She Got Revenge on Her Ex-Girlfriend Through a Kiss Scene - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The nurse wheeled the hospital bed out. Xi Jisheng’s mother was still under the effects of the anesthesia, sleeping peacefully.

Xi Jisheng let go of Lou Ningyu and rushed to the side of the bed. She grasped her mother’s hand, her tears falling onto the white sheets.

“Mom… it was a success… the surgery was a success…” she said over and over.

Lou Ningyu stood two steps away, watching the scene as tears welled up again. She turned away, quietly wiping them off, and then went to speak with the doctor about the post-operative care instructions.

By the time everything was arranged and the mother was settled in the observation room—where visitors had to wait for the anesthesia to wear off—it was already nine in the evening.

Xi Jisheng and Lou Ningyu stood in the corridor outside the ward, backs against the wall like two soldiers who had finished a battle—exhausted, but victorious.

The corridor was quiet, save for the faint muffle of voices from the distant nurse’s station. The cold white lights illuminated their faces, highlighting their shared fatigue.

“Thank you,” Xi Jisheng said, her voice raspy from crying.

Lou Ningyu shook her head. “No need for thanks.”

Silence followed. Then, Lou Ningyu spoke, her voice light as if afraid of disturbing something fragile. “Jisheng, I want to tell you something.”

Xi Jisheng turned her head to look at her.

“These seven years…” Lou Ningyu paused. “I kept a diary. Not on paper, but… in my heart.”

She looked at the empty corridor ahead and began to speak.

“The first year after we broke up, I wanted to call you every single day. But I was afraid you’d find me annoying, afraid you’d block me, afraid to hear you say ‘don’t come looking for me ever again’.” Lou Ningyu’s voice was calm, but every word carried weight. “So I didn’t call. I registered a private Weibo account and wrote ‘I miss you today too’ every day for 365 days.”

Xi Jisheng’s fingers picked at the peeling paint on the wall.

“The second year, you acted in your first movie—a small supporting role with only three scenes. I went to the midnight showing and sat in the very last row. When you appeared on screen, I cried. Not because of how good your acting was—you were actually quite green back then—but because I was finally seeing you again. A living, breathing, moving you.”

Lou Ningyu smiled, a bit bitterly.

“In the third year, I won my first award—Best Newcomer. When I went up to accept it, the lights were so bright I couldn’t see the audience. But I knew you wouldn’t be there. I wanted to thank you, to say ‘half of this award belongs to you,’ but I couldn’t say it. After I stepped off stage, I cried in the restroom for half an hour.”

Xi Jisheng’s tears began to fall again. She didn’t wipe them; she let them flow.

“In the fourth year, I heard you were in a relationship.” Lou Ningyu’s voice hitched. “I found out later it was fake—just publicity for the show. But I didn’t know then. I got drunk that night and called Teacher Ai Ye, crying so hard I couldn’t speak clearly. I said, ‘Teacher, she doesn’t want me anymore, she’s in love with someone else’.”

Xi Jisheng covered her mouth to stifle a sob.

“In the fifth year, I started sending money to your mom anonymously. Five thousand a month. Not much, because I was afraid you’d find out, yet afraid you really wouldn’t.” Lou Ningyu turned her head to look at Xi Jisheng. “I knew you were struggling financially then, and your aunt’s health was starting to fail. I wanted to help, but I didn’t dare let you know.”

“I… I knew,” Xi Jisheng choked out. “On the fifth of every month, five thousand would appear in the account. I checked; it was an anonymous transfer. I guessed it was you… but I didn’t dare confirm it.”

“Why didn’t you dare?” Lou Ningyu asked softly.

“I was afraid…” Large tears splashed onto the floor. “I was afraid that if I confirmed it, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from finding you. I was afraid that I… wasn’t good enough for someone as wonderful as you.”

Lou Ningyu’s tears fell as well.

“In the sixth year, I bought tickets for your theater performance. You played Sifeng in Thunderstorm. I bought out the whole theater but didn’t dare go. I stayed home alone, watching leaked clips online and your bow at the curtain call. I thought, my Jisheng has finally become the person at the center of the stage.”

She took a deep breath.

“The seventh year… Director Peng Ke gave me the script for Echoes. I saw Shen Su and Zhou Yin; I saw them reunited after twenty years apart; I saw the lines ‘You’ve come’ and ‘I’m here’. And I just knew—”

Lou Ningyu turned to face Xi Jisheng, tears streaming down her face.

“This was my chance. My last chance. If I didn’t grab it, I would truly lose you for the rest of my life.”

Xi Jisheng was shaking with sobs. She crouched down, hugging her knees and burying her face in them, her cries muffled like a wounded animal.

Lou Ningyu crouched down too, her hand hovering over Xi Jisheng’s back, wanting to touch her but not quite daring to.

“During those years…” Xi Jisheng’s voice came from between her knees, broken and raw. “I never dated anyone. Not a single person.”

She looked up, her face tear-stained, her eyes as red and swollen as peaches.

“I watched all your movies. Opening nights, last row. The day you won your award, I said ‘Congratulations’ to the TV at home. Every month when the money arrived, I guessed it was you… but I didn’t dare confirm it. I didn’t dare…”

She grabbed Lou Ningyu’s sleeve, clutching it tightly.

“I was afraid I wasn’t good enough for you. Lou Ningyu, you are so good, so dazzling, so brave. And me? I’m a coward, I’m timid—I didn’t even dare admit I loved someone. I pushed you away saying it was for your own good, but it was really for mine—I was afraid I couldn’t keep you, afraid you’d leave one day, so I thought it was better if I left first.”

This was the first time in seven years she had spoken her true thoughts.

Lou Ningyu could no longer hold back; she reached out and pulled her into her arms. This time, it wasn’t Xi Jisheng crashing into her; it was Lou Ningyu taking the initiative, holding her so tightly she seemed to want to pull her into her very soul.

“You silly girl…” Lou Ningyu cried. “You were always good enough. It was I who wasn’t good enough for you; I was too rushed, too young, too ignorant of how to love you.”

They huddled together on the corridor floor, crying like children. A nurse passed by, looked for a moment, and then quietly walked away without disturbing them.

After crying for an unknown amount of time, Xi Jisheng finally stopped. She pulled back slightly from Lou Ningyu’s embrace, looked into her eyes, and asked very seriously: “Ningyu, do you still want me?”

Lou Ningyu looked back at her, saying each word deliberately: “I do. From twenty-three to thirty, from the past to the present, to the future. I want you.”

Xi Jisheng’s tears surged again, but this time she was smiling through them.

“Then… let’s try,” she said, her voice small but firm. “I won’t run away this time.”

Lou Ningyu cupped her face, wiping away the tears with her thumbs. “Running is useless. Wherever you run, I’ll follow.”

…

At ten o’clock, Xi Jisheng’s mother woke up from the anesthesia. Xi Jisheng and Lou Ningyu walked into the ward together.

Seeing them, the mother smiled weakly. “You’re both here.”

Xi Jisheng rushed to the bedside. “Mom, how do you feel? Does it hurt? Should I call the doctor?”

The mother shook her head and reached out to take Lou Ningyu’s hand. “Ningyu, thank you.”

Lou Ningyu leaned down. “Auntie, it’s what I should do.”

The mother looked at Lou Ningyu, then at Xi Jisheng, her gaze knowing. “This time… you won’t run away again, will you?”

Xi Jisheng blushed. “Mom…”

“Seven years ago you pushed her away, saying it was for her own good.” The mother’s voice was weak but clear. “Did you ever ask her what she thought was ‘good’?”

Xi Jisheng lowered her head.

The mother turned to Lou Ningyu. “Ningyu, what do you want?”

Lou Ningyu looked at Xi Jisheng, her gaze tender and resolute. “I want her. Just that.”

The mother smiled, her eyes growing wet as she did. She pulled Xi Jisheng’s hand over and placed it on top of Lou Ningyu’s, then covered them both with her own.

“Jisheng, Mom’s surgery was a success this time, but what about next time? Or the time after that?” The mother looked at her daughter with earnest gravity. “Life doesn’t have that many ‘laters’. If you’re going to love, do it now.”

She squeezed their hands together.

“If you push Ningyu away again…” the mother paused, her voice turning stern, “don’t call me Mom anymore.”

Xi Jisheng’s tears fell. “Mom…”

“I’m serious.” The mother looked at Lou Ningyu. “Ningyu, this daughter of mine is silly, stubborn, and prone to overthinking. But she’s sincere; once she chooses someone, it’s for life. Seven years ago she pushed you away not because she didn’t love you, but because she loved you too much—she was afraid of holding you back.”

Lou Ningyu nodded. “I know, Auntie.”

“Then from now on…” the mother gripped their hands even tighter, “I leave her to you. Love her well for me, and let her love you well in return.”

Lou Ningyu’s tears came again. “I will, Auntie.”

Xi Jisheng was crying too hard to speak, she could only nod vigorously.

…

The mother grew tired and fell back asleep. Xi Jisheng and Lou Ningyu stayed in the ward until the early hours of the morning. Only after confirming her mother’s condition was stable did they leave, following the nurse’s persuasion.

It was one in the morning when they stepped out of the hospital. The night wind was a bit chilly, and Xi Jisheng shrugged her shoulders. Lou Ningyu immediately took off her jacket and draped it over her.

“No need…” Xi Jisheng started to refuse.

“Wear it.” Lou Ningyu pressed her hand down. “You’re tired and your immunity is low; don’t catch a cold.”

Xi Jisheng didn’t argue further and pulled the jacket tight. It carried Lou Ningyu’s body heat and the scent of that woody perfume she always used.

Lou Ningyu called for a car. While waiting, Xi Jisheng suddenly said, “Tonight… come to my place.”

Lou Ningyu was startled.

“You’ll be alone at the hotel anyway.” Xi Jisheng looked down, her voice very soft. “And… and I want you to be with me.”

Lou Ningyu’s heart melted into a puddle. She nodded. “Okay.”

The car arrived, and they sat in the back seat. Xi Jisheng gave the address—it was the apartment she rented in Beijing. After they broke up seven years ago, she had moved out of the little house near the school and found a new place.

On the way, Xi Jisheng leaned against the window and closed her tired eyes. Lou Ningyu watched her quiet profile, reached out, and very gently drew her in, letting her lean against her shoulder.

Xi Jisheng didn’t resist; she even nuzzled closer into her embrace.