I Woke Up And My Girlfriend Was Gone - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Encounter in the Moonlight

Hazy moonlight fell into the dark alley, and the wind that had been gusting moments ago gradually died down.

For a single heartbeat, Shen Qingzi felt as if the entire world had gone silent.

A voice, carrying a trace of warmth, brushed against the back of her ear. It was a tone and cadence she had heard countless times that night. Through the sheer fabric of her clothes, she felt the heat of the person’s chest behind her; the familiar intimacy of skin against skin was reawakened in an instant.

Shen Qingzi couldn’t believe such a coincidence existed. Forcing herself to remain calm, she asked, “Who are you?”

Without a word, Zuo Yin grabbed Shen Qingzi’s arm and pinned her against the wall. Her face, which Shen Qingzi had seen before, finally emerged from the shadows.

A distant streetlamp faintly outlined the girl’s silhouette. Shen Qingzi could vaguely see Zuo Yin’s lean, blade-like frame. Her smooth, jaw-length hair had grown significantly, now brushing against her shoulders.

Just like that night in the bar, the girl’s face was devoid of expression. Her pitch-black eyes stared straight at Shen, like a predator guarding its newly captured prey.

Shen Qingzi, who had left the hotel silently that day, never imagined she would one day be caught red-handed by her one-night stand.

Zuo Yin hooked her finger around Shen Qingzi’s hand hanging at her side. She leaned in close, whispering intimately into her ear: “Long time no see, Shen Qingzi.”

The soft voice, wrapped in warm breath, filtered into Shen’s ear. Hearing her own name fall from Zuo Yin’s lips made her heart tighten suddenly.

The vast desert was thousands of miles away—a distance where one would expect to turn away and never meet again in this lifetime. Yet now, she had not only been found by her one-night stand, but the girl even knew her name.

Shen Qingzi looked at the girl warily. “How did you find me?”

Calling out her name had only been a test; until Shen Qingzi asked that question, Zuo Yin hadn’t been entirely sure she was the one. Zuo Yin could hardly believe the woman she had spent that night with was her most admired artist. She knew Fate liked to play jokes, but this was a bit much.

“I wasn’t looking for you intentionally,” Zuo Yin replied. “I went to the Yiji Studio today and recognized the butterfly on your finger.”

Shen Qingzi watched Zuo Yin’s eyes closely, observing every subtle shift in her pupils. Finding no hint of a lie, she accepted this far-fetched explanation.

Facing a stranger—especially one with such an awkward history—the usual softness in Shen’s eyes vanished, replaced by a distant coldness. She had always convinced herself that their night was merely an impulse fueled by alcohol.

“So, is there something you want from me now?”

Is there something.

That question was destined to go unanswered.

Even Zuo Yin didn’t know why she had asked for the location of Xiaojinshan after leaving the studio, or why she had staked out this alley for three hours, certain it was Shen’s necessary path home.

Autumn was colder than summer; as soon as the sun set, the wind turned biting. Zuo Yin was dressed thinly, her hands icy even inside her sleeves. Watching the lights of the nearby homes, she felt like a creep stalking a “good girl”—a rather low-handed tactic.

“Can’t I come to see you even if there’s nothing specific?” Zuo Yin countered, falling back on an excuse her sister, Zuo Lan, often used.

Shen Qingzi was not an indecisive person. To avoid future trouble, she preferred to cut ties immediately.

“Since there is nothing, let us not contact each other again.”

The voice was icy, like an icicle hanging from the eaves in winter. Zuo Yin was the person standing directly under those eaves.

How could someone be as gentle as water one moment—making you want to drown in her tenderness—and so ruthlessly cold the next? It was even more baffling than Zuo Lan’s fits of madness.

But then again, that’s what a one-night stand is, Zuo Yin told herself.

Shen Qingzi felt Zuo Yin’s grip loosen. After a long silence, Zuo Yin spoke with a hint of apology: “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingzi didn’t feel the relief she expected. Instead, a wave of profound loss washed over her. That girl had filled the loneliness of her last seven years, only to amplify the solitude she felt now.

Zuo Yin saw Shen’s lips move slightly. She waited with a spark of hope, but the lips simply pressed back into a firm line. Shen Qingzi said nothing more, severing their connection cleanly.

Zuo Yin blinked, the disappointment falling from her thick lashes. She felt she shouldn’t have expected anything.

What’s the use of knowing your favorite artist is the woman you slept with? It was a one-time thing. What more did you want?

Zuo Yin didn’t look back. She turned and walked away into the darkness.

…

The Dormitory and the Invitation

The night deepened. The Academy of Fine Arts, surrounded by mountains, settled into silence. The teaching blocks were dark, but the dormitory buildings were ablaze with light.

Moonlight broke through the clouds, casting a long shadow on the balcony where Zuo Yin leaned against the railing. She opened a pack of cigarettes. The night breeze seemed to carry the scent of Shen Qingzi. Her mind replayed the night in the desert—the way Shen had looked at her against the moonlight with such tenderness.

Forget it. Just treat it like a dream.

“Creak—”

The balcony door opened. Her roommate, Yuan Yuan, walked in with laundry. “Xiao Yin, why are you out here? Isn’t it cold?”

“I’m not cold,” Zuo Yin replied, sliding the cigarettes back into her pocket.

“You’re wearing so little,” Yuan Yuan nagged gently. “The temperature is dropping. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Got it.” Zuo Yin nodded, feeling her usual awkwardness when faced with someone else’s concern.

“By the way, are you going to Teacher Xu’s art exhibition tomorrow?”

“I didn’t buy a ticket,” Zuo Yin said. A ticket was 100 yuan. Even at half-price, it wasn’t worth the money for her—that was enough to buy several tubes of white paint.

Yuan Yuan stopped hanging clothes. She pursed her lips and said, “I… I bought four tickets. One for each of us. Let’s make it our first dorm outing, okay?” She handed over a carefully folded ticket.

Zuo Yin was surprised. She was used to being a loner and hadn’t planned on making friends in college. She didn’t expect Yuan Yuan to include her. Seeing Zuo Yin hesitate, Yuan Yuan’s face fell. “Is that a no?”

Seeing the girl’s piteous expression, Zuo Yin took the ticket. “Okay.”

Yuan Yuan beamed. “Then let’s go at 8:00 AM! We can head to class afterward.”

The next morning, under the bombardment of ten alarms, Zuo Yin sat up in bed, feeling “half-dead” from a night of chaotic dreams. After a quick wash, she followed her roommates to the exhibition.

As they approached the entrance, the crowd was thin. Just as Zuo Yin was about to look away, she saw a familiar figure standing by the door, talking to someone.

It was Shen Qingzi.