Seven-Year Itch?

For the stage costume, Xu Zhitong wore a finger chain on her right hand to match the fitted outfit; the silver chain wrapped around her slender fingers. The stylist said it would look especially good when she held the microphone.

She tugged the ring outward a little and studied it carefully. There were faint marks at the base of her finger, as if she’d worn a ring there before, but there didn’t seem to be any obvious spot where she usually kept one...

She also didn’t know how far she and Lin Yang had gone. Where was a couple’s ring supposed to be worn?

Xu Zhitong recalled the jewelry box and display rack in the walk-in closet. There had been all kinds of rings, and she had grabbed a few on the way out this time too, but none of them seemed to be wedding-ring styles.

...Ahem. Wedding ring.

Xu Zhitong’s face inexplicably warmed. She silently tried to justify herself.

Maybe they hadn’t reached the wedding-ring stage yet; at the very least, matching couple rings should count.

After all, she and Lin Yang had been together for so long. Given her own personality, how could she possibly not think about wearing matching rings with Lin Yang?

Xu Zhitong decided to go back and look for them.

The two of them were walking out when they reached a less crowded area. Xu Zhitong took Lin Yang’s hand, which was busy replying to messages on her phone, and carefully looked at her fingers.

There were also some traces of ring-wearing, just not very obvious.

Xu Zhitong wasn’t even sure what the traces from wearing a ring all the time were supposed to look like, but for some reason, something in her chest suddenly tightened.

Could it be that before the amnesia, she and Lin Yang had been at the point where they didn’t even wear couple rings very often?

By contrast, the opera performer and her little assistant both looked young, and the two of them definitely hadn’t been together as long as she and Lin Yang had.

How could her feelings for Lin Yang before the amnesia be worse than even theirs?

Xu Zhitong’s heart sank.

It seemed that every time she thought about her and Lin Yang not getting along, she would overthink it a little and instinctively imagine the worst.

But fortunately, Xu Zhitong still had some reason left at the moment. She took a few deep breaths and comforted herself: it probably wasn’t that bad.

Maybe the rings had just been put away because they were secretly dating, or because they were in a cold war.

Anyway, they’d be going home tomorrow. Once she got back and looked around, maybe they would be carefully stored away in some drawer deep inside a special velvet ring box.

Before the amnesia, she and Lin Yang had already been having problems in their relationship, so it would make sense if they didn’t wear matching rings all the time.

Xu Zhitong suppressed the inexplicable panic in her heart and repeatedly talked herself down before she finally calmed.

-

Before leaving the venue, Lin Yang went to chat with the producer again.

The two of them wore masks and slipped out through the back entrance, leaving the performance venue quietly without staying to watch the rest.

They weren’t in a hurry to return to the hotel. First they went to the adjacent venue to watch the Mid-Autumn garden fair where Yu Yaojiao was.

Today Yu Yaojiao was cosplaying a bunny-themed character from a game, with rabbit ears on and a fluffy skirt. The garden fair was already over, and she was now doing autograph sessions.

There was a long line, and around it were many fans who weren’t queueing but were taking photos and videos.

Xu Zhitong and the others couldn’t squeeze in, and they were also worried about standing out if they did.

She held up her phone and took a picture of the crowd from the end of the line, then sent it to Yu Yaojiao.

[ZZZ: Big internet celebrity, I bow in admiration!]

[ZZZ: We couldn’t get in. Xiao Yang and I are just going to walk around, heading off now]

It wasn’t until they had finished strolling around, carrying the snacks they’d bought at the garden fair and already gotten back into the car, that they finally received Yu Yaojiao’s reply.

[Dudou the Great: [eye-roll.jpg]]

The trip to Hai City ended happily.

There had been some less-than-perfect parts, but overall, Xu Zhitong was extremely satisfied.

When she went, she was still an amnesiac, miserable and pitiful, a lonely soul whose wife didn’t want her.

When she returned, she was already a dignified married woman.

As soon as she got back to their cozy home, Xu Zhitong shoved her suitcase into the bedroom and rushed straight to the walk-in closet to look for the rings.

Half an hour later, Xu Zhitong felt like the sky had fallen.

—There weren’t any!

Among the dazzling array of jewelry, there were indeed rings of all different styles, but there were no diamond rings!

With her savings and Lin Yang’s assets, how could they possibly not afford a diamond ring?

Xu Zhitong was a traditional, proper person. Vaguely, she felt that the ring used between wives should, within the bounds of what they could afford, be the most expensive, the shiniest, and have the biggest diamond.

But there was no diamond ring!

Xu Zhitong stared in despair at the pile of rings spread out in the black velvet jewelry box before her.

After a pause, she opened her phone and started searching online.

“Couple ring styles” only brought up ads for cheap goods.

“What kind of rings do secret couples usually wear?” Why was it all celebrity gossip?

“What a couple together for seven years might use...”

Hm?

#What does a relationship lasting more than seven years mean?

#Why does the longer you date, the harder it is to get married? What exactly is the seven-year itch?

With a spirit of learning, Xu Zhitong seriously clicked into these articles and studied them.

After that, she solemnly searched further for the meaning of “the seven-year itch.”

Once she had read carefully through everything, she suddenly felt like it all could be connected.

Since there hadn’t been any major misunderstandings between her and Lin Yang, like jealousy or cheating, and since their social circles seemed pretty simple too...

And since she had basically managed to reconcile with Lin Yang without much effort at all...

Could it be that before the amnesia, she and Lin Yang were in what these articles called the seven-year itch?

Then she calculated the dates again.

If she and Lin Yang had confirmed their relationship after graduating high school, then by now, wouldn’t it be exactly seven years?

Everything made sense again!

Xu Zhitong couldn’t help remembering Lin Yang’s stiff, unfamiliar lips and teeth when they had kissed these past few days.

Her muscle memory had failed to do its job, but Lin Yang had clearly been the one who had been dating her, before the amnesia, for all these years.

They had dated for seven years, but still had no wedding rings, and even now kissing was awkward and unfamiliar...

Maybe that kind of thing was like doing homework too; the less you did it, the less practiced you got?

Then she thought of the neat guest room, and the bed in the master bedroom that didn’t carry Lin Yang’s scent.

Could it be that what she had thought was a cold war in the past wasn’t actually a cold war at all, but something more serious—a separation caused by the seven-year itch?

Xu Zhitong felt even more like the sky had collapsed.

And if she thought about it further, on the night Lin Yang got drunk, Lin Yang had taken the initiative to kiss her, but that kiss still wasn’t deep enough, and after kissing her, she had told her to leave.

Wasn’t it said that drunkenness magnified the desires in a person’s heart the most?

Even if Xu Zhitong herself hadn’t been ready and had no experience, Lin Yang did have experience. Shouldn’t she have been able to guide her?

And these past few kisses, Xu Zhitong had been the one to take the lead and push in; Lin Yang had seemed rather passive each time, even pushing her to hurry up and finish.

Could it be that being intimate with her simply didn’t hold any appeal for Lin Yang?

If she searched a little more, maybe it would get even worse—things like asexuality, sexless marriage...

No, please!

Xu Zhitong shot to her feet.

She stood before the vanity mirror and seriously lifted the hem of her clothes.

Her skin was very fair.

Her lines were smooth and sharp, with just the right amount of toned muscle; her waist curved in a tight, neat line.

If she pinched herself, she could make red marks on her abs.

Xu Zhitong felt that she was still pretty attractive; she shouldn’t be so unappealing that Lin Yang would have no desire at all.

That day when she let Lin Yang touch her, Lin Yang had also blushed and looked shy.

Could it be that before the amnesia, her lovemaking skills had been too poor?

No way; she had always been someone who studied diligently, asked questions, and was good at searching for learning materials.

The more Xu Zhitong thought about it, the more off-track it went, and she was utterly baffled.

But the top priority was to find out where the rings had gone.

Even if they had the seven-year itch, there should at least still be a ring between them, right?

If they were separated, if the bed was dead, and if even the ring was gone, then how was that any different from a breakup?

Before going to ask Lin Yang, Xu Zhitong paced around her own walk-in closet twice, preparing to change into something else.

Before, she hadn’t really noticed.

After the amnesia, she had dressed much the same as she used to during school breaks: simple long-sleeved T-shirts, hoodies, cargo pants.

She wore very little jewelry, prioritizing comfort.

But now that she had realized their relationship problems were not just about a misunderstanding, Xu Zhitong felt a great sense of crisis.

She rummaged through boxes and drawers, and after also looking up some outfit ideas on RedNote, she finally picked a black tank top with thin straps. It was cropped to the waist and revealed a small section of her midriff with lovely lines.

To make it look more relaxed, and to cover things up while actually drawing attention, she put a loose long-sleeved shirt over it and carefully rolled the sleeves up to her forearms.

Then she went through each of the watches, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

She matched everything with great care.

She also seriously styled her hair and even sprayed on a light perfume behind her.

When the outfit was done, she felt she had the bearing of a RedNote fashion influencer. She took a selfie in the mirror and sent it to Yu Yaojiao for advice.

[ZZZ: [picture] How is it?]

[Dudou the Great: What does that mean, are you giving up streaming to go into the adult entertainment industry and become a top?]

Xu Zhitong didn’t understand.

[ZZZ: ?]

[Dudou the Great: It’s okay, but don’t layer the necklaces like that. Keep the one at the collarbone and the long one.]

[ZZZ: 1]

Xu Zhitong took off the necklace and sent another photo.

[ZZZ: [picture] How about this?]

[Dudou the Great: Fine. [vomit] Go seduce her.]

[ZZZ: ^^

Xu Zhitong was full of confidence as she left the bedroom to look for Lin Yang.

After being away for several days, she felt a strong sense of happiness at being back home, as if they had been reunited after a long separation. Even the air felt warm and familiar.

In her slippers, Xu Zhitong happily took a lap around their little home.

It was a four-bedroom, one-living-room flat. The master bedroom and the streaming room were hers to use; the guest room and study were Lin Yang’s.

Daily housekeeping had come by these few days to clean, so the house was spotless and bright. Scattered around were bits of their domestic life, traces of the life they had built together.

It would be nice if they changed the guest room into something else someday; a home theater, maybe, or a game room.

The guest room door was half-open, and there was no sign of Lin Yang in the living room either. Xu Zhitong headed straight for the study as if she knew the place by heart and knocked three times.

“I’m coming in.”

Even her voice was lifted, light and cheerful.

Inside the study, Lin Yang was typing on the keyboard in front of the computer screen. Xu Zhitong walked over and glanced at it; it was some unknown report in English, packed densely with data.

Amazing.

Unable to make sense of the specialized terminology, Xu Zhitong immediately got the feeling that she really was being kept by a wealthy wife.

She was here to seduce a wealthy wife who was working seriously... Hmm, what should she do?

Xu Zhitong hadn’t figured it out yet.

But that didn’t stop her from resting one hand on the desk edge, shrugging her shoulders and turning her face slightly, exposing the deliberately emphasized line of her neck, shoulders, and abs, while she coughed as if by accident.

“What are we having for lunch?”

Her tone was innocent.

The star necklace swayed in the hollow at her collarbone, and the long, dangling star pendant flickered against her chest.

Her shirt hung askew; the figure usually hidden under the loose hoodie was full of substance, carrying a toned, trained firmness.

At her words, Lin Yang withdrew her gaze from the monitor and looked at Xu Zhitong.

She paused very obviously.

Her eyes involuntarily lingered on Xu Zhitong’s exposed skin, slowly moving upward, especially stopping at her waist and neckline.

Xu Zhitong was thrilled.

She knew it ^^.