My Ex Told Me She’s Still In Love With Me - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Peeling Oranges

Sitting in her office, Meng Qingwu watched the light fading outside through the glass, her mind starting to wander.

Cheng Yi rarely showed a vulnerable side. Even during the two years they were together, she had always been composed and gentle, seemingly unruffled by anything that came her way.

Except for their first time… when she had been utterly at a loss.

Meng Qingwu took a deep breath, feeling uncomfortable with the fact that she was thinking about her again. It felt as though she was still pining for her. She looked down at her fingertips and bit her lip.

…

Cheng Yi: Is there anything you want for your birthday?

Meng Qingwu’s phone screen lit up during class. Seeing the name “Cheng Yi,” she couldn’t help but smile. Glancing cautiously at the professor on the podium, she moved her phone under the desk.

Meng Qingwu: Will you give me whatever I want?

The reply came back almost instantly.

Cheng Yi: Yes, as long as I have it.

Meng Qingwu’s eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief. She typed slowly.

Meng Qingwu: Then… I want you…

As she watched those words send, her heart began to race. Her eyes never left the screen, completely forgetting she was in the middle of a lecture.

“Meng Qingwu, please answer: what are the consequences of a contractionary monetary policy?” a ghostly voice drifted from the podium.

Meng Qingwu: “…”

All her romantic thoughts were scared away instantly. She stood up and asked with a serious face, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear clearly. What was the question?”

The classroom erupted in soft giggles, and even the professor looked amused. After she answered that question and several follow-ups, the professor finally let her off.

“Even if you already know the material, you could study something else. Just don’t do irrelevant things in class.”

“I understand. Sorry,” Meng Qingwu replied awkwardly.

For the rest of the lecture, she didn’t dare take out her phone, but she was in agony, finding every minute unbearable. The moment class ended, she checked her phone. Her eyes curved into a brilliant smile.

Cheng Yi: Okay.

The message had been sent ten minutes after her request. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Seeing that “Okay,” she wanted nothing more than to see her right now—to hug her, kiss her, and do everything possible.

…

Meng Qingwu took a deep breath and forced her focus back onto her work.

Time flew by in a blur of productivity. During this period, she signed the project contract with Cheng Yi and immediately started the renovations on the office building. Once everything was on track, the day of the visit to the Cheng family could no longer be postponed.

Cheng Zhan came to pick her up, unable to stop smiling when he saw her.

Meng Qingwu glanced at him coldly. “What are you laughing at?”

Cheng Zhan covered his mouth with a fist to hide his grin, though the joy in his voice was unmistakable. “Is it my imagination, or do you look particularly ‘good’ today?”

She was wearing a white long-pile dress with a brown wool coat over it and black mid-calf heeled boots. She looked elegant and refined—exactly the type of woman elders would love at first sight.

Meng Qingwu didn’t answer. She buckled her seatbelt and commanded him like a chauffeur: “Drive.”

Cheng Zhan laughed even harder, not minding the “driver” role at all. They stopped by her place to pick up the gifts she had prepared and then drove up to the Cheng villa halfway up the mountain.

“My parents are taking this very seriously. They even called back my sister—the one who usually does nothing but research—saying the whole family has to be together,” Cheng Zhan said as he got out of the car.

Meng Qingwu, who was standing by with her arms crossed while he unloaded the gifts, froze slightly. Cheng Yi is here too?

Since their meeting at the café, they had seen each other once at the lab, but it had been over a month since then. She quickly adjusted her thoughts. So what if she’s here? Isn’t it better this way? The main reason she agreed to play girlfriend to Cheng Zhan was to annoy her, wasn’t it?

With a smile on her lips, she followed Cheng Zhan inside. Meeting the Cheng family, she greeted them with a perfectly poised smile, her peripheral vision catching Cheng Yi standing to the side with a cold expression. She looked as if she truly didn’t know Meng Qingwu at all.

“Qingwu, you might not have met her last time—this is Zhan Zhan’s younger sister, Cheng Yi,” Yu Qingshuang said. She didn’t know Cheng Yi had driven her home that night, so she pulled Cheng Yi over to introduce her.

Meng Qingwu watched Cheng Yi’s face grow increasingly stiff. She spoke proactively: “Auntie, we’ve met. Miss Cheng was the one who drove me home the night of the banquet.”

“Oh? Is that so? Well, since you know each other, that’s great. You young people should chat more; you’ll have more in common,” Yu Qingshuang smiled, oblivious to the tension.

Meng Qingwu nodded, satisfied as Yu Qingshuang pushed Cheng Yi toward her. She thought: Cheng Yi must be feeling absolutely disgusted right now. Her brother’s girlfriend is her ex, and her mother is asking her to play hostess. It was a classic “dog-blood” drama setup.

“Want some?” Cheng Zhan peeled an orange and handed it to Meng Qingwu.

She inspected it carefully. Seeing that the segments were perfectly intact without a single nick in the flesh, she accepted it with a satisfied nod.

Cheng Zhan chuckled. He peeled another for Cheng Yi, saying, “I know you’re a germaphobe/perfectionist about this. I wouldn’t dare give you an orange that was peeled sloppily.”

…

Cheng Zhan had once seen a suitor try to win Meng Qingwu over by peeling an orange. The guy had hacked off the peel, and while trying to separate the white pith, he had squashed the segments until the juice sprayed everywhere. When he handed the mess to Meng Qingwu, her face had turned green.

“Normal people care about these things; it’s not being a perfectionist,” Meng Qingwu muttered lazily.

Cheng Yi sat nearby, listening to their familiar banter. The orange in her hand felt like lead; she had no desire to eat it. The person who peeled oranges for Qingwu was no longer just her.

…

“Cheng Yi, pay attention to me~” A tired Meng Qingwu leaned her face against Cheng Yi’s back, looking drained by her studies.

Cheng Yi instinctively smiled at the sound of her voice. She put down her book, turned around to pull the girl into her arms, and patted her back. “Take a break?”

Meng Qingwu had been under immense pressure preparing for various exams for her move abroad. Wrapped in such gentle pampering, her voice grew soft and uncertain. “Actually… I don’t want to go abroad anymore.”

She had someone she loved here; how could she bear to be so far away?

Cheng Yi’s expression changed slightly. She said seriously, “You’ve prepared for so long. How can you just give up?” Meng Qingwu was a woman of vision; she had decided her path in her freshman year. Cheng Yi didn’t want to see her hard work go to waste.

“But I can’t bear to leave you…” Meng Qingwu’s mood dipped. Her girlfriend, whom she had worked so hard to pursue—the thought of an ocean between them was unbearable.

Cheng Yi fell silent. She got up, grabbed an orange, and began to peel it. “It’s okay. We have a long time ahead of us.”

Watching her, Meng Qingwu suggested, “How about you come with me?”

Cheng Yi fed her a segment and smiled. “I’ll look into the future planning. Actually, it’s not impossible.”

“Really?!” Meng Qingwu’s eyes lit up instantly. She hugged Cheng Yi tight, beaming with joy.

At that time, Cheng Yi truly believed it was possible.