My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 18

An ominous premonition instantly surged in her heart.

She wanted to back out, but it was already too late. Her eyes reacted faster than her brain.

There was someone in the bathroom.

A woman.

Under the warm light, thin wisps of lingering steam drifted through the air. The woman inside was wearing nothing but a white shirt. The fabric was light, soft, and oversized with a graceful drape, the hem falling just past her upper thighs, covering the most critical areas.

What was more pressing was that the shirt wasn’t fully put on.

She seemed to be having trouble moving. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and the broad, thin shirt was barely hooked over her arms. The middle buttons were undone, inevitably revealing a large expanse of soft, delicate, snowy skin.

She had dried herself carelessly, and since the water hadn’t fully evaporated, the thin shirt was damp and clinging to her body. Her cool, pale form seemed encased in a garment as thin as a cicada’s wing.

Transparent and hazy, the sight was dazzlingly bright. It was, for all intents and purposes, no different from being undressed.

Lin Sanyuan’s hand was still on the doorknob. Shocked and dazed, her ears suddenly buzzed with a loud explosion of heat, and her face flushed deep red instantly.

She covered her face with both hands and began to apologize profusely, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know someone was in here.”

After apologizing, her brain finally began to process things slowly. She had clearly knocked on the door, so why had there been no response?

The woman in the bathroom was slow to react, appearing as if she hadn’t quite returned to her senses yet. Her gaze slowly landed on Lin Sanyuan with a somewhat dazed expression before she realized the awkwardness of the situation.

She pursed her pale lips. This movement deepened their color significantly, and she seemed a little shy.

But only a little. Unlike Lin Sanyuan, she wasn’t panicking.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the knock just now.” Her voice was beautiful, like a sliver of moonlight lost in a forest mist, sounding strangely familiar.

She, too, began to offer an apology.

Lin Sanyuan kept bowing, “I’m so sorry, I’ll close the door for you.”

She had never encountered a scene like this before. She was dying of embarrassment and scrambled out, pulling the door shut behind her.

After taking several deep breaths, Lin Sanyuan leaned against the cold glass door and slowly slid down into a sitting position. Her eyes were vacant, and her mind was racing like a stampede of wild horses.

She felt like she had messed up. This person must be He Wenyu’s friend, right? She had heard she was injured in a car accident and was staying at He Wenyu’s place to rest, only to be mindlessly offended by her.

Even though she wanted to make excuses, she had seen everything very clearly!

Lin Sanyuan didn’t even want to use the bathroom anymore. Clutching her cheeks, she suddenly felt like she wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.

“Excuse me, could I trouble you for a moment?” The woman’s voice came from behind the door.

Lin Sanyuan’s spine went numb as she stood up in a panic, “What… what is it?”

“My arm… well, it’s a bit inconvenient. Could I trouble you to help me?”

Lin Sanyuan’s tongue felt tied, “Help… help with what?” It was as if she was the one who had been seen naked, she felt incredibly guilty.

The woman gave a soft laugh, “Could you help me put on my clothes? I’m having a bit of trouble.”

After saying this, considering that Lin Sanyuan might find it awkward, she added, “If it’s inconvenient for you, could you call He Wenyu for me?”

Her tone was calm and composed, making Lin Sanyuan’s nervousness seem almost comical. Right, they were both women, so why was she so guilty and tense? Hadn’t she even helped Qiao Lian bathe before? She had even changed her sanitary pads. Back then, she had been as steady as an old dog.

Lin Sanyuan scratched her head and pushed the door open to go back in. The woman’s shirt was still not properly on.

Why on earth is this woman wearing a white shirt without a bra? It made Lin Sanyuan unsure of where to look.

“I don’t really like wearing a bra when I sleep,” the woman explained abruptly, as if she had read Lin Sanyuan’s mind.

“Oh… okay.” Lin Sanyuan walked behind her and noticed that her left forearm was wrapped in bandages. On the counter, there was also a discarded shoulder brace.

She hadn’t looked closely before, but now that she was near, she could see bruised red scars on the side of the woman’s neck and shoulder. Her neck was slender, leading into a beautiful shoulder and neckline, and the slight bruises only added a heartbreaking sort of beauty to her.

Also, she smelled very nice.

Lin Sanyuan didn’t dare look too much, feeling it would be rude. She helped pull the shirt into place. Looking down, she noticed the woman wasn’t wearing underwear either. The thin fabric outlined graceful curves, and a glimpse of her waist through the light showed it was thin and narrow.

Taking a deep breath, her head spinning, she said, “Do you need me to help you put on the arm brace?”

The woman’s posture while buttoning her shirt with one hand was a bit cool and authoritative. Paired with the white shirt, her long black hair, and her clean, thin fingers, she exuded an effortless sense of style.

She turned to look at Lin Sanyuan. Her dark pupils were deep, and her brows knitted together almost imperceptibly, as if she didn’t understand why Lin Sanyuan was so nervous.

She didn’t respond to the question, and a strange silence fell between them.

Lin Sanyuan felt unsettled by that gaze, “If you don’t want it, should I leave now?”

Good heavens, this woman’s aura is so strong.

“You…” Her lips moved slightly, appearing hesitant or perhaps puzzled, but she stopped herself from speaking.

Lin Sanyuan suddenly froze, staring at her for a long time. Finally, she realized where this sense of familiarity came from.

She took a small step back in surprise. Suppressing her excitement, she asked cautiously, “Are you… Qiu Feng?”

She knew that voice sounded familiar, though she hadn’t dared to look at the face earlier. But now, it hit her like a bolt of lightning.

The woman in front of her was the legendary master artist who appeared in her phone’s live-streaming room every night at seven o’clock! No wonder she hadn’t seen her streaming these past few nights. She had actually returned to the country, and she was He Ye’s sister’s friend?!

Lin Sanyuan felt a strong sense of unreality, as if a 2D character had suddenly come to life in the 3D world. It was such a surreal experience.

The woman’s eyes lowered slowly, her expression unreadable. When she looked at Lin Sanyuan again, her eyes were clear and calm. She said softly, “Yes, I am Tang Hengzhi.”

Even though she had shown her face in the live stream, she had never directly responded to fans. Yet tonight, she said to Lin Sanyuan:

Qiu Feng is Tang Hengzhi.

Tang Hengzhi didn’t ask Lin Sanyuan to help with the arm sling. After she put on her shirt, Lin Sanyuan had no reason to stay, and she felt even more embarrassed about using the bathroom now.

Tang Hengzhi asked her, “What were you doing in my room?”

Did she only think to ask that after getting dressed?

Then again, asking a stranger for help getting dressed in that state was also a bit unusual.

Lin Sanyuan hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of her identity. She said blankly, “Well, I actually wanted to borrow the bathroom. Sister Wenyu said her room was the first right on the second floor. I shouldn’t have… gone the wrong way, right?”

Tang Hengzhi was silent for a delicate moment. She seemed to have a bit of a headache, “No. In the future, don’t ask her for directions. He Wenyu is directionally challenged and has a terrible sense of direction.”

Lin Sanyuan found that a “great master” like Tang Hengzhi could actually converse quite naturally in real life, with no sense of distance at all. The process of turning from strangers to acquaintances seemed to be skipped entirely. Even though it was their first conversation, she had the ability to establish a sense of familiarity very quickly.

The tension and strangeness vanished in a peculiar way. Lin Sanyuan couldn’t help but laugh, “Directionally challenged? Sister Wenyu doesn’t look like that at all. She has the face of a top student and looks very gentle and reliable.”

“Gentle… reliable?” Tang Hengzhi’s eyes flickered slightly, as if she had more to say. But after looking at Lin Sanyuan, she gave a soft sigh, “Go ahead and use the bathroom. I’m going out.”

“Eh?” Lin Sanyuan was stunned. She hadn’t planned on “finishing her business” here anymore.

Before she could politely decline, Tang Hengzhi had already left the bathroom, even thoughtfully closing the door behind her. Caught in a dilemma, Lin Sanyuan seemed to have no choice.

After Lin Sanyuan left the bathroom, she saw Tang Hengzhi leaning half-way on the bed. She wasn’t on her phone or doing anything else, her gaze was tilted upward slightly as if she were zoning out.

So this is what a “big shot” looks like when they aren’t painting. They look a bit blank.

At some point, it had started raining outside. The white noise from outdoors was peaceful, and the yellow glow of the night light provided an illusory warmth, casting a faint light on her slender figure. Her features were exquisite, yet she looked lonely.

Seeing her like this, Lin Sanyuan felt that familiar pang of sorrow she often felt for elderly people on the street, but this feeling was subtly different.

She originally wanted to ask if she wanted to come down and eat, but then she remembered how the woman was dressed. She clearly had no intention of going downstairs, so it wasn’t right to ask.

After going downstairs, the scent of spicy braised crawfish from the pot was very strong.

He Wenyu couldn’t help but look at her a few more times, “Sanyuan, you didn’t go into the wrong room, did you?” Her expression was a bit subtle. If it was just for the bathroom, Lin Sanyuan seemed to have stayed up there quite a while.

Lin Sanyuan nearly tripped over her own feet. She realized that He Wenyu and He Ye, these two siblings, actually shared some similarities. For instance, this knack for turning things back on others.

What do you mean I went into the wrong room? Didn’t you give me the wrong directions?

She gave a helpless sigh in her heart, “I think I disturbed the guest upstairs.”

He Wenyu opened her mouth but remained speechless.

The crawfish were finished quickly, leaving only one green vegetable dish. Lin Sanyuan stir-fried it herself and then called everyone to the table, “Uncle, Auntie, Sister, time to eat.”

Wait, wasn’t she the guest? Why did it feel like she was the host entertaining everyone?

He Ye was very dissatisfied, “Why did you call everyone but me? Are you discriminating against me?”

Lin Sanyuan had wanted to punch him more than once tonight. When He Ye said this, he was already holding a dripping crawfish. The head had been pulled off, and he was noisily sucking the tomalley. His lips were already swollen from the spice. While she was stir-frying the vegetables in the kitchen, he had already started sneaking bites.

Lin Sanyuan wasn’t married and had no children, but she already felt the irritability of being a mother taking care of a kid. If this continued, her menopause might come early.

He Ye’s mother was setting the table and rinsing the utensils, while his father went to the wine cabinet to grab a bottle of red wine.

Just as He Wenyu was about to go into the kitchen to wash her hands, she suddenly heard footsteps on the second floor. She looked up and saw Tang Hengzhi coming downstairs.

Tang Hengzhi had put on the arm brace herself. She wasn’t wearing the white shirt from before, but had changed into an apricot-pink hoodie paired with white casual pants. Even such a loose, homey style couldn’t hide her tall and slender frame. Her casual outfit looked great.

“Why did you come down?” He Wenyu asked.

Tang Hengzhi glanced at her, “Didn’t you ask me to come down for dinner?”

She only looked at her for a second before her gaze drifted elsewhere, seemingly toward the kitchen.