Chapter 6

She had been working nonstop for several days and finally had a chance to rest properly. Luo Qingmeng had planned these three days down to the last detail: that evening, she would cook herself something delicious as a treat, then soak in the bathtub with a face mask on, pour herself a glass of red wine, and afterward sit by the window with music playing as she read a book, savoring the slow pace of her holiday.

Her previous rental had such cramped conditions that taking a bath had always been a luxury. The red wine was something she had redeemed from a supermarket lottery before moving; she had no idea if it was any good, but at a little over a hundred-yuan a bottle, she considered it quite pricey.

She had never opened the red wine before, always feeling like it would be a waste to drink it casually. Today, though, she really wanted to give it a try.

Luo Qingmeng’s plans were thrown into disarray, leaving her quite upset. She soaked in the bathtub with the red wine poured, but her eyes glared fiercely at the wall.

Comparison was the thief of joy. During their last gathering at Li An’s place, she had overheard his female colleagues chatting about how they always opted for red wine scrubs at the spa—such extravagance.

She was not much of a drinker and got a pleasant buzz from just a little. After downing half a glass, the taste sent a shiver through her; it was not all that great. Luo Qingmeng climbed out of the water, her head spinning and her body feeling warm. She slipped into her bathrobe and headed to the living room to turn on the TV.

Luo Qingmeng felt so pathetic. Hadn’t she moved here precisely to get under Qiu Shuxue’s skin? How had she ended up as the one getting worked up instead? She wrapped her pajamas tightly around herself. As the alcohol hit her, she stormed out of her apartment, went to Qiu Shuxue’s door, raised her hand, and pounded on it loudly three times—bang bang bang—before pressing the doorbell twice with force.

After pulling off that undignified stunt, she bolted back to her own place, slammed the door shut, and squinted at the surveillance monitor.

She had run fast enough that Qiu Shuxue emerged just a second later and did not spot her. Qiu Shuxue first glanced toward the elevator, saw no one, and frowned in confusion. Then she looked toward Luo Qingmeng’s door. She probably never suspected Luo Qingmeng of being behind it and went back inside without coming out again.

Luo Qingmeng’s mood lifted a bit. She did not knock again afterward, knowing full well that if Qiu Shuxue was not an idiot, she would now be staking out the door.

She returned to her apartment and glanced at the few books stuffed into the top of the cabinet. She hauled them out to the living room for a closer look. Each one was of high quality, packaged in a wooden box with plenty of freebies: a black dried tulip and a stack of postcards.

Perfect timing to read today.

Luo Qingmeng turned on the TV and switched to a music channel. Her previous landlord had clearly known how to live well, subscribing to every service on the television so she could access everything. Luo Qingmeng had not logged out the landlord’s music account, so she was still listening to their playlist.

The first song was called “Moonlight,” and its tune had a seductive edge to it. She flipped through her book for a bit before she could not resist checking the lyrics translation.

It was downright erotic.

“I just wanna get high with my lover

All I want is to tangle with my lover in a sea of desire

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo

I see a doll staring back from the mirror

Kiss kiss

Hot kisses, hot kisses

Looking dolly I think I may go out tonight

Irresistibly charming, maybe I’ll head out tonight

I just wanna ride get high in the moonlight

I just want to ride, get high under the moonlight

Get high with you

Climbing higher with you

Get higher and higher with you

Sinking deeper, reveling in the heights

Let’s go to the moon

Let’s head to the moon, just you and me…”

Luo Qingmeng’s eyes widened as she listened, her mind flashing back to that certain night—the cautious tenderness, the reckless abandon, matching the lyrics perfectly.

That night, she had kept her hands pressed over her eyes the whole time and had not noticed the moonlight at all. She just remembered how pale Qiu Shuxue’s hands were. One extra glance, and she would have been lost in ecstasy…

She bowed her head and flipped through the thick book in her hands. The first chapter covered the origins of the Cthulhu Mythos. The introduction read: “We live in a world of unknown mysteries. Darkness is the origin of everything in the ocean. When the tide comes in, we can no longer set sail with mercy…”

For some inexplicable reason, she felt angry.

Luo Qingmeng immediately got up and shelved the books one by one in the bookcase. She really loved the layout of this apartment; the bed in the bedroom was positioned right by the window, which could open either from the bottom or the side. When she got home tired at night, she could sit on the bed and overlook the city.

It was the dream bedroom.

The bookcase was nice too, just lacking enough books.

If she ever got rich, she would stock it up herself. She just did not know when the landlord would return; they had said it was only rented to her for two months.

Luo Qingmeng felt sad again as she thought about it. She went out for a sip of wine, then stormed out of her room once more. She pounded fiercely on Qiu Shuxue’s door, gave it a solid kick, and jabbed the doorbell twice hard before hurrying back. She kept an eye on the monitor to watch Qiu Shuxue’s reaction.

This time, Qiu Shuxue did not even glance toward the elevator. She crossed her arms and stared straight at Luo Qingmeng’s door. Qiu Shuxue must have just finished bathing; she had pinned up her long hair with clips, and her neck was still damp—a bit disheveled.

Luo Qingmeng could not have felt smugger.

She figured that after doing her skincare routine and going to bed, she would sleep soundly tonight, while Qiu Shuxue probably would not get a wink—dreaming of her dancing wildly overhead.

Luo Qingmeng’s mood improved.

As she prepared to look away,

Qiu Shuxue suddenly tugged at her bathrobe, revealing a glimpse of her shoulder strap and the edge of black lace at her chest.

She tilted her head toward the camera.

“What a tease,” Luo Qingmeng muttered under her breath, unable to stop her eyes from lingering a moment longer.

She turned back, climbed into bed, and lay down. Her phone screen lit up beside her with a friend request, complete with a message: 【Sis, your lingerie is super pretty and comfy. Please stop knocking on my door; I won’t be able to sleep tonight.】

She would knock, all right—she would knock until the cows came home.

Luo Qingmeng ignored her and deleted the request. Soon another message popped up: 【Otherwise, I’ll come knocking on your door wearing your clothes and block you in.】

Luo Qingmeng’s breath caught.

Only then did it dawn on her. Yeah, right—yeah, exactly.

Qiu Shuxue could easily corner her too. At night, the two of them were best off keeping the peace. What if Qiu Shuxue showed up to confront her? Should they have a falling out? Could she even out-argue her?

If it came to a fight, she could endure her own injuries, but if she scratched Qiu Shuxue’s face, she would have to pay for medical bills and cosmetic repairs.

Though she really wanted to claw up Qiu Shuxue’s face and give her the same heavy blow Li An had received!

Unfortunately, the law nowadays sort of protected homewreckers in cases like this.

Luo Qingmeng also realized she could not let her anger make her lose sight of the main target for revenge. She did want to hit Qiu Shuxue, but Li An was the real scumbag.

She touched her own fingers, which had neat little half-moons at the tips, but Qiu Shuxue’s were impeccably clean—to the point where touching them felt especially nice.

In the end, her mind fixated on just a few phrases.

“Moonlight, moonlight. Kiss, kiss…”

Luo Qingmeng yanked the blanket over herself, wrapping up tight without even leaving her head out, holding her breath. Moonlight… tonight’s moon felt a little fuller.

She stewed like that all night. When she got up in the morning, her face was oily, so she quickly washed it and slapped on a face mask to avoid breaking out.

After tending to her face, she turned on some music and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Even though she was eating alone, she wanted it hearty: she steamed a little piggy bun and prepared a serving of egg and shredded pork noodles. She seasoned and marinated the pork shreds with extra ginger, boiled it up, then fished out the ginger slices. The resulting noodles and broth were fresh and fragrant. She carried it to the living room, ate while watching a movie, and savored every bite.

It felt especially blissful and satisfying.

As she ate, her phone lit up. Chen Xin had sent her a message saying a customer had reserved a book yesterday. The word “reserved” instantly made her think of Qiu Shuxue, and yesterday’s embarrassment gave her pause. She immediately turned back to the movie, watched for ten minutes, then glanced at her phone again.

Chen Xin: 【But he only came to pay today. Should I still give him yesterday’s discount?】

Luo Qingmeng: 【What’s his points balance?】

Chen Xin: 【Just a membership number, no recharge.】

Luo Qingmeng: 【Tell him you’ll give him the biggest staff discount you can. If he recharges 300 to the membership, he gets yesterday’s discount plus double points. On store celebration day, he can get a gift. If he has kids, give him some stickers today first. If he’s a student, toss in a nice notebook.】

Chen Xin: 【Wow, Qingmeng Sis, you’re awesome!!!!】

The price was about the same either way, but an extra membership made all the difference. The boss loved members, and more members meant commissions for them at month’s end.

Luo Qingmeng kept eating her noodles.

She thought for a moment and sent another message.

【Unless it’s important, don’t message me. I’m off today.】

Chen Xin did not reply, probably busy.

Luo Qingmeng felt even better after finishing her meal. She washed the dishes, planning originally to hole up at home all day. But without a pet for company, staying in the whole time would get boring. In the past, she had spent her Saturdays and Sundays at Li An’s, cooking for him and lounging at home watching movies. Looking back now, she realized how pathetic she had been!

Women who cooked for men were doomed to misery!

Since Li An had come to mind, Luo Qingmeng decided not to stay home. She freshened up simply, changed into a cute outfit, and headed out to track him down, corner him, and demand her money.

Luo Qingmeng wasn’t much for makeup. Following an online recommendation, she applied some bare-skin cream and a warm shade of lipstick, then slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

She had just changed into her shoes and pushed open the door when she spotted Qiu Shuxue waiting right there at the entrance. Qiu Shuxue wore a V-neck knit sweater draped with a thin shawl. She was dressed so provocatively that the deep neckline revealed glimpses of her black lace bra.

Luo Qingmeng stared wide-eyed.

Qiu Shuxue spoke slowly. “Sister, you smell so good.”

Luo Qingmeng took a step back. She didn’t dare get any closer and sniffed herself. She’d only put on some lotion and bare-skin cream today—what smelled good?

Afraid she’d fall for her trick again, she immediately stepped forward and fixed her gaze on Qiu Shuxue’s chest. “Aren’t you shameless? You actually wore my clothes. You…” She gritted her teeth. “Disgusting!”

Luo Qingmeng thought of the two hundred-yuan she’d spent on those clothes, now worn by her, and it hurt her to her core.

“Oh… you mean this one?” Qiu Shuxue fiddled with her own shoulder strap, revealing half of it for Luo Qingmeng to see. “This is mine. And you still claim you didn’t buy it just like mine.”

Luo Qingmeng’s face flushed bright red in an instant.

She quickly tried to calm herself down. No, she couldn’t act so weak. She was the one who ought to be angry. Straightening her posture, she frowned. “Give my clothes back.”

“Sure.” Qiu Shuxue pushed the door open just a crack. Packages littered the area near the threshold, and as if her hands itched, she kept pushing the door one moment and pulling it shut the next. Still, Luo Qingmeng caught sight of two that had been opened—one matching the style she was wearing almost exactly.

She was furious.

Luo Qingmeng had been groped and kissed by her several times already, so she wasn’t fooled. Qiu Shuxue was clearly doing this on purpose. Naturally, she had no intention of stepping inside Qiu Shuxue’s home this time. “Put it back wherever you got it from.”

With a hook of her finger, Qiu Shuxue pulled the door shut. She straightened up and took a step toward Luo Qingmeng, acting as if she had no intention of handing it over.

Luo Qingmeng said anxiously, “If you keep this up, I’ll call the police.”

“Go ahead,” Qiu Shuxue replied.

Luo Qingmeng pursed her lips. What would she even tell the police?

Qiu Shuxue continued, “The clothes are yours, of course. What I meant by ‘smells good’ was the breakfast you made—it smelled so amazing, it woke me right up. Sister, can I come over to your place for a meal? Then I’ll give the clothes back right away.”

Luo Qingmeng wanted to say no.

But Qiu Shuxue spoke first. “I’ll buy the groceries. I won’t take any leftovers. We’ll hit the supermarket later—you pick whatever you want, and I’ll cover the bill. Do the math; you won’t lose out. Plus, you won’t even have to come to my place for the clothes. I’ll bring them straight to yours.”

Luo Qingmeng started to waver. She was always careful with her budgeting, and if they went to the supermarket, she really couldn’t lose no matter how she crunched the numbers.

Buying in bulk there—even dropping tens of thousands at once wouldn’t bankrupt her.

After all, her own clothes had only cost a few hundred.

Those who never lift a finger around the house had no idea how pricey everyday groceries could be. Big supermarkets sold everything under the sun.

Damn it. She was tempted again.

Qiu Shuxue noticed her doing the mental calculations and waited patiently. In a leisurely tone, she added, “After all… I couldn’t wear your underwear anyway.” She glanced at Luo Qingmeng’s chest. “Sister’s are so big.”

Luo Qingmeng’s breathing grew a little ragged, her face burning hot.

After she spoke, Qiu Shuxue glanced behind her at the red warning on Luo Qingmeng’s door: “Owner’s door unlocked.” She said, “Come on, do the math, Sister.”