I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“You guys!” Sun Yuqing’s eyes were wide as saucers, her round face practically screaming four giant words: UNBELIEVABLE.

Shen Qingzi let out a soft “Mhm” and bent down to pick up Sun Yuqing’s fallen phone.

The poor device, only a month old, had just had an intimate encounter with the pavement. The tempered glass protector, much like Sun Yuqing’s current state of mind, had cracked into a thousand splintering lines from the center of the screen.

“The screen protector is shattered,” Shen Qingzi remarked. “I’ll take you to get it replaced tomorrow.”

“No—did I really just see what I think I saw?!” Sun Yuqing didn’t even bother checking her precious phone; she grabbed it and demanded confirmation.

The studio’s famously unattainable goddess had just been swept off her feet by a nineteen-year-old girl who hadn’t even been at the studio for a year. This was enough to shock Sun Yuqing for the rest of the century.

Looking at Sun Yuqing’s hanging jaw, Shen Qingzi waved a hand and teased, “It’s fake.”

Sun Yuqing didn’t believe the “fake” bit for a second. Having quickly processed the scene, she clung to Shen Qingzi’s arm, brimming with gossip. “You’re actually together? Since when! How did I not know!”

Shen Qingzi glanced at her and, with a look of mock distaste, extracted her arm from the grip without answering.

Sun Yuqing’s brain immediately went into overdrive, and she let out a sound like a startled rooster: “Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!”

Her eyes gleaming, she turned to Zuo Yin for verification. “Did you guys get together the moment you joined the studio? I was wondering why Qingzi sought such fierce revenge on me that day—it wasn’t for her student; it was for her crush!”

“Huh?” Zuo Yin was slightly dazed, having no idea about the incident Sun Yuqing was referring to.

Shen Qingzi tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, looking a bit embarrassed. She whispered into Zuo Yin’s ear, “I’ll explain that part to you when we get back.”

“Aww, whispering sweet nothings right in front of me now!” Sun Yuqing had a full ‘matchmaker’ grin on her face. “Qingzi, this isn’t right. You have to treat me! A meal! You owe me a meal!”

Shen Qingzi nodded, readily agreeing. “Alright. What do you want to eat? My treat today.”

“Hanying Pavilion’s roast duck, obviously!” Sun Yuqing said as if it were the only logical choice.

“I don’t have a reservation,” Shen Qingzi reminded her.

Sun Yuqing didn’t care; she threw an arm over Shen Qingzi’s shoulder. “But you can use your ‘superpower’—your wallet.”

Shen Qingzi looked at her and brushed the hand off her shoulder. “You really never miss a chance to fleece me, do you?”

“Of course. You’ve kidnapped our Xiao Yin, after all.” Saying this, Sun Yuqing moved the hand Shen Qingzi had rejected and placed it on Zuo Yin’s shoulder instead.

Before Shen Qingzi could argue, Zuo Yin corrected her first: “Teacher didn’t kidnap me.”

“Whose side are you on…” Sun Yuqing began to frown at Zuo Yin, but then she saw the deep, inescapable tenderness in Shen Qingzi’s gaze as she looked at the girl. “Fine, fine. I’m the third wheel. I get it.”

…

Shen Qingzi used her “superpower” to buy a scalper’s number and get them into Hanying Pavilion.

Watching Sun Yuqing order dish after dish, Zuo Yin felt a bit of sympathetic pain for the wallet. “I’ve made Teacher spend too much,” she whispered to Shen Qingzi. Despite her own modest savings, she added, “Let’s go Dutch.”

Shen Qingzi shook her head. “No need. If the money is spent well, it’s not a waste. This girl is clearly determined to have a feast at my expense.”

Sun Yuqing looked up from the menu and immediately caught them. “What are the whispers about this time?”

Shen Qingzi glanced at the cold appetizers that had just arrived and teased, “Xiao Yin was asking me if Sister Yuqing always eats this much.”

Sun Yuqing’s bravado deflated instantly. She took a sip of barley tea and argued, “It’s not that much. I was ordering for three people!”

Realizing that discussing her appetite was a losing battle, she changed the subject to interrogate Shen Qingzi. “Never mind me—let’s talk about you! If I hadn’t walked in on you today, when were you planning to tell us? Or were you going to keep dating in secret?”

Zuo Yin looked at Shen Qingzi. She wanted to be open, but their relationship wasn’t easy to explain. Two women, and a teacher-student dynamic at that. If word got out, people like Zhang Zhang would surely use it as ammunition against Shen Qingzi. She didn’t want that.

However, Shen Qingzi secretly reached out and squeezed Zuo Yin’s hand. Her palm was warm, soft, yet firm. “Being with Xiao Yin isn’t something shameful. We weren’t going to hide it; you just happened to find out first.”

The soft lighting of the booth made Shen Qingzi’s voice sound even more gentle. Zuo Yin felt that Shen Qingzi always knew exactly what to say to put her at ease. While she was thinking of protecting Shen Qingzi, Shen Qingzi was already thinking of guarding her.

“Excuse me, your roast duck.”

A waiter placed a white porcelain platter in the center of the table, the duck meat arranged neatly and smelling irresistible.

Sun Yuqing’s eyes flashed with mischief. She grabbed a thin pancake and turned to Zuo Yin. “Xiao Yin, I saw a ‘magic’ way to eat this online. Let me demonstrate.”

Sun Yuqing held the pancake in front of her mouth, used one hand to grab the duck dipped in sauce and some cucumber strips, and—under Zuo Yin’s watchful eye—shoved it all in at once.

Zuo Yin didn’t know what that felt like, but seeing Sun Yuqing chewing with such relish made her think that while it looked a bit silly, it might actually be good. Just as Zuo Yin was about to try it, a perfectly rolled pancake was handed to her.

Shen Qingzi: “Don’t listen to her. She’s setting a trap for you.”

“Qingzi!” Sun Yuqing wailed as her plan was ruined.

Seeing Zuo Yin’s confusion, Shen Qingzi added, “Wu Yuan tricked her the same way last time. She didn’t have the technique down and ended up with sauce all over her face.”

Her embarrassing past exposed, Sun Yuqing was red with shame. “Ugh! It’s fine if you won’t let your girlfriend look silly, but do you have to expose my old secrets too?”

Shen Qingzi raised an eyebrow, her eyes clearly saying: Yes.

It was hard to imagine that the usually gentle Shen Qingzi could be so shamelessly protective and stubborn. Sun Yuqing propped her chin on her hand, her curiosity getting the better of her again. “Xiao Yin, tell me—who chased whom?”

Zuo Yin thought about it carefully, searching her limited knowledge of romance for signs of a “pursuit.” If she had to be honest, whether in Dunhuang or under the moon, she was the one who had provoked Shen Qingzi first.

She was about to say it was her, when a voice said, “Me.”

Shen Qingzi had claimed it first.

Sun Yuqing’s eyes screamed “You finally got yours!” as she teased, “Ooh, look at that. The iron tree has finally bloomed; the old branch has sprouted new leaves…”

“I’m not satisfied with that description,” Shen Qingzi remarked.

Sun Yuqing laughed. As the saying goes, ‘eat someone’s food, hold your tongue.’ Since she was being treated to a feast, she had no complaints. “Satisfied! A thousand times satisfied!”

Sun Yuqing was about to turn away to hide a grin when she saw Zuo Yin—whose mouth usually pulled into a cool, straight line—sporting a faint smile. She leaned in to tease: “Xiao Yin, what are you smiling at?”

Zuo Yin immediately masked her expression and shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Come on—”

Just as Sun Yuqing was about to tease her further, a pair of chopsticks arrived, placing a duck leg in her path.

Shen Qingzi: “Even meat can’t keep your mouth shut.”

Sun Yuqing looked at Shen Qingzi; the look was gentle, yet filled with a clear warning. The old fear of being “disciplined” by Shen Qingzi woke up in her heart. She took the duck leg and accepted the forced feeding. Though, to her, the duck leg tasted suspiciously like “sour-sweet” romance.

…

After the meal, Sun Yuqing kindly drove them back to Xiao Jinshan.

Zuo Yin and Shen Qingzi walked side-by-side. Zuo Yin looked at their shadows on the ground; the 8:00 PM sky was a mix of city lights and starlight, feeling incredibly romantic. One question had been nagging her the whole way, and now that Sun Yuqing was gone, she finally asked: “Why did you say you chased me, Teacher?”

“Because I don’t really know who chased whom,” Shen Qingzi mused. “But, I was the one who spoke to you first on Mingsha Mountain, and I was the one who confessed first under the moon. So, saying I chased you isn’t an exaggeration, is it?”

Zuo Yin didn’t answer, but she made a mental note. Two sides of the same coin.

“Shen Qingzi,” Zuo Yin called out softly.

“Mhm?” Shen Qingzi turned her head to look at her.

A gust of wind made the shadows of the trees dance, lifting the girl’s short hair. Her dark eyes were deep and brimming with love. The girl smiled and slowly leaned in.

A kiss.

Zuo Yin pressed all the words she wanted to say onto Shen Qingzi’s lips—deeply, passionately, and filled with a young girl’s love.

“Teacher, I don’t want to go back tonight,” Zuo Yin whispered.

Shen Qingzi intertwined her fingers with Zuo Yin’s, echoing the girl’s passion with equal intensity. “Then stay.”

The moonlight was bright, cloaking them both. Suddenly, Shen Qingzi heard a sound. She pulled away slightly, alert. The surroundings were dark; the constant wind rustled the leaves of the bushes. It seemed normal, yet Shen Qingzi felt something was off.

“What is it?” Zuo Yin asked.

Shen Qingzi thought she might be overthinking it and was about to shake her head, but then Zuo Yin’s pupils suddenly contracted. She followed the gaze toward the southwest path.

There, amidst the interlacing shadows of the trees, stood a couple.

Shen Lai stood there holding a bag of fruit, with Mrs. Shen leaning on his arm.