My girlfriend is from the future!

Chenchen Club.

Wen Liang stood in front of the unassuming ebony gate, looking at the two characters "Chen Chen" written in bold ink on the lintel. She felt that this ancient building, located in the bustling city, could completely isolate her from the busy port city outside.

In Wenliang's memory, this was her first time here.

The reason she was standing here was because after her phone conversation with Cao Aiqing last time, the other party finally arranged to meet her here today.

But for some reason, the moment Wen Liang stepped over the high threshold, an extremely subtle and elusive sense of familiarity, like an undercurrent in the water, gently brushed against her heart.

That familiar feeling vanished in an instant, so quickly that she doubted it was just an illusion. Perhaps... it was the overly typical Jiangnan garden style here that gave her a vague impression of it from a film studio or a picture book.

The taciturn waiter led her through layers of white walls and black tiles, and winding corridors. As she went deeper into the club, the bluestone slabs under her feet, the layout of the artificial mountains and green bamboo outside the corridor, and even the faint smell in the air, mixed with old wood, tea and a hint of dampness, all deepened her vague sense of déjà vu.

She was certain she hadn't been there.

But at certain moments, such as when she turns a corner and catches a glimpse of banana leaves outside a carved lattice window, or when she hears the ethereal Kunqu opera tune from afar, almost like a hallucination, she would inexplicably feel a jolt of excitement, as if she had been there in a dream.

Finally, she was led to a beautiful pavilion by the water.

Cao Aiqing is already here.

This woman, who was always gentle and elegant, sat alone by the window with a glass of water in front of her, gazing absently at a pool of clear water outside the window.

Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on her, making her appear serene yet somewhat aloof.

Wen Liang paused, suppressing the inexplicable sense of familiarity, before walking over and sitting down opposite her.

Cao Aiqing seemed to only then notice Wen Liang's arrival. She turned her gaze, and the two women's eyes fell on each other's faces. Cao Aiqing's expression was much calmer than she had sounded on the phone, but deep in her eyes was an indescribable...complex emotion.

"I'm sorry to have asked you to come over despite your busy schedule."

Cao Aiqing spoke, her voice not loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the excessively quiet space. Knowing that the other person was an artist, it was not easy for her to take a day out of her packed schedule to meet.

"Let's skip the formalities..." Wen Liang replied, then subconsciously glanced at the layout of the pavilion again. "Why did you choose this place?"

She asked, her tone tinged with confusion and a subtle curiosity aroused by the surroundings.

“Sister Bai…Ms. Bai Wenyu brought me here a few times before.” Cao Aiqing said in a calm tone, “She said it’s quiet here, suitable for discussing matters, and I won’t be disturbed.”

She paused, then looked up at Wen Liang: "I think we need a place like this right now, where we can open our hearts to each other."

Wen Liang instantly felt a strange sense of dislocation, a mixture of familiarity and unfamiliarity. She instinctively hugged herself, a defensive posture.

Are you sure we'll only talk about each other?

The waiter quietly brought them a glass of the same water, then quietly withdrew, carefully closing the door behind them.

The light inside the pavilion dimmed, making the atmosphere more private and tense.

Cao Aiqing looked at her silently; clearly, neither of them wanted to get to the point so quickly. Finally, Wen Liang sighed.

"I feel like I've been here before..."

"Not surprisingly."

"Do you feel the same way?"

Cao Aiqing neither confirmed nor denied it, but instead mentioned another reality that resonated even more deeply with the two women:

"Actually, compared to this, sitting face to face with you right now, thinking about what we're about to discuss, feels more like a dream, doesn't it?"

"Indeed, your breaking up with He Tianran is something I would find hard to believe even in my dreams..."

Cao Aiqing frowned slightly, and Wen Liang, keenly aware of this, didn't hold back her words:

"Don't blame me for being blunt, but this is the truth I gleaned from the phone call that day and from your retelling. People are so contradictory; they say things so casually, thinking they don't care, but if someone else actually believes them, even just emphasizing it, you can't stand it. But this also confirmed one thing for me: Cao Aiqing..."

"what's up?"

"I thought you would be a woman who was calm and composed, able to remain unfazed by anything. Most importantly, you would also be kind, generous, and possess a detached yet approachable demeanor. That's what I thought of you before..."

Wen Liang's words contained an undisguised assessment, but at the end, the tone shifted:
"But now it seems that even if you are the white moonlight that can tolerate the world, when it comes to love, you can't tolerate other people's opinions. Otherwise, when I mentioned that you broke up with He Tianran, it was as if I touched your weakness. This made me realize that you are not so invincible after all."

Upon meeting Wen Liang's gaze, Cao Aiqing's furrowed brows slowly relaxed. She didn't avoid Wen Liang's eyes, but instead met them head-on.
“Everyone has emotions, both warm and cold.” Cao Aiqing’s voice remained steady, but upon closer listening, one could detect a faint trace of weariness: “The only difference lies in whether it is worth showing them, and… in front of whom they are shown.”

She picked up the glass of water in front of her, but didn't drink it. Instead, she looked at her blurry reflection in the glass and continued softly:

"Just like now, you're sticking out your spikes in front of me. Does that mean you're really a very aggressive person?"

Cao Aiqing raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as she looked at Wen Liang. "Perhaps, it's only because you're facing me that you feel the need to be fully armed?"

Wen Liang relaxed her arms slightly, but remained vigilant. She had to admit that Cao Aiqing's words had struck a nerve. In front of this woman, she always seemed to unconsciously enter a state of preparedness.

But this confrontation is not about determining a winner or loser. Cao Aiqing's initial candid remarks certainly did not refer to this kind of verbal exchange and confrontation.

"Ai Qing, I didn't mean to rub salt into your wounds..."

In the end, Wen Liang offered an explanation for her earlier blunt and harsh words:
"As I said, I was surprised by the fact that you broke up with He Tianran. He Tianran acted very strangely on the phone that day, and so did you. Moreover, there seemed to be another person on the phone, Yu Naoqiu. I saw her at the class reunion. If He Tianran broke up with you because of her... I don't believe it."

"You don't believe me? I can't believe that you're the first to question something that's a sure thing... Why don't you believe me?"

"Because I have tested He Tianran's loyalty to you... more than once."

Wen Liang's words fell like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating not a splash, but a deeper silence.

This is not a glorious thing; it even carries an inherent, unspeakable, and despicable quality...

Outside the window, the warm winter sun had been swallowed up by dark clouds that had gathered at some unknown time. The sky darkened, and the light filtering through the carved window lattice became weak and cold, reflecting the equally complex expressions on the two people's faces.

Cao Aiqing's gaze seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, fixed firmly on Wen Liang's face, but what surged in that gaze was not shock or anger at the "test" itself, but a deeper, incredulous astonishment—

She was stunned that Wen Liang had actually said it like that. So direct, so undisguised, even with a kind of self-destructive determination and a do-or-die frankness, laying bare this thing that should have been a secret, something that could be judged morally, right in front of her.

“You…” Cao Aiqing opened her mouth, the first syllable even sounding a little hoarse. She paused, as if reorganizing her thoughts, and finally uttered a dry confirmation: “…You just told me that?”

There was no questioning, no disdain, only a brief silence after being struck by such frankness.

“Yes.” Wen Liang met her gaze without flinching. “The method I used… wasn’t honorable, but he refused, very decisively.”

She paused, then added the most crucial sentence: "But... on the very day I called you... he was very special."

"That day... besides him taking Yu Naoqiu home, what else happened between you?"

Cao Aiqing's brows furrowed even more, her tone carrying a hint of barely concealed anger.

But this also made Wen Liang even more certain that the relationship between Cao Aiqing and He Tianran was not as simple as a "breakup" in the literal sense. There must be something else behind this action that she didn't know about. Otherwise, Cao Aiqing wouldn't have reacted so strongly to her situation. After all, it was Yu Naoqiu standing next to He Tianran, not Wen Liang.

That episode of the variety show hasn't aired yet, and even if it does, the production team won't include the actual events of that day in the final cut. This has left Wen Liang feeling conflicted. She can be very straightforward when she's rejected, but this time she was genuinely accepted...

So for a moment, Wen Liang didn't know how to explain it to Cao Aiqing.

An unusual silence fell over the elegant room.

Outside the window, dark clouds completely swallowed the last ray of sunlight, and muffled thunder rolled deep within the clouds.

“Ai Qing, I’ve already come to terms with some of it. Even in a casual chat, it’s not like one person can be sharing secrets the whole time, is it? Now it’s your turn…”

"What do you want to know?"

Looking at Cao Aiqing's face, which was gradually regaining its composure, Wen Liang finally asked the most direct and cruel question that had been swirling in her mind:
"So, that night... what exactly did you see at his house? Or rather... what did he say to you that finally made you believe he really... didn't want you anymore? Or was it all... an act from the beginning?"

"play?"

Cao Aiqing murmured, her thoughts seemingly drifting back to that heartbreaking scene.

The moment the words left his mouth, a pale white lightning bolt tore through the dark sky outside the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, and the wind that followed made the windowpanes hum and shake.

Amidst the deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth, the two women stared at each other in silence. The massive thunder seemed to cleave the barrier between them, declaring that at this moment, they had reached some kind of tacit understanding.

"Yes, you're acting, otherwise this doesn't make sense!"

The cool voice was resolute amidst the lingering echo of thunder:
“A person who can resist temptation wouldn’t end things in such an ugly way. This isn’t like him. This is too…deliberate.”

Just then, light footsteps came from outside the pavilion, followed by a cautious knock on the door.

The two fell silent instantly, all their outward emotions vanishing in a flash, returning to their usual aloof and calm demeanor.

A waiter brought in tea and a pot of freshly brewed hot tea, and said softly:

"Ladies, it's getting windy outside, and it looks like it's going to rain. Would you like us to close the window a little smaller, or perhaps we could move you to another room?"

"No need, thank you," Cao Aiqing said calmly, her voice devoid of any emotion.

The waiter placed the fragrant tea as instructed, then quietly slipped out again, carefully closing the door behind him.

Inside the pavilion, the aroma of tea rose gently, dispelling the slightly heavy atmosphere between the two women.

The rain fell gradually from the sky, pattering softly against the lotus leaves and windowpanes, making a delicate and rhythmic sound that only made the room feel even quieter.

Cao Aiqing looked out the window at the already dim sky.

"Warm and cool..."

"Ok?"

Wen Liang subconsciously responded, turning his gaze from the window to Cao Aiqing's quiet profile.

Do you like rainy days?

Cao Aiqing continued to gaze out the window and asked.

This question came out of nowhere and seemed out of place with the previous heavy topics.

Wen Liang paused for a moment, clearly not expecting the other person to ask this suddenly. She pouted and answered crisply, with an instinctive resistance:

"do not like."

Cao Aiqing finally turned her head slowly to look at Wen Liang, and a smile finally appeared on her face, as if she had gained a kind of resonance.

"Me too."

"..."

"..."

"Mr. He, this way please."

"It's raining outside, could you please find a room that isn't near a window?"

"Ok."

Just then, a familiar voice came through the rain from outside the window, indifferent and brief.

In an instant, through the crack in the window frame, Cao Aiqing and Wen Liang clearly saw He Tianran's expressionless profile and the beautiful backs of Yu Naoqiu and Bai Lingye under the corridor.

Wen Liang and Cao Aiqing held their breath almost simultaneously, their bodies stiffening as they remained in their original positions, like two sculptures frozen in time.

The sound of leather shoes and high heels clicking on the slippery stone slabs was crisp and rapid. They came from afar and approached until the door of the next room was completely closed. Only then did Wen Liang exhale very lightly and slowly, but her chest still rose and fell slightly due to the sudden tension.

She looked at Cao Aiqing, her eyes conveying shock and questioning. (End of Chapter)