Even if every moment of happiness plunged Wen Zhao into an abyss of immense guilt, she still felt happy.
Powerless to answer Zheng Miaoning’s questions, Wen Zhao took her own phone, unlocked it, and tossed it to her.
Wen Zhao knew Zheng Miaoning all too well.
If Zheng Miaoning could endure for this long, she would have continued to endure as long as there wasn’t a reasonable excuse. Even if Wen Zhao said she wanted to spend her entire life in Songping County, Zheng Miaoning would have readily agreed to stay there with her forever.
The fact that she suddenly couldn’t take it anymore was surely because she had seen the message sent by Wen Qian.
If Wen Zhao could be wary of Wen Qian because of Zheng Miaoning’s sharp attitude, she certainly wouldn’t let her be hurt because of Wen Qian.
Wen Zhao always felt she owed Zheng Miaoning.
Combined with the two years Zheng Miaoning had spent in exile, Wen Zhao was almost entirely at her beck and call. Any grievance she could spare her from, Wen Zhao would ensure she didn’t suffer.
The pink-cheeked person across from her regained her composure quickly, adding a touch of embarrassment from a failed tantrum.
Wen Zhao didn’t speak; she just stood there looking at Zheng Miaoning.
Zheng Miaoning’s embarrassment lasted only a few seconds. Accustomed to being favored, she quickly found a loophole to bite back: “Then why didn’t you reply to her? Isn’t it just because you want to leave her a glimmer of hope?”
“…Mm.”
Wen Zhao was so exasperated she wanted to laugh. She nodded slightly, took her phone back from Zheng Miaoning’s hand, and her fingers danced quickly across the screen.
Once she stopped, Zheng Miaoning snatched the phone away again.
Looking at the message Wen Zhao had just sent, Zheng Miaoning’s beautiful face contorted.
“What do you mean by this?” Zheng Miaoning questioned, gritting her teeth.
Wen Zhao said calmly, “Exactly what it says.”
Wen Zhao had gone all the way and replied: [Sure, I’m heading out now. Send me the address for the meeting.]
Having said that, Wen Zhao cleared all the trash from the table, turned into the bathroom to comb her hair, and changed her clothes and shoes while Zheng Miaoning was still waiting to be coaxed.
“I can’t stand her up. She didn’t invite you, so don’t follow along.”
Wen Zhao said this standing at the door and then left.
Just as she stepped out, Wen Zhao heard the sound of heavy footsteps intentionally stomping inside. She knew Zheng Miaoning wouldn’t behave.
[If I catch you following me secretly, I won’t care even if you sleep in the hallway tonight. /Smile/]
Clicking send, Wen Zhao walked away quickly.
She didn’t stop until she reached the hotel entrance, and seeing that Zheng Miaoning hadn’t caught up, Wen Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Zheng Miaoning’s anger, Wen Zhao decided to soothe it when she returned in the evening.
The System was supposed to return within the next couple of days. Wen Zhao could no longer spoil her without limits; she had to let her get used to the idea of parting again.
Wen Qian had actually already arrived at the bus station downstairs.
Wen Zhao steadied her nerves slightly and gave her a gentle smile.
“How did you get here so fast?”
Wen Qian smiled shyly. “Because I was really looking forward to this meeting, Sister Wen Zhao.”
The tone she used to say Wen Zhao’s name was very light.
Unlike Zheng Miaoning.
When Zheng Miaoning called her “Sister Zhao,” she always emphasized every word heavily, wishing for everyone to hear clearly that this was her “Sister Zhao.”
When provoked or when her wishes weren’t met, she would grit her teeth and let out a low sigh, “Wen Zhao!” The final note was always laced with anger, as if attempting to crush Wen Zhao with those two words.
And when her mind was swirling with mischievous thoughts, Zheng Miaoning would lean into Wen Zhao’s ear, almost biting her earlobe as she whispered “Mama.”
Wen Zhao didn’t know where Wen Qian’s anticipation came from, but she didn’t want to spoil the mood, so she stepped forward quickly and asked, “Where do you want to go?”
“In a place like this, where else can we go?” Wen Qian smiled awkwardly, and Wen Zhao understood instantly.
In the entirety of Songping County, there was only one shopping mall with decent facilities—a few floors for boutique shopping and a few for milk tea and dining.
Wen Zhao nodded and boarded the bus with her.
Wen Qian let her go first. Before stepping through the bus door, Wen Qian looked back up and happened to meet the gaze of Zheng Miaoning, who was standing by the window.
“You lost,” Wen Qian said silently.
But she knew Zheng Miaoning would definitely understand what she was saying.
Wen Zhao found a seat in the back row by the window, failing to notice the brief flash of sharp intent from Wen Qian.
Ignoring that strange sensation, Wen Zhao had to admit that spending time with Wen Qian was pleasant.
She wasn’t as boisterous as Qin Zhuyu, nor did she demand attention like Zheng Miaoning.
When Wen Zhao occasionally spaced out, Wen Qian would only smile good-naturedly and repeat what she had just said.
In a small town, there seemed to be only one refined after-dinner pastime: finding a M**so store, walking in boldly with a friend, browsing from the entrance to the very back, then circling back to the checkout counter. During this time, they had to maintain a moderate volume of chatter and laughter, enough for two people to gossip about half their classmates, only to buy absolutely nothing before walking out and going home.
Unfortunately, Wen Zhao and Wen Qian didn’t share many common experiences.
Though both tried their best to be polite and alleviate the awkwardness, the atmosphere between them just wasn’t right.
Wen Zhao reflected; perhaps the problem lay with her. She didn’t know in what capacity she should interact with Wen Qian, which created this awkward situation.
Even more terrifyingly, after a day together, Wen Zhao discovered a bizarre sense of familiarity in her.
It was familiar to an eerie degree.
Like right now.
Wen Qian walked to a shelf and picked up a rabbit plushie with a smile. “Sister Wen Zhao, look. If you fold its ears like this, isn’t it exactly the way you like it?”
Wen Zhao’s skin crawled.
On the cabinet in her entryway at home, there really was a rabbit plushie with its ears pulled off.
Not in her home in City B, but in her real life—the home she hadn’t returned to in over four years.
Wen Zhao didn’t respond for a long time. Wen Qian frowned, realizing she had let something slip.
This was a terrifying thing for Wen Zhao.
The last sliver of hope that “maybe it’s just a coincidence” vanished along with the smile on Wen Qian’s face.
Wen Zhao asked, “Who are you?”
By the time she asked, Wen Zhao already had the answer in her heart.
“Wen Qian” didn’t answer. Wen Zhao asked again, “Didn’t we agree you’d find me when you came back? Why did you find me in this way?”
“Where is Wen Qian? Give her body back to her quickly; don’t ruin her internship.”
“You actually recognized me.” The System, having been exposed, felt inexplicably guilty yet also somewhat relieved, following Wen Zhao’s lead.
The System took Wen Zhao’s hand and pulled her into a relatively empty restroom.
Before Wen Zhao could question it again, the System took the initiative: “Why is Zheng Miaoning here? If I’m not mistaken, is she still living with you?”
Wen Zhao rubbed her nose, using silence as her answer. This was indeed something she had done wrong.
“Do you remember what I told you?” the System said, turning the tables with a tone of exasperation.
Wen Zhao lowered her head and whispered, “I remember.”
“What did I say?”
“You said that after I left Xiao Ning, her condition worsened.”
The System: “…Not that part.”
“But that’s the part I want to ask about.” Wen Zhao looked up at it, her expression unusually serious. “From the very beginning, the only things that made me change my decision, besides the change in Xiao Ning’s personality, were your words.”
“But System, now your words and her changes don’t support each other anymore. I need a definitive, accurate reason. Otherwise, I don’t want to leave her again.”
In the past few days, Zheng Miaoning’s complexion and mood had improved significantly. Wen Zhao couldn’t help but doubt the truth of the System’s words.
The System, disguised as Wen Qian, was stunned.
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll no longer be the center of the world, unable to walk the most brilliant and dazzling path you set for her?”
“I am,” Wen Zhao nodded slightly. “Of course I am.”
Separated for two years across the ocean, causing Zheng Miaoning not to have a single night of good sleep—wasn’t it all because Wen Zhao was afraid?
“Then you…” The System thought it was a sure bet again.
For the first time, Wen Zhao interrupted it. “But I’m more afraid of her having a hard time. I’m starting to wonder—is the path I set for her necessarily the best path?”
Wen Zhao looked into Wen Qian’s eyes, which belonged to the System, and tears welled up.
This face made her want to be merely polite, but the controller inside the body gave Wen Zhao an intense urge to confide. Many things she couldn’t say to the characters, she could only say to the System.
Wen Zhao took a step forward. The System didn’t retreat, and she didn’t care, saying urgently: “System, because of vague worries, I abandoned her, yet because I crave the feeling of being relied upon, I let her get close. In reality, I am always preparing to leave. Am I… too selfish?”
Zheng Miaoning had only shown weakness for a few minutes deep in the night.
Yet because of the pain and resentment revealed in those few words, Wen Zhao had tossed and turned for several nights. She kept wondering if she had done something wrong.
The System looked at Wen Zhao.
When a person is anxious, it’s hard to maintain boundaries.
Wen Zhao finally stopped treating it with the polite detachment she showed Wen Qian. Her eyes were red, her brow tightly furrowed, and every inch of her face, moved by worry, ached for Zheng Miaoning.
The System suddenly understood why Zheng Miaoning, leaning against the window that morning, hadn’t bothered to say a single word to it.
As long as the judge was Wen Zhao, Zheng Miaoning would never lose.
The System was not only jealous of this but even more jealous that Zheng Miaoning was aware of it and stood firm in that certainty.
“No, you just love her too much,” the System said in a flat tone, so flat that no one could hear its discontent.
In fact, at this moment, it wanted to ask: Is it only Zheng Miaoning who is qualified to make you worry like this?
But it couldn’t.
Aside from Wen Zhao and Zheng Miaoning themselves, it was the one who best understood the depth of Wen Zhao’s emotions. Facing Wen Zhao, it couldn’t say anything cruel.
“Now can you tell me why you agreed to Zheng Miaoning’s unreasonable demands again?”
The System pressed on, and Wen Zhao couldn’t divert the topic again.
Wen Zhao lowered her head again, staring at a small floor tile in front of her toes, her feet grinding against the ground with effort. She was extremely conflicted.
The reason… of course there was a reason.
But for Wen Zhao to say it out loud was simply too embarrassing.
Since Wen Zhao wouldn’t speak, the System couldn’t stay here with her forever.
It simply said: “This time I’ve taken leave. The reason you want—I haven’t found it. This leave is so I can find the reason with you. Whether you go with me or stay here with Zheng Miaoning, you choose for yourself. Tell me the result tomorrow morning.”
The System hadn’t expected to be exposed so quickly and felt a bit stifled; its tone became somewhat forceful since it hadn’t received a response.
This time, Wen Zhao spoke up quickly. “Fine, I’ll give you an answer tomorrow morning.”
As for the System’s strange tone, Wen Zhao didn’t pick up on it. After all, it was the System.
“Wen Qian’s” expression became even worse.
Wen Zhao remained cheerful on her own. Having received some comfort, her mood had improved significantly. “Let’s head back separately. I’ll think about it carefully.”
“You’re just in a hurry to go back and coax someone,” the System said gloomily, seeing through everything.
Wen Zhao was stunned, then gave a bashful smile and didn’t argue.
“That’s a pity then.”
“What?” Wen Zhao, immersed in her own world, didn’t hear clearly and tilted her head to ask the System.
The System shook its head. “Nothing. I’ll walk you back.”
Wen Zhao refused: “No need. It’s not very safe for you to go back alone either; go back early.”
Although Wen Qian’s face looked more mature than her peers, one could still tell at a glance that she was inexperienced. It would be a lie to say Wen Zhao wasn’t worried about her.
The System didn’t care at all and insisted on seeing her back.
“Don’t forget who I am.”
It put on a cocky front, and with that smug expression on Wen Qian’s face, Wen Zhao got goosebumps all over and quickly gave in.
The System walked Wen Zhao to the hotel entrance.
Bidding the System farewell under the dim streetlights, Wen Zhao walked inside slowly, thinking about her plan to coax Zheng Miaoning.
What Wen Zhao didn’t know was that Wen Qian didn’t leave, and Zheng Miaoning was not in the room.