To Sweep Across Like Wildfire - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Shen Qingruo finally noticed the bowl and chopsticks Meng Chi had pushed toward her. She picked up the teapot, poured herself half a cup of tea, and took a small sip. “This tea…”

“What about it?” Xie Zhen asked.

“It’s so fragrant,” Shen Qingruo said.

Xie Zhen: “…”

She suddenly missed the old, quiet Shen Qingruo. When was Shen Qingruo ever going to fix this habit of showing off?

The Northeast-style restaurant was doing well. At night, they mainly served skewers, so the dishes came out a bit slowly, but the taste was excellent. Xie Zhen was starving and devoured two bowls of rice. “This pork and sauerkraut stew with glass noodles is incredible. It’s a total explosion of flavor! And the rice is great, too—feels like genuine Northeast rice!”

Shen Qingruo ate elegantly, sampling a bit of each dish and finishing half a bowl of rice. Meng Chi had already eaten dinner and wasn’t in the habit of eating late, but since the food was good, she had a few bites as well.

“Why are you two eating so little? Is it not to your taste?” Xie Zhen asked. “You’re both too thin—hardly any meat on your bones. If the world ended tomorrow, you two would definitely be the first to ‘go die’ (go-die).”

She said it casually, but after speaking, she glanced at them. Those slender arms and legs, those lean figures… even if they ate pork and sauerkraut stew for half a month, they probably wouldn’t gain weight. Thinking of this, Xie Zhen resentfully swallowed another mouthful of rice. She couldn’t help it; she had reduced her carb intake recently, but her weight hadn’t changed much—it just made her period a week late and her mood miserable. Without food, there’s just no spirit!

Shen Qingruo leaned slightly against the plastic backrest, her legs crossed casually. It was just a common stool, yet she made it look like a high-fashion runway prop. This woman seemed born without bones; she leaned whenever possible, never stood if she could sit, and never sat if she could lie down. Having just touched up her makeup, her red lips looked lush. She held an unlit cigarette in her mouth and said, “Just eat your food.”

“I’m not very hungry; I already ate tonight,” Meng Chi said.

Xie Zhen nearly choked. After swallowing a mouthful of food, she waved her chopsticks. “I already ate tonight, too!” She felt so much spite!

Meng Chi was visibly stunned, a flash of bewilderment in her eyes as if to say, And you can still eat this much? She added tactfully, “Perhaps you have a very fast metabolism.”

Xie Zhen: “…”

Infuriating. She was a young woman approaching thirty; no matter how fast her basal metabolism was, it couldn’t beat nineteen-year-old Meng Chi! These two were more annoying by the second—they should just be called the “Annoying CP.”

Shen Qingruo didn’t seem to intend to light the cigarette, using it just to satisfy the craving. Her tongue flicked the filter, moving the cigarette from one side of her mouth to the other, her smile deepening.

From the tents outside came sounds of laughter and crying, and the faint scent of charcoal smoke drifted in. Meng Chi mimicked Shen Qingruo’s lazy posture, leaning against her own plastic backrest. Her usually straight back relaxed into the soft plastic. Listening to the noise outside and watching Shen Qingruo and Xie Zhen bicker, a strange feeling welled up in her heart.

What was this feeling?

When she was a child, her family was too busy. It was always Uncle Yang who picked her up from school. Once, her parents finished a project early and said they were coming home to stay with her. At that moment, she felt as if she had eaten a whole jar of honey. But their flight was delayed by days, and then they had to rush to the next project. They only stopped home to pack their bags and give her a quick hug. Back then, she felt a profound sense of loss—the exact opposite of how she felt now.

She grew up in better conditions than most and was taught to be sensible, so she rarely complained. Even when her parents had to leave again, she would obediently help them pack. Over time, especially after what happened with her mother… the house became even colder. They hadn’t eaten together in a long time.

Meng Chi thought to herself: That sip of milk beer earlier must have a strong kick. Even the sadness she rarely thought about was surging up. She poured herself a cup of tea and took a light sip, gathering her thoughts.

…

A moment later, a trendy-looking young man walked out from the tents and headed straight for Shen Qingruo. “Miss, did you see my things?”

Shen Qingruo gave a half-smile. “What things?”

“I left something with you,” the young man said, clutching his chest. “Ah, it seems it’s my heart.”

Meng Chi: “…” She had actually thought he’d lost something. Realizing what he was doing, her heart tightened.

Looking at the smile on Shen Qingruo’s face, it seemed she had known his intention from the start. Sure enough, he asked, “Miss, can I have your WeChat? I’d like to get my heart back.”

Shen Qingruo ignored the pickup line and leaned slightly toward Meng Chi—not quite touching, but resting her hand naturally on the back of Meng Chi’s chair. “Little brother, I’m sorry, I’m already taken.”

The young man’s eyes widened, his gaze darting suspiciously between the two of them.

Meng Chi paused for half a second, then pressed her arm lightly against Shen Qingruo’s slender arm until their skin fully met. She said expressionlessly, “Sorry, we don’t have the habit of picking up random things. Your heart probably fell somewhere else.”

Meng Chi was naturally aloof; her cold expression was quite intimidating. The young man hesitated. He then saw the beautiful woman lower her voice, pleading softly with her “lover,” “Darling, don’t be angry, I really didn’t do anything.”

“Oh.” Her lover’s response was cold, as if she were truly upset.

The young man scratched his ear and immediately adjusted his target to Xie Zhen. “What about you, Miss? Surely you don’t have a partner?”

Xie Zhen had been mid-bite when the man approached, and she was so stunned by the “greasy” pickup line that she froze with a noodle hanging from her mouth. Even though these lines were popular online, she’d only used them as a joke with friends—she’d never encountered them in real life. Do young people today have no shame?

She swallowed the noodle and pointed toward the door, being even more concise than the other two: “Go.”

She was being polite enough. To fail at hitting on a beauty and then hit on her friend right in front of her? She was doing well not to curse him out. And what did he mean by “surely you don’t have a partner”? Did she look like she was perpetually single? Is having a partner that big of a deal?

She knew Shen Qingruo was slightly more attractive, but this guy was being too obvious! Xie Zhen muttered indignantly, “What a piece of work!”

Shen Qingruo used the serving chopsticks to add more noodles to Xie Zhen’s bowl. “Exactly. Ignore him, just eat.”

Shen Qingruo’s slender arm reaching over was particularly eye-catching now. Xie Zhen couldn’t eat another bite. It was one thing for someone to be naturally thin, but for them to eat less than you? That was unbearable. She slammed her chopsticks onto the table. “I’m done!”

…

Ten minutes later, they packed up. Even Shen Qingruo shook her head at the leftovers, saying “What a waste.” Xie Zhen asked the owner for a few takeaway boxes. No matter how upset she was, she wouldn’t take it out on the food. The food was innocent!

Since they had all been drinking, they called a designated driver. Once in the car, Xie Zhen gave her address and promptly fell into a deep sleep. Half an hour later, the car stopped in a wealthy neighborhood full of villas.

“Zhen-er, wake up. You’re home.” Shen Qingruo tapped the back of the passenger seat.

Xie Zhen rubbed her eyes and woke up. “Let the driver take you two back. When you have time, help me bring the car back.” This was Xie Zhen’s car; Shen Qingruo hadn’t driven.

“Sure.” Seeing Xie Zhen about to leave, Shen Qingruo added, “You forgot the pork and sauerkraut stew by your hand.”

“Almost forgot.” Xie Zhen took the boxes and disappeared into the luxury estate.

“I forgot to mention, we finished the work yesterday and checked out of the hotel,” Shen Qingruo said casually. “It’s too late for you to go back to school. My place isn’t far; do you want to come over?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s just get a room nearby. My place isn’t tidied up.”

Meng Chi’s heart skipped several beats. She whispered, “Is it okay?”

“What?”

“Is it okay if I go to your place?”

Shen Qingruo immediately gave the driver the address. She told Meng Chi, “I’ve been out for a few days and haven’t had time to clean; it’s quite a mess. If it’s really unbearable when we get there, we’ll just go to a hotel nearby.”

In truth, she was starting to regret it. She lived comfortably, but she knew her home was modest—not nearly as spacious as Xie Zhen’s.

Half an hour later, the car turned into an old residential community and parked. After paying the driver, Shen Qingruo led Meng Chi toward her building. This area used to be faculty housing. The residents were mostly elderly; many now rented to young people while they moved abroad or to retirement cities. About a third were renters, while the rest were long-term residents who either loved their old homes or stayed for the convenience of nearby markets and subways.

It was late at night. While the commercial districts were still bright as day, this place was quiet and weary. The humming of a flickering streetlight was the only sound.

Shen Qingruo led Meng Chi into one of the buildings. The old hallways were narrow and cluttered with junk that had gathered years of dust. On one floor, the voice-activated light was broken. Worried that Meng Chi would get dust on her clothes, Shen Qingruo took her hand to guide her through the cramped space.

Meng Chi had seen these buildings from a distance but had never been inside. The shadows of the clutter looked like monsters in the dark. She jumped slightly at a strange silhouette, but her hand was immediately gripped by Shen Qingruo.

“Is this your first time in an old building like this?” Shen Qingruo whispered.

Meng Chi’s gaze drifted to their joined hands. Her heart was thundering. At that moment, she wished the surroundings were louder, fearing Shen Qingruo would hear the frantic beat of her heart.

Shen Qingruo was holding her hand.