Chapter 70

Huang Xiaoyi and Lin Qimian lingered at the milk tea shop until night had fallen.

They talked about everything—from little details from their Middle School days to moments after they’d reconnected.

Aside from that one heart-stopping remark back then, Xu Yueliang had never brought up her brother again. And that brother had never once shown up in front of Lin Qimian.

Lin Qimian often pondered these things on her own, but two heads were better than one. Huang Xiaoyi, armed with the confidence of an impartial observer, always offered strangely insightful perspectives and wildly imaginative theories.

By the end of the conversation, even Lin Qimian had started to believe that Xu Yueliang had fallen for her long ago. All those countless moments when she hadn’t leaned in for a kiss? Missed opportunities, every one.

Sorry to heaven and earth. Sorry to the ever-scheming Xu Yueliang. Sorry to the candy-obsessed Huang Xiaoyi.

This was just… unacceptable.

“Boss…” Lin Qimian raised a hand. Those fantasies had left her chest hot and her throat parched; she’d already downed plenty of water. “Another pot of tea?”

“Out of stock.” The boss polished the street-facing windows until they gleamed, then turned around. “No more tea leaves. Time to close up shop.”

Huang Xiaoyi had been in the middle of an excited rant and wasn’t pleased. “What time is it? You’re closing already? Boss, you’re slacking off way too much!”

The boss eyed her. “You’ve been off work for hours. Why can’t I clock out?”

Huang Xiaoyi shot back, “I don’t start until eight. Why don’t you open at eight?”

The boss burst out laughing, slinging her rag over her shoulder as she sauntered over. With a sharp pa, she slapped it down on Huang Xiaoyi’s table.

As she wiped it clean, she said, “Because I’m the boss, and you’re just a corporate drone.”

Huang Xiaoyi gritted her teeth. “My fists are itching.”

The boss glanced under the table. “Show me how itchy.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “…”

Huang Xiaoyi clenched her fist, then let it go. Her expression softened into playful pleading. “Come on, pretty boss. Stay open a little longer? We don’t just want drinks—we want to eat your cooking too…”

She shot Lin Qimian a meaningful look. “The boss’s food is amazing. Way better than her drinks…”

Lin Qimian smiled. “I know.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “？？？？”

Lin Qimian: “I had her fried sauce noodles for lunch today. They were delicious.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “！！！！”

Huang Xiaoyi shot to her feet, fuming as she glared at the boss. “As your loyal regular, I demand an explanation! Why does she get a coupon on her first visit and noodles on her second? I’ve bought so much from you. I’ve sung your praises. I posted about it on Moments…”

“All promotions subject to shop discretion.” The boss tossed the words over her shoulder as she headed for the door. “We give ’em out when we’re feeling generous. Not when we’re not…”

“Business like that’ll bankrupt you, I’m warning you.” Huang Xiaoyi chased after her. “Do you even want to stay open? Nice big shop, decent spot—utilities and rent alone must cost a fortune. With that attitude, how do you even break even? I’ve been dying to ask. Every time I see your place, I worry for you…”

“I’m Luo Fushui,” the boss said.

Huang Xiaoyi: “Huh?”

The boss extended a hand. “I don’t answer customer complaints from strangers. Least we can do is get acquainted first.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “Oh…”

Suddenly bashful, Huang Xiaoyi hurriedly stuck out her hand. “Hi, hi! Your name’s got some real flair—like the female leads in those transmigration novels I devoured as a kid…”

Luo Fushui pulled her hand back. “No handshake.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “Aaaah, my bad! Shake, shake! I won’t sleep tonight if we don’t. Seriously, this has been bugging me forever. Hi, I’m—”

“Huang Xiaoyi.” Luo Fushui gave her outstretched palm a light pat.

Huang Xiaoyi blinked, stunned. “How’d you know?”

Luo Fushui: “You post about it on Moments every day. ‘Huang Xiaoyi, when are you getting rich?’ ‘Huang Xiaoyi, when do you get off work?'”

Huang Xiaoyi: “…”

Luo Fushui grabbed a hefty padlock from behind the counter. “You two want to keep sitting? Go ahead. Just lock up when you leave.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “？？？？”

Luo Fushui undid her hair tie, letting her long locks cascade down. Her face lit up with energy, transforming her entire vibe in an instant.

She blew Huang Xiaoyi a kiss. “Keep chatting about your pure Middle School girl crushes. Big sis is off to kick off her glamorous adult nightlife.”

Huang Xiaoyi: “？？？？”

Luo Fushui strode out without a backward glance.

Huang Xiaoyi stood frozen at the counter, staring blankly at the massive lock for a good long while.

Lin Qimian came up beside her. “What was that about?”

Huang Xiaoyi: “The boss’s name is Luo Fushui. Total Mary Sue vibes, right?”

Lin Qimian asked, “What does Mary Sue mean?”

“That’s not important,” Huang Xiaoyi replied. “What matters is that she just mocked us, calling us elementary school kids!”

“Oh.”

Huang Xiaoyi lowered her voice. “She went to a nightclub.”

“Mm. Want to grab some food? Let’s find a quiet spot. Moon’s live stream is about to start.”

“…”

Huang Xiaoyi turned and pointed at the empty Milk Tea Shop. “Is there anywhere quieter than this? Even the Shop Boss isn’t here.”

Lin Qimian chuckled. “Fine, then. We’ll order takeout and eat here.”

And so they stayed right there in the shop. When the food arrived, Lin Qimian deftly cast the live stream onto the shop’s screen. They ate while watching.

Huang Xiaoyi scrolled through her phone and tapped into the Shop Boss’s Moments, flipping through the posts.

A fresh red notification dot popped up. Huang Xiaoyi scrolled to the top. “Whoa!”

Lin Qimian’s eyes remained glued to Xu Moon on the live stream, not sparing her friend so much as a glance.

Huang Xiaoyi hammered away at her phone screen. Moments later, she smacked Lin Qimian’s arm. “Holy shit!!!”

Lin Qimian’s smile faded from her lips as she looked up.

Huang Xiaoyi thrust her phone under her nose. “The Shop Boss went clubbing. She posted a video.”

Lin Qimian tapped it open and watched for a few seconds. “The dancers in there aren’t half as good as Moon.”

“…”

“Is that the point?” Huang Xiaoyi demanded. “The point is this place. Did you see the shop? This shop!”

“Hm?”

Huang Xiaoyi leaned in, whispering, “It’s the most infamous Les Nightclub in S City. Holy shit, who would’ve guessed? The Shop Boss might actually be… you know.”

“She is.”

“？？？？”

“Today at lunch, we watched TV together. She said she’s only interested in girls.”

“？？？？ What kind of TV leads to that conversation?”

“An Amateur Dating Show.”

“You actually watch those…? Never mind, it fits now. I… I just had a flash of inspiration…”

“Hm?”

“First, the small one. You and a random Shop Boss can get into that while watching a dating show—why not do it with Moon?”

Lin Qimian’s eyelids twitched upward, a spark of interest in her eyes. “Good idea.”

“Right? What else do you talk about during a dating show but romance?” Huang Xiaoyi mapped it out step by step. “We’ve got big expectations riding on this, but we can’t rush and scare Moon away. Learning her thoughts on love first is essential.”

Lin Qimian nodded. “Mm.”

“Then the big one—this is gold. Invite Moon to a nightclub. Drinks, dancing… at a spot like this. Tell her to bring Weiwei along. More people means she won’t suspect your motives.”

Huang Xiaoyi’s excitement built. “Think about it: where else is better for gauging someone’s orientation—or their feelings for you? Hormones everywhere, booze fueling the fire, the vibe takes over~~ We slide from strategy to action, and boom, we’re locked in.”

Lin Qimian’s eyebrow arched. Huang Xiaoyi rushed on, “But you’ve got to keep it together. No overdrinking—that’s too risky. Play it safe. You’ve carried this torch for years; it hasn’t been easy. Not easy at all…”

Lin Qimian cut her off. “Sounds good. That’s the plan.”

She swiped across Huang Xiaoyi’s phone screen. “Show me the address of this place.”

Huang Xiaoyi snatched it back. “You shouldn’t make the invite. One quick search tells everyone what it is—way too obvious. I’ll bring it up with Moon later.”

“How?”

“Simple: I want to go. Straight girl curious about a Les Nightclub? Totally normal.” Huang Xiaoyi grinned with confidence. “Relax. I’ve got tricks up my sleeve.”

Lin Qimian trusted her on this front.

Huang Xiaoyi could drag even her to someplace utterly boring, so coaxing a soft, fun-loving foodie like Xu Moon would be a breeze.

Plan settled, they polished off their takeout. Huang Xiaoyi bagged the trash, wiped the table gleaming clean, aligned the chairs perfectly, even peeked into the kitchen to check the stove before flicking off the lights, stepping out, and locking up.

She gave the hefty padlock a firm tug. “I care about her shop more than Luo Fushui does.”

“Mm.”

Huang Xiaoyi said, “If she put even a fraction of the effort into this that I do, the shop wouldn’t be so dead.”

“Mm,” Lin Qimian replied.

“Argh, I spent the whole day on this, and she still hasn’t told me why she isn’t serious about running the shop!!!”

Lin Qimian looked at her.

“Once she’s done clubbing, I’m going to harass her properly and get some straight answers…”

“Xiao Yi,” Lin Qimian said, “if you want to run a shop, we could partner up and take one over. I’ll front the money, and you handle the operations.”

“！！！！”

Lin Qimian patted her shoulder. “Straight girls shouldn’t harass lesbians. It’s pretty dangerous.”

“……”

The two stood there in the cool breeze for a moment before parting ways and heading home separately.

With a concrete plan in place, Lin Qimian felt much more settled.

Huang Xiaoyi had to meet someone, so they’d have to wait until the weekend when everyone was free.

After getting home and washing up, Lin Qimian could finally focus on other things—like tidying her room or tackling her pile of backlog work.

She stayed busy until 11, when the alarm went off. Lin Qimian grabbed her phone to check for messages from Xu Yueliang.

The stream had ended, but there was nothing from Xu Yueliang.

Since they’d parted at the airport that day, Xu Yueliang had only sent one message confirming she’d gotten home safely. Their chat hadn’t budged since.

With two straight days of busyness followed by nonstop work, Lin Qimian understood. She probably just didn’t have time.

Still, Lin Qimian harbored a sliver of hope—especially after her chat with Huang Xiaoyi that day. That hope had ballooned rapidly, now filling her chest to the brim.

After streaming came cleanup and washing up. Lin Qimian clutched her phone and kept waiting.

11-thirty. No new messages.

Midnight. Still nothing.

Lin Qimian checked the stream replay and fan recordings. Xu Yueliang had been in top form today, with no mishaps.

She climbed into bed and lay there staring at her phone screen.

Twelve-thirty. Still no message from Xu Yueliang.

Lin Qimian closed her eyes and set the phone aside.

Moonlight poured brightly through the window. Even after she turned off the light, it bathed her in its glow.

The next day, everything proceeded as usual.

Just like the days before she’d met Xu Yueliang.

Lin Qimian arrived at the hospital and threw herself into work. This time, she stashed her phone in a drawer; only true emergencies would get through.

Zhenzhen started to say something several times but held back. Lin Qimian was too intensely focused for her to get a word in.

During lunch break, Lin Qimian glanced at her phone. Still no new messages.

She tossed it back into the drawer and called out to Zhenzhen, “You’ve worked hard these past couple days. Let me treat you to lunch.”

“Yay!” Zhenzhen scampered happily after her.

Everything was as it should be—and yet, somehow, not quite.

After work that afternoon, Lin Qimian’s phone still had no new message notifications from “Jiaojiao,” and Little Moon’s evening stream was about to begin.

Lin Qimian wasn’t angry with Xu Yueliang. She was certain of it.

But she had no intention of watching the evening stream. She had plenty of work—plenty before Xu Yueliang had appeared in her life, and plenty even after.

Work, plans, books to read, research to dig into, papers to prepare.

Ever since that escape room outing, her relationship with Xu Yueliang had rocketed forward, reaching fever pitch during National Day, every second precious.

It was like a fire that Lin Qimian had kindled herself—tended so carefully against the wind, fed log after log until it roared at its hottest, a blaze so fierce it threatened to engulf her entirely.

Lin Qimian needed to cool off. What goes up must come down; she couldn’t burn through all her fuel too soon.

She couldn’t fixate on Xu Yueliang every waking moment, couldn’t stay glued to her side. Lin Qimian didn’t know what Xu Yueliang thought of it all, but their shift from daily WeChat chats to this mutual silence felt like perfect understanding.

Lin Qimian reined herself in. She went back to her routine and binged several seasons of romance reality shows.

Three days slipped by like this. Then Huang Xiaoyi called: they couldn’t meet this weekend after all. Their streaming platform had an event.

“Mm,” Lin Qimian murmured softly.

“Don’t go all wilted on me!” Huang Xiaoyi said quickly. “It’s a legit event. Moon’s blowing up right now, transitioning careers—you know how slammed she is.”

Lin Qimian gave a faint smile. She could imagine the chaos, even if she couldn’t fully grasp it.

“Anyway,” Huang Xiaoyi went on, “just keep chatting for now. Build it up right, and it’ll hit even harder when the time comes.”

“Mm.”

She still hadn’t found the right moment. Once their conversation cooled, it felt like a thin sheet of ice had formed over a springtime lake.

A small pebble could shatter it, but it always carried an air of awkwardness.

That Saturday evening, Lin Qimian remembered the gala.

It had been pre-recorded, airing across all platforms that night. She flicked on the television, and the program’s schedule and timeline sprang to mind with perfect clarity, as if superimposed right on the screen.

She watched the whole thing from start to finish, every detail pulling her back to those two days with Xu Yueliang.

The memories left her on edge, yet oddly at ease.

When it ended, Lin Qimian sensed this was the perfect opening.

She snapped a photo of the TV and sent it to Xu Yueliang: 【If there was a vote for the audience’s favorite performance, I’d definitely pick Xu Yueliang.】

She hit send while Xu Yueliang was mid-live stream; the reply came after she’d signed off.

At last, Lin Qimian basked once more in the glow of an 11:01 response.

-【Hehehe, thanks to this enthusiastic viewer, Doctor Lin!】

-【I haven’t even watched it yet~~】

-【How’d I do~~? Ditch the friends-and-family filter and spill—I need to brace myself.】

Ditch the friends-and-family filter… friends-and-family…

Maybe it was all those dating shows she’d binged lately, but Lin Qimian prickled at the words.

Her heart dipped, only for her to chide herself for overthinking.

What else could it be besides friends-and-family? Her “Mumu” account—Doctor Lin’s—had barely stuck around for Xu Yueliang’s streams long enough to qualify as a fan.

Lin Qimian’s fingers hovered over the screen before she typed back:

-【Your performance was flawless, utterly complete.】

-【But I can’t strip away the filter entirely.】

On the other end: typing… stopped… typing… stopped… until an emoji popped up:

-【Cat shyly twisting.gif】

Lin Qimian waited a few seconds more. Nothing.

She exhaled and typed: 【Just wrapped up streaming? Go tidy up and hit the hay.】

Xu Yueliang fired back quick this time: 【Mm-hmm, you too, Doctor Lin—rest up~~】

The dating show went unmentioned.

If anything, Xu Yueliang’s reply made Lin Qimian think the timing was still off.

She turned in late that night, powering through a full reorganization of her special cases from the past six months.

Before bed, she’d sworn off her phone, but some compulsion drew her gaze anyway.

A cluster of bright red notifications—all from Xu Yueliang.

Freshly tidied, she’d watched the gala and poured out her thoughts on seeing herself on TV. She thanked Lin Qimian profusely: for the company, the support. 【Never dreamed I’d see this day, or meet a friend like Doctor Lin.】

And: 【Here’s hoping every day ahead feels this good.】

Lin Qimian’s heart plummeted, then soared—leaving her adrift.

Xu Yueliang had slotted her firmly into “friend” territory, yet laced every line with affection and anticipation.

It evoked the dating show’s fan favorite: the girl who’d dangle chances to her interests without ever committing.

In her interview, she’d grinned: “The best part of dating is this stage—the uncertainty that sets your pulse racing. You’re on edge, I’m on edge… that’s how you really know your feelings~~”

Lin Qimian couldn’t tell if Xu Yueliang felt the same. She couldn’t even sort intent from accident in her words.

The thought made her itch to lock Xu Yueliang in a room, back her into a corner, pin her with a stare, and demand clarity.

Clarity on whether she was savoring this exquisite torture.

The week that followed trapped Lin Qimian in the dizzying web Xu Yueliang had spun—unease breeding a quiet resentment.

Not hatred, though. It fueled her impulses instead, compressing them into something dark and heavy.

She daydreamed endless reunions, endless things she’d do.

The more she dwelled, the deeper the ache, the rawer the yearning to see her.

So when Huang Xiaoyi finally confirmed—they were on for tonight—Lin Qimian felt a rush, all that pressure bursting free.

It wasn’t a day for outings, though.

A steady autumn drizzle fell, and by just past seven, the overcast sky had plunged everything into gloom.

Huang Xiaoyi, true to form, urged Lin Qimian to dress up nicely, but she had barely gotten two words out when another voice cut in from the other end of the line. “Dress up for what? Don’t let her. You clearly don’t get lesbians at all. Lesbians love it when she’s rocking a shirt and suit, acting all cool and distant.”

Huang Xiaoyi blinked. “Huh?”

Lin Qimian leaned closer to the phone. “Is that Boss Luo?”

The phone was snatched right out of her hand. “Yep, it’s me. Huang Xiaoyi begged me to tag along tonight so you two don’t get devoured by the sharks prowling that bar.”

Lin Qimian let out a soft laugh. “Thanks, Boss.”

She paused for a beat, then added, “But if Boss Luo spots the one who really wants a bite of me, don’t stand in her way.”

Luo Fushui’s laughter bubbled through the speaker. “I’ll take that as a hint about me.”

Someone yanked the phone back, and Huang Xiaoyi’s voice exploded from the receiver. “Hey! You better not get any ideas about my bestie. It won’t work out for you—you’ll just end up kicking a steel plate, I’m warning you…”

The line devolved into cheerful chaos for a good while before they finally hung up.

Lin Qimian glanced down at her outfit. Following Luo Fushui’s advice, she left it as was.

She simply undid the collar and cuffs, slipping on a pair of irregular geometric earrings.

Now, whenever light glanced across them, it sent a shimmer dancing onto her neckline.

Her neck and collarbones, bared by the open white shirt, traced perfect lines and gentle curves.

And that single red mole just above her chest? It sat there like the faintest, most teasing invitation.

Once, Lin Qimian would have scorned such tactics—using her body as a weapon. But now? She’d take any revenge she could get, one tantalizing inch at a time.

Revenge on Xu Yueliang. Make her heart race with panic and desire.

See if Xu Yueliang would truly panic and ache for her in return.