To Sweep Across Like Wildfire - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Shen Qingruo hadn’t replied for a long time. Meng Chi checked her phone every few minutes; seeing no messages, she’d tirelessly lock the screen again. On one hand, she felt disappointed; on the other, she wanted to stop herself from checking so frequently, though her actions betrayed her intent. Perhaps it was because she had finished her coursework, and without the pressure of deadlines, her mind tended to wander.

She decided this wouldn’t do; she needed to set a plan for a second round of revision.

While drafting the plan, she also thought that she shouldn’t be too hard on herself. Loosening the reins occasionally would lead to better efficiency. With random thoughts swirling, she breezed through two practice problems; when she checked the answers, she was correct on both. She already knew these concepts by heart.

After another ten minutes, rr sent a message:

“Little troublemaker, finally decided to look for me?”

Meng Chi: “.”

Sometimes she found the nicknames Shen Qingruo used… mysterious.

And how did she say them so naturally?

Meng Chi replied: “I’ve been studying lately.”

She was worried about disturbing Shen Qingruo, as the woman always seemed quite busy. Besides, if she didn’t seek out Shen Qingruo, would Shen Qingruo even think of her?

rr: “Go get rank one in your grade.”

rr: “I’m still at a dinner party, can’t get away. Later, when the socializing dies down, I can play a couple of rounds. Do you play?”

Meng Chi: “Okay.”

At least she could spend some time with her.

After chatting with Shen Qingruo, her mind settled instantly. She finished her exercises faster than usual, her thoughts exceptionally clear and her efficiency peaking.

Her roommates were still in the art studio. She returned to the dorm alone, opened Peacekeeper Elite to collect some daily items, and waited for Shen Qingruo to log on. Simultaneously, she messaged Jiang Sitian: “I’m playing with Shen Qingruo in a bit. Are you and Sister Nianzhou coming?”

Jiang Sitian replied instantly: “Yes!”

Jiang Sitian: “But who is Shen Qingruo?”

Meng Chi: “…”

Meng Chi thought Sitian’s memory was truly something else. She had just asked last time and forgotten immediately. Perhaps it was because Sitian loved to play and met too many people.

Meng Chi paused, then typed: “That… bad woman.”

Jiang Sitian: “!”

Jiang Sitian: “Got it. Wait for me, Sister Nianzhou just got home, I’ll go ask her.”

Ten minutes later, Shen Qingruo finished her business, and Wen Nianzhou picked up her takeout. The four of them started a match.

They didn’t drop into a “hot zone” but chose a relatively peaceful spot. After wiping out one squad, the atmosphere became relaxed.

Faint chewing sounds came through the team mic—too quiet to hear unless listening closely. Jiang Sitian asked in a flattering tone, “Sister Nianzhou, what are you having for dinner?”

“Food,” Wen Nianzhou said, her words as precious as gold.

The two had a round of “useless communication.”

But Sitian was particularly energized: “What kind of food?”

“Egg fried rice.”

“No side dishes? You can’t do that, it’s not nutritious. Let me order some dishes for you… how about the ones you usually like?” Sitian spoke so fast she barely gave anyone a chance to interrupt.

Taking advantage of Sitian’s breath, Wen Nianzhou said slowly, “No need, I have no appetite.” Seemingly afraid Sitian would actually order, she added, “I wasn’t going to eat, but I was worried my stomach would hurt, so I’m just having a few bites. Really, don’t order, I can’t eat it.”

Sitian knew she wasn’t there to force the food in front of her, and even if she were, Nianzhou wouldn’t eat much. She sighed, “Is there fruit at home?”

Wen Nianzhou: “The ones you bought last time aren’t finished yet.”

“That’s good,” Sitian said. “Eat some fruit later.” After a pause, she asked cautiously, “Sister, are you in a bad mood?”

Normally, Wen Nianzhou would reply “No.”

Perhaps because they had just wiped two squads, or because the team atmosphere was so relaxed, she leaned back into her chair and said something she rarely shared with Sitian: “I’m feeling a bit lost at the company.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Sitian, but she didn’t know where to start. Everyone thought she was in a big company, but only she knew she was nothing there. Projects didn’t reach her; sometimes she felt more like an outsourced Starbucks employee, responsible for buying coffee for colleagues.

Feeling she had said too much, Wen Nianzhou stopped.

Sitian went silent, likely brewing something.

Shen Qingruo spoke up: “Number 2, after so many games, I still don’t know which characters make up your name.”

Her voice was gentle. When she was serious, she was very easy to talk to. Wen Nianzhou didn’t dislike her. “Wen as in temperature, Nian as in missing someone, Zhou as in a small boat.”

Shen Qingruo shared her name as well, then asked, “I’m probably older than you, so is it okay if I call you Nianzhou?”

“Sure, Shen… Sister?” Perhaps because Shen Qingruo’s personality was a bit cynical and “Sister Shen” sounded so stable, Wen Nianzhou felt awkward saying it.

Shen Qingruo laughed. “Just call me Qingruo.”

At that moment, the sound of a cough came from Number 3’s mic.

“Number 3, what’s wrong?”

Meng Chi’s voice was flat: “Nothing, just my throat acting up again.”

She felt like Shen Qingruo was flirting again. She didn’t know if the woman did it on purpose, but perfectly normal sentences always sounded “off” when she said them—always laced with that teasing, alluring smile.

Shen Qingruo suppressed a smile. Seeing the game was quiet, her slender fingers flicked the game to the background and opened WeChat. She held the voice button and sent a message.

Meng Chi’s eyelid twitched when she saw the message. She tapped the voice bar.

The background was a bit noisy, sounding like a dinner party. Shen Qingruo’s lazy, seductive voice played: “Drink more water.”

When Shen Qingruo recorded it, she must have held the phone right to her lips. The dorm was quiet; the voice was crystal clear.

Meng Chi involuntarily played it again, a blush slowly creeping up her ears. She remembered once in a hotel, she said she wanted water, and Shen Qingruo kissed her, saying kissing quenched thirst.

Meng Chi’s slight bitterness faded.

She returned to the game and soon heard Shen Qingruo’s casual voice—a far cry from the recording—chatting normally: “Nianzhou, what do you do for work?”

“Game development,” Wen Nianzhou replied, unaware the two had stepped out of the game for a moment.

“Games are good, a very promising career,” Shen Qingruo praised.

Wen Nianzhou gave a bitter laugh and a noncommittal response.

Two minutes later, Jiang Sitian, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly blurted out: “Sister Nianzhou, why don’t you just quit? I’ll support you.”

Wen Nianzhou was silent for two seconds. “Jiang Yiku said the same thing once.”

She mentioned Jiang Yiku openly, not minding that people knew she was getting a divorce. she always believed she wasn’t the one who should be embarrassed in this marriage.

“That’s different!” Sitian flared up. “Sister, how can you compare me to him? He had bad intentions; he just wanted you to depend on him completely… but I…”

“You what?” Wen Nianzhou asked.

Sitian’s voice became somewhat noble: “I just want you to be happy.”

Wen Nianzhou didn’t address that specifically, but replied to the initial offer with a helpless tone: “Just worry about yourself.”

…

After the game, Jiang Sitian messaged Meng Chi: “Are you and Shen Qingruo free this weekend?”

“Why?” Meng Chi replied.

“Shen Qingruo gave me those gifts last time and told me to treat her to a meal, didn’t she? I’m going to fulfill that so she doesn’t keep thinking about it,” Sitian said.

Meng Chi: “No need, she was probably joking. And even if there’s a treat, I should be the one doing it.”

Jiang Sitian: “It’s fine, think of it as making a new friend.”

Meng Chi: “Okay, I’ll ask her.”

She opened rr’s chat and carefully typed: “Sitian wants to treat you to dinner this weekend. Are you free? No need to reply now, just whenever you’re finished.”

After a while, rr replied: “You kids, why are you all so polite? Is everyone this rich?”

Meng Chi: “I’m doing okay.”

rr: “…”

rr: “Just for that proud tone of yours, I’ll go. Definitely. I have to see what this ‘landlord’s family’ is like.”

rr immediately added, “Don’t pick a place that’s too expensive, or I’ll turn around the moment I see it.”

Meng Chi messaged Sitian: “She said yes. Don’t pick an expensive place.”

Jiang Sitian: “Is she hinting that I should pick a more expensive one?”

Meng Chi: “No, she really doesn’t want it to be expensive.”

Jiang Sitian: “Alright, I’ll look around. Does she have any favorites?”

Meng Chi replied immediately: “Spicy food. Hot pot, BBQ, that kind of thing.”

Jiang Sitian: “You know her so well.”

Meng Chi: “I’ve eaten with her a few times.”

Jiang Sitian hesitated. She felt her friend was getting too close to Shen Qingruo. She was worried Meng Chi would get hurt again. After a moment, she sent: “Meng Chi, don’t fall too deep.”

A little prevention is necessary, Sitian thought.

Soon, she received a reply: “Mm.”

Although it was vague, as a long-time friend, Meng Chi definitely understood her meaning. Before locking her screen, Meng Chi looked at Sitian’s kind warning again and took a deep breath.

But, but…

She already had so many inexplicable emotions toward Shen Qingruo.

…

Shen Qingruo was buried in work for two days. She arrived home in the early morning, showered, and crashed, sleeping until the next afternoon. She weakly picked up her phone and saw a message from the “kid” from the morning: “The new sofa cushions I bought for you have arrived.”

Chewing on bread, she lazily wandered down to the delivery point. At the entrance, she saw massive boxes leaning against the wall and joked, “Whoa, who bought this much rice?”

The owner of the delivery point was a man in his forties, sturdy but always wearing a melancholic expression—the type who looked like he spent his free time contemplating the end of the universe. One day, Shen Qingruo had seen him reading a urology pamphlet and realized why he was often sad.

Upon hearing her code, the man pointed to the five large boxes against the wall and said expressionlessly, “Your ‘rice’.”

Shen Qingruo laughed at first. “No way. I’m picking up sofa cushions.”

She checked the shipping label. The address was right. Recipient:

Bad Woman.

Shen Qingruo immediately took a photo and sent it to Meng Chi: “Who is this ‘Bad Woman’? Our neighborhood is full of honest folk, no bad women here.”

Meng Chi bypassed the question: “Yes, those are the ones.”

Shen Qingruo looked at the boxes. Meng Chi had bought a set in every color. She had hesitated for ages before buying just one set herself. Is this what ‘marrying into wealth’ feels like?

While scanning the code, the owner asked, “Are you the Bad Woman?”

Shen Qingruo: “I suppose so.”

Owner: “Are you or aren’t you?”

Shen Qingruo: “Yes, yes, yes. Happy?”

Though the owner lent her a small trolley, moving them was still difficult. She thought for a moment, opened the kid’s chat, and held the voice button, saying in a delicate, helpless tone:

“There are so many boxes, I can’t move them alone… are you free? Come help me, pretty please?”