Chapter Text
“Wait in a shaded area, I'll come get you right away!”
Wu Qiqiong put down his phone, wiped his hands with a cloth, and cheerfully went to his bedroom to change clothes.
“Is she here?” Wu's mom asked as she chased him into his bedroom.
Wu Qiqiong used his rough, thick hands to roll down his sweat-stained tank top, while he looked at his mother with his big, round eyes and smiled uncontrollably.
“She's here.”
Today was the first time Wu Qiqiong's girlfriend would meet with his parents.
The sun blazed down, and the cicadas exposed to it buzzed in agony. There was a large dumpster not far from Wu Qiqiong's house, and during this time of the year, the putrid smell wafted into the kitchens of every household. Wu Qiqiong walked past the dumpster, and a popsicle wrapper got stuck under his foot. He stomped his sole hard on the ground, then rubbed it vigorously, causing hundreds of flies to scatter in a swarm.
Yue Yue was standing at the entrance of the alley, looking anxious and impatient.
Seeing Wu Qiqiong approach, Yue Yue felt an inexplicable nausea. She didn't know if it was the layer of fat swaying on his belly, the tufts of hair sticking up from the top of his head, or his face, greasy due to the cooking fumes…
“Let's go, the meal is almost ready.” Wu Qiqiong held Yue Yue's hand.
Yue Yue suddenly shook his hand off, her face buried in the shade of a tree, and her peach blossom eyes cold.
“What's wrong? Are you nervous?” Wu Qiqiong smiled warmly. “Don't worry, my mom is just a simple country woman, she won't make things difficult for you. Mom became so excited when she heard you were coming, she's been looking forward to it for the past two days. She even went out to buy groceries early this morning.”
“Actually… let's break up!” Yue Yue said.
Wu Qiqiong thought he had misheard and stared at Yue Yue, unable to speak for a long while.
Yue Yue added: “Us two, being like this, is very boring.”
“How is it boring? I think it's great!”
Yue Yue smiled bitterly, “That's you.”
After speaking, she turned around to leave, but Wu Qiqiong grabbed her.
“Yue Yue, we've been together for seven years now. We can't just break up. At least give me a reason.”
Yue Yue glanced at Wu Qiqiong and asked, “Is the seven-year itch a valid reason?”
“We can scratch the itch!”
“Scratch your uncle!” Yue Yue snapped for no apparent reason, her pretty little mouth speaking with harsh words. “I'm telling you, stop cracking jokes around me, I'm not kidding. From today on, we have officially broken up, and will just be friends.”
“Everything is going well, how can we just break up?” Wu Qiqiong was still trying his best to save the relationship. “Why don't you tell me what is wrong with me? I can change.”
Yue Yue rolled her eyes and said, “Everything is wrong, you will have to reincarnate!”
Wu Qiqiong stubbornly replied, “I don't believe you.”
“You don't believe me? What reason do you have to not believe me?” Yue Yue's delicate face flushed with anger. “I didn't tell you before because I wanted to save you some face, but you keep being stubborn. So, since apparently you don't mind losing face, let's talk it out today.”
Wu Qiqiong listened attentively, as if he was ready to devoutly reform himself.
Yue Yue took a deep breath, pointed at Wu Qiqiong's double chin, and said: “Tell me, since we started dating, how much weight have you gained? You were so thin when you were a freshman! You were so smooth! And look at you now, each step you take leaves a hole in the ground. When we go shopping together, it's like I'm walking a Tibetan Mastiff.”
Wu Qiqiong protested, “Didn't you say at that time that men who were too thin didn't give a sense of security?”
“Yes, I said that.” Yue Yue threw her bag down. “But now you give a huge sense of security, right? So much security, I want to shed tears. You know what? These days I've been having dreams that there's another woman between us, and every time I wake up with a smile.”