One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 2

Tang You'an stood in the center of the hall, her back to Song Xici. Her ink-black hair cascaded down her slender, straight back, one hand lightly resting there. Her tall, graceful figure exuded an unexpected air of elegance.

In that moment, Song Xici halted, words forgotten.

Hearing the door open, Tang You'an slowly turned, gazing at Song Xici in the doorway. She offered a slight smile.

Song Xici froze.

Was this an illusion? Apart from her face, Tang You'an's entire demeanor had transformed. Her every gesture and movement radiated a completely different aura than before.

"Greetings, young lady," Tang You'an said, lowering her gaze. She clasped her hands and bowed deeply. "Forgive my boldness, but may I ask your name?"

Song Xici stared, bewildered, steadying herself against the door. What was this about?

"Song... Song Xici. 'Xi' as in stream, 'ci' as in farewell," she replied, eyeing Tang You'an strangely. "How odd. How can you not know my name?"

"Oh?" Tang You'an looked at her, puzzled. Did they know each other?

"Look, I'm done playing. I just wanted to talk about our div-" Song Xici smacked her forehead, trying to get to the point.

"Streams flow without bidding farewell; spring winds carry dreams across thousands of miles. A fine name indeed," Tang You'an applauded lightly.

Song Xici paused again. Not bad, quite poetic...

Wait, no!

Could these words really have come from Tang You'an's mouth? And why was she suddenly speaking so formally? What was she up to? Song Xici couldn't let herself be fooled.

She exhaled, closing the door and facing Tang You'an.

"What kind of madness is this now?" she demanded.

"Madness? I assure you, I am quite sane," Tang You'an shook her head.

"Then I must be ill. Did that damned mermaid role give me a fever? No, that can't be..." Song Xici felt her own forehead.

"Anyway, I'm telling you, I've had enough this time..." she muttered, switching her high heels for slippers and slamming the shoe cabinet shut.

Staring at the cabinet, Song Xici pondered how to broach the divorce issue.

Their contract stipulated they wouldn't interfere in each other's lives during its term, but if either violated this, they could terminate it at any time.

True, Tang You'an hadn't directly interfered with her life. But her personal conduct had affected Song Xici, so she could use that to force an early termination.

Realizing this, Song Xici smiled, nodding to herself.

Tang You'an watched her, finding this young woman rather strange - no, extremely strange. Her clothes, makeup, mannerisms, all peculiar. Much of her speech was incomprehensible, requiring interpretation.

Song Xici tossed her keys into a box on a nearby cabinet, then looked up at Tang You'an. "I need to talk to you about something."

"As do I," Tang You'an smiled.

"You first, then." Song Xici nodded. She was curious what excuse Tang You'an would conjure for today's events.

Tang You'an gazed at Song Xici, her smile warm as she walked, gesturing slightly. "Miss Song, I have a question. Where is the Bridge of Helplessness? Is Meng Po busy? When might I be reincarnated? Are there many souls? Are you also traveling alone?"

Hearing this, Song Xici slumped against the door, her face as pale as if she'd seen a ghost.

Finally, Tang You'an stopped before her, extending a hand, still smiling. "If you're also without companionship, perhaps we could journey to the Yellow Springs together?"

"Miss Song?"

"Journey to hell with you, you ***!"

Song Xici's scream echoed through the Yujing Huanian villa.

Tang You'an stared at her reaction, utterly bewildered.

Half an hour later.

"So you're saying you were a fortune teller in your past life?" Song Xici sat on the sofa, arms crossed, her beautiful eyes scanning Tang You'an up and down.

"Indeed," Tang You'an nodded.

"And an exceptionally accurate one at that?" Song Xici raised an eyebrow, watching her performance continue.

"I do not mean to boast," Tang You'an's brows lifted slightly, "but it is the truth."

"I'm exhausted today. I don't want to play this childish game of past lives and underworlds with you. And don't think you can get away with feigning madness just because you've caused trouble. We're both living, adult, social beings, Chinese people. So let's talk about the real issue," Song Xici glanced at her, then opened her phone, pulled up Weibo, found the video from earlier, and thrust it in front of Tang You'an. "This is you, isn't it?"

Tang You'an looked at her, then at the phone, bewildered. She cautiously reached out to touch the "brick" that spoke and showed moving figures.

"What manner of object is this?" she touched it, then quickly withdrew her hand, frowning at Song Xici.

"Are you really this stupid or just pretending? What else could it be but a phone? Are you too afraid to face what you did today?" Song Xici picked up the phone, waving it in front of Tang You'an again.

She felt a strong urge to vomit blood, tempted to grab the fruit knife from the coffee table and stab Tang You'an multiple times.

"What is a 'phone'?" Tang You'an's hands tensed involuntarily as she looked back at Song Xici, brow furrowed. "Is this brick possessed by some spirit? How else could it behave so?"

Hearing this, Song Xici finally lowered her hand, tossing the phone onto the coffee table and burying her face in her palms.

Unbearable. What was Tang You'an doing? Was she mocking her? Did this make her happy? Was she ill?

"Miss Song?"

"Why are you still acting?! I never realized you had such talent before. Where was this skill when we needed a hundred takes to get through a scene? How have you suddenly become an Oscar-winning actress?" Finally, after stewing for a while, Song Xici sat up straight and slapped the coffee table, causing the water in the cups to slosh about.

She truly couldn't fathom what Tang You'an was trying to accomplish with this charade.

For Tang You'an, Song Xici's words were too complex to understand. After a long mental pause, she slowly replied, "I only tell fortunes. I do not act in plays."

"Tang You'an!" Song Xici's face and neck flushed red with anger. "Why don't you just say you only sell your art, not your body?!"

"Miss Song is mistaken. I neither sell art nor my body, and I have certainly never frequented houses of ill repute," Tang You'an answered with a smile.

Song Xici opened her mouth to speak but found no words. She smiled, nodded, then beckoned to Tang You'an.

"You say you can tell fortunes, right? Then divine what I most want to do right now."

"I do not know," Tang You'an replied calmly and composedly.

"And you still have the gall to claim your fortune-telling skills are unparalleled?" Song Xici nearly laughed herself to death upon hearing this.

What Song Xici most wanted to do was throw her tea in Tang You'an's face and slap her. How could someone be like this, committing misdeeds without remorse, only trying to feign ignorance to escape consequences?

"Fortune-telling does not grant omniscience. If I had reached such a level, I would be among the immortals, not a mere mortal," Tang You'an answered in all seriousness.

"How virtuous. You're quite skilled at quibbling, aren't you? So everything is as you say, is that it?" Song Xici's face dripped with sarcasm.

Tang You'an looked at her, smiling and shaking her head. She then picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and furrowed her brow slightly.

The water here was far less sweet and delicious than the well water from her old home. Alas.

"By the way, didn't you say you could tell fortunes? Then go ahead and divine something for me to see," Song Xici said, crossing her legs as she watched Tang You'an.

"What would you like me to divine, Miss?" Tang You'an extended a hand, raising it slightly. "Please, tell me."

"Why don't you divine what I'm lacking?" Song Xici stood up with an empty glass, walked to the water dispenser, and filled it, drinking half in one gulp.

Tang You'an rose, hands clasped behind her back, and approached Song Xici step by step. She lowered her gaze slightly. "I can divine that Miss Song's fate lacks me."

Her expression remained serene, but the crystal light illuminated her pupils, making them appear exceptionally clear and beautiful.

How ridiculous. What game was she playing now? Was she trying to seduce her? Such a clumsy attempt.

Song Xici held the glass, meeting Tang You'an's gaze for a moment. She coughed twice, looked away, then laughed, raising her chin to face Tang You'an again. "Miss Tang, you're really going to great lengths to avoid divorcing me, aren't you? Even resorting to cheesy pickup lines. How impressive. Though I don't know what you're really up to, don't forget that we agreed from the start that our marriage is merely a contract. Even if you're unwilling to divorce now, we'll have to when the time comes."

"I'm ashamed to say I don't quite understand Miss Song's meaning. However, Miss Song should be careful in the near future. Your life is precious," Tang You'an looked at her with a faint smile.

"Are you still acting, or is this some roundabout way of threatening me?" Song Xici said. Just then, she heard her phone vibrate and started to walk towards the coffee table.

But before she could take a step, Tang You'an grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Song Xici turned to glare at her.

Tang You'an didn't answer. Instead, she gripped Song Xici's wrist and spun her towards the bar. Water sloshed from the glass, wetting both their clothes.

At that moment, the crystal chandelier plummeted from above like an arrow released from its bow. With a tremendous crash, it shattered upon impact with the coffee table, exploding into countless fragments like a building hit by a bomb!

As glass shards bounced near her ankles, Song Xici's face turned as white as wax.

Her breathing became erratic and rapid. It was unimaginable what might have happened had she still been standing there.

After a long while, when Song Xici's breathing had somewhat steadied, she stiffly turned to face Tang You'an. "Who are you, really?"