Starlight Has No Past

Untitled Part 29

Chapter 29 Part 1

Zhou Tingsheng didn't touch the plate of crab meat.

He had a hunch that loomed behind the back of his head that he would regret not eating. But at the moment, his heart was heavy like cloud and fog covering a hill. In the best season for savoring crabs, neither were in the mood to enjoy them; they hardly talked throughout the meal. Ye Qiao retrieved her cell phone and on the way back, tried to compose a message. Her mind, occupied by other things, seemed to find it difficult in writing a simple, proper greeting. After writing and deleting several times, she finally sent a message to Wen Shaoqian before arriving at their apartment.

The awkwardness was still there. They went in the elevator together. The enclosed space made the awkwardness even more unbearable.

Ye Qiao spoke first: "It's going to be National Day holiday soon. Do you have any plans?"

One of them had no holiday to speak of, while everyday was a holiday for the other. Any official national holiday didn't actually have much significance to either of them.

It was obvious that Ye Qiao was trying to start a conversation. But Zhou Tingsheng didn't seem particularly happy about it, only answering in a flat voice: "I'll be very busy later on."

"Even during the National Day holiday?"

"That's right."

They reached the 23rd floor in less than half a minute. The moment the elevator door opened, Ye Qiao turned around, about to say something. Zhou Tingsheng on the other hand walked out of the door straight towards 2302. When he opened his door and walked in, his back was swallowed by the darkness behind the door. Ye Qiao instinctively felt that something had drifted away.

She was surprised that she even felt such loss.

She took a hot shower to wash away the smell of spicy crabs. Though she had put on plastic gloves to peel the crabs and wiped afterwards with a napkin, the smell of crab lingered on her fingers even after the hot shower. The smell was still alluring but it was a savory taste that she couldn't get back.

There were too many emotions that weren't easily dispelled.

Wen Shaoqian happened to reply to her message when she just finished drying her hair. Ye Qiao couldn't find anyone else to confide with and very naturally treated him purely as a psychiatrist: "Will you be together with someone who you've fooled around with?"

Wen Shaoqian's reply came quickly: "What kind of fooling around?"

Ye Qiao was never afraid of seeing a doctor and was especially frank in front of them: "The physical kind."

Wen Shaoqian wanted to confirm it: "One night stand?"

Ye Qiao was unperturbed: "Something like that." But it wasn't exactly like that. She tried to carefully remember everything and found the relationship between her and Zhou Tingsheng seemed to be deeper, more like lovers. Yet, they were just supposed to be friends with benefits.

Wen Shaoqian: "Is this going to be a psychiatric consultation or a background investigation?"

Ye Qiao felt she had to make it clear to him: "Psychiatric consultation and will always be in the future."

Wen Shaoqian briefly answered: "Understood." Then he continued with his questions: "So, you've taken a fancy to your fuck-buddy?"

"I'm surprised that you know the term in Chinese. I thought you were going to drop an English word there." Just by reading her words, he could tell she was laughing. Then she explained: "Not exactly. I just want to know how a normal person would think in this kind of situation?"