Chapter 10: Gratitude of an Ungrateful Female Lead 10 – With Qingjia Along the Way

Zhou He didn’t ask about the details between Xie Qingjia and the middle-aged man. She could more or less tell that he didn’t want her to know.

The train carried those far from home onward, stop after stop, taking them farther and farther away…

Whenever she rode a train before, she always wished it would go faster, faster still. But this time, Zhou He felt as if they had only just boarded, and yet they were already about to arrive at the Provincial Capital. And that meant she and Xie Qingjia were about to part.

Leaning against his shoulder, she felt a painful tightness in her chest.

“I don’t want you to go.”

This time, Xie Qingjia had clearly sensed that the closeness between them was different from before. It made Zhou He’s sadness over their parting, since she had to get off early, harder to bear than ever. Still, he had wanted to seem a little steadier, so he had done a great deal of mental preparation for himself.

But when Zhou He so plainly voiced her reluctance to part, all of Xie Qingjia’s mental preparation shattered at once. Even the way he tried to comfort her was tinged with loss and melancholy.

“Be good, Xiao He. Once I get back and settle my work, I’ll come to the Provincial Capital to see you on the weekend, okay?”

“No. I want to be with you every day.”

Rub, rub, with all her might.

It felt as if she were planting a patch of soft, furry grass in someone’s heart, so that even the lightest touch made it tingle and itch.

Xie Qingjia took a deep breath. How was he supposed to leave with any peace of mind now?

The train announcement was urging passengers to get off. Only after Zhou He had finished acting spoiled did she lift her head and say goodbye with red-rimmed eyes.

The sight of her made Xie Qingjia’s heart clench again and again.

The way she looked back every few steps nearly made him lose control and chase after her off the train.

–

Zhou He went to see her advisor and cancel her leave.

Her advisor asked a few concerned questions. “I figured the funeral arrangements must’ve kept you busy, so I didn’t press about it these past few days. Is everything at home all right?”

“Thank you, Professor. Everything’s fine.”

“That’s good. You look to be in pretty good shape. The way you rushed over to ask for leave that day, I could tell you must’ve been very close to your grandmother. I was worried you’d be overwhelmed with grief.”

After thinking it over, Zhou He decided to tell the truth. “Actually, it wasn’t my grandmother. I’m not close at all with my biological grandmother. The one who passed away this time was my boyfriend’s grandmother. She treated me very well, and my boyfriend was very deeply attached to her. Aside from seeing the old lady off, I mainly went back this time to stay with my boyfriend and help him out.”

Her advisor pushed up his glasses. “You have a boyfriend?” He was plainly shocked. “Since when?”

“We’ve actually been together for many years. It’s just that things between us are a bit complicated, so we haven’t been very public about it.”

“I see. Then I misunderstood.” Her advisor sounded a little wistful. “I never directly asked about your relationship status. I thought you and that… never mind, it’s not important. All right, go get some rest. Keep an eye on the project records over the next few days.”

“Okay, Professor.”

When people heard that Zhou He was back, her classmates all came to express their concern. She thanked them one by one and handed out some local cooked specialties she had brought back from home.

In the school cafeteria.

A few classmates got their food and sat down at Zhou He’s table. They all had the same advisor, got along fairly well, and often ate together.

Everyone was chatting and laughing when one of the male students, Xiao Qifeng, asked her, “Zhou He, once this project’s over, do you want to go out and relax this weekend? My uncle’s developing a resort, and he gave me some tickets.”

Zhou He said, “Thanks, but no. I already have plans for the weekend.”

She didn’t even look up, busy messaging Xie Qingjia. The trip home had delayed both of their work quite a bit, and they were both swamped. Most of the time when they chatted online, they were practically running on different schedules, and only around noon could they manage to exchange a few words.

Xiao Qifeng was the male classmate Zhou He had previously felt some interest in. There really had been a few traces of ambiguity between them during this period. Their advisor had tried to matchmake them, their classmates had teased them, and when Xiao Qifeng took the initiative to help with some things, Zhou He hadn’t refused. Or when she handed out snacks to everyone, he would get a little more than the others. But that was all. The two of them had never even had a chance to spend time alone.

In the fleeting glimpses of the future that Zhou He had seen, after she broke up with Xie Qingjia, she really had dated Xiao Qifeng for a while. In ordinary daily social settings, he seemed refined and gentle, but in an intimate relationship he was very different. He demanded absolute control and authority over his partner.

Just like one of the answers in that question she had deleted had said, from a psychological perspective, if her own mindset had never changed, then the intimate relationship she would actively seek out would inevitably resemble the dynamic of her original family. It was a vicious cycle of self-projection. In her subconscious, only that kind of relationship pattern could make her feel safe.

Now, seeing that she wasn’t saying anything, Xiao Qifeng hurriedly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. It’s not just the two of us. Everyone’s going. I’ve already invited the others. You were gone for a while, so I only got to tell you today.”

The classmates eating at the same table also chimed in. “Yeah, yeah, everyone’s going. Come with us, Zhou He. I’ve heard of that resort. The environment is amazing. We can stay there for a night and really unwind. We’ve seriously been worked like dogs lately.”

Zhou He said to Xiao Qifeng, “I’m really sorry, but I really do have plans. I hope you all have fun.”

One classmate tried to persuade her. “Zhou He, I know you must be feeling awful right now. But being with everyone is better than being alone. Come with us. The old lady would definitely want you to move on as soon as possible.”

Zhou He was very grateful for their concern. She patiently explained everything in detail, repeating what she had already told her advisor.

When they heard she had a boyfriend, everyone’s attention shifted to Xiao Qifeng, whose expression had turned extremely ugly.

Pretending not to notice the awkward atmosphere, Zhou He continued, “So this weekend I need to go be with my boyfriend. I hope he can recover from this as soon as possible.”

That night, when Zhou He returned to the dorm and came out of the shower, putting on body lotion, her roommate Fang Ya suddenly said, “Ah, I seriously can’t hold it in anymore. Let me say this first, okay? I’m just being nosy. If you think I’m being too presumptuous, you don’t have to answer.”

Fang Ya was the kind of person who couldn’t keep things bottled up. After being roommates with her for several years, Zhou He understood that much.

So she took the initiative and said, “You want to ask when I got a boyfriend, right?”

Fang Ya nodded furiously like a pecking chick. “That’s why we’re true soulmate roommates. You really do know me best!”

Zhou He smiled. “We’ve been together for a long time, probably since I was in high school. Actually, to be precise, he shouldn’t be called my boyfriend. We’ve already had an engagement banquet¹. He’s my fiancé.”

Fang Ya’s mouth fell wide open, her eyes shining with gossip-fueled excitement.

“So you two are… that kind of… wealthy family marriage alliance²! Oh my God, I can’t believe something this dramatic is actually happening to me.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about? A wealthy family marriage alliance…? You need to read fewer novels.”

“Isn’t it? Zhou He, that’s not fair. We’ve already gotten this far in the conversation, and you’re still hiding things from me.”

Zhou He was baffled and had no idea what she meant. “What exactly am I hiding?”

“Wow, you’re seriously way too low-key. Even though you’ve never said it outright, we all know your family is really well-off.”

“???” Where on earth had that come from?

“You may not have many bags, but every single one you own is designer. And after buying them, you just leave them in the cabinet instead of using them. You only carry that crappy school-issued backpack. I feel sorry for those bags on their behalf.

“And also, back when the rest of us were still hunting down bloggers’ reviews to figure out which dirt-cheap skincare and makeup products were worth buying for broke students, everything you used was from top international brands. And whenever you bought the same item, you’d buy several at once.”

“The worst part was that down jacket you lent me last winter when I went to the cafeteria to get food. I almost bumped into someone and got splashed with vegetable soup. It was only afterward that someone explained to me that this plain basic down jacket with no visible logo cost several months’ salary for an average office worker on the official website. And you just casually tossed it to me to wear to the cafeteria!!! If it had really gotten stained, I couldn’t have afforded to pay you back.”

Zhou He froze for a moment, then rummaged through the wardrobe and found the down jacket Fang Ya was talking about.

“You mean this one?”

“That’s right. Ever since that time, I’ve been making a detour around wherever you hang that jacket.”

“Is it really that expensive? Aren’t you exaggerating?”

Fang Ya was on the verge of losing it. “Sis, when rich people say things like that, it’s seriously infuriating, you know? Could you at least consider the real spending level of us common folk at the bottom?”

Zhou He said, “I’m not joking with you. How much is it?”

Fang Ya immediately pulled up the official website to demonstrate.

Looking at the price in U.S. dollars shown on the website and converting it into RMB in her head, even Zhou He clicked her tongue.

Fang Ya noticed something was off too. “Wait, you really didn’t know?”

Zhou He sighed. She really hadn’t known.

Xie Qingjia paid her tuition, sent her living expenses every month, and worried that she’d be too reluctant to spend money on herself, so he often bought daily necessities and mailed them to her. From electronics to snacks and drinks, clothes for all four seasons, bags, shoes, socks, skincare, makeup…

Everything that had just amazed Fang Ya had come from Xie Qingjia.

Zhou He recognized some of the brands, and some she didn’t. The environment at school was relatively simple, and most people didn’t chase brand names. Good quality at a low price was what mattered most.

She had always spent her time and energy on figuring out how to improve herself, always thinking about how to become financially independent as soon as possible.

She had never put much thought into food, clothes, or dressing up. If Xie Qingjia bought something for her, she used it. It saved her the time of picking things out herself. What she hadn’t realized was that these things were worth far more than she had ever estimated.

Zhou He still remembered that in the first few years, Xie Qingjia used to give her jewelry for her birthday. Later, when he saw that she didn’t like wearing it, he started giving her other things instead.

She pulled out a few jewelry boxes from the corner and looked at Fang Ya. “What about these?”

“Wow~” Fang Ya’s eyes lit up like stars. “Forget the rest for a second, just this gold bracelet alone, what a gorgeous weight³. Gold prices have been shooting up lately, and you said this was bought years ago, so it’s appreciated by at least 30%.”

“What about the others?”

“They’re all classic styles. Prices in the vintage market go up every year. If you sell them, you’ll definitely get a great price. What, thinking of selling?”

Zhou He closed the boxes and said with absolute firmness, “Not selling!”

Translator’s Notes