Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 10

After promising Qu Yin a series of gourmet meals to pacify her, Jin Yi finally headed out.

She worked part-time at the campus cinema. On weekends, she worked six hours a day for fifteen yuan an hour. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to cover her daily meals. Jin Yi had been working here since her freshman year; the hours were flexible, and she could take time off for personal matters, though she tried not to do so too often. Jin Yi was a bit of a homebody who spent most of her time reading or drawing manga, so she rarely had reasons to ask for leave.

Since she hadn’t been graduated for very long, Jin Yi was still quite familiar with the way to the cinema; it took her about ten minutes to get there. She vaguely remembered that Qin Zhaomu had started working at the cinema during their sophomore year. Since the semester had only just begun, she figured it couldn’t be that much of a coincidence. She hoped that if she resigned quickly, she might avoid Qin Zhaomu altogether.

Jin Yi hurried upstairs, asked a colleague if the manager was in, and headed toward the office. Just as she reached the door, she heard a familiar voice.

It was Qin Zhaomu.

In her past life, it was Qin Zhaomu’s voice that Jin Yi had found most gentle. Now, hearing it made her frown instinctively, and her stomach began to churn. Memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave: the Qin Zhaomu who gently cared for her, the Qin Zhaomu in those unspeakable photos, and the Qin Zhaomu who fought with Chu Weiran like a madwoman. Finally, the memory settled on Chu Weiran lying in her arms.

Jin Yi lowered her head, biting her lip hard as her eyes gradually turned red. The voices in the office stopped. Hearing Qin Zhaomu’s footsteps heading out, Jin Yi quickly composed herself. She could not—absolutely must not—let Qin Zhaomu see her like this.

However, she couldn’t hide her bloodshot eyes. As Qin Zhaomu stepped out, she immediately saw Jin Yi’s face. She asked in a concerned, gentle tone, “Jin Yi, what’s wrong?”

In her past life, Jin Yi had been deceived by this very voice, believing that Qin Zhaomu truly cared for her. Now, she felt nothing but pure disgust. Yet, because this version of Qin Zhaomu hadn’t done anything wrong yet, Jin Yi couldn’t vent her frustrations even if she wanted to; Qin Zhaomu would surely think she was insane.

“I… ugh…” As soon as she opened her mouth, Jin Yi couldn’t control her dry heaving. She leaned against the wall, tears nearly falling.

“Jin Yi, are you okay?” Qin Zhaomu stepped forward, reaching out to pat her back.

The closer she got, the more panicked Jin Yi became. Just as Qin Zhaomu was about to touch her, Jin Yi stood up abruptly and leaned back against the wall. She didn’t know what to say; she just wanted this person to stay away from her.

Jin Yi waved her off and edged toward the office door. Just then, the manager walked out. Seeing Jin Yi’s red eyes, he looked puzzled. The manager was a middle-aged man, slightly stout, wearing glasses. He looked at Qin Zhaomu, adjusted his glasses, and then turned to Jin Yi. “What’s going on here?”

After a few more heaves, Jin Yi’s throat felt raw. Her voice was raspy as she replied, “Nothing…”

It certainly didn’t look like nothing. The manager asked, “Do you have a cold?”

“No, I’m here to resign.”

“Resign?” The manager’s eyes widened behind his glasses. This felt very sudden. Jin Yi had worked there for a long time and had always performed well; why would she quit all of a sudden? “Is everything okay at home?”

“Ah… yes. So I’d like to finish up today…” Jin Yi pursed her lips, feeling a bit guilty. Usually, even for a part-time job, one should give notice. This was a bit abrupt, but she truly could not bear to be in the same space as Qin Zhaomu.

The manager thought for a moment and said, “How about this? Could you cover this week first?” Since the manager had always been good to her, Jin Yi had no reason to refuse. She nodded.

“I’ll go change into my uniform then.”

On her way downstairs, Jin Yi passed Qin Zhaomu, keeping a distance of at least a meter. In Qin Zhaomu’s eyes, this was bizarre. Usually, Jin Yi wasn’t like this; why was she looking at her now like she was a monster?

Furthermore, throughout that Saturday, the two of them stayed busy with their own tasks and barely spoke. More accurately, it was Jin Yi who refused to speak. Qin Zhaomu tried to strike up a conversation several times, but whenever she approached, Jin Yi would pretend to be busy and move away. When they clocked out, Qin Zhaomu offered to treat Jin Yi to dinner, but Jin Yi rejected her immediately.

“No thanks, I have things to do.”

Qin Zhaomu froze, watching Jin Yi walk away. Her expression darkened. She couldn’t help but think: What’s so great about her? If it weren’t for Chu Weiran… and Ye Yuan, why would I even bother getting close to Jin Yi!

Back at the dormitory, Jin Yi showered, changed, and washed the clothes she had worn that day. Although Jin Yi was usually diligent, it was unlike her to wash her clothes and shower before even eating.

The starving Qu Yin found this incredible. Once Jin Yi finished her shower, Qu Yin cornered her at the door. “Rich girl, did you sneak out and eat something delicious without me?”

Jin Yi was drying her hair and didn’t even look at her. She said coolly, “No.”

“Then why did you shower the second you got back?”

“I felt dirty.”

“Oh.” Qu Yin didn’t press further; it was always best to agree with a rich person.

While Jin Yi dried her hair, Qu Yin changed into a red bodycon dress and leaned against the doorframe. She looked good, but her expression was a bit mischievous.

“What are you doing?” Jin Yi asked.

“Going to eat!”

“You dressed like that just to get takeout? Are you trying to pick up the delivery guy?”

“Pah! I like girls. Women!”

“Oh.” Jin Yi ignored her, changed into her pajamas, and pulled out her phone to order food.

Qu Yin, who had been posing for a while, was fuming. She sat on her bed and kicked off her shoes. “Didn’t you say you were going to take me out for something good?”

Jin Yi glanced at her and said, “Next week.” It wasn’t that she had forgotten her promise; after seeing Qin Zhaomu and working with her for six hours, she simply wasn’t in the mood to go out. Still, she felt she owed Qu Yin something. “Let’s have beef rice today. Next week, I’ll take you out two days in a row, okay?”

“Deal!”

At the same time, Chu Weiran and Jing Miaomiao had also ordered beef rice. Usually, Jing Miaomiao was the one to pick up the food, but the delivery arrived early today while Jing Miaomiao was in the shower. Chu Weiran had no choice but to go down. She was very lazy, so usually she would pay and Jing Miaomiao would run the errands. Today, she was paying and running the errand.

Chu Weiran was a bit annoyed. However, when she reached the entrance, her mood brightened instantly because she saw Jin Yi. Both were in their pajamas. Chu Weiran’s were more conservative—short sleeves and shorts—while Jin Yi’s were much more revealing: a spaghetti strap camisole and short shorts.

Chu Weiran’s eyes lit up at the sight of her, but her gaze then fixed on Jin Yi’s collarbones. A second later, her expression turned terrifyingly dark.

Knowing nothing of this, Jin Yi turned around after picking up her food and bumped right into the brooding Chu Weiran. Her hand shook, nearly spilling the broth from the beef rice.

“Are you okay? Why are you so careless?” Chu Weiran’s tone was sharp and a bit harsh. Jin Yi instinctively shrank back, feeling slightly hurt. When she looked up again, Chu Weiran had moved back a bit. The darkness in her eyes was gone, replaced by a look of worry, before her face went neutral again.

To be honest, Jin Yi was a little afraid of Chu Weiran, so her instinct was to hide. But seeing the change in Chu Weiran’s expression, she couldn’t help but think of the things Chu Weiran had done in her past life. Her heart felt heavy; she felt it wasn’t worth it for Chu Weiran, nor was it worth it for herself.

Since they hadn’t finished their conversation the night before, Jin Yi felt hesitant yet impulsive.

Chu Weiran was feeling very frustrated internally. She took her takeout and tried to act natural. Just as she was about to leave, Jin Yi grabbed her arm. The skin-on-skin contact made Chu Weiran feel a wave of tingly numbness. Her face flushed slightly, but her voice remained cold. “What is it?”

Jin Yi didn’t notice the blush, only the tone. She assumed she had offended Chu Weiran by shrinking away earlier. But she truly didn’t want the oblivious Chu Weiran to repeat her past mistakes.

“I… what I told you yesterday was the truth.” Seeing no reaction, she emphasized, “Ye Yuan really isn’t a good person!”

Chu Weiran still didn’t respond. Instead, she looked Jin Yi up and down, from her collarbone to her thighs. She couldn’t help but say, “You’re dressed so provocatively; does that make you a good person?”

Jin Yi: “…”

The delivery driver was long gone, leaving only the security guard watching the two beautiful girls face off. To him, it looked like the shorter girl was holding her own against the taller one, making the taller one blush. The old man clicked his tongue and sighed, “The world is changing; girls these are days so brave in pursuing love.” They were too far away to hear him.

Jin Yi looked down at her toes, feeling guilty after Chu Weiran’s remark. She didn’t even know why she felt guilty; they were adults, and there was nothing wrong with dressing like this. But she peeked at Chu Weiran’s outfit. Yeah… Chu Weiran was dressed very conservatively. She had been wearing a lace dress last night, but now she was in full autumn pajamas.

“I… I’m hungry, I’m going back to eat.” Rendered speechless, Jin Yi decided to flee. She would find another chance to talk to Chu Weiran about staying away from scumbags.

She had only taken two steps when Chu Weiran called out to her. Jin Yi froze but didn’t turn around. Then she heard Chu Weiran say, “It’s getting cold. Wear more when you go out at night.”

“Oh, okay. I will.” Since it was a gesture of concern, Jin Yi replied obediently.