Time and Space Interwoven (4)
“Ye, Ye Youqing?” She murmured as if speaking to herself. The woman in front of her had the same face, but she did not dare to recognize her at once.
Ye Youqing, on the other hand, was shouting thank heavens in her mind. She took a step forward, crossed the threshold, and embraced the person, gently patting her disheveled curly hair.
“It’s alright now, I’m here.” She said softly. The wide trench coat, due to the hugging posture, wrapped them both together.
“Ye Youqing, is it really you?” Ci Ke’s earlier terror overflowed instantly because of Ye Youqing, her voice trembling, “I thought I would never see you again.”
In the vast unfamiliar world, only the woman in front of her could give her a sense of stability.
The feelings of both were complex, a mix of sadness and joy. Ji Han, in the back, kept retreating, almost twisting her ankle in high heels, and muttered softly, “Just one night, and you two are already this familiar?”
Only then did Ye Youqing realize that there was someone else watching. She sniffed, quickly wiped away her tears with her fingers, and pushed Ci Ke into the room. Ji Han hurriedly followed and closed the door.
“What is going on?” Ji Han looked at “Miss Ci,” who was being helped to sit down by Ye Youqing, still maintaining the astonished expression she had moments ago.
“It’s hard to explain in a short time; I’ll tell you in detail later.” Ye Youqing looked at Ci Ke, finally feeling relieved after the anxiety that had hung over her since yesterday. “Ji Han, help me take care of her for a bit. I’ll go get a glass of water.”
Ye Youqing was about to get up, but Ci Ke kept clutching her coat. Seeing this, Ji Han quickly waved her hand, “Forget it, I’ll go instead. You two talk.”
This house is not very big, with two bedrooms and a living room. The room is somewhat crowded and cluttered, piled with women’s clothes and various items. Especially the sofa underneath, which has a lot of clothes on it, clearly indicating it is the residence of a single young woman.
However, the lighting is good, with warm sunlight streaming in through the clean windows of the living room, shining on people, and slowly calming their emotions.
Ye Youqing grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and handed it to Ci Ke, then hugged her again, gently rocking as if afraid that she would disappear if she blinked.
“This is the place she mentioned, your home?” Ci Ke exhaled and asked softly, then looked at Ye Youqing’s strange clothes, “You dressed like this, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“She? You already know everything?” Ye Youqing was a bit surprised, placing her hand on Ci Ke’s shoulder and straightening up.
“I had suspected before that something was wrong with you. You didn’t let me call you Ah You, your tastes were completely different, and your temperament was entirely different. But I didn’t think deeply about it, just like everyone else, I thought you had been stimulated and turned over a new leaf,” Ci Ke said, staying close to Ye Youqing. “Especially later, when you thought I was asleep and talked to me. Although it was hazy, I could guess a thing or two.”
“Was it the time you gave me the painting?” Ye Youqing asked, prompting a nod from Ci Ke.
Ye Youqing sighed deeply, tilting her head slightly. “I knew you were the smartest.”
Ji Han found the tea bags, brought over two cups of tea, and then tactfully hid in the bathroom. Ci Ke drank the tea in big gulps, finally calming down completely, and quickly recounted everything that happened after Ye Youqing left.
Including the words spoken by the other Ye Youqing.
Ye Youqing listened carefully. Her aversion to the Ye Youqing from the other world had always stemmed from her attitude towards Ci Ke, but after hearing Ci Ke recount her words, a sense of sentiment welled up in her heart.
She knew the original ending, having probably read that book or watched that TV series, Ye Youqing guessed.
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After Ci Ke finished speaking, Ye Youqing also said a few simple words, then reached out to pull her up, and softly said, “We can’t stay here too long. If Miss Ci’s friends or relatives come looking, it would be hard to explain.”
“I’ll find you some clothes to change into first.” Ye Youqing pulled Ci Ke towards the bedroom while shouting towards the bathroom, “Ji Han, we might need to trouble you to take us back.”
“Got it, President Ye,” Ji Han’s muffled voice came from the bathroom.
With Ye Youqing around, Ci Ke quickly set aside her worries about the unknown world and became full of curiosity instead. She cautiously followed Ye Youqing around until they found the secondary bedroom, which had been converted into a walk-in closet. She watched as Ye Youqing picked out a yellow long dress from among the many colorful dresses.
Ci Ke took the long dress with a face full of rejection. “How is this dress even stranger than what you’re wearing?”
“This Miss Ci seems to be very fond of dresses. Besides long dresses, there are only leggings,” Ye Youqing knew that Ci Ke, being someone from ancient times, couldn’t change her dressing habits immediately, no matter how open-minded she was. She could only persuade her reluctantly, “The girls on the streets here all dress like this. Just bear with it for a while. Besides, there’s an overcoat too.”
As she spoke, Ye Youqing pulled down a white casual blazer and handed it to the unwilling Ci Ke.
After Ci Ke awkwardly changed, they finally went out. Ji Han was already standing at the door with the car keys, waiting. Seeing Ye Youqing, she asked worriedly, “We’re just taking her away like this. What if her family can’t find her and gets anxious?”
Ye Youqing waved the phone in her hand. “Her phone is here. If anyone asks, just say she’s out with a friend.”
Before leaving, she remembered something and found a mask on the table to put on Ci Ke. Being somewhat of a public figure, it was better not to be recognized.
On the way downstairs, although Ci Ke didn’t speak, her occasional clinging to Ye Youqing showed her nervousness, especially when the elevator descended, as Ci Ke almost cried out.
Ji Han, on the other hand, kept her head down, not daring to look or think too much.
“Don’t be afraid, this is an elevator, it helps us go up and down the building,” Ye Youqing explained carefully in a soft voice, like a spring breeze, causing Ji Han to frequently glance sideways.
“I’ve never seen you talk to anyone like this,” Ji Han said with a cryptic smile. “Miss Ci really is charming.”
“Well, now you’ve seen it,” Ye Youqing’s face reddened slightly, but she spoke with a blank expression.
They went down to the parking lot and found Ji Han’s car. Ye Youqing opened the car door, and after Ci Ke cautiously sat inside, looking around, she bent down to sit next to her and fastened her seatbelt.
The moment the car started, Ci Ke couldn’t help but widen her eyes, looking at Ye Youqing and then out the window, uttering a quiet exclamation of wonder.
Seeing Ci Ke’s curious expression, Ye Youqing felt quite cheerful. She bent her phoenix eyes and held Ci Ke’s hand, whispering in her ear, “There are many more new things here. If you want to see them, I’ll show you one by one.”
As they spoke, the car had already driven onto the road. The neatly manicured green belts1 on either side of the wide road whizzed past, and occasionally, cars zoomed by, causing Ci Ke to tremble slightly.
She had never seen such a scene before. Although scared, she still looked out the car window with a mix of fear and joy.
“Ye Youqing, look, what is that?” Ci Ke couldn’t help but point to a bridge spanning the river in the distance and asked in a low voice.
“That’s a bridge. We’ll be driving onto it soon,” Ye Youqing said. Throughout the journey, she patiently explained all the new things Ci Ke saw.
“Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you earlier. This is Ji Han, my friend,” Ye Youqing said, pointing to Ji Han, who was driving. Ji Han turned her head awkwardly and smiled.
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Although she was curious about the identity of this different “Miss Ci” behind her, her long-standing habit made her hold back and not ask.
Ci Ke greeted her and then spoke, “Thank you, Miss Ji. But I don’t quite understand, the ‘President Ye’ you mentioned earlier is…”
Ji Han laughed dryly and tucked her short hair behind her ear. “She used to be my boss. I’m just used to calling her that, so it slips out sometimes.”
Ci Ke nodded and leaned on Ye Youqing’s shoulder, looking out at the swiftly passing scenery outside the window with a smile.
They soon arrived at their destination. Ye Youqing got out of the car with Ci Ke, bid farewell to Ji Han, and then took the elevator upstairs. Having had the previous experience, Ci Ke wasn’t scared this time.
As soon as they entered the door, Ye Youqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. She hung her coat on the coat rack and reached out to take off Ci Ke’s jacket, placing it together with her own.
Ci Ke, like a curious baby, started looking around again and exclaimed, “This is your residence, it’s really big.”
She didn’t dare to walk around too much, just stood in place until Ye Youqing took her hand. Only then did she follow her around, occasionally picking up an ornament to scrutinize, her eyes blinking.
“What is this black box?” Ci Ke asked, pointing to the television mounted on the wall.
Ye Youqing casually picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. The sudden appearance of images and figures inside startled Ci Ke, causing her to step back repeatedly. Ye Youqing put an arm around her waist and said with pursed lips, “This is called a television, it’s for watching shows.”
Inside, a TV drama was playing. Seeing that the people inside didn’t come out after a long time, Ci Ke finally gathered the courage to step forward and touch it.
“Amazing,” she murmured. “So this is really your place.”
“Isn’t it much better than Qi Dynasty?” Ci Ke’s tone was somewhat cautious, her fox-like eyes clear and transparent in the light as she looked at Ye Youqing.
Ye Youqing heard the worry in her words, so she shook her head and played with Ci Ke’s hand in her palm. “This place is nice, but I didn’t feel happy when I came back, until I saw you.”
“Any place without you can’t be considered good,” Ye Youqing said.
The worry in Ci Ke’s eyes dissipated, and she looked at Ye Youqing with a radiant smile, opening her arms to hug her neck. Softly, she said, “Hold me for a while. I still feel anxious.”
Ye Youqing obliged and hugged her, the two women swaying together. Ye Youqing wanted to lower her head to kiss her, but Ci Ke dodged away.
“This body isn’t mine; you can’t touch it,” Ci Ke said, twirling around and slipping away like an eel.
Ye Youqing was taken aback, then laughed silently. She pointed to herself and said, “Then this body is mine. You should touch it more.”
Ci Ke’s face turned red, and she pretended to reach out. This time, it was Ye Youqing who hurriedly dodged.
“Forget it, forget it. I sweated a lot yesterday, and this morning I rushed to find you, so I haven’t showered yet.” Ye Youqing said, embarrassed, as she touched her hair and pulled Ci Ke to sit on the sofa. “Wait for me here for a bit. You can watch some TV or stroll around, but don’t go into the kitchen. I’m afraid you might hurt yourself.”
She then took some snacks from the fridge and placed them in front of Ci Ke. After these instructions, she took off her light blue shirt and went into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water could be heard. Ci Ke, feeling bored, got up and wandered around, eventually entering the bedroom. On one wall were some photos of Ye Youqing from the past, which hadn’t been taken down.
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There were photos of a chubby baby, a girl with pigtails, a cold-faced student in a school uniform, and an adult Ye Youqing in a shirt and jeans, sitting alone on a mountaintop with a range of snowy mountains behind her.
These were all photos of Ye Youqing, but without exception, she was alone in every one of them. Ci Ke slowly furrowed her brow and reached out to touch the photo of the solitary young girl. For some reason, her heart suddenly ached.
There was a noise outside; Ye Youqing had finished her shower and came out. Ci Ke took a few steps out of the bedroom, her pace gradually slowing.
The slender woman was wearing a fitted slip dress, revealing her smooth, bony shoulders and long, delicate legs. She was barefoot on the carpet, drying her hair. The neckline of the dress was very low, low enough to see the sparkling water droplets sliding down her smooth skin into a small patch of whiteness.
After a few casual wipes, she tossed aside the towel, brushed her hair back, and raised her head, beckoning to the dazed Ci Ke with a finger.
Ci Ke, almost uncontrollably, walked over. The fresh scent of body wash emanated from the woman, smelling like flowers. It wasn’t until Ye Youqing clapped her hands in front of her that Ci Ke snapped back to reality.
“What are you thinking about?” Ye Youqing asked with a smile.
Ci Ke unconsciously licked her lips and turned her head. “So this is what you would become after a few years.”
The original body, around thirty years old, had shed its youthful greenness and appeared mature and stunningly beautiful, as if possessing an even stronger allure. Ci Ke’s face turned red, and her heart raced.
Footnotes
- Green Belts (綠化帶): landscaped strips along the road, common in urban planning to enhance the environment and aesthetics of the area.
