of sourness. Looking at Zuo Yin, she spoke softly as if a thought had just occurred to her.

“Xiao Yin, since Teacher is helping you… could you do Teacher a favor in return?”

“Yes,” Zuo Yin agreed instantly.

“Help me sneak out of the hospital tomorrow. Accompany me to visit Xiao Yue’s grave.”