Let's Get Married on the First Day of Rebirth - Chapter 8

Xu Mi would definitely not agree to her buying a new phone.

From the perspective of a normal, rational person, it made sense. After all, she still owed so much money and hadn’t earned it back yet. Bringing up buying a new phone now was completely unreasonable. Besides, the phone she currently had was a gift from Xu Mi, bought with her first paycheck during her senior year of college. Xu Mi herself was still using an old phone she’d bought as a sophomore.

At this time, phones were mostly just for calls and texts, and they were durable; hardly ever breaking. No one thought it necessary to replace them every year or two. Qu Ange naturally couldn’t argue that it was an essential purchase to try and convince Xu Mi. She didn’t realize how obvious her hesitation was, but Xu Mi noticed it clearly, pretending not to see as she kept walking. Qu Ange followed, her steps slowing more and more, a smartphone! For her, it really was a necessity!

If nothing else, she needed it to trade stocks later.

When the distance between them stretched to at least ten meters, Xu Mi stopped. She didn’t turn around, but she knew Qu Ange had fallen far behind. A sudden, inexplicable emptiness rose in her chest. Unconsciously, she turned back. Qu Ange stood about ten meters away, glancing back every few steps. The crowd bustled around her, but she stood out like a luminous pearl, radiant and eye-catching. Everyone around was looking at her, yet Qu Ange seemed completely unaware. Xu Mi’s fingers clenched involuntarily, nails digging into her palms. It felt like this was how Qu Ange always drifted away not entirely unnoticed, but helplessly, until suddenly, she was standing somewhere else entirely.

Just as that inexplicable sorrow surged like a tide in her mind, Qu Ange turned her head and saw Xu Mi had stopped. She immediately dashed over, covering the distance in what felt like a blink whether because of her long legs or sheer eagerness and grabbed Xu Mi’s hand. With puppy-dog eyes full of hopeful expectation, she said, “…Can it be a birthday gift? We’ll both get one, okay?”

The tide of sorrow was forced to recede. Xu Mi, not quite understanding, let out a questioning, “Huh?”

Qu Ange, too pleased with her own excuse, didn’t notice anything amiss with Xu Mi. “My birthday is on the 21st, right? Okay, fine, it’s still a ways off, but June is basically my birthday month. I want to buy myself a phone as a gift. Don’t worry, I still have some money in my account.”

Xu Mi’s emotions were complicated.

She had actually prepared a gift for Qu Ange earlier in the year, a pair of matching rings.

There wasn’t any deep meaning behind it. She just felt that after so many years together, they ought to have something more tangible as a keepsake. But just a few days after ordering the rings, Qu Ange told her she didn’t want too many people to know about their relationship because she wanted to enter the entertainment industry and become an actress.

Xu Mi had already decided not to give that gift. So, in a way, picking a new one seemed appropriate.

Thinking this, she nodded.

Even though it was her own suggestion, Qu Ange now seemed stunned. “Really?! You agree? That nod means yes?”

Xu Mi suppressed the urge to storm off in anger. “It’s your own money. How could I possibly dictate how you spend it?”

Qu Ange, as nimble as a snake, effortlessly wrapped herself around Xu Mi’s arm. This time, Xu Mi tried to shake her off, but the other clung too tightly, refusing to let go. Pressed close, Qu Ange pulled her toward the phone store, saying, “Of course you can. My money is your money though your money is still yours.”

Qu Ange vaguely remembered that the payment from her last drama had just come in. Though Zhou Yue had taken a hefty cut, there should still be twenty or thirty thousand left. She headed straight for the Apple display upon entering the store, Android phones at the time were prone to overheating and lagging. But when she saw the price, Xu Mi’s face darkened instantly. Even Qu Ange could read that expression. Hesitating, she glanced at the neighboring brand still expensive then moved to the next one. It was a brand she had no memory of even ten years later, but it was cheap, just over a thousand yuan.

Qu Ange stared at it, wavering. If it went bankrupt within ten years, it must be terrible, right?

A salesperson approached. “Miss, which phone catches your eye? I can take it out for you to see.”

Qu Ange thought, At the very least, I should buy a phone from a brand that won’t disappear in ten years.

After scanning the options, she settled on a Meizu priced at twelve hundred. “This one. I’ll take two.”

Xu Mi, who had been standing quietly nearby, finally spoke up. “Why two?”

Qu Ange replied, “One for you, one for me.”

Xu Mi frowned slightly. “I don’t need one.”

Qu Ange insisted, “Since I’m buying anyway, might as well get two. Smartphones are the future.”

Xu Mi said, “No need. I’m used to my current phone.”

Qu Ange countered, “In a few years, even sixty-year-olds will be using smartphones.”

The salesperson chimed in with a smile, “Most young people have already switched to smartphones.”

Xu Mi didn’t want to engage with the salesperson and tugged at Qu Ange’s sleeve from behind. “Just buy one for yourself.”

Unaware of the brewing storm, Qu Ange told the salesperson, “Two, please.”

Not wanting to lose the sale, the salesperson quickly packaged two phones. Qu Ange pulled out her card, nervous as she swiped it worried there might not be enough money and she’d be embarrassed. Only when the payment went through did she finally relax. She turned to look for Xu Mi, only to find her gone. Frantically, she asked the salesperson, “Where’s my girlfriend?”

The salesperson paused at the word “girlfriend,” then said, “She left while you were entering your PIN.”

Qu Ange was baffled. But confusion aside, she hurried outside to search. The streets were crowded, and Xu Mi was nowhere in sight. Qu Ange immediately called her, but the call was rejected as soon as it connected. Even a fool could tell Xu Mi was angry. Qu Ange sent a text, Where are you? Let me come find you.

No reply came, of course.

Qu Ange sat on the steps for a while, dazed, then stood and walked back into the store. A little embarrassed, she asked, “I… I just stepped out. Can I return one of the phones?”

The salesperson replied, “Ah, miss, I’m afraid not. We don’t accept returns unless there’s a quality issue.”

Qu Ange pouted and sent a text to Xu Mi—”I asked, but it can’t be refunded. I’m sorry. I promise I won’t do this again next time.”

Still no reply.

Qu Ange stepped outside, still holding some unsold flowers. She unconsciously wandered toward the busier streets until she reached a crosswalk, where she spotted a street performer singing “Walking in the Cold Wind” on the sidewalk.

Despite the summer heat, the song resonated deep within her. She thought to herself, wasn’t she also walking in the cold wind right now, utterly alone in this moment? Though she might appear tough as steel on the outside, she was acutely aware of how precarious her situation was. But with no real solution in sight, she figured the best she could do was pretend not to notice as long as she could make Xu Mi feel her sincerity and effort, there might still be a chance.

But now she knew if Xu Mi turned away, there was truly nothing she could do.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and just then, someone nearby asked, “Hey, miss, are you selling those flowers?”

She glanced over and saw a couple. “Roses are fifteen, small bouquets are forty,” she replied.

Xu Mi happened to arrive just in time to hear this and couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

She had seen Qu Ange’s text and thought the other woman seemed genuinely remorseful, so she decided to come back and check on her. From a distance, she spotted Qu Ange standing in the crowd, head lowered, looking utterly desolate. A pang of pity stirred in her heart until she got closer and heard Qu Ange opportunistically raising the flower prices!

She stopped in her tracks and watched as Qu Ange successfully sold the flowers. But as the couple walked away, Qu Ange’s expression turned sorrowful and melancholic. After a soft sigh, Qu Ange approached the street performer and handed him ten yuan. “Can I sing a song?” she asked.

The performer, a scruffy-bearded artsy type who was probably just killing time rather than singing for money, smiled and stood up, handing her his wooden guitar.

Qu Ange took the guitar and scanned the crowd. Xu Mi had hidden behind someone else, so Qu Ange didn’t spot her. But seeing so many people excited her, stirring up a sudden urge to perform. After a moment’s thought, she strummed the strings and began to sing.

“Enchanted by your eyes, traces of the galaxy can be found.”

Qu Ange hadn’t put much thought into choosing “Mercury Record.” One major reason was that her repertoire was quite limited. She had learned to play and sing because, back in 2020, she had joined a variety show where celebrities had to learn a new song each week and compete on stage. At the time, she hadn’t won any awards yet, but she was quite popular. The show’s director had done her a favor in the past, so she agreed to participate. After painstaking effort, she had learned five songs, this was one of them.

This song had earned her the weekly top spot back then because, while singing it, she had thought of Xu Mi and poured so much emotion into it that she had shed tears on stage. A screenshot of that moment had trended on social media that night, with people calling it “a fairy’s tears.” Qu Ange had even posted on Weibo, saying she had been thinking of someone from her past, secretly hoping the attention would reach Xu Mi and prompt her to reach out.

Of course, nothing came of it.

Had Xu Mi actually seen it back then? Qu Ange often wondered. The thought alone made her heart ache again. Her voice softened as she sang, “…how much farther must I go to reach your heart…”

Tears pooled in her eyes, and just as they were about to fall, she lifted her gaze and saw Xu Mi standing in the crowd, watching her with a complicated expression.

As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Qu Ange smiled at the sight of Xu Mi.

This time, she must have seen.