Chapter 40 p1
Opening the familiar door was like stepping back into a dream.
The room was clean, not a speck of dust visible on the desk or the floor under the sunlight.
Jiang Siyi squinted at the brightness.
She stood at the doorway, not stepping inside, until she heard footsteps behind her.
Everything in the room was the same. Even the worksheets tucked away in the corner, forgotten by the Jiang Siyi of years ago, were unchanged.
They simply lay there, untouched by time.
“If you don’t want to sleep here, that’s okay,” Shen Shiwu said, looking at her back.
Jiang Siyi’s eyes flickered. Was she finally letting her go?
But before she could speak, Shen Shiwu continued, “My room is next door, you’re welcome to come over.”
“…”
After a long silence, Jiang Siyi took a deep breath and said, “Get out.”
Shen Shiwu wasn’t annoyed, but simply smiled at her. After bringing the suitcase inside, she leaned against the desk where Jiang Siyi used to do her homework, the wind chimes by the window tinkling softly.
The woman reached out and touched the wind chimes, the sound amplifying.
She teased, “Really not considering sleeping with me?”
Jiang Siyi almost threw her suitcase at her.
She forced a smile. “Please face reality, we’re exes, not lovers.”
Shen Shiwu nodded. “Mm-hmm, and?”
“And remember what you said,” Jiang Siyi enunciated each word, “pure friendship, no crossing the line.”
The woman made a thoughtful sound. “Who said that again?”
“…You.”
She nodded. “Since I said it, then I get to define what ‘crossing the line’ means.”
An awkward silence filled the room.
The next second, Jiang Siyi slammed the door shut, effectively kicking the troublesome woman out.
Finally alone, she stood there, looking around the room. Then, tired of standing, she sat down at her desk.
Familiar memories flooded back.
Jiang Siyi froze, her chest tightening.
She stood up, took her medication from her bag, and swallowed a few pills, the dryness in her throat making it difficult to swallow.
She leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly.
Staring at the sunlight outside the window, she sighed—some wounds, even a lifetime wasn’t enough to heal completely.
When she heard another noise from outside, it was dinner time. Shen Shiwu knocked on the door, and hearing no response, she raised her voice. “Dinner’s ready.”
Jiang Siyi was typing.
Writers hated being interrupted mid-flow.
She clicked her tongue and replied, “You go ahead, I’m not hungry yet.”
There was no response from outside, and Jiang Siyi, thinking she had successfully driven the woman away, continued writing. But a few minutes later, the door was abruptly pushed open—
The aroma of food filled the air.
Jiang Siyi turned around, puzzled, and saw Shen Shiwu holding a tray laden with food, looking like a food delivery robot.
She almost burst out laughing, coughing a few times before speaking. “I’ll come down to eat, you don’t have to bring it up, it’s too much trouble.”
The desk was clean, only a laptop and keyboard on it, since she had just moved in. Shen Shiwu placed the dishes and rice in front of her, then took away the laptop—”Confiscated.”
Jiang Siyi frowned, about to protest, but Shen Shiwu patted her head.
Shen Shiwu, showing a hint of her former gentleness, coaxed, “Eat first, then write.”
“Okay?”
The familiar, yet distant, question, she hadn’t heard it in years. Jiang Siyi suddenly quieted down.
She sniffed, then, obediently, sat down to eat.
“Any plans recently?” Shen Shiwu sat on the edge of the bed behind her, watching the girl eat, her cheeks puffed out, and asked cheerfully.
“No,” Jiang Siyi replied truthfully, not bothering to make excuses.
Writers had more free time compared to other professions. Besides the occasional book signing or TV appearance, they mostly stayed home to write.
“Okay, I have a business trip to Beicheng next week, come with me.” Shen Shiwu spoke casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jiang Siyi took a large bite of meat, then replied, “You’re dreaming.”
“You want me to accompany you on a business trip? Why would I?”
Shen Shiwu had known she wouldn’t agree. She turned off her phone screen, her eyes darkening, then pretended to sigh. “Okay then.”
That night, just as Jiang Siyi was about to close her laptop and go to bed, her assistant called. “My goodness, I sent you hundreds of messages, and you didn’t even look at a single one.”
She sat back down, rubbing her temples. “I was writing, what’s up?”
“The organizers of the Beicheng book signing want to add a few more sessions, they’re asking for your opinion.”
Jiang Siyi blinked. “Why do they suddenly want to add more?”
“Why are you surprised? Do you still think you’re a nobody? It’s because the response has been great.”
Jiang Siyi felt something was off. But she had just finished writing and was exhausted, so she didn’t think too much about it and agreed. “Okay, add them. Remember to send me the details on WeChat.”
Just as she was about to get into bed after showering, she received an AirDrop notification.
Jiang Siyi stared at the wall for a few seconds, then resolutely clicked “Decline.”
But the person next door was persistent, sending the request again and again. Exasperated, Jiang Siyi gritted her teeth and clicked “Accept.”
It was a picture of Shen Shiwu holding Eleven.
And the rabbit was holding a piece of paper between its paws.
“After all these years, shouldn’t we unblock each other on WeChat?”
The words were clear, piercing Jiang Siyi’s heart. She stared at the picture for a long time, then,
Unable to resist, she chuckled softly.
It had been a long time since she had felt this way.
Like a warm hand on her cheek on a cold winter night.
Jiang Siyi leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling, as if trying to burn a hole through it, just like she used to years ago.
After unilaterally breaking up with Shen Shiwu, she had immediately changed all her contact information. Sometimes, when she logged back into her old accounts, she would see countless friend requests from Shen Shiwu, using different accounts.
After a long while, she took a screenshot of her new WeChat ID and AirDropped it to Shen Shiwu.
A few seconds later, she received a friend request.
The familiar profile picture, a picture of Shen Shiwu’s back, appeared. Jiang Siyi stared at it, her thoughts drifting back to that summer, in the office, when Fu Jing had pointed at the same profile picture and asked, “Is that your cousin?”
Her head started to ache at the memory.
After accepting the request, she lay down, trying to sleep, but the moment she closed her eyes, she was wide awake.
She resignedly picked up her phone again, scrolled aimlessly for a while, then clicked on Shen Shiwu’s profile, wanting to take a peek at her Moments.
There was only one post.
And it was from the day Jiang Siyi had won her award.
Her eyes lingered on the words, her heart pounding.
“When dusk falls, I still think of you.”
It was a quote from her own book.
She had originally intended to put it in the afterword, but she had moved it to the beginning.
Like a secret being discovered, Jiang Siyi’s face flushed, and she pulled the covers over her head, trying to sleep. A few minutes later, her phone vibrated, a new message notification.
She opened one eye and pulled her phone under the covers.
The screen glowed in the darkness, hurting her eyes, so she pulled the blanket down slightly. Shen Shiwu had already sent several messages.
“Still not considering coming with me on my business trip?”
“The Beicheng night market is very lively. With me there, no one will dare to bother you, let alone steal your things.”
“Ah, I heard you’re adding more sessions to your book signing?”
Jiang Siyi stared at the last message, finally understanding.
—Heh, you did this, didn’t you?
Adding more sessions to the book signing was beneficial for her. Not only could she interact with more readers, but she could also earn more money.
But she didn’t need Shen Shiwu to do this for her.
She didn’t want to owe her any favors, and she was afraid of falling deeper.
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