Chapter 31

Qiu Shuxue talked a lot of nonsense, but remarkably, she knew when to stop. When Chen Xin wandered over, Qiu Shuxue very seriously picked up the Rimbaud Poetry Collection and pretended to flip through it.

Qiu Shuxue wanted to show that she was cultured and crazy about buying books. She was like a hoarder, piling good ones and bad ones together without caring if they suited her, and insisting on buying them anyway.

Luo Qingmeng wouldn’t let her take them. “You’ve memorized them all. You must have collected this book before.”

“Don’t buy blindly…”

“Okay.” Qiu Shuxue was very obedient.

Luo Qingmeng took her to pick up the books—twenty-five in total. The two of them divided them up, carried them downstairs, put them in the car, and then went to eat pan-fried buns.

Qiu Shuxue sat down and used the serving chopsticks to fry the buns. Luo Qingmeng didn’t know what to say. She really wanted to hear why Qiu Shuxue liked her, but she just couldn’t bring herself to ask.

She ate some of the buns and then broached the subject indirectly. “Everyone at your company seems so cold.”

Qiu Shuxue nodded and passed her the freshly delivered pudding. “Actually, everyone in the world is cold. But I like you, so I feel like there’s still some warmth in it.”

Luo Qingmeng calmly said, “Oh.” But in her heart, she was thinking, “Come on, just say it. Tell me how you like me.”

She waited a long time, but Qiu Shuxue didn’t say anything more. She kept her head down, eating the fried buns—which were a bit hot—and took another bite of the pudding.

“Did you wash the bowls from this morning?”

“I put them in the dishwasher,” Qiu Shuxue said.

They continued eating. At the next table over, a group of girlfriends was chatting about blind dates. A short girl said bitterly, “They’re all pretty great, really great, but they’re just not tall enough. It’s so frustrating—they’re shorter than all my cousins.”

“Then just go for it. As long as he’s taller than you, it should be fine. The height you mentioned sounds okay to me. Maybe it’s because I’m from the south.”

“But I’m from the north! I’m short because of some genetic mutation. My brothers are all six-foot-something, and my little brother was already five-foot-nine in middle school. Ah…”

Luo Qingmeng listened for a bit, then went back to her food. It was a couple’s set meal, but even after eating for a while, quite a bit was left.

When they left the shop, Luo Qingmeng bought two cups of milk tea. She didn’t like them too sweet; she preferred tasting the tea inside. One had a third sugar, the other half.

Qiu Shuxue suddenly asked, “What do you think about what those girls just said?”

“What is there to think…” Luo Qingmeng said softly. “You shouldn’t keep compromising your bottom line over and over. Once you start giving in, it becomes unconditional, and over time, you end up training yourself out of your original standards.” She felt like she was compromising her own bottom line right now, uncontrollably so… It was so strange.

The two of them went to a dessert shop and picked out a peach cake, along with two chocolate treats.

Neither of them was big on sweets, and Qiu Shuxue didn’t have a membership card for the place. When she went to scan the code, Luo Qingmeng stopped her and had the shop assistant scan her own QR code instead.

“You’re buying these for me to eat?” Qiu Shuxue asked, though she already knew the answer.

Luo Qingmeng didn’t respond. Qiu Shuxue pressed, “Say it out loud. It’ll make me happier.”

Luo Qingmeng nodded.

“Yes.”

Qiu Shuxue was thrilled and dragged her shopping around more places. By the time they were done, it was already four o’clock. Qiu Shuxue took her to Water City—what some might call a naughty bathhouse.

Luo Qingmeng was more of a southerner, and in her memory, places like this always had a slightly disreputable vibe. Qiu Shuxue said, “We’re just going to soak in the tubs. No scrubbing.”

Luo Qingmeng didn’t quite understand why she wanted to come here. Qiu Shuxue had a bathtub at home—wouldn’t it be more comfortable for the two of them to soak there? They went inside, where people were wandering around naked in every direction. Luo Qingmeng’s eyes took a hit; she didn’t dare look at anyone and kept her head down as she entered.

Qiu Shuxue had booked a private room with its own bath pool. They locked their things in the lockers, and Qiu Shuxue started stripping down completely before heading in. Luo Qingmeng dawdled by the wardrobe.

She finally undressed and walked in too, but she had no intention of soaking with Qiu Shuxue. In the rectangular pool, she sat across from her. Qiu Shuxue said, “Sis, come over here. Let me take a look.”

Luo Qingmeng hadn’t been joking when she said she’d overdone it yesterday. She said awkwardly, “Why here… No.”

“I just want to check if you’re hurt. Today I have a sense of measure…”

Luo Qingmeng hadn’t planned to pay her any mind, but then she called her “Sis” with such a pitiful expression that Luo Qingmeng got up and walked over to her side. Her hands hung awkwardly at her sides. Qiu Shuxue examined her with a doctor’s professionalism—or so she tried—but her eyes kept drifting to Luo Qingmeng’s.

As soon as Qiu Shuxue’s hands moved away, Luo Qingmeng turned to leave. But Qiu Shuxue grabbed her waist, pulled her down onto her lap, and water splashed out of the pool.

Luo Qingmeng had guessed she would do something like this. She just pursed her lips and didn’t struggle. Qiu Shuxue leaned in and kissed her lips softly. “Sorry, Sis…”

Luo Qingmeng had been about to scold her, to complain, but when her gaze fell on her, the words on the tip of her tongue came out softly instead. “It’s okay.”

“I just wanted to experience that Japanese literature vibe with you… you know, winter, hot springs, snowflakes—that feeling.”

“Winter’s already over.”

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting all winter…”

Something ached in Luo Qingmeng’s heart too. Before she could say anything, Qiu Shuxue kissed her lips. Sitting there in the water, Luo Qingmeng’s thoughts struggled for a moment before she settled onto her lap, hooked her arms around her neck, and kissed her back.

Luo Qingmeng had always been awkward about it before, but actually, she was pretty good at kissing. Qiu Shuxue was like a kid in a claw machine, obsessed—she wanted to kiss everywhere.

Maybe it was guilt driving her, like she was desperate to make up for something. She kissed until Luo Qingmeng’s cheeks flushed red. Qiu Shuxue whispered tentatively in her ear, “Sis?”

Luo Qingmeng fought back her shame and nodded, trying to please her.

Qiu Shuxue wasn’t sure if this was deliberate seduction, but it sure felt like it. Unsatisfied, she said, “Kiss me proactively. Press closer.”

So Luo Qingmeng pressed against her.

Obedient to a fault. Proactive as hell.

They soaked for an hour, and both of them were starting to feel like they couldn’t take much more. Luo Qingmeng climbed out, wobbly as she went to get dressed. On the way, she passed the body scrub area, which had quite a crowd inside—it must be quite the experience. Luo Qingmeng took the initiative to ask Qiu Shuxue, “Do you want to get a scrub?”

Qiu Shuxue looked at her and smiled.

“Have you never had one?”

Luo Qingmeng nodded. “If you want to go, you can.”

Qiu Shuxue explained, “A body scrub means two aunties will scrub you from head to toe. They’ll see every part—your chest, your legs, nothing’s off-limits.”

“No underwear?” Luo Qingmeng asked, surprised.

Qiu Shuxue nodded. “It’s a scrub. How would they do it with clothes on?” She went on, “I actually do want one. Sis, let’s go together.”

Luo Qingmeng wouldn’t dare let anyone see her body—it was a mess right now. She hurried ahead, but Qiu Shuxue caught up and whispered, “Wanna go? Sis, I want to.”

Luo Qingmeng knew she was doing this on purpose. She took a deep breath and said, “Fine. I’ll book it for you. Go get your scrub alone and let everyone see what you’ve been up to.”

With that, she stormed off—or tried to, acting furious.

Qiu Shuxue said, “Give me a kiss, and I won’t go.”

Luo Qingmeng ignored her. At the elevator corner, when no one was around, she half-pushed, half-went along and kissed her lips. She lightly asked if they should head home—really, she just didn’t want to go to a hotel. Qiu Shuxue checked the time and suggested a movie instead.

Luo Qingmeng had paid for everything this trip. When they went back to the mall to pick up the tickets, Qiu Shuxue asked, “Can I post on Moments?”

Luo Qingmeng hummed in agreement. Qiu Shuxue held her hand and took a photo together. Luo Qingmeng didn’t pull away. After posting it to Moments, when Luo Qingmeng wanted to see, Qiu Shuxue wouldn’t show her. “Just approve my friend request, and you’ll see it.”

Luo Qingmeng’s fingers clenched. She was on the verge of agreeing when she glanced at Qiu Shuxue’s phone. She couldn’t see the Moments post, but she did notice that she was Qiu Shuxue’s top contact.

She had blocked Qiu Shuxue, but Qiu Shuxue still hadn’t deleted her WeChat. It looked like she’d been sending messages into the void the whole time.

They did all the things couples do in a movie theater. Afterward, Qiu Shuxue searched online for hotels. The five-star ones were too far, and she wasn’t willing to settle for a cheap one nearby—it felt unclean, and she worried about hidden cameras.

On the drive back, Qiu Shuxue wasn’t confident Luo Qingmeng wouldn’t back out. She reminded her over and over along the way. Luo Qingmeng kept clutching her phone, turning sideways and murmuring softly, “I know.”

They finally hit a red light, and Qiu Shuxue immediately leaned over to see what she was doing. Luo Qingmeng had tucked her phone away tight.

“Did the Store Manager message you again?”

“You worry too much…”

“Sis, you’re being mean to me.”

Luo Qingmeng pursed her lips, her tone softening. “I’m not chatting with her. I just looked at some stuff.”

“What stuff?”

Luo Qingmeng was too embarrassed to say. She’d just randomly searched keywords online: how a married woman seduces someone. The domestic internet censorship was strict; she hadn’t found anything useful, just some comic images.

She wasn’t very good at this stuff anyway…

The light turned green, and Qiu Shuxue kept driving. When they reached the neighborhood, Luo Qingmeng said to stop. She wanted to grab a few things from the supermarket.

Qiu Shuxue pulled the car up to the supermarket entrance, and Luo Qingmeng went inside to buy some lychees and strawberries. She asked Qiu Shuxue what she wanted to eat, but Qiu Shuxue was suddenly in a bad mood and merely asked, “Are you going to pay?”

Luo Qingmeng hummed in affirmation.

While they waited in line to check out, Qiu Shuxue said softly, “It seems like you’re trying to draw a clear line between us, specially buying so many things for me.”

“No, I just wanted to eat them.”

“Buy some for you to eat too,” Luo Qingmeng asked. “Do you like strawberries or lychees?”

Qiu Shuxue casually said she liked lychees. After paying, she stood at the entrance for a moment. She usually dressed in shirts paired with long pants, but now she couldn’t easily slip her hand into her pocket, so she gripped her arm with one hand. Luo Qingmeng took her hand. “Let’s go.”

The supermarket was near the main entrance, so Qiu Shuxue drove around to the back entrance and into the garage. The two of them took the elevator straight up.

While Qiu Shuxue was entering the password, she received a call from her uncle. She wasn’t wearing earphones, and the volume was turned up loud. She recited the numbers to Luo Qingmeng and asked her to open the door.

Her uncle said on the other end, “Li An has already been taken to the police station. This matter still needs to be handled properly. He photographed quite a few people—several in your office, mostly interns. By the way, that ex-wife of his…”

Luo Qingmeng’s heart suddenly leaped into her throat, and Qiu Shuxue glanced at her too. Her uncle continued, “She said you were photographed quite a few times. It’s up to you how you want to handle this. His actions are serious too; he should be detained, and the company has already decided to fire him.”

Luo Qingmeng pursed her lips tightly. She pushed the door open. Qiu Shuxue walked inside, slipped on her house shoes, and said, “I’ll explain it to you when I get to the company.”

“Are you neighbors with that ex-wife?” her uncle suddenly asked.

Qiu Shuxue said, “I was thinking of developing things further with her, but she seems…”

Luo Qingmeng kept staring at her, her emotions turning a bit anxious. Qiu Shuxue spoke slowly, “She seems to still be considering it.”

Her uncle let out an “oh” and then said, “If there’s a chance, let’s have a meal together.”

Qiu Shuxue hung up the phone. Luo Qingmeng headed straight to her bathroom, and Qiu Shuxue casually set her phone down on the nearby cabinet.

She picked up the bag, put the bought lychees in the fridge, and took some out to wash.

Qiu Shuxue had a walk-in closet with a mirror inside.

After washing the lychees and strawberries, she came out and peered into the walk-in closet but didn’t see Luo Qingmeng. She said softly, “Sis, you need to take the initiative.”

Luo Qingmeng responded with a sound and said, “Turn off the light.”

Qiu Shuxue said, “I want to see you clearly.”

There was no sound from inside. She thought for a few seconds, set the fruit plate on the coffee table, wiped her hands with a tissue, and flicked the switch. The light in the living room dimmed, leaving only the glow spilling out from the bathroom.

Qiu Shuxue walked toward the sofa. When she turned around and sat down, Luo Qingmeng emerged from inside.

Luo Qingmeng walked very slowly. She didn’t sit on the sofa but knelt on the soft cushion instead, her cheeks lightly flushed. She picked up a lychee, peeled off its red shell, and placed the fruit on her thin lips to feed it to her.