Running Over The Head Of My Ex [Rebirth]

Chapter 29

As night fell, He Qingqi had a dream—or, more accurately, a series of dreams.

The dreams were fragmented, but when they were pieced together, they formed continuous scenes. She couldn’t remember the specifics, only recognizing that they were memories of events many years ago.

Those memories were soaked and turned pale and rotten, eventually dissipating like lost smoke, fading away in the corners, hazy and indistinct.

Fang Xuanyao’s appearance was like a key, quietly unlocking a fold in her cerebral cortex and revealing a small part once more.

In the dream, He Qingqi found herself back at the age of nineteen. At that time, Fang Xuanyao’s indifference deeply hurt her, and she had forgotten everything that came later. She would still repeatedly approach Fang Xuanyao, even if it only resulted in increasingly harsh mistreatment.

Who knew how long these days would last—five years, ten years, or even twenty or thirty years? She finally gave up, uttering harsh words, before fleeing in disgrace under Fang Xuanyao’s proud gaze.

She didn’t care about her pride and dignity; once she was out the door, she crouched by the roadside, crying uncontrollably.

“It’s okay…”

The scene shifted, and she found herself sitting in a pink bedroom. In front of her was the soft, slender body of a dancer, scented with jasmine, holding her gently and comfortingly in an embrace.

She looked up involuntarily, her gaze repeatedly sweeping over that person’s face before finally lingering in her eyes.

Under the long, curled lashes, those eyes were as clear as black gems. She stared at them, mesmerized, until they transformed into a black vortex, sucking her whole being in.

The scenes and people before He Qingqi’s eyes kept changing—sometimes it was Fang Xuanyao, sometimes it was Zhuo Zhiwei. Those eyes continued to appear in her dreams, leaving her lost between the past and these two women, one sharp and acrimonious, the other gentle and forgiving. A flood of memories trapped her, preventing her from escaping.

Finally, she jolted awake, staring expressionlessly at the ceiling.

It was dawn.

Upon waking, He Qingqi couldn’t remember anything clearly. She only knew she hadn’t slept well, and she had a nightmare that included Fang Xuanyao and those stunningly beautiful eyes.

They were tolerant, calm, and filled with gentleness.

He Qingqi blinked sluggishly and sat up, a feeling of inexplicable loss creeping into her heart.

She couldn’t explain why. After regaining her composure, she quickly got out of bed and, with tacit understanding, took turns with her two roommates to use the bathroom. They ate breakfast and went to work together as usual, with nothing different except for the noticeable dark circles under all three of their eyes.

At nine in the morning, the contestants, dressed in pink British-style school uniforms, gathered in the lobby, ready to take a special bus to the performance venue.

Members of the “Journey” team were keenly aware that their two captains appeared somewhat unusual today. Captain Zhuo was absent-minded; her gaze no longer followed Captain He. Captain He’s hands, which usually clung to Captain Zhuo’s waist, were particularly well-behaved today. Though they still stood together, the atmosphere was noticeably different from before.

No one dared to ask.

The two leaders were most passionate about their love-hate relationship, each more possessive than the other, especially Zhuo Zhiwei.

He Qingqi was simply protective, fearing that Zhuo Zhiwei might face bullying. Her first reaction in any situation was to shield Zhuo Zhiwei, looking like a little lioness guarding her food, but she never told others not to approach Zhuo Zhiwei.

Zhuo Zhiwei was different. She never explicitly forbade others from getting close to He Qingqi, but whenever someone had overly intimate contact with He Qingqi, the light smile on her face would instantly disappear. She would stare coldly at the person until they backed off, letting go of He Qingqi.

The two enjoyed doing this for each other, and over time, the other members automatically categorized Zhuo Zhiwei and He Qingqi’s relationship on a different level, one that was more intimate than theirs.

No one dared to provoke the two leaders, and they assumed this was something personal between them, something ordinary friends like them were not privy to.

But the atmosphere within the team was indeed a bit strange. The others exchanged glances, feeling that Zhang Xiaoyu, who had a good relationship with He Qingqi and was from the same agency as Zhuo Zhiwei, was the best candidate to handle Zhuo Zhiwei’s icy demeanor. They unanimously decided to push Zhang Xiaoyu forward.

After several refusals, Zhang Xiaoyu reluctantly approached He Qingqi and poked her, signaling her to move slightly away from Zhuo Zhiwei.

When He Qingqi moved closer, Zhang Xiaoyu whispered, “What’s going on with you and Zhiwei today? You’re scaring us so much that we don’t even dare to breathe.”

He Qingqi was stunned, her face flushing instantly with guilt.

Last night’s awkwardness kept flashing in her mind, making her slightly unnatural around Zhuo Zhiwei.

She avoided Zhang Xiaoyu’s gaze, mumbling, “Nothing.”

Zhang Xiaoyu didn’t believe her, scrutinizing He Qingqi suspiciously. “Really?”

Feigning impatience, He Qingqi nudged her, “Really? Go memorize your lyrics! Don’t forget them.”

Zhang Xiaoyu pouted, “You think I’m you.”

He Qingqi was momentarily speechless, wanting to argue that she hadn’t forgotten her lines during the theme song evaluation but unable to explain the situation at that time. She couldn’t exactly say she was reborn, so she begrudgingly closed her mouth.

Soon, the bus arrived. Zhuo Zhiwei boarded first, while He Qingqi hesitated at the door, biting her lip, before resolutely following and sitting next to Zhuo Zhiwei.

Because she felt embarrassed, she couldn’t just ignore someone who had comforted her and seen her at her most vulnerable. That would be too ungrateful.

However, if even the other members had noticed her unusual behavior, Zhuo Zhiwei, who was directly involved, must have too. He Qingqi couldn’t help but worry.

She glanced sideways at Zhuo Zhiwei’s profile, nervously straightening her back, slightly stiff, and using her peripheral vision to locate Zhuo Zhiwei’s hand.

Taking a deep breath, she placed her slender hand over Zhuo Zhiwei’s, gripping it a bit too tightly due to her nervousness. She then found a casual topic: “Zhiwei, I’m a bit nervous.”

Zhuo Zhiwei turned to look at her, her eyes not showing the usual evident warmth. Her tone was somewhat formal and distantly cold. “Oh.”

He Qingqi blinked, her heart sinking. She was really angry…

Since she had made Zhuo Zhiwei angry, it was her responsibility to make amends. She moved her fingers from underneath, interlocking them with Zhuo Zhiwei’s, and gently stroked the back of her hand with her thumb.

Zhuo Zhiwei’s hands were delicate, and although her fingers were long, He Qingqi felt a surprising softness and tenderness when she held them.

With a light pull, Zhuo Zhiwei leaned in slightly, and He Qingqi’s head also moved closer, resting on Zhuo Zhiwei’s shoulder.

She tilted her face up slightly. From this angle, she could see Zhuo Zhiwei’s perfect jawline and delicate features, her elegant swan-like neck slightly raised.

He Qingqi couldn’t help but marvel once again at the flawlessness of Zhuo Zhiwei’s face.

He Qingqi blinked her round, clear eyes, looking innocent like a child unaware of worldly matters.

Her voice was sticky and soft, entirely different from usual, tinged with a bit of naive childishness. “Zhiwei, are you mad at me?”

She even sounded a little pitiful.

While speaking, she tugged at the hem of Zhuo Zhiwei’s shirt with her free hand.

This was the only thing she had learned in ten years with Fang Xuanyao: to act cute, pretend to be pitiful, and humble herself…

If this wasn’t enough, then it was best for both to cool down. No matter what, she could never let go of her pride. She couldn’t bring herself to cling and pester, insisting on forgiveness.

But every time she acted like this, even Fang Xuanyao, who was hard-hearted, would temporarily soften. How much more would Zhuo Zhiwei, who was close to her, be moved? Perhaps this was the convenience her appearance brought her.

Zhuo Zhiwei had never seen such a scene before and was immediately dumbfounded. The fresh scent of laundry detergent on the other person involuntarily filled her nostrils. She instinctively held on to her breath, but her heart beat faster.

As she lowered her gaze, her eyes fell on He Qingqi’s slightly bitten red lips. She unconsciously bit her lips, feeling that if she moved a bit closer, their noses would touch.

Her throat moved slightly, and her emotions were in complete turmoil. She had heard countless fans calling her name with either heart-wrenching passion or deep love, but this was the first time she realized her name could be called so casually yet tenderly.

She blinked slowly, taking a deep breath in secret, managing to calm her racing heart. She said with a calm face, “Are you trying to act cute with me?”

Zhuo Zhiwei always had strange focus points. Her question immediately caused He Qingqi’s pitiful mask to crack. She awkwardly withdrew the hand that was tugging at Zhuo Zhiwei’s shirt, about to release her other hand, when she heard a soft, amused voice:

“Little He, aren’t you afraid of breaking character?” But her hand tightened a bit.

He Qingqi’s eyes brightened. She knew Zhuo Zhiwei was giving her an out. She grabbed Zhuo Zhiwei’s shirt hem again, her lips curling up uncontrollably, but she deliberately pouted and looked pitifully at Zhuo Zhiwei.

“Who told me to do something wrong and upset our dear Weiwei?”

Looking at He Qingqi’s humble demeanor, Zhuo Zhiwei’s gaze softened. She relaxed, no longer keeping her back straight, and rested her head against He Qingqi’s, closing her eyes slightly to enjoy this rare peace. “What did you do wrong?”

He Qingqi squeezed her fingers, letting out a long “hmm,” organizing her thoughts, her voice growing softer: “I was wrong for not understanding your good intentions. You comforted me, and I distanced myself from you—not distanced! Just a bit uncomfortable.” He Qingqi quickly corrected herself, raising her voice.

She lowered her eyes slightly, her long lashes casting a dense shadow on her face as she smiled wryly. “Besides, you didn’t force me to talk about those things. I was the one who confided in you. You even told me, ‘If you want to…'”

“So I chose to do it. But I made you bear the consequences. I didn’t consider it thoroughly. I know I’m… prideful, yet I still told you those things.”

“That’s my fault. So, I’m sorry.”

Zhuo Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance: “So, you’re saying you were wrong to confide in me?”

“Of course not!” He Qingqi quickly denied it: “I mean, I didn’t understand your good intentions!”

“A dog biting Lü Dongbin?”

He Qingqi pouted, “You’re tricking me!”

Zhuo Zhiwei chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, and closed her eyes without looking at her.

He Qingqi took it as a sign of forgiveness. Even being called a dog didn’t bother her. She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning against Zhuo Zhiwei.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Zhiwei’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She slowly opened her eyes, silently watching He Qingqi. She was unable to hide the amusement and affection in her eyes. A staff member perfectly captured this scene, ready to post it on the official account.

Their strange atmosphere earlier couldn’t possibly be caused by one person alone. Besides He Qingqi, Zhuo Zhiwei hasn’t shown any friendliness since morning, as if she hadn’t noticed.

She had been restless last night, feeling as though a stone had lodged in her throat. She didn’t know why, but she clearly understood her thoughts.

She didn’t want to pay attention to He Qingqi.

It was an inexplicable irritation, almost like misdirected anger. Given her upbringing, she silently despised this behavior in herself but didn’t expect He Qingqi to act on her thoughts.

So, she ignored He Qingqi as well.

When He Qingqi tried to make amends, her anger had already subsided. But because of He Qingqi’s rare attempt to please her, she swallowed her words.

She had seen too many scenarios where people, after arguing, would shift the blame to each other. It was like they put on a microscope, detecting even the slightest mistake in the other person. Yet this person, without even thinking, attributed all the fault to herself.

What a fool!