Chapter 43: Side Story 7 Part 2

Luo Qingmeng said, “You don’t have a change of clothes.”

Qiu Shuxue whispered in her ear, “But I don’t think they’re dirty. I just stripped down and slept in them yesterday.”

Luo Qingmeng’s eyes widened slightly. Qiu Shuxue pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh, don’t let Brother Li hear. It’s our little secret.”

Luo Qingmeng nodded vigorously. “Okay.”

Qiu Shuxue praised her again. “Sister, your cooking is so delicious. I want to marry you and take you home.”

Luo Qingmeng just smiled. She went to the bedroom to make the bed. It was still early, and Qiu Shuxue laughed from the doorway. She said, “Sister, how about we go out shopping for a bit? Where do you live?”

The apartment Li An had bought was only seventy square meters and quite narrow. The room they were in was especially small. Luo Qingmeng lived at Clearwater Rock. She told her the address. Qiu Shuxue sat on the edge of the bed and said to her, “I haven’t been to your place yet. Can I visit sometime and stay over?”

Luo Qingmeng looked troubled. She gently bit her lip, and Qiu Shuxue realized she had been too eager. Luo Qingmeng’s place was very small—just a simple one-room apartment with one bathroom. The decor was basic too. Compared to Li An’s place, hers was nothing to show off.

“Has Brother Li been there?” Qiu Shuxue asked.

Luo Qingmeng shook her head. Qiu Shuxue felt relieved. Luo Qingmeng said, “The complex is pretty rundown. He’s afraid of scratching his car, so he basically never goes in.”

“How could he be like that?” Qiu Shuxue said angrily.

“It’s good that he doesn’t go in.” Luo Qingmeng didn’t continue the topic. She said, “Get in bed. It’s warmer.”

Qiu Shuxue said, “Wait, I’ll take a shower first, or I’ll dirty the sheets.”

“It’s fine. If they get dirty, I’ll just wash them,” Luo Qingmeng said with a smile. “Sleep however you like.”

“Sister, do you think I’m annoying?”

“I don’t think you’re annoying at all.”

Qiu Shuxue nodded. “Do you like me then?”

She stared straight at Luo Qingmeng, casually tossing out the bait as if it were nothing—but really, she wanted an answer, wanted her to bite.

Luo Qingmeng nodded and looked up at her, her eyes full of sincerity. “I do.”

Qiu Shuxue’s heart skipped a beat. She hesitated as she thought it over, and Luo Qingmeng grew nervous, worried she seemed insincere. She said, “I really like you. You’re different from those other girls. I don’t like them much.”

Qiu Shuxue felt happy yet a little sad. She murmured her agreement.

Luo Qingmeng finished making the bed. Qiu Shuxue went to the bathroom to shower and took her bag out with her. She changed into a fresh set of underwear.

Then she patted her chest with some water.

She had covered her tattoo beforehand. After washing up, she came out carrying her bag. She pushed open the door and saw Luo Qingmeng stuffing a hot water bottle into the bedding.

“Sister.”

Luo Qingmeng looked up at her and immediately noticed her chest. Qiu Shuxue was wearing a black bra. Luo Qingmeng quickly spotted the letter “L” on her chest. She glanced at it a couple more times. Qiu Shuxue smiled at her, and Luo Qingmeng immediately looked down, her cheeks flushing red. She said, “You should sleep.”

Qiu Shuxue let out an “oh.” She keenly noticed a book on Luo Qingmeng’s nightstand—probably something Li An had given her behind her back. This guy was pretty clever, afraid of losing out on both sides, so he figured he’d sweet-talk Luo Qingmeng a bit.

Qiu Shuxue narrowed her eyes slightly. She climbed onto the bed with one leg pressing down, then lay there in Luo Qingmeng’s line of sight and tilted her head up a little. “Sister, do you think girls with tattoos are bad girls?”

Luo Qingmeng raised her head but quickly looked away again when she went to look at her. Her eyes darted around, unable to look directly at the tattoo. She only gazed at the slender curve of her raised neck and the alluring cleavage below.

It was full but not exaggerated, fair-skinned, as if moisturized with lotion.

And it smelled fragrant.

She clenched them tightly, making anyone want to slip a finger in between.

Qiu Shuxue even squeezed them teasingly for her.

Luo Qingmeng immediately turned her face away. Qiu Shuxue huffed softly and said, “Actually, I have a new set in my bag. I bought some underwear on my way here since I was late, but I was too embarrassed to say…”

“Oh? Oh.” Luo Qingmeng stared at the floor, thinking that Li An’s own crude caulking job on the bathroom tiles was pretty shoddy.

Luo Qingmeng looked away and went to take a shower herself. Before she left, Qiu Shuxue rummaged in her bag again, pulled out a set, and handed it to her. “It’s too big. I was going to return it. You can try it on—it seems like it would fit you.”

“I…”

Qiu Shuxue stuffed it into her arms and gazed at her pleadingly. Luo Qingmeng had no choice but to take the clothes. Qiu Shuxue heard her sigh.

“You’re so nice to me too. You don’t even mind that I have a tattoo.”

How could Luo Qingmeng mind that? She took the underwear to the bathroom. At the door, she ran into Li An. He asked her, “Did Qiu Shuxue say anything to you? Her relative is a company executive. Whatever she says, just listen. She might have a bit of a temper, but you absolutely can’t offend her, got it?”

Luo Qingmeng said, “She’s a nice person.”

Li An chuckled, his laugh baffling her. Luo Qingmeng pushed him into their room. “Don’t talk bad about her.”

She closed the door and went to shower. After doing housework for two days, she was a bit tired. She took off her clothes and held the underwear with a sigh.

If she had known Qiu Shuxue was staying over and they’d be sleeping together, she would have bought some new clothes no matter what. She placed the set Qiu Shuxue gave her on top of her own clothes.

The hot water poured over her shoulders, feeling so comfortable. She kneaded her shoulders hard, applied extra foam to her chest, and scrubbed her legs until they were smooth and pale. She went to the mirror to check herself out…

Yeah.

She was pretty full and proud.

Her eyes flicked back, and she picked up that bra, holding it up to herself several times… In the end, she only dared to compare it through a narrow gap.

It was pretty… Thin lace, nice patterns.

It would look beautiful worn underneath…

Even more beautiful with a tattoo.

Luo Qingmeng felt embarrassed after comparing. She memorized the style, put it back, then threw on her sweater and came back out. Qiu Shuxue had already slipped under the covers.

Luo Qingmeng plugged the Eggshell Lamp into the headboard and adjusted the light. It was only eight o’clock, still early. She lifted the covers on one side and slid into bed.

Qiu Shuxue asked if she wanted to watch a movie. Luo Qingmeng was just about to say her phone was laggy when Qiu Shuxue pulled out her large tablet.

“What do you want to watch? I have a membership for everything.”

Luo Qingmeng thought for a long time before she said, “Carlito’s Way.”

Qiu Shuxue searched for it up top, and the two of them watched the movie together. It was a crime thriller, and after a while, Qiu Shuxue leaned closer to Luo Qingmeng’s side. Luo Qingmeng reached out and hugged her, asking, “Are you scared?”

Qiu Shuxue let out a soft hum, her eyes closed. “A little bit.” Luo Qingmeng smelled wonderful, as if the scent of her body wash had seeped into her very bones.

Luo Qingmeng adjusted the speed in the bottom right corner to 1.5x, and they finished the movie in half an hour. Luo Qingmeng helped her put away the tablet and slipped on its protective case, saying, “It’s not that scary, just a bit thrilling.”

Qiu Shuxue didn’t say anything. Luo Qingmeng placed the tablet on her side of the bed, reminding her to take it with her tomorrow, and added, “No need to be scared.”

Qiu Shuxue nodded.

Luo Qingmeng said, “Lights out.”

The eggshell lamp glowed on Qiu Shuxue’s side. The two of them lay down to sleep. She turned off the lights while facing away from Qiu Shuxue and had just closed her eyes.

Qiu Shuxue’s finger tapped lightly on her shoulder, her touch feather-light, like a shy child hesitant to speak to an adult, cautiously tapping and then pausing, as if afraid to disturb her.

Qiu Shuxue pressed very close, her voice brushing against the back of Luo Qingmeng’s neck. She said, “Sister, do you want to see my tattoo?”

Luo Qingmeng didn’t respond. She didn’t quite dare to.

Qiu Shuxue said it several times. “Do you think girls with tattoos are bad girls?”

Luo Qingmeng never replied to her. Qiu Shuxue murmured to herself, “Sister, I’m not bad. I just want to chat with you, share some girls’ secrets.”

Luo Qingmeng didn’t think she was bad. Her voice sounded so pitiful that Luo Qingmeng’s heart softened, and she spoke up to comfort her. “Tattoos are your personal freedom; there’s nothing wrong with that. But they must hurt, right? You’re already so pretty; you don’t need to envy anyone and make yourself even more beautiful.”

She remembered Qiu Shuxue saying her chest was pretty and that she envied it. Luo Qingmeng continued, “You’re excellent. You’ll meet someone really great, not like me…” Not like her encounter with Li An.

Luo Qingmeng didn’t want to become the object of her envy or have Qiu Shuxue imitate her. She felt Qiu Shuxue deserved someone wonderful.

“You’ll find it eventually. If you’re so timid, don’t go looking for a lover who drags you to horror movies in the future.”

Luo Qingmeng was rather timid herself and only spoke with her back to Qiu Shuxue, but every word she said made Qiu Shuxue’s heart melt. It was heartbreaking. Qiu Shuxue knew deep down she’d never meet anyone wonderful herself, yet she hoped Qiu Shuxue would.

Qiu Shuxue’s voice was soft and light. “I just… lack confidence. It feels like no one’s ever hugged me all this time. I don’t know how much more proactive I need to be just to get held once.”

Luo Qingmeng’s heart ached terribly, but she really didn’t dare. She pursed her lips and thought for a long time. Thinking of her own twenty-four years, she too yearned for an embrace.

She considered two possibilities.

What if she hugged Qiu Shuxue?

What if she didn’t?

Torn, she even wanted to bite her finger. After agonizing over it for ages, she slowly turned around. Just as she was about to say, “Then let me hug you,” something sudden happened. Her eyes fluttered but hadn’t fully opened when they squeezed shut again amid the darkness. She let out a muffled “mmph” as something incredibly soft pressed into her mouth, weirdly pressing against her lips.

What was that…?

Qiu Shuxue had crashed straight into her mouth. Luo Qingmeng bit down before she realized what it was. It had no taste and was a bit soft.

She froze, her body forgetting to move. Then instinct made her try to spit it out, her tongue pushing against it, but it was too soft and slippery. Luo Qingmeng began to struggle. Because of the closeness and Qiu Shuxue’s own panic, after a few back-and-forths, it kept returning to her mouth. After several more rounds… The words “Sorry, I accidentally bumped my chest into Sister’s mouth” were stuck in Qiu Shuxue’s throat, unspoken. Luo Qingmeng pulled back first, her face flushed red. She said, “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I…”

“Oh…” Qiu Shuxue looked at her, then down at the slick wetness. She said, “…So, what now? This is my first time… I’m not ready to be a mom yet. You’ve given me a psychological scar like this.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Luo Qingmeng panicked, her eyes rimming red. “I…”

The eggshell lamp beside them cast a dim, orange glow, its warm light enveloping them. Luo Qingmeng was at a complete loss, not knowing what to do. She wanted to wipe it for her but didn’t dare touch her. If she tried to cover it up, it would seem like she was hiding evidence.

“What to do…” She had no idea.

Qiu Shuxue grabbed her trembling arm. She calmed down first and said steadily, “Lift your head up.” Luo Qingmeng did, her eyelashes damp. Her features were gentle, her contours soft, and her eyes blinked slowly.

Qiu Shuxue said, “Breathe.”

Luo Qingmeng parted her lips. After a few tries, she still couldn’t breathe properly and gulped in air urgently, her red lips trembling. “S-Sorry…”

She looks so kissable.

Qiu Shuxue’s chest grew hot from her breath. She was generous and didn’t hold a grudge. “It’s okay, Sister… I’ll bite you once and we’ll call it even. I won’t make you pay up. I’ll just have a little scar from this, and after the bite, we’ll pretend it never happened, okay?”

Luo Qingmeng was still gulping air, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

Qiu Shuxue leaned down, intending to lick the tears away with her mouth, but instead used the hand gripping her shoulder to wipe them clean.

“Don’t be scared.”

Luo Qingmeng was flustered and confused. She mumbled an acknowledgment, her hands twisting the lining of her inner sweater repeatedly under the covers, her eyes squeezed shut as she rolled it up. “Come on…”