Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 23

In that brief moment, Xu Mi remembered something.

It could probably be considered the spark that ignited their half-year-long cold war. Last winter, Xu Mi saw Qu Ange on TV—a small game in a variety show where Qu Ange and her co-star passed a playing card between their lips. The show gave the moment a close-up. When the male actor passed the card, his face flushed red, and he didn’t dare look at Qu Ange. She, too, seemed embarrassed. Only after the card was passed to the next person did she glance back at the actor, just as he also turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and both quickly looked away, laughing.

Under the editing, the scene made it seem like the two were flirting but hadn’t yet crossed that line. Xu Mi sat in front of the TV, staring blankly for a long time. Finally, at midnight, she called Qu Ange.

Qu Ange answered, but her voice sounded weak. She said she’d been stuck on set all day without even getting to film and didn’t know when she’d be able to leave. Xu Mi told herself that the other was exhausted and she shouldn’t ask, but she still blurted out, “I saw Tonight’s Good Drama. You and that actor, are you…”

Qu Ange replied, “It’s just business. A CP stunt. We’re playing a couple in the show, even though we barely have any scenes together.”

Xu Mi let out an “Oh,” then murmured, “It looked like there was something.”

Qu Ange’s voice carried a hint of irritation. “What’s so strange about that? Anyone in the industry would get it. I’m exhausted, and this is what you call me about?”

It seemed that from then on, a thorn lodged itself in Xu Mi’s heart. The divide between “insiders” and “outsiders” gnawed at her. Their words grew sharper, and both ended up saying hurtful things. Xu Mi wasn’t good with words, so in the end, Qu Ange’s remarks cut deeper. But two days after hanging up, it was still Xu Mi who apologized.

Because she knew she really didn’t understand, and Qu Ange and that actor surely had nothing going on. It was just that the feeling of Qu Ange living in another world terrified her.

Though, as it turned out later, her fear wasn’t entirely unfounded.

Thinking of this, Xu Mi smiled bitterly. She turned her head to look through the window perhaps she had lingered too long, because someone inside noticed her. Not Qu Ange, but the girl sitting across from her. The girl said something to Qu Ange and pointed outside. Qu Ange turned, saw Xu Mi, froze for a second, then quickly stood up from her chair.

Qu Ange hurried out of the café, while Xu Mi walked toward the supermarket, turning a corner and disappearing inside. By the time Qu Ange stepped out, Xu Mi was nowhere in sight. She guessed Xu Mi had gone to the supermarket but wasn’t sure, so she returned to the café and said to Zuo Qingfang, “I’ve already explained the general situation. I’ll transfer the money to you this afternoon, so keep an eye out for it. We can handle the rest online. I’ve got some things to deal with these days too.”

Zuo Qingfang wasn’t the nosy type, but she couldn’t help asking, “Who was that just now?”

Qu Ange said, “My girlfrie—”

She paused, then corrected herself. “My wife.”

Zuo Qingyan had previously overheard Qu Ange talking to someone on the phone and already knew the other person had a girlfriend. She never expected that in the blink of an eye, the girlfriend had become a wife. The tone in Qu Ange’s voice was serious, clearly indicating how much she valued this relationship. Yet, Qu Ange was so stunningly beautiful and young. It was hard to imagine she was already married. Zuo Qingyan couldn’t help but wonder if it was the legally recognized kind of marriage, but before she could ask, Qu Ange had already hurriedly dashed out.

Staring blankly at Qu Ange’s retreating figure, Zuo Qingyan was snapped back to reality when her phone rang—it was her boyfriend calling. She answered, and he immediately exclaimed, “Why aren’t you replying to my messages? We agreed you’d keep in touch!”

It turned out that ever since Qu Ange had inexplicably contacted her, both Zuo Qingyan and her boyfriend had found it strange. She had just started her job and hadn’t expanded her network much, so for someone to suddenly reach out—seemingly to discuss a big business deal—left her both thrilled and wary. To be safe, she had promised her boyfriend she’d stay in constant contact during this meeting.

But after sending her last message upon arriving at the café, Zuo Qingyan had been completely captivated by Qu Ange’s face and forgotten all about replying.

Now, she quickly reassured him, “It’s fine, it’s fine! It’s just that the other person was so beautiful, I was completely mesmerized.”

Her boyfriend sighed in relief. “Oh, good… Wait, what?”

Meanwhile, the very person who had left Zuo Qingyan spellbound—Qu Ange—was now squinting as she searched the supermarket for Xu Mi. In the middle of the day, the store was nearly empty, but thanks to the towering shelves, she still couldn’t spot her right away. Her suspicious behavior soon caught the attention of a supermarket employee, an auntie who approached and asked, “Looking for something, miss?”

Qu Ange replied, “Looking for someone—a girl, fair-skinned, with long straight black hair. She might… might look a little upset.”

The auntie chuckled. “That describes half the young girls these days.”

Qu Ange muttered, “Really?”

Then it occurred to her that Xu Mi might be here to buy groceries, so she rushed to the fresh produce section. But Xu Mi wasn’t there either. She asked a clerk if they’d seen her, and the clerk said, “Hmm… I think I know who you mean.”

They pointed behind Qu Ange, who turned to see the condiment aisle. Puzzled, she looked back at the clerk, who explained, “She’s right there. The moment you turned around, she hid. What’s going on? Playing hide-and-seek?”

The clerk’s expression clearly conveyed, “Aren’t you a little old for this?” Qu Ange awkwardly rubbed her nose and hurried to the condiment aisle. There, between the shelves, she finally spotted Xu Mi crouched down, examining two bottles of soy sauce. Qu Ange walked over and said, “No use hiding! They’re laughing at us.”

Xu Mi didn’t respond, still staring intently at the two bottles—one light soy sauce, one dark. Qu Ange crouched beside her and asked, “What’s the difference between light and dark soy sauce?”

Xu Mi remained silent. From the side, Qu Ange could see her lowered head, strands of hair framing a puffed-out cheek. She reached out and poked it.

Finally, Xu Mi turned her head and glared at her.

Qu Ange noticed her eyes were slightly red and panicked. “Do you want to hit me instead?”

Xu Mi: “…”

Xu Mi clearly didn’t appreciate the joke, but at least she was now looking at Qu Ange properly.

Qu Ange quickly explained, “That was the investment manager I mentioned to you before. I told you I wanted to make some money.”

Xu Mi remarked, “She’s so young…”

Qu Ange replied, “She just graduated, but she’s very reliable.”

Xu Mi scoffed, “You trust her that much?”

Qu Ange hastily backtracked, “Well, I’ll be the one handling most of it. She’s just there to keep an eye on things for me.”

Xu Mi turned to stare at Qu Ange. The other woman’s eyes were red, set in a small, round face like a little rabbit. Qu Ange leaned in closer and whispered, “Mimi, don’t cry. That person has been dating her boyfriend for years. First of all, she’s straight, and second, she’s already taken. There’s absolutely no way anything could happen between us.”

Xu Mi flushed, half-embarrassed, half-annoyed. “What do you mean? You don’t actually think I’m jealous, do you?”

Qu Ange thought: Aren’t you?

But she figured saying that might pour oil on the fire, so she kept quiet. Xu Mi continued, “I was just thinking about the past!”

The past?

Qu Ange’s heart skipped a beat, and she grew even more reluctant to speak. There were too many landmines from the past. It was impossible to tell which one Xu Mi was referring to.

Xu Mi grabbed the light and dark soy sauces and stood up. Qu Ange hurriedly took them with both hands and placed them in the shopping cart, then took over pushing the cart. After checking out, she also quickly took the plastic bags and carried them as they walked home. Xu Mi kept her eyes on the pavement tiles, reluctantly admitting to herself that, aside from recalling the past, she was a little jealous.

Because she couldn’t shake the feeling that the way Qu Ange had looked at that woman was off—not the way one should look at someone they’d just met.

Frustrated, she distracted herself by cooking, preparing three dishes and a soup. By the time she was done, she felt a bit better and even wondered if the so-called “off look” was just her own paranoia. She took photos of the dishes, thinking she could post the recipes on Weibo that afternoon, when Qu Ange suddenly asked, “Mimi, do you have plans this afternoon?”

Xu Mi said, “No.” She hadn’t seriously sent out any resumes, spending more time browsing recipes than job listings in City A these past few days.

Qu Ange hesitated. “Well… I have to go out this afternoon.”

Xu Mi looked up at her. Qu Ange kept her head down, sipping her soup, not daring to meet her gaze. After swallowing, she said, “I have to go to the company. They said there’s an audition for me, and they want to discuss it in person.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Qu Ange felt her palms grow clammy with sweat.

She was so nervous. It was even harder than asking her mom to go out and play during school breaks as a kid.

Summoning her courage, she finally looked up at Xu Mi. Xu Mi stared back, and for a moment, time seemed to stretch endlessly, the only sound the rise and fall of cicadas. Finally, Xu Mi spoke, her tone neutral, betraying no emotion.

“Shall I go with you?”