Chapter 28

They kissed.

Luo Qingmeng was pressed tightly against her. She wanted to push her away, but she could only clutch Qiu Shuxue’s arms. She had never imagined getting entangled with someone here before, nor had she ever thought someone would want to kiss her in this place.

She had even less thought that…

She actually liked it a little. She grabbed at Qiu Shuxue and pushed hard, like an ant raising its tiny front claws to nip repeatedly at her tender flesh, sending itchy tingles through it.

Qiu Shuxue pinched her hard.

Luo Qingmeng wasn’t sexually frigid. When Qiu Shuxue touched her even lightly, or when they had their intense interactions, she would savor the memory in her spare moments.

Qiu Shuxue’s fingers circled to the back of her neck and gently stroked it.

Tired from the kissing, she loosened her grip a little, then pressed her forehead against Luo Qingmeng’s. “Also, if you want to cry, just cry.” Qiu Shuxue lowered her head and kissed her eyes. “I really like seeing Sis cry.”

Luo Qingmeng wanted to retort but didn’t know what to say. “I’m not crying.”

It was just kissing—pure kissing. Perhaps when she got lost in it, she even kissed back. Yet it felt like they had just fought a thoroughly exhilarating battle.

Qiu Shuxue’s fingers gripped the apron around her body. She hadn’t tied it on Luo Qingmeng just because she remembered it was her work uniform; rather, she had coveted the sight for so long that she made her wear it just to satisfy her own greed.

Luo Qingmeng’s eyes were red. Her heart pounded with excitement. “How about… no, we won’t get discovered. Sis.”

This woman was shameless. Even if there were no cameras here, they still couldn’t cross that line…

Qiu Shuxue very much wanted to cross the boundary.

She sat down and roughly pulled Luo Qingmeng onto her lap. Overly startled, Luo Qingmeng pounded her shoulders repeatedly.

Sounds reached her ears—like customers passing by the store, or perhaps the neighboring big-box store’s poor soundproofing letting in the clamor of children.

Luo Qingmeng’s mind wavered between clarity and daze. She snapped back to her senses and shoved her away hard.

Her moist eyes glared. She raised her hand. Facing Qiu Shuxue’s exquisite face, she ultimately couldn’t bring it down hard and instead let it drop to tug at her own clothes.

Luo Qingmeng glared at Qiu Shuxue with some hatred. Once that faded and she realized her helplessness, she turned the hate inward and sullenly swallowed her anger.

Then she stood up from Qiu Shuxue’s lap, yanked the door open, and stormed out. Qiu Shuxue, facing the door, slowly stood up.

There were class differences between people. Qiu Shuxue wore designer brands all over, and the bag in her hand was worth several years’ wages for everyone here. She leaned against the employee lounge table with her long legs stretched slightly forward—it was utterly unfair…

Luo Qingmeng pursed her lips slightly. She didn’t know if it showed, but during their kiss, she had begged Qiu Shuxue not to leave any marks.

Chen Xin came back from eating spicy chicken hotpot outside. She held a bottle of Master Kong Green Plum Tea and was heading to the lounge when she spotted Qiu Shuxue—and the Hermès bag dropped on the floor.

“Huh…” Perplexed, Chen Xin looked at Luo Qingmeng, then at the Store Manager.

The Store Manager was glaring at Qiu Shuxue too. A smile played at the corners of Qiu Shuxue’s lips, but when the Store Manager turned her head to speak to Luo Qingmeng, Qiu Shuxue bent down to pick up the Hermès bag. Her arm still throbbed from the hit. She rubbed it a couple of times, stepped out, and casually grabbed a book from the shelf.

“Sis, buy these.”

“Can you recommend some more for me?”

“I want to buy ten more.”

Qiu Shuxue couldn’t pull off looking chastened at all. Her face was far too exquisite; even when she tried to act vulnerable, it came off like she was playing the pitiful damsel.

There were no customers in the store, and all of Luo Qingmeng’s time belonged to the shoppers. Qiu Shuxue didn’t care how much she spent. She simply dragged over a chair and sat nearby. When customers came to browse and buy, she’d make way; otherwise, she’d buy books herself.

Her voice was soft and sweet. “Sis.”

She was clingy as hell.

Chen Xin kept shooting her glances. Even Auntie Cai by the door was eyeing her. Luo Qingmeng was at her wits’ end and pulled Qiu Shuxue outside. “You need to leave.”

Qiu Shuxue handed her the Hermès bag. “It’s for you.”

“You’re making me so mad.” Luo Qingmeng frowned in distress, looking at her helplessly.

Qiu Shuxue said again, “Okay, then don’t be mad. Buy me a cup of milk, and I’ll go.”

Luo Qingmeng eyed her suspiciously, trying to tell if she meant it. Qiu Shuxue nodded again. Luo Qingmeng went to the neighboring tofu pudding shop and bought her a cup of tofu pudding milk. Qiu Shuxue held it in her hand and stared at her lips. An angry Luo Qingmeng was just as kissable. They often started making out only for Luo Qingmeng to get mad midway because Qiu Shuxue always pinned her down in the most obnoxious positions.

Qiu Shuxue stared for a while, still unsatisfied, and took the escalator down. She sat on one of the flower-shaped chairs on the first floor and slowly ate her tofu pudding.

Back at the bookstore, Luo Qingmeng resumed her work at the register. With no one buying books right now, the counter felt very quiet. Chen Xin came over and said, “That Qiu Shuxue—she didn’t take the books. She bought twenty-five in total this afternoon.”

Luo Qingmeng glanced toward the chair, where a thick stack sat piled up.

Customers arrived. Luo Qingmeng looked up, took their books, and rang them up.

She didn’t dare glance at the lounge. She had no idea how to face it. Qiu Shuxue had left, but Luo Qingmeng remembered so many things.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons, as well as dusks.

Luo Qingmeng knew there were people in the store. This customer really loved browsing books. Normally, with customers around, she would never take a break. But because it was her, Luo Qingmeng slipped into the lounge to catch her breath in secret.

She remembered it again.

During the time she dated Li An, she spent every day thinking about their dates. That customer was in the store too. Even though their eyes rarely met, Qiu Shuxue’s voice would appear in her ears: “Um… how much is this one?”

“Sis… is there a discount?”

Or she would tell Li An, “I have a customer who bought a ton of books—the ones I recommended.”

Luo Qingmeng stared at that door. Qiu Shuxue must have been normal back then. Otherwise, she would have come on to her while she was dating Li An—lured her into the lounge when no other employees or customers were around, embraced her behind the unnoticed bookshelves, and kissed her until she couldn’t resist.

Long, long ago, Qiu Shuxue’s “Sis” had made her ears burn red countless times.

Luo Qingmeng snapped out of it.

She was overthinking.

The Store Manager was thoroughly furious and didn’t even know where to begin. She said, “Will she pull something like this again tomorrow?”

“Probably not. When we argued, I laid down the law with her,” Luo Qingmeng said. “I don’t think she really likes me anyway. She’s just young and wants to fool around. It’d end the same with anyone.”

It was also a hint to the Store Manager—that even if they suited each other perfectly, they would still break up.

Luo Qingmeng knew it was a self-deprecating thought, but she understood herself better than anyone. She was too prone to compromising, which emboldened others and left her open to repeated hurt.

Even without Qiu Shuxue, things probably wouldn’t last long if she and the Store Manager got together.

The Store Manager sighed softly. “How can you think like that, Qingmeng? You’re a wonderful person with a great temperament. You’ve worked here so long—who have you ever fought with? All those university students working part-time here call you ‘Sis’ so sweetly.”

“You just ran into the wrong person. That doesn’t mean you’ll fight with everyone you’re with.”

Luo Qingmeng nodded—it made sense. The Store Manager gently patted her shoulder. She was a bit shorter than Luo Qingmeng but far more mature, seeing through everything at a glance. “You’re just low-income with no savings. But you’re so independent, afraid to rely on anyone in case they suddenly abandon you, right?”

Luo Qingmeng nodded without denying it. “Store Manager, you really… get me.”

A sense of pride welled up in the Store Manager’s heart. But as it faded, Luo Qingmeng’s pure, unfeigned honesty made her feel ashamed of herself. Hadn’t her own initial intentions been similar? She had figured Luo Qingmeng had no other options and that she herself was a good choice—so she offered the job first, then brought up getting together. She hadn’t even spared a bit of romance, just wanted them both to agree and skip the flirty back-and-forth.

“Qingmeng, just focus on work for now. Don’t overthink the rest. Once you have some money and feel confident, you won’t undervalue yourself like this.”

Luo Qingmeng nodded, taking her advice seriously. Her lips curved slightly in a smile that was utterly beautiful. Her light-colored pupils reflected the store’s warm lights, the orange glow giving them a hazy halo.

The Store Manager felt a little dazed. If only she had made it romantic back then—pursued Luo Qingmeng properly and sincerely. Maybe they would have ended up warm and gentle together, sweet as honey, with every day feeling like a flirty Valentine’s.

She tsked. “Why did I ever think two people together would just mean ordinary days?”

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

Luo Qingmeng kept smiling as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Actually, I’m not that fragile. I’m happy every day. It’s just that since the divorce is so recent, I feel unlucky and get a bit self-pitying. But I’m the type who looks at life positively and proactively. Give it time, and I’ll be fine.”

“That’s true too.”

The Store Manager looked outside. The mall offered no view of the sky, so she couldn’t voice the proper sentiment. Instead, she said, “Being over thirty just feels so old.”

“No way,” Luo Qingmeng corrected her. “I think you’re amazing. You’re the store manager in a field you’re not even skilled in, yet you make decisive choices in everything you do. Everyone at the store admires you.”

“You too?” the Store Manager asked.

Luo Qingmeng nodded earnestly. “I’ve always thought you were pretty awesome. I have real rose-tinted glasses when it comes to you.”

The Store Manager smiled.

It was almost time to close up shop. The Store Manager stepped out to make a phone call and then returned to tell her, “Let’s grab dinner together tonight. It’s my treat. You’ve been covering meals while we’ve been running around these past few days, and I accepted your gift today, so I’ll treat you.”

Luo Qingmeng should have nodded agreeably, but she was worried that the guy downstairs hadn’t left yet…

“You’re not worried about that Hermès guy misunderstanding, are you?” the Store Manager asked.

Luo Qingmeng’s heart was struck right on the mark. She said, “Then let’s go.”

She tidied up a bit. Instead of heading to the break room, she simply untied her apron. The Store Manager watched the pink apron around her waist, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she withdrew her puzzled look as Luo Qingmeng took it off.

The two of them went to the sukiyaki restaurant upstairs. The flavors weren’t anything special, and the Japanese dishes inside were quite bland. They’d only come in because the Store Manager had asked if she’d tried it before. Luo Qingmeng had shaken her head, so the Store Manager said they might as well give it a taste, good or not.

After trying it, Luo Qingmeng found the taste utterly mediocre and not worth the price, but since the Store Manager was treating, she didn’t dampen the mood by saying so.

The Store Manager said, “This area used to get a lot of Japanese and Korean visitors back in the day. When you ride the subway, have you noticed how the announcements are always in a bunch of different languages?”

“I have,” Luo Qingmeng replied. “I’ve even wondered why there are so many languages.”

Luo Qingmeng smiled, and the Store Manager felt a pang of regret. She’d second-guessed herself multiple times that day because her earlier misjudgment had led her to think they were a good match and could be together. She hadn’t expected Luo Qingmeng to be so averse to exactly that.

After they finished eating, the Store Manager offered to drive her home, but Luo Qingmeng firmly refused. She said she wanted to take the subway and listen to the announcements a bit more.

On the subway, Luo Qingmeng placed her bag on her lap. She took out her phone and messaged Li An: 【Let’s set a time to talk tomorrow. Give me the remaining forty thousand, or I’ll come to your company. This time I’m serious—there’s a deadline now. Read it clearly.】

Then she flipped her phone face down and listened to the subway station announcements. When she arrived at her stop, she stood on the escalator, and a few strands of rain drifted in from outside.

She glanced up at the sky. The hazy drizzle had been whipped by the wind into a dense, fine net, slanting in from the distance.

The sky had already darkened.

She scrolled through the photos on her phone, flipping one by one with her fingers. If Li An wouldn’t budge no matter what, how should she make a scene at his company?

It would affect Qiu Shuxue’s job, wouldn’t it… But what did Qiu Shuxue have to do with her? Was she more important than forty thousand yuan?

The escalator reached the top, and she stepped out.

At the subway exit, Qiu Shuxue was holding an umbrella. No one knew how long she’d been waiting. Her face was turned toward Luo Qingmeng as she said, “Sister, it’s raining.”

Luo Qingmeng instinctively tried to dodge her, but Qiu Shuxue slowly drew closer with the umbrella. Luo Qingmeng would evade for a moment, and Qiu Shuxue would catch up. She knew it was pointless to keep chasing, so she didn’t waste effort on it.

“You…” Luo Qingmeng faltered, words catching in her throat. She wanted to say something but harshly held herself back, leaving everything bottled up in silence.

Qiu Shuxue didn’t ask what she wanted to say. Luo Qingmeng desperately wanted to tell her that acting like this might make the Store Manager unhappy, but Qiu Shuxue was someone who could drop over twenty books in a single purchase—what could make the Store Manager unhappy about that?

The Store Manager’s unhappiness would just stem from her personal feelings for Luo Qingmeng anyway.

Qiu Shuxue wasn’t interfering with the store’s operations.

Luo Qingmeng had no way to deal with her. Qiu Shuxue held the umbrella over her head, and the rain fell quietly and silently onto it in the night.

They walked all the way back to the neighborhood. Luo Qingmeng swiped her card at the back gate and went in first. The wind wasn’t strong, so Qiu Shuxue followed behind her, still holding the umbrella.

Of all the things she shouldn’t have done, she really shouldn’t have let a bit of rain stir up such delicate emotions, making her think that having someone hold an umbrella for her was a romantic blessing.

The two of them took the elevator up together. Luo Qingmeng got out first and entered her passcode. She said, “I’ve already eaten. Go back to your own place first. I have something to do.”

Qiu Shuxue set the umbrella down on the doormat at the entrance. She asked, “What do you have to do? Not doing it tonight either?”

Luo Qingmeng pressed her lips together tightly. Her mind flashed through the scenes at the bookstore. Should she do it or not? In truth, she didn’t resist the idea.

She missed Qiu Shuxue.

No matter how much she rejected it in words, her body was greedy for it.

Luo Qingmeng turned her head and said, “Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Hm?” Qiu Shuxue looked puzzled.

Luo Qingmeng said, “I’ll treat you to dinner. Take the day off and don’t go to work.”

Qiu Shuxue smiled in confusion, looking at her in disbelief, but she wasn’t foolish enough to ask “For real?” Instead, she simply said, “Okay.”

She was still quite puzzled and kept gazing at Luo Qingmeng while unconsciously leaning her body forward a little. Luo Qingmeng opened the door and looked at Qiu Shuxue, unable to respond to her smile.

Luo Qingmeng closed the door and leaned her back against it. Anyway, after they were done being busy, it was either she went to Qiu Shuxue’s room to do it, or Qiu Shuxue came to her place to do it. If Qiu Shuxue didn’t come, she herself would…

She checked her phone. Li An hadn’t replied to her message. She couldn’t be bothered to guess if he’d blocked her or just hadn’t seen it. She set aside the matter with Li An and opened WeChat to message the landlord:

【I won’t be renewing the lease next month. Sorry about this—when can we discuss the move-out details?】

The landlord replied quickly: 【?】

Luo Qingmeng wrote back: 【Please don’t tell the neighbors.】

Landlord: 【Why?】

Luo Qingmeng didn’t reply and instead sent: 【When would be a good time for me to move out? The fifteenth?】