Chapter 5

The car door was shut tight.

Qiu Shuxue cupped her face and kissed her over and over. She bit Luo Qingmeng’s lips, teasing and drawing her in again and again.

Luo Qingmeng felt unbearably ticklish, her eyes growing wet at the corners and her arms going limp. She wanted to break down and sob. Qiu Shuxue showed no consideration for her, keeping one hand cradled behind her head and the other pinching her waist. Her kisses were sealed tight, leaving no room to breathe—it felt so oppressive and uncomfortable.

Her lips had gone numb, and she kept feeling an itch somewhere. Unable to help herself, she bit back at Qiu Shuxue.

She thought this would scare Qiu Shuxue into stopping, but instead, Qiu Shuxue pulled back just a little and slid her hand lower.

The bottom button of her overcoat was twisted open. Luo Qingmeng tugged and pulled at it in panic, but somehow Qiu Shuxue’s fingers had already pressed against her waist. Her other hand forcefully intertwined with Luo Qingmeng’s fingers in a tight grip.

Luo Qingmeng’s breathing grew ragged. The moment she tried to speak, Qiu Shuxue blocked her lips again, not letting her get a word out. Luo Qingmeng felt like if this kept up, her tears would burst forth—she was practically suffocating.

Qiu Shuxue stole every bit of her air. She held her breath until she couldn’t anymore, her face flushing red. Luo Qingmeng pushed at her hard, her chest heaving dramatically. She couldn’t breathe at all. “Wooah.”

She let out a low sob. Qiu Shuxue lifted her head slightly and kissed the corner of her eye. Qiu Shuxue said, “Don’t push me…”

Her words made it sound like Luo Qingmeng was the one bullying her.

But, but… clearly, she was the one being bullied.

She’d been messed up like this. “You’re sick… you!”

Luo Qingmeng’s eyes were red, and she had no strength left. Her voice trembled. She felt so ashamed—after just a few words, it turned into sobs.

She tried to turn her head away, but the glare of headlights caught her eye by accident. A black car pulled out from the parking spot behind them. Luo Qingmeng tensed up all over. She didn’t want to be seen. She resisted Qiu Shuxue fiercely and punched her in shame and anger.

“Let go… let go of me…”

Qiu Shuxue withdrew from the corner of her eye and sat up straight. The light in her eyes was ambiguous, as if she was still thinking of continuing their intimacy. She pressed a finger to Luo Qingmeng’s lips. “Don’t make a sound. What if someone thinks I’m bullying you?”

Luo Qingmeng wanted to say “you are,” but she knew Qiu Shuxue wasn’t really. She actually wanted the kisses too, but mentally she couldn’t allow it, leaving her in turmoil.

“One more kiss, then we’ll go home, okay?”

Qiu Shuxue spoke to her softly, her lips brushing the corner of her eye.

Luo Qingmeng felt like she was going mad. Her hand lifted several times—she wanted to grab Qiu Shuxue, to hug her waist—but in the end, her mental resistance made her clutch at Qiu Shuxue’s lapel instead. She rubbed and pinched it repeatedly, thinking that ruining her expensive coat would be some small revenge.

Qiu Shuxue pressed her into the narrow space.

Qiu Shuxue cupped her face and said, “Sister, you taste so sweet.”

That was enough.

Luo Qingmeng blinked her eyes. She forced herself out of this suffocating predicament, trying to sound vicious. “If you kiss me again… I… I’ll never ride in your car again.”

Qiu Shuxue didn’t speak.

Luo Qingmeng raised her voice a bit. “Stop kissing me already.”

Qiu Shuxue said, “Then stop crying.”

Luo Qingmeng’s eyes fluttered. She blinked hard, forcing back the tears hidden beneath her lashes. Her eyes were red, and she had no confidence left.

It was as if she was saying: I’m holding back the tears now.

Qiu Shuxue touched her cheek and wiped the traces from her face, coaxing her. “Sorry, Sister. I couldn’t hold back.” She bit her lip, still wanting to kiss her.

Her instincts told Luo Qingmeng that Qiu Shuxue wasn’t going to keep her word. This time, Luo Qingmeng was truly angry. She reached for the car door to get out.

Qiu Shuxue grabbed her hand and apologized. “No more kisses. I just want to look at you. You’re too cute. When you cry, I just want to look at you more.”

“I wasn’t crying…” Luo Qingmeng blinked her eyes. “You kissed too fast and too hard. You bit my tongue.”

After she said that, the atmosphere felt off again.

Luo Qingmeng felt Qiu Shuxue pinching her face.

Qiu Shuxue stared at her until she didn’t know what to do with herself. Luo Qingmeng held back as best she could, but she couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled up the collar of her overcoat and shrank into it. “If you kiss me again, I’ll jump out from here.”

Qiu Shuxue finally finished looking. She pushed open the driver’s door and went to the front seat. Luo Qingmeng sat motionless in the back. No matter what, she wouldn’t move to the front passenger seat. She just huddled tightly in the rear.

She swore to herself in her heart.

If she ever rode in Qiu Shuxue’s car again, she’d be a dog.

This woman was truly shameless. At such a young age, all she knew how to do was kiss people. So lewd—she was already thinking about sleeping with someone at her age.

She definitely wasn’t… some good student.

Luo Qingmeng couldn’t keep cursing her in her heart. In the elevator, she’d overheard Chen Xin and Qiu Shuxue chatting. Qiu Shuxue had graduated from a top university.

It was so unfair.

The car pulled out of the garage and drove away. Luo Qingmeng hid her hands below and fastened the button Qiu Shuxue had undone. Her fingers shook uncontrollably, and she clenched her hands tightly.

Outside, the city had sunk into darkness too, but the high-rises were lit up. Luo Qingmeng thought of many things, and all sorts of bitterness welled up in her heart.

When they reached the neighborhood, Luo Qingmeng still hadn’t come back to herself. It didn’t feel real. She tilted her head up at the 32-story high-rise in front of her. She’d never imagined living here in her life. If not for the marriage mishap, she’d always walk past with her head down… She’d heard a small unit here cost three million.

Under the night sky,

Luo Qingmeng felt like it was time for Atonement. The kisses had felt so good—almost betraying her own principles. How could she kiss Qiu Shuxue again?

She should feel disgusted, make a retching motion.

She prayed to God: I have sinned. Please forgive me. Please don’t let Qiu Shuxue kiss me next time.

Qiu Shuxue’s hand touched her, and she flinched sharply. Qiu Shuxue unbuckled her seatbelt, pulled it out, and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Sister, we’re home.”

Luo Qingmeng trembled, feeling like God had abandoned her.

She let out a hum that sounded more like… coquetry.

Luo Qingmeng now felt sinful. She cursed Qiu Shuxue—and herself too. She walked ahead of Qiu Shuxue, rushing to swipe the door access and press the elevator button first. She wanted to get away before Qiu Shuxue could catch up.

But Qiu Shuxue was quick too. Her hand blocked the elevator doors, and they went in together.

Luo Qingmeng habitually shrank her neck. Qiu Shuxue’s eyes kept turning to her, as if she could never look enough. It was so annoying.

It reminded her of the arts festival in high school. The girls from well-off families in her class had dared to perform that hot, fiery chest-shaking dance. And her? She sat in the back row, wrapping her ample figure in an oversized school uniform, silently thinking to herself… one day, one day, she could stand under the spotlight and sing a song, stunning everyone.

But throughout her school years, she never sang a song. She always kept her head down watching the stage. When everyone scattered at the end, she just stood in the third row from the girls’ side at the very edge, wearing her school uniform for the big group photo. The only standout thing was that she’d copied the best makeup girl in class and parted her hair down the middle for a center part. Too bad the camera wasn’t on her that day—they’d photographed her especially dark.

Even so, no one noticed her.

Like a flower that kept waiting to bloom. And as she waited and waited, it only opened a tiny bit. It didn’t stun anyone.

Not even surprising herself. And that ended her youth.

She wouldn’t deny it—when she’d dated Li An before, there was some masochistic element to it. Being with him, she cherished it, feeling like someone had finally discovered her sparkle.

They reached the twenty-fourth floor. Luo Qingmeng opened her door, afraid Qiu Shuxue would follow. She slammed it shut quickly, changed into slippers, and then the doorbell rang. Sure enough, it was Qiu Shuxue knocking. Qiu Shuxue said, “You left your slippers at my place yesterday. When are you coming to get them?”

“I don’t want them.”

“You’re giving them to me?”

Luo Qingmeng frowned. “Leave them at the door.”

She held back for a moment. “And the books… stop ringing the doorbell. Just leave them at the door!”

The books had been delivered the next morning. Because she felt sinful, she hadn’t opened them to look. For the next two days, Luo Qingmeng acted like she’d seen a ghost, wishing she could reduce her presence to zero.

Luo Qingmeng deliberately avoided Qiu Shuxue. She’d checked the door camera—Qiu Shuxue left ten minutes after her every day. As long as she left ten minutes earlier, she wouldn’t run into her.

Sure.

In the evenings, she’d check the door camera again.

Damn it. She’d no sooner leave than Qiu Shuxue would come out right after.

Qiu Shuxue was leaving early too, clearly trying to catch her.

She checked the footage and never saw Li An at Qiu Shuxue’s door. Of course, the door camera’s earliest footage was from a week ago. The landlord said it involved privacy, so everything before Luo Qingmeng moved in had been wiped.

Luo Qingmeng’s mind started turning again. Were the two of them in cahoots, deliberately not hanging around the door?

Qiu Shuxue messing with her like this was just forcing her to leave.

These two people.

One cheap, one depraved.

So annoying, so annoying. If she had to leave any earlier, she’d have to get up at six.

Who was crazy enough to commute like it was morning assembly every day?

She held out until Wednesday. Their work schedule was five days on, two off, with rotations on normal rest days. Luo Qingmeng had covered a shift for Chen Xin, so now she could have three days off in a row.

That Wednesday evening, Luo Qingmeng left the bookstore early, mainly to avoid running into Qiu Shuxue. She’d heard Chen Xin say Qiu Shuxue had reserved several more sets of books on the app.

“She’s got money to burn,” Chen Xin had commented.

On her way back, Luo Qingmeng stopped by the supermarket to buy some groceries, along with trash bags and toilet paper. Every time she spent money, she thought of Li An—that jerk hadn’t made a sound and had blacklisted all her contact information. Luo Qingmeng planned to go find him next week. If he still ignored her, she’d go make a scene at his company and demand money from him.

Luo Qingmeng carried her bags upstairs. She jabbed fiercely at the button for the twenty-fourth floor. The middle-aged woman who had entered the elevator with her suddenly struck up a conversation. “Cooking for yourself? Young people these days rarely cook—it’s pretty rare to see.”

Luo Qingmeng gave a soft “mm.”

She immediately turned her head to look at the auntie. Young people.

Had she gotten younger? Maybe so. After all, she’d been diligently applying skincare products lately, using face masks, and working on her posture to keep her head up and chest out.

Luo Qingmeng said, “I cook myself when I’m not busy. Homemade tastes better.” That wasn’t true, of course—bringing her own meals was just cheaper. Ten bucks’ worth of food could last her three meals a day.

The auntie said, “You’re not from around here, are you? You bought so many chilies.”

Luo Qingmeng nodded. “No, I work in this area.”

“Well, this young lady’s got some good skills, then.”

Luo Qingmeng smiled. “Not particularly.”

With that, the doors opened.

Qiu Shuxue stood outside. She had been looking at her phone and glanced up when she saw Luo Qingmeng, smiling as she said, “Pretty good, actually. Sister, you’re too modest.”

Luo Qingmeng hurriedly carried her things out of the elevator. Qiu Shuxue had been about to step in but turned and decided not to when she saw Luo Qingmeng exit. The auntie inside called out, “I’ll close the doors, then!”

Luo Qingmeng kept her head down and hurried inside. Qiu Shuxue followed behind her, calling out to her. Luo Qingmeng went to press the doorbell, and Qiu Shuxue tilted her head to look at her. “A delivery.”

Luo Qingmeng ignored her. She added, “It’s yours. You bought it.”

The door opened, and Luo Qingmeng suddenly realized what the package was. She whipped around and saw the black delivery parcel clutched in Qiu Shuxue’s hand. She reached out to snatch it, but Qiu Shuxue dodged back. “So it really is yours?”

“G-Give it… mind your own business!” Luo Qingmeng’s face flushed red.

Qiu Shuxue drew out her words. “Hmm… pleated lace babydoll, high-cut thong, sheer and misty… Sister, so sexy. And a few of the styles… they’re just like mine.”

“G-Give it back! You opened my package—have you no shame?”

Qiu Shuxue explained, “I thought it was mine, so I opened it. You didn’t write your name on it.”

Luo Qingmeng hadn’t dared to put her own name when she ordered it; she’d just typed in some random gibberish. She hadn’t expected this…

She hadn’t bought exactly the same as Qiu Shuxue’s, just similar styles. The rest were top sellers.

Besides, they weren’t that sexy. She’d picked French styles—French lingerie was famously romantic. It was only because Qiu Shuxue had a dirty mind that she thought they were sexy and improper.

Luo Qingmeng didn’t want to be misunderstood, so she said, “Don’t get the wrong idea. Whatever I wear, you’re wearing it too. Who’s to say who’s nobler?”

Qiu Shuxue hadn’t gone inside yet. She looked at Luo Qingmeng with a smile and said, “Yeah, don’t misunderstand me, Sister. I’m actually super slutty—I just haven’t had the chance to show it off to you. If Sister wants to see…”

Bang.

The door slammed shut again.

Luo Qingmeng didn’t want to deal with her or discuss this topic.

But what about the package?

Was she just going to leave it?

Of all the timing, her delivery had to arrive these past few days. Worse, it was as if the courier had no idea someone lived in her apartment—he’d written down her name and room number clearly, but the packages kept getting delivered to the door across from hers, with the doorbell ringing at Qiu Shuxue’s place multiple times a day.

Luo Qingmeng got off work later than Qiu Shuxue, so if she wasn’t there to claim it, Qiu Shuxue took it inside.

Qiu Shuxue knew it was hers but didn’t tell her—instead, she kept it at her own place. So rude.

That was her underwear!

It had cost her five or six hundred bucks… She had to go get it back.