Chapter 85: What-If Storyline 3
Xu Ling instantly felt her whole body burn even hotter, as if on fire. This wasn’t right. Could she really have a fever from being in the rain?
Ah, then could she fall into An’s arms?
An’s body temperature was lower, which would be perfect to neutralize hers.
Xu Ling’s mind was filled with all sorts of messy thoughts. At this point, An had already moved her hand away.
Qin Cong’an said, “Your hand is really hot.”
“Ah… then what do I do?”
“Let’s not walk around anymore. I’ll take you back.”
Take, take, take her back!??
Qin Cong’an saw that Ling was completely frozen, as if she didn’t accept this suggestion, so she said, “Or I can call that friend of yours from last night to pick you up.”
“Oh, she… she should be busy now,” Xu Ling said in a daze. “There’s no one at my place.”
Only after saying that did she vaguely realize what she was saying. What did she mean by saying there was no one at home?
“Then I’ll take you back.” As Qin Cong’an spoke, she had already hailed a taxi and was looking at her with concern. “You really don’t look well.”
Right, she really wasn’t well. Her whole being was a tangled mess of yarn that had been clawed by a cat. She had only been walking around for an hour just now, but why did she feel like her legs were cramping?
Xu Ling got into the car, dazed. An also put away her umbrella and sat in the back seat. The moment the door closed… so fragrant.
The driver asked for the address. Only then did Xu Ling suddenly have a concrete sense of reality. Was she really going to expose her address to An? A stranger she had only known for two days and whose full name she didn’t even know?
What’s more, she didn’t live alone. She had a roommate. What if An was really some dangerous person? Wouldn’t Yanzi also be in trouble?
Xu Ling glanced at An, but…
Okay, if she were really done in by An, then she could only blame herself. If you can’t resist the temptation of beauty, you have to bear the consequences. But she couldn’t cause trouble for Yanzi.
“I feel like I’m better now,” Xu Ling said to An. “But since we’re already in the car, let’s go eat.”
After saying that, Xu Ling gave the driver the name of a restaurant. She liked it very much, and it was also a popular choice. An should like it too.
The car started to move.
Xu Ling looked at the rainy street scene outside the window. It was a view she had seen many times, but why did it feel so different at this moment?
Was it the presence of the person next to her?
She was about to have a meal with the person next to her, after visiting a museum. Wasn’t this a must-do item for a couple’s date?
“Are you really okay now?”
“I’m fine. I’m better now,” Xu Ling said, and she didn’t know what kind of determination she had, but she held out her hand to her. “If you don’t believe me, you can feel it.”
Qin Cong’an looked up at Ling’s face. She was speaking seriously, but her beautiful eyes seemed to have something else flowing in them.
“I believe you.” ??
Why was she suddenly not playing by the rules?
Xu Ling looked at the hand that An had placed on her lap. She really wanted her to touch it. No, actually, she really wanted to hold her hand.
She knew this was strange, too abrupt. But she always felt that she and An could be like this. Okay, it was probably just because she wanted to be like this.
Xu Ling looked out the window again and suddenly understood. This was a tactic, the kind called “advancing by retreating.”
So high-level, so high-level. Now it was making Xu Ling’s heart itch, as if she were actively hoping that something would happen between them.
It didn’t matter even if she got hurt.
The restaurant was on the roadside. When they got out of the car, the rain had already stopped, but there were some puddles on the ground.
After getting out of the car, Qin Cong’an held out her hand to Ling. “Be careful.”
Xu Ling placed her hand on it. As expected, it was a feint. Now they could hold hands. She steeled herself and just grabbed An’s hand and didn’t let go.
Xu Ling pulled her towards the restaurant and said with a bright smile, “This is the place. The best thing is the Margherita pizza. I think you’ll like it too.”
Qin Cong’an watched the sunlight, which had broken through the fog, sprinkle on Ling. Why was she suddenly smiling? She didn’t understand, but it was very beautiful. The sunlight really suited her.
She didn’t know why, but Qin Cong’an always felt that her memories were all of cloudy days. But she felt that when she looked back on this day, which had really rained, it would be a sunny one.
Ling’s hand was indeed not hot anymore, just very warm.
“Okay.” Qin Cong’an gently squeezed Ling’s hand back. The bones in her palm were very distinct. Her hand was very large, probably bigger than hers.
It was only after they entered the shop that they let go of each other’s hands and sat down opposite each other. Probably because there were a few couples in the shop, the atmosphere was a little strange for a moment.
Xu Ling ordered the food and asked, “Didn’t you do any research before coming to London?”
“I just came to relax.”
Suspicious.
“Can I ask what you do for a living?”
“I’m in the arts.”
Even more suspicious.
But could An be a celebrity? She was so beautiful, her face so small and firm, her features as exquisite as a work of art.
But she didn’t have any of the airs of a celebrity. Would a celebrity sit alone in an ordinary coffee shop and bar? Most importantly, would a celebrity take the initiative to talk to her and ask her to show her around? Shouldn’t a manager or an assistant have arranged it in advance?
Qin Cong’an said, “I’m interested in the theater. I want to see The Phantom of the Opera. Have you seen it?”
“Not yet.” Xu Ling took out her phone and looked. “There’s a show tonight. Should we go together? Let me see if I can get any last-minute tickets.”
While thinking, why am I being so proactive? Xu Ling was also scrolling through the official website. Seeing that there were still tickets available, she immediately bought two.
An seemed to be surprised by her speed. “You’ve already bought them?”
“Mhm, didn’t you want to see it?” Xu Ling thought to herself, haha, you’ve never seen a fish so easy to hook, have you?
“I just didn’t expect you to be so fast.” Qin Cong’an also took out her phone and opened WeChat. “How much? I’ll transfer it to you.”
“No need. It’s my treat.”
Xu Ling also rushed to pay for the meal, saying she was just being a good host. Haha, she hadn’t expected her to be not only easy to hook but also a big spender who would take the initiative to pay, right?
No matter what An’s purpose was, she should have seen it.
Qin Cong’an looked at her, not knowing if she was this friendly to every fellow countryman who came to visit, or just to her.
“Then I’ll treat you to a drink tonight. I’ll definitely pay for this one.”
Together again tonight? And drinking? So dangerous, Xu Ling!!
“Mhm, okay.”
After the meal, they went back to the museum for a bit, and in the evening, they went to see the show together, spending a solid day together.
Before, Yanzi had asked her to go see Phantom together, but Xu Ling hadn’t been interested and had refused. This time, after watching it, she found it very interesting. She roughly knew the plot, but the singing was unexpectedly good, and the overall experience was particularly good.
Walking out of the theater, Xu Ling was a little excited and discussed it with An, and even wanted to ask her to see another show tomorrow.
Qin Cong’an stopped and looked at her. “You’re saying we can meet tomorrow too?”
Xu Ling walked a couple more steps before stopping and turning back to look at her. “What do you think? How about it?”
“Of course. I’m looking forward to it.”
In an instant, Xu Ling felt that all the other people passing by had blurred into a single mass. Her eyes were filled only with An’s slightly curved, smiling eyes.
“I’m… also looking forward to it.”
Yesterday, Yanzi had had to work on her graduation project at home and needed to focus. But Xu Ling couldn’t sit still and didn’t want to disturb her, so she had just gone to a bar near the apartment for a drink.
The bar today was one that Xu Ling had found that she had never been to before. It was quite far from the school and the apartment. For some reason, she didn’t want to run into any acquaintances.
As she walked in, Xu Ling heard An say, “What a coincidence. My hotel is nearby.”
“…”
On purpose, right!!
No, she was the one who had chosen the bar. What did it have to do with An? And yesterday, An had been at the bar first, and she had arrived later. How could she have mistakenly thought that An was following her?
Xu Ling really felt like her brain was about to stop working. How could she drink any more?
“If you’re treating, you can order,” Xu Ling said.
“Okay.” Qin Cong’an probably knew her taste in alcohol. She liked slightly refreshing drinks, so she first ordered a sour fruit wine for her.
Xu Ling stared at the alcohol content on the menu, weighing her own tolerance. She absolutely could not drink too much—
After three glasses, Xu Ling took the initiative to order a matcha and whiskey cocktail and was drinking happily.
“Yes, I’m a model, but a very, very small one. I take on some jobs occasionally, but anyway, it’s just for fun, to experience it. I still don’t know what I’ll do after graduation.”
“I think you’re very suitable for a job in the spotlight. You could also try acting. Your face is very suitable for the camera.”
Xu Ling was slightly stunned.
Oh… she seemed to understand. Was this the purpose? To find a beautiful woman to trick her into becoming a star, and then at the company, say, “we have to put in a lot of effort to make you a big star,” to persuade her to pay a large sum of money, or even worse, to trick her into filming some R-rated movies.
“You love to experience new things, right? I think you could give it a try,” Qin Cong’an continued.
She didn’t know if it was because of the alcohol, but Xu Ling suddenly said, “Then I want to try kissing you. Can I?”
Qin Cong’an looked at her with some surprise. Her eyes were a little unfocused. It was obvious that she was already drunk. She asked, “Here?”
“Mhm.” Xu Ling nodded firmly.
“Okay.” This was something Qin Cong’an had never imagined. She didn’t know if it was because she was abroad, or because of Ling’s attraction to her… that she could say such a thing also made her feel surprised and happy.
“Then you sit over here,” Xu Ling even started to command the An who was sitting opposite her.
If she really came over, she would kiss her.
Qin Cong’an moved to the seat next to Ling. As soon as she sat down, her arm was pulled, and she leaned over and their lips met.
This was her first kiss. Even when filming, she had never had a kissing scene. In the dramas she had been in, kissing was not necessary.
And at this moment, with just a light touch, Qin Cong’an felt that it was very necessary to do it again.
On a strange street and in a strange bar, the two of them met again. This time, they both stuck out their tongues. She didn’t know who had started it.
Their mouths were full of the taste of alcohol, and the flavors of various wines were mixed together.
Their tongues seemed to be numb, but they could also sensitively feel the fine and dense texture of the other’s tongue.
Xu Ling looked at the table and savored it for a long while before asking, “Can we go to your hotel later?”
Qin Cong’an raised an eyebrow and replied, “If you want to.”
