Chapter 44 – Misfortune is not a one-way

As soon as she stepped out, Xu Shiqi ran into Wen Yu, who was hurrying over. She felt a bit dizzy, her head throbbing. Her body was eager to leave this place quickly, but her mind was locked onto the girl beside her, making it hard to move.

Along with Wen Yu was the girl named Mengmeng, who had sat in the back of the car that day. She was wearing a pink coat, looking even more delicate and cute.

“What happened?” Wen Yu shouted to Wen Jialuo, panting as he reached for the door handle. However, before he could push the door open, he looked back at her in confusion.

Wen Jialuo didn’t answer him. Not only that, but her gaze was also strange, as if she wanted to laugh but ended up twitching her lips without actually smiling.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wen Yu asked, bewildered.

“Did you drive over?” Wen Jialuo couldn’t be bothered to engage, extending her hand toward him instead.

Wen Yu smartly tossed the car keys into her hand. “My car was borrowed, so I took a junky car for now. It’s parked right outside the hospital.” As he spoke, he went inside, and Mengmeng, who followed behind, didn’t even have a chance to say a word to Wen Jialuo before hearing him call out to his grandmother. She hurriedly nodded at them and followed him inside.

Wen Jialuo weighed the car keys in her hand, trying to imagine the expression on her grandmother’s face when she saw him. For the moment, she couldn’t care less; she just held onto the woman beside her tightly.

Xu Shiqi struggled for a moment but couldn’t shake her off, so she just went along with it. The two of them didn’t speak and quickly left the hospital.

They easily found the car, which was indeed in Wen Yu’s style—parked haphazardly in the middle of the road. It looked like it hadn’t been washed in ten years, but it still had an air of imposing authority.

The car was a small, sealed space, quiet and safe. As soon as Xu Shiqi sat down, she began to question, “What’s going on?”

This was identical to what Wen Yu had asked, but the implications were entirely different. Wen Jialuo first rested her head on the steering wheel for a moment before exhaling and starting the engine.

With the sound of the old engine sputtering to life, they broke the silence in the car.

Xu Shiqi felt the questions in her throat, no longer able to enjoy the outside scenery or the small world they had in the car after being apart. It seemed to be the first time she realized how determined Wen Jialuo truly was. No matter what she wanted to do, she would stick to it until the end. But it shouldn’t be like this; she hadn’t figured out how to face her family or how to face Baohua. They hadn’t even begun to enjoy their promised cohabitation—did this mean they were about to face a family storm?

The car wasn’t moving too fast, and the smell of the air conditioning was uncomfortable, both of which heightened Xu Shiqi’s anxiety. The anxiety she had felt while sitting alone outside the hospital had fermented, making her uneasy. As she observed, the car wasn’t heading back to her house or to the old home, so it seemed the girl wanted to find a place to discuss matters in detail. She wildly speculated about what the girl would say and couldn’t help but interrupt, “Did you say something to your grandmother?”

The car flowed along with the crowd. Wen Jialuo glanced at her while shifting gears. “I only said half of it.”

“Half?” Xu Shiqi frowned. “What half?”

“Grandma asked me if I had someone I liked, and I said yes. She then said anyone was fine, so I went ahead and said it.” In fact, if she hadn’t been there at the moment, no one would have known how much temptation Wen Jialuo had faced. Timing was everything, but sometimes it would inadvertently hit the mark. Unfortunately for her, she had the worst luck and hit it rather poorly.

It seemed that although she had said something, she had obviously not mentioned Xu Shiqi’s name. Xu Shiqi fell silent for a moment, imagining the conversation between the grandmother and granddaughter. The old lady seemed gentle, but she knew the other had a strong side. The children in the Wen family had seemingly grown up under her strict supervision. Among them, the old lady was more lenient with Wen Jialuo, and it was not surprising that she would be a bit indulgent now.

However, when the old lady said that anyone was fine, it surprised Xu Shiqi. It sounded like the old lady had some considerations in her heart to speak with such confidence. But it seemed Wen Jialuo still hadn’t brought her name up; the old lady was probably aware of it. However, she had immediately run into trouble.

“Who does she think it is?”

Wen Jialuo let out a breath. “Someone you wouldn’t expect.”

Xu Shiqi thought for a moment. “Well, that depends on what you said.”

“Illegal relationship, can’t have children, can’t be open about it.” Wen Jialuo summarized before considering it again. “It’s quite strange to say; I didn’t think it was that serious…”

“That’s you,” Xu Shiqi glared at her. “Shouldn’t we think from her perspective? It’s strange that Grandma wouldn’t have a spike in blood pressure after hearing that.” She tilted her head and thought for a moment, still coming up empty. “What does she guess it is?”

Wen Jialuo twitched her lips. “Wen Yu.”

“Ah?” Xu Shiqi was stunned, then burst into laughter. “Haha, the old lady’s imagination is quite far-reaching.”

“And you’re still laughing,” Wen Jialuo shot her a glare.

“No wonder you looked so strange when you saw Wen Yu just now,” Xu Shiqi nodded, sighing as she reproached her. “That was on the plane; how could you provoke the old lady like that?”

Wen Jialuo furrowed her brows, her expression resembling that of the old man. “I didn’t mean to say it; I really hadn’t thought about it at all. But Grandma kept urging me, and I almost thought she had figured something out.”

“Is that possible?” Xu Shiqi suddenly became tense. “We… haven’t been together for a few days; could she really figure it out?”

“You just said we haven’t been together for a few days, so how could she have figured it out?” Wen Jialuo replied lightly. Xu Shiqi’s nervousness made it seem like they had committed some egregious mistake, but she knew that since the moment she had developed feelings for her, that woman had always accompanied her with such emotions. The reason she hadn’t spoken out was out of fear of hurting her family, but that didn’t mean she was denying herself. A long time ago, Wen Jialuo might have denied herself, but now she absolutely wouldn’t.

Xu Shiqi caught onto her dissatisfaction and paused before asking, “Then… what should we do now?”

“Grandma asked me again, but this time I didn’t say anything.” Wen Jialuo pressed the accelerator, watching the scenery quickly retreat, feeling a bit of her pent-up frustration ease. “I… I’m too scared to say. She might say anything is okay, but it might turn into something that’s not okay. If she really faints, I can’t even imagine…”

“Apart from Grandma, Baohua has just had a scare during her pregnancy and shouldn’t be subjected to more stress. This matter will inevitably involve her, so we can’t say anything for now.”

Wen Jialuo turned her head and saw Xu Shiqi’s calm expression. It was as if she were talking about someone else’s business, analyzing everything logically, not like someone who was shaken to pieces in front of her grandmother. “How are your parents doing?”

“My mom is okay,” Xu Shiqi’s expression suddenly turned grim. “My dad… seems to have high blood pressure too…”

“Then that means,” Wen Jialuo raised her lips, “we can’t say anything about our situation; neither side can handle it.”

Xu Shiqi pressed her lips tightly together.

“Why is it so difficult?” Wen Jialuo chuckled softly. “If not, then let’s just never say anything.”

Xu Shiqi’s heart raced as she looked at the girl. There was a hint of coldness in her smile, not the indifference of someone sulking.

“If we don’t say anything, no one will know what our relationship is. On the surface, we’re still single, and we can just wait for blind dates. From the beginning of the year to the end, we might not escape it. I’ve used this excuse for years and am close to wearing it out; otherwise, Grandma wouldn’t still be asking me about it on the plane.” She shrugged. “If we don’t want to be forced into blind dates and marriage, then why don’t we just run away together, far away from their sight, so they can never find us, and no one can disturb us. How does that sound?”

Xu Shiqi felt an immense bitterness in her heart. If it weren’t for her grandmother’s incident, they could have discussed how to come clean about their relationship and how to approach it calmly, just like in the villa. However, Grandma’s situation triggered everything. It clearly shouldn’t be touched, but she also knew that delaying it would lead to the same outcome, unless, as the girl said, they truly ran away together.

“If we did that, it would really just be the two of us forever.” Wen Jialuo said softly, “No parents, no siblings. Tell me, would two people still feel lonely?”

Xu Shiqi leaned despairingly against the chair, her eyes slightly red: “…Don’t say it.”

“Why not say it?” Wen Jialuo had already overtaken four cars. Despite its dilapidated state, the car felt surprisingly smooth to drive, loose enough to make one want to ravage it even more. With a venting-like push on the accelerator, she reached out to grab Xu Shiqi, “How about at this speed? Who cares where we go, just drive wherever and never come back, leaving everything behind.”

“Jialuo.” Xu Shiqi grasped her hand back, then pushed it away, “Be careful driving.”

“Doesn’t it feel a bit like we’re running away?” Wen Jialuo deftly turned a corner without slowing down, the tires making an unpleasant screech against the ground.

Xu Shiqi felt a bit dizzy, as if she were really sitting in a time machine. Where to go now seemed truly unimportant; it would be best to reach a perfect world. The existence of men and women was not the focus; love was the only criterion for choosing whom to support.

Feeling ridiculous for thinking this way, Xu Shiqi suddenly laughed. Clearly, she and the girl had just begun, yet they were already so exhausted. It wasn’t that she was unprepared psychologically, but why should the outside world suppress them like this, or perhaps it was just herself applying pressure? Remembering the old lady’s wisdom, Xu Shiqi murmured, “If she can think of incest between siblings, do you think… she would be more accepting of same-sex relationships?”

Wen Jialuo also seemed momentarily lost in thought, the old lady’s words echoing in her mind. Those encouraging words felt like a tightening curse, causing her head to throb.

“No matter how you think about it, it’s still a man-woman relationship,” Xu Shiqi stared blankly out the window, “She’d rather think of incest…”

The more they talked, the more despair set in. Wen Jialuo originally wanted to find a nice place to sit down. In fact, she had brought back a willow branch, and the person who had taken her to pick the willow said that even though spring hadn’t arrived yet, if it was planted in the soil, it could still survive. She thought that was a bit exaggerated; the willow was a symbol strengthened by ancient people, a farewell gift full of infinite emotions, suggesting more of a friendship. The old lady knew that the willow branch she had packed in a specially sourced rosewood jewelry box was a gift for Xu Shiqi, and she had even laughed at how their relationship seemed to be better than that between Xu Shiqi and Baohua.

At that time, it might have also been a moment; this love is different from that love, the willow itself isn’t important, but the giver of the gift is. Unfortunately, the old lady had laughed too brightly, truly giving her the impression of having an ageless face, making it hard for her to speak.

She knew the old lady also liked Xu Shiqi, as she had thoughtfully prepared many gifts for everyone, including a fine teapot for Xu Shiqi. The old lady said that her voice needed to be paired with good tea and water, and naturally, a good teapot was essential.

But before any gifts could be presented, the unexpected incident on the plane disrupted everything. She originally wanted to take Xu Shiqi away as soon as she returned. After all, she was about to start working soon, and no matter what job that woman sought, she wouldn’t let her leave her side. Living alone in that place was fine, but having two people there felt a bit small. Should they change houses? What kind of environment did Xu Shiqi like? What kind of curtains and tableware should they buy? These details often crossed Wen Jialuo’s mind over the past few days.

But now? The willow branch was still in the box, and the box had already been brought home. The joy was gone, and she had only experienced shock.

As for that teapot, she wondered what Xu Shiqi would feel when she held it in her hands.

If only she hadn’t gone to read to her grandmother before bed, perhaps she would have been less constrained. Wen Jialuo bit her lower lip hard as she thought about it. Look at what she was thinking; did she really have the heart to disregard her grandmother’s health?

Wen Jialuo gripped the steering wheel, feeling confused inside. She had decided to move forward, gaining courage the day she took Xu Shiqi’s hand in the street, but unfortunately, the first obstacle was not smooth…

The driver was weighed down by thoughts, while the passenger fell into silence. Wen Jialuo turned her head and saw Xu Shiqi with her eyes slightly closed, her brow furrowed tightly. A pang of sadness hit her heart as she recalled the first time she met this woman—though lonely, she still guarded the gates, smiling with a carefree demeanor.

It was she who had led the woman to jump in step by step…

Wen Jialuo reached out and grasped the tightly clasped hands that seemed unwilling to let go.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Shiqi’s voice was low and cautious, unlike her usual gentle self.

This voice seemed to affirm it, and Wen Jialuo intertwined her fingers with hers: “Do you regret it?”

Xu Shiqi turned her head. She no longer knew where the girl was driving the car; she only felt a bit dizzy from sitting there for so long. She didn’t even dare to look outside—the speed of the car made her heart flutter. But she was afraid of disturbing the girl, so she didn’t dare to speak, only hoping that the girl could gradually calm down. Actually, it didn’t matter; as long as she was sitting together with this person, in this moment, even if it was truly reckless, it was nothing significant.

There were only a few seconds left until the girl asked her; Xu Shiqi felt like she was on a roller coaster, instinctively delaying her reaction. The girl’s hand felt like it was on fire; she had just been burned and was about to speak, but it was already too late.

Wen Jialuo, who wouldn’t even wait a few seconds for an answer, felt a pang in her heart when she didn’t hear one. She suddenly turned around, her eyes turning red: “Even if you regret it, I won’t let you go!”

Wen Jialuo, who usually drove carefully, was distracted today, making it unsuitable for driving. The car had aimlessly left the city, not taking the highway but somehow ended up on a narrow road lined with houses, both sides flanked by neat buildings. This wasn’t a problem in itself, but that remark about an oath that didn’t sound like one was too harsh, and her whole being couldn’t help but react with force. Xu Shiqi felt that in an instant, her hand was gripped tightly, and then her entire body was uncontrollably tilted with the car, watching as the houses by the road approached rapidly, seeming to enlarge infinitely.

She couldn’t even make a sound, her mind going blank, and she then closed her eyes tightly.

So, she didn’t see what happened next.

When Wen Jialuo realized it, she could only release Xu Shiqi’s hand and abruptly turn the steering wheel. Unfortunately, even if she tried to save it, the car was already out of control, heading directly toward an oncoming small truck…

After the tire tracks twisted horrifically on the road, the frenzied beast finally came to a stop.
—-
Without even an airbag, this was indeed a broken car. The thought flashed through her mind, and she felt like she was going to vomit from the impact on her chest. Wen Jialuo struggled to turn her head, her vision starting to darken. She hadn’t even seen Xu Shiqi clearly; she only vaguely caught a glimpse of something bright flashing before her eyes, and then she knew nothing more…