Chapter 150 Picking a Green Plum 5: Sharing a Bed
Even earlier than the weekend for watching movies was the monthly exam.
With the monthly exams approaching, Su Cheng changed her habit of skipping unimportant classes and sneaking out of the school to attend all her classes properly.
She clearly understands that she must maintain her ranking in order to sustain her current life.
The school teachers turned a blind eye to her behavior because they wanted to maintain her academic performance.
Xi Congshuang was a transfer student. She had no grades before, so she was assigned to a class based on her zero score.
On the day of the exam, the two of them, each carrying a transparent bag containing pens, parted ways in front of Class 2, one going forward and the other backward.
In three days, Xi Congshuang produced several blank exam papers.
If it weren't for the name and student ID number written on them, the teachers would have thought they had accidentally slipped a blank paper in when collecting the papers.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Xi Congshuang's.
Her zero scores in every subject made her the undisputed worst student.
The person who was most excited upon hearing this news was the one who was last in the entire school. He had been consistently ranked last since the start of the semester, and he never expected that someone could be worse than him, allowing him, the one who arrived earlier, to surpass him.
The parents found out about the disastrous results even before the students did, when the report cards hadn't even been distributed to each class yet.
After school that day, Xi Congshuang was packing her things to go home when her phone, hidden deep in her schoolbag, shook. The screen lit up, and a familiar number appeared before her eyes.
It's my father's number.
Xi Congshuang paused as she closed her book, stared at her phone screen for a few seconds, and finally reached in to pick it up and answer the call.
Without any opening remarks, a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, Miss."
Sure enough, it was her assistant who had taken her father's phone and called to relay the message.
Knowing that Xi Congshuang was listening, the other party continued to convey what he needed to say: "President Cong said that he is very disappointed in you. If you continue to be willful and continue to rot in this place because you are his only heir, he will not mind if you don't inherit a single penny."
Xi Congshuang: "Oh."
The assistant continued, "Also, President Xi asked me to convey that her attitude is the same as President Cong's."
There was a pause on the other end, and when no reply was heard from Xi Congshuang, she continued, "Finally, because of your willfulness and failure to meet the standards, the monthly remittances will be drastically reduced to the minimum standard for support."
Xi Congshuang genuinely laughed, her inner thoughts echoing those of her fifteen-year-old self: "Whatever."
Further discussion is pointless. This couple is seasoned businessmen who prioritize profit and can even accurately calculate gains and losses, even when dealing with their own blood relatives.
She wasn't surprised to hear this answer, but when she actually heard it, she was still filled with indescribable emotions, and a bit of inexplicable amusement, as if talking to her current self would offend the two of them.
Xi Congshuang felt that her fifteen-year-old self must have been very disappointed.
Why was I born? Was it a long-term investment?
But after she grew up, she didn't feel any emotional fluctuations; she already knew what the outcome would be.
The call ended, lasting less than three minutes, and Xi Congshuang put her phone, now with the screen off, back into her bag.
Are you alright?
Sometime later, a single person returned to the almost empty classroom.
It was Su Cheng who had just returned from the office. She maintained her excellent grades and was still in first place. Teacher Wang called her to the office and said that the first place in each grade would receive an award and give a speech, and asked her to prepare the following speech.
Xi Congshuang: "Don't worry, I transferred here as a temporary student, so it won't affect your class's grades."
Su Cheng was taken aback, and quickly said, "That's not what I meant."
What does that mean?
Xi Congshuang looked over expressionlessly; she was in a very bad mood.
Still young at heart, I can be affected by unexpected phone calls and revert to my old state of not wanting to talk to anyone.
Su Cheng said, "The movie you were interested in last time is showing this weekend. I've bought the tickets. Let's go see it together on Saturday?"
Xi Congshuang was stunned. She hadn't expected Su Cheng to say this to her. She pointed to herself and asked, "Are you inviting me?"
Su Cheng: "You invited me first. If I don't want to go, I'll just ask for a refund."
Someone grabbed her arm and said from behind, "What time does it start? I want to go."
*
This was the first time Xi Congshuang had ventured outside of school since arriving in the distant city more than a month ago. It felt a little unfamiliar, but not too far.
It was the weekend, and the area around the mall was packed with people who were out relaxing.
It was only two stops away from her rented apartment complex. When she arrived, Su Cheng was still on the way. She said there was a bit of traffic today and asked Xi Congshuang to wait a moment.
Xi Congshuang replied "okay," then walked to the milk tea shop, showed the clerk her order, and picked up her milk tea.
She has now mastered the skill of ordering milk tea in advance and picking it up in the store. When she came out with the milk tea, Su Cheng also arrived. The two of them walked through the crowd and met up with Su Cheng.
"I'm late!" Su Cheng grabbed her phone and ran quickly to Xi Congshuang.
Upon seeing the person in front of me clearly, my eyes lit up.
The weather in the city warmed up today, and Xi Congshuang wore a sleeveless dress and a pair of flats that matched the color of the dress. Her long hair, which she always tied up at school, was draped over her shoulders, with some falling in front of her.
She exuded an air of elegance and refinement, standing out from the crowd, while the brightly colored milk tea bag in her hand seemed rather out of place.
Xi Congshuang was completely unaware, only looking at the person in front of her: "It's okay, I just got the milk tea not long ago. I forgot to ask your preference when I ordered it, so I ordered 50% sugar. I don't know if that's appropriate."
Su Cheng: "Perfect, I like it with 50% sugar."
The rest of the process is much simpler: collect your ticket, have it checked, and then enter the cinema.
Perhaps because they arrived early, there weren't many people in the theater; they were scattered in twos and threes in the corners, and they were mostly women.
Moreover, they mostly appeared to be working adult women; there were almost no students like them.
As soon as the advertisements started playing, more people appeared, and a pair of female college students sat next to Su Cheng.
Since it hadn't started yet, the audience members were chatting with the people around them. The two were still discussing in hushed tones when the phrase "the Best Actress's debut in the adult film industry" caught Xi Congshuang and Su Cheng's attention.
Is this the film that made the award-winning actress enter the adult film industry?
Xi Congshuang took the movie ticket that Su Cheng had been holding, saw the name on it, and immediately fell silent.
This name...
It's not the movie that Xi Congshuang mentioned to Su Cheng, but another movie starring a Best Actress and a rising star.
No wonder it was said that the Best Actress's debut film was a lesbian-themed movie. This was indeed a movie that Xi Congshuang was more interested in, but she hadn't told Su Cheng about it.
I never thought of saying it, and even if I were to, it wouldn't be now.
Looking at the name on the movie ticket, Xi Congshuang's long-buried memories began to stir, and she remembered how she had determined her orientation.
As early as when she received counseling and realized that she had developed an unusual dependence on her female psychologist, she vaguely sensed that her sexual orientation was likely different from what her parents expected.
Before the other party could even tell, Xi Congshuang requested to switch to a new doctor.
At that time, she hadn't yet fallen in love, but the unusual affection made Xi Congshuang alert. In the past, doctors had only asked her to cooperate superficially, never to this extent.
A new doctor was soon appointed. This time, the doctor was personally selected by her mother. She was older, more experienced, and more tolerant than the previous doctor.
She wanted to test whether she was just desperately seeking treatment and developing an unusual dependence on the young doctor's excessive gentleness, but a hazy, sticky dream completely confirmed her suspicions.
The blurry but clearly feminine figure in her dream made her realize that women of the same sex were more likely to arouse her emotions and desires.
As for why she noticed her own feelings in that female doctor, it was because the other person matched her orientation and aesthetics; she couldn't do without either of them, so she had more patience for her.
Even her mother said, "Dr. Li, you are the most cooperative, why should you be replaced?" These seemingly ordinary words made Xi Congshuang even more vigilant.
Someone like her shouldn't have much patience for others.
But that happened last year.
Xi Congshuang's numerous experiments and the emotional turmoil caused by the initial discovery of the truth quickly alerted the new doctor to her unusual behavior. No matter how intelligent she was, she was only fourteen years old, and naturally, she no longer had the ability to conceal her emotions.
Out of professional ethics, the doctor reported the situation to her parents in detail. After going through all the web pages she had browsed, her mother realized that she could not see the truth.
The couple's only heir turned out to be a homosexual.
That was the first time her mother lost her temper, constantly questioning her about why she was watching these things. She had heard even harsher things before, but she didn't care.
Naturally, the doctor was replaced again, and the medication was changed as well.
Later, the couple expressed their willingness to accept this arrangement, but only if the person was outstanding enough and the marriage partner was someone both of them approved of.
The couple had an arranged marriage and didn't see anything wrong with their offspring continuing the same arranged marriage fate.
In addition, Xi Congshuang must have a successor with her bloodline before she turns thirty, no matter what method she uses.
Upon hearing these words, Xi Congshuang suddenly felt an indescribable nausea and immediately retorted, "How long are you going to control me?"
There is naturally no answer to this question.
She began her rebellion from then on. Disagreements over her choice of major led to her being sent to a small town.
Xi Congshuang didn't actually have much of an opinion about the major she had already chosen; it's just that she didn't like anything her parents had chosen for her.
Returning to the present, Xi Congshuang looked at Su Cheng beside her.
Just then, Su Cheng also looked at her.
The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
Xi Congshuang wondered if Su Cheng had bought the wrong ticket, to which Su Cheng replied, "What do you mean by 'going to sea'?"
She hadn't realized she'd bought the wrong ticket; she was simply curious about what the audience around her were saying.
Su Cheng is good at many things, but she knows nothing about the entertainment industry and film and television-related matters; she has neither the time nor the interest.
Xi Congshuang: "What?"
Su Cheng thought she couldn't hear her, so she reached across the handrail between them and whispered in Xi Congshuang's ear, "Does 'going to the sea' mean diving in the ocean?"
Xi Congshuang's ears tingled, and she quickly denied it: "No."
Su Cheng: "What does that mean?"
The advertisements on the movie screen were very loud, and explaining to Su Cheng that it would disturb the nearby audience would be difficult. Xi Congshuang followed suit, stepping over the handrail and whispering in her ear, "The term 'Best Actress Goes to Sea' here refers to her starring in a same-sex romance film."
"..."
Shocking.
After a while, Su Cheng asked in confusion, "How come I remember you telling me about a movie where the female lead solves a case by being both a murderer and a detective, successfully sending out the list of officers and the battle plan, and ultimately achieving victory?"
Because it was set in the Republican era, her memory of it is quite vivid.
Xi Congshuang paused for a moment, then said, "Take a look at the movie title."
Su Cheng looked at them and fell into a deep silence. Suddenly, she buried her face in her hands and broke down in tears: "They're both set in the Republican era, one's a biography, the other a poignant tragedy. I bought the wrong thing—"
Xi Congshuang: "Want to keep watching?"
When she asked this question, she kept a close eye on Su Cheng's reaction, and if the other party showed even the slightest dislike...
Su Cheng gritted her teeth: "We're already here, and it's over fifty yuan, we can't waste it."
Xi Congshuang: "..." A very simple reason.
As a result, Su Cheng cried so much that she soaked a whole pack of tissues. After leaving the movie theater, she asked Xi Congshuang, "If only Second Aunt had taken the boat ticket back then, we wouldn't have been separated by the waves... Do you think there's still a chance for us to meet again?"
Love in the Republican era was mostly tragic.
The movie still has an open ending. The second mother changed out of her elegant cheongsam and put on a shirt and trousers. She was abandoned in the turmoil. The woman who was brought in to bring good luck was just a burden. One more person means one more mouth to feed.
As a result, the second aunt left the secluded inner quarters and became a reporter.
Besides writing sharp news articles, what she often did was stand on the dock, gazing in the direction the ships had gone, waiting for someone whose return was uncertain.
Xi Congshuang: "Probably."
In truth, she didn't know that, based on past experience, it was likely a tragic love story without a happy ending, and the yellowed photo in her arms was always cherished.
But she wanted to comfort Su Cheng, so she told a little white lie.
Su Cheng sniffed her reddened nose: "I believe you because you watch a lot of movies."
Xi Congshuang smiled: "You trust me that much."
"Um."
After watching the movie, I was hungry and decided to find a place to eat.
To be more precise, crying consumed too much energy; Su Cheng drank all the milk tea she had just cried.
This is an open-air restaurant with a grassy camping theme. It gets very crowded on weekends and is usually full.
The waiter finally found an empty table and let the two of them sit down, placing the menu on the table.
Su Cheng was still immersed in the previous plot and was a little uninterested, so she asked Xi Congshuang to help her order.
It was also the first time Xi Congshuang realized that this little lamb could cry so much.
Once all the steaming hot dishes were served, Xi Congshuang finally realized how quickly Su Cheng's emotions came and went.
The girl opposite Xi Congshuang still had red eyes, but after eating something delicious, she suddenly looked up at her and smiled, her eyes sparkling and moist: "This is delicious."
At that moment, Xi Congshuang's heart stirred; that smile, which was so ordinary to Su Cheng, struck her heart directly.
Under the guise of eating, Xi Congshuang lowered her eyes, ate with her fork, and responded softly, "Mmm."
The overhead light was soft and gentle, casting a halo around Xi Congshuang. Her long, thick eyelashes hinted at her future beauty.
Compared to her usual indifference and calmness, she was exceptionally gentle, like snow melting on a mountaintop.
Halfway through their meal, a voice suddenly grew louder behind them. The two of them turned to look at the source of the sound and found that a young man was proposing to his girlfriend in a pre-arranged area inside the restaurant.
The girl with exquisite makeup was surprised and taken aback by the sudden scene. After she came to her senses, her expression became emotional.
She kept asking her friends, "You always tell me to dress up nicely today, did you already know that?"
Several friends laughed and admitted that the friend closest to her, holding up a camera, said, "Quick, let the leading lady strike a pose for me."
With tears in her eyes, the girl held up two fingers and made a peace sign.
Amidst friendly laughter, the boy holding the ring loudly proclaimed, "Baby, will you marry me?"
This prompted a friend to tease him: "You spent all night memorizing the script and this is it?"
Seeing her boyfriend's embarrassment, the girl was both touched and amused, and reached out her hand to him.
A round of friendly applause erupted in the restaurant, and the person kneeling on one knee bowed and kissed the back of the boy's hand.
Su Cheng suddenly asked, "What does it feel like to be in a relationship?"
Xi Congshuang: "I don't know either."
She hadn't experienced it and couldn't describe the feeling.
Previously, she felt it was difficult for her to like anyone, and her gaze fell on Su Cheng, who was looking ahead. Now, her thoughts have changed.
Su Cheng turned to Xi Congshuang, and after a moment, she smiled and said, "I hope my love story begins with a bouquet of flowers."
Xi Congshuang's soul was shaken; the question that had been buried deep in her heart but for which she could not find an answer finally had a real answer.
So that's how it is.
She remembered the words for a long time, but couldn't recall who said them or why they had left such a deep impression on her.
So it was she who said it.
*
As night deepened, Xi Congshuang opened her door, pressed the switch beside her, and the room lit up.
"Come in." Xi Congshuang bent down and took out a pair of new house slippers that she hadn't worn from the shoe cabinet, and placed them in front of Su Cheng.
She changed her shoes and walked into the living room, which was a one-bedroom apartment, just right for one person to live alone.
It's getting late, and Su Cheng's home is quite far from here. It wouldn't be safe for her to go home alone so late at night, so Xi Congshuang suggested that she stay at her place overnight and go back home when it gets light.
Su Cheng agreed, feeling a surge of excitement. This was her first time staying overnight at a friend's house, and the unprecedented experience filled her with wonder.
"Would you like some water?" Xi Congshuang said. "If you want a beverage, you can order takeout and have it delivered."
Xi Congshuang doesn't really like drinking beverages, except for coffee.
For her, coffee is a functional beverage; she drinks it to stay alert, not for entertainment.
"Water is fine." Su Cheng took a step back, changed her shoes, and followed her inside.
Then I saw the kitchen, which was spotless and had only been used for boiling water, without being touched anywhere else.
During her time living alone, the young lady developed basic life skills. She learned how to operate the washing machine, how much detergent to use, and how to keep her living space in perfect order.
However, she could never learn to cook; Xi Congshuang was a complete kitchen disaster.
She tried, but what she made didn't look like human food; it resembled a charred curry-like mess.
To avoid food poisoning and the associated high medical costs, Xi Congshuang wisely opted for takeout. Firstly, it saved her money, and secondly, it would be embarrassing to get food poisoning from her own food.
Su Cheng sat down on the sofa and took the water glass handed to her with both hands: "Your home is the same as mine, with only one person at home."
This was the first time she had brought up her family matters on her own initiative.
Xi Congshuang continued the conversation: "Do your parents' jobs involve frequent business trips?"
Su Cheng: "No, my father passed away a long time ago. He and my mother divorced when I was very young because of differences in their beliefs. My mother is probably working abroad and rarely comes back."
Xi Congshuang: "...I see."
She had long realized that Su Cheng's parents were not around, but she didn't expect them to be apart in this way.
Su Cheng suddenly remembered something: "Oh no, I didn't bring any clothes. I should have bought some when I was out and brought them back."
Xi Congshuang calmly replied, "No need, I have one. It's just one I've worn before. If you don't mind, you can borrow it for one night."
Su Cheng said she didn't mind, drank half a glass of water, and took the clothes that Xi Congshuang had found for her to go into the bathroom to take a shower.
The clothes I took off can be washed in the washing machine and dried, so I can wear clean clothes again tomorrow.
The bathroom door was closed, and Su Cheng was holding a set of soft loungewear in her arms. Unlike her own pajamas with a sheep pattern, all of Xi Congshuang's clothes had a strong personal style.
Even her pajamas were plain, with only a light blue flower embroidery on the collar.
The person standing in the bathroom stared at the clothes in their arms for a long time, their lowered eyes lost in thought.
After a long while, she unconsciously lowered her head and took a deep breath of the fabric at the collar.
The clothes were clean; she had watched Xi Congshuang take them out of the closet and fold them neatly.
Floral? Woody?
Floral scents smell like laundry detergent, so woody scents are...
The scent of Xi Congshuang herself.
"..."
A dozen minutes later, a person with a flushed face walked out of the bathroom, their body covered in warm, moist steam.
Su Cheng tugged at the hem of her clothes, pulling the already loose top down even further: "I'm ready."
Xi Congshuang didn't know what was happening inside. She led the person into the room and went in to take a shower as well.
When she came out after taking a shower, she saw Su Cheng looking at the teddy bear that occupied most of the single sofa in the room.
This bear was enormous, taller than a person and bigger than several Su Chengs combined, yet it appeared even thinner and more frail next to the teddy bear.
I feel like I could just use this teddy bear as a bed.
Hearing someone open the door and come in behind her, Su Cheng turned around: "You're here. I didn't expect you to like teddy bears."
She had assumed that Xi Congshuang was the kind of person who received elite education from a young age, had few hobbies, and whose personal style and bedroom style were both clean and simple, with little decoration.
The existence of this enormous teddy bear was still beyond Su Cheng's expectations.
If someone else asked her this question, Xi Congshuang would admit it without changing her expression, confirming that the other person's guess might be the opposite of what she expected.
But the person who asked her was Su Cheng.
I don't know when it started, but the idea that it doesn't matter if it's her words has taken deep root, and at this moment it has sprouted and quietly taken root.
Xi Congshuang let her hair down, raised her lowered eyes, and calmly denied, "I don't really like teddy bears. They exist more for treating my illness."
Su Cheng asked, puzzled: "Treat an illness?"
Xi Congshuang: "For some reason, I developed skin hunger at a very young age. After years of treatment, it has improved a lot, but it occasionally recurs."
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng's expression changed slightly, and she slowly sat up straight.
Raising her hand to the adorable teddy bear, Xi Congshuang said casually, "So the doctor suggested I buy a large doll big enough to wrap around me, so that hugging the teddy bear can relieve my emotions when I have an attack."
Recalling the past, Xi Congshuang added, "When it became so serious that it affected my life, I had to be hospitalized and take medication."
Su Cheng was completely speechless, slowly processing the confession from the other party.
Although their parents were not around, and many of their situations mirrored each other, Su Cheng lived a good life while her father was still alive, and she felt happy.
Her dad treats her like an accessory, taking her everywhere he goes. While he's at work, she quietly plays with her toys. No matter how busy he is, he never neglects her feelings.
When talking about her mother, with whom she rarely sees each other, she was positive, saying that her mother is a person with her own ideas, and she hopes that her daughter can be as determined and capable as her mother in the future.
Every winter and summer vacation, I send her abroad for a few days before she comes back, but my mother is too busy with work, travels frequently, and has an irregular time zone, so it is difficult to contact her in time.
But Su Cheng could understand this perfectly. In her father's words, her mother was just realizing her dream, and perhaps in the future, her name would be praised by everyone.
That's why Su Cheng is so lively and strong.
It's hard to imagine how Xi Congshuang, who has both parents, contracted this disease.
Xi Congshuang avoided her gaze: "It's getting late, it's time to sleep."
Just as she was about to move, she suddenly remembered something, turned her head and said, "If you mind, I can sleep on the sofa for one night. The sofa can be laid flat to make a bed."
The intention behind saying this was to tell the other person not to take it to heart, but inwardly mocking them for being insane and saying anything.
Such words are likely to be a burden to others.
"no."
Xi Congshuang's clothes were tugged by someone; the hand that grabbed her belonged to Su Cheng.
Looking at her with bright, moist eyes, Su Cheng frowned and said, "How can I let you sleep outside? It's still very cold at night."
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I've been working myself to the bone... If it's tomorrow...
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