Chapter 6

It wasn’t a holiday, nor was it one of those meaningful dates like 520 or Qixi. The Civil Affairs Bureau was sparsely populated; a few couples came and went. In today’s world, where same-sex marriage was legal, the people here to register marriages or handle divorces were no longer exclusively heterosexual couples. There were plenty of same-sex pairs too, men with men and women with women, freely matched.

Gu Yanqiu held the prepared documents and photos in her hands as she and Lin Yuewei walked in one after the other.

From the divorce counter up ahead came the sound of an argument, growing louder and louder. Gu Yanqiu listened closely for a few sentences; it sounded like a resentful pair. They had been handling the divorce quite smoothly, then suddenly blew up over old household grievances: who had always cooked at home while the other refused to wash dishes, who had done the mopping while the other lay on the sofa watching TV, who had taken the children to and from school more often.

The staff saw this kind of situation almost every day; if not ten times out of ten, then at least nine. With a blank expression, she tried to calm them down. “You’re already getting a divorce; what’s there to fight about? After this, the two of you won’t have anything to do with each other anymore. You’ll each live your own lives.”

These two were probably used to fighting at home; they went at it in public without a care, bickering endlessly.

Somehow, the argument escalated into a physical fight. The wife, who looked delicate and weak, was actually pretty fierce; she lunged at her husband and wrestled with him, grabbing his arm and shoving hard.

Maybe the husband hadn’t managed to dodge in time, or maybe he simply hadn’t resisted much. He toppled outward.

Lin Yuewei was walking in front. Out of nowhere, a black shadow slammed down from the diagonal ahead; the man came straight at her. Her pupils contracted. Before she could react, she was about to be caught in this completely unwarranted disaster when a hand—not broad, but absolutely strong—seized her arm and pulled her to the side.

The man hit the floor on his back; the chair wobbled and hung in the air for a moment, then tipped over with him.

The farce angered the staff. She pressed down on the ballpoint pen in her hand and said irritably, “If you want to fight, go outside. Is this a place for you to brawl? One more scene like this and I’m calling security!”

The man scrambled up, righted the chair, and sat back down.

Lin Yuewei was pulled out of the way by Gu Yanqiu and ended up almost face-to-face with her. For reasons even she couldn’t explain, she didn’t immediately shake her off, letting the other woman’s breath brush her cheek.

“Wait a moment.”

The man, now sitting upright again, turned around and saw a young woman with extraordinary looks and bearing, staring at him with a face as cold as ice that had never melted for a thousand years.

He froze, then said, “What is it?”

Gu Yanqiu let go of Lin Yuewei’s hand and stepped forward.

Lin Yuewei felt that faint, cool fragrance move away from her; an indescribable feeling rose in her chest. Her fingers followed after it, and just as she was about to touch the cool fabric of the other woman’s sleeve, she seemed to wake from a dream and pulled her hand back, arranging her expression into calm indifference.

She watched Gu Yanqiu’s movements. What did she want to do?

Gu Yanqiu said, “Please apologize to my... wife. You almost hurt her just now.”

Lin Yuewei’s eyes flew wide open as she stared at Gu Yanqiu in shock.

***

Lin Yuewei was looking at her again.

To avoid her thinking once more that she secretly liked her, Gu Yanqiu took the initiative to explain, “I’m just fighting for what should be mine. Don’t misunderstand; I really don’t have any feelings for you.”

“I know.” Lin Yuewei turned her face away, a trace of embarrassment appearing on it.

Even if there were no feelings, saying it so bluntly in public still made her feel humiliated.

A small sense of delight rose in Gu Yanqiu’s heart, along with a little smugness. She still remembered how Lin Yuewei had put on a long face toward her not long ago; now she got to make her stumble a little, an eye for an eye.

Of course, none of that showed on her face.

“All right, from today on, the two of you are completely separated; bridge back to bridge, road back to road.” A voice came from behind them. They both turned around and saw the divorced couple each receive a divorce certificate stamped with a copper seal from the staff.

The two people stood up from their chairs. Just moments ago, the woman had been beating her ex-husband; now she was in tears. The man’s eyes were red too. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his hand, but in the end still didn’t embrace her; he only gave her shoulder a light pat.

“Take care of yourself from now on. I’m not trying to lecture you, but your temper really is terrible; learn to rein it in. Living your life well is what matters.”

The woman sobbed uncontrollably.

The man took one last look at her, then started walking out first, leaving the woman behind in tears so deep it seemed to tear her heart apart.

When they got married, the two of them had each other and felt that even if the sky fell, they could face it together. When they divorced, everything fell apart. Sometimes even they themselves couldn’t tell why it had come to this, until hearts turned away from one another and they were scattered in different directions, making one sigh in endless regret.

Lin Yuewei imagined that in a few years, if they came here to handle a divorce certificate, it would probably be about the same feeling as today; nothing moved her, or perhaps... she would actually be quite happy. One person would have repaid a debt of gratitude, and the other would have gotten what she wanted.

The two of them sat at the table, bent over the forms, filling them out. After checking the documents they’d brought, they handed everything in. While the process went on, the staff chatted with them casually; who didn’t like beautiful people, especially when there were two at once.

Lin Yuewei remembered the image she’d previously asked her mother to present in front of Gu Yanqiu: someone not good at talking to others. So she naturally kept quiet and let Gu Yanqiu answer everything.

Gu Yanqiu might look hard to approach, but with that pretty face and her polite manner, people still tended to start conversations with her, especially in a Civil Affairs Bureau that saw every kind of human story imaginable and particularly liked this sort of well-behaved appearance.

“Xiao Gu, you believe in Buddhism?” Sure enough, the staff had already gotten familiar enough to call her “Xiao Gu.”

Lin Yuewei swore she saw the corner of Gu Yanqiu’s eye twitch slightly. Just then, because she was feeling tired from sitting, she propped her chin on one hand and watched Gu Yanqiu’s expression with relaxed interest.

So you always put on that perfect act, do you? Unlike me, if I don’t want to answer, I just won’t answer. Serves you right for shooting yourself in the foot.

Gu Yanqiu could hardly fail to notice the gloating in her eyes and couldn’t help giving her a light, reproachful glance.

Her features were exquisite, and every expression was controlled to perfection, but if one looked closely, there was a lack of living warmth. That one glare made her seem suddenly vivid and alive.

Twenty-five was a very good age for a woman. She had not yet shed all the sharpness of girlhood and still carried an unflinching courage toward the world; age and experience had blended into maturity. This maturity came naturally in every gesture, something a child pretending to be an adult could never imitate; it was the charm of a mature woman.

At the very least, someone like Lin Yuewei, fresh out of the ivory tower and straight from graduation, couldn’t copy it.

Lin Yuewei’s breathing caught; instinctively, she wanted to avoid her gaze. Fortunately, after glaring at her, the other woman had already turned back.

Gu Yanqiu said, “The elders in my family believe in Buddhism.”

What was she talking about? Lin Yuewei wiped the sweat from her fingers. It took her a moment to realize Gu Yanqiu was answering someone’s question about whether she believed in Buddhism. The elders in her family? Her scumbag father and stepmother should be excluded; that could only mean her deceased mother, the former Mrs. Gu.

“Believing in Buddhism is nice. It cultivates the mind and character. People these days are far too restless. Look at that pair just now fighting; this place has scenes like that almost every day. What hardship can’t they get through? They have to start hitting each other at the drop of a hat.”

“You’re absolutely right. One should be tolerant.”

“That’s right. Endure for a moment and the sea stays calm; take a step back and the sky opens wide.”

“Exactly. I think you two are a perfect match, both talented and beautiful. You’re bound to be happy in the future. I also believe in Buddhism; the Buddha will bless you both.”

“Thank you for your kind words.” Gu Yanqiu suddenly lowered her head, took out her phone from her bag, and said, “I have a message to reply to. Excuse me.”

“No problem.”

Lin Yuewei nearly laughed out loud. She was sitting close to Gu Yanqiu, and with her excellent eyesight she could see the other woman casually tapping at the black screen under the table. Only after the marriage certificate had been stamped did Gu Yanqiu pretend to finish replying, then put her phone away as if nothing had happened.

So she wasn’t a robot after all; she could still secretly play little tricks.

Lin Yuewei took her own little red booklet and opened it; the first thing that met her eye was their joint photo against a red background. She sighed inwardly. So this was marriage; her first time getting married in her life.

Gu Yanqiu moved faster than she did. She had already put away the marriage certificate and picked up her own bag; incidentally, she also took Lin Yuewei’s bag from where Lin Yuewei was staring blankly at the little red booklet. She had simply acted on instinct. Whenever she went out with friends before, she would always casually help carry bags and things; since she’d already taken it, it didn’t feel right to put it down again.

“Ready to go?”

“Mm.”

Gu Yanqiu hooked the bag’s strap over her shoulder. Because the staff who had just stamped their certificates was still nearby, she couldn’t say it too loudly, so she leaned close to Lin Yuewei’s ear. “I don’t have any feelings for you; don’t misunderstand. I just helped because it was convenient.”

Lin Yuewei: “...”

The two of them left one after the other. As they walked out, they ended up side by side. It was almost time to get off work, and ahead of them a husband and wife seemed to be in a hurry to divorce or something; they were shoving each other as they charged forward at full speed, not even looking where they were going. By Gu Yanqiu’s judgment, in another two seconds, they were probably going to collide with the two of them. Coincidentally, Lin Yuewei was walking on the outer side, so if anyone got hit, it would be her. Gu Yanqiu spent one second hesitating, then wrapped an arm around Lin Yuewei’s shoulder on her own initiative and led her out of the way.

Lin Yuewei saw it too; she had been about to give way, but Gu Yanqiu moved first.

Gu Yanqiu raised both hands and declared, “I don’t have any feelings for you, so don’t overthink it. I’d do the same for anyone else.”

Lin Yuewei was silent for a full half-minute before she said faintly, “...Did I say I was overthinking it?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “Miss Lin, please calm down. I’m just preventing trouble before it happens.”

Lin Yuewei gave her a look and strode off with long steps.

It was almost mealtime. Emotionally, Gu Yanqiu wanted them to eat separately and have nothing more to do with each other, but the education she’d received since childhood wouldn’t let her simply leave the other woman alone. So she hurried after her and took the initiative to ask, “Would you like to have dinner together, Miss Lin?”

Lin Yuewei was just about to speak when Gu Yanqiu blinked and clarified again and again, “I really, really don’t have any feelings for you. This is just a polite invitation and a thank-you.”

Lin Yuewei: “...”

After a long pause, her lips curved, and she said meaningfully, “Sure.”

Trying to needle her, were you? Fine; I’ll remember this. Just you wait.