On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 38
by Little PandaHelpless Against Her
She is only strict because she hasn’t given up on her.
After leaving her comment, Yu Yan saved the video to her phone’s photo album.
She wanted to see if Fu-jiejie would respond to her yearning.
Yu Yan lay in bed, waiting and waiting. Upon opening WeChat for the umpteenth time, she finally spotted a red dot over the WeChat Moments tab. She tapped it excitedly, but it wasn’t a reply from Fu Yunqing.
—So jealous of Yunqing.
It was a playful comment left by their mutual friend Ran Ling under Fu Yunqing’s post.
It went without saying that she was mimicking and teasing Yu Yan. Fu Yunqing hadn’t replied to either of them, which actually made Yu Yan feel a bit more balanced inside.
Three days later, Yu Yan arrived early at Teacher Fu’s classroom, bringing her secret-recipe Tangerine Pear Tea.
The classroom was empty. Aside from the familiar high-ponytail student already sitting properly in the front row, Yu Yan was the earliest arrival.
As Yu Yan entered, their eyes met. Startled, Yu Yan hesitantly slowed her pace. She didn’t know if rivals in love truly saw red when they met, but the awkwardness was certainly real. The other girl’s gaze was filled with a haughty, scrutinizing glare. Yu Yan blinked, deciding not to stoop to her level. She pulled the Tangerine Pear Tea from her handbag, placed it on the podium, and found a seat in the back.
The girl tracked her every movement as if Yu Yan were committing some crime, but ultimately said nothing. Yu Yan didn’t pay it much mind, taking her seat to quietly wait for the teacher to arrive.
Teacher Fu walked into the classroom. First, she noticed the Tangerine Pear Tea on the podium. Then she raised her eyes, locking precisely onto someone’s radiant, smiling gaze.
As if unable to withstand the intense, earnest heat in those eyes, Teacher Fu glanced at her for only a second before shifting her gaze away.
She moved the Tangerine Pear Tea to the side, just like last time. Yu Yan knew this meant she was accepting it. Beaming, she felt a swell of triumph.
But this was far from enough.
They needed some progress between them.
Yu Yan had already thought this through—she had come prepared today.
【Does Teacher Fu have time after class?】 Taking advantage of the break when the teacher was free, Yu Yan quickly put on a show of making a seemingly proper request: 【I have something I want to tell you, if I could take up a little of your time.】
Message sent, Yu Yan stared fixedly at the podium.
Teacher Fu sat in her chair with lowered eyes, not even lifting her head. Her demeanor was dignified and tranquil. Despite her soft, elegant appearance, she always exuded a chilling aloofness. She had definitely seen Yu Yan’s message, but her expression remained completely unchanged, unruffled.
Had she grown used to Yu Yan’s harassment? She had become incredibly composed.
So captivating. At times like this, Yu Yan’s desire to be her devoted little dog surged stronger than ever. She stared so intently she became completely distracted, so mesmerized she forgot her actual business, until suddenly, the phone in her hand vibrated—Fu-jiejie: 【Wait for me downstairs after class.】
Carrying her bag, Yu Yan drifted downstairs with the tide of students. She blended perfectly into the crowd without feeling out of place in the slightest. Once downstairs, she stood waiting by the flowerbed next to the main road.
She looked left and right, unsure where Fu-jiejie’s car would emerge from. She double-checked the items in her bag and glanced at the time on her phone. Suddenly, she heard someone call her name. “Yu Yan?”
Hm?
Yu Yan looked up. A student-looking girl from a short distance behind her walked right up and looked her up and down. “What are you doing standing here?”
“You…” She looked extremely familiar. Aside from Fu Yunqing, she was probably the second most familiar person to Yu Yan at this school—the female student who had a crush on Fu Yunqing.
Dressed in designer brands, she had a bright, beautiful face, and her long, pitch-black hair was tied back in a high ponytail. She was exceptionally youthful and radiant.
Yu Yan was surprised. “You know my name?”
“Of course I do,” she said dismissively. “I also know that you’re Teacher Fu’s ex-wife.”
Yu Yan was even more shocked. “How did you know?”
“Is it that hard to find out?” The matter between them wasn’t exactly a secret; anyone who paid even a little attention to Fu Yunqing could figure it out, or just search it up online. The girl spoke testily, “Are you here rubbing class1 with Teacher Fu again?”
Her tone was genuinely hostile. Yu Yan got a very bad feeling. “Is something wrong?”
“I’ve never seen someone freeloading on a class sit right in the middle with such peace of mind, especially when you didn’t even pay tuition,” she sneered in disgust. “You’re already divorced, yet you’re still here harassing Teacher Fu.”
Oh, Yu Yan understood her meaning now.
Only at this moment did she truly experience the sensation of a rival in love seeing red.
Seeing her stay silent, the girl continued, “Could you stop harassing Teacher Fu? You’ve been divorced for so long, so what’s the point of suddenly showing up looking for her? A corpse returning to life2? Haven’t you heard the saying that an ex should act like a dead person and not disturb the other’s life? She was perfectly fine teaching her class, doing her job, and you run over to harass her—what kind of behavior is that? Have you ever considered the impact it might have on her?”
“…” It’s over. Yu Yan couldn’t find a single word to refute her. She was completely at a disadvantage.
“Even as an outsider, I can see that Teacher Fu finds you annoying.” Earlier, right after class, Teacher Fu had packed up her things and left immediately, walking so fast it looked like she was dodging her, afraid of being harassed. The more Xiao Jing thought about it, the more confident she felt. She said condescendingly, “I suggest you be smart and stop harassing Teacher Fu in her classes. And don’t tell me it’s none of my business—I’m a proper student of hers, so it’s only natural I speak up for her. If you really want to take her class, fine. If you have the ability, pass the entrance exam for Yuncheng Drama Academy. Once you do that, I’ll have nothing more to say about you attending her lectures.”
Passing the exam for Yuncheng Drama Academy… seemed a bit too difficult…
Yu Yan suddenly realized that her life was too much of a failure. She couldn’t test into a good school like Yuncheng Drama Academy, now she had even lost the right to sit in on classes for free, and she couldn’t even out-talk her love rival when they met. She was reduced to standing there like she was being punished, taking a scolding.
Defeated. Too defeated.
Unable to say anything, she looked at the domineering girl in front of her, lowered her eyes, and let out a timid, “Oh.”
“…” The girl stood opposite her, arms crossed, having braced herself for a full-blown argument. She hadn’t expected Yu Yan to be so easy to bully. After being scolded so harshly, she had just replied with an “Oh,” looking so despondent it seemed like she was about to cry. It completely threw her off. “You, you—”
“Xiao Jing.” Suddenly, she was interrupted.
A car had pulled over by the curb. At some point, Fu Yunqing had appeared right behind them.
Xiao Jing jumped in fright. “Teacher Fu?”
Fu Yunqing walked over and stopped right by Yu Yan’s side.
Yu Yan lowered her head, noticing that their hands were less than two centimeters apart. So close.
Yu Yan blinked.
“Teacher Fu, you, you… I, I…” The girl who had been so incredibly overbearing just moments ago was reduced to an embarrassed stammer in front of her own teacher.
When did Teacher Fu get here? she thought, panicking. Did Teacher Fu hear all those aggressive things I just said?
Of course she heard them. So stupid, so oblivious. The car was right behind her for so long and she didn’t even notice, Yu Yan thought helplessly. Idiot.
Who am I? I’m Yu Yan! she thought. From childhood until now, it was always me strutting around high and mighty bullying other people, okay? Since when did it become someone else’s turn to bully me? I have to strike back hard!
Thus, Yu Yan summoned her boundless audacity. Capitalizing on Fu Yunqing’s protective proximity in this moment, she carefully hooked her arm, her fingertips lightly brushing against Fu Yunqing’s palm. She looked up at her and called out softly, aggrieved, “Jiejie…”
Fu Yunqing glanced at her but didn’t pull away. Letting Yu Yan cling to her arm, she looked mildly at Xiao Jing. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just…” Seeing the intimate closeness between the two women in front of her, Xiao Jing wanted to die on the spot. Her face stiff, she forced a smile. “I was just about to head to the cafeteria, Teacher Fu, I…”
“Alright,” Fu Yunqing smiled indulgently. “Hurry along, or you’ll have to wait in line later.”
Recognizing this as a way out, Xiao Jing fled in a flustered near-jog. Watching her retreating figure, Yu Yan tightened her grip on Fu Yunqing’s arm. She was afraid that now that they had chased the girl away, Fu-jiejie wouldn’t let her stay this close anymore, and she refused to let go.
Sensing her insecurity, Fu Yunqing couldn’t harden her heart and tacitly permitted it for the short walk. The two approached the car. As Fu Yunqing went to separate from her and circle around to the driver’s seat, Yu Yan reluctantly let go of her arm. She stood rooted in place, eyes damp, gazing at her with grievance and longing.
Fu Yunqing’s heart trembled.
“Get in,” she said softly.
Yu Yan lowered her head and obediently climbed into the car. Today was a bright, sunny day, yet Yu Yan—who was usually full of enthusiasm—was in incredibly low spirits.
Fu Yunqing turned on the navigation; the destination was Lu Yu’s place. It wasn’t far from Yuncheng Drama Academy—a thirteen-kilometer journey, about a twenty-minute drive.
Yu Yan turned her head, staring blankly out the window. Fu Yunqing could see her drooping eyelashes casting a forlorn shadow beneath her eyes.
A silence thick with unvoiced thoughts persisted for a long time. Back when they were together, Yu Yan had always been the one to liven up the atmosphere with her endless vivacity, while Fu Yunqing simply watched and listened from the side—listening to her wild imagination and sweet talk (or rather, nonsense). Precisely because she was usually so radiant, her current depression was starkly obvious. Just as Fu Yunqing could detect her anomalies the second they appeared in the past, she could still do so now.
She was a sensitive child. She wasn’t actually all that strong.
“What did you want to say?”
Fu Yunqing taking the initiative to speak made Yu Yan pause, but she only kept her head down. Gripping her handbag tightly, she didn’t utter a single sound.
She was like a vibrant flower that had a bucket of reprimands poured over its head, drowning out her passion and courage, leaving her to wither. Originally, she could have withered away properly and quietly, if only Fu Yunqing hadn’t spoken up.
“Didn’t you have something to tell me?” Fu Yunqing pulled the car over to the curb. Seeing her evasion, her tone unavoidably turned strict.
Strict, but not dangerous. Not frightening. It was only because she hadn’t truly given up on her that she couldn’t help being strict.
“…” Yu Yan rejoiced secretly in her heart, but kept her head bowed and stayed silent.
“Yu Yan, don’t tell me you want me to coax you?”
“I don’t.” Yu Yan immediately looked up, denying such shameless behavior.
“It’s not actually anything important.” Her eyes were a little red as she muttered softly, “I was afraid you’d get angry.”
“You didn’t think it would make me angry when you sent the message?” Fu Yunqing countered.
“Bothering me time and time again—weren’t you afraid I’d get angry then?”
She had been brimming with confidence those previous times, her heart surging with excitement just last night. But after being lectured so thoroughly and realizing how truly unsightly she had been, she no longer had the confidence that Fu-jiejie would continue indulging her.
“…” Yu Yan scrunched her nose and bit her lip as if trying desperately to hold back her tears. She looked down, opened her handbag, and pulled out a chaotic pile of little trinkets.
There was canned cat food, cat clothes, a pet brush, a chirping bird teaser wand, and the “Safe and Sound” gold pendant.
She had bought all of these things with the money she earned from pandering to women3 on her livestream over the last two days. She had spent every cent she’d made. After going to the mall and buying the gold pendant, she had only a few dozen RMB left in her pocket, yet she had still been beaming with absolute joy. She just felt too much guilt toward Honey and wanted to make amends. Buying a few things for your child after a divorce was perfectly normal—assuming, of course, that your ex-wife didn’t hate you.
“I watched the video Fu-jiejie posted on WeChat Moments that day so many times. The more I watched it, the sadder I got. I really wanted to buy her something.”
“I don’t mean anything else by it, I just miss her so much and feel so sad. I wanted to buy her some toys and stuff. None of these are very expensive… This canned food has great palatability. As for these clothes, I don’t know if the size is right. Fu-jiejie definitely already has a brush at home, but I just inexplicably wanted to buy one anyway. And the teaser wand—if she’s bored with the ones at home, she’ll definitely like a new one. And this… this pendant is pure gold, even though it’s not very many grams…”
She introduced each item one by one, then waited cautiously for her judgment.
Did she really think doing all this would make Fu Yunqing angry?
Yes. Fu Yunqing had once told her she no longer had the right to long for Honey. She had taken those words to heart, hadn’t she?
That was why she was so fearful.
Unable to bear it, Fu Yunqing said, “I’m not angry.”
She thought to herself, I really am helpless against her.
Footnotes
- 'Cèng kè' means to freeload or sneak into a university class to listen to the lecture without officially registering or paying tuition.
- 'Corpse returning to life' (zhà shī) is humorous internet slang for an ex-partner suddenly contacting you after a long period of silence, as if rising from the dead.
- 'Mèi nǚ' literally means to pander to or charm women. In this context, it refers to female streamers deliberately catering to the female/lesbian gaze for financial support.
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