Facing You Chapter 8
Translated by Novice Translations
Proofread by Nesryn
Chapter 8: Open
The next day, Shen Beibei was woken up by her cellphone and found herself in a hotel. She looked around for a while, but she was the only person on the bed.
She covered her swollen head: Wait! Yesterday I planned to get Lin Xi drunk, so I could hear the secret of her heart. What happened? She picked up her cellphone on the bedside table, which had a brief message from Lin Xi: Good morning Queen Mother, it’s time for you to go to work.
En? Queen Mother? Ahhhh! I can't remember ah! Let’s go to work first! Lin Xi put on yesterday's clothes in disgust, washed her face, then went to work in a hurry.
When she arrived at the hospital, she glanced at the package on her desk. Her colleague said, “A woman asked me to bring it to you.”
Lin Xi! Shen Beibei opened the beautifully wrapped package, and there was a new set of clothes and breakfast. She stared at these things for a long time and sent a message to Lin Xi: Don’t you disappear again!
Lin Xi's eyes were sleepy, and she shivered in the park. She saw more people doing their morning exercise and wasn’t in a good mood. She looked at the text message, fumbled for the last cigarette she had, then threw the empty cigarette packet into the trash can and lit the cigarette. She looked at the sky, replied with one word, then turned off the phone and didn’t look at it anymore.
Shen Beibei looked at the word and was disheartened. Once again, Shen Beibei thought that she walked into her heart, but unexpectedly failed. That day, she was a zombie. Her heart was wrung, and she wanted the sky to rain, but it was irritatingly sunny and clear.
Lin Xi sat on the chair smoking motionlessly. She didn’t move until the smoke burned her hand, and it was sure to leave a scar. After throwing away the cigarette, she sat back down and didn’t move. Her face reminded her she was getting tanned, her stomach reminded her of her hunger, and her tailbone reminded her of her activity. However, she still wondered whether she returned to the mental hospital. Gradually, she realized that she was reluctant to give up.
As soon as she turned on her cellphone that evening, there were more than 50 missed calls from Shen Beibei. Her messages read: Please answer my call. I can’t find you. I’m on your way to your house. Lin Xi, let’s talk!
Her house?! The place I registered before was… She thought and internally scolded herself. She ran out of the park to take a taxi and kept urging the driver nonstop.
Shen Beibei sat on the bus and decided to give her one last chance. After this time, she said to herself that even if Lin Xi died, she wouldn’t look for her.
After getting out of the vehicle, she asked to get off at this stop. At this time, she stood at the door of apartment 1301. She took a deep breath and double-checked the registered address. She remembered that her Lin Xi lived with her parents! But Lin Xi never mentioned her parents. She took out a mirror and looked at herself. She wanted to make a good impression! After confirming the address, she knocked on the door. A chubby woman opened the door, looked at Shen Beibei, and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
"Hello Auntie, is Lin Xi here?" Shen Beibei had a good impression of her. This auntie looks very gentle, but Lin Xi really didn’t look like her mother!
"She's not......"
The woman's words were interrupted by a rough male voice that resonated within the room with some displeasure, “Who ah?”
"Lin Xi's friend." The woman lowered her head as if to avoid Shen Beibei’s eyes.
"Lin Xi's friend", the man immediately ran out to greet her. When he saw Shen Beibei, his eyes lit up and completely swept away the previous displeasure and said, “Xiao Xi’s friend ah! Come in quickly.”
(TN: Xiao Xi means little Xi which is supposed to be a childhood nickname as if they are intimate.)
Shen Beibei took off her red high heels and smiled awkwardly. The man's burly figure made her a little uncomfortable. She even hoped that the woman would help push her away from this overly friendly man, but the woman quietly retreated to one side as if turning a blind eye to everything.
"What's your name ah? How long have you known our Xiao Xi?" It seemed to be a normal conversation, but Shen Beibei inadvertently pulled down her skirt. The man’s eyes became more and more unscrupulous. She replied perfunctorily and kept glancing at her watch. She didn’t understand. What was going on?
"Eat some fruit." The man kindly handed her a piece of cut pineapple.
When Shen Beibei took it with a smile, the pineapple fell on her leg. The man smiled, picked it up, and put it into his mouth without hesitation. This creepy scene made Shen Beibei uncomfortable. She suddenly stood up and looked at the silent woman beside her and said with a smile: “I’ll call her!”
The man opened his legs and touched his crotch twice. Then sat on the sofa and casually said: “Don’t worry. Xiao Xi will be back soon.”
The woman also echoed: "Yes ah! She will be back soon."
But Shen Beibei couldn't endure it for any longer. The man’s expression made her feel insulted. If he wasn’t Lin Xi’s parent, she would have slapped him already!
"No.....I....." Before she finished, the door was kicked open, and her savior appeared!
Lin Xi's face was livid. Without saying a word, she pulled Shen Beibei outside. Before leaving, she heard the man sneering, “It’s bigger than your chest.”
Lin Xi clenched her fists and teeth. She just pulled Shen Beibei away quickly to escape.
Shen Beibei didn’t recover from the shock, she just discovered her secret, however…she lowered her head and saw that her wrist turned blue, followed by pain.
Finally, when they turned the corner, Lin Xi released her hand and said coldly, “Leave!”
"Lin Xi, let's talk!" Shen Beibei grabbed her arm and pleaded. She knew the pain in her heart. If she left her now, her feelings would be nothing but this. She wanted to face this together with her.
"We have nothing to talk about!"
Shen Beibei shouted at her for the first time, "Lin Xi! What's the point of escaping? You can't escape from everything!"
"Then you tell me how to face it!" Lin Xi also shouted back.
"Okay! Come with me!" This time Shen Beibei took her by the hand and walked back upstairs.
She rang the doorbell, and when the woman saw the two, she opened the door in surprise. Shen Beibei rushed into the room and saw the man lying in bed watching TV. He looked at them from top to bottom as if they were naked.
Shen Beibei turned around and asked Lin Xi, "Do you mind?"
Lin Xi was in a daze, unsure of what she was going to do.
“Okay, you don’t mind.” Shen Beibei said to herself, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention. She slapped the man with a ‘pa’. She pulled Lin Xi and left with her, ignoring the man’s scolds.