Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 21

“My name is Tan Zhenzhen. C-can I also try what you made? I can pay!”

This was the third sentence the new roommate uttered after entering the room, dropping off her bag, and coming back out.

With her round, cherubic face, she looked utterly endearing. Qu Ange couldn’t help but smile and was about to agree when she suddenly remembered—she wasn’t the one cooking. She had no right to speak for Xu Mi. So, she cautiously glanced at Xu Mi.

The rice noodles were already in the pan. Adding another portion would mean prepping more ingredients, which was a hassle. But Xu Mi saw that Tan Zhenzhen was a petite girl and figured she wouldn’t eat much. The portion she had prepared was already generous, and adding a bit more shouldn’t affect the seasoning. So, she nodded and said, “Of course, no need to pay. We’re roommates! No need to be so formal about sharing food.”

Tan Zhenzhen’s eyes sparkled as she swallowed hard and said, “I-I might eat a lot, but I already had dinner tonight. I’ll just try a little.”

Despite her words, neither Qu Ange nor Xu Mi thought much of it. The stir-fried rice noodles were served, fragrant with oil and packed with shredded pork, eggs, cabbage, and a sprinkle of dried shrimp. They were golden and glossy, with a slight charred aroma—just how Qu Ange liked them. Tan Zhenzhen had already grabbed a bowl and chopsticks, saying, “Just one bite, just one bite is enough!”

But after tasting it, she nearly teared up. “How can something so delicious be limited to just one bite?”

Xu Mi was delighted to see her cooking appreciated. Smiling, she said, “It’s fine, eat as much as you want. We don’t like eating too much at night anyway.”

As she said this, she glanced at Qu Ange, only to see her hurriedly piling her own bowl high with noodles, as if afraid they’d disappear if she didn’t act fast.

Xu Mi: “…”

In the end, Xu Mi didn’t eat much. Tan Zhenzhen finally put down her chopsticks and apologized, “I’m sorry, it was so good I couldn’t help eating too much. I really should pay.”

Xu Mi shook her head. Qu Ange, meanwhile, picked up some noodles from her own bowl and held them out to Xu Mi. “You didn’t eat much—want some?”

Tan Zhenzhen grew even more embarrassed. “I’ve always had a bigger appetite than most, but I really did have dinner earlier—three bowls of ramen downstairs.”

Qu Ange froze. “Three bowls?”

She gave Tan Zhenzhen a once-over. The girl was definitely under 160 cm, with plump cheeks that looked more like baby fat than actual weight. Her legs, exposed by her denim shorts, were downright slender. It was hard to imagine where three bowls of ramen and half a plate of stir-fried noodles had gone.

Tan Zhenzhen chuckled sheepishly. “Hehe, I’ve always been a big eater. By the way, are you the ones renting the south master bedroom? Are you two together?”

As she spoke, she stared at Qu Ange, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. But someone that beautiful—if she’d seen her before, she definitely wouldn’t have forgotten. She racked her brain trying to recall while Qu Ange and Xu Mi briefly introduced themselves. Since the apartment had three rooms, Qu Ange asked about the remaining roommate and why she wasn’t back yet.

Tan Zhenzhen said, “Xiao Yue’s a designer, always working overtime. Don’t worry, she’s really nice. But she leaves early and comes back late, so you’ll hardly ever see her.”

The roommates seemed nice, and Qu Ange breathed a sigh of relief. Tan Zhenzhen, having freeloaded on the late-night snack, took the initiative to clean up the table and wash the dishes. Qu Ange and Xu Mi went back to their room to freshen up first. After showering, Qu Ange realized she had left her phone in the living room, so she slipped into her pajamas and went out to look for it. Just as she was searching, the door to the east bedroom suddenly opened. Tan Zhenzhen emerged in a spaghetti-strap nightgown, spotted her, and pointed excitedly, exclaiming, “You’re that person, right? The one from ‘Fairy Sheds Tears’!”

Qu Ange immediately laughed. “You’ve seen that? It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Tan Zhenzhen said, “It was trending for days! I work in new media operations—how could I not know? If anything, I can’t believe it took me this long to recognize you! No wonder my boss says I lack sensitivity.”

Qu Ange felt a surge of pride but kept it off her face, humbly replying, “I don’t even know why it went viral. I was just feeling a bit down that day, so I borrowed a guitar and sang a song.”

Tan Zhenzhen widened her eyes. “C-can I interview you? Though our public account isn’t exactly famous.”

Hearing this, Qu Ange’s soaring heart began to sink as she remembered her troublesome contract. She sighed. “I’m afraid not. Any activities like this need to be coordinated with my current agency. My company, well…”

Tan Zhenzhen blinked. “You’re not an amateur?”

Qu Ange nodded. “Yeah, I’m signed with Guangju Media.”

Tan Zhenzhen slapped her thigh. “Oh my god, that’s a huge company! Are you going to be a star?”

The messy situation with Guangju Media wasn’t something she could explain to an outsider right now, so Qu Ange simply nodded. Tan Zhenzhen was about to say more when Xu Mi suddenly called from inside the room, “Qu Ange, where’s the hairdryer?”

Xu Mi’s voice was icy, sending an inexplicable shiver down Qu Ange’s spine. She quickly said, “It’s late. Let’s chat another time. I should head back now.”

She returned to the room, and though Tan Zhenzhen seemed reluctant, she closed the door and went back to her bedroom. When Qu Ange entered, she saw Xu Mi sitting on the bed, pulling the hairdryer out of her bag. Qu Ange smiled. “You found—”

Her words cut off abruptly as it suddenly occurred to her: What if Xu Mi had made up an excuse to call her in because she was unhappy about something?

Instantly on guard, she asked, “Mimi, are you in a good mood?”

Xu Mi set the hairdryer beside her, leisurely drying her hair with a towel. “I’m fine. I just got a little frustrated when I couldn’t find the hairdryer earlier.”

She even curved her lips into a smile. Qu Ange couldn’t tell if it was genuine but figured extra attentiveness couldn’t hurt. She sat beside Xu Mi and said, “Let me help you dry your hair.”

Xu Mi didn’t respond. Qu Ange reached for the towel in her hand, but Xu Mi abruptly pulled away, letting it drop to the floor. Qu Ange froze, then bent to pick it up, while Xu Mi stood and started drying her hair herself.

The truth was, Xu Mi was upset again. Qu Ange dressed like this, Tan Zhenzhen dressed like that, chatting late at night—she knew nothing would happen, but she still felt inexplicably irritated. Yet voicing this frustration would make her seem petty, so she kept it to herself, stewing in silence.

She went to the bathroom door to dry her hair. As she was drying it, she noticed Qu Ange quietly moving to the foot of the bed, then standing up and walking over to her side. She felt a faint sense of happiness again. Over the past few days, she had noticed that Qu Ange cared deeply about her, but because she didn’t quite understand why, there was also a hint of panic, making her unable to help but wonder if this care would vanish in an instant.

Qu Ange wasn’t overthinking it. Seeing that Xu Mi didn’t shy away, she reached out and gently took hold of Xu Mi’s hand holding the hairdryer, taking it from her and starting to dry Xu Mi’s hair herself.

Xu Mi’s hair was smooth and soft. By the time it was half-dry, it felt like the fur of a kitten, freshly washed and carrying the scent of orange blossoms. Qu Ange couldn’t resist leaning closer, her other hand growing restless again as she lightly rubbed Xu Mi’s ear.

The setback on their wedding night hadn’t made her give up. She still seized every opportunity to see if there was a chance to bring the two of them closer.

Today, Xu Mi didn’t seem too resistant either, even slightly closing her eyes. So, Qu Ange turned off the hairdryer, bent down, and kissed Xu Mi’s lips. They were dry but soft, tempting her to explore further. But just as she was about to go deeper, the sound of the door opening suddenly came from outside, followed by the lights turning on and rustling noises, then voices—Tan Zhenzhen’s voice:

“Xiao Yue, you’re back. We have new roommates.”

Another voice, steady but weary, replied, “Oh? Are they already asleep? I’m too tired, so I won’t say hello.”

“Working overtime again tomorrow?”

“Yeah, still need to make revisions.”

Amidst this background noise, Qu Ange and Xu Mi clung to each other, faces flushed, unsure whether to proceed further.

While Qu Ange was still hesitating, Xu Mi had clearly made up her mind. She pushed Qu Ange away and said, “Let’s sleep.”

Her face was red all the way down to her neck, partly from realizing how poor the soundproofing in the house was and imagining the awkwardness that would ensue if they went any further.

She put away the hairdryer and lay down on the bed, while Qu Ange gritted her teeth and whispered, “Just one month, it’ll pass quickly! Then we’ll move out!”

…

The first step to moving out was to start making money.

Early the next morning, before Xu Mi had even woken up, Qu Ange got ready and left. She had arranged to meet Zuo Qingyan at a nearby café. When she arrived, Zuo Qingyan wasn’t there yet, so she found a seat, ordered a coffee, and scrolled through her phone while waiting. She noticed that Xu Mi had actually posted another Weibo the night before, sharing a recipe for stir-fried rice noodles along with a photo of the finished dish. This time, there were only a few comments, but thanks to the previous buzz, there were still a few dozen, most of them praising how delicious it looked. Qu Ange reposted the post with the caption, “Looks so good~”

Her Weibo follower count had grown significantly, largely because people had started recognizing her. Many comments asked if she was the “Fairy Shedding Tears” from the viral video. Qu Ange didn’t respond, knowing that sometimes keeping people guessing was the best approach.

This applied to many things including how to navigate relationships.

During this waiting period, Qu Ange received a call from Zhou Yue. Knowing she wouldn’t answer his calls directly, Zhou had previously contacted her through Zeng Xuejia. This time, however, he used his own number again. From this small detail, Qu Ange sensed that the situation might be different, so she picked up. A cold scoff immediately came through the receiver as Zhou Yue said, “I was planning to withdraw this opportunity if you didn’t answer this time.”

Qu Ange remained calm and asked, “What opportunity? Human Observer?”

Zhou Yue replied, “An audition chance—Flowers of the Ming Palace.”

Qu Ange froze.

She had to admit—despite knowing full well that Zhou Yue must have ulterior motives—her heart still skipped a beat at that moment.

Not for any other reason, but because joining the Flowers of the Ming Palace crew would allow her to meet her benefactor from her past life much sooner.