On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 32
by Little PandaThe Young Miss Feels Terribly Guilty
A Little Apology Essay
Hangovers really were miserable — Yu Yan was experiencing this for the Nth time.
On the verge of waking, she rolled over and immediately felt a headache as though her skull had been split open — mouth dry, stomach churning. Fortunately, Lu Yu had left a glass of honey water on the nightstand. Yu Yan cracked her eyes open, caught sight of it, scrambled up to down it in one gulp, and flopped back onto the bed with a groan.
She was never drinking that much again.
For the Nth time, she made this promise to herself.
Amid her groaning, memories from after she’d been drinking came rushing back like floodwaters breaching a dam — sudden and overwhelming. Yu Yan stopped groaning and went wide-eyed. She reached for her phone, patted around without finding it, sat up to look properly, and finally spotted it on the sunlit wooden floor. She picked it up and pressed the power button. Dead.
She plugged it in immediately, kneeling there staring at the screen as she waited. When the phone finally gained one bar of charge and booted up, she swiftly unlocked it and opened WeChat. Sure enough, Fu Yunqing’s chat sat at the top of her list.
It wasn’t a dream?
She tapped into that oil-painting profile picture and saw the same messages from her dream — brimming with interrogation and an oppressive weight that made her heart pound.
She had hung up on Fu Yunqing in a fit of pique. Fu Yunqing had asked for her location. Fu Yunqing had called her three times — all missed. Fu Yunqing had demanded whether she’d done it on purpose. And then… they’d been on a video call for two hours?
Two hours? That long? Yu Yan didn’t remember a thing. Her memories were hazy — she vaguely recalled getting very sleepy, and Fu Yunqing asking if the scar on her forehead hurt. But she had absolutely no recollection of what she’d answered, or what had happened after… Two whole hours!
They’d actually talked for two hours — what on earth had they discussed? How could she have been that drunk and still talked for two hours? Who gets divorced and then spends two hours on a video call with their drunken ex-wife! It was absolute proof that Fu Yunqing hadn’t moved on at all!
So what had they talked about? It really mattered to Yu Yan. Damn it, why couldn’t she remember? She scowled, racked her brain for half a minute, and gave up because her head hurt too much.
So miserable… so utterly miserable… It was all because she’d been trying to fish1 Fu Yunqing that she was suffering like this now. Yu Yan curled up on the bed again. She thought — even if she couldn’t remember anything, she knew herself — she had tremendous self-confidence on that front. She was certain she must have spent the night apologizing to Fu Yunqing, acting coy, crying, calling her jiejie and Wife, and probably only hung up when her phone died. So what did Fu Yunqing’s behavior mean? Why hadn’t she hung up? Had she forgiven her? If she hadn’t forgiven her, why entertain the call and let it drag on and on? Utterly improper. Unless… she’d been enjoying it too.
So even if she hadn’t forgiven her, she was already well within reach.
Heh.
Her mind made up, Yu Yan hugged the duvet to herself, eyes curving into crescents. She pondered what message to send Fu-jiejie. A glance at the time — it was already noon.
Yu Yan tentatively sent: 【I’m awake!】
A minute later, she tentatively sent a sticker of a kitten saying good morning to its wife.
Why wasn’t she replying?
To distract herself from the waiting, Yu Yan backed out of the chat and realized that Ran Ling had also messaged her last night, asking if she’d gotten home safely.
Yu Yan hurriedly replied: 【55555 I’m sorry, Ran-jiejie! I drank way too much last night and didn’t see your message. I forgot to reply!】
Ran Ling replied quickly: 【Didn’t you say you wouldn’t drink too much?】 She quoted the message from last night where Yu Yan had promised she wouldn’t drink too much.
Yu Yan: 【QAQ】
Ran Ling commented: 【So disobedient.】
Yu Yan: 【Kitten apologizes.jpg.】
Ran Ling: 【Your Yunqing-jiejie is very worried about you. Don’t make her worry anymore.】
Yu Yan froze.
Fu Yunqing… was very worried about her.
Suddenly, a wave of guilt surged up inside the bad child.
She thought of the Fu Yunqing from three years ago — the one who had been so, so good to her.
Last night… she really had gone too far.
She was the one who’d done wrong and left. Now she was pursuing her again — insincerely, playing games. Fu Yunqing was already worried about her, and she’d deliberately hung up to make her worry even more. How despicable.
What had Fu Yunqing done wrong?
Fu Yunqing hadn’t done anything to wrong her. Why should she be toyed with like this?
Woken to her senses by Ran Ling’s single sentence, Yu Yan was swallowed whole by guilt. She sprawled across the bed, tormented, weighing her words for a long time before rolling over to compose a thoroughly sincere little essay2 of an apology to Fu Yunqing:
【I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night, shouldn’t have bothered you and then hung up on you, shouldn’t have made you worry. I know I was wrong. I was stupid — I thought making you anxious would make you care about me more, and I didn’t consider your feelings at all. I’ve reflected on it now. I know I was being childish and selfish, completely immature. I won’t do it again. I won’t ignore your messages or make you worry. Fu-jiejie, can you forgive me this once? Please don’t hate me. Please don’t delete me, okay?】
Yu Yan: 【Give me one more chance, okay?】
After sending it, the Young Miss — rather pleased with herself for being so clever and so good — cradled her phone and waited a good while. No reply came.
Was she busy? It was the weekend — was she still asleep? It was nearly twelve. She must be ignoring her on purpose.
Yu Yan lay there waiting for half an hour and got nothing. The situation seemed a touch worse than she’d anticipated. She sighed. Her stomach growled. She realized Lu Yu wasn’t home — a note said she’d gone out for a wander. The Young Miss, indignant, haughtily messaged to ask whether Lu Yu had left her any breakfast. Satisfied with the answer, she dragged herself up, ambled to the kitchen, and opened the microwave to check if her food was still warm. Nope — cold. She, of course, knew how to operate the little microwave. She hit the reheat button — ding — success. The aroma filled the air. Yu Yan’s lips curved with pride as she settled down to eat.
Her hunger and thirst sated, she had no choice but to figure out her next move.
She and Fu Yunqing needed to meet in person. WeChat wasn’t working — even a heartfelt apology couldn’t sway her. How was she supposed to see Fu Yunqing face to face?
Through relentless effort, Yu Yan finally tracked down Teacher Fu’s latest class schedule.
Monday — the day after tomorrow. This time, Yu Yan couldn’t show up empty-handed. She thought she ought to bring Fu-jiejie a gift to earn some goodwill.
Fu-jiejie was so wealthy and she was so broke — she absolutely couldn’t give her something store-bought. It had to be a gift of pure, sincere devotion.
Inspiration struck immediately.
— I want to learn a hundred more dishes just for her.
“Not bad, but a bit too sweet. Use less sugar next time — just a hint of sweetness, the faintest trace.”
“Oh — should I just skip the sugar altogether? The pear and tangerine are already sweet.”
“Worth a try.”
Tangerine Pear Tea — it soothed the throat and cleared internal heat. Fu Yunqing lectured for hours at a time; her throat was bound to get uncomfortable. After Yu Yan’s relentless experimentation, she finally landed on a recipe she was happy with. Lu Yu, keeping her company through the taste tests, had drunk her fill. Yu Yan noted down the recipe, went to bed early, and rose at dawn the next morning. She did her makeup, dressed, and brewed the tea for Fu Yunqing.
While buying ingredients yesterday, she’d made a special trip to the mall for a pretty glass tumbler. Pouring the freshly brewed tea into it made the whole thing look wonderfully refined.
Yuncheng had gotten colder again today. Yu Yan put together an outfit with distinct late-autumn vibes — an apricot sweater ensemble. Cheap pieces, all of them, but with her eye for aesthetics, she still looked every bit the pretty, refined little wealthy lady.
She took a cab to Yuncheng Drama Academy and walked to the academic building. Morning rush-hour traffic cost her some time, and by the time Yu Yan reached the classroom, only five minutes remained before the lecture started. The moment she walked in, she saw Fu Yunqing seated at the lectern.
Yu Yan stopped dead in her tracks — so sudden!
Fu Yunqing’s gaze swept over. The classroom was nearly full. Yu Yan steadied herself and, summoning her nerve, walked straight toward her under the eyes of every student.
Fu Yunqing wore light makeup, dressed in a blazer and pencil skirt. She sat in the old wooden chair behind the lectern, slides already prepared. On the desk sat her bag and a thermos.
What was in the thermos? Hot water? Would she still need Yu Yan’s Tangerine Pear Tea? Yu Yan reached her side. She was looking down at Fu Yunqing from above, yet under that gaze, she was no different from any of the timid students in the room.
She held out the glass tumbler with both hands, offering it nervously, looking every inch the dutiful girl. “Teacher Fu, this is Tangerine Pear Tea. I made it this morning. When I heard you lecture last time, I could tell how hard it was on you — it must really strain your voice. This tea soothes the throat. It’ll help you feel much better.”
Fu Yunqing said nothing. She didn’t take the Tangerine Pear Tea — just looked at her calmly, her expression unreadable. Whispers broke out among the students below. Nervous, Yu Yan took it upon herself to set the glass tumbler on the lectern. “I’ll leave it here for you, Teacher. Remember to drink it!”
With that, Yu Yan turned and headed down the aisle. The seats were almost all taken — only the far edges of the back row had openings. She found an empty seat next to a girl, confirmed no one was using it, and sat down quietly, sneaking glances at Fu Yunqing.
She watched Fu Yunqing pick up the Tangerine Pear Tea from the edge of the lectern and, without so much as a glance, set it alongside her bag and thermos.
As though she’d accepted it — very grudgingly, with her pride intact…
The bell rang, and Fu Yunqing began her lecture. For the entire class, Yu Yan’s eyes never left her, watching her every move. She kept expecting Fu Yunqing to get thirsty mid-lecture, unscrew the Tangerine Pear Tea, take a sip, feel the soothing comfort spread through her throat, and then — pleasantly disposed — extend that warmth toward Yu Yan as well, shedding some of that icy demeanor.
But she didn’t.
Forty minutes passed. She didn’t drink a single drop.
Why wasn’t she drinking it?
Had she not accepted it after all?
Yu Yan fretted. The glass tumbler didn’t retain heat — the tea must have gone cold already.
She went to the restroom, still glum, and in the stall she had a small breakdown: her period had started. She’d felt a faint ache in her lower back and abdomen since last night, but she’d never used to get period pain, so the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind — let alone the idea of bringing a pad.
“Hello — is anyone there? Could I borrow a pad?” she tried calling out. No one answered.
So awful. So, so awful. This wasn’t her school, where she could have a friend bring her whatever she needed at any moment. A completely unfamiliar environment — the only person she knew here was Fu Yunqing.
Thank heavens she knew at least Fu Yunqing.
For something like this, Fu Yunqing wouldn’t just leave her hanging… right?
She opened Fu Yunqing’s WeChat. Fu Yunqing still hadn’t replied to the little essay from the day before yesterday. Yu Yan very humbly composed her message: 【Teacher Fu, do you have a pad?】
【I got my period but I don’t have a pad. Teacher Fu, if—】 She hadn’t even finished typing the second message before Fu Yunqing replied: 【Where are you?】
Yu Yan typed quickly: 【The restroom at the right end of the hallway outside the classroom, second stall.】
Fu Yunqing: 【Wait there.】
Yu Yan was overwhelmed with gratitude: 【Thank you, Teacher Fu!】
Yu Yan waited a little longer. Footsteps entered the restroom. The woman stopped outside her door and called out: “Yu Yan.”
Yu Yan cracked the door open, reached out, and took the pack of tissues and the pad she offered. “Thank you.”
Fu Yunqing stood at the door and didn’t leave. Through the door, she asked Yu Yan: “Are your pants stained?”
Footnotes
- In modern Chinese internet slang, 'to fish' (diào) means to intentionally lead someone on, flirt, or bait them into a romantic trap.
- 'Xiǎo zuòwén' (little essay) is Chinese internet slang for a long, carefully written message — usually an apology, confession, or emotional outpouring — sent via chat, humorously comparing it to a school composition assignment.
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