Visa On Arrival Chapter 13
byThis is my boyfriend!
Some things are like a thorn stuck in the heart—you can’t touch it, and you can’t pull it out.
All you can do is carefully bypass it and let life move forward.
Not thinking about it doesn’t mean forgetting.
It is just locking that pain in the deepest room of the heart, throwing away the key, and pretending nothing is there.
As long as he doesn’t flaunt himself in front of me, as long as he doesn’t spread those old matters out in the sunlight again, the act can continue.
Acting like someone who has recovered, someone calm and indifferent.
Is time really a good medicine?
Perhaps.
It doesn’t heal; it covers.
Like autumn leaves, layer by layer, quietly burying the mud and scars at the very bottom.
Until one day, even you can’t say for sure what is buried there.
But we all know.
Not mentioning it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
It is just…
Letting the wind take away what should be taken away.
The road ahead must still be traveled.
Her parents helped her arrange a leave of absence.
During this time, she received a package.
Opening it, she found Neo.
A card lay in the box, reading:
“I hope this makes you happy.”
It was signed: Mr. Ran
She originally wanted to ask Chen Rong to go abroad with her for two months to relax, but the lab was truly too busy. Chen Rong could only say through the phone screen, “Have fun, stay safe.”
That was fine, too.
After packing her luggage and passing through security, she sat alone at the boarding gate, watching the planes take off and land outside the window.
It turned out that some paths must ultimately be walked alone.
It wasn’t escaping; she just wanted a change of scenery to breathe. To temporarily leave the things that made it hard to breathe beneath her feet at thirty thousand feet.
When she returned, perhaps everything would feel a little lighter.
During those two months.
Qi Ranyue sent photos home every day to report her safety.
Her mother’s replies were always “Have you eaten?” and “Go to sleep early.”
Her father’s replies were always “Stay safe” and “Have fun.”
Besides that, she had video calls with Chen Rong every day.
The camera would point at Neo, who was curious about everything, at steaming delicacies, exotic spices, chasing the savannah sunset with her phone, admiring cascading waterfalls, the sky full of hot air balloons in the distance, the morning mist over the ranch, the starry sky at the foot of a volcano, and cats napping in the alleys of old towns…
Across the screen, Chen Rong watched Qi Ranyue’s bright eyes and vivid expressions with a quiet smile as she spoke animatedly.
Suddenly remembering something, Qi Ranyue said, “Wait, Rongrong, what time is it… uh… back home?”
Qi Ranyue scratched her head sheepishly. “Oh my god, I got so excited talking that I completely forgot about the jet lag! It must be the middle of the night there, right?” She leaned closer to the screen with sincere apology and a bit of urgency. “Quick, quick, hang up now and go to sleep! We’ll talk tomorrow—no, after you wake up. Hanging up now!”
“It’s okay.”
“I like listening to you talk.”
Chen Rong looked at Qi Ranyue on the screen with doting eyes, smiling warmly at her.
Qi Ranyue’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t suppress her smile. With a hint of playfulness and mystery, she said, “Why are you so good to me… By the way, I’ll have a surprise for you when I get back. Also, I have some good news: I’m returning in three days. You don’t need to pick me up at the airport; I’ll go straight to your apartment to find you!”
“Alright, go to sleep. Sweet dreams, and remember to miss me.”
“Hanging up!”
She blew a kiss to Chen Rong, her finger tapped the screen, and the call ended.
The screen went black.
Chen Rong held her phone.
She sat in the night for a while.
The moonlight outside was soft, and her heart was full of anticipation.
Chen Rong had been busy since eight in the morning.
The sound of washing vegetables, the rhythmic thud of chopping, the crackling of stir-frying, and the “ding” of the oven were the most beautiful background music of the morning.
Simmering on the stove over a low flame was Qi Ranyue’s favorite lotus root, corn, carrot, and pork rib soup.
The sunlight outside moved bit by bit, crawling from the kitchen floor tiles to the corner of the dining table.
Returning to the kitchen, she took out the freshly arranged fruit and placed it on the table.
The dining table looked like a small feast.
In the center was soy sauce chicken, its skin glossy and coated in a light sauce, topped with a few strands of bright green scallions.
A plate of poached shrimp, their bodies curled into pale pink crescents.
The steamed grass carp had just come out of the steamer, topped with neatly arranged scallion slivers, with seasoned soy sauce slowly flowing to the bottom of the plate.
A plate of flowering cabbage was stir-fried to a brilliant green, the minced garlic fragrant and charred, with the wok hei still clinging to the leaves.
The black bean spare ribs and chicken feet were soft and flavorful, even the peanuts simmered until tender.
The soup was brought out.
The tableware for two was set.
The sunlight was perfect, and the food smelled delicious.
She was just waiting for her.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
The doorbell rang twice.
Chen Rong walked quickly toward the door, smoothing her clothes.
The doorbell rang once more.
She smiled and reached for the doorknob.
The door had just opened a crack.
A figure squeezed through the gap like a flash, bringing in the sunlight and wind from outside, along with a face full of smiles.
“Surprise!!!”
Before Chen Rong could see her face clearly, Qi Ranyue was already hanging off her.
Knocked back a step, Chen Rong’s hands firmly caught the pouncing Qi Ranyue.
Qi Ranyue buried her head in Chen Rong’s shoulder, laughing muffledly. “Did you miss me?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Chen Rong caught sight of someone outside the door.
The smile suddenly froze on her lips.
Someone else was standing outside.
He just stood there, one hand casually tucked in his trouser pocket, the other hanging down.
Over 180 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he wore a simple black shirt with sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the smooth lines of his wrists.
He had a high brow bone, a straight bridge of his nose, and thin lips slightly pursed, making his emotions unreadable.
His eyes were very dark, deep like a bottomless pool.
He looked over with slightly lowered eyes, not smiling or speaking, just watching.
That face was excessively handsome, yet it made one afraid to look too closely.
He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Chen Rong before pulling back.
He had no expression.
But in that instant, the air seemed to thin by a degree.
Chen Rong was stunned, her hands still in a hugging position, but her whole body felt like it had been paused.
The person in her arms noticed. She lifted her head from Chen Rong’s shoulder, followed her gaze back, and then gently stepped out of the embrace.
“Oh… I forgot to introduce you. This is my boyfriend.”
This is my boyfriend.
Five words, spoken so lightly and easily from Qi Ranyue’s mouth.
Chen Rong froze in place, feeling those five words explode in her ears before slowly sinking down, settling in her stomach like a block of ice.
Boyfriend.
She instinctively took half a step back, her eyes still fixed on the person outside the door.
The boy outside looked dotingly at Qi Ranyue, who had just let go of her and was now standing beside him with a radiant smile.
Chen Rong looked at her. Qi Ranyue was holding her boyfriend’s hand, looking up with a smile that was painfully dazzling.
It felt as if someone was choking her. The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit as jealousy, resentment, and anger fused into a raging fire, burning her internal organs until they ached.
Her mind went blank, with only one voice echoing repeatedly:
Then what am I?
In just two months, someone has tried to take my place!
By what right? By what right!
I wait for you every day, I miss you, I listen to you talk, I dote on you, I watch you smile…
The one standing by your side should have been me!
By what right!
Then what am I?
What am I!