Chapter 37: Extra 1

Lately, Qiu Shuxue had been bringing bento boxes to the company every day, and Xiao Ninghe always saw her taking the long way around to use the microwave to heat them up. Xiao Ninghe felt like she was walking the entire office just to do it. Thinking that rich people like her weren’t used to such things, Xiao Ninghe kindly went over with her.

The company had chefs, and there was a good variety of dishes, but Qiu Shuxue had never really liked eating there before. She always complained that one person’s food looked unappetizing and another’s seemed the same—nothing caught her eye.

Now, she ate something different every day. Sometimes she even brought two insulated containers, eating one in the morning and heating the other for lunch. It was obvious someone was specially making them for her.

Xiao Ninghe was heating up the chicken soup her mom had made for her when Qiu Shuxue stared at it. Xiao Ninghe asked if she wanted some, but she shook her head. The next day, Qiu Shuxue brought a blue cartoon character’s thermos bucket.

Qiu Shuxue heated it up too. She leaned against the cabinet and glanced at Xiao Ninghe. “Do you want some chicken soup?”

Xiao Ninghe had just had some the day before and wasn’t particularly craving it, but as soon as Qiu Shuxue heated hers, the aroma wafted out. Xiao Ninghe could tell right away that it was the work of a Michelin-star chef.

She said, “Did you hire a nanny or something? Yeah, I’ll have a bit…”

Qiu Shuxue gave her a cold look, picked up her thermos bucket, and walked away without another word. Even when she sat down to eat, she didn’t offer to serve her a bowl of soup.

“It’s not a nanny,” Qiu Shuxue said.

Xiao Ninghe couldn’t figure out who else would make such delicious food for Qiu Shuxue every single day.

Who besides a nanny would bother serving her like that without getting tired of it?

Xiao Ninghe waited a while, but she still didn’t get any. She eyed the cute piggy buns in Qiu Shuxue’s box, reached out, and took one. “Did that sister make these for you?”

Qiu Shuxue’s expression softened a little.

Xiao Ninghe really couldn’t understand it. She said softly, “No, I never noticed before. When did Yi Yu start liking you so much? Is it one of our company’s domineering CEOs?”

She thought seriously about which tycoon boss might be dating her. “CEO Meng from Hong Kong? She’s around thirty-two, I heard, and supposedly dating the general manager of XV Company. They’re on-again, off-again.”

“No, stop guessing. We’re eating,” Qiu Shuxue said. Her phone vibrated just then. She pressed her fingerprint to unlock it—it was a WeChat message.

【Mum~】: 【Have you been eating properly? Make sure to heat it up—the meat especially, or it might taste a bit gamey and upset your stomach.】

Qiu Shuxue snapped a photo and sent it back. Xiao Ninghe sniffed the chicken soup; it smelled just like the one her own mom made for her. It wasn’t made with fresh chicken but with marinated meat that had a rich, cured aroma.

Xiao Ninghe ladled herself a bowl of soup. This flavor was incredible. Whoever made it couldn’t be some career woman powerhouse.

But if she wasn’t a career woman, would Qiu Shuxue even be interested?

Qiu Shuxue ate delicately. After finishing, she popped a few little cherries into her mouth and sent a voice message: “Thanks, Mommy~”

“Your mom made it?” Xiao Ninghe was shocked. She’d never met Qiu Shuxue’s mother, but she’d heard the office gossip: her mom ran an IT company in the US, her dad was in real estate, both hugely successful but not exactly good people. They just gave Qiu Shuxue plenty of money.

Was this… a sign of a family meltdown? A divorce?

Qiu Shuxue sipped lightly at her lips. She ate while slowly replying to the messages, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

She wasn’t overthinking it when another voice message came in from the other side.

“Remember to take a nap after lunch.”

The voice sounded a bit familiar, pleasant, but she couldn’t place where she’d heard it before.

Qiu Shuxue tapped out a reply on her phone. Less than half an hour later, it rang.

Qiu Shuxue went outside to answer.

“Mm… okay.”

Qiu Shuxue turned her head to Xiao Ninghe. “I’m going downstairs to pick up some food. Someone sent more.”

Xiao Ninghe nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes as she looked at her with pity. “Got it. Go ahead—no one’s gonna check on you. Take your time.”

Qiu Shuxue gave her a serious look. “Don’t peek. Put away that curiosity.”

Xiao Ninghe narrowed her eyes. “Am I that kind of person?”

Qiu Shuxue went downstairs, and there stood Luo Qingmeng at the entrance, holding a paper bag. Before Qiu Shuxue could speak, Luo Qingmeng walked over, touched her forehead, and asked, “Are you running a bit of a fever?”

Qiu Shuxue shook her head at first, then nodded firmly. “Maybe…”

She glanced at the food in Luo Qingmeng’s paper bag and asked puzzledly, “Why’d you send more food?”

Luo Qingmeng said, “Didn’t you say you had no appetite? I worried it was too greasy, so I went home at noon and made some fresh stuff.”

She looked around and spotted the café next door. She pulled Qiu Shuxue to sit at an outdoor table, ordered herself a coffee at random, and told Qiu Shuxue to eat first. She’d take her to the hospital afterward.

Luo Qingmeng had made porridge for her and also vegetable rolls—both pan-fried and deep-fried versions, to see which one she might fancy. “Eat as much as you can stomach. No rush—I’ve taken the afternoon off.”

Qiu Shuxue said, “I snuck out.”

“Then take the afternoon off too. Your health comes first,” Luo Qingmeng said.

Qiu Shuxue ate with her head down. Luo Qingmeng’s coffee sat untouched until Qiu Shuxue was almost done, when she finally took a sip.

“Feeling better?”

Qiu Shuxue was silent for a moment, then said she felt a little better.

Luo Qingmeng drove her to the hospital. There wasn’t anything seriously wrong—just a touch of indigestion from overeating. The doctor prescribed some digestive aids. Luo Qingmeng was baffled. How could she have no appetite yet overeaten? She felt the doctor wasn’t very professional and said worriedly, “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off and rest at home? We can try another hospital.”

“No need,” Qiu Shuxue said. “I’ll head home tonight. Don’t worry.”

Luo Qingmeng agreed but still fretted, her brows furrowed. She watched Qiu Shuxue walk inside, then called her again, telling her to say the word if she felt off—she’d come right away.

Qiu Shuxue returned to the office with the paper bag. The AC blasted cold air. She walked to her desk and said, “I’m back.”

Xiao Ninghe had just woken from her nap. Her gaze flicked to the medicine bag, and she propped her chin on her hand in surprise. “…Shuxue, your mom is that young?”

Qiu Shuxue frowned. “What?”

Xiao Ninghe sensed she was a bit angry but couldn’t pinpoint why, still groggy from sleep. “…Mm, you really look like your mom.”

Qiu Shuxue pulled out her chair and sat down with a loud scrape. For the rest of the day, she didn’t speak to Xiao Ninghe at all. Everyone figured she’d probably fought with her hot new fling.

During work, Qiu Shuxue opened a box of shortbread cookies. She was never stingy—anyone who wanted some could just take.

Xiao Ninghe saw through it but said nothing, just sighing softly now and then. This wasn’t romance; this was a family crisis.

Xiao Ninghe munched on a cookie and couldn’t hold back. She patted Qiu Shuxue’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re all adults now—we don’t have to live with our parents forever. Focus on making money first.”

Qiu Shuxue glanced at her, her expression complicated.

She really wanted to say: Are you blind?

After work, Xiao Ninghe, thinking of her family situation, wanted to invite her out for drinks. They could all head to Light Bar, have a few, listen to the resident singer— it’d cheer her up.

Qiu Shuxue refused, saying she had to go home.

Xiao Ninghe asked, “Is your mom at your place?”

Qiu Shuxue ignored her. She couldn’t be bothered with these people anymore—they were too dumb.

Her expression looked awful too. As she walked, her steps slowed a bit, and she spotted a familiar car at a glance. Then a smile appeared on her cheeks. Xiao Ninghe’s gaze followed.

Luo Qingmeng gently pushed open the car door. Qiu Shuxue stood on the steps and took one down. She said softly, “You should open the door for me.”

Luo Qingmeng got out and opened the passenger door for her.

“Please, get in.”

Qiu Shuxue still didn’t.

Luo Qingmeng’s cheeks flushed slightly. She felt so sorry for her sick Snow Baby and said gently, “Snow Baby, please get in the car.”

After saying it, Luo Qingmeng couldn’t even look at her face—it was beet red. She felt utterly mortified, but Qiu Shuxue was like that: the more embarrassing something was for her, the more she insisted.

Luo Qingmeng gently took her fingers and led her to the car. Qiu Shuxue didn’t budge, so Luo Qingmeng leaned in slightly to fasten her seatbelt. Qiu Shuxue stared at her flushed cheeks. Luo Qingmeng kissed her lips lightly and touched her forehead. “I’m still a bit worried. Are you feeling better?”

Qiu Shuxue gazed straight at her, utterly sweetened and savoring it. She deliberately called out, “Luo Qingmeng.”

Luo Qingmeng didn’t get too worked up when she called her “sister,” but every now and then, when Qiu Shuxue said “Luo Qingmeng” like that, she just couldn’t handle it—it gave her this shameful thrill.

She let go and said, “There, you’re all set.”

She’d thought about it carefully for a long time. It must be that hearing Qiu Shuxue call her by name felt too rebellious, that disrespectful disregard for elders. With any other kid, she might get mad and feel slighted, but because it was Qiu Shuxue… it left her helpless. She wanted to discipline her, but she was her girlfriend…

It was weird, complicated, and she really liked it that way with her.

Qiu Shuxue reminded her, “Sister, drive.”

Luo Qingmeng was quick to act. After quitting her job, she’d immediately enrolled in driving school and gotten her license in two months.

She said softly, “First time picking you up and it’s like this. I won’t come next time.”

“Oh.” Qiu Shuxue wasn’t the least bit afraid. She felt utterly secure.

Luo Qingmeng fastened her seatbelt and said again, “Also, you’re driving a Lamborghini. How can you call it a knockoff?”

Qiu Shuxue said, “The one I’m driving is a knockoff. Yours isn’t.”

Luo Qingmeng frowned.

Qiu Shuxue said, “…I didn’t trick you. Yours is the genuine Lamborghini. The one I’m just casually driving is the knockoff.”

“The logos are the same!” Luo Qingmeng truly hadn’t known that her car was a Lamborghini. After she got her driver’s license, she had started driving Qiu Shuxue’s car. Qiu Shuxue had casually picked up another one for herself.

After driving it for a week, Luo Qingmeng had given a store clerk a ride back to school. The clerk had asked her not to pull up to the school gate, saying she was afraid the other students would gossip. Luo Qingmeng had wondered why there would be gossip, and the clerk had said, “Sister, you’re driving a Lamborghini…”

She had gotten out, scanned it with her phone, and sure enough, it was a Lamborghini.

Qiu Shuxue said, “This isn’t the first car… The first one I drove was an Aston Martin. You seemed uncomfortable in low cars; you always got carsick when riding in Li An’s car. One day, I parked mine next to his to compare… After that, I swapped it out for two or three others to make sure you wouldn’t get carsick before letting you drive it. The first time we kissed in the car wasn’t in this one either. I figured since you were working now, you needed something more fitting for your status, so I went and picked up a Lamborghini.”

Luo Qingmeng didn’t know what to say to her. She really did get carsick—it was something she was born with, and she always had to take motion sickness pills. Deeply touched, she said, “Then from now on, I’ll come pick you up.”

Qiu Shuxue hummed in agreement and deliberately said, “But won’t the routine be too complicated?”

“It won’t.” Luo Qingmeng drove very slowly, always with utmost care. “…Picking you up isn’t complicated. You know my personality.”

Qiu Shuxue nodded. She rolled down the car window for some air. At a red light, she rested her elbow on the window frame and looked at Luo Qingmeng. “Sister…”

Luo Qingmeng nodded. “Mm.”

She drove with intense focus, her eyes fixed on the traffic lights. Once Qiu Shuxue was sure she was truly fine, she continued driving and said, “What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll make it for you when we get back. Is your appetite any better?”

Qiu Shuxue thought for a moment. She wasn’t hungry at all, really. She said playfully, “I want to eat meat… eat you, Sister. Is that okay?”

“Don’t tease me. I’m driving.”

“I’m driving too.”

At the company entrance, Xiao Ninghe watched the Lamborghini drive away. Unable to hold back, she lightly nudged her colleague Jing Wen with her elbow.

“That’s some Luo… you know, Li An’s wife—ex-wife, right?”

Jing Wen narrowed their eyes to look. The woman in the car who had fastened Shuxue’s seatbelt—wasn’t that her? Her face was unmistakable… It was the same woman who had just been dressed in a suit, striding in high heels with an aura turned all the way up.

“She’s Li An’s ex-wife?”

“Yeah… no mistake.”

That woman had just crossed her legs demurely as she leaned over, her fingers delicately pinching the heel of her high-heeled shoe to slip it off. One could see her slender fingers and the fair curve of her calf.

Every gesture carried a captivating charm.

Paired with Luo Qingmeng’s face and figure, her gentleness was off the charts, which somehow pushed a certain spiciness over the edge too.

“Luo Qingmeng was always pretty good-looking, right?”

“Yeah, great figure. With makeup and the right clothes, she’s stunning.”

Luo Qingmeng wasn’t great at makeup and still hadn’t really learned it, because she always found it inconvenient for kissing—and Qiu Shuxue was always wanting to kiss her. At most, she used some lip gloss, but she was very diligent about skincare, loving to slather lotion or body cream all over herself from head to toe.

When they got home, since Qiu Shuxue wasn’t hungry, she went to take a shower first. Luo Qingmeng nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go sort the clothes.”

Luo Qingmeng took down the clothes and hung Qiu Shuxue’s in the wardrobe. She grabbed her own pajamas, gathered up her bottles and jars, and headed to the room next door.

She showered first, then unscrewed the cap and sat down in the bathroom. She always did her skincare routine furtively in this room, mainly because she felt too embarrassed otherwise.

But this time, Qiu Shuxue pushed open the door and caught her red-handed. Qiu Shuxue stood in the doorway, still talking with her mouth open, but her gaze fell on Luo Qingmeng’s body in surprise.

Luo Qingmeng felt an indescribable embarrassment. She sat in the bathtub, wanting to look at Qiu Shuxue but not daring to, so she kept her head lowered…

Qiu Shuxue pretended not to know. “What are you doing sneaking around behind my back, Sister…”

Luo Qingmeng clutched her bottles and jars, her heart clogged with discomfort. She wanted to say it wasn’t like that, but she thought about how Qiu Shuxue hadn’t had much appetite all day and figured this might make her more comfortable and help her eat better.

Qiu Shuxue walked over, leaned on the edge of the bathtub, stared at her, her gaze roaming back and forth, and said softly, “Go on, continue.”

Luo Qingmeng had no choice but to sit in the bathtub and continue applying lotion to herself under her watchful eyes. She patted her calves, still feeling deeply ashamed, like she’d been caught doing something naughty. She tried to steady her emotions and act more confident.

Qiu Shuxue leaned in closer and brushed her lips, not kissing deeply but teasing her on purpose. “What’s going on? Have you overdone the lotion, Sister…”

She hooked her finger, placing the pad against the mouth of the lotion bottle that Luo Qingmeng was holding, and said, “Right? You like this color…”

Luo Qingmeng was so annoyed and embarrassed that she didn’t know what to do. Her fingers trembled, her arm slipped, and the large, expensive bottle of lotion she had bought spilled out.

Qiu Shuxue said softly, “Ah… what’s this? Luo Qingmeng, such a waste.”