Running Over The Head Of My Ex [Rebirth]

Chapter 22

Tao Jinghan didn’t understand why Bian Suitong was so quiet. When Tao Jinghan saw Bian Suitong standing motionless, all she could do was link arms with her, just as she always did on their way to work.

Bian Suitong followed her steps forward obediently, with a gentle smile.

“Do you blame me?”

Bian Suitong abruptly inquired, standing half a step behind Tao Jinghan.

Tao Jinghan was puzzled and turned back to look at her. Since earlier, Bian Suitong has seemed a bit off.

—Although she still appeared gentle, after knowing her for six years, Tao Jinghan could tell something was wrong.

“Do you blame me?” Bian Suitong gently tugged Tao Jinghan’s sleeve, and, as she had done many times before, the pretty girl who was the face of W.S. looked up at her with amber-colored eyes.

Like a cat, it is both beautiful and dangerous.

Under those eyes, Tao Jinghan always found it impossible to lie.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she felt a strange sense of grievance from the bottom of her heart. She didn’t know where the courage came from: “I have blamed you.”

“I blamed you for not understanding my heart, for clearly not loving me, yet always doing things only lovers would do with me. I couldn’t face you, who didn’t love me but knew my feelings, nor could I face the shameful me.”

“But… now I don’t blame you anymore.” Tao Jinghan touched the long hair hanging by the girl’s ear, smiling warmly. “Actually, thinking it over, it was all initiated by me. I chose to overlook the qualifiers and call you ‘Unnie’, and initiated intimate actions with you, so how could I blame you?”

“All of those things are in the past. Don’t overthink it or feel guilty, Unnie. Just be happy.”

Tao Jinghan smiled as she unlocked the door: “We’re at my dormitory. Is there anything you want to eat that I’ve made?”

Because there were other people in the dormitory, Tao Jinghan automatically switched to Chinese. In China, it was more casual; she was only eight months younger than Bian Suitong and was in the same group, so there was no need to keep calling Bian Suitong ‘Unnie.’

Moreover, Tao Jinghan wanted to start addressing Bian Suitong differently.

“We’re back.” He Qingqi looked up at them. If you looked closely, you could see the obvious grievance in her eyes.

After greeting them, she continued listening to the accompaniment and started dancing.

“Hey, what’s wrong with her?” Tao Jinghan leaned against the refrigerator, nudging Zhuo Zhiwei and whispering.

“Their group’s assistant performer is Chai Xu.”

Zhuo Zhiwei said just one sentence, and Tao Jinghan understood. Before participating in this program, she had watched the previous season of the male version of “Idol Era,” where the second-ranked Chai Xu typically relied on his looks to win.

The first-place finisher, Qiu Xinyu, significantly outpaced him despite his sufficient ability.

His coming to assist would only drag them down by selling his looks.

“No wonder,” Tao Jinghan said gloatingly. “What about your group?”

“Qiu Xinyu.”

“Pfft, no wonder Qing Xiaoxi looked at me so resentfully just now.”

“Hmm?”

Tao Jinghan pointed at Bian Suitong and explained, “Our group has my captain.”

“Oh right.” Tao Jinghan suddenly slapped her forehead as if she just remembered something: “I forgot to introduce you.”

“This is my captain, Bian Suitong from W.S. Her father’s surname is Bian and her mother’s surname is Sui, so she was named Bian Suitong.” Tao Jinghan smiled, pointing at Bian Suitong.

Then she pointed at Zhuo Zhiwei: “This is my roommate, currently ranked second, Zhuo Zhiwei.”

“Hello, Teacher Suitong.”

“No need to be so formal; just call me Suitong like Jinghan does.”

Bian Suitong’s Chinese had a peculiar accent, which made Tao Jinghan burst into laughter. Noticing the two girls staring at her, she cleared her throat: “Alright, Suitong, look over there.”

“That’s my other roommate, He Qingqi, who’s currently ranked third. Let’s not disturb her for now since she’s having such a hard time.”

“I’ve found out that Cheng Si’s group has our group’s Pei Shuyi. As a dance king, even Suitong would slightly lag behind him in pure dance. There’s no need to mention our two groups. Both Qiu Xinyu and Suitong are all-around idols. Only Qing Xiaoxi got an all-around flower vase.”

“Jinghan…” He Qingqi stopped dancing and looked over with a melancholy gaze.

Under her gaze, Tao Jinghan almost choked on her saliva. She suppressed her laughter and said seriously, “Alright, seeing how pitiful Qing Xiaoxi is, I won’t gloat anymore.”

You gloat enough, He Qingqi thought silently. She nodded slightly at Bian Suitong in greeting and then continued practicing her dance steps.

Chai Xu, their assistant performer, left Wang Qiyu and Jin Zhiyang to arrange the music. Both had good creative abilities; each performed an original song during the initial grading test. He Qingqi took responsibility for the choreography. She had to practice the original dance steps first to save time for choreography later, as the music arrangement was not yet complete.

Tao Jinghan opened the refrigerator, smiling as she said to Bian Suitong, “You used to love sweet and sour pork ribs. Let’s have that today.”

Before she finished speaking, she was stunned by the empty refrigerator. She suddenly remembered that she had used the last vegetable to make soup yesterday, and tomorrow was the day the production team restocked their supplies.

Tao Jinghan awkwardly facepalmed.

It was all He Qingqi’s fault. Despite being young, she had a big appetite. Unlike other contestants in class A, who rarely ate from the fridge, their dorm was always empty before the restocking day.

Tao Jinghan, who came from a reasonably wealthy background, had rarely seen anyone as down-to-earth as He Qingqi, who could even swallow her saliva at the smell of instant noodles!

Yet she had lived abroad alone for six years, while He Qingqi hadn’t faced any hardships! She wondered how the He family had raised He Qingqi this way.

Sighing, Tao Jinghan went to the kitchen, squatting down to find her long-stored instant noodles. Seeing that there was only one box left, she hesitated.

She showed the last box to the other three in the dorm: “There’s only one left; let’s share.”

He Qingqi waved her hand: “I’m not hungry today, so I won’t eat.”

“I won’t eat either.”

“Then I’ll head back first, Jinghan.”

Zhuo Zhiwei and Bian Suitong both declined.

Alright, then she’ll eat alone, Tao Jinghan thought, feeling her stomach. She had some free time with the other team members trained by Bian Suitong, and she unconsciously intensified her training, so she was indeed a bit hungry now.

“Okay then. Captain, I’ll see you off.”

Tao Jinghan accompanied Bian Suitong to the door. The latter suddenly stopped, thoughtfully looking at her: “Today, you’ve already called me by three different titles.”

“Just call me as you used to.”

Thinking for a moment, she added, “I’m more used to it.”

“Oh, okay.” Tao Jinghan quickly agreed.

“Just see me off here. I arrived here this morning and live upstairs. Go eat your noodles; eating too late will affect your sleep.”

“Mm, okay.”

Bian Suetong left, and Tao Jinghan felt like she’d lost her soul, instantly drained of energy. She mechanically boiled water, opened the packaging, poured the seasoning, and finally sat in the chair, staring blankly into space.

Zhuo Zhiwei walked over, sat next to her, and drank a cup of hot water. “What’s wrong? If you don’t eat soon, it’ll turn to mush.”

Though there was no expression on her face, Tao Jinghan still felt an overwhelming concern.

A warm feeling rose in her heart. She blinked dazedly and took a forkful of noodles. “Do you want a bite?”

Zhuo Zhiwei considered for a moment, frowned slightly, and nodded a little. “Well, maybe just one bite.”

From the other side, He Qingqi, who had been eavesdropping, burst out laughing. “Zhiwei, you don’t have to look so miserable, like Jinghan is forcing you to eat poison.”

She finished speaking and was playfully glared at by Zhuo Zhiwei.

He Qingqi raised her eyebrows indifferently, feeling rather pleased, with joy evident in her eyes, and continued strumming her guitar.

If Tao Jinghan knew, she would surely complain: How can you see Zhiwei’s cold, dagger-like eyes as a coquettish look?

Tao Jinghan handed the fork over. Just as Zhuo Zhiwei leaned in, Tao Jinghan suddenly realized something and quickly brought the fork back to her mouth, smiling kindly at Zhuo Zhiwei before lightly blowing on it like He Qingqi had, then handing it over.

Zhuo Zhiwei’s expectant expression immediately froze. She looked disdainfully at the fork, then at Tao Jinghan. She pushed her hand away and stood up. “I won’t eat it.”

“Huh?” Tao Jinghan was full of questions. “Why?”

Zhuo Zhiwei glared at her. “There’s your saliva on it!”

Tao Jinghan: “???”

“Didn’t Qingqi do the same last time?” Tao Jinghan couldn’t believe it. Why such double standards? The world is too unfriendly for her!

Zhuo Zhiwei was about to argue when He Qingqi’s gleeful, mischievous laughter sounded.

“Do you think you’re me?”

She liked being treated differently like this and always had. It made her heart feel full and warm, as if she were special to that person.

So Zhuo Zhiwei’s actions didn’t make her feel like some sensitive girl who might overthink and wonder if she had feelings for her. Instead, it made her very happy.

It’s not just love that can make someone treat you differently. Her grandparents, father, brother, and friends, such as Chai Xu, all treated her this way.

She stopped the accompaniment, walked over to Zhuo Zhiwei, and, taking advantage of her slight height advantage, draped her arm over Zhuo Zhiwei’s shoulder, leaning on her bonelessly. “What’s my relationship with Zhiwei?”

Her smug look made Tao Jinghan’s teeth itch. “What’s your relationship? I don’t know.”

He Qingqi raised her eyebrows arrogantly and pointed at Tao Jinghan. “You, friends.”

Then she pointed at herself. “Me, good friends.”

She emphasized the word “good.”

“Hey?” Tao Jinghan was amused and irritated. She couldn’t think of a retort after a while and just said, “Go practice your dance!”

He Qingqi stuck her tongue out at her, made a face, and deliberately hugged Zhuo Zhiwei from behind, shaking her hips.

Suddenly, she sniffed and leaned down to smell Zhuo Zhiwei’s collar, sighing softly. “Wow! Zhiwei, you smell so good.”

Zhuo Zhiwei rarely got this close to anyone. He Qingqi’s breath on her neck caused her to shrink slightly, turning her ears red.

She looked at the girl with dark red curls and a sense of boyish vigor, seemingly more lively than a few days ago. Her lips couldn’t help but curl up.

“Qingqi seems particularly happy today.”

“Hmm?” He Qingqi released her, looking at her curiously. “Why do you say that?”

Zhuo Zhiwei smiled without directly answering, instead asking her, “Qingqi, do you know what I thought when I first saw you?”

“What did you think?”

“I thought you were like a big cat, proud like a little lion.”

“Lion?” He Qingqi was a bit surprised and smiled, her eyes like peach blossoms, diluting the fierceness of the scar on her brow. “I thought you would say peacock.”

In China, peacocks symbolize happiness and good fortune, but He Qingqi knew many people said she was like a peacock with a mocking tone, thinking she was proud without reason, not even able to “display her feathers” better than her brother.

Zhuo Zhiwei was the first to compare her to a lion.

“Yes, a lion, very strong and confident,” Zhuo Zhiwei said, thinking of something with her eyes smiling. “Walking with your head held high, taking large steps with a strong sense of territory, showing your claws when someone invades to protect your subjects.”

“Subjects?” He Qingqi thought for a moment and understood. She was referring to the incident with Tang Yiming.

She smiled with some surprise. “You?”

“Your imagination.”

He Qingqi shrugged. “Okay, I thought you were going to call me ‘Your Highness’, like one of my fans.”

“Heh!” Zhuo Zhiwei chuckled and continued. “But later, I found out you weren’t what I thought. You aren’t as proud or confident as you appear, nor are you as flamboyant or lively. Sometimes you daze off alone; who knows what you’re thinking? You’re very considerate of your teammates and responsible.”

“Although sometimes your actions are a bit childish, I find you’re quite mature.”

“If you told me you’d aged ten years since I first saw you, I’d believe it, but it’s only been three days.”

He Qingqi was shy and blushed at her unabashed praise, surprised at how well Zhuo Zhiwei understood her. Despite knowing the ten years were an exaggeration, the presence of someone who understood her so well still touched her.

“But today, you seem especially happy, like, um, a rich kid with an extra-long rebellious phase.”

He Qingqi, embarrassed, decided not to dwell on the previous conversation and, face flushed, protested, “What’s with the ‘extra-long rebellious phase’!”

Is that really how Zhuo Zhiwei saw her?

“Rebellious and proud, with hair in seven colors, coming to this show because your family wouldn’t allow something or other…”

He Qingqi was stunned, then looked at her in shock. Did she guess, or did someone tell her?

Zhuo Zhiwei blinks. Could it be that she guessed right?

“I guess your recent change might have something to do with Chai Xu? Is he your friend?” Or boyfriend?

The latter possibility seemed more likely, but Zhuo Zhiwei instinctively didn’t say it.

He Qingqi nodded lightly, proudly raising her chest. “Yes, he’s my friend. We played together since childhood, had a great relationship, skipped class, fought, climbed walls to go to internet cafes—we did it all together! And I taught him how to dance back then, too!”

“He’s good-looking and has a great personality and character. I’ll introduce you to him someday!”

Zhuo Zhiwei nodded. “Sure.”

But for some reason, seeing He Qingqi’s barely contained excitement made her feel a bit stifled, and she frowned slightly.