Chapter 42: Extra 6 Part 1

One night.

Before the two of them had gotten together, Qiu Shuxue had stayed over at Li An’s place twice. The first time, Luo Qingmeng remembered that she had been particularly well-behaved, and she had a very good impression of Qiu Shuxue without noticing anything amiss. She had even wanted to befriend her.

That time, they had eaten a housewarming meal at Li An’s home.

That night, Qiu Shuxue went back, and Luo Qingmeng didn’t stay over at Li An’s either. She finished reading the notes that Luo Qingmeng had written.

The next day, she went to the bookstore—not to return the books, but to pick out a few and hand them to Qiu Shuxue to ring up. A book accidentally fell to the ground. Luo Qingmeng picked it up, dusted it off, stacked it neatly, and handed it to her. As Qiu Shuxue reached out to take it, Luo Qingmeng glanced at the side of her hand, looked up at her, as if she had something to say but held it back.

Qiu Shuxue took the book. She was having a rough day: that morning, while rushing her coffee, she had accidentally scalded a patch of skin, and back in the office, when she opened a beverage can, the tab had scraped a cut on her finger.

Luo Qingmeng handed her the bag. Qiu Shuxue lowered her head and rummaged through it, finding a bandage inside. Luo Qingmeng often had to affix magnetic strips to books to prevent wearing out her fingers, so she would put a bandage on her index finger, and the store kept plenty on hand.

Qiu Shuxue tore open the bandage and applied it.

A softness bloomed in her heart.

She thought… the countless tiny wounds on my heart were itching, clamoring to shout at Luo Qingmeng: Give me one too.

She wondered if it would be okay… If Luo Qingmeng were willing to bandage all the wounds on her heart, they would surely heal quickly.

Qiu Shuxue’s fingers brushed her chest, where her heart raced wildly.

Today, Luo Qingmeng’s shampoo smelled wonderful. She tried to discern it for a long time before realizing it probably contained a pleasant orange scent.

Qiu Shuxue received another bag of small gifts. She didn’t rush to open it, planning to do so at home. On the road, she hit a red light, with traffic jammed solid front and back.

She looked up.

Evening descended like a gentle embrace. On this rare winter day without smog, white clouds had been roughly kneaded into striking crimson hues, only for the high-tech skytrain to whistle by, abruptly shattering the idyllic beauty.

Her gaze fell on the sky platform light rail as it slowed to a stop. Wearing her glasses, she could only look up from below, merely guessing.

Was Luo Qingmeng there?

Would she be?

It was as if, behind the thick double-pane glass, a figure was holding a book, her profile turned toward the window outside—her, yet not quite her.

Fair-skinned, with red lips.

The scenery seemed never to have been broken; it had simply settled onto one person.

“Her face like snowflakes condensed into jade, bright pearls dotting crimson lips.”

Qiu Shuxue had just thought of this poem to describe Luo Qingmeng.

The light turned green, and the cars ahead began to move. She followed behind, growing curious. She really wanted to know where Luo Qingmeng lived, if she lived alone, if Li An went to her place.

Could I live there with her?

She wanted both Luo Qingmeng’s fiery passion and her cool detachment.

She wanted them so badly it was driving her mad.

When she got home, she turned on the TV, cleared the coffee table and dining table, then sat on a cushion and carefully unpacked the gift.

Inside the book was a delicate blind box: some cartoon standees, butterfly hair clips, bubble stickers, pretty washi tape, and a scented candle.

How strange. She had secretly taken Luo Qingmeng’s book away, yet Luo Qingmeng didn’t blame or punish her—instead, she gave her gifts. It was practically encouraging crime.

She had cleaned so meticulously earlier that now only the items on the coffee table remained, making the whole house feel empty and desolate.

At the company, few people were close to Qiu Shuxue. Everyone more or less knew her family was wealthy and that her uncle was the company president. They wanted to curry favor with her, but her aloof personality made them wary of offending her, so most kept their distance.

At eight-thirty that evening, Qiu Shuxue posted on her social media with a cute cartoon sticker as the image: 【Does this tattoo look good?】

Almost as soon as she hit post, a like appeared below.

Li An: 【It would look great on you.】

Qiu Shuxue tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Qiu Shuxue: 【Should I ask Sister Luo to come along?】

Li An: 【Nah, forget her. She wouldn’t go. She wouldn’t like that stuff.】

Qiu Shuxue: 【Can she come with me? I’m a bit scared to go alone.】

Qiu Shuxue didn’t have Luo Qingmeng as a friend on social media. She opened her chat with Li An and typed a “1” in the dialogue box. Soon, the other side showed typing… stopped… typing again, bustling for several minutes as if hesitating. Qiu Shuxue waited patiently, and Li An finally sent a message first.

She searched for a few net images of tattoos on the chest area and sent them to Li An, asking if they looked good, saying she wanted to get letters but wasn’t sure if three characters or two.

Li An: 【If you’re scared, you could ask a close colleague to go with you.】 He added a smiling emoji.

Qiu Shuxue: 【Give me Luo Qingmeng’s phone number.】

Li An sent a string of digits.

【Not my girlfriend’s, just this one.】

Qiu Shuxue’s mouth twitched. She went to remove her makeup first, dried her fingers, picked up her phone to screenshot it—but since Li An hadn’t given his girlfriend’s number, there was no screenshot to send anyway.

Qiu Shuxue leaned against the bathroom sink. That mouth of Li An’s… he must have boasted endlessly about his own excellence. Luo Qingmeng was too easily deceived.

Her mind replayed Luo Qingmeng’s smiling face.

So innocent, yet so cautious.

She figured having Li An’s number would do.

After that, Qiu Shuxue would call Li An. Whenever he was out on a date with Luo Qingmeng, he would suddenly get a call—especially at night. As long as he was with Luo Qingmeng, his phone never stopped ringing.

Qiu Shuxue rarely spoke during those calls. When Li An asked if she was upset, she ignored it completely, bypassing any underhanded flirting Luo Qingmeng might be doing with her.

One time, Qiu Shuxue asked him, “Where’s Sister Luo?”

“She’s really understanding. I say I’m busy with work, and she forgives me just like that.”

Later, Li An invited everyone out to eat again.

Qiu Shuxue was the last to arrive. On that Saturday morning, Luo Qingmeng had a shift, so she deliberately went to the bookstore hoping to leave with her. But when she got there, Luo Qingmeng had swapped shifts with a colleague.

Luo Qingmeng took Li An’s matters very seriously, unaware that he was actually using the opportunity to see if he could keep flirting with Qiu Shuxue afterward.

Qiu Shuxue raised her hand and knocked. Luo Qingmeng opened the door, and their gazes met. Qiu Shuxue could sense that Luo Qingmeng’s look toward her was different from how she looked at others—Luo Qingmeng had been expecting her.

And as soon as she came in, Luo Qingmeng handed her an orange.

Li An was quite stingy; treating everyone to a meal was already his limit. Company colleagues had all guessed that most of the dishes he “treated” them to had been bought by Luo Qingmeng.

This woman was too transparent.

Two apples on the coffee table made it look a little less empty.

But dividing just a few apples among four or five colleagues was pretty stingy. Luo Qingmeng hung her coat on the rack in the inner room, and as she turned back, she secretly gave her a handful of strawberries.

Luo Qingmeng said nothing. After doing that, she went to the kitchen, leaving Qiu Shuxue gripping the strawberries in a daze.

Luo Qingmeng had a good personality, but she wasn’t a pushover without boundaries. She had her own little tempers. Knowing everyone liked to gossip about her, she only helped Li An cook and didn’t bring out all her good stuff to entertain them. Even though it was strawberry season, the price of strawberries had never dropped.

She was generous enough to give Qiu Shuxue a handful, though she herself barely ate any.

Toward those she liked, she could be good without reservation.

In a few fleeting moments, Qiu Shuxue wondered if Luo Qingmeng was actually a master hunter who knew she was rich and was deliberately seducing her. She wouldn’t mind Luo Qingmeng seducing her; she just minded that Luo Qingmeng teased her like this without any intention of considering her feelings. It made her suffer and left her deeply unsatisfied.

Qiu Shuxue ate the strawberries—sweet and juicy. When others asked if she had more, she said no. The group let out disappointed noises, saying it was favoritism, and Qiu Shuxue reveled in that bias. Li An had the TV on and was chatting with everyone, while Luo Qingmeng’s figure always blended into the kitchen, separate from the living room.

Though Luo Qingmeng wasn’t great at her job, plenty of people at the company envied Li An. In this day and age, it was hard to find a woman willing to cook, obey her man in everything, and be so domesticated.

After all, a housekeeper to do chores cost 8,000 a month. And Luo Qingmeng was beautiful, with a great figure.

Qiu Shuxue didn’t linger long in the living room. After sitting for a bit, she went to the kitchen. Luo Qingmeng was kneading dough and looked startled when she saw her, her eyes widening. Qiu Shuxue could tell she wasn’t very happy.

Luo Qingmeng smiled at her, wanting to ask if something was wrong, but her mouth opened and closed without a word, ending with just a blink of her eyes.

“Dating Sister must be so blissful. I really envy Brother Li.”

As Qiu Shuxue spoke, she watched her expression. If Luo Qingmeng looked heartbroken or sorrowful, Qiu Shuxue would take it as encouragement, as permission to push further.

Qiu Shuxue was both lowly and despicable.

“Um, yeah… it would be happy, I suppose.” Luo Qingmeng seemed to find a reason to convince herself. “He’s pretty good to me most of the time…”

A faint sadness flickered across Luo Qingmeng’s face, almost imperceptibly, and her reply came a beat late. She was upset, her emotions having nowhere to vent. She kneaded the dough in her hands, pressing down hard with her palms, while the stray hairs by her ears refused to stay put against her cheeks.

“Does being good to you mean I can have you?” Qiu Shuxue asked.

“Huh?” Luo Qingmeng didn’t understand what she meant. She thought for a moment, afraid that Qiu Shuxue would think she was cheap, and said in a very soft, light voice, “It’s not exactly like that… It’s hard to find someone who’s good to you. If we’re compatible, that’s about enough.”

This “we” didn’t include Qiu Shuxue.

Qiu Shuxue reached for some vegetables nearby, wanting to help her.

Luo Qingmeng called out to her softly. “Don’t touch the water.”

Her voice was very soft and gentle, swirling softly in Qiu Shuxue’s ears. “Didn’t you hurt your finger?”

Qiu Shuxue thought, “Ah, she still remembers me.”

Qiu Shuxue said, “Okay, and it’s not just this one spot that’s hurt.” She felt very sad inside.

“Where else did you get hurt? Is it serious? Should we go see a doctor?” Luo Qingmeng glanced at her, timid and scared, her eyes habitually drifting away from her.

Her voice was extremely soft. Qiu Shuxue might not hear her clearly if she didn’t lean in, which was fine—it gave Qiu Shuxue an excuse to get closer.

Qiu Shuxue leaned in and said, “Huh? What did you say, sister?”

Luo Qingmeng turned her head toward Qiu Shuxue and said, “Why don’t you go wait outside? There’s flour everywhere here—it’ll get your clothes dirty. Once it’s ready, I’ll call you first to eat.”

Qiu Shuxue didn’t really want to leave, but Luo Qingmeng added, “In the bedroom, there are some milk-flavored finger biscuits. You can grab some to eat.”

She added in a slow, gentle tone, “If you’re bored…”

“I’ll help you wash the vegetables. I don’t really feel like eating.”

“No need.” Luo Qingmeng wouldn’t let her touch them. Seeing her insist, she said, “I’ve already washed all the vegetables. I prepared everything before you guys came, or it’d be a mad rush.”

“Didn’t Brother Li help you?”

Luo Qingmeng hummed for several seconds. “He’s busy with work…”

“It’s Saturday—no one’s busy on Saturday,” Qiu Shuxue said.

Luo Qingmeng fell silent. Qiu Shuxue had all sorts of words tumbling in her mouth—things her colleagues often said like “that woman’s blind”—and right then, she really wanted to blurt out, “Sister, you’re so good, why settle for Brother Li?” or “Be with me instead.” But that would definitely scare her.

Qiu Shuxue left the kitchen and went to the bedroom. She looked for the finger biscuits Luo Qingmeng had mentioned but didn’t find them. Instead, she saw Luo Qingmeng’s black coat. She went over and touched it. The coat had some pilling, but it had just been washed and smelled nice.

Just then, Li An was standing in the doorway and saw her. He looked shocked by her actions, but then a flash of confidence appeared in his eyes. Qiu Shuxue took the coat down and put it on. Luo Qingmeng’s clothes were a bit loose on her, especially around the chest.

Li An’s gaze was impossible to look at. Qiu Shuxue brushed past him and said, “I’m going to chat with your wife.”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Li An called out to her excitedly. He was scared inside too—bold in his fantasies but too chicken to act on them. He only dared to let Qiu Shuxue “tease” him; he didn’t dare tease her back. Li An hurried into the kitchen ahead of her to say something to Luo Qingmeng in a low mutter. Qiu Shuxue guessed he was telling her not to offend her.

Luo Qingmeng turned her head toward her and gave a shy smile. Once Li An left, Qiu Shuxue went back into the kitchen and said, “Sister, I borrowed your coat.”