The One I Love is Your Girlfriend - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Summer Ends When the Cicadas Stop Singing. Summer Is Not Over Yet.

The chat logs forwarded by Ma Shang had an undeniable impact on Ge Mingwei—an impact only intensified when her mother called her before dawn the following morning.

When the phone rang, Ge Mingwei initially thought she had overslept and that it was the hospital calling. She pulled off her eye mask only to see the faint grey light of dawn. Considering it was summer, when the days are long and the sun rises early, it was exceptionally early.

The time was 5:40 AM. She looked at the caller ID; predictably, it was her mother.

The call timed out, then immediately rang again. Ge Mingwei knew that if she didn’t pick up, the phone would ring forever. She stared at the word “Mom” on the screen for a moment, sighed, and answered.

As soon as the call connected, Yao Xinrou’s anxious voice came through. “Mingwei, why did it take you so long to answer?”

Ge Mingwei lowered her gaze, staring at the pattern on her duvet. “Nothing, I was just sleeping soundly and only just heard it.”

Yao Xinrou sighed in relief. “Mingwei, where are you now?”

“At home.”

“Are you alone?”

“I’m alone.”

“That’s good. Listen, Mingwei, you and Little Chen aren’t married yet. You two need to be careful. Don’t give yourself to him too easily. I’m telling you, this is a girl’s most precious possession. If a man gets it too early, he won’t cherish you. If you really want to do anything, you have to wait until after the wedding…”

Ge Mingwei’s eyes slowly glazed over. This wasn’t the first time Yao Xinrou had said this. The first time she heard it, Ge Mingwei had naively hoped her mother was genuinely concerned for her. But now, after countless repetitions, the words felt like a hollow script. Ge Mingwei let out a cynical smile; someone listening in might think she was a desperate woman trying to force herself onto Chen Linwan.

“…Mingwei, even though I say that, you still need to keep a close eye on Little Chen and treat him better. Men like gentle, virtuous girls who care for the home. Luckily, our Mingwei has always been a literal ‘good girl’…”

That was her mother’s way: telling her not to sleep with him in one breath, while telling her to cling to him in the next—as if without Chen Linwan, Ge Mingwei would be an unwanted piece of trash destined for a tragic end.

“Mom…” Ge Mingwei started. She wanted to ask: Are you controlling me like this because you’re afraid I’ll escape you, just like Dad did?

“What?” Yao Xinrou asked.

The words died in Ge Mingwei’s throat. Once before, pushed to her limit by her mother’s repetitive lectures, she had actually said it. Yao Xinrou’s reaction had been nothing short of hysterical.

Ge Mingwei could still remember her mother’s screams: “Ge Mingwei! What right do you have to say that to me? Anyone else can say it, but you are the least qualified! When I divorced your father, I didn’t even take your brother—I only took you because you’re a girl and I was afraid you’d be bullied! For you, I took on the role of a head teacher, managing disobedient students every day just to earn a bit more money! I scrimped and saved to send you to cram schools! You heartless child, how can you say this to me? Without me, would you be a doctor? Would you have a stable job? Would you have met a man with prospects as good as Chen Linwan’s?”

“Ge Mingwei, you cannot betray my sacrifice!”

Ge Mingwei thought to herself—But Mom, I told you back then that I didn’t need the cram schools. You didn’t have to work so hard. As long as we were together, I would have been satisfied.

Yao Xinrou’s words were like a dense, sturdy net that had wrapped around Ge Mingwei for years; she could neither struggle free nor escape.

“I… I think I hear the wake-up bell,” Ge Mingwei said. “Are you at school?”

“Yes,” Yao Xinrou replied. “I have to lead the students in morning exercise. I thought of you on the way. Are you busy these next few days? I want to come see you.”

“I have some things to do,” Ge Mingwei said.

Yao Xinrou paused, then continued as if she hadn’t heard. “…Old Li gave me some cured meat a couple of days ago. It’s made from local farm pigs, much healthier than what you buy at the supermarket. I’ll bring it over so you can cook it for Little Chen.”

Ge Mingwei leaned weakly against her nightstand, listening to the relentless stream of words. “…I heard a bit of a weird tone when you mentioned Little Chen just now. Did you two have a fight? Listen to me, I’ve been through this. You should be the first to apologize and admit you’re wrong. Little Chen grew up pampered; you have to be understanding if he has a bit of a temper…”

Toward the end, Yao Xinrou’s voice trembled. “Mingwei… you have to be well so that I can be well…”

Sometimes, Ge Mingwei asked herself if her mother actually loved her. If she did, why was her first instinct always to tell her daughter to swallow her grievances? If she didn’t, why did she sacrifice everything for her?

Ge Mingwei felt as if her soul and body had become two separate entities. Her body felt the sting in her eyes and the urge to cry, but her soul watched coldly, devoid of emotion. She knew she was sick, and she knew the cause, but she didn’t have the strength to fight back yet. She had to remain in this state, just as a caterpillar must grow inside a cocoon, gathering strength until the day it can break out as a butterfly.

The call ended. Ge Mingwei watched the screen go dark, staring at her “cocoon.”

Once woken up, she couldn’t fall back asleep. She decided to go for a run; maintaining a healthy body was also a part of gathering strength.

The morning wind was refreshing. As her limbs moved mechanically under the rising sun, she felt her worries flow away with her sweat. She couldn’t help but think of the wind from the night before—stronger and colder than this, but it was the closest she had ever felt to freedom.

Thinking of the wind made her think of Zhuang Nanxing, who was as free as the wind.

Ge Mingwei rested her hands on her knees, sweat dripping from her chin onto the ground. It really was… an enviable kind of freedom.

Then she thought of Chen Linwan and the chat logs. Her feelings toward Zhuang Nanxing were complicated. Without a doubt, Zhuang Nanxing was a good person. But she shouldn’t have appeared in Ge Mingwei’s life now, showing her that someone in this world actually lived the life she dreamed of, possessing the freedom that felt out of reach. Seeing another way to live only made her current life feel more suffocating.

Before, she could have pretended to be loved. Even if her mother’s love was tainted, at least Chen Linwan’s shallow affection felt simple enough to offer her heart a temporary resting place. She could have turned a blind eye and maintained the facade of peace. But Zhuang Nanxing had appeared… and Chen Linwan’s shallow love was now crumbling.

She hated herself for wanting to be loved; she hated her own helplessness. No, she couldn’t hate herself. She could only transfer that hatred onto the person who had disrupted her quiet life.

I really am petty. I really am that base.

Ge Mingwei steadied her breathing and went home to shower for work. No matter how many worries she had, life had to go on.

The flashback ended. A long cicada chirp drifted in from outside the window.

Listening to the sound, Ge Mingwei suddenly said, “Summer is almost over.”

The words felt inexplicable even to her. But Zhuang Nanxing seemed to understand the hidden meaning. She stood up, pushed open the window, and showed Ge Mingwei the stars of the summer night. The evening breeze blew through Zhuang Nanxing’s long hair, and moonlight kissed her fingertips. She turned and gave a radiant smile.

“The cicadas haven’t stopped yet.”

Ge Mingwei understood the unspoken sentiment:

—Summer ends when the cicadas stop singing.

—Summer is not over yet.

Ge Mingwei’s lips curled into a smile, as gentle as flowing moonlight. The rapport between two people either comes from years of companionship or a resonance of souls. If Zhuang Nanxing were her friend, she would surely be her best friend.

Unfortunately, they were “love rivals.” A rival she couldn’t even bring herself to hate.

Zhuang Qingyu pulled on Ge Mingwei’s sleeve and called out sweetly, “Doctor-Auntie~”

Ge Mingwei patted her head, her voice soft. “We aren’t in the hospital anymore, so you don’t have to call me Doctor-Auntie~”

“Then what should I call you?”

Zhuang Nanxing poked the little girl’s forehead. “What do you call me? What do you think you should call her?”

Zhuang Qingyu looked at Ge Mingwei in her light blue shirt and trousers, then at Zhuang Nanxing in her light blue shirt and skirt. She thought of the “Mom and Dad” images in her picture books—one in pants, one in a skirt. Her little brain whirled at high speed before she had a sudden realization.

“Uncle-in-law!”

Ge Mingwei was caught completely off guard, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “That’s not right… I’m a girl just like your aunt…”

Wait, that wasn’t right either; she almost got lured into the logic. No matter what, it shouldn’t be “Uncle-in-law”!

Zhuang Nanxing found it hilarious, her shoulders shaking with laughter as she corrected her niece. “Just call your Doctor-Auntie ‘Auntie.’ Or ‘Pretty Auntie’ is fine too.”

Seeing that her aunt wasn’t angry about the mistake, Zhuang Qingyu nodded, only half-understanding. “Then I’ll call her Pretty Auntie.”

Ge Mingwei nodded. “Let’s go with what your aunt says.”

Before her small brain could finish processing the outdated information, Zhuang Qingyu blurted out, “Okay, Uncle-in-law—I mean, okay, Pretty Auntie!”

Ge Mingwei glanced at Zhuang Nanxing. Was it an illusion? She felt that although Qingyu had used the wrong title, Zhuang Nanxing seemed quite happy about it.

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