Received A Wife From The Civil Affairs Bureau Ch.33

You are even more beautiful than the fireworks

You are even more beautiful than the fireworks

Lin Cuo was flipping through the documents when she looked up to see Jiang Ziquan’s face that was so pale that even her thick makeup couldn’t hide how pale she was. Like a mother who works hard for the family without complaint, she pressed a hand to Jiang Ziquan’s forehead and then said in a puzzled tone, “Strange, you don’t have a fever, so why is your complexion so bad?”

Jiang Ziquan raised an eyebrow and then flicked that hand away as she stuffed the stack of papers into Lin Cuo’s arms, “Of course I don’t have a fever. Here, this is today’s report. I’m going to bed first.”

Lin Cuo felt confused and looked through the report, there was nothing wrong with it, but Jiang Ziquan’s appearance worried her. She flung the reports to the side and quickly grabbed Jiang Ziquan’s arm to prevent her from leaving: “What’s going on?”

Actually, Lin Cuo could guess it had something to do with Teacher Shen and she couldn’t help but frown at that thought. 

Jiang Ziquan turned to look at Lin Cuo and dragged her to a nearby chair to sit down. She took several deep breaths and her expression was serious which caused Lin Cuo to become serious too. 

“Cuo-er, there’s this auntie of mine who recently…”

Lin Cuo cut her off, “You’re on your period?” [1]

“I swear, lately you’ve been…” Jiang Ziquan felt even more hesitant at telling Lin Cuo what happened and the corners of her mouth twitched, “Anyways when this auntie of mine was younger, she was somewhat childish but the person she likes is very mature. When this person she likes saw what my auntie was like during her younger days, do you think she would be disgusted by my auntie from back then?”

“So Teacher Shen saw what you were like when you were in high school?” Lin Cuo could already guess what she was talking about and even guessed the time period accurately.

“Yeah.” Jiang Ziquan nodded dumbly and then froze as if she was caught doing something wrong, “No, no, no. This is about my auntie, not me.”

Don’t people usually start with ‘I have a friend who….’ and then make it seem like it’s their friend with the problem? Why the heck did you choose some random ‘auntie’? Lin Cuo thought exasperatedly. But she was right, Jiang Ziquan is facing some love problems. However, she gave Jiang Ziquan a sideways glance. She is currently a single dog herself so how can she help others with their love problems?

“Alright, alright, this is about your auntie. Please continue.”

Then Jiang Ziquan proceeded to tell her everything that had happened during her second year in high school. At the time, she forgot to keep a copy of her love letter so she could only vaguely remember that it was a bunch of sentimental nonsense. She was such a chuunibyou [2] at the time. 

Just thinking about it made her feel indescribable amounts of shame!!

“Hey, how did that headteacher punish you later?”

Jiang Ziuqan sighed, why were they talking about this part of the story?

“If I remember correctly, I had to write a reflection essay titled 《Being Single Makes Me Happy》”

“Pfft-!” 

Lin Cuo laughed loudly, “This teacher of yours is quite interesting.” Seeing the look Jiang Ziquan sent her way, she quickly put on her poker face and took out her phone as she pretended to casually swipe on the screen, “Lunar New Year is coming up in a few days, do you want to go home for a few days?”

“Huh? We still have work to do and I am not a person who will abandon my work just for love.” Jiang Ziquan had a conflicted expression on her face. Actually, she was just afraid that Chen Chen will kill her if she realized what a lovesick idiot she truly was. 

“If we follow my plan it should be doable. Think about it, the plane ride will only be about six hours. We get off of work at five and so we’ll be able to get there right when the New Year starts. Spend about two hours there and then catch another flight back and we should be able to get to work on time the next day.” Lin Cuo laid out the plan, thinking about every possible situation, “We’re both young, so it’s fine if we pull an all-nighter.”

Jiang Ziquan felt a little emotional at the thought. If she does this, it will be her and Teacher Shen’s first New Year together. However, it will be a little bit too rushed. She would barely say a few words to Teacher Shen before she had to leave again. 

Lin Cuo continued: “During college, many couples in a long-distance relationship would meet up occasionally and during those moments they get really lovely-dovey. And I think you two will definitely make some great progress this time.” 

Jiang Ziquan gritted her teeth: “Alright, let’s do it.”

And so, the two quietly escaped back to Beijin without anyone knowing. Later, when Chen Chen found out, she was so furious that she vowed to strangle those two when they return. 

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When Jiang Ziquan got off the plane, the first person she saw was unexpectedly Xu Yao. Seeing the annoying man she hadn’t seen in a long time, she felt confused. 

“Miss Jiang, what a coincidence.” Xu Yao still kept his gentle and kind facade as he made a beeline towards her. He was flying out today and just happened to bump into her.

Jiang Ziquan’s expression didn’t change and she stepped in front of Lin Cuo, taking a defensive stance, “I don’t think I know you.”

Xu Yao: “….”

Could it be that his face was just that forgettable?

“We met on Chrismas day.” Xu Yao continued stubbornly, his eyes darting back between the two of them. He already thought of Jiang Ziquan as a loose and unreliable woman, so his thoughts went to the worst-case scenario. Did she abandon Shen Yumo and hooked up with another girl already? 

“I don’t recall.” Jiang Ziquan said impatiently and looked at her watch. They were already short on time and now they had run into this self-righteous and pompous man. Naturally, her tone was not very good as she dealt with him and this person was her rival so it didn’t matter if her tone wasn’t friendly.

“Hey! I’m Teacher Shen’s colleague.” Xu Yao hurriedly shouted when he saw the two ignore him and begin to leave.  Sure enough, he saw Jiang Ziquan’s expression turn unsightly and it confirmed the sinking suspicion in his heart. Jiang Ziquan is cheating on Teacher Shen. 

Like a paparazzi who discovered a juicy piece of gossip, he excitedly took out a phone and discreetly took photos of the two. Even if he couldn’t split them up, he could at least bury himself into their lives. If he sends these pictures to Shen Yumo then every time Jiang Ziquan is caught cheating, she will think of him and remember how he had kindly informed her and how good of a man he was. Just the thought of that made his heart light up with joy. 

Furthermore, the pictures he took were very incriminating. One of them was when Jiang Ziquan just happened to be leaning in towards Lin Cuo and she whispered something in her ear that caused Lin Cuo to laugh loudly. He sent the picture to Shen Yumo through an anonymous email and then murmured to himself, “This time I don’t believe you forget my name ever again.”

The two obviously didn’t know about Xu Yao’s dirty little schemes, they ere to busy rushing to get to Shen Yumo’s family hometown on time. 

There was no one on the road during this festive night because everyone were probably at home with their families and watching the annual Lunar New Year. It was chilly outside and there were only a few street lights illuminating the cold darkness. 

“Why haven’t you called Teacher Shen yet?” Lin Cuo cracked her stiff neck and watched as her friend took out a cigarette. Jiang Ziquan lowered the window and started smoking instead of taking out her phone to make a call. 

As the saying goes, ‘One grows timider the closer they are to home’[3] and now that she was about to see Teacher Shen again, she suddenly felt a little apprehensive. She couldn’t explain why, but when she saw the warm lights coming from Shen Yumo’s home, she didn’t know if she should intrude or if Teacher Shen would even want to see her on such a special day. 

And it was because that letter was just too embarrassing. 

Lin Cuo looked at the conflicted expression on Jiang Ziquan’s face as the smoke from her cigarette swirled around her and found this whole situation to be quite funny. She had known Jiang Ziquan for a long time now and had always thought of Jiang Ziquan as a free and easy-going person who got along with everyone. However, she knew the truth. Jiang Ziquan was very protective of her own heart and had set walls around it, so it wasn’t easy for someone to truly befriend her. She had a cold interior that turned away many, even potential lovers or friends. Otherwise, with Jiang Ziquan’s friendly personality, how could she still be her best and only close friend after all these years?

“Teacher Shen is calling me.” Jiang Ziquan said in shock. Shen Yumo rarely called her voluntarily and she hurriedly put out her cigarette. She adjusted her hair and checked her face before she answered the phone. 

The Teacher Shen on the screen had no expression and no makeup. Her hair was a bit messy, but Jiang Ziquan still thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She could hear the sound of her own heart beating furiously and it has never beaten this vigorously before.

“Ziquan, I want to see what Country M looks like at night.” There was a smile on Shen Yumo’s face and Jiang Ziquan thought it was unfair that her voice sounded so gentle at the moment. 

When Jiang Ziquan saw the smiling Shen Yumo before her, she felt like she had fallen onto a pile of cotton and it was so warm that she didn’t want to get up. At that moment, even if Teacher Shen wanted her to pick a star from the night sky, she would gladly brave any danger to gift her brightest star without hesitation. 

However, she was currently in China. Where would she go to find the night view of Country M right now?

“Teacher Shen, wait a sec. I will call you back in a minute.” Fortunately, Lin Cuo was still there to slap her back into reality and she pinched Jiang Ziquan’s thigh to remind her not to do something stupid like broadcast the night sky they were looking at right now. 

Jiang Ziquan’s mind returned to her as she called Chen Chen and immediately requested for a live stream of the night view in Country M. 

“Jiang Ziquan, have you’ve become addicted to some kind of love drug?” That was the reply she received.

Jiang Ziquan scratched her nose embarrassedly, it really wasn’t easy to pursue her wife. 

Lin Cuo, apparently the only one with brains at the moment, realized what was going on. Although today is Lunar New Year, there was nothing different about the night scenery in Country M than previous times Jiang Ziquan called. Furthermore, they had less than forty minutes till New Year, so if she wanted to see the night view that only meant that Shen Yumo already knew that Jiang Ziquan was back in China.

As the saying goes, ‘The person on the spot is baffled, but the onlooker sees the game clearly’[4] and in front of Teacher Shen, the smart Jiang Ziquan had her IQ reduced to zero while Chen Chen, who probably just found out that they left, was still too furious to see things clearly. Only Lin Cuo could see what was going on here. So Teacher Shen really does hold a spot for Jiang Ziquan in her heart.

They had prepared fireworks and firecrackers in advance, so a bright idea lit up like a lightbulb inside of Lin Cuo’s head and she got out of the car. She took out the fireworks from the car and went off to find a place where she can light them when Teacher Shen comes out and surprise both of them. 

The still unaware Jiang Ziquan just happily thought grabbed Lin Cuo’s mobile phone and found a live stream of Country M she could use. She quickly called Shen Yumo back.

‘Wow, the night view is so different there.” Shen Yumo concealed the smile in her heart, not wanting to tease Jiang Ziquan and have her get mad. 

“Now, close your eyes and open them only when I say so.”

“Ok.” Jiang Ziquan agreed immediately. 

She didn’t know how much time passed when suddenly she heard something tapping against the car’s window. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Shen Yumo looking back at her with a slightly mischievous look on her face. 

Jiang Ziquan froze and suddenly turned into an idiot. She couldn’t hear anything and watched as that pair of luscious lips seemed to say something and she could vaguely make out the words, “Come out.”

Still feeling dazed, she stumbled out fo the car and stared intensely at the person in front of her. 

For once, Shen Yumo seemed to not care about the staring and leaned against the car, “Aren’t you tired from all that traveling?”

“I’m not tired at all.” Jiang Ziquan shook her head. She never felt like she lacked words to say but whenever she was in front of Shen Yumo, she became speechless and could only blurt out the things inside her heart.

“I missed you so much.”

Shen Yumo studied her quietly and then huddled closer. She took off her scarf and wrapped half it around her neck and the other half around Jian Ziquan’s neck, “Aren’t you cold?”

Her face was so close to Jiang Ziquan’s and she could feel the hot breaths landing on her somewhat frozen face. Shen Yumo’s unique scent seemed to engulf her and she wondered if she could become drunk off of that smell alone. 

An intense longing filled her heart as she looked at those pink lips and her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She felt like she was lost in a dream and slowly leaned down. The furious beating of her heart roared in her ears as she gently pressed her lips against that pair of dream-like lips. A sudden soft and cold touch left her even more dazed. She felt a pair of slender hands wrap around her waist, holding her tight. 

For a long time, they stayed like that until the jarring sound of fireworks broke them apart, pulling them from the dream. 

Jiang Ziquan looked at her with burning eyes and said in low voice, “Happy New Year, Teacher Shen.”

“En. Happy New Year.”

Jiang Ziquan felt like the flames of her heart were burning her but then reached down and realized it was just the jade around her neck. It felt hot to the touch and she felt that it was a little strange, but she did not give it a second thought before gently clasping Shen Yumo’s hand as they leaned against her car to watch the fireworks light up the night sky. 

Seeing Shen Yumo’s exquisite face illuminated by the light from the fireworks, she could confidently say in her heart, you are even more beautiful than the fireworks. 

Meanwhile, Lin Cuo cracked her stiff neck and watched the backs of the two lovebirds. She felt relieved and happy for her friend, even if it meant freezing her butt off like a dog as she diligently set off the fireworks. 

If she was a character in a game, she would be the gentle and kind older sister. She didn’t resent her fate as she lit the fireworks and instead sighed softly. Fortunately, she was experienced at lighting fireworks because she had played with so many during her days at the orphanage and it was a good thing that China wasn’t as strict with their fireworks policy, so she could light as many as she wanted without any repercussions. 

“Who are you?”

The sudden voice startled her and she jumped as she turned around to see a short-haired girl. The girl was wearing thick cotton pajamas and a pair of pink slippers as she looked at Lin Cuo curiously, or to be more precise, the fireworks in Lin Cuo’s hand.

“Do you want some?” Lin Cuo followed her gaze and relaxed a little as she offered the girl a few fireworks.

Yu Chenjia felt a little conflicted. She wanted to keep watching Shen Yumo and Jiang Ziquan because they were her OTP and she was their number one shipper (self-proclaimed), but the fireworks looked so fun. She bit on her lower lip and felt indecisive as she didn’t know what she should do. 

“Do you know them?”

The girl nodded in surprise and looked at her in bewilderment, “Yeah, Yumo is my cousin, so of course I do. The question is, how do you know them?”

“Well, that’s because I’m Ziquan’s bestie.” 

Just when Lin Cuo said that, Yu Chenjia’s expression changed into that of a tiger protecting her young, “So what if you’re her bestie? Jiang-senpai belongs to my cousin!”

Don’t think I haven’t read any Yuri before!!! I know that the best friend always wants to sleep with the main character!! 

Lin Cuo froze and pointed at Jiang Ziquan and then pointed to herself, feeling stupefied. Here she was being such a great friend and sacrificing her evening to set off dangerous fireworks, but suddenly this random person starts accusing her of such nonsense. She couldn’t help but say coldly, “Who are you to boss me around?”

After saying so, she squatted down to light another firework. Just what kind of sin did she commit to deserve this kind of treatment? 

With this, Yu Chengjia felt that her suspicion was confirmed. However, she thought that it must be fate for her to meet this person and witness the moment of their unrequited love. She stepped closer and asked quietly, “Are you a designer like Jiang-senpai?”

“En. I was her classmate back in college.” Lin Cuo nodded, this time in a less stern voice. She thought that maybe this girl was just worried for Teacher Shen and decided to let the previous accusation go. She felt she shouldn’t treat her coldly because although she might never see this girl again, Jiang Ziquan would have to. She didn’t want to make a bad impression that would bring down Jiang Ziquan’s reputation as well. 

She offhandedly asked, “What about you? What do you do?”

Yu Chenjia felt a little envious at the way Lin Cuo skillfully lit those fireworks and replied as she moved closer, “Programmer.” 

Lin Cuo’s hand stopped moving at the girl’s close proximity to her and looked over to see the top of Yu Chengjia’s head.

Seeing that she was so eager to try lighting one, Lin Cuo took off her gloves and then carefully put it on for her, “You don’t want to catch a cold, Teacher Shen’s cousin.”

Yu Chengjia was too lazy to discuss the issue of what title they should call each other and carefully ignited the firework, “Is this how you do it?”

“Yes.”

Bang! 

When the firework popped off into the sky, the girl looked excited and stepped towards LIn Cuo until she was basically hugging her. She had no ulterior motive in doing so, she only wanted to share her joy with the people around her. She was surprised as she pinched the thin clothes Lin Cuo was wearing and asked, “Aren’t you cold wearing this little?” 

This caused Lin Cuo to feel startled. The two of them had rushed over here in a hurry and so they were still wearing their professional attire. They had only hurriedly put on a thick coat over their outfits so how could she not be cold?

“It’s alright.”

Lin Cuo looked down at her watch, it was almost time to go. She said a quick goodbye to Yu Chengjia and then shuffled over to Jiang Ziquan. 

“It’s time to go.”

“En. Ok.” Jiang Ziquan hadn’t even had the time to say a proper goodbye when Shen Yumo directly entered the car with her. 

Lin Cuo could understand why Shen Yumo would stay in the car and send them off, but why did the cousin get in the car too? Furthermore, she was staring at Jiang Ziquan and Shen Yumo with some strange eyes….

When they were on the plane, Lin Cuo finally had the opportunity to speak with Jiang Ziquan alone, but seeing her stupid appearance, she decided to wait until they got back. She opened her mouth and could only say, “When we get back you’re treating me to some food.”

“Ok, you can order whatever you want.”

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Author’s notes:

Xu Yao: Why can’t you ever remember my name?

Jiang Ziqaun: Because your name was just something randomly typed in. 

Author: Haha, that’s correct!

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T/N notes:

[1] Great aunt or auntie, in general, is also Chinese slang for ‘menstruation’. It’s a subtle way of saying “Hey, I’m on my period.”

[2] chuunibyou: embarrassing behavior that usually delusional teenagers exhibit. For example, that naruto fan who would wear a naruto headband and run around in the school hallways shouting: “Rasengan!” Totally not speaking from experience. 

[3] One grows timider they closer they are to home: It’s from a poem by Li Zhenguo, which is about how he missed his mother day and night when he was away but was afraid to take a step into the house when he arrived home. Kinda like how you don’t feel scared about talking to a person until they are right in front of you. 

Sidenote: Lin Cuo = MVP and #1 BEST FRIEND/Wingwoman

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