I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 48 (Final Chapter)

Chapter 48 (Final Chapter)

The spring sunlight slanted through the windows, illuminating two women sitting on opposite sofas, both with upright, dignified postures. Compared to Shen Qingzi’s soft white elegance, Zuo Lan was an unfathomable shade of gray.

Zuo Yin glanced toward Shen Qingzi. She saw Shen Qingzi give her a small, subtle nod, as if to say: Your mother knows.

Zuo Lan, watching Zuo Yin stand frozen at the door, was the first to break the silence. “Why are you just standing there? Come in.”

Zuo Yin didn’t answer directly. Instead, she asked, “Why are you here?”

“I’m not allowed to come visit your studio?” Zuo Lan spoke with her usual bravado, the same blunt manner she had every other day.

“Fine,” Zuo Yin nodded, then asked, “When did you get here?”

Zuo Lan glanced at her watch. “Ten minutes ago.”

Hearing that it hadn’t been long, Zuo Yin let out a quiet sigh of relief. Just as she was about to sit in a single armchair to the side, Zuo Lan pointed to the sofa where Shen Qingzi was sitting. “Sit over there, next to Qingzi.”

Zuo Yin froze mid-motion.

“Qingzi”? Since when did they use such intimate names?

Zuo Yin’s heart began to pound. She couldn’t figure out how Zuo Lan had found out, nor did she know why her mother had dressed so decently today.

“I heard from your teacher that your painting won an award,” Zuo Lan said, watching Zuo Yin sit down next to Shen Qingzi.

Zuo Yin nodded. “Mhm.”

“Good,” Zuo Lan said. “Then I can rest easy.”

Zuo Yin was confused by her mother’s reaction. She looked up at Zuo Lan. When this “madwoman” actually tidied herself up, she still possessed a certain grace; she looked like the high-society lady she had once been.

Zuo Lan noticed Zuo Yin’s gaze and assumed her daughter was questioning her. “What are you looking at? You’re just like your mother—getting involved with your own teacher. Am I not allowed to be worried?”

Zuo Yin frowned and countered, “Mom, what do you mean ‘getting involved’?”

Zuo Lan leaned back against the sofa with a hint of her usual rebelliousness. “Has my mouth only started being foul today? You have a wife now so you’ve forgotten your mother, is that it?”

Zuo Yin knew better than to argue with Zuo Lan at a time like this. She backed down and said, “Of course not.”

Zuo Lan looked at the girl who was still a bit defiant. “Did you really think I didn’t notice something was up when you weren’t coming home at night during the winter break?” She smirked, crossing her legs. “Surprised? Your mother has some detective skills in her.”

“You knew all along?” Shock flashed across Zuo Yin’s face. Over the past few months, they had lived and spoken as they always did. There hadn’t been a single sign that Zuo Lan knew she had a female lover.

“Mom…” Zuo Yin looked at the woman who was acting uncharacteristically kind. Her voice was almost a whisper. “I’m a girl.”

“I know that,” Zuo Lan nodded.

“Teacher… she is too…” Zuo Yin prompted.

“And? So what?” Zuo Lan frowned. “Do you think your mother’s awareness is really that low? I’d rather you choose someone you actually love than force you to find some dog of a man who’ll just abandon his wife and child. You think I don’t understand that?”

Then, words like a spring breeze drifted into Zuo Yin’s ears, warmly enveloping the twenty years of her life that had once been scarred by Zuo Lan’s pain.

“There is nothing wrong with loving someone.”

“Mom… thank you.” Zuo Yin felt a sting in her nose. She blinked rapidly, trying to force the tears back. She had never imagined that her mother would one day understand her like this.

But thinking back, over the last twenty years, Zuo Lan had never actually interfered with any of Zuo Yin’s major life decisions. She was “crazy,” yes, but she had always truly respected Zuo Yin’s autonomy.

“Oh, don’t go saying ‘thank you’ to me.” Zuo Lan, who usually skipped any sentimental scenes on TV, couldn’t stand tears. She waved her hand dismissively. “To be honest, I wasn’t at ease at first. I didn’t come here today planning to lay my cards on the table. I just wanted to see if you were actually fooling around or if you were really painting.”

“And then I ran into Qingzi.” Zuo Lan confessed, looking over at Shen Qingzi.

She remembered her—the woman who had come to the house six months ago to ask about Zuo Yin’s paintings. At the time, she hadn’t known this person was Shen Qingzi, the artist her daughter had admired for so long.

“Qingzi showed me your paintings and told me the award winners were being announced this afternoon. I know Qingzi isn’t like that heartless father of yours. I saw that you two aren’t just ‘messing around,’ and that’s when I felt relieved.” Zuo Lan smiled and spread her hands. “So I came clean to her. We’d only been talking for a few minutes when you walked in.”

Zuo Yin looked away, retorting in her usual dry way, “You make it sound like I picked a bad time to come back.”

“Exactly! I was about to ask Qingzi for a couple of paintings to take back and sell. Those would go for a high price.” Zuo Lan couldn’t stay serious for more than three minutes before reverting to her old self.

Zuo Yin’s face darkened slightly. “Mom.”

Zuo Lan pouted and stood up. “Alright, I think I’m the third wheel here. I’ve said what I needed to say, so I’m leaving.”

Zuo Yin stood up as well. “I’ll walk you out.”

Zuo Lan waved her off. “No need. I know you’re happy about the award. Spend some time with Qingzi. Just come home tonight and have a few drinks with me.”

Zuo Yin knew Zuo Lan was just craving alcohol, but on a day of double celebration, she didn’t want to ruin the mood. “Fine. But you have to buy some good wine.”

Zuo Lan pointed at Zuo Yin and complained to Shen Qingzi, “Look at your wife, fleecing me for money.”

Shen Qingzi smiled gently. “I have a very good bottle here. Let Xiao Yin take it back tonight.”

Zuo Yin knew Shen Qingzi’s wine would be more than just “good.” She tugged at her hand. “No need.”

“I don’t drink often anyway,” Shen Qingzi insisted. “It’s just sitting there. Letting it make your mother happy today gives the bottle its true value.”

Zuo Lan nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Thanks, Qingzi.” With that, she headed for the door.

Shen Qingzi bowed her head slightly in farewell. “Goodbye, Auntie.”

…

The spring days were growing longer. The slanted sunlight hit the cobblestone path, covering the ground in a peaceful warmth. Zuo Lan walked out of the studio, passing through the rose trellises already covered in flower vines. She looked back at the small villa.

Through the bright floor-to-ceiling glass, she saw her daughter holding another woman’s hand. On that usually indifferent little face was a look of unbridled joy she had never seen before.

Watching them, Zuo Lan couldn’t help but smile. Her daughter’s world had finally become vivid and alive.

THE END