Volume 1 Chapter 129: Their Separate Mornings

Early in the morning, while Bai Muxue was still lingering in her dreams, Shen Jingyi had already gotten up.

Before leaving, she put the scattered clothes back in place and tucked the blanket around a certain girl whose sleeping posture was not very good. After cleaning the room until it was spotless, she quietly left...

As if she had never been there at all.

At this hour, Wangdu had not yet fully awakened.

The horizon was only beginning to brighten with the pale light of dawn. A few stars still remained in the sky, and the streetlights along the roads continued to cast their dim yellow glow. Only a handful of pedestrians hurried past.

Occasionally, a breeze would pass through, making the leaves rustle softly.

Shen Jingyi's thin figure stretched long across the morning light. Like a fairy who, after wandering through the night, still had not found a place to belong.

At a time when even the buses had not started running yet, Shen Jingyi walked for more than half an hour before returning to the old apartment complex she knew so well.

The surrounding walls had long lost their former appearance, leaving only stained concrete and peeling paint.

The old trees stood bare, with only a few scattered leaves trembling in the wind and making faint sounds.

The morning mist hung over the aging apartment building like a thin veil, bringing with it a feeling of loneliness and gloom that was hard to describe.

Expressionless, Shen Jingyi slowly climbed the stairs.

Standing before the old metal door covered with large red words that read "Pay Back the Money," she took a deep breath.

Holding a key in her thin wrist, she turned the rusty lock with a click.

The metal door let out an uneasy creak as it opened.

Heavy curtains blocked most of the light. Only a few weak rays of sunlight managed to slip through the gaps, falling onto the dusty floor and creating patches of uneven light and shadow.

The floor was covered with all kinds of clutter.

There were overturned chairs, broken flower vases, scattered cardboard boxes, and piles of bills.

One corner of the sofa had sunk inward, covered with dirty clothes and unwashed dishes.

Several empty liquor bottles lay scattered across the coffee table.

Inside a half-open room, a thin middle-aged woman lay asleep with her eyes closed.

She seemed almost fused together with the piles of clutter surrounding her bed.

"......"

Shen Jingyi seemed completely used to this sight.

There was little expression on her ice-cold face. Yet deep within her eyes, a trace of sadness could still be seen.

Even though they all lived in the same prosperous city of Wangdu...

Even though she had spent part of last night in a luxurious hotel, enjoying a brief moment of peace beside Bai Muxue...

A dream is still a dream.

And every dream must eventually end, right?

Biting her lower lip tightly, she silently bent down and began cleaning the room.

Although she tried her best to control her emotions, the slight trembling of the hands holding the garbage bag betrayed what she truly felt.

But there was no other choice.

She could not cry.

For Shen Jingyi, crying was a luxury.

Ever since she left that comfortable and worry-free home with her mother, she had lost the right to cry.

Besides, things were much better now than before.

At least she no longer had to live in constant fear.

At least no one came to their door demanding money anymore.

Wasn't that enough?

She carried several bags of trash downstairs and threw them into the garbage bins.

Then she picked up a rag and a broom and carefully cleaned the messy room and living room until they were spotless once again.

After finishing, Shen Jingyi collapsed onto the old sofa and wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead.

A hint of shyness and awkwardness flashed through her eyes.

She had originally thought that last night she would finally take that step forward with the young lady of the Bai family...

But...

Was she disappointed?

Uneasy?

Relieved?

Even Shen Jingyi did not know.

Perhaps dreams really were the opposite of reality.

In the dream, the usually proud and distant Miss Bai had been shy and charming, even taking the initiative to unbutton her shirt.

But in reality, she was still that mysterious young lady whom no one could fully understand.

Even though they had touched skin to skin last night, they still had not crossed that final line.

For some reason, Shen Jingyi pressed her lips together, took out her phone, and sent Bai Muxue a message.

"There are still some things I need to take care of at home, so I left first."

What business could she possibly have?

Coming back to clean the house?

She hesitated for a moment before quietly adding another sentence.

"...Sorry."

What was there to apologize for?

Even Shen Jingyi herself did not know.

But after all, they had slept together last night. Leaving without saying goodbye this morning felt wrong, so she thought she should at least say something.

What am I even doing...?

After sending the message, the girl let out a long sigh in her heart.

She had assumed that Bai Muxue would sleep until late in the morning.

To her surprise, a reply came not long afterward.

"Hmph, awake this early? And you left without saying goodbye?"

"I'll let it slide this time. I'm in a pretty good mood today, so I'll spare you for now..."

"We'll have plenty of chances to have fun together later, Teacher Shen~"

"Okay."

Seeing Bai Muxue's usual arrogant way of speaking, Shen Jingyi's gloomy mood unexpectedly became a little brighter.

Even her dark eyes seemed to gain a bit of light.

No matter what Bai Muxue truly thought, since she had already kept her promise, Shen Jingyi intended to see things through to the end.

………………………………

In another place.

A message sent by her mother the previous night was displayed on the screen.

"Xiyao, how are things at home? Have you been eating properly?"

Qin Xiyao had only replied with: "Everything's fine at home."

After that, she did not know what else to say.

"Things haven't been peaceful in Wangdu lately... It's really hard being home alone. Mom, when are you coming back?"

Qin Xiyao had lost count of how many times she had typed those words.

And how many times she had deleted them again, leaving only silence behind.

Perhaps silence was a kind of reply too, she thought.

After leaving the chat window, Qin Xiyao first checked Bai Muxue's messages and then looked through her social media posts.

When she found that Bai Muxue was still as inactive as a pool of still water, she closed the chat app and began browsing various news articles online.

The morning slowly slipped away as the girl wasted time.

By the time Qin Xiyao came back to her senses, it was already close to noon.

Rubbing her tired eyes, she covered her mouth and let out a small yawn.

I'll read for a while first. I still haven't memorized those poems from yesterday... Then I'll order something simple for lunch and take a nap in the afternoon...

The sunlight outside was a little too bright.

Not really the kind of weather for going out...

Squinting at the sunlight outside the window, Qin Xiyao quietly made up her mind.

Just as she slowly got out of bed, sat barefoot at her desk, and opened a book, her phone suddenly rang with a notification.

Ding!

The sound interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh? Did Mom need something else from me?"

Thinking that, Qin Xiyao picked up her phone and looked at the screen.

The next second, she froze.

"Xiyao, are you free today? Want to go out somewhere together? If you're busy, just pretend I never asked."

Qin Xiyao's stunned expression lasted only a moment.

Without even thinking, she immediately replied,