I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Looking at the message on her phone, Zuo Yin’s heart was instantly flooded with anticipation and joy. She padded cautiously to the door and opened it, allowing a broad beam of light from the room to illuminate a small section of the hallway.

Shen Qingzi stood there, wearing a light gray nightgown. Her freshly washed long hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, and the gentle, lingering scent of shampoo enveloped Zuo Yin.

“Won’t your parents find out?” The silence of their surroundings amplified Zuo Yin’s worries.

“It’s fine; they’re both asleep by now.” As she spoke, Shen Qingzi wrapped her arms around Zuo Yin’s waist, half-pushing, half-embracing her back into the bedroom.

The door closed; the lock clicked.

Shen Qingzi pressed her nose into the crook of Zuo Yin’s neck, like a patient desperately seeking a sense of security, softly inhaling the scent that brought her peace. “Mainly… I missed you.”

Her voice was softer than usual. Zuo Yin, looking at the woman who was nearly her same height, reached out to ruffle her hair. “Teacher, you’re so clingy.”

Shen Qingzi looked up, her nose wrinkling in a playful “hump.” “Today only. Limited edition.”

Zuo Yin smiled, offering no further rebuttal. She put her arm around Shen Qingzi’s waist, and they tumbled onto the bed together. The room was deathly quiet. Shen Qingzi was like a beautiful, soft ragdoll cat, lazily draped over Zuo Yin, inhaling her scent and staining the girl with her own.

“I scared you today, didn’t I?” Shen Qingzi rested her head on Zuo Yin’s arm, looking up at her.

Zuo Yin stroked her hair and admitted, “Mhm. Broke out in a cold sweat.”

“I was startled too.” Thinking back, Shen Qingzi felt immensely lucky. “But fortunately, my father and mother weren’t as unaccepting as I feared.”

Zuo Yin nodded. “The Dean told me he saw it coming a long time ago. I think he was scaring me on purpose.”

“The two of them seem to have noticed quite a bit. My mother was even praising you for having such ‘striking, heroic features’ just now.” Shen Qingzi’s eyes curved at the memory.

Just as Shen Qingzi was about to continue, Zuo Yin gently turned on her side and buried her face in Shen Qingzi’s embrace. The gesture made Shen Qingzi’s heart itch with affection. She rubbed Zuo Yin’s cheek. “What’s this? Are you shy because my mother praised you?”

Zuo Yin shook her head. It wasn’t just shyness; through the interactions with the Shens, she saw a deeper layer of worry. “I don’t know if my mother will be as open-minded as your parents.”

Shen Qingzi let her playful expression fade. “We’ll try together. How will we know if we don’t try? She has to find out eventually, right?”

Zuo Yin nodded, her head nuzzling into Shen Qingzi’s chest several times before she spoke. “Let’s wait a bit. I want to wait until after I win an award before I lay my cards on the table.”

The veil between them and Dean Shen had been torn by accident, but they couldn’t rely on luck for the next one. Zuo Lan was not like Shen Lai. Zuo Yin knew her mother’s temperament best; if there was something Zuo Lan refused to accept, she would scream and cause a scene. Getting hurt herself was secondary—if Zuo Lan hurt Shen Qingzi, Zuo Yin would never forgive herself. She had just made a vow to the Dean, after all.

Shen Qingzi understood that these things required a gradual approach. She nodded. “Mhm, I’ll listen to you.”

“Teacher,” Zuo Yin whispered in her ear.

Whether it was a deliberate move or an accidental breath, that warm puff of air slid into Shen Qingzi’s heart, instantly igniting the desire she had felt while alone in her room.

An unspoken understanding.

The sheets wrinkled slightly. Zuo Yin gripped Shen Qingzi’s waist, easily lifting her to sit atop her, and claimed her lips in a predatory kiss. In this house, Shen Qingzi wasn’t the only one who was “starving.”

They shared a deep kiss, only breaking apart when both were short of breath. In the dim light, Shen Qingzi leaned over Zuo Yin, her eyes hazy. Her slender arms draped lazily over Zuo Yin’s shoulders, her narrow waist dipping low like a winding mountain path, inviting further exploration.

Zuo Yin stared at her, at this person she was truly holding. “I never imagined I could actually have a ‘today’ like this with you, Teacher.”

“Silly girl, what are you getting all sentimental for?” Shen Qingzi curled her lips into a smile. She, too, hadn’t expected a day where she and Zuo Yin would be planning a future together.

“I want to stay like this with you forever. Never apart,” Zuo Yin said.

“Then for a lifetime. Not a second less.” Shen Qingzi leaned in again, cupping Zuo Yin’s face and pecking at her crystalline lips.

“Mhm. Not a second less.” Zuo Yin returned the kiss, her slender fingers tracing the slight curve of the spine beneath the skin, reaching further.

…

The start of the new semester brought the breath of spring. The cold winter was driven away, and the sunlight turned warm. In the flower beds, winter jasmine and forsythia sprouted new buds, their golden blossoms weighing down the branches. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance far and wide.

The classroom windows were open, letting in the floral scents. Mingled with the scratching of pencils as students sketched, the room was filled with the essence of spring. But in the back row, Zuo Yin was far from relaxed.

Her hand holding the brush was listless, and her draft was mediocre at best. Her eyes constantly darted toward the round clock on the wall. The black hand was only a sliver away from the number 12. The tick-tock of the second hand felt like it was tapping directly on her heart.

Today was the day the national art exhibition would announce the winners. Zuo Yin had never been this anxious. She hadn’t slept well the night before; for the first time, her usual composure failed her. She was terrified she wouldn’t win—terrified she would disappoint Shen Qingzi.

Finally, the clock struck ten. Zuo Yin watched as Xu Ji, at the front of the room, secretly pulled out his phone and clicked onto the exhibition’s official website. There, on the rotating banner of the homepage, was her painting!

The description below clearly read: 8th National Oil Painting Exhibition – Gold Award Winner.

Zuo Yin’s pounding heart finally settled. She let out a long sigh of relief, her lips curving upward. She had done what Shen Lai asked. She had won. She hadn’t let anyone down!

“Wow, wow, wow! Xiao Yin! Xiao Yin! A Gold Award!”

While Zuo Yin was still celebrating internally, excited voices erupted beside her. Yuan Yuan and Xu Xu were holding their phones, their joy palpable.

Xu Xu: “Oh my god, you’re amazing! This pretty much guarantees your scholarships for the next four years of university!”

Yuan Yuan: “Seriously, Xiao Yin, you’re like a legend. Peak performance right at your debut! So cool!”

The two of them were once again more excited than Zuo Yin herself, their hushed voices trembling as if they were the ones who had won. Zuo Yin joined them with a smile in her eyes.

Snap!

The harsh sound of a pencil being slammed down rang out. The jealousy burning in Zhang Zhang’s eyes had transformed into impotent rage. She whipped around to face the three of them, her voice cold. “Can you guys focus on painting? We’re in class. Could you not disturb others?! It’s just an award.”

This wasn’t the first time Zhang Zhang had picked a fight, and Yuan Yuan was done indulging her. She shot back, “You’re sitting right in front of us. No matter how quiet we are, you’re going to hear us, aren’t you?”

Seeing the usually easygoing Yuan Yuan talk back, Zhang Zhang grew even angrier. “What is that supposed to mean? You’re disrupting the class and you think you’re in the right?”

“Don’t put labels on us,” Zuo Yin countered coldly. “We aren’t disrupting anything. Everyone except you is painting properly. You’re the one not focusing, which is why you can hear everything we say.”

“Winning an award really changes a person, doesn’t it?” Zhang Zhang rolled her eyes. “The teacher hasn’t even said anything, and here you are putting on airs.”

“Ooh, sounds like a lively discussion over here?”

Speak of the teacher, and the teacher appears. Xu Ji walked over to the four of them, hands behind his back. “Is the winners’ list out? I see some students are a bit… unconvinced?” He pointedly glanced at Zhang Zhang.

The coward didn’t dare utter a word, ducking her head in fear.

“What did you win?” Xu Ji asked, standing by Zuo Yin.

“Gold Award,” Zuo Yin replied.

Xu Ji was both surprised and delighted. He looked at the promising young girl and patted her shoulder. “Impressive. Truly a student of Qingzi’s. You’re a good match for her.”

To Zuo Yin, nothing was more joyful than being recognized by her elders. She gave a reserved smile. “Thank you, Teacher.”

“Alright, I can see your heart isn’t in this lesson anymore. Go on. Go to the studio,” Xu Ji said with a wave of his hand.

Zuo Yin’s heart had already flown to the studio. Hearing this, she didn’t hesitate. She thanked him and quickly packed her things. She didn’t call Shen Qingzi, nor did she message her. She knew she was at the studio, and she wanted to give her a surprise.

The spring breeze brushed against Zuo Yin’s face through the bus window. Beads of sweat trickled from her forehead, sliding down her flushed cheeks and neck, tracing her collarbone before being whisked away by the wind.

Zuo Yin hurried through the spring-filled gardens of the studio and toward Shen Qingzi’s villa. Her chest heaved as she breathed in the warm air. She pushed the door open, desperate to share her happiness.

But the moment she stepped inside, the smile on her face froze.

She saw Shen Qingzi sitting on the living room sofa. Opposite her sat a slender woman wearing a gray checkered qipao. Even with her back turned and her long hair partially obscuring her, Zuo Yin recognized that dress instantly.

It was Zuo Lan.