When I Woke Up, I Had Three Romantic Partners - Chapter 8

Si Jiamo held the small pile of coriander she had gathered and paused; her eyes clouded with complexity. It had actually been a very long time since she had eaten coriander. She used to really love it, and whenever she ate with Chi Jinqing, Chi Jinqing would always make sure to get her a lot of coriander.

However, since the breakup, she had never eaten coriander again, because every time she did, she would think of Chi Jinqing, and then recall the other party coldly saying she was just toying with her. She felt she couldn’t accept any of Chi Jinqing’s past kindness, and so she had stopped eating it.

But now that Chi Jinqing had prepared so much for her, if she didn’t eat it, wouldn’t the fans misunderstand?

Although she didn’t care, she didn’t want to cause any trouble at this time.

She stirred it twice and scooped up a wonton.

These weren’t the large, meaty kind of wontons; they were small ones with thin wrappers and little meat, but the wrappers were especially soft. The seaweed and small river shrimp gave the broth a hint of freshness, making it fragrant even without any other seasoning.

On the second bite, she included the coriander and tentatively took a mouthful. She found that, just like in the past, she still really liked the taste of coriander.

Just like the person she used to love, after so many years of entanglement, the habit had been carved into her bones.

Stupid Bear: Ah, Sis really ate it! She clearly said before that she didn’t eat coriander. I thought she didn’t like it.

CP Shipper: Don’t tell me, I feel like Si Jiamo’s face is getting slapped ‘pa-pa-pa’. Was she trying to create a persona before?

Minced Meat and Eggplant: Don’t talk nonsense! This must be her giving Chi Jinqing face. That much coriander—it’s obvious Chi Jinqing doesn’t know my sister at all. My sister is just being considerate of others.

The argument flared up online again because of this incident. The production team immediately arranged for someone to inquire about the matter.

And the person chosen for this questioning…

The production team looked at Feng Yan. She was the most experienced one here.

They gave Feng Yan a look. This was a great opportunity to increase the program’s viewing points!

Seeing the hint, Feng Yan wiped her mouth and asked, as if casually, ” Jiamo, you eat coriander?”

Si Jiamo stopped eating, her expression faint: “I liked it a lot before, but I haven’t eaten it since.”

Feng Yan: “Is that so? Do you like it again now?”

As she asked this question, her gaze seemed to glance unintentionally at Chi Jinqing. Si Jiamo also noticed, but she didn’t answer directly, only saying, “I can eat it.”

As for whether she liked it, that depended on other factors.

Feng Yan smiled and continued, “I remember you saying you didn’t eat coriander. I thought you were allergic to it like me.”

Chi Jinqing, who was focused on eating: “?”

What were these two talking about?

Didn’t Si Jiamo absolutely love coriander?

Because she loved eating coriander so much, she would always ask for extra coriander in any dish that allowed it. Although her own love for coriander was only average, it was a certainty that Si Jiamo would never say she didn’t eat coriander.

That’s impossible, right?

Si Jiamo: “No, it’s just that for a very long period, seeing coriander reminded me of certain things, so I avoided it. This is the first time I’ve touched coriander in eight years.”

Chi Jinqing’s eating speed slowed down: “…”

Eight years…

Was it because she hadn’t eaten it since breaking up with her?

So now she…

Seeing the other person drink all the soup, with not a single piece of coriander left in the bowl, Chi Jinqing: “…”

So she still liked coriander, right?

Feng Yan looked thoughtful: “I see. What a pity, I don’t have that enjoyment.”

“Mhm.”

Just as Si Jiamo was about to reach for a napkin, Chi Jinqing, without lifting her head, quickly pulled one out and handed it to her.

Si Jiamo quietly took it, wiped her mouth, and sat back down, slowly eating her dumplings. Her gaze occasionally swept over the silently eating Chi Jinqing, a look that seemed to hold nothing, yet everything.

This look made the audience watching on screen exclaim that there must be a past between these two; Si Jiamo’s gaze was practically dripping with emotion.

Chi Jinqing, eating without tasting anything, didn’t notice. She just kept her eyes down, eating. She was sitting directly opposite Si Jiamo, so she didn’t dare to look up at her and ask if she had given up coriander because of her.

But after thinking about it, it had been so many years. To ask about something like that now would be a bit too self-absorbed.

Finally, she finished all her food and sighed in relief. She put her bowl and chopsticks away and naturally gathered Si Jiamo’s cutlery as well. After doing all this, she very smoothly went to get a glass of warm water and handed it to Si Jiamo.

Looking at the warm water in front of her, a flicker of an unusual expression crossed Si Jiamo’s eyes. Meanwhile, the oblivious Chi Jinqing said: “?”

“Don’t you usually drink warm water after a meal?”

Then she remembered. They weren’t eighteen anymore.

“…Sorry, I got used to it when I was with a friend before.”

She patted her forehead, about to retract her hand, but Si Jiamo had already taken the water before her: “It’s fine, thank you.”

Minced Meat and Eggplant: ????? Wait, I’m having trouble accepting this.

MoMo’s Little Cotton Jacket: Why does she know my sister’s habits so well? And she acted so naturally and quickly! Could she have been secretly in love with my sister all along?

Stupid Bear: I think something is up. Sis’s eyes kept drifting toward Chi Jinqing, as if she was waiting for something.

Chi Jinqing’s two subconscious actions caused a stir online. How could two people who had never been seen together be so in sync?

The only explanation was that they were very familiar with each other and had spent a long time together.

Everyone felt they might have caught a scent of the truth and began investigating the two women’s pasts. They then discovered that both of them had attended the same university.

Si Jiamo was a prodigy; she skipped grades at sixteen and was successfully recommended for the Law Department at F University, while Chi Jinqing was in the Chinese Language and Literature Department at F University. They were schoolmates.

It was said that their relationship was particularly good during their university years, but they fell out for unknown reasons later on.

Gossip Lover: I think I smell a massive piece of gossip! No way, no way, am I the only one who thinks this?

Qingqing Me: Nonsense! How could my Qingqing have been with Si Jiamo? I don’t believe it! My love rival is actually this powerful?!

Love is so Bitter: Shouldn’t we be impressed by their surprisingly high academic achievements? Plus, they were my schoolmates, only I was three years younger than them!

The director felt that the pairing of Chi Jinqing and Si Jiamo was definitely going to cause a stir. Chi Jinqing’s unconscious actions, which she couldn’t hide, were clearly telling everyone that she and Si Jiamo had a past.

Though, it was indeed very shippable.

After eating and resting for a bit, they started the afternoon’s activities. Since this was a dating reality show, the tasks were naturally love-related. Their afternoon assignment was to cooperate with each other to help the farmers earn money and then use that money to personally prepare a dinner.

This requirement was somewhat difficult, especially for someone like Si Jiamo, who couldn’t cook at all.

Chi Jinqing wasn’t great at cooking either. She had only specifically learned for two days to pursue Si Jiamo back then, and only knew how to make a few dishes. If anything went beyond that, she wouldn’t know how to do it.

Si Jiamo was a person who valued a sense of ceremony. She especially valued the feeling of family, so she loved home-cooked meals, but she herself couldn’t cook; even after all these years, all she could manage was making instant noodles.

Chi Jinqing, too, was pampered and had never cooked before, but she had specifically learned for a period to give Si Jiamo that ‘home’ feeling. After the breakup, she was busy working and didn’t cook much anymore.

Si Jiamo looked at Chi Jinqing, and Chi Jinqing looked back at her. After a moment of silence, Chi Jinqing said softly, “I’ll do the cooking.”

Si Jiamo said demurely, “Alright. I’d like to eat Kung Pao Chicken.”

“Mhm.”

Chi Jinqing agreed so readily, as if it was only natural for Si Jiamo to place an order, giving her fans no chance to criticize Si Jiamo’s reaction.

This left the fans who were ready to type out their defenses against Si Jiamo completely stunned. Si Jiamo’s fans also felt something was off. They had never seen Si Jiamo depend on anyone so naturally. She never expressed her particular passions in interviews or on reality shows with acquaintances.

It was only on a solo program with a host she’d known since she first entered the industry that she was questioned about not eating coriander—a fact that has now been overturned.

Therefore, the fact that she would spontaneously order a dish from Chi Jinqing was extremely unusual to Si Jiamo’s fans, and their view of Chi Jinqing immediately changed.

Chi Jinqing knew Si Jiamo loved coriander; Chi Jinqing immediately agreed to Si Jiamo’s order; Chi Jinqing knew Si Jiamo drank warm water after meals; Chi Jinqing even knew when to hand Si Juemo a napkin…

All of this indicated that Chi Jinqing knew Si Jiamo extremely well. This level of familiarity couldn’t have been achieved without spending significant time together.

In conclusion, both Si Jiamo’s and Chi Jinqing’s fans firmly believed that Chi Jinqing and Si Jiamo’s past relationship must have been very good, and that even after all these years, they still clearly remembered each other’s dietary habits.

While the fans were guessing, the general public couldn’t stand their habit of covering their eyes and loudly pulled open their tightly shut eyelids, making them see clearly what kind of program these two were currently participating in.

What two normal good friends would act so unnaturally on a dating reality show?

Therefore, the only explanation was that they were together back then, but broke up later!

The fans of both sides wailed: Why did you have to remind us? That’s so heart-stabbing!

Chi Jinqing, who was oblivious to the fans guessing their past, stood up and walked with Si Jiamo towards the basket of vegetables the production team had prepared for selling. Looking at the overflowing basket, Chi Jinqing’s face changed.

There was so much. How long would it take them to sell all of this?

Chi Jinqing looked at the production team: “Can we only sell it at the market and on the street?”

Director: “Not necessarily. It’s also acceptable if you can sell the vegetables to a restaurant.”

“Note: you cannot buy them yourselves, nor can you use your status as actors to force a sale or increase the price of the vegetables.”

This was also for the future of the program, he believed these people would understand.

Everyone: “…”

This just got difficult.

Without significant fame, selling these vegetables would be tough.