Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 45

Qu Yin hugged herself and shivered. “The way you look when you’re in love is truly terrifying.”

“And the way you look in love isn’t?” Jin Yi retorted sharply. “You dress up like a peacock every single day!”

The retort left Qu Yin speechless. “Fine, I was the top last night, so I won’t lower myself to argue with you.”

Aside from pretending to be magnanimous, Qu Yin had no other choice, mostly because what Jin Yi said was actually true.

“Anyway, I have some news to break to you early. I’m planning to move out and live with Miao Miao.”

“Moving out?”

Seeing Qu Yin’s smug expression, Jin Yi suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy. From meeting to dating, it had only been about a month for Qu Yin and Jing Miao Miao, yet they were already moving out together.

In contrast, look at her and Chu Weiran. Though they had only been together a few days, they had known each other forever and had shared beds since they were children, yet they hadn’t moved out together. Well, Chu Weiran had suggested it; it was Jin Yi who had been too shy.

“Are you going to give up your dorm room?”

“What are you thinking? Of course not. If we break up, where would I go? Besides, I’ll come back occasionally.”

“Oh.”

The walk from the barbershop to the school was short, barely ten minutes. Along the way, Jin Yi kept checking her phone, but Chu Weiran still hadn’t replied to her message. It was frustrating.

What was more frustrating was that as they parted, Qu Yin called out, “Xiao Yi, Miao Miao said she wants me to go out tonight, so I probably won’t be back.”

“Oh.”

Watching Qu Yin’s happy figure disappear, Jin Yi felt a long-forgotten sense of loneliness. The last time she felt this was back in primary school. As an adult, she rarely felt this way; her parents had their own careers and couldn’t be with her constantly, so she had grown used to being alone.

But how long had it been since she got together with Chu Weiran? She was already becoming unaccustomed to the solitude. She realized she missed Chu Weiran. She wanted her around.

After saying goodbye to Qu Yin, Jin Yi returned to the dorm alone, read for a bit, played some games, and soon it was 6:00 PM. She had no appetite and didn’t want to eat anything, so she continued to lie like a corpse on her bed.

Around 6:30 PM, Chu Weiran finally replied.

The two had been apart for a whole day. As sweet as the morning had been, the evening felt just as desolate. Jin Yi felt a spark of anger. She had sent her message in the morning, and Chu Weiran was only replying now.

“Xiao Yi, I’m sorry. I was suddenly called to the company by my dad today, and I just finished.”

Chu Weiran had been woken up by Chu Zhenglong’s call. Before she could even speak, her father demanded she come to the office for a board meeting. She had been in meetings all day with no time to check her messages. Now that it was over and she was in the car, she finally had a moment.

But Jin Yi didn’t reply.

Jin Yi was having a bit of a temper. An entire day without a single word? She decided to wait a while before responding.

But before she could, there was a knock at her door.

Standing outside was a version of Chu Weiran that looked different from her usual self: semi-professional attire, a blouse and trousers paired with a black wool coat, and a silk scarf tied around her neck. Jin Yi knew exactly what was beneath that scarf—the marks she had left on Chu Weiran’s neck the night before in the heat of passion.

Chu Weiran lacked her usual polished look. Perhaps because she had been in a rush, her hair was a bit messy and her breathing was slightly labored. Before they met, Jin Yi was angry, but seeing Chu Weiran like this, her anger vanished instantly, replaced by guilt. Throwing a tantrum was foreign to Jin Yi, but she had definitely been sulking today.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Yi. I didn’t mean to ignore your messages.”

The WeChat message Jin Yi had sent that morning was: “Are you up? What do you want for lunch?”

Now, Jin Yi looked at her and said something similar. “Have you eaten dinner? What do you want to eat?”

The late autumn wind made Chu Weiran’s face pale, but hearing those words, she broke into a sweet smile. Her eyes curved into crescents, and she looked like she wanted to collapse into Jin Yi’s arms.

“It’s so cold. I want hot pot.”

When she mentioned hot pot, Chu Weiran’s eyes sparkled. It was obvious she was craving it.

“Then wait for me to get dressed, and we’ll go out.”

“Okay.”

When Jin Yi turned around, a smile had crept onto her face as well. She felt an extraordinary sense of satisfaction. Ah… so all that anger was just because she couldn’t see Chu Weiran. The moment they met, everything else dissolved. There was only her and the hot pot.

Since it was still early, Chu Weiran suggested they go back to her small apartment to eat hot pot so they could take their time. Eating out was fine, but it was never as comfortable. Jin Yi was worried she’d be tired and hungry, and buying ingredients to prepare at home seemed like a hassle.

“It’s not a hassle, we can prepare it together!” The fatigue on Chu Weiran’s face was clear, but her eyes held a look of anticipation, and her voice softened into a plea. She was acting spoiled.

Jin Yi had never worked in an office, but she had heard her parents grumble that while meetings weren’t physically taxing, sitting all day was exhausting and mentally draining.

“I’m worried you’ll be tired. And I’m worried you’re too hungry.”

“I want to eat slowly so I can spend more time with you.”

Chu Weiran was exhausted, and she was afraid that if they just ate and she went home, she would fall asleep immediately. If they bought things to take back, it would prolong their time together. After some persistence, Jin Yi agreed.

While at the supermarket, Jin Yi let her sit in the shopping cart. At first, Chu Weiran was embarrassed, but by the time they reached the vegetable section, she couldn’t hold out anymore. She eventually climbed in with a red face.

They bought a lot of things and arrived back at the apartment after 8:00 PM. Jin Yi told Chu Weiran to shower first, but Chu Weiran refused; she wanted to shower with Jin Yi.

“No, we’ll just smell like hot pot afterward anyway.”

Jin Yi was helpless and let her cling to her side. She didn’t make her do much, just asked her to set out a few plates. Chu Weiran stood behind Jin Yi, watching her bustle around in a newly bought Pikachu apron, feeling like the world was a beautiful place. The girl in front of her was the person she had loved her whole life.

Suddenly, she wanted to hold her.

Jin Yi was washing vegetables when a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and a warm body pressed against her back. “Xiao Yi, it’s so good to have you.”

Chu Weiran inhaled Jin Yi’s scent—a mix of body wash and shampoo. She looked up and noticed Jin Yi’s shorter hair. She had been so busy explaining why she hadn’t replied and then at the supermarket, she hadn’t noticed because Jin Yi had it in a ponytail. Now, in her exhausted state, her mental guard was down.

She spoke without thinking. “Xiao Yi… promise to stay by my side forever, okay?”

Jin Yi didn’t think the request was strange and followed along. “Of course, I’ll always be with you.” In this life, she had always intended to stay by Chu Weiran’s side—first as a sister, and now as a lover.

“You’re lying. You used to avoid me all the time and stay with Qin Chaomu.”

With a loud clang, Jin Yi dropped the vegetable basin. Chu Weiran snapped awake, realizing her slip of the tongue. She wanted to explain but didn’t know how. She quickly changed the subject to the hair. “Why did you cut it short?”

Jin Yi took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to press for more details. She picked up the basin and explained nonchalantly, “It was too long. It was a hassle.”

A silence fell between them. As Jin Yi finished the vegetables, Chu Weiran leaned in and pinched her ear. “You heard what I said just now, didn’t you?”

Jin Yi’s body stiffened. She looked back at Chu Weiran, her tone serious. “Yes, I heard.”

“Do you disagree with what I said? You did used to avoid me. And when you were working part-time at the cinema, I heard others say…” As she spoke, Chu Weiran’s lip curled into a dejected pout. “I’ve liked you for so long, don’t you know? I care about everything involving you.”

Hearing this, the tension in Jin Yi’s nerves finally relaxed. “You’re one to talk. Zhai Xiao was asking me about you again today.”

At the mention of Zhai Xiao, both felt a surge of irritation. They bickered back and forth for a while until Chu Weiran silenced Jin Yi with a kiss. “I’m already yours,” she murmured. “Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not jealous, you’re the one who’s jealous.”

“Fine, I’m the jealous one. I want you to belong only to me. I’d lock you up if I could.”

“You’re terrifying.” Jin Yi laughed and threw up her hands in surrender.

They had an intimate hot pot dinner. Afterward, Chu Weiran insisted they shower together. Jin Yi wanted to do the dishes first but was stopped.

“You’re too tired. Let’s just shower separately.”

“What are you thinking? I just want to finish quickly so we can go to sleep early.”

Heaven be her witness, Chu Weiran was being sincere; she was exhausted. She hadn’t rested well in days and just wanted to hold Jin Yi and sleep.

“Oh… well, alright.” Jin Yi, refusing to admit her mind had gone elsewhere, blushed and went to get the water ready.

Though they didn’t do much in the bath, Jin Yi was still thoroughly teased. She wanted to pay her back, but Chu Weiran rejected her on the grounds of exhaustion.

“Wuu… you were so fierce last night, I can’t handle it right now.”

“I—” Jin Yi’s face went dark, her tone helpless. “Sister, yesterday was my first time, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly, that’s why I’m tired! And later I even had to.”

“Alright, shut up.”

Outside of the bedroom, Jin Yi found such talk incredibly embarrassing. She covered her ears, refusing to listen to Chu Weiran’s “filthy” words. Their personalities were opposites: one reserved, one bold. But in certain moments, they were quite harmonious.

That night, before sleeping, Chu Weiran snuggled into Jin Yi’s arms and said coaxingly, “I’m going to the capital tomorrow. Don’t miss me too much.”

Jin Yi knew the branch office was in the capital. She nodded, acting indifferent. “I know. It’s only a month.”

“So, you won’t miss me?”

“No.”

“Then… how about I video chat with you every night while I’m naked?”

Jin Yi’s face flushed as she replied weakly, “Okay!”