Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Sister Qing Meng, It’s Your Turn

“Two hundred situps!”

Fan Hua stared at Xing He. “Are you sick in the head?”

Chen Xia, however, quite liked this particular “dare.” Fearing Xing He might change her mind, she immediately lay down on the ground and began. “One, two, three…”

Qing Meng let out a soft chuckle. This punishment was very much in Xing He’s style.

Fan Hua grumbled indignantly, “How can you give her such an easy dare? That’s not allowed next time, okay!”

Xing He glanced at her sideways. “Easy? Then you do the next one.”

Fan Hua went silent. Fan Hua pretended she couldn’t hear. She had been physically weak since childhood and knew nothing about sports; asking her to do two hundred situps was practically a death sentence. For Chen Xia, though, it was nothing; she finished in a few minutes.

The winner of the second round of rock-paper-scissors was Fan Hua. The unlucky soul chosen by the bottle was Xing He.

Not knowing what the “Truth” questions might entail, Xing He naturally chose “Dare.” She was optimistic it was just situps, or at worst, push-ups or frog jumps. Small stuff.

Only Chen Xia noticed Fan Hua’s eyes darting between the participants, clearly cooking up some mischief.

“Stare into Xiao Xia’s eyes for thirty seconds.”

Chen Xia: Stare? Me? Xing He: Stare? Me?

Qing Meng’s gaze darkened subtly, and her expression looked noticeably grimmer than before. Sensing the sudden intensity radiating from Qing Meng, Chen Xia felt like there were needles in her back. She weakly raised her hand. “Can non-essential personnel opt out?”

“No. Sister Qing Meng, can you do the countdown?” Fan Hua looked at Qing Meng with a meaningful expression.

“Okay.”

“Fine.”

Fan Hua turned around, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. “3, 2, 1… Start.”

“29… 28…”

Fan Hua didn’t pull any pranks; it seemed she really just wanted to see Chen Xia and Xing He engage in a dead-serious staring contest for thirty seconds. But Xing He felt awkward Chen Xia was a “taken” woman, and more importantly, Qing Meng was watching right there.

To avoid Chen Xia’s gaze, Xing He’s eyes darted around, only to crash headlong into Qing Meng’s line of sight.

Qing Meng had classic “peach blossom” eyes—deep at the corners, with thick, long lashes and slightly curved tails. Because of the alcohol, the corners of her eyes were tinged with a faint flush, but her clear, dark pupils held a touch of coldness, giving her a dreamy, half-awake quality.

Xing He had always known Qing Meng’s eyes were beautiful, but under the influence of drink, they seemed veiled in a shimmering mist, possessing a different kind of allure. Her heart skipped a beat. Not daring to look around anymore, she obediently went back to staring at Chen Xia.

In that brief moment when Xing He had looked over, her eyes still held something she hadn’t managed to hide after looking at Chen Xia a trace of affection. Qing Meng couldn’t decipher what kind of emotion that look contained, nor did she dare to think about it.

Qing Meng’s emotions flickered, and even her counting speed unconsciously quickened. “3… 2… 1.”

It was finally over. Xing He breathed a sigh of relief. The countdown finished, and Qing Meng sat back. Whether it was a hallucination or not, Xing He felt Qing Meng’s mood had turned even more somber.

The third round began quickly. This time, Chen Xia’s luck took a sudden turn for the better everyone threw “rock” except for her, the lone “paper.”

Visibly happy, she spun the bottle with gusto, already preparing a question in her mind. The bottle spun several times before slowly coming to a stop in front of Qing Meng.

Qing Meng looked up. Before she could manage her expression, her aura seemed to drop several degrees below zero. The smile on Chen Xia’s face froze. She wanted the power in her hands, but she didn’t want that power to be directed at Qing Meng.

Though she had only known Xing He for a few days, Xing He was easygoing and they had shared a life-and-death experience. But Qing Meng was different. They had known each other for less than ten hours, and the woman was virtually expressionless. Even though she sat there silently, the air around her felt colder than anywhere else.

Chen Xia, unskilled at dealing with people like this, shot a pleading look at Fan Hua. Unlike Chen Xia, Fan Hua was practically vibrating with excitement, her face screaming, Let me do it! She was completely unaffected by Qing Meng’s intimidating aura.

Set them up, Xiao Xia! Go! You’re the best! Fan Hua winked frantically, hoping Chen Xia would receive the signal ideally, a word-for-word telepathic match.

Qing Meng acted as if she didn’t see their little signals. She didn’t seem surprised to be chosen. “I choose Dare.”

Xing He was curious. What would Chen Xia make Qing Meng do?

Chen Xia, failing to receive Fan Hua’s telepathy, was still struggling with what level of dare was appropriate. Unable to contain herself, Fan Hua whispered a suggestion: “Kiss! Kiss!”

Chen Xia glared at her, and Fan Hua obediently shut up. For Chen Xia to actually demand something scandalous was unrealistic; Fan Hua was just venting her own desires. Chen Xia’s eyes drifted between the two. Fortunately, Qing Meng hadn’t heard, and Xing He hadn’t reacted.

In a corner no one noticed, the red flush on Xing He’s face had spread down to her neck. She fanned herself nonchalantly, muttering, “Huh, it’s actually quite hot tonight.”

Chen Xia didn’t want to let Fan Hua down entirely, but she couldn’t do something that would humiliate Qing Meng. “Can you… perform a talent?”

That was the most “daring” thing she could come up with.

Qing Meng agreed readily. “Is singing okay?”

Singing! The Qing Meng is going to sing? Everyone sat up straight. “Yes, yes, of course!”

Xing He took small sips of her drink, her ears practically perking up.

Qing Meng looked a bit troubled. “But there’s no accompaniment…”

Xing He suddenly remembered that there was an old digital piano in the courtyard that her grandmother had given her for her eighteenth birthday. Xing He had taught herself for a while, but she had enlisted before getting any good and hadn’t touched it since.

She was hesitant to play in front of Qing Meng—she probably couldn’t tell do from re anymore. She could already sense how ridiculous it might be. But more than the embarrassment, she wanted to hear Qing Meng sing.

“I can play the piano.”

Qing Meng looked at her, surprised that Xing He had offered to accompany her. She hadn’t known Xing He could play. How many more things are there about this woman I haven’t discovered?

Xing He stood up. “I’ll go upstairs and get it. It’s old, though; it might be out of tune.”

Fan Hua’s eyes sparkled. This is it! One has the feeling, the other has the intent! One sings, one plays! This is how you ‘ship’ a couple! She let out a silly giggle.

Xing He returned quickly. The digital piano was of decent quality; after wiping off the dust, only a few bass keys were out of tune. Generally, it was fine. Ready, Xing He looked at Qing Meng. “What song do you want to sing?”

“Love Song (Qing Ge).”

“Hehehe, Sister Qing Meng, I know you want to sing a love song, but Xing He is asking for the title~” Fan Hua’s eyes crinkled with laughter, likely imagining something else entirely.

Chen Xia poked her. “I don’t think that’s what she meant.”

Xing He glanced at her. “Your Sister Qing Meng is talking about a specific song. The title is Love Song.”

Qing Meng nodded.

Xing He felt like she had scored a point in the battle against the “youths.” “You don’t even know such a classic? It seems the aesthetic taste of you youngsters needs some improvement.”

The “youngster” in question didn’t feel attacked at all; instead, she happily munched on her barbecue. What does it matter? A love song is a love song.

The laughter died down as everyone grew quiet, leaving the stage to Qing Meng. As soon as she began, her voice captivated them.

Time is amber Tears drop by drop Are locked away… Even the most immortal love letters Turn into an hourglass…

Qing Meng’s voice was naturally cold and ethereal, but the alcohol had added a low, raspy quality that fit perfectly with the lyrics of unrequited love. At first, due to nerves, Xing He hit a few wrong notes, but she gradually found her rhythm. The slightly out-of-tune keys actually added a vintage texture to the performance.

Xing He felt as though a pair of eyes were fixed on her. She looked up and met Qing Meng’s gaze.

The long shot grows further and further Further and further After several years…

For no reason, Xing He felt a profound sadness in Qing Meng’s eyes. Why? Before she could investigate the truth, the song ended.

Chen Xia clapped, her face full of awe. “I’m not a pro, but that was amazing. Your voice is beautiful, and the emotion felt so real… like watching The Voice of China.”

Fan Hua was even more excited. “Sister Qing Meng, you’re too all-around! So pretty and such a good singer!” She secretly wiped a tear. So good to ship, such a ‘bad ending’ (BE) vibe!

“Thank you.” Qing Meng nodded politely but said nothing more.

The game continued. It seemed as though the laws of rock-paper-scissors were compensating for previous losers. This time, the winner was Qing Meng.

Everyone had thrown “scissors,” but she was the only “rock.” She didn’t react at first, seemingly unaware she had won.

“Sister Qing Meng,” Fan Hua prompted. “It’s your turn.”

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