The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Reluctance

When Lin Xian opened the bedroom door, Fang Daiyu was sitting inside, while Chen Yu was unexpectedly standing by the window. From the second floor, one could just catch a glimpse of the front gate below.

Chen Yu hadn’t expected her father to actually leave. For the past two years, life had felt like hell, trapped in a suffocating room until even her lover’s face had begun to blur in her mind. In that dark room, she had seen a world far too distorted, as if her soul were no longer floating in this reality.

“Save me!” She didn’t know how many distress signals she had sent out, but no one had listened. It wasn’t her family who had made her give up on herself, but her lover—how could love be more important than survival? Yet her father refused to let her go, and he didn’t believe she could “get better.”

Lin Xian had an idea. The first thing she asked upon entering the room was: “Do you have a phone?”

As expected, Chen Yu gave a bitter smile. Lin Xian hesitated, her uncertainty plain to see.

Chen Yu spoke up: “Lin Xian, whatever you want to say, just say it.”

Lin Xian finally asked: “Chen Yu, in these two years your father has kept you prisoner, have you never called the police?”

“I…” Chen Yu started to speak, then changed the subject. “I have no way to report it. The police don’t like getting involved in family disputes. My entire world is just this village, Xianxian. You know everyone here wants to avoid trouble. I waited two years for you to come back.”

Lin Xian played the recording of the conversation with Chen Yu’s father. She asked, “I don’t know if this counts as evidence, but I can be a witness. Do you want to report it?”

This was the most logical solution Lin Xian could think of.

“If you report it, you’ll have room to breathe. At least you can get out.” Lin Xian looked at Chen Yu with a steady gaze. “Once you’re out, if you need money, I can lend it to you. You just need to find your ID card. Get a job, work, go back to school—you can survive.”

“Once you have money and a few years have passed, you can reach out to your parents. I saw your father soften a bit at the end; he does love you.”

In truth, Lin Xian didn’t want to call the police. She knew that if she became a witness, her grandmother and mother would be subjected to the village’s gossip and judgment. But she couldn’t stand by and watch Chen Yu be locked up forever.

Lin Xian waited for a response, but she saw Fang Daiyu shake her head.

Daiyu walked over and put her arm around Lin Xian. “I just spoke with Chen Yu. She has her own ideas.”

Daiyu turned to Chen Yu. “Strictly speaking, we have no obligation to help you. But since Xianxian is involved, I am too. What she proposed is one way. Chen Yu, what are you thinking?”

Chen Yu’s face suddenly contorted. She turned away and sobbed into her hands. When she finished, she bowed to Lin Xian and then knelt before both of them. Startled, Lin Xian hurried to pull her up.

“I’m sorry, Lin Xian. I can’t call the police. I don’t dare to.” Chen Yu’s eyes were bloodshot as she apologized to Daiyu. “I’m sorry for hitting you. My head wasn’t clear then. Being locked up for so long… maybe seeing the two of you so close triggered me. It reminded me of how I used to be.”

“Then tell us your plan,” Lin Xian asked, curious.

Perhaps the impact of their first meeting had been so great that she had naturally cast Chen Yu as a helpless victim. But thinking back, Chen Yu wasn’t a fool. How could she not have her own thoughts after being locked up for all these years?

“Lin Xian, can you talk to my father? Tell him that after you talked to me, I’ve ‘returned to the right path.’ Tell him I don’t like women anymore.” A sycophantic smile touched Chen Yu’s face, but the phrase “returned to the right path” made Lin Xian feel sick.

“But liking women isn’t wrong, Chen Yu.” Had Chen Yu come to believe her father’s words too?

“I know that!” Chen Yu grabbed Lin Xian’s hand. “But my father won’t believe I just changed for no reason. I don’t want to be locked up anymore, Lin Xian. Sometimes I think… maybe marrying a man isn’t that scary. I just want to live a normal life.”

“Help me put on a show to put my father’s mind at ease. I’ve heard my mom talking to others about finding me a match, but they’re afraid my ‘madness’ will scare him off. You tell them I’m normal now, that I don’t like women and I’m not crazy. Once I have my freedom, it’s not impossible for me to get married. Once I’m married, I can leave the house openly.” This was the safest plan born from the countless ideas Chen Yu had discarded over two years.

For her parents, it was also the “happiest” ending.

Lin Xian found it hard to accept. Minutes ago, she had been racking her brain to save Chen Yu’s fate, ready to risk everything. She knew the reality and prejudice the community faced all too well.

Yet here was someone telling her: I’m not fighting anymore. I’m surrendering to reality. I just want you to help me make everyone believe my surrender is sincere.

“Chen Yu, you’re ruining your own life!” Lin Xian was frustrated, but she wasn’t Chen Yu. “If you just grit your teeth and take one step out, you don’t have to go through all this trouble, let alone throw your life away.” Marrying a man she didn’t love? It was absurd.

“And what about the man you might marry? Is it fair to him? If I help you do this, I’m ‘saving’ you by hurting someone else’s life.” Lin Xian realized that Chen Yu’s head was just as stubborn as her father’s. They truly were parent and child.

Chen Yu shook her head. “Lin Xian, you don’t understand. You haven’t been locked in one place for two years, so you don’t understand the torment. As for my future husband and me—it’s a mutual arrangement. The whole village knows I like women. Do you think a man coming to see me won’t know?”

Lin Xian wanted to say more, but Daiyu stopped her.

Daiyu leaned in and whispered: “Xianxian, this is her own life.”

“But—” Lin Xian felt helpless, but she fell silent. She understood what Daiyu meant. Even within the same community, experiences, personalities, and environments differ.

“Trust me,” Daiyu squeezed her hand. “This is her choice.”

…

It was two days later when Lin Xian left her hometown.

During those two days, Grandma had complained more than once. “You finally come home, and you go and get involved with Chen Yu’s business. That whole family is thick-headed. People in the village told them long ago that locking her up wasn’t right, but did they listen?”

Grandma thought back to a few years ago. “Back then, Xiaoyu’s ‘friend’ even came to the village and brought the police. The two of them escaped from Dali to Lijiang, only to be dragged back when her parents reported her missing.”

Lin Xian could only coax her: “You and Grandpa taught me that saving a life is the greatest virtue. Besides, Xiaoyu told me she wants to change, but her dad didn’t believe her.”

Grandma waved her hand. “You can’t entirely blame her parents. Do you know how many times Xiaoyu tried to run away from this village?”

As Grandma rambled on, Lin Xian finally learned about Chen Yu’s “legendary” exploits over the years: not only had she injured the village chief, but she had also been sent to a mental asylum. Once, she even jumped onto a truck buying tobacco and made it all the way to Sichuan.

Daiyu looked at Lin Xian thoughtfully. “This Chen Yu is quite capable, wouldn’t you say, Xianxian?”

Lin Xian felt a twinge of regret. Of course she was capable. Without knowing the situation, Chen Yu was the only one who had seen through Lin Xian’s own orientation. That kind of perception wasn’t something just anyone had.

She thought about the day she went to convince Chen Yu’s father, and how father and daughter had wept together after “reconciling.”

Forget it. Life is a drama; there’s no need to over-analyze every cause and effect.

On their last night, they were watching TV around eight or nine o’clock. Grandma brought in water to wash their feet and suddenly asked, “Do you think that business with Chen Yu is normal?”

Lin Xian’s heart skipped a beat. “Huh?” She licked her lips, a nervous smile on her face. “It’s… normal, I guess.” Her voice trembled, her answer ambiguous.

Daiyu smiled. “Grandma, out in the world, it’s not just women liking women. There are men who like men, and people who like all sorts of different people. It’s all quite normal. There are even people who can like both.”

Grandma looked out the window. There was no moon, only a few sparse stars.

“Speaking of which, when my Xianxian was little, she said she would find someone she liked, whether it was a man or a woman, as long as she liked them!” Grandma glanced at Daiyu. “I see you two get along so well. I’ve never seen Xianxian share a bowl with anyone else before! Last time, she finished the half-apple you were eating without a second thought!”

Lin Xian’s back went rigid. Grandma saw her reaction and chuckled. “Lin Xian, what are you afraid of? Am I going to eat you?”

“No.” Lin Xian lowered her head, staring at the floor tiles.

“Ever since that thing happened with Xiaoyu, I’ve often wondered… what if this happened to my Xianxian? I thought of so many ways to deal with it, and none of them felt right. Then I thought I was overthinking it. My girl has been obedient since she was small; how could she do something so rebellious?” Grandma sliced a citron and handed it to Lin Xian. “Right, Xianxian?”

Lin Xian said nothing. She didn’t know what to say, but she couldn’t lie to herself. “You never know, Grandma!” she joked, half-seriously.

Grandma’s expression flickered. She handed another slice to Daiyu. “Eat up. This fruit is good; it cures coughs and colds. It’s a specialty of our region.”

“Thank you, Grandma.” Daiyu took it and ate slowly. She wasn’t in the mood to taste food; she was focused entirely on Lin Xian and her grandmother.

“If one day you bring a woman home like Xiaoyu did,” Grandma’s tone turned harsh, “then don’t bother coming back. I’m afraid I’d be like Xiaoyu’s father and lock you in.” She rolled her eyes at Lin Xian.

“Would you have the heart to?” Lin Xian turned and looked her grandmother in the eye.

Unexpectedly, Grandma’s eyes grew moist. “I wouldn’t have the heart… but even if I couldn’t bear it, I still can’t quite accept it. Better to just not see it.”

“Grandma, you wouldn’t!” Seeing her grandmother cry, Lin Xian’s nose stung. She threw herself into her grandmother’s arms. “You said I was your best granddaughter and you cared for me most. You said no matter what I become, you’ll love me, right?”

Lin Xian looked up, her eyes wet with tears.