Chapter 25 Part 1

Luo Qingmeng, her own grip on the phone shaking even more, saw Qiu Shuxue tremble all over. Qiu Shuxue looked toward her, that gloomy expression seemingly not faded at all.

Luo Qingmeng’s heart pounded like thunder. She walked in through the main door and headed straight inside with her head down. Qiu Shuxue said, “Why didn’t you send a message so I could come pick you up?”

Her tone was somewhat gentle, which caught Luo Qingmeng completely off guard. Luo Qingmeng’s footsteps slowed a few beats. Qiu Shuxue followed behind her. When they reached the elevator, Qiu Shuxue reached out first and pressed the button. She pulled Luo Qingmeng under her arm and said, “Your face looks terrible.”

Luo Qingmeng placed her fingers on her cheek and rubbed it gently.

She ducked away from Qiu Shuxue with a muffled voice. Qiu Shuxue said, “Even if you don’t want to pay attention to me or take me out to have fun, if you’re feeling unwell yourself, you should tell someone.”

Luo Qingmeng thought, Where am I unwell? She entered the elevator and glanced up at the mirrored wall, only to discover that her face was deathly pale. She’d been badly startled by the store manager just now, and then Qiu Shuxue had suddenly appeared—she was nearly scared out of her wits.

Once they reached the twelfth floor, Luo Qingmeng took a deep breath to suppress her frantic heartbeat.

She hurried out of the elevator and quickly input the password. As soon as the door opened, Qiu Shuxue’s lips came pressing in, her hands wrapping around Luo Qingmeng’s waist and pinning her against the door.

“I don’t want to do it today.” Luo Qingmeng pushed her away.

“Hm?” Qiu Shuxue didn’t understand. Her cheek still brushed gently against Luo Qingmeng’s, and she seemed very reluctant to let go as she continued to suck on her lip.

It was probably because Luo Qingmeng felt so guilty. She didn’t dare meet Qiu Shuxue’s eyes, so every time Qiu Shuxue kissed her and caressed her, she kept imagining that Qiu Shuxue was asking if she’d done it with the store manager.

Luo Qingmeng stammered, “Am I crazy? I… I’m just too tired. I’ve been running around all day, and you keep doing it to me every day. I’ve done it way more times than you.”

Qiu Shuxue said, “Then should I check?”

Luo Qingmeng thought, She’s definitely trying to check.

Qiu Shuxue was really too annoying. At the beginning, she hadn’t known how and needed someone to teach her. Later, when the two of them did it together and enjoyed it, she liked it even more.

But Qiu Shuxue was very naughty, like an undisciplined brat. No matter how good Luo Qingmeng’s stamina was, she couldn’t withstand a whole week of excessive indulgence multiple times a day.

Luo Qingmeng’s cheeks burned red. “Get lost.”

Qiu Shuxue let out an “mm” and pressed her lips to Luo Qingmeng’s, continuing to kiss her until Luo Qingmeng could hardly breathe. Luo Qingmeng let out a muffled hum. Qiu Shuxue said, “I really like kissing you. When you run off, it feels like I’ll never get to kiss you again.”

She was so dependent on her, calling her “sister” and “mommy” and all sorts of messy things. Luo Qingmeng wanted her to stop with the random names, but Qiu Shuxue would just block her lips, turning it into endless calling.

“Qiu Shuxue…” Luo Qingmeng’s voice trembled, as if she were about to cry.

“What’s wrong?”

Luo Qingmeng said, “Don’t rip at my legs.”

“Okay.” Qiu Shuxue was in the habit of it. For the past few days when she came back, they’d done it right here. She always grabbed Luo Qingmeng’s legs, and she was doing it again today. Obediently, she let them go.

Luo Qingmeng stopped struggling and let her kiss wildly. Only when she couldn’t take it anymore did she push her back a little. The two of them pressed together felt very hot.

Sweat beaded on her forehead. Qiu Shuxue pushed her bangs back with her hand and continued kissing her.

“You’re really going to annoy me to death.” Luo Qingmeng let out a muffled hum, barely able to catch her breath. “I’m going to die. Slow down.”

Qiu Shuxue hummed in response and kissed her lips until they hurt.

Once they’d kissed enough, she said, “Wait until you’re feeling better—can we continue kissing later?”

Luo Qingmeng shot her a glare and walked into the living room. She kicked her shoes askew. Qiu Shuxue bent down to straighten them.

She went to wash her hands, then came out and used the wellness kettle to boil some hot water. After that kissing session, Luo Qingmeng’s complexion had improved a bit, though she still hadn’t dared to touch the phone in her pocket.

Luo Qingmeng asked Qiu Shuxue in a sullen voice, “Are you naturally into women?”

“One of those hardcore lesbians, like an homosexual?”

“Or do they call it a lipstick lesbian?”

She wanted to see exactly what it was about her that was so attractive. Why did this group of people inexplicably fall for her? How come right after her divorce, they all came pouncing? Did they just like divorced women?

She looked at Qiu Shuxue. Qiu Shuxue had her head lowered, her expression rather poor, and her tone wasn’t particularly good either. With her head down fiddling with the wellness kettle, the hair at her temple stuck to her cheek, she said, “Have you met other lesbians?”

Luo Qingmeng frowned. It seemed like she’d said something wrong. She said, “I’m just curious. Are you the type who’s always liked girls?”

Qiu Shuxue thought for a moment and said, “Couldn’t say.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I never met anyone like you before, and you check all the boxes so perfectly?” Qiu Shuxue said, “I just feel like it’s great that you’re a woman.”

Luo Qingmeng regretted asking her—she’d only gotten herself tangled up now.

The water boiled. Qiu Shuxue poured a cup of hot water for her and placed it on the coffee table, saying, “Have a sip? Do you have a fever?”

This sudden concern made Luo Qingmeng even more uneasy. She stayed silent and sullen, glancing at the steaming cup beside her.

After some unknown stretch of time, Luo Qingmeng said, “There’s something in my bag. From today on, I’m not cooking for you anymore.”

As she spoke, she walked toward the bedroom. Most of what she said was just angry words. Qiu Shuxue’s expression dimmed for an instant, and Luo Qingmeng saw it clearly. She quickened her pace, locked the bedroom door behind her, and flopped onto the bed.

Qiu Shuxue went and opened her bag. Inside was a new pink insulated lunchbox filled with ribs and some seafood—packed full, ready to eat after a quick reheat.

Luo Qingmeng cooked for that lesbian store manager.

She’d even brought food for her again.

Qiu Shuxue wasn’t sure if the store manager had deliberately made her bring it. With a dark gaze, she looked toward the tightly shut door nearby.

Luo Qingmeng lay on the bed, burying her forehead into the pillow and clutching at it hard with her hand. Qiu Shuxue was a pervert who liked to cling to her, but what about the store manager? Why her?

Because of her “good wife and loving mother” vibe?

Dusk fell, and the sky outside lost its color.

Luo Qingmeng lifted her head from the pillow, trying to smell the air outside. There was no scent of hot pot, so she had no idea if Qiu Shuxue had eaten or not.

Luo Qingmeng thought to herself while in the room that if Qiu Shuxue hadn’t eaten and was just wasting her good intentions—or even expecting her to reheat it for her—then whatever. When the time came, she’d just move out and cut things off with Qiu Shuxue completely.

She came out of the room. No one was in the living room, and the lunchbox was nowhere to be seen. She went to sit on the tatami mat and gazed at the colors outside.

Then she fetched a book to flip through—it was a recently recommended new one called Scream. The book was very bleak and lonely. The protagonist, Yangzi, was acutely aware that she hadn’t been loved from birth. She grew up alone, blended into the world alone, and finally fell alone to the very bottom: divorced, abandoned, forced into prostitution, murder, becoming a man’s plaything, killing the man, and finally killing herself.

Yangzi.

Born on a bright sunny day.

And fallen on a bright sunny day.

Luo Qingmeng gently smoothed her fingers over the page, tucking the hair at her temple behind her ear. She didn’t think the ending involved rebirth, because Yangzi was dead—thoroughly dead in her loneliness.

As she read, night fell. The doorbell rang, and Luo Qingmeng figured Qiu Shuxue would get it.

The person outside shouted, “Delivery! Is anyone home?”

Luo Qingmeng got up and checked the monitor. Sure enough, it was a delivery rider outside. She asked, “I didn’t order anything.”

The rider said, “It’s for next door. The order has a note—I’ll hang it on the door handle. Gotta rush to the next one.”

Once the rider left, Qiu Shuxue pushed open the door from next door with a note in her hand. Luo Qingmeng immediately stopped looking at the monitor and dodged to the side. After a while, she heard the door close.

Luo Qingmeng made sure there was no movement, then cautiously pushed the door open. A delivery bag hung from the door handle, with a note stuck beside it.

Luo Qingmeng assumed it said something like “If you don’t eat it, it’s wasted—might as well eat it.” She tore off the note, which read: 【I once read a line in a book: “There are people who, no matter what they’re doing, always think of backing down first. They back down from arguments, from dates, even from love. They’re afraid of fights, afraid of trouble. As soon as they feel sad or get truly hurt, they tell themselves right away: Ah, just give up. Cut off contact—that’s the best solution.” In reality, it’s because these people weren’t nurtured with love from their original family growing up. They don’t know how to fix a bad thing, and no one told them it’s okay. They think any problem turning bad is a huge disaster, so they habitually protect themselves with retreat and cowardice. Sister, is that you?】

Luo Qingmeng pursed her lips.