“Sister Blyne,” Livia still used the terms of endearment from their romantic period, her tone as usual, she said, “Your mother called me today.”
Blyne had already blocked all her contact information, but she didn’t expect Livia to call from a new number, nor did she expect her mother to find a way to contact Livia.
But she could probably guess why her mother was looking for Livia. At first, she firmly believed that Livia was ‘leading’ her daughter astray, and she pressured her to cut ties with Livia, even threatening suicide. After a big fight, Blyne resolutely left home—since her mother couldn’t accept that she had an ‘abnormal’ daughter, Blyne thought it was useless to keep holding on; she couldn’t force herself into a traditional marriage nor completely sever ties with her family, so she could only handle it coldly for now and then slowly break through.
Unfortunately, now her mother showed signs of compromise, but she had lost the other lead in her plan, caught between a rock and a hard place. “I will explain it to her, you don’t have to mind it,” Blyne said softly as she closed the door, “after all, we don’t have a relationship anymore.”
“It’s really great that you can think that way,” Livia immediately breathed a sigh of relief, “Don’t make it seem like you came out for me. Is it my fault that you are at odds with your family? Come on, we’ve broken up, so don’t let your family and friends bother me anymore.” She complained, “And how would I know where you went? I told Auntie that we are no longer together; you deal with it yourself.”
In the past, when she complained like this, Blyne would find ways to console her, but today she felt inexplicably annoyed and softly replied, “If there’s nothing else, I…”
“I told you before that coming out could be considered slowly; you didn’t listen, and now it’s hard to wrap up, right?”
Blyne was taken aback.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked in shock, “So you wanted to break up with me back then, right?”
“You’re starting again. How clear do you want me to be? You always look so wronged as if the whole world owes you something; how can I dare to tell you my true feelings directly?” Livia on the other side had an attitude of not wanting to say much more, “Forget it, let’s not talk about it. If you insist on thinking that I’ve been deceiving you, then there’s nothing I can do. Do whatever you want, just don’t disturb me anymore.”
Blyne’s expression went blank for a moment; she suddenly felt a bit breathless, unsure whether she was more shocked or angry. She felt a wave of nausea, stifling the urge to vomit, her chest rising and falling as she took deep breaths.
“Yes, I am quite foolish.” Apart from feeling sick, she found it laughable—Livia was laughable, and the fact that she had just been reflecting on herself was even more absurd, “I was so dumb that I kept putting up with you… Don’t contact me again in the future.”
She hung up the phone with trembling hands, finally unable to hold back and bent over to retch. Nothing came up; her stomach was churning, her vision blurred, and after taking a couple of steps, she slowly slid down along the wall.
Blyne crouched with her head down at the wall’s edge, and after some time, a coat was draped over her.
The coat carried a cold, perfumed scent as it covered her; she lifted her head to see Vey crouching down, gently touching her hair through the coat.
The moment Blyne got off the bed, today’s ‘training’ was completely over; they had reverted to being two individuals who needed to maintain their distance. Vey expressed her comfort this way, and wisely refrained from asking too many questions. When Blyne finally revealed her face from beneath the coat, her eyes were lightly tinged with red, but at least, she was willing to lift her head.
“Feeling better?” Vey asked, withdrawing her hand.
“Mm.” Blyne rubbed her nose and replied, “I’m fine.”
“Alright, let’s go have dinner. Do you have any requests for today?”
” I’m fine with anything.”
She couldn’t muster any mood, had no appetite, and didn’t want to go out.
As if hearing her thoughts, Vey asked, “Is it that you have no appetite, or you just don’t want to go out?”
Blyne realized that she categorized people’s needs very precisely, which might be why she could be so considerate; in front of Vey, her emotions were practically transparent.
She was guided to think for a moment, and after a while, softly said, “Actually, I have no appetite… and I don’t want to go out.”
“Then let’s rest for a bit. Do you want to talk?”
Her tone was surprisingly gentle and encouraging, which made Blyne unconsciously compare it to her meetings with students whose grades were slipping, where she dared not speak too harshly, being cautious not to touch their fragile nerves.
After a moment of hesitation, Blyne nodded slightly, putting on Vey’s coat as she helped her up. Because her legs had gone numb from squatting, she wobbled a bit, and Vey gently supported her waist, waiting for her to steady herself before letting go.
She forced a smile and said, “Is psychological counseling also a part of aftercare?”
“No, it depends on my mood,” Vey replied with a light tone, clearly in a good mood at the moment. “If I’m feeling down, even if the other person cries in front of me like you did that first time, I would pretend not to understand.”
Blyne was reminded of the embarrassing past and buried her face in her palms. “Vey… don’t bring up that day again, please.”
Vey smiled and helped her sit down on the sofa.
There was a cup of water on the coffee table; she picked it up and took a sip, not noticing the subtle change in the expression of the person across from her as they lowered their gaze, weighing their words.
For a moment, she didn’t know where to start.
She had been with Livia for three years, living together for a year and a half. About six months ago, Livia changed jobs and said she was too busy to run around, so they temporarily lived apart. One day, Blyne went to visit her and opened the door with a code—Blyne had the password to her home, but she always notified her in advance before visiting. Perhaps because of the password, she trusted Livia completely; even as their relationship grew colder, whenever she said she wanted to visit, Livia would refuse, and she assumed it was just because the other was too busy with work.
So that day, she opened the door with joy, only to see a girl lying on the sofa at Livia’s place.
The girl heard the door open, came out in her pajamas and slippers, and said she was Livia’s girlfriend, asking Blyne who she was looking for.
Blyne stood stunned in the entryway, as if struck by lightning.
The two stood facing each other, the girl about to say something when a small blue cat jumped from the living room floor onto the low cabinet in the entryway, staring at her with round eyes and letting out an unfriendly purr. The moment Blyne saw the cat, her mind went blank, and she stiffly looked up inch by inch.
The girl picked up the cat.
“Oh, don’t be scared, she just came home not long ago and has been very well-behaved before, not sure what’s up today, maybe she’s just shy… Wei Wei! This is mommy’s guest, be good now.”
“By the way, you’re looking for Livia, right? She’s at work today and isn’t home; I’ll have her contact you.”
This was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
If hearing the girl introduce herself turned her into a rusty machine, then the cat that jumped out was the hand winding the spring, forcing her to move her limbs that were buried in the soil, each movement accompanied by the sound of rusted skin peeling off her body.
She thought to herself, has Livia already moved in with someone and not changed the password, waiting for her to discover it and then propose a breakup?
When did it start?
Blyne couldn’t control her thoughts, memories from the past six months surged rapidly in her mind, and she involuntarily dug deep trying to find some clues—she suddenly felt a chill, trembling from the cold, realizing at that moment that she was unwelcome here.
She also knew that she might never have a cat for the rest of her life.
During the breakup, she couldn’t share what she saw and heard that day with anyone, but in front of Vey, she surprisingly remained calm, realizing that she remembered those details so clearly. Now, she tried hard to recall the happiness and joy of being with Livia, yet all she felt was like being blinded by a vast net, surrounded by the scenes of that day at Livia’s house, that girl, that cat, the little house full of life, and her unwelcome self.
After saying all this, it felt like a small part of her heart was empty. Blyne silently stared at the glass cup in her hand; Vey poured her a cup of warm water. She took a sip, the warm liquid flowing down her throat, slowly relaxing her shoulders and letting out a sigh.
“So, just now, was that your ex?” Before she could respond, Vey covered his forehead. “Wait… don’t tell me that’s your current girlfriend. The fact that you can still be with such a scumbag makes me feel worse than being a mistress.”
“…” Blyne said sincerely, “Thank you, although the words are not friendly, but being expressed by you like this, I actually feel quite pleasant.”
Seeing her smile through tears, Vey absentmindedly played with the ring on her finger, quiet for a moment, then asked without context: “Let me confirm one thing first. She said you’re ‘boring’?”
Blyne didn’t know why she suddenly brought this up, and she nodded.
“Is that true?” Vey exaggeratedly leaned back, saying, “How could I not see it?”
Her face was filled with serious shock and confusion. Blyne suddenly had images from just a few minutes ago flood her mind, her face turned slightly red as she awkwardly cleared her throat and said, “Thank you for comforting me.”
“She still calls you sister, and she’s younger than you? Oh—so you like younger girls, eh, Sister Blyne?”
Her tone suddenly became more playful, almost like she was acting cute. It didn’t feel out of place, but Blyne had experienced her wielding a ruler before, and now it only made her ears tingle.
“No, there’s no such thing as liking younger girls… I’ve only been in this one relationship, and she just happens to be two years younger than me.”
Vey observed her expression: “You seem a bit regretful.”
“Of course,” Blyne forced a smile, “We’ve been together for three years.”
Before this, she had been determined to spend her life with Livia. Thinking of this made Blyne feel a bit nauseous; she pressed her palm against her stomach and bent over, dry heaving. Vey quietly asked if she was okay, to which she waved her hand and lowered her head to adjust her breathing.
After sharing all this with her, Blyne felt slightly lighter. She always felt more relaxed around Vey; perhaps the intimate setting allowed her to let her guard down, or maybe it was just that the person across from her, who was so much younger, could accept all of her.
“I feel a bit nauseous… I’m sorry. It might be because of that phone call I just had; I suddenly realized that I’m living no differently than an idiot.”
Vey wanted to pat her head, but hesitated as she raised her hand, ultimately just resting it gently on the back of her hand.
Her hand felt a bit cold. Blyne’s fingers curled slightly as she belatedly remembered that Vey’s coat was draped over her.
“It’s not your fault.” Vey quickly released her hand nonchalantly and shrugged, “Admitting that someone you liked is a scumbag is much easier than admitting you’re an idiot; I recommend you try it.” Blyne was taken aback and chuckled softly.
“That makes some sense.” She lifted her head, looking seriously into her eyes, “Thank you, Vey.”
“No need to thank me, but there’s something I need to remind you of.”
Vey seemed to be suppressing a laugh as she tapped her fingers on the glass cup in Blyne’s hand.
“The water in your glass is the same one I drank from.”
“……”