Back at the apartment, Yan Ningxi took another shower. After going out and messing around, she found that her cold had improved by more than half, and her nose was no longer so stuffy.
After Ming You finished washing up and entered the room, she felt a chill creep up her back from Yan Ningxi’s dark, slick eyes staring at her. “Sister Yan, aren’t you sleepy yet?”
There was a bottle of pink white peach-scented spray on the bookshelf. That was one-tenth of the ten bottles Lin Yiyang had “redeemed” for Gu Xirui after returning from the countryside.
Gu Xirui had given two bottles each to her roommates. Ming You had taken back the two she was responsible for, and the other bottle was placed in the living room.
After spraying twice, Ming You climbed into bed. As soon as she got under the covers, Yan Ningxi draped herself over her shoulder.
Her fingers twirled Ming You’s hair. “I’ve rescheduled tomorrow’s classes to later. I’ll get up early to stew the chicken soup and prepare the meals for you. When you wake up, take the chicken soup and food to Teacher He.”
“Okay, as you command,” Little Pomelo replied, fully arranged for.
“You haven’t finished explaining about Lin Long yet.” As she spoke, her fingers trailed from the ends of the girl’s hair gradually toward her heart, brushing back and forth intentionally or not.
“Fine, fine, I’ll come clean with you.” Ming You caught that mischievous hand. Sure enough, she couldn’t escape this “interrogation” session.
She quickly recalled and organized her words, then explained everything in detail: how Jiang Lai had asked for her contact info at the wedding banquet, how she later went shopping for books with Jiang Lai, how they gradually built a solid friendly relationship through back-and-forth interactions, and how she had asked Jiang Lai to act as a messenger.
Yan Ningxi withdrew her hand and slid it up from the hair ends right under Ming You’s eyelids, reaching her fair cheek. She flicked it a few times with bent fingers, then cupped Ming You’s ear entirely in her palm, rubbing the earlobe between her thumb and forefinger.
The past could not be chased, but the future could still be seized. At this moment, the girl belonged to her.
Ming You’s breathing grew erratic.
Just as she thought her poor ear was about to suffer some unknown “punishment,” Yan Ningxi’s hand went around her neck. Her palm cradled the back of Ming You’s head, forcing her to turn sideways and press down on top of Yan Ningxi.
Worried about crushing Yan Ningxi, Ming You’s elbows instinctively propped up on either side of her body. Gazing at the woman with flushed cheeks, Ming You felt like she herself was about to burn up.
“Sister Yan…”
“Ming You, take away my cold.”
Yan Ningxi pulled the girl downward. This girl had given her so much exclusive tenderness and warmth. She wanted to give back everything she had.
The girl didn’t keep her waiting long. The passionate kiss arrived as expected, stealing her breath and her heart.
Both wore cotton pajamas, long-sleeved and long-panted, a gray and pink matching set that Yan Ningxi had just bought. Once caught in love’s net, she had done many childish things for Ming You.
Yan Ningxi slipped her hand under Ming You’s pajama hem to her back, tracing upward from bottom to top, counting each protruding vertebra.
And Ming You was like in a dream.
The joy and delight of receiving the invitation burst through the floodgates, surging forth. It was like climbing the towering snow-capped mountain in an illusion, conquering the peak, stamping it with a unique mark, then steadily descending from the other side.
Along the way through plains, jungles, valleys, and wetlands, the girl unhurriedly paused at each, sketching and gathering, collecting the world’s most beautiful sights into her heart.
The young one was self-taught to perfection, her flower-picking skills masterful.
The most beautiful one resembled the new pink-purple oriental poppy in the living room, shimmering with its own pearl light. From shy bud to full bloom at its peak.
Layer upon layer of petals glistened with crystal-clear dew, breathtakingly beautiful. In the cool night breeze, the swaying flower emitted an especially alluring fragrance, intertwining tightly with the lingering white peach scent in the air.
The pervasive white peach aroma refreshed the mind, while the faint floral fragrance lingered on the tongue, endlessly savory.
Only tonight did Ming You realize that it wasn’t just the Ephemeral Flower that bloomed silently in the dead of night, stunning the world. There was also the proud snow plum on the perilous peak, and the peach blossoms in the secluded valley.
…
In the morning, Yan Ningxi turned her routine face wash into a full shower. Looking at the various-sized red marks densely covering her body, her heart raced like thundering hooves.
The shower water gathered into a stream from her chest, every path it took having been a feast in the girl’s mouth.
She suddenly felt unsteady on her feet—not from sore waist or legs, but from the overwhelming surge of shame. Last night, she had been devoured clean, yet she hadn’t stained the girl’s fingertips with fresh red blood.
She had heard many descriptions of kissing from Qi Xuexin, but she didn’t know how to do intimate things in bed. She could only surrender herself to Ming You.
And Ming You had given her another wonderful and unforgettable night, peeling away her restraint and shyness layer by layer with utmost gentleness.
It had to be said that last night, she experienced the ecstasy of drunken life and dreamlike death that Qi Xuexin had described. At the same time, it led to an unexpected discovery: in front of the one she loved, even utterly bare, she could still feel safe.
Ming You had said, “I’ll spend a lifetime loving you.”
Love.
It was a heart-stirring verb.
She believed Ming You was someone who meant what she said, and she was too. But Ming You had one more quality than her—boldness in word and deed. So whether like or love, she couldn’t respond. Because she didn’t dare.
After washing up, Yan Ningxi went out to buy groceries. She busied herself in the kitchen for over half an hour and didn’t leave for work until nine. Her throat no longer itched or hurt, and her nose was clear.
Before leaving, she gave the girl a good morning kiss. The girl was still naked, so she neatly folded her pajamas and placed them by the bedhead. She leaned down and kissed the bite mark she had left on the girl’s shoulder last night. “Message me if anything comes up.”
Though the girl’s eyes were closed, her lips curved into a beautiful arc. “I’ll message you even if nothing’s up.”
…
After sleeping her fill and finishing the disinfection and cleaning, at ten-thirty, Ming You took Yan Ningxi’s care package to the hotel room.
“Teacher He, this is the chicken soup Sister Yan stewed early this morning. Drink more of it. Take care of yourself. I’m off to the train station.” She placed Yan Ningxi’s new thermos on the round table, politely greeted, and prepared to leave.
He Huan stood by the TV, watching her pass by. “Am I that repulsive? You avoid me like a venomous snake, can’t even stay an extra minute.” She turned. “Ming You, the more cautiously you avoid me, the more likely she’ll misunderstand.”
Ming You had already reached the entryway, the door half-open.
In the corridor, a little girl’s childish voice spoke. “Mommy, why did Daddy leave so early? Aren’t we going home tomorrow?”
The woman replied, “Because Daddy has work to do suddenly, so he went home first to wait for us. Today, Mommy will take you to Dream Fantasy Castle to be a little princess for the day. We’ll take pretty photos to show Daddy, and we can video call him too.”
“Yeah, video call! Mommy is a princess today too. Mommy’s the big princess of the castle, and I’m the little princess.”
“Then what about Daddy?”
“Daddy’s the prince!”
The mother and daughter’s voices grew fainter until they could no longer be heard.
The cleaning lady happened to push her cart by and asked through the door crack, “Extending your stay today? Need housekeeping now?”
Ming You was still dazed when He Huan walked over. “Not for now, thank you. I’ll call the front desk if needed.”
Snapping back, Ming You turned around, her gaze falling on He Huan’s abdomen. “Teacher He, you’re not telling your husband the truth. Does that mean you’ve decided not to keep the child?”
“The doctor said there’s no full guarantee to preserve the pregnancy.” The instability was related to her emotional fluctuations and neglect of prenatal care in recent months, among other factors. She was exhausted enough as it was.
Ming You suddenly wasn’t in a rush to leave. She returned to the round table, opened the thermos, and served the dishes one by one. She also set out chopsticks, spoons, and tissues.
“No matter what, your body needs proper nourishment. The bond between child and mother is fated, not to be forced. He probably doesn’t want to cause his mom extra suffering before even being born.”
“You really want me to have this child?”
“It’s your child. But if you don’t want it, that’s another story.” Ming You saw no maternal love for the child in He Huan’s eyes. “Teacher He, only a child deeply anticipated and cherished by her parents is the fruit of love and will be happy. That’s crucial for her healthy growth too.”
He Huan sat in the chair and took a sip of chicken soup with the spoon. Ming You’s shift in attitude pleased her.
“You’re all grown up, lecturing your teacher so confidently. Tell me, how did you know about Lin Long in the alley behind the back gate of No. 16 High before we did? Planted spies in my class? Or did Jiang Lai tell you?”
Ming You, who had just been gentle and caring in words and expression, answered honestly and cruelly, “I was pursuing Sister Yan and needed to know her real-time school dynamics to take action, so I stayed in close contact with Jiang Lai.”
He Huan set down the spoon. The fact was, Jiang Lai was her class representative, but Ming You had contacted Jiang Lai not because of her.
She had forbidden Ming You from meddling in her work and life, and Ming You had obediently complied.
She had once secretly sighed in relief at Ming You’s consistent obedience. Now, after tasting all the world’s sorrows, she wished Ming You hadn’t listened to her so well.
“You can go. I won’t waste the food, and I’ll wash the thermos clean before returning it to you.” He Huan tried her utmost to suppress the profound sadness in her heart, not wanting to appear pathetic and helpless. “As for whether I keep this child, it’s none of your business.”
The dismissal was issued, and Ming You said nothing more.
She brought the tissue box from the long table to the small round table, then headed to the door again.
“Ming You.” He Huan called out to her, her voice trembling slightly. “If I said that these years I wasn’t indifferent, that if I’d let you know sooner that I was moved by you too, that I’d thought about being with you… would you… approach me as steadfastly as you’re pursuing Yan Ningxi now?”
He Huan’s words hit like a bolt from the blue, numbing Ming You’s scalp and throwing her heart into chaos.
She braced half her arm against the wall to steady herself. After a long silence, she let the shock and heartache in her heart subside.
He Huan had once been her White Moonlight. Even though it was now a passing cloud, she had held her dear in her heart. Now hearing this “truth” she had once longed for with stars and moon in her eyes—how could she remain unmoved?
Too late.
Her person and her heart were no longer in place. She had Yan Ningxi now.
“I went to your wedding in October for one purpose only: to humiliate you without regard, make you embarrassed in front of family and friends, ruin your reputation. Because of Yan Ningxi, I let go of those wicked thoughts. I admit I started pursuing her to get back at you. But later I really liked her, and now it’s love, more than like.”
“The envelope I gave you at the wedding didn’t contain school scholarship money or family allowance. It was the first money I earned on my own in life. I earned it street-photographing for your thirtieth birthday.”
“You ask if I’d steadfastly approach you. The answer is yes.” If there were ifs, if He Huan had taken one step, given her a bit more hope, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.
She confessed all this to He Huan to ease her pain. Some things left unsaid would fester in the heart, the hardest to bear.
She was a “veteran” in this.
She understood that feeling of the greatest sorrow being a dead heart.
“Teacher He.” Ming You composed her emotions and forced a smile as she turned to her.
“Let what happened between us end here. Let it scatter with the wind. Please don’t tell Teacher Yan. She’s the most innocent; I don’t want her hurt because of this. If you still harbor resentment, I can apologize again, say ‘sorry’ ten times, a hundred, a thousand… as many as you want to hear.”
With that, she bowed ninety degrees, left without hearing He Huan’s response. But in the instant she closed the door, she heard sobbing from inside the room.
Pity there were no ifs. And she couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted.
After Ming You got into the taxi, she sent a message to Yan Ningxi: 【Chicken soup delivered.】
【Yan Ningxi: How is Teacher He?】
【Ming You: Her complexion looks better.】
【Yan Ningxi: Only a few days until the holiday. Focus on the exams.】
【Ming You: Mm. See you during the holiday, Sister Yan. [Rose]】
