Under the Cheongsam Skirt - Chapter 24

Outside Alley 13 on Zhongqing Street, at the entrance of the lane.

Zhao Ciqin paid the rickshaw driver and walked into the alley under the cover of night. As evening approached, the aroma of food wafted from the windows along with the smell of cooking oil, faintly permeating the air. She walked for a while, then suddenly stopped and looked up at a house with its lights on.

Xu Xing must be home.

Perhaps it was because of her long conversation with Mu Changfeng, but Zhao Ciqin felt a hollow emptiness in her heart. She knew that as soon as she returned home, Xu Xing would peek out from the kitchen. The two of them would eat quietly under the warm glow of the light bulb, and afterward, they would sit together and talk. He might even give her a gentle, intimate kiss.

But as the sense of stable satisfaction faded, she saw herself sitting dazedly on the long corridor, the wind brushing through her long hair, while she numbly held a stack of letters in her hand.

—That was when her marriage with Mu Changfeng was nearing its end.

All the sadness and despair were tightly trapped within her body. She showed no outward signs of distress, but beneath her skin, her flesh seemed to have been lashed by something, trembling in agony.

Invisibly, she heard another version of herself sobbing repeatedly, “Zhao Ciqin, look, this is the consequence of falling in love. You can’t… you can’t let this happen again.”

So, what did this mean now?

Had she already given her heart to Xu Xing just by trying things out with him?
Zhao Ciqin thought in confusion as she walked into the stairwell and stopped at her doorstep.

Click.

The door opened before she could knock, and Xu Xing appeared in front of her.

“I saw you spacing out downstairs earlier. What were you thinking about?” Xu Xing had his shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing his lean and strong wrists. He had clearly been cooking, as his hands were still slightly damp.

He reached out to take her hand, but Zhao Ciqin pulled back, avoiding his touch.

Xu Xing seemed not to notice her unusual behavior and calmly withdrew his hand. “Why are you back so late today?”

Zhao Ciqin said, “I lost track of time at the studio.”

Tonight’s dinner was noticeably more elaborate than usual: boiled pork slices, steamed sea bass, and two stir-fried vegetable dishes. To take care of Zhao Ciqin’s stomach, Xu Xing had also prepared a small bowl of easily digestible seafood porridge. Zhao Ciqin’s mood changes were actually easy to spot. Although she usually didn’t talk much during meals, when she was happy, she would eat a little faster. But now, she was picking at her food, taking small, slow bites.

After finishing his meal, Xu Xing didn’t rush to clean up. Instead, he brought up a topic. “Have you booked the train tickets to Beijing yet?”

“Not yet,” Zhao Ciqin said. “I’ll have Qin Anmei take care of it tomorrow.”

Xu Xing said, “Are you going alone? I don’t have many cases on hand right now, so I can take a few days off to accompany you. The world is chaotic these days, and I’d feel uneasy with you traveling alone.”

Zhao Ciqin looked at him but didn’t answer. For a moment, her lips moved as if she were hesitating.

But rationality quickly overwhelmed her doubts.

“…No need,” Zhao Ciqin said, her throat feeling as if something were stuck. “You don’t have to change your life for me. After all, we…”

She wanted to say that they wouldn’t get married, wouldn’t have children, and even if they decided to part ways one day, there would be no unnecessary entanglements. But for some reason, looking at Xu Xing’s unreadable expression, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

It was the woman living next door, surnamed Ge.

As soon as Auntie Ge saw Xu Xing open the door, she spoke loudly, “Lawyer Xu, the light bulb in my house is broken, and my husband isn’t home today. I had to trouble you to come take a look. It’s pitch black in there now, and it’s hard to do anything.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze drifted into the room and landed on Zhao Ciqin. “…Oh, do you have a guest?”

Zhao Ciqin’s body stiffened slightly.

“Yes,” Xu Xing’s gentle voice came through clearly. “My partner.”