Chapter 36 Part 2

Qiu Shuxue raised an eyebrow. “No way.”

“You totally are.” Luo Qingmeng’s lips curved in a smile. Qiu Shuxue kept staring at her, and Luo Qingmeng couldn’t resist burying her face in the crook of her shoulder. Qiu Shuxue chuckled at the sound of her laughter.

Qiu Shuxue was particularly smug.

In the past, Qiu Shuxue had always found herself drawn to the quiet, gentle warmth Li An exuded when they were together. But with Luo Qingmeng, it was this lively sparkle, the playful smiles and teasing that sent her heart racing wildly, making her feel like she could die from it at any moment.

Unaware of her thoughts, Luo Qingmeng smiled and said, “Qiu Shuxue, you’re kinda cute…”

Luo Qingmeng’s resignation was set for Friday, so on Thursday, she decided to treat Xiao Tang and Chen Xin to a meal.

The three of them weren’t that close—they’d only worked together for half a year. Afterward, Xiao Tang would enter a government job, while Chen Xin prepared for graduation and grad school exams. No one would stick around this little bookstore forever, and they wouldn’t be lifelong friends.

Luo Qingmeng had never liked goodbyes, but now she found herself enjoying this kind of farewell, one headed toward the brightest futures.

She raised her glass for a toast with them. Chen Xin, the youngest, was the most sentimental. She said, “We’ll see each other again someday, right?”

Xiao Tang said, “See each other? You’ll be in your advisor’s research lab after graduation, I’ll be in my government job, and Sister Meng will be a manager. How are we supposed to meet up?”

Chen Xin was a real go-getter who naturally couldn’t stand couch potatoes like Xiao Tang. She shot back with an “Yeah, yeah, sure,” and Xiao Tang rolled her eyes at her.

Luo Qingmeng smiled, clinking her glass against theirs again and again. Softly, she said, “Alright, come on—here’s to bright futures ahead.”

The two of them had drunk quite a bit, and Luo Qingmeng’s cheeks were flushed pink. They stared at her for a long moment, noticing that beyond her smile, her face glowed with something deeper—like happiness, or maybe confidence…

Luo Qingmeng said, “I’ll be right here on Star Continent. The beaches over there are pretty fun—you can drop by the bookstore anytime.”

“Will our good-natured, popular Sister Meng even remember us?” Xiao Tang said.

The pair could tell Luo Qingmeng was nervous, so they laced their words with encouragement. Luo Qingmeng said softly, “Of course… I’ll always remember you two. I’m the type who… loves deeply and holds on tight.”

“That’s true…” Chen Xin leaned in closer to look at her. “Sister Meng, you’ve gotten so much better at expressing yourself.”

Luo Qingmeng sipped her drink in small gulps.

“Mm.”

Chen Xin hadn’t drunk much—she still had to get back to school. Luo Qingmeng had more, but by the end of the meal, all three were in high spirits.

Xiao Tang linked arms with Luo Qingmeng, chattering away. “Jie, it’s such a shame you’re not moving in with me and renting a room here.”

“Mm… not a shame at all.”

Luo Qingmeng pressed the button for the underground garage. Qiu Shuxue was waiting below.

Qiu Shuxue had offered to drive them home, her gaze lingering on Luo Qingmeng the whole time. Luo Qingmeng pressed her lips together in a smile and said softly, “Why’d you drink so much…”

Luo Qingmeng suddenly reached up and ruffled her hair, leaning in close to say, “You came to pick me up, huh.”

Qiu Shuxue froze for a few seconds and glanced at the other two. They were climbing into the car and hadn’t noticed the exchange. She nodded.

Luo Qingmeng turned and got into Qiu Shuxue’s car, taking the passenger seat. As soon as Qiu Shuxue slid behind the wheel, she hooked an arm around her neck and said, “You even offered to drive my friends home. Snow Baby, such a good girl.”

Qiu Shuxue glanced back at the rear seat. The two were tipsy, heads down as they fumbled for their seatbelts without success. Qiu Shuxue nodded. “Mm.”

It wasn’t until Qiu Shuxue was about to pull out that Luo Qingmeng settled down. She kept her lips pressed together, fingers twisting in her lap as she gazed at the passing scenery.

Qiu Shuxue followed the GPS to drop Chen Xin off first. She glanced in the rearview mirror and said casually, “What should we eat tomorrow? It’s your last day—want me to order a cake?”

“…Order one.” Luo Qingmeng licked her lips. “I wanna eat some.”

They hit a red light, and traffic was jammed up ahead. Qiu Shuxue said, “So, like we talked about before, I’ll celebrate for you, and you’ll thank me, right…”

“Mm.” Luo Qingmeng nodded.

Qiu Shuxue stopped the car and rubbed the steering wheel with her fingers. She turned her head toward Luo Qingmeng, who immediately caught on and leaned over to kiss her on the mouth. “Thank you, Baby… Mommy-sister loves you.”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Luo Qingmeng was unusually bold. She kept pulling Qiu Shuxue in for quick pecks, leaving Xiao Tang and Chen Xin stunned.

After the kiss, Luo Qingmeng reached out and flicked Qiu Shuxue’s lips with her finger. “Tonight when we get home, I’ll feed you so much…”

Qiu Shuxue pressed a finger to her lips before she could finish the last word. “Shh, be good, sis. We’re out in public.”

Chen Xin had her suspicions, but she couldn’t wrap her head around how fast things had progressed between them. She wanted to count the days on her fingers.

How had it only been this long?

Xiao Tang was utterly baffled, her straight-girl soul shattered. She thought she must be seeing things. How had Luo Qingmeng suddenly hooked up with the top-rich babe? How had she gone gay out of nowhere?

Unbelievable.

After dropping Chen Xin off, they took Xiao Tang home.

Before Xiao Tang could say anything, Luo Qingmeng leaned out the car window, waving at her. “I’m heading home—see ya! Text me when you get there.”

Qiu Shuxue asked her mildly, “You feeling okay? Dizzy?”

Luo Qingmeng turned to look at her. “Your car’s so spacious—no dizziness.”

Qiu Shuxue leaned over, cupped her face, and kissed her thin lips. “Good. Then let’s head home.”

Xiao Tang felt a bit unmoored, staring blankly as their car drove away.

Luo Qingmeng was oblivious to all of it. The next morning, she woke without a hangover and got herself ready before heading to the bookstore to hand over the keys.

Luo Qingmeng was diligent about her work. She arrived first and picked up the recommendation board for one last goodbye to her job.

She hesitated a bit: Should she recommend Don Quixote or Siddhartha?

The first time Luo Qingmeng had gone urban drifting in the city, she’d taken Don Quixote and Mr. Toad Goes to See a Psychologist. After a long think, she set Don Quixote down and carefully placed Siddhartha on the recommendation shelf.

Luo Qingmeng picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her favorite line from it. Chen Xin arrived, originally planning to ask about the night before.

Her eyes flicked to the hickey on Luo Qingmeng’s neck, then to the words on the recommendation board.

Luo Qingmeng had written: 【But what I care about is only to be able to love this world, not to scorn it, not to hate the world or myself, to observe the world, myself, and all things with love, appreciation, and awe.】

Once she finished, she carried it out to the front door.

Luo Qingmeng said to Chen Xin, “I didn’t fully understand it, but it’s my favorite line from Siddhartha. I loved it before, and I still do.”

A voice sounded from behind her.

“I shall let my soul and body follow their course, to experience sin, to chase carnal desires and wealth, to seek empty vanity, to fall into the most shameful despair, to learn to let go of struggle, to learn to love the world. I no longer compare this world to the perfect one I expect or shape, but accept it, love it, belong to it.”

Luo Qingmeng whipped her head around in surprise. She hadn’t realized Qiu Shuxue was still there. Qiu Shuxue stood behind her, leaning down slightly as she recited a few more lines from Siddhartha flawlessly.

Qiu Shuxue said, “Happy resignation day.”

Qiu Shuxue held a white luxury bag. Luo Qingmeng suddenly thought she seemed like Siddhartha—everyone loved her, but she didn’t love people quite as much.

Of course, Qiu Shuxue wasn’t Siddhartha. She couldn’t be some lifelong seeker of truth and faith like a Buddha; she was just an ordinary person tangled in the desires of the mortal world.

Luo Qingmeng thought, Maybe I like her so much that I see some tiny trait in a book character and think it’s her.

Luo Qingmeng had to admit, she loved this feeling—writing down a line, and someone responding to it.

In the past, she’d dreamed of a Japanese-style scene: a bookstore next to a flower shop, bathed in warm sunlight through spring, summer, fall, and winter—her little personal haven. Reality had crushed that; this bookstore backed onto a jewelry store, and all she ever saw looking up was the mall’s curved ceiling.

She looked at Qiu Shuxue again.

Luo Qingmeng murmured, “I will be happy.”

Luo Qingmeng handed the keys to Chen Xin without waiting for Xiao Tang to arrive on the dot. She took Qiu Shuxue’s hand and left.

Recommending Siddhartha today was perfect. When Siddhartha joined the “ascetics,” his friend appeared immediately, following him without hesitation.

Siddhartha smiled and said, “You’ve come.”

Her friend Govinda said, “I’m here.”

Now she said softly in her heart: Thank you for responding to me.

Luo Qingmeng paused her steps slightly, waiting for Qiu Shuxue to catch up. The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder to the elevators.

Luo Qingmeng said, “I started at the beginning of the month.”

“I remember.”

Luo Qingmeng thought for a moment and decided not to tell her the rest.

On her first day on the job, Luo Qingmeng had worn a black cinched-waist suit with pointed high heels and carried a small black chain bag.

She hadn’t really wanted to dress like that at first, because the previous library manager had always been so casual. But Qiu Shuxue had dragged her all over the mall, carefully comparing suits to find ones that suited her, and said:

“You’re only twenty-eight—you look good in anything. Why not wear it and have the experience?”

When the manager appeared, the few newly hired employees inside all fell quiet and spoke to her with great care. But the manager spoke in a soft, gentle voice, and the little girl sweetly called her “Sister Meng.”

The library manager didn’t need to handle the cash register or write recommendation blurbs. She would come over to verify the book information and the quantities she wanted to add to the stacks.

She didn’t even need to stay in the bookstore.

That evening, Qiu Shuxue drove to Star Continent Plaza. She stood outside with her head lowered, checking the time on her watch.

Bored out of her mind, she glanced toward the cash register inside. The figure there wasn’t the familiar one. She looked over at the recommendation blurb; the handwriting wasn’t familiar either. The wait felt endless, and her patience was nearly exhausted.

Qiu Shuxue twisted the ring on her ring finger, comforting herself that she would soon see that manager in her suit. She lifted her finger and kissed it. The ring had been secretly bought for her by the bookstore cashier using one month’s severance pay upon leaving the job, and presented to her as a gift that day.

The new manager should be sexy and alluring. She should… be sending her those signals as usual.

Her eyes idly caught sight of the small wooden sign in the window: “Library Recommendation of the Day”

“Takagi Naoko: ‘No More Eating Alone!'”