I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The wind swept across the lake, attempting to stir a ripple, but the surface had already frozen into a thin layer of ice, shutting the wind out.

Shen Qingzi stood by the lake, her emotions a complex tangle as she looked at Zhou Lin, who had just announced her departure.

“Is it settled? When are you leaving?” Shen Qingzi asked.

“This Saturday,” Zhou Lin replied.

Shen Qingzi frowned. Today was already Thursday, which meant Zhou Lin was leaving in just two days. It was so sudden, without any warning.

“Why the rush?”

Zhou Lin nodded. “Mhm. It’s only a few days until the New Year. I want to go home for the holidays this year.”

“And work? Is it back near your home too?”

“Yes. They’ve sent me several invitations before, but I turned them down. Now I feel it’s a good opportunity for growth, and it’s close to home. My parents are getting older.”

“Yuqing will definitely want to throw you a farewell party,” Shen Qingzi suggested. “Why not stay a few more days? Opportunities to meet in the future will be rare.”

“Not necessarily.” Zhou Lin smiled. She looked at Shen Qingzi and voiced the very last shred of fantasy in her heart. “If you come south with me, we can still be just like before.”

“Lin, you know…”

Shen Qingzi spoke cryptically, but she knew Zhou Lin understood. This was the unspoken understanding born of their ten-plus years together.

Zhou Lin looked at her, her voice heavy. “But now, I’m not so sure I know.”

“Are you staying in S City because of Dean Shen and Xiao Yue… or because of Zuo Yin?”

Shen Qingzi was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t realized Zhou Lin had seen through her heart so clearly. She pursed her lips, unsure of how to answer.

“You’ve fallen for your student, haven’t you?” Zhou Lin asked, her voice filled with desolation. If she had only suspected before, from this moment on, she was certain.

Zhou Lin had stripped away Shen Qingzi’s cover without any warning. For a moment, Shen Qingzi didn’t know whether to nod or shake her head, let alone what the consequences of the answer would be.

“You don’t need to deny it. I can tell,” Zhou Lin answered for her. “Qingzi, you’re too obvious.”

“Is that so?” Shen Qingzi looked quite troubled.

Another gust of wind blew across the lake. She lowered her head in silence for a long while before letting out a soft sigh. She spread her hands in a gesture of helpless admission. “Lin, how did you know?”

“I went to visit Xiao Yue’s grave that day, too.”

Zhou Lin’s answer was brief and casual, but that day had been heartbreaking for her. She had gone hoping for a reunion, only to see Shen Qingzi and Zuo Yin. They were sitting side-by-side on the stone steps, a picture so beautiful it stung Zhou Lin’s eyes.

“How could you like her?” Zhou Lin was baffled. She had been dissatisfied since the day she heard Shen Qingzi was taking her as a student; she had felt hostility ever since Shen Qingzi started showing her favoritism. Jealousy coiled in her heart, tearing at her nerves. She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand at all.

“Do you know how happy I was the day I found out you liked girls too? I thought my chance had come. Out of everyone in the studio, I was the closest to you. I knew everything about you; I even knew Xiao Yue,” Zhou Lin said. “But… but the closer I got to you, the more I felt a deep, deep chasm between us. I tried to cross it, but I failed.”

“I once thought no one could cross it… until that day at the exam hall, when I saw Zuo Yin.” Zhou Lin recalled the obvious joy on Shen Qingzi’s face when Zuo Yin burst into the room. “Even though everyone knows you have a good temper and are gentle, I know you’ve never been this good to anyone else.”

“But I didn’t want to believe it.” Zhou Lin lowered her head, her voice full of resentment. “My family background, my grades—how is any of that not better than a green girl like her? I don’t get it. I thought we were a perfect match. Even Yuqing used to joke about it…”

“It was just a joke,” Shen Qingzi interrupted directly. “Lin, in this world, not everything goes as planned, and things aren’t true just because people say them. You understand that better than I do, don’t you?”

“But why? Why did you choose to like someone with such a bad personality and a poor background!” Zhou Lin’s voice rose.

Shen Qingzi looked her straight in the eye and answered without hesitation: “I just do.”

Her voice was calm, yet the tone held a sense of “of course” that Zhou Lin was powerless to overturn. Zhou Lin felt as if she had been struck; the resentment in her heart was torn open, leaving a searing pain. She felt the answer Shen Qingzi gave her was perfect. I like her, I just do. No reason needed.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Zhou Lin asked.

Shen Qingzi sat down on a large rock, gazing at the moonlight reflecting off the lake. “I’m just waiting for her to submit her final drafts.”

“It seems I never stood a chance.” Zhou Lin gave a bitter smile. So, she had a plan all along. She took her hands out of her pockets. “I’m heading back. You?”

Shen Qingzi didn’t take the hand Zhou Lin offered. “I’ll sit here for a while longer.”

She remained consistent—even her rejections were seamless.

…

The winter night was bone-chillingly cold. Birds and insects were in hibernation, and the surroundings were deathly quiet. A wisp of white vapor rose from Shen Qingzi’s mouth, her lonely shadow cast by the dim yellow light. She sat by the lake exactly as she told Zhou Lin she would, with no intention of returning to the villa yet.

“Why aren’t you going back?”

A voice three degrees colder than the winter air rang out behind her. She turned to find Zuo Yin standing there in her black down jacket.

Watching Zuo Yin sit down beside her, Shen Qingzi extinguished the cigarette in her hand. The slender white stick was left crookedly to the side.

“Why did you come out?” Shen Qingzi asked.

“I was a bit worried.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingzi felt a warmth in her heart. She asked half-jokingly, “Were you afraid I’d jump into the lake?”

Zuo Yin looked at her and said flatly, “No.”

Carried by the alcohol, Shen Qingzi said with a hint of gravity, “If it were you leaving today, I might.”

Whether it was the influence of the alcohol or the inherent ambiguity of the words, Shen Qingzi’s cool voice acted like a flame, scorching Zuo Yin’s heart. Zuo Yin blinked unnaturally, her dark eyes filled with surprise.

Shen Qingzi’s eyes crinkled as she stood up. “Let’s go. Walk me home.”

Zuo Yin dazed for a moment, then reminded her with painful honesty, “I’ve been drinking. I can’t drive.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Zuo Yin regretted it. She had instinctively rejected a golden opportunity to be alone with Shen Qingzi.

Shen Qingzi didn’t mind. “Then we’ll walk back.”

Hearing this, the flower of joy bloomed in Zuo Yin’s heart. “Lost and found” was exactly how it felt.

As the New Year neared, the nearby shops stayed open late. Bright lights spilled out, merging their shadows together. Zuo Yin watched the cars speeding past, wondering if they were all heading home.

“Why didn’t you tell me you passed the preliminary selection?” Shen Qingzi asked, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.

“I only saw it today, right before I caught the bus to the studio,” Zuo Yin explained.

Shen Qingzi nodded. “I see. I’ll let you off the hook this once.” Her tone was light, and Zuo Yin relaxed along with her. She gave Shen Qingzi a small, slightly mischievous smile. Under her jaw-length hair, her dark pupils were full of stars.

Shen Qingzi felt that if she smiled more, she would be willing to pluck the actual stars from the sky for her.

…

Xiao Jinshan was very close to the studio. Walking along the road, the residential area soon came into view. Before long, Shen Qingzi led Zuo Yin into the familiar building. This was Zuo Yin’s first time back at Shen Qingzi’s home since the New Year.

The house was no different from when Zuo Yin had stayed there, yet small details made it feel even more welcoming.

“Still these.” Shen Qingzi placed the slippers with the little tiger design in front of Zuo Yin.

Whether it was because they hadn’t seen each other in two weeks or because of the alcohol, Zuo Yin felt the barrier between them had nearly vanished. The woman before her was once again the Shen Qingzi who had rescued her from the pouring rain.

“Want something to drink?” Shen Qingzi opened the fridge.

Zuo Yin thought for a moment. “Orange juice is fine.”

Shen Qingzi nodded. She reached up on her tiptoes to grab a beautiful crystal glass from the cabinet and said, as if with an ulterior motive, “Xiao Yin, could you help me get my cup from the study on the second floor? It’s on the desk.”

Zuo Yin didn’t suspect a thing. She said “Okay” and walked upstairs, familiar with the layout. She remembered exactly where the study was; she remembered every corner of this home.

As she entered the study, the scents of books and flowers entwined around her. But as she stepped further in, she froze.

On the wall above the desk hung something she recognized all too well.

It was her most precious painting—the one Zuo Lan had secretly sold.

Zuo Yin stared in disbelief, her eyes falling on the cursive “y” she had traced in gold. How does Shen Qingzi have this? Does she know I’m the one who painted it?

Countless questions raced through her mind, making her forget to breathe. Suddenly, the scent of iris approached from behind. Two shadows appeared on the mahogany floor. Shen Qingzi had appeared behind her, her slender arms gently wrapping around Zuo Yin’s neck.

“Your painting… I’ve always kept it hanging here.”