Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 12

Although thick-skinned, Qu Ange instinctively sensed that this was a very important question.

But even though her instincts warned her, the time left for her to react was far too short. Qu Ange instinctively dodged the question, saying, “I’m not really thinking about that right now.”

“What do you mean, ‘not thinking about it’?”

“It’s just… it’s just too hot, I’m not thinking about anything.”

Qu Ange reached up to smooth Xu Mi’s messy hair, using the gesture to mask her own flustered state. The bangs were damp with sweat, the dark strands clinging to her forehead like tangled seaweed. Qu Ange said, “Let’s get in the car first. You’re drenched in sweat.”

Strangely, Xu Mi didn’t feel disappointed by Qu Ange’s obvious attempt to change the subject. Instead, she felt a little lost, wondering why she had even asked the question in the first place because the answer was already so obvious. In this daze, she let Qu Ange pull her into the taxi. Qu Ange gave the driver Xu Mi’s home address first. Once the car started moving, Qu Ange asked, “Your parents are definitely still at work at this hour, right?”

Xu Mi felt too agitated to think clearly, so she simply went along with it. “My mom retired last month.”

Qu Ange froze, then quickly asked, “So she might be home now?”

Xu Mi said, “Most likely.”

Qu Ange grew nervous. “Can we get the household register without anyone noticing?”

As she said this, the driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror, so Qu Ange lowered her voice, leaning close to Xu Mi’s ear. “If they find out about this, they’ll definitely want to sit us down for a talk, have a meal together, and discuss a bunch of things. Then we won’t be able to get our marriage certificate quickly.”

Xu Mi was also annoyed by this kind of thing. Last year, her mother had even tried to set her up on a blind date with a colleague’s son. She had only avoided it by staying away from home. Meanwhile, Qu Ange’s warm breath tickled her ear, sending a tingling numbness through her, making it even harder to focus on anything else. She turned her face away to escape Qu Ange’s breath and rubbed her ear. “What can I do? It depends.”

“Then here’s the plan. If your mom’s home, I’ll keep her busy chatting in the living room to distract her, and you go ‘borrow’ the household register.”

Xu Mi frowned. “No.”

Qu Ange: “Then I’ll do it.”

Xu Mi: “Do you want me to call the police?”

Qu Ange whined, “Please?”

She reached for Xu Mi’s hand, but Xu Mi deftly dodged. Qu Ange looked at her with a wounded expression. “Xu Mi, do you not like me anymore?”

Xu Mi blurted out, “Right.”

The moment she said it, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable, even a little regretful. She looked up, about to say something else, only to see Qu Ange reply nonchalantly, “I knew you still liked me.”

Xu Mi: “…”

Xu Mi began to doubt her own memory. Had she actually said she liked her?

Qu Ange’s expression was completely natural. “Then you go get it. It’s settled.”

She had also decided that “stealing” sounded too harsh, so she switched to a gentler word.

When the taxi arrived at Xu Mi’s apartment building, Xu Mi grew even more hesitant. But Qu Ange was full of energy, pulling her straight upstairs. The building was an old, low-rise walk-up in an aging residential complex. As Qu Ange led Xu Mi inside, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.

In 2012, she must have come to pay a New Year’s visit, but for her present self, this was already a memory from ten years ago. It had been five years since her breakup with Xu Mi, and she hadn’t dared to visit Xu Mi’s family during that time. But when she finally mustered the courage to see Xu Mi’s parents again after five years, they made it clear they didn’t want to see her.

“You’re a big celebrity now, better not come.”

By then, they had moved to a new neighborhood, and Qu Ange didn’t know the exact address.

Of course, she could have found out if she really wanted to, but doing so without permission would have felt stalker-ish. Instead, she asked an old classmate for Xu Mi’s mother’s new phone number and called to ask if she could visit. Xu Mi’s mother said those words and then hung up.

She never managed to get Xu Mi’s number. Once, drunk, she couldn’t help but call Xu’s mother again, asking if she could at least know where Xu Mi was. There was a hesitant pause then the call was abruptly disconnected. Qu Ange sat on the floor, dazed. A strong feeling washed over her: the person who had just hung up wasn’t Xu Mi’s mother. It was Xu Mi herself.

But at the time, she was abroad, and something came up that kept her from rushing to the airport. By the time she returned, half a month had passed. When she tried to visit again, she was met with another cold rejection.

Now, Xu Mi was right beside her. Qu Ange gripped Xu Mi’s hand tightly, ignoring the sweat gathering in her palm. This time, as long as she didn’t let go, as long as she didn’t let Xu Mi slip out of her sight, Xu Mi wouldn’t have a chance to avoid her again.

The concrete stairs had been worn smooth by years of footsteps, gleaming under the dim light. The stairwell was cluttered with flattened cardboard boxes tied up with nylon rope belonging to the old man on the second floor. They reached the third floor and saw the red-painted door still adorned with New Year’s couplets. Qu Ange knocked.

A middle-aged woman’s voice called from inside, “Who is it?”

Qu Ange put on a smile. “Auntie Yang, it’s me Ange. And Mi’s here too.”

The door swung open almost immediately, revealing Xu Mi’s mother, her face lit up with joy. She seemed to have been washing something, wiping her hands on her apron as she said, “Why are you back all of a sudden? Come in, come in!”

Qu Ange replied, “We just had some business in town, so of course we had to come see you. But we can’t stay long, we’ll be leaving soon.”

Xu’s mother asked, “Work-related?”

“Yes, yes,” Qu Ange nodded, shooting Xu Mi a meaningful look.

Xu Mi pretended not to notice and headed straight for the kitchen. “Mom, why haven’t you washed the dishes again? How long have these been sitting here?”

Xu’s mother huffed, “What’s with the attitude? You’re embarrassing me in front of Ange. They’re just from last night.”

Xu Mi turned on the faucet and started scrubbing. Qu Ange checked her phone, her vision briefly darkening with frustration. She forced a wry smile and hurried into the kitchen. “Let me help.”

Xu’s mother followed, laughing. “What, you came back just to do chores? No need for that. Honestly, Mi, if you’d just gotten married earlier, you wouldn’t be nagging me. You’d be nagging your husband instead. Did you ever contact that nice boy I introduced you to last time? He’s really—”

Qu Ange’s smile vanished for a split second as she glanced at Xu Mi.

Xu Mi acted oblivious. Qu Ange plastered on a fake grin and turned back to Xu’s mother. “What boy?”

“Did Mimi not tell you? It’s the son of my colleague, just returned from studying abroad. I think he majored in computers. He’s a very honest boy. Ange, do you have a boyfriend? You’re so pretty! You must have a lot of suitors, right?”

Qu Ange shook her head. “No… no…”

She felt extremely irritated and said to Mrs. Xu, “Auntie Yang, I’m a bit thirsty. Do you have any water?”

“Oh, yes, yes! Let me pour you some.”

As soon as Mrs. Xu left the room, Qu Ange asked, “Are you going on blind dates or something?”

Xu Mi caught the look on Qu Ange’s face and knew she was upset. For some reason, she felt like making Qu Ange even angrier, so she stayed silent, as if tacitly agreeing. Qu Ange was so furious she nearly dropped the bowl in her hand, barely catching it mid-fall. She set it aside with a loud, deliberate clatter.

Xu Mi shot her a sidelong glance, her expression dripping with disdain. Qu Ange’s temper flared, and without thinking, she blurted out loudly, “Auntie, you can’t set Xu Mi up with anyone else! Xu Mi is my wif—mmph!”

A dishcloth landed squarely on her face.