Chi Shuishui: 【You asleep?】
By the time Cui Qijin had changed into a neat set of pajamas and was lying straight under the covers, a WeChat message from Chi Buyu popped up.
She assumed it was the ailing Chi Buyu needing some help.
【Not asleep. What’s up?】
She sent the reply, and two seconds later, the phone screen switched to an incoming WeChat video call.
Cui Qijin cleared her throat and tested her voice with a quiet “hello” into the air. It sounded normal. She tapped to accept, ready to say it again, but when she glanced up, she froze—
Locked in a wide-eyed stare-down with the Chi Buyu on her screen.
?
How was this a video call?
Cui Qijin clenched her jaw and held the phone farther away, her expression unchanging as she said, “What’s the matter?”
Chi Buyu looked like she’d prepared for this call.
She wore black-rimmed glasses that nearly covered her whole face. Her hair seemed freshly washed—at least it looked soft and lustrous on the video—and she gave a theatrical cough, smoothed her bangs, and said in a muffled voice, “Just… slept too much this afternoon. Can’t sleep tonight.”
“No more headache?”
Cui Qijin asked. She sat up a little awkwardly and leaned against the headboard, reaching toward the nightstand. Realizing she looked all twisted on the screen, she froze again.
“Give me a second.”
With that, she abruptly shoved the phone under the blanket. She heard Chi Buyu drawl an “oh” from the speaker, then quickly groped for her glasses on the nightstand—
She slipped them on, leaped out of bed, checked herself in the full-length mirror, adjusted her hair, made sure the top button of her pajamas was fastened…
Everything in order.
She took a sip from the bedside water glass to moisten her throat and lips. Then she threw back the covers, sat primly on the bed, picked up the phone, and calmly checked the video—
Chi Buyu was prying open her lower eyelid, trying to administer eye drops.
?
Cui Qijin said nothing.
Watching Chi Buyu awkwardly tilt her chin back, the drop fell with a plop like some heroic sacrifice. Chi Buyu’s face scrunched up; she blinked involuntarily, and the drop landed on her eyelid before sliding away.
Clearly, Chi Buyu wasn’t good at this.
“Hold it closer.”
Cui Qijin offered helpfully.
There was a two-second video lag. Chi Buyu suddenly went rigid on the other end, puffed out her cheeks like she was mad, and tossed the eye drops aside.
“No more!”
She could get mad at anything—even eye drops.
Cui Qijin burst out laughing. “It didn’t do anything wrong.”
Chi Buyu huffed, lifted her phone, and plopped onto the bed with puffed cheeks. She hugged the Strawberry Bear and rested her chin on it.
“It doesn’t listen to me!”
Then she leaned in closer, as if using the camera like a mirror.
On Cui Qijin’s end, Chi Buyu’s face suddenly loomed large, her pupils shimmering with a hazy glow.
“It’s bedtime. Why bother with eye drops?” Cui Qijin said, fishing for something to say.
Chi Buyu stalled.
She shrank back while clutching the Strawberry Bear and blinked. Maybe the misapplied drops were working after all—her eyes took on a watery sheen.
“Just one drop…”
Chi Buyu grabbed her frames again and put them on. Without looking at Cui Qijin, she tugged the bear’s ear and muttered, “So my eyes look prettier on video.”
“Gotcha.” Cui Qijin nodded, unsure what else to say. She wasn’t used to video chatting.
Chi Buyu fell silent and shot her a sulky glance.
Cui Qijin coughed awkwardly and mumbled something vague, “%?#6&……”
“What was that?” Chi Buyu wrinkled her nose.
Cui Qijin tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, but Chi Buyu just stared, as if determined to pin her down even through the digital waves.
“Come on, spill it!” Chi Buyu demanded relentlessly.
Cui Qijin had no choice.
She glanced at Chi Buyu, then quickly looked away to the phone’s full battery icon and said flatly, “You look pretty in glasses too.”
Her throat suddenly itched, and she started coughing.
Coughs must be one of the world’s most contagious things, right up there with yawns. Chi Buyu promptly started coughing along with her.
For a moment, the coughs echoed back and forth.
The blankets grew warm from it all.
Cui Qijin finally stopped coughing but didn’t speak. The phone felt hot in her hand—her palm, too.
Chi Buyu trailed off, her cheeks suddenly flushing pink. “Cui Muhuo, we sound like a couple of frogs.”
…
Cui Qijin felt exhausted. “Whose cough sounds like a frog?”
“Ours.”
Cui Qijin’s heart grew even wearier. “Yours does most.”
“No way!”
Chi Buyu shot back, but instead of bickering, she perked up with a sudden memory, beaming.
“I remember back in the QQ Chat days—you remember? It was nothing but coughs for a while!”
“Really?” Cui Qijin doubted it. “Weren’t they Didi notification sounds?”
“No!” Chi Buyu seemed dead certain.
“I remember it clear as day. Every time a cough popped up, you’d—”
She adjusted her glasses, her voice growing softer. “You’d show up.”
“Maybe I’m the one misremembering.”
Cui Qijin said.
In truth, Chi Buyu had it wrong.
Cui Qijin had checked that old phone by now—the cough was the sound for a new friend request.
At last, Chi Buyu broached the earlier topic.
Perhaps she’d gradually come to accept that Cui Qijin and wkeinauadqtqb were the same person. Just like back then, when she’d had to grapple with confusion and panic upon realizing SpongeBob Afraid of Water was Chi Buyu.
“Got any new questions for me today?” Cui Qijin asked, trying to ease her confusion.
“Um—”
Chi Buyu dragged out the sound on video. “Think there’s one.”
“What?”
“When did you figure out it was me?”
“The day we met,” Cui Qijin answered honestly.
“That day?” Chi Buyu sounded shocked. “You… you came?”
Truth be told, Cui Qijin didn’t want to admit it or make excuses.
But she couldn’t lie to Chi Buyu anymore.
Chi Buyu had clearly guessed already. “So you saw it was me and bolted?”
Cui Qijin hummed in affirmation. “You’re right.”
She didn’t look at the phone.
A soft sigh came from the speaker, followed by a faint rustle—Chi Buyu rubbing her chin against the Strawberry Bear.
She seemed on the verge of saying something.
She hesitated, back and forth, before blurting, “Did you hate me back then?”
Otherwise, why run at the sight of me? Cui Qijin could almost hear the unspoken words.
“No,” Cui Qijin said succinctly. “I thought you’d hate me.”
“What?” Chi Buyu sounded incredulous.
“Because I wasn’t very nice to you back then.” Cui Qijin tried to keep the topic from turning bitter.
“Was scared you’d be disappointed it was me.”
“No way!” Chi Buyu’s voice rose, tinged with frustration.
“So you ran off just because of that?!!”
She seemed angry.
But Cui Qijin didn’t mind. In fact, it came as a relief.
Cui Qijin smiled. “Pretty much.”
“You’re still laughing!”
Cui Qijin stopped and met her gaze frankly. “Sorry.”
Somehow, saying sorry one more time wouldn’t kill her.
Because Chi Buyu wouldn’t pretend to forgive her. Instead, she huffed, “I’m not letting you off that easy!”
Cui Qijin nodded. “Fair enough.”
Chi Buyu punched the air toward her. “Idiot! Stupid Cui Qijin!”
Cui Qijin surrendered. “Sorry.”
Chi Buyu swung another fierce air punch. “No more sorries!”
Cui Qijin went quiet and played along, clutching her chest. “Ow,” she said, then added, “So what should I say?”
Chi Buyu rolled her eyes, lifted her chin, and cleared her throat.
“Normally, after something like this, whatever I say, you’ll go along with it, right?”
Cui Qijin’s expression turned strange. “Where’d you get ‘normally’ from?”
“Never mind!” Chi Buyu snapped. “Anyway, you’re going along with me now.
“No making me mad anymore!”
Cui Qijin considered it. There might be something to that. Patiently, she asked, “So how do I go along with you?”
Chi Buyu propped her chin on her hand and pondered unreliably. “Do I make you do something for me?”
“Name it.”
Chi Buyu stroked her chin. “Then model for me!”
“What?”
Cui Qijin frowned.
Chi Buyu pressed her advantage. “I’ve been working on summer qipaos lately. If you model for the new shoots, I’ll give you points!”
“Points for what?” Cui Qijin thought Chi Buyu’s mind was full of oddball ideas.
“I have my own scoring system!”
“Didn’t you say you’d deduct last time?”
“When? I don’t remember. My memory’s shot, and I’m still feverish. La la la, not listening.”
She was being utterly unreasonable.
“Then deduct away.” Cui Qijin sighed, abiding by the rules. “You know I can’t do that.”
Chi Buyu sighed too. How could she not know Cui Qijin was unwilling? Still, she didn’t give up.
“Come on, come on. Pretty please?”
Cui Qijin didn’t budge. “You know begging won’t make me do it.”
Chi Buyu poked the Strawberry Bear’s head and fell silent.
Cui Qijin eyed her sulky crown. “No other favors you want me to do?”
“No,” Chi Buyu said, shaking her head. “Because…”
She trailed off midway through her sentence.
“Because what?” Cui Qijin asked.
Chi Buyu didn’t go on. She didn’t seem particularly fixated on the matter. She stayed mad for just a moment before rallying herself.
“Whatever! There are other models anyway. Since no matter what I say, you just won’t—”
She shot Cui Qijin a grumpy glare. “Fine then.”
If there were already other models, why had she insisted on Cui Qijin in the first place?
Cui Qijin found it odd, but she didn’t pursue the topic further. She checked the time, then glanced at the thin sleepshirt Chi Buyu was wearing.
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting to bed?”
“About that time, yeah.” Chi Buyu’s expression still held a hint of dissatisfaction toward her, but she yawned obligingly, half a beat late, and touched her forehead. “Doesn’t feel like I’m feverish anymore.”
“Then get some sleep,” Cui Qijin urged.
“Fine.”
Chi Buyu seemed a bit reluctant. Just before hanging up, she started playing that game with her.
“You hang up first?”
“Either way’s fine,” Cui Qijin replied, but she made no move to do so.
“I’m not hanging up,” Chi Buyu declared. “I never hang up on people first.”
As she said it, she sneaked a peek at her.
Cui Qijin thought, right, it was different for her. She always ended calls once she’d said her piece, never caring who hung up first.
So why was it different with Chi Buyu? Everything was different.
“Then hang up on me first this once.”
That was what Cui Qijin said.
But the words carried an unspoken second half—that she’d actively wait for Chi Buyu to be the one to hang up on her.
“Really?”
Chi Buyu smacked her lips. “Well, it’s not like I couldn’t.”
Cui Qijin nodded, about to say more, when the screen froze on Chi Buyu’s grinning face.
One second. Two seconds.
The call ended.
The interface shrank back to the WeChat chat window.
Cui Qijin’s reactions felt sluggish. Subconsciously, she tapped into her chat with Chi Buyu, saw the incoming video call notification, and just as subconsciously tapped back out.
Why did she keep doing these pointless things?
It was past bedtime. She should put her phone down, slip on her eye mask, and go to sleep.
But.
She opened the four-person group chat, found Ran Yan’s WeChat, tapped it open, and sent her a random message out of nowhere:
【You there?】
【Do you have Older Female Cousin’s WeChat?】
Then her phone buzzed with a vibration. She swiped to see an email notification but didn’t open it. Instead, she tapped back into Chi Buyu’s chat, then out again, back and forth like a nervous tic.
