She Got Revenge on Her Ex-Girlfriend Through a Kiss Scene - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

When they reached the apartment building, Xi Jisheng swiped her card to open the door.

Inside the elevator, the two stood side by side, watching the numbers flicker by in a silence that neither dared to break.

Once inside the apartment, Xi Jisheng clicked on the lights. Lou Ningyu stood at the entrance, taking in the space—it wasn’t large, a two-bedroom unit with simple decor.

But many details made her eyes sting.

On the shoe cabinet in the entryway sat a wooden box with a lock. It was the birthday gift Lou Ningyu had given her seven years ago; inside was a pair of silver couple’s bracelets. When they broke up, Xi Jisheng had returned the bracelets but kept the box.

On the TV stand stood a photograph—their graduation photo. In it, Lou Ningyu had her arm around Xi Jisheng’s shoulder, both laughing radiantly. This photo had once been tucked away, but now it was out in the open again.

“Make yourself at home,” Xi Jisheng said, appearing a bit restless. “The place is a little messy.”

Lou Ningyu shook her head. “It’s not messy. It’s lovely.”

She changed into slippers and walked into the living room. Several scripts were spread across the coffee table, and a blanket was tossed over the sofa. On the balcony, a few potted plants were thriving.

Xi Jisheng went to the kitchen to boil water. “What would you like to drink? Tea? Coffee? Or…”

“Water is fine,” Lou Ningyu said.

She walked over to the bookshelf. It was mostly filled with acting theory and scripts, along with some novels. In the most prominent spot sat a row of DVDs of movies Lou Ningyu had acted in, arranged chronologically.

Lou Ningyu pulled one out—it was her first movie, and the cover was somewhat worn. Flipping it open, she found a ticket stub tucked inside—a midnight showing from seven years ago.

She turned around. Xi Jisheng was standing in the kitchen doorway holding a glass of water, her face slightly flushed.

“I…” Xi Jisheng tried to explain.

Lou Ningyu set the DVD down, walked over, took the water glass to set it on the table, and then turned to pull her into an embrace. It was a light hug, but incredibly warm.

“I’m sorry,” Lou Ningyu whispered into her ear. “For making you watch so many movies alone.”

Xi Jisheng’s tears returned. She shook her head. “I deserved it.”

“Don’t say that.” Lou Ningyu pulled back and cupped her face. “We both made mistakes, and we both served our time. Now, let’s start over, okay?”

Xi Jisheng nodded. “Okay.”

Lou Ningyu smiled, leaned down, and kissed her forehead very, very gently. It was like a feather brushing against skin, over as soon as it began.

Xi Jisheng’s face turned scarlet.

Lou Ningyu let her go and walked to the fridge. “Are you hungry? I’ll make you something to eat.”

She opened the fridge and froze.

Inside, rows of oat milk were neatly arranged—the specific imported brand Lou Ningyu loved, which was notoriously hard to find. There was also her favorite brand of yogurt and the cheese she liked.

Lou Ningyu turned to look at Xi Jisheng.

Xi Jisheng kept her head down, her fingers twisting together. “It became a habit… even though you weren’t coming, I thought… just in case.”

Lou Ningyu’s eyes welled up again. She closed the fridge, walked back, and hugged Xi Jisheng again—this time, tightly.

“Jisheng…” her voice choked, “how can you be so foolish?”

Xi Jisheng held her back. “You’re the foolish one. Waiting seven years for someone who supposedly didn’t love you.”

“You love me,” Lou Ningyu said. “You’ve always loved me; you were just too afraid to admit it.”

Xi Jisheng didn’t argue. She leaned into Lou Ningyu’s chest and whispered, “Yes. I love you. I always have.”

Those words, held back for seven years, were finally spoken.

…

As night deepened, sleeping became the next question.

Xi Jisheng stood at the master bedroom door, feeling a bit lost. “You take the master bedroom; the bed is bigger. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

Lou Ningyu shook her head. “I can sleep on the sofa.”

“No, you’re the guest…”

“I don’t want to be a guest,” Lou Ningyu interrupted, looking her in the eye.

Xi Jisheng’s heart raced. She bit her lip and whispered, “Then… then let’s both sleep in the master. The bed is big enough.”

Lou Ningyu nodded. “Okay.”

The bed was indeed large, two meters wide. Xi Jisheng pulled another quilt from the closet and placed it on the other side of the bed. They each climbed into their respective covers, lying on opposite sides with a gap between them.

The lights went out, and the room plunged into darkness, save for the moonlight casting square patches of glow on the floor.

Xi Jisheng lay with her back to Lou Ningyu, her body stiff. She could hear Lou Ningyu’s steady, clear breathing. She could smell the faint fragrance—the scent she was so familiar with and had missed for seven years.

“Jisheng,” Lou Ningyu called softly in the dark.

“…Yes?”

“Are you asleep?”

“No.”

Silence. Then Lou Ningyu asked, “Can I… hold your hand?”

Xi Jisheng’s heart skipped a beat. She stared wide-eyed at the wall in the darkness. Five seconds, ten seconds. Then, her hand reached out from under the covers, crossing the “Milky Way” between them.

Lou Ningyu’s hand met hers. They interlaced their fingers.

Palms pressed together, their warmth merging. Lou Ningyu held on tight, but not enough to hurt. Her thumb brushed lightly over the back of Xi Jisheng’s hand—a habit they had while sleeping seven years ago.

Xi Jisheng’s tears came again, but she didn’t make a sound. She just gripped Lou Ningyu’s hand as if she were holding onto a world she had lost and finally found again.

“Go to sleep,” Lou Ningyu whispered. “I’m here.”

“Mm,” Xi Jisheng closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Ningyu.”

“Goodnight, Jisheng.”

They slept like that, hand in hand, until dawn.

Xi Jisheng woke once during the night to find Lou Ningyu asleep, yet still gripping her hand firmly. Moonlight fell across Lou Ningyu’s face; she looked peaceful, the corners of her mouth slightly turned up.

Xi Jisheng watched her for a long time, then leaned in and very, very lightly kissed the corner of Lou Ningyu’s mouth. Like a stolen kiss. Then she lay back down, took Lou Ningyu’s hand again, and closed her eyes with a smile of her own.

This time, she wouldn’t let go. Not for anything.

…

Unknown to them, public opinion was fermenting once more.

At 2:00 AM, a passerby posted on Weibo: “At Peking Union Medical College Hospital with my family and ran into Lou Ningyu and Xi Jisheng! Looks like someone in Jisheng’s family is sick. Lou Ningyu has been staying with her, even supporting her physically. They look very close! [Image]”

In the photo, Lou Ningyu was holding Xi Jisheng’s shoulder; they were standing very close, and Lou Ningyu’s expression was full of worry.

The post was quickly reshared.

“Is this the ‘hard’ evidence? Why won’t they just go public?”

“It’s normal for friends to visit when family is sick! Don’t over-interpret!”

“Normal friends support each other intimately? Please.”

In the CP Super Topic, fans were losing their minds.

“Sisters! The shoulder holds! THE SHOULDER HOLD!”

“Ningyu’s gaze, ugh, my heart breaks for her.”

“Jisheng looks so haggard, hope her family is okay.”

However, neither team issued a response.

Lin Wenxun called David. “The photos are very clear. Do we respond?”

David sighed. “I asked Ningyu. She said… whatever.”

“Whatever?”

“Yeah. Her exact words were: ‘I just want to be with her right now, nothing else matters.'”

Lin Wenxun was silent for a few seconds. “Jisheng has the same attitude. She said: ‘If it affects Ningyu’s career, I’ll deny it. If it doesn’t, I’ll stay silent.'”

Both managers fell quiet. Finally, Lin Wenxun spoke. “Then… let’s give it the cold treatment. No response, no denial, no admission. Let the public discourse run its course.”

…

In another city, Wen Bixu was editing late into the night. She received a new photo from Zhu Jinhe in the Sahara—a tent under the stars, with Zhu Jinhe smiling at her while holding a beer by the campfire.

The caption: “The stars here are brighter than the ones on your side.”

Wen Bixu smiled and replied: “That’s because you haven’t seen the light in my eyes.”

She opened a new chapter of the documentary, titled “Vows Outside the Operating Room.” On the screen was footage of the embrace in the hospital corridor. She wrote the narration slowly, word by word:

“What is love?”

“It is eight hours of waiting outside an operating room.” “It is the words ‘I’m here’ and a pair of tightly held hands.” “It is seven years of phone calls not being made, and 365 ‘I miss you today too’ messages.” “It is the five thousand yuan on an anonymous transfer slip, and the oat milk forever stocked in the fridge.” “It is the 2,555 days and nights separating ‘Do you still want me’ and ‘I want you’.”

“Love is a game for the brave.” “And they have finally both become brave.”

She saved the file and shut down her computer. Outside, dawn was breaking. A new day, a new beginning. For Xi Jisheng and Lou Ningyu, it was the first day of truly starting over.

Wen Bixu picked up her phone and messaged Zhu Jinhe: “My documentary is almost finished. Do you want to… come back for the premiere?”

She stared at the screen, waiting. One minute, two minutes.

Zhu Jinhe replied: “Okay. Save a seat for me.”

Wen Bixu smiled, and as she did, a tear fell. Perhaps idealists and realists really can intersect on each other’s orbits more than once. And perhaps, this time, the intersection can last a little longer.

Just a little longer.