Luo Qingmeng’s head throbbed. Her expression twisted in pain. She kept her head down, not touching a bite.
The Store Manager grew a bit puzzled. Luo Qingmeng didn’t seem the type to fear same-sex relationships. Sometimes in chats, she’d casually compare men and women, saying women were better.
The Store Manager thought for a moment. “Let’s talk in the break room, or maybe a coffee shop? Whatever makes you comfortable.”
The Store Manager was older than Luo Qingmeng, like a big sister figure. She dressed sharply and professionally. Though not a stunning beauty, she looked great done up. On their recent meals out, she’d been so poised—a gentle, intellectual career woman.
Luo Qingmeng grew even more tense and didn’t say a word. She absolutely couldn’t go to the break room—it was cramped and tiny, practically a den of sin.
A coffee shop was out too—far too romantic.
One lurking inside, one standing guard outside.
Luo Qingmeng felt like she was dying. She had no idea what to do; her eyes were on the verge of turning red.
“Sister Meng!” Xiao Tang slammed the table hard. She’d arrived right on time for her shift and leaned in. “Sis, I posted your Xiaohongshu for you. Someone’s asking—wanna add their WeChat?”
“Ah… what?”
Xiao Tang…
Luo Qingmeng nearly burst into tears.
Xiao Tang was also baffled. She had just come to deliver a message, so why were Luo Qingmeng’s eyes so red? After calming down for a moment, she recalled what Luo Qingmeng had said about the job transfer. Could it be that the transfer hadn’t gone through? Then wouldn’t all of Luo Qingmeng’s money have gone down the drain?
As she was thinking about it, she looked angrily at the Store Manager. Luo Qingmeng immediately came out from behind the cash register, quickly took her hand, and said, “Xiao Tang, let’s go to the reading room. I, I want to take a good look.”
Xiao Tang was straightforward and blunt, often acting without thinking things through. She didn’t have Chen Xin’s knack for reading the room or being tactful. Sensing something was off, she asked, “Did your transfer fall through? That would be too much!”
“Shh, I’ll tell you inside.” Luo Qingmeng didn’t even dare to look back at the two people outside. Xiao Tang twisted her head around, but Luo Qingmeng hurriedly pushed her inside.
The two of them sat down inside, and Xiao Tang also felt something was strange. Luo Qingmeng rarely slacked off during work hours. Once she had composed herself, she pretended to tidy up the reading room with Xiao Tang.
For the first time, Xiao Tang realized that Luo Qingmeng was even better at goofing off than she was. She glanced at the boss and said, “Sis, we’re all friends. Tell me what’s going on.”
Luo Qingmeng had nothing good to say. She began shelving books. As she did so, she noticed Chen Xin pacing back and forth outside, her gaze full of resentment and anger, as if she were saying: Sis, you actually went off with Xiao Tang behind my back.
Chen Xin had often badmouthed Xiao Tang, so it was indeed a bit inappropriate for Luo Qingmeng and Xiao Tang to be getting close now. Luo Qingmeng came out again, with Xiao Tang and Chen Xin following behind her.
She didn’t know what to say. The boss wouldn’t leave and kept wandering around inside.
There weren’t many customers in the morning. After ten o’clock, Qiu Shuxue was the only customer in the store. She bought a book every hour.
After buying one, she would come over to scan and pay: “Mommy, help me open it so I can go read inside.”
Then at noon, she bought another. “Sister, that one wasn’t good and didn’t suit me. Can you recommend a new one?”
Today, Luo Qingmeng recommended Yukio Mishima’s Spring Snow. Qiu Shuxue said, “Kiyoaki wrapped one arm around her waist, his fingertips already sensing her warmth, as if immersed in the cozy atmosphere of a greenhouse filled with wilting flowers. He sniffed that fragrance fervently, imagining how wonderful it would be to suffocate in that scent.”
“Where is that line from?” she asked.
Luo Qingmeng said, “It’s from Spring Snow.”
She replied, “Oh, my name is Qiu Shuxue.”
Using the excuse of buying books, Qiu Shuxue blatantly flirted with her—handing over books, their fingertips brushing teasingly, just like the illicit affair between Kiyoaki and Satoko in the novel.
Lust burned in her eyes. The two of them were separated only by the cash register, yet Luo Qingmeng felt as if her fingers had already reached out.
Teasing her, caressing her.
Touching her hand, stroking her leg.
Back when she had first been with Li An, Qiu Shuxue had flirted with her in the same casual, indulgent way—chatting freely with a smile on her face. At the time, Luo Qingmeng had always blushed and felt embarrassed, her heart racing. Looking back now, it had all been blatant seduction and temptation. Luo Qingmeng just hadn’t realized it and had let Qiu Shuxue keep tempting her, even indulging her solitary climaxes.
“Qingmeng.” The Store Manager walked over.
Luo Qingmeng’s face flushed red. The Store Manager said, “Let’s go, over there.”
Luo Qingmeng lowered her head and packed up her things. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, so she stuffed her lunchbox into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. They left the store, and Qiu Shuxue didn’t follow.
Luo Qingmeng quickened her pace, but the Store Manager strolled leisurely. She struggled to reach the garage and sat in the back seat. The Store Manager turned and asked why she wasn’t sitting in the front passenger seat. Just then, Luo Qingmeng saw Qiu Shuxue walk past the car, her fingers hooked on her keys, swinging them slowly.
The Store Manager saw her too and asked, “Do you two know each other? She’s been in the store all day.”
Luo Qingmeng didn’t go to the front seat. Instead, she buckled her seatbelt in the back. The same stifling discomfort she felt riding with Li An washed over her—the space felt cramped, and she felt carsick.
“…She’s a regular at the store. She comes often to read and buys a lot of books. She’s our highest-spending VIP customer.”
“Oh, the one who brought you two or three thousand in commissions one month?” the Store Manager said.
Right.
Luo Qingmeng remembered now. Last year, she had earned two thousand in commissions in one month. But at the time, she had assumed everyone got that much and hadn’t paid special attention to it. That had been a long time ago.
The Store Manager drove her to Star Continent Plaza. This was much easier to tail than taking the subway—Qiu Shuxue’s car followed behind the whole way.
Luo Qingmeng mustered her spirits and did well in the interview, answering questions smoothly. The management was very satisfied with her, and her resume had an impressive achievement: selling enough books in one month to earn over two thousand in commissions. They said she must be great at sales. Luo Qingmeng smiled and replied that she was just very familiar with books.
With her strong performance and the Store Manager’s recommendation, they told her she could start working next week. She just needed to hand over her current duties first and could come by whenever she had time in the meantime to follow up.
With the matter more or less settled, Luo Qingmeng breathed a deep sigh of relief. Today, she wouldn’t even have to treat them to a meal. As she came out, she hesitated over how to tell the Store Manager she wanted to go back. She had just thought of saying she felt unwell.
The Store Manager pointed upstairs, pulled out some tickets, and said, “Want to catch a movie? They just restored an old film with good reviews. Let’s go see it.”
Luo Qingmeng stared at the already-purchased tickets, completely dumbfounded. The Store Manager handed them to her, and she could only take them. She scanned the floors above and below but didn’t see Qiu Shuxue.
Then they went up to the movie theater on the fifth floor. She took a deep breath and reassured herself it was fine—just watching a movie. She could explain everything afterward.
Once they got there, something still felt off. As the theater was about to check tickets, the Store Manager went to buy popcorn. Luo Qingmeng was still thinking of backing out when the Store Manager returned. Luo Qingmeng said, “Boss, don’t you need to pick up your kid?”
The Store Manager said, “There’s a nanny at home. I don’t want to be a full-time mom. The auntie takes good care of her.”
“Oh, okay.”
The Store Manager said, “Xiao Chuan likes you a lot too.”
She spoke warmly to Luo Qingmeng: “Don’t call me Boss or Store Manager anymore. My name is Xin Siwen. Call me Siwen, or Sister Siwen is fine.”
“Mm-hmm. Store Manager, I…” Luo Qingmeng looked up and saw Qiu Shuxue. She was checking tickets right in front of them. Luo Qingmeng’s eyes widened. It was time to have their tickets clipped now—they couldn’t get a refund. She could only follow her inside.
She kept reassuring herself: It’s fine, it’s fine.
It was just a movie.
Her hand clutching the ticket stub trembled.
The two of them went in first. The lights were dim inside. The Store Manager had chosen seats in the optimal viewing area, toward the back. She sat on the outside. The Store Manager placed the popcorn between them and said to her, “After this, we can go out more often. I’m pretty free too. Running back and forth must be a hassle for you. I can drive you over to Star Continent. We still can’t let our guard down—you had several other people interviewing outside when you went in.”
“No need…” Before she could finish, Luo Qingmeng heard footsteps approaching from the side. She pulled her legs inward.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” The voice was so familiar. Luo Qingmeng jerked her head to the side. Qiu Shuxue’s seat was right next to hers.
She was stunned.
Qiu Shuxue first placed the popcorn between their seats. Luo Qingmeng immediately grabbed her bag and tried to stand up to leave, but Qiu Shuxue gripped her hand. In the instant she looked up, their foreheads bumped lightly. Then Qiu Shuxue cradled the back of her head and kissed her fiercely.
The Store Manager turned her head to keep talking to her and was also stunned.
Qiu Shuxue pressed down on top of her, kissing her deeply and fiercely, then said, “Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to say hi, but I twisted my ankle.”
