Chapter 25: 25. Alps and Lollipop Part 1

/There is no real empathy in the world, except between Yu Qinjiu and Ji Qingyou. After all, even the trajectory of their names miraculously overlap.

Though they go in opposite directions, it is a miracle capable of colliding with the soul./

Yu Qinjiu had been really unhappy.

Usually, people who knew about her situation would either treat her with pity or tactfully avoid the topic.

But Ji Qingyou’s answer was different. Unlike anyone else.

She wouldn’t rack her brains to avoid the topic for fear of making her sad. She wouldn’t say things like “Don’t be sad.” Instead, she would just listen quietly, letting her pour it out freely.

Yu Qinjiu knew this answer wasn’t anything special. It was just going along with what she said. Anyone could say it, but few people would. And when the person giving that answer was Ji Qingyou, it was a different matter entirely.

At least her mood could be lifted a little in that instant.

It was like a crumpled, burning piece of paper being extinguished. The dry, scorching cracks in its body were silently soaked by a nourishing drizzle.

Yu Qinjiu didn’t cry for long.

Nor did she have any overly emotional reactions.

It was getting late. Ji Qingyou said goodbye to her at the door, telling her to contact her immediately if she had any unusual reactions.

Yu Qinjiu said, “I know, my Dr. Ji.”

Ji Qingyou didn’t linger. As she walked down the hall, she noticed that Yu Qinjiu’s door wasn’t completely shut. A sliver of light remained, as if saving a path of light for her on this short walk.

She wanted to tell Yu Qinjiu to just close the door.

But after the night they had just opened up to each other as adults, saying such words seemed redundant.

As she pressed the code on her own lock, pressing those familiar digits, the faint blue light from the keypad fell into her indifferent eyes. For some reason, it carried a special meaning.

“Ji Qingyou!”

A soft call came from behind.

Ji Qingyou’s wandering thoughts were reined in. The light spilling from the crack behind her widened, like a firefly flickering in a foggy forest.

She turned around. Yu Qinjiu had opened the door opposite and called her name. But she looked a little hesitant. After a few seconds, she released her bitten red lip and asked,

“Can I take a shower at your place?”

~ ~ ~

Such a request wasn’t unreasonable between neighbors. Especially since Yu Qinjiu’s water heater was indeed broken, and it was too late for a repairman to come until the next day. Under the circumstances, Ji Qingyou had no reason to refuse.

But when she actually brought Yu Qinjiu to the bathroom and sat in the living room listening to the sound of running water, she felt a bit lost, as if the creature showering in the bathroom was some kind of terrifying monster.

It wasn’t a monster. It was Yu Qinjiu.

She was like a tornado blowing in from the other end of the earth, made up of countless beautiful, fragile butterflies. Ji Qingyou was irresistibly drawn to such an image.

From then on, she was swept up, unable to escape.

During the time Yu Qinjiu was showering, Ji Qingyou received a phone call from Qin Shuangchi. Yu Muzhou’s voice came through the line. “Is that Little You?”

Just then, Yu Qinjiu’s voice called out from the bathroom over the sound of the water. “Ji Qingyou!”

Qin Shuangchi on the phone paused for some reason, then asked her,

“Are you with Little Jiu right now?”

There was a rustling sound on the phone. Qin Shuangchi seemed to be moving away from Yu Muzhou. After a few seconds, the call was disconnected. Ji Qingyou heard a few distant words. “Little Jiu…”

It was Yu Muzhou’s voice.

Soon, all that was left in her ear was the insistent beeping of the disconnected call.

She felt like a specimen nailed to a stake, trapped in a position beyond her control, unable to extricate herself.

“Ji Qingyou!”

A familiar voice reached her ears, sounding far away.

She recognized it as Yu Qinjiu’s. She walked to the bathroom door and responded from a proper distance. “What’s wrong?”

Yu Qinjiu let out a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you answer when I called you so many times?”

Ji Qingyou lowered her eyes, turning off the still-lit phone screen, refusing to dwell on the content of the call. “I was on the phone just now.”

“Okay.” Yu Qinjiu’s voice sounded a bit muffled through the bathroom door. “I wanted to ask you to go get my hair towel from my place. I forgot it. It’s hanging in my bathroom.”

Ji Qingyou didn’t refuse. “Okay.”

“Oh.” Yu Qinjiu stopped her again. “You said my password was too simple last time. So I changed it. It’s now 212202YQJ.”

“You can remember that, right?”

The sound of the water in the bathroom grew louder, masking her voice. Ji Qingyou responded and went to the apartment opposite to get the towel.

As she pressed the code for 2202, she paused. Her fingers hovered over those familiar letters for a few seconds before finally pressing down.

When she brought the towel back, the bathroom door opened a crack.

Steam billowed out. Yu Qinjiu extended a forearm to take the towel. Ji Qingyou looked straight ahead, handing it to her. But just before she closed the door, she caught a glimpse of a small butterfly tattoo on the inside of Yu Qinjiu’s wrist, covering only about a fifth of the area.

In the white steam, the red butterfly was so faint it was almost invisible.

Ji Qingyou thought it might be an illusion. But she clearly recognized that the lifelike butterfly seemed to be hovering on Yu Qinjiu’s wrist. Beautiful and fragile.

After sitting back down on the sofa, Ji Qingyou saw Yu Muzhou send a red envelope in the family WeChat group. She didn’t take it. When she exited, she saw a friend request from Yu Muzhou.

Ever since Yu Muzhou and Qin Shuangchi got together.

Yu Muzhou had sent countless such requests. But Ji Qingyou had never accepted a single one. Even though she had been placed in this position beyond her control, she still used this childish, teen-like method to try to draw a line with Yu Muzhou.

She knew this couldn’t truly draw a line. But she didn’t want to be someone who hadn’t even tried. At least this way, she could feel she had more standing in front of Yu Qinjiu.

At least she could make herself believe that she had never placed herself on the opposing side of Yu Qinjiu.

Before quitting WeChat, Ji Qingyou saw another message from Qin Shuangchi.

【Are you and Little Jiu okay?】

This question didn’t mean much.

Ji Qingyou gripped her phone tighter, lightly closing her tired eyes, and replied insincerely.

【We’re fine.】

Like the question itself, no matter what answer she gave, it was meaningless.

A tornado is a wonder, but fleeting.

Even more so for a tornado made of butterflies. It seems it could shatter into countless pieces at a touch. No matter how beautiful, it cannot last forever.

Just like the little goldfish that could have lived for years.

It lost its life in just a second.

Yu Qinjiu took a long time in the shower.

She walked out, drying her hair with the towel Ji Qingyou had given her. She was about to call out “Ji Qingyou,” but only the first syllable escaped her lips before she was silenced by what she saw in the living room.

The bright, warm overhead light, along with the white steam drifting out of the bathroom, bathed the large living room. Ji Qingyou was lying quietly on the sofa, her eyes gently closed. Her tied-up hair wasn’t completely loose. Some unruly strands of black hair had escaped, lying softly against her cheek, gently lifted by the soft air conditioning.

She seemed to have fallen asleep, shedding her usual elegance and restraint.

Under the lamplight, her brows were completely relaxed, possessing a quiet, unique beauty.

Yu Qinjiu, carrying the scent of a sweet, astringent pomelo—the scent of the body lotion Ji Qingyou used, which resembled the shower gel from her teenage years—walked over. Ji Qingyou was completely oblivious to her approach, sleeping very deeply, her breaths long and slow. Yet she still clutched the turned-off phone tightly in her hand.

It was as if she was always afraid of some emergency.

Yu Qinjiu once again sensed the hardship of Ji Qingyou’s past ten years. She pursed her lips. Her hair wasn’t completely dry, but she didn’t dare make a sound. She let the now-cool water droplets fall from her wet hair onto her neck.

It was a bit cold, but not a problem.

She crouched down slightly, her gaze focused, studying Ji Qingyou’s face, which had fully matured into an adult’s. Compared to before they parted, Ji Qingyou’s features hadn’t changed much. She was just thinner, so her frowns carried a slight coldness.

Overall, her features were still soft and delicate.

The slight tilt of her head caused her collar to gape open, revealing a large area of pale, translucent skin, leading up to her long, straight neck. She was so thin that when she swallowed, the slight movement of her throat was strikingly sensual.

Yu Qinjiu suddenly wanted to see Ji Qingyou drink a glass of water in this reclining position. Slowly, sip by sip. Then look at her with those dark, innocent pupils. Perhaps that would be another kind of extreme beauty.

Realizing her own less-than-virtuous thoughts, Yu Qinjiu bit her lip, forcing all stray thoughts back. Then she carefully reached out, trying to take the phone from Ji Qingyou’s hand and place it on the table.

It wasn’t a comfortable position to sleep in.

And she wanted Ji Qingyou to sleep more comfortably.

But before she could successfully get the phone, a few strands of her hair, wrapped in the towel, fell down due to gravity. Water droplets trickled down the wet strands.

They landed on the pale skin of Ji Qingyou’s neck, trembling.

Before her panic could show, Ji Qingyou seemed to be disturbed by her. Her throat moved instinctively, and the sweet, moist water droplet slid down her neck, disappearing into the unseeable nape.

Then came a gently opening eye, a line of sight meeting hers.

Warm light and steam gradually filled the space. Water droplets were still falling from Yu Qinjiu’s hair, landing in the same spot. In the next second, she saw a layer of moisture slowly gather in Ji Qingyou’s dark eyes.

Fragile and delicate.

In that moment, panic reached its peak. Yu Qinjiu forgot about her still-damp hair. She forgot about her wrist being grabbed by Ji Qingyou.

She hesitantly reached out a finger and touched the corner of Ji Qingyou’s eye. When she felt the cool, moist sensation there, an unbelievable thought surfaced.

She had to ask.

“Ji Qingyou, were you crying?”

The soft voice broke the long silence of the room.

Ji Qingyou’s gaze wavered, as if she was carefully scrutinizing her. It was unclear how much time passed before she gently released Yu Qinjiu’s wrist. Her fingers moved to her own neck, wiping away the water droplets that had fallen from Yu Qinjiu’s hair. Her voice was a bit slow.

“Yu Qinjiu?”

She didn’t answer Yu Qinjiu’s question, but posed a new one.

It was as if she had just woken up, a little disoriented, and couldn’t quite recognize her.

Yu Qinjiu was worried. She wanted to say something, but in the end, the words that came out were just two. “It’s me.”

“What time is it?” Ji Qingyou answered her own question, sitting up from the sofa. She lightly closed her eyelids. When she opened them, the mist in her pupils had cleared, replaced by clarity. As if what Yu Qinjiu had just seen was an illusion.

Yu Qinjiu was still uneasy, staring at her. “Almost twelve.”

Ji Qingyou nodded. Supporting herself on the edge of the sofa, she looked up after a moment. Her eyes were normal. “You should go back now.”

“I know.” Yu Qinjiu bit her lip. “But are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?”

Ji Qingyou shook her head. Her hand still rested on her neck, touching the lingering moisture. “No. You should go back. I need to rest.”