Chapter 4

On a midsummer afternoon, the sun remained scorching hot. As Cheng Li walked out of the hotel lobby, her whole body felt cold. She wasn’t sure if it was the air conditioning or the aftermath of her emotional turmoil.

The frustration in her chest lingered even after she returned to the office, refusing to dissipate.

Thankfully, there was an overwhelming amount of work waiting for her. Throwing herself into it wholeheartedly, she used her tasks to numb her thoughts. It wasn’t until after 9 p.m. that she finally clocked out.

Stepping out of the office building, she saw the surrounding skyscrapers still ablaze with countless lights, their glow reflecting off the sleek glass facades like rippling waves under the night sky. The scene was dazzling, brilliant.

Yet, at that moment, the city felt strangely unfamiliar to Cheng Li.

When she got home, her parents were still in the living room watching TV.

“You’re still up?” she asked while changing her shoes, glancing at her parents seated on the couch.

Cheng Dingbo, her father, looked over as she entered. “Have you had dinner yet?”

She hadn’t. Earlier, she had been too angry to feel hungry. But now that her anger had subsided, exhaustion and hunger hit her hard.

Cheng Li didn’t ask her father for help. Instead, she heated up some porridge herself and brought it to the dining table.

The TV in the living room was blaring an overly dramatic soap opera.

Amid the female lead’s gut-wrenching cries, Cheng Li devoured the porridge in big gulps. Leaning back against the chair after finishing the last bite, she felt some of the day’s weariness ebb away.

Before she could fully catch her breath, she heard a couple of “tsk-tsk” sounds from the couch.

Holding her phone, Mrs. Ling sighed dramatically. “What is it with this year? Everyone’s rushing to get married. I’ve already received two wedding invitations just this month. Who would’ve thought Teacher Zhang’s daughter would be getting married so soon?”

“Teacher Zhang is younger than me, too…”

Crap!

Cheng Li shot up from her chair, grabbed her bowl and dishes, and fled into the kitchen.

Seeing her daughter retreat to the kitchen, Mrs. Ling turned to her husband to complain, “Look at your daughter. She’s almost thirty, and she’s not in the least bit worried. And her job—she doesn’t even earn much, yet she works from dawn till dusk. If she’d listened to me and become a teacher, she’d have a much easier life. Where does she even find the time to date Xiao Xu?”

Hearing Xu Jiheng’s name, Cheng Li’s stomach, which had just been soothed by the porridge, churned violently.

Yet she couldn’t say a word.

Cheng Li had always been proud, even as a child.

Especially when it came to relationships—she had never experienced a setback. She was always the one being pursued. Who would have thought that she’d be so cruelly betrayed by Xu Jiheng?

“I’m going to take a shower,” Cheng Li announced abruptly, unwilling to hear another word about him.

She exited the kitchen and headed straight for her room.

“Xiao Xu hasn’t come by in two weeks. Do you think something might’ve happened between them?” Mrs. Ling asked, glancing worriedly at Cheng Li’s father.

Xu Jiheng had always been skilled at ingratiating himself. He visited the Cheng family often, earning Mrs. Ling’s approval and being unofficially considered her future son-in-law.

Mr. Cheng was engrossed in the TV and didn’t immediately respond.

Mrs. Ling smacked his arm, startling him. “What? What?” he blurted.

“I’m saying, how can you not be concerned about your daughter’s situation?”

Mr. Cheng sighed, feeling wronged. “How am I not concerned? When she said she wanted sweet and sour ribs, didn’t I rush out after work to buy the ingredients and cook for her?”

“…”

Mrs. Ling raised her hand as if to pinch him. “I’m talking about her and Xiao Xu!”

“Marriage isn’t something we women should push for,” Mr. Cheng replied, softening his tone to placate her. “Besides, our Li Li is beautiful and well-educated. What’s there to worry about?”

“I can’t not worry. She’s almost thirty!”

“She’s not thirty yet! She’s twenty-eight—still young,” Mr. Cheng countered immediately.

Unlike Mrs. Ling’s urgency, Mr. Cheng was much more relaxed.

His fatherly filter had long blinded him; in his eyes, Cheng Li was still his little girl.

*

The next day, Saturday, Cheng Li didn’t go anywhere. She stayed home to catch up on sleep.

After dinner, Mrs. Ling knocked on her door. “Your dad and I are heading to the supermarket. Do you want to come?”

“No,” Cheng Li replied, lying in bed and staring blankly at the ceiling.

Mrs. Ling couldn’t hold back this time. She opened the door and walked in. “Why do you waste your weekends lying around like this? With all this time, why don’t you—”

“I’ll go! I’ll go!” Cheng Li quickly interrupted, cutting her off before she could finish.

She was terrified Mrs. Ling might bring up Xu Jiheng again.

Just as they were about to leave, her father had to rush to the bathroom with a stomachache, leaving Mrs. Ling to roll her eyes.

She turned to Cheng Li and saw her wearing a pair of brightly colored cartoon-themed purple pants.

Mrs. Ling frowned. “You’re going out dressed like that?”

Cheng Li swapped her house slippers for flip-flops, looked down at herself, and replied nonchalantly, “It’s convenient.”

“What kind of girl goes out dressed like this?” Mrs. Ling grumbled, her tone full of disapproval.

Cheng Li raised her head. “Probably one who doesn’t care about anyone in this city anymore.”

Mrs. Ling glared at her. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

In the lingering summer daylight, the city was still bright at 6 p.m.

They wandered around the supermarket but didn’t end up buying much.

As they left, Mrs. Ling suddenly remembered. “We’re out of vinegar at home. You go back and get a bottle.”

“Since we’re not cooking tonight, can’t we just buy it tomorrow?” Cheng Li said irritably.

Even though it was already evening, the heat lingered, and she was sweating just from walking.

Mrs. Ling glared at her. “Fine, then you can wake up early tomorrow morning and buy it yourself.”

Cheng Li, used to her mother’s way of handling things, gave in as always. “Alright, I’ll go now. Satisfied?”

She walked lazily to a nearby convenience store, bought a bottle of vinegar, and headed back.

Their apartment complex was in the city center, right next to a few old-style mansions. The villas, shaded by lush greenery, exuded an elegant charm of bygone days, harmonizing beautifully with the modern surroundings.

As she walked past the stone walls, she caught glimpses of the refined gardens within. A sneering thought crossed her mind—what’s so great about Lujiazui? If Xu Jiheng had real skills, he’d find himself a rich woman to buy him a garden villa.

Just as she turned a corner, she saw Mrs. Ling standing by a car.

“Mom,” she called out.

Mrs. Ling waved her over. As Cheng Li approached, she noticed an elderly woman standing next to her mother.

Mrs. Ling said, “Cheng Li, aren’t you going to greet Mrs. Xiang?”

Cheng Li obediently said, “Hello, Mrs. Xiang.”

“Oh my, Cheng Li is getting prettier and prettier,” the elderly woman said warmly, her face lighting up with joy.

Cheng Li took a closer look at the woman, then exclaimed in delight, “You’re the Mrs. Xiang who used to sell fried vegetable cakes!”

Back in high school, there was a couple who ran a famous street stall selling fried vegetable cakes. People would even drive from far away just to buy them. Cheng Li loved them so much that she ate them nearly six times a week.

Unfortunately, the couple stopped selling them after she went to college.

“It’s so sweet of you to remember,” Mrs. Xiang said, her laughter growing even more cheerful.

Mrs. Ling added, “Mrs. Xiang has moved here, so we’re neighbors now.”

Cheng Li, surprised, said, “That’s wonderful!” But then a thought struck her.

“Grandma,” a deep, pleasant voice interrupted her train of thought.

Cheng Li instinctively looked up at the speaker, and her breath caught.

Rong Qi.

She should’ve guessed it—Mrs. Xiang’s grandson was Rong Qi. If Mrs. Xiang was here, he would be too.

The golden evening sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a soft glow. Dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, Rong Qi remained aloof, as if untouched by the warmth of the sunset. A gentle breeze lifted the hem of his shirt, giving him a fleeting sense of youthful vitality.

When Rong Qi walked up to her, Cheng Li remained frozen, staring blankly at him.

“Cheng Li, you remember our Rong Qi, don’t you?” Mrs. Xiang’s gentle voice cut through her daze. “You two were classmates, weren’t you?”

“Yes… I remember,” Cheng Li replied awkwardly.

Rong Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. His deep eyes lingered on her face for a moment before he gave a subtle nod—a polite acknowledgment.

It seemed he didn’t really recognize her, probably didn’t even remember her name.

Cheng Li didn’t feel particularly offended by this. After all, they hadn’t seen each other since high school graduation.

“Mrs. Ling,” Rong Qi greeted Cheng Li’s mother respectfully. Although Mrs. Ling had never taught him, all the students back then knew that Cheng Li’s mom was an English teacher at their school.

Mrs. Ling’s familiarity with Mrs. Xiang stemmed from her frequent visits to buy vegetable cakes, given how much Cheng Li adored them.

While the two older women chatted happily, catching up on each other’s lives, Cheng Li stood quietly on the side. She glanced down at her outfit—a pair of garish purple cartoon pants.

The sense of shame she thought she’d outgrown surged back all at once. She didn’t care what random strangers on the street thought, but Rong Qi was an old classmate, after all.

Who wouldn’t want to look polished when bumping into someone from their past?

At least she’d washed her hair today, she thought with a shred of relief.

But just as that comforting thought crossed her mind, she remembered something else—the incident at the bar when she drunkenly kicked her shoe, which ended up in Rong Qi’s hand. Did he remember that?

Maybe the bar lighting was too dim for him to recognize her then. After all, they weren’t close in high school, and after so many years, it wasn’t like he’d immediately connect the dots.

When Rong Qi had greeted her earlier, his expression had been neutral, so he probably hadn’t recognized her.

With that thought, Cheng Li finally let out a small breath of relief.

“Cheng Li, why don’t you come over to my house for a bit?” Mrs. Xiang asked warmly.

Cheng Li had always liked Mrs. Xiang, not just for her delicious vegetable cakes, but also for her kind and gentle demeanor—the kind of grandmother Cheng Li had always wished for. Her own grandmother, by contrast, blatantly favored her cousins because her uncle had a better job.

Mrs. Xiang gestured toward a nearby villa and said with a smile, “I’ll be living here from now on. Come by next time, and I’ll make you some vegetable cakes.”

So this was where Mrs. Xiang had moved to.

It made sense, considering Rong Qi’s current status.

Cheng Li smiled sweetly. “I’d love to, Mrs. Xiang. I won’t hold back.”

Mrs. Ling teased, “As if you’ve ever held back when it comes to food.”

As the two were about to leave, Rong Qi politely said to Mrs. Ling, “Goodbye, Mrs. Ling.”

Hearing the word “goodbye,” Cheng Li muttered to herself, Let’s make it a permanent goodbye.

Seeing him always left her feeling awkward.

Just as she was about to walk away, something felt off. She sensed her foot moving forward, but her shoe wasn’t.

No… it couldn’t be.

She slowly lowered her head and looked down. The strap on her left flip-flop had snapped, leaving the shoe behind.

Staring at the abandoned flip-flop, Cheng Li felt this might just be the most absurd moment of her life.

As she slowly turned her head, it was no surprise that her gaze met Rong Qi’s.

When his eyes lowered slightly, falling on the lone flip-flop left on the ground, Cheng Li froze completely.

Running away this time?

At that moment, a gentle voice tinged with concern broke the silence. “Cheng Li, did your shoe break?”

Mrs. Xiang had noticed the situation and asked her directly.

Cheng Li stood there, staring blankly at the abandoned shoe. For the first time, she truly understood what it meant to be alive yet feel like a walking corpse.

But even a corpse had to respond. Lifting her head and straightening her back, she forced a calm smile. “It’s fine. I can walk home just as well without it.”

Just as she was about to take a step forward, she saw Mrs. Ling instinctively retreat a step. It was as though she feared someone might realize they were mother and daughter.

The composure Cheng Li had worked so hard to fake crumbled instantly.
Just let the world end.
And tomorrow’s sun? It better not rise.

At that moment, a hand reached out, firmly holding her in place. A clear and pleasant voice came from above her head, steady and reassuring. “Stay here. Don’t move.”

“Wait for me.”

Rong Qi uttered those words before turning and heading toward the entrance of a nearby villa.

With his long legs and quick strides, he disappeared into the garden within moments.

Perhaps even Mrs. Ling felt the depth of Cheng Li’s embarrassment, so she refrained from scolding her further.

Rong Qi returned quickly, in just a minute or two, holding a pair of black flip-flops. They looked large, clearly men’s, but entirely new, with even the soles spotless.

“These are mine. They’re unused,” he said.

Cheng Li muttered softly, “Thank you.”

After speaking, she reached out to take them, but the next moment, Rong Qi bent down slightly and placed the flip-flops at her feet.

Cheng Li couldn’t help feeling moved. No wonder someone like him could achieve such success. That calm, composed demeanor in the face of awkward situations was something she could only hope to emulate.

Once she had slipped on the shoes, she spoke sincerely. “Thank you, really. I’ll make sure to clean them thoroughly before returning them.”

Her tone was overly polite, driven by gratitude, which only made her sound distant.

Hearing this, Rong Qi’s gaze fell on her face once again. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.

“Why is it that your shoes always seem so unreliable?”

Author’s Note:

Previous Cheng Li: The unattainable ideal.

Current Cheng Li: The endearing fool.

–

About the Cinderella reference in the last chapter: It seems like many didn’t get it. Cinderella is, after all, just another name for the classic tale of the glass slipper.

In Rong Qi’s eyes, how could Cheng Li ever be a dull, forgotten Cinderella?

Cheng Li: Already booking a cab to escape Earth. Please don’t ask.