My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 10

“It’s nothing, it’s just…” Qiao Lian paused, her expression a bit complicated. “I haven’t contacted him in a long time. Maybe he stopped caring about me ages ago.”

Look at that. Just look at her.

A classic tsundere girl, her mouth saying no while her heart said yes.

“If he’s really forgotten his own daughter’s voice, just tell him you’re a delivery driver. That way you save face and avoid the awkwardness. If he calls you out, just say you dialed the wrong number. Think of it as a subtle way to show your dad how ‘destitute’ you are, having to deliver food to make ends meet. If he’s still indifferent after that, well, you might as well go unplug his oxygen tank later,” Lin Sanyuan suggested, mischievously spinning bad ideas.

Qiao Lian: Her dad definitely had her number saved.

After a moment of thought, Qiao Lian put her phone down and held her hand out to Lin Sanyuan. “Lend me yours.”

Lin Sanyuan gave her a look of “disappointed but not surprised” as she handed over the phone.

“How can you be such a coward?”

Qiao Lian quickly dialed the number.

A man’s voice soon came through the line. He didn’t sound old, but rather steady and dignified, somewhat like a news anchor with perfectly standard Mandarin.

Perhaps the father and daughter really weren’t on familiar terms, because Lin Sanyuan could see how nervous Qiao Lian became the moment the call connected.

She was so nervous that when she finally spoke, this is what came out:

“Hello, I’m with delivery. Your food is here.”

Lin Sanyuan nearly collapsed.

Why didn’t she follow the script!

You haven’t even confirmed if your old man actually forgot you yet, and you lead with a food delivery? It’s the middle of the night, that’s just toxic.

It sounded like a total prank. How was she supposed to transition into asking for money now?

A deep flush spread across Qiao Lian’s face, reaching all the way to her neck. She was so embarrassed that her knuckles turned white from gripping the phone.

On the other end, the man was silent for two seconds. Then, he let out a laugh, his tone pleasantly surprised. “Lianlian? Did you change your number? Why are you calling Papa all of a sudden?”

The background on his end had been noisy at first, filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and social chatter at a dinner table. But by the time he spoke his second sentence, the background had gone quiet. He had clearly stepped away to hear her better.

Before Qiao Lian could even respond, a ding sounded. Her own phone screen lit up with a WeChat transfer notification.

Lin Sanyuan leaned in, eyes wide as she counted the digits. A five followed by four zeros.

Good grief. Qiao Lian hadn’t even opened her mouth yet, and fifty thousand yuan had already been sent over.

“Be a good girl, Lianlian. Papa tries to send you money every month, but you never accept it. You must take this today. Do you want to come home tonight? Papa can come to the school to pick you up.”

Qiao Lian didn’t know how to respond for a moment. She remained unusually still. After a brief silence, she finally spoke softly.

“Dad.”

The man on the other end seemed stunned, falling silent for a long time.

Qiao Lian had the phone on speaker, but she still kept it pressed close to her ear as she continued the conversation.

“Dad, I moved out of the school dorms. I’m… staying at a good friend’s house for a while. I might be bothering them for a bit, so I wanted to let you know.”

“A good friend?” The man became instantly alert. “Male or female?”

Qiao Lian glanced at Lin Sanyuan.

Lin Sanyuan understood immediately. She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a massive headache coming on.

She had social anxiety; she really didn’t want to talk to strangers.

“Uh… hi, Uncle Qiao. My name is Lin Sanyuan. I’m Qiao Lian’s friend. She wasn’t used to living at school, so she’s staying with me for a bit. I usually live alone anyway, so it’s nice to have the company.”

Hearing a girl’s voice, Qiao Lian’s father visibly relaxed.

“Hello, Student Lin. You’re a day student, right? That’s good, very good. It’s nice for girls to look out for one another. Lianlian’s personality… well, she doesn’t always get along with her classmates. I’ve talked to her teachers, and it seems she wasn’t very happy in the dorms. Student Lin, let me add you on WeChat. I should transfer her housing expenses to you.”

“Oh, no need, really! We’re friends, there’s no need to be so formal.”

Lin Sanyuan hurriedly pushed the phone back toward Qiao Lian.

What “day student”? What “Student Lin”?

Did her voice really sound that young?

Damn, did she have one of those “snack-eating kid” voices?

Qiao Lian let out a helpless sigh. “It’s getting late. Don’t stay out drinking too long. Go home and rest early, okay?”

“Alright, alright. You should rest early too, Lianlian. Don’t stay up late on your phone, you’ll get nearsighted. It doesn’t look good for girls to wear glasses. Student Lin, are there any apples at your place? It’s best to eat an apple before bed to help with sleep. Call Papa if you need anything.”

The man sounded reluctant to hang up.

Qiao Lian handed the phone back to Lin Sanyuan and slowly slumped onto the coffee table, remaining silent.

Family ties are complicated. They can’t be summarized by simple right or wrong.

Lin Sanyuan could only speak to the facts, sniffing slightly as she said, “I told you that you were being silly for no reason. Wouldn’t it have been better to just call and get the money sooner?”

The melancholy in Qiao Lian’s heart suddenly dissipated. She sat up straight and stared intently at Lin Sanyuan, whose eyes were turning red.

“I’ve already received the money. Why are you the one sniffing?”

She hadn’t even processed her own sadness yet, so why was Lin Sanyuan tearing up on her behalf?

It left her in an awkward spot, wondering if she should cry a little too just to match the mood.

Lin Sanyuan also felt her sudden surge of emotion was embarrassing.

She rubbed her eyes roughly. “I’m not sniffing. It’s just… I write stories. My biggest weakness is imagining the hardships of the world. You know those old grandmas picking up trash on the street? Or those stray cats and dogs with broken legs? When I see them, my chest gets all tight and uncomfortable. It’s fine, I’ll be okay after a shower.”

Qiao Lian didn’t have such intense empathy, and she didn’t quite understand why seeing a stranger or an animal would cause such physical distress.

However, she couldn’t stand seeing Lin Sanyuan’s eyes red.

“Don’t rub so hard, they’re turning red.” Qiao Lian pulled Lin Sanyuan’s hand away and gazed deeply into her face. Looking left and right, her eyes seemed to hold the moonlight, giving off a gentle illusion in the night.

“See? I’m not crying.”

She only shed tears when she was fast asleep.

Being watched with that specific look made Lin Sanyuan feel a bit fluttery. She awkwardly pulled her wrist away from the cool touch of Qiao Lian’s hand and gave a low grumble.

“Can you stop looking at me with that K-drama gaze? It’s the middle of the night, it’s creepy.”

Qiao Lian blinked and smiled. “I don’t watch K-dramas.”

“Sigh, go shower and go to bed. You’re taking the master bedroom tonight. I’ve already made the bed for you.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Qiao Lian asked.

“Ask away.”

“Why do you… seem so tolerant of men having affairs?”

It seemed they were about to dive into the philosophy of life and marriage.

“I’m not tolerant of that at all,” Lin Sanyuan said, her expression serious.

Qiao Lian looked at her. “But you encouraged me to call him. Asking for money was just an excuse; you wanted me to make up with him.”

Lin Sanyuan smiled. “I just feel that his cheating and the fact that you are his daughter are two separate things. I’m not telling you to forgive the affair, but you have to learn to acknowledge the reality of the situation.”

Qiao Lian knew she was right, but because it was so logical, it didn’t feel comforting.

She felt a slight, indefinable sense of disappointment and a faint, powerless anger.

“If your dad cheated, would you handle it this calmly?”

“No.”

Qiao Lian took a deep breath, getting angry. “See? You’re asking me to do something you can’t even do yourself. Isn’t that a bit much?”

Lin Sanyuan explained, “What I meant is that I wouldn’t be the one handling it. That task usually belongs to my mom. They’re the legal couple; the wife is the one with the right to judge a cheating man. Of course, my mom handles things like a ‘boss lady’ lead, but my dad would never cheat in this lifetime.”

“You’re that certain?”

Lin Sanyuan lifted her chin and chuckled. “Because my mom keeps him on a very tight leash. He has to hand over his entire salary every month. He only gets a tiny bit of pocket money, and he’s not allowed to have a secret stash. He literally doesn’t have the financial resources to cheat.”

Qiao Lian started laughing too. She tilted her head back slightly, her bright eyes fixed on Lin Sanyuan. “What about you then?”

“What about me?”

“What’s your take on your own partner cheating?”

Great, she just couldn’t escape this topic.

Lin Sanyuan plopped back down on the sofa and said calmly, “I don’t really have an opinion.”

“Why?”

“My mom said that out of ten men, nine will visit sex workers or cheat. The remaining one is either impotent or gay. Humans are one of the few biological species that go into heat all year round. Most people can’t control their own desires. Marriage is a gamble where you bet your life. If you take it too seriously, you’ll live in misery. Unless you’re like my mom, controlling the man’s money to lower the risk and avoid trouble.”

Qiao Lian’s gaze was steady. “Do you think that theory makes sense?”

Lin Sanyuan sighed. “In the world of web novels, that’s considered ‘explosive’ content. If I dared to write my female lead’s views on marriage like that, I’d be roasted alive. But in real life, it’s not about whether it makes sense, it’s just practical.”

She didn’t tell Qiao Lian her full thoughts.

Her views on marriage were likely even more pessimistic and devoid of expectation than what she had just said.

At her age, her friends were getting married one after another, and cheating, divorce, and mistress drama seemed to have become commonplace. There were even those who had been scammed into massive debt by marriage.

Lin Sanyuan had never expected anything from marriage.

Qiao Lian seemed to have an endless supply of questions tonight. Hearing this, her eyes shifted, and she looked quite adorable leaning on the coffee table.

“Then if you were in a relationship, would you be like your mom and make your partner hand over his salary and secret stash?”

In truth, Lin Sanyuan hated managing money.

She couldn’t even manage her own. It felt like her years of working had resulted in nothing; she had no idea where her savings went. Managing a man’s money sounded like a massive headache.

But if she denied it now, she’d be contradicting herself.

This kid Qiao Lian wasn’t very old, but she was sharp as a tack. She could already code, so she was definitely better at math than Lin Sanyuan.

Out of the goodness of her heart, Lin Sanyuan figured she should help build a foundation for “marriage disaster prevention” now, just so the girl wouldn’t get tricked by some punk later.

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