Chapter 19
Gu Yizhi’s voice was a little hoarse, and the hot breath swept past her ear. Xu Qingtang trembled all over and continued to retreat, her expression as steady as a mountain. “Try what?”
Gu Yizhi leisurely poured another glass of wine, drank half of it, and said softly, “Of course, to see if you’re really a top.”
Xu Qingtang didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that everyone was looking in her direction.
That was right, Gu Yizhi’s status was special after all.
Xu Qingtang made a decision on the spot. “Let’s talk outside.”
This KTV had two corridors. The one connecting the various private rooms was a bit noisy, with people passing by from time to time. The one facing the street, opposite a park under construction, was quite quiet.
Xu Qingtang looked at Gu Yizhi leaning against the railing. The night wind blew, and the faint smell of alcohol from Gu Yizhi drifted towards her. Xu Qingtang’s mood was complicated. “You were just kidding, right?”
Gu Yizhi looked at Xu Qingtang, her expression saying, “I knew it.” “Miss Xu’s words really can’t be taken seriously. Forget it, I guess I deserve it.”
Xu Qingtang was suddenly at a loss for words.
She really wanted to refute, but when she thought about how she would feel if someone had drunkenly and forcibly kissed her in public, she would definitely be furious. She suppressed the impulse.
“No… then what do you mean by ‘try’? You want to date me?” Xu Qingtang’s tone was firm. “I won’t date a woman.”
Gu Yizhi smiled. “Is that what you think? ‘Try’ has many meanings, such as kissing, such as…”
Sleeping together. Xu Qingtang added in her mind.
Staring at the smile on Gu Yizhi’s lips, Xu Qingtang thought again, who would so casually talk about kissing and sleeping together? She probably didn’t take it seriously either. Perhaps it was just as she had said—she was just curious about intimate acts between people of the same sex.
Although they had kissed more than once, it was always when they were drunk. Even though it tasted pretty good, the sober Xu Qingtang could never do such a thing. She would have a psychological barrier.
Especially when the other person was a straight woman.
If she was inexplicably turned gay by her, Xu Qingtang couldn’t bear the responsibility.
“If you’re just curious, I don’t think it’s necessary at all. You might regret it in the future.”
“I’ll only regret not having tasted a top.”
Hearing these flippant words, Xu Qingtang inexplicably felt a little angry. She sneered, “You, a straight woman, are curious about this all day long. Aren’t you afraid that after being kissed by me, you’ll be so captivated that you’ll really turn gay?”
Xu Qingtang wanted to slap herself for saying that.
How much average-confidence did one have to have to say something like that?
But Gu Yizhi was not angry or annoyed. She rested her hands on the railing, the round moon in the sky reflected in her dark, bright eyes, and smiled faintly. “Is that so? Then I want to try it even more.”
“You…”
Gu Yizhi’s smile faded, and she looked at her with confusion. “We’ve been talking for so long, and you still haven’t kissed me. Miss Xu, are you really a rare top in the lesbian circle?”
Xu Qingtang struggled to maintain her composure, regretting a little that she hadn’t had a few drinks just now. At least then she could have pretended to be drunk and it wouldn’t be so awkward.
After a moment, she looked at Gu Yizhi’s smoky gray suit jacket, reached out, and did something she had wanted to do since she first saw her—she grabbed the lapel, gave a gentle tug, and pulled the person towards her.
Then, she fiercely pressed her lips against those soft ones.
The warm, moist feeling and the scent of alcohol mixed together, creating a somewhat seductive atmosphere.
The two kissing figures were illuminated by the cold moonlight. It was clearly Xu Qingtang who had initiated it, but as they kissed, she couldn’t help but close her eyes. Her waist felt a little weak, and she couldn’t stop herself from sinking down.
As if afraid she would fall, Xu Qingtang was pressed against the railing by Gu Yizhi.
Xu Qingtang’s kisses were without any technique, but Gu Yizhi was a very good kisser. She knew exactly what to do and when, which enticed Xu Qingtang to follow suit, uncontrollably extending the tip of her tongue.
In the end, a soft gasp escaped her throat involuntarily.
Xu Qingtang blushed just hearing it herself.
She hurriedly retreated from Gu Yizhi’s embrace, her face burning hot. “Um…” she cleared her throat. “My throat is a little itchy. I’m coughing, I’m coughing.”
This emphasis had a “no silver here” kind of feel to it.
Although kissing Gu Yizhi was indeed enjoyable and comfortable, being kissed until she felt something was one thing, but having her see that she felt something was another.
“I see…”
Gu Yizhi took off the jacket that had been wrinkled by Xu Qingtang’s grasp, draped it over her arm, and smiled. “It seems I misheard. I thought it was Miss Xu’s approval of me.”
Xu Qingtang coughed a few more times for show and said, “So, is this matter over? We’re even now. No one owes anyone anything. Don’t bring it up again in the future.”
Gu Yizhi sighed softly. “More than one person was watching last night…”
“What do you want? For me to kiss you as many times as there were people watching?” Xu Qingtang’s eyes widened.
“Alright.”
Alright, my ass.
Am I negotiating with her?
In the end, Xu Qingtang was kissed until she was dizzy. A phrase she had accidentally heard came to mind—”Don’t get close to straight women, you’ll become unfortunate.”
She deeply agreed.
Xu Qingtang leaned against the railing, wiped her slightly numb lips, and really couldn’t control her expression. “Gu Yizhi, are you part dog!”
Gu Yizhi looked at her with a smile. “Why not ‘CEO Gu’ anymore?”
For a moment, Xu Qingtang really wanted to kick Gu Yizhi off the corridor.
So annoying.
So lewd.
Are all straight women like this nowadays?
Xu Qingtang returned to the private room in a huff. The karaoke king was still howling. She sat in a corner. Not long after, Tang Gui came over and asked, “What were you two talking about for so long?”
They hadn’t talked about anything.
Just kissing.
“We just exchanged views on Australian kangaroos crossing the ocean to the Vatican.”
Tang Gui: “…”
Seeing that Gu Yizhi hadn’t returned, she asked cautiously, “Qingtang, are you okay?”
Xu Qingtang gradually calmed down. “I’m fine.”
“You and Gu Yizhi…” Tang Gui hesitated to voice her doubts. “Are you sure she’s really straight? She doesn’t seem like it.”
“Of course.”
Hearing Xu Qingtang’s certain tone, Tang Gui didn’t bring it up again. Instead, she stared at her mouth and asked, “Qingtang, what’s wrong with your mouth?”
Xu Qingtang was a little angry. “A dog bit me.”
Tang Gui: “What?”
Afraid her friend would misunderstand, Xu Qingtang had to add, “I accidentally bit it while eating just now.”
On the other side, her colleagues had already started playing Truth or Dare. Xu Qingtang’s mind was filled with random thoughts. Wanting to do something to distract herself, she went over to join in.
Just then, Gu Yizhi walked in from the doorway. Everyone greeted her and invited her to play. Gu Yizhi glanced at Xu Qingtang and sat down beside her. “Alright.”
Xu Qingtang scooted over.
The game began. Xu Qingtang stared intently at the cards, determined to trap Gu Yizhi at the end. In the end, she successfully got rid of her cards and said to Gu Yizhi with a smile, “CEO Gu, I’m so sorry. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
Her senior apprentice-sister wasn’t playing. She volunteered to draw the cards, took one from the box, looked at it, and said, “What’s your Chinese zodiac sign?”
“Dog!”
Xu Qingtang answered first, then looked at Gu Yizhi with extra gentleness. “I see that CEO Gu’s teeth are so good, so I guessed. I shouldn’t be wrong, right?”
Gu Yizhi smiled faintly. “You’re absolutely right.”
A person’s luck always runs out. In the next few rounds, no matter how Xu Qingtang tried to trap her, Gu Yizhi’s cards were unbelievably good, and she herself ended up in last place.
Her senior apprentice-sister smiled, drew another card, and after reading it, pursed her lips and smiled. “Qingtang, when was the last time you kissed someone?”
Xu Qingtang: ???
Why was Gu Yizhi’s question so innocent, while hers was so explosive?
Her colleagues didn’t know about her relationship with Lin Huaijia. Her reputation as the “celibate queen” was well-known, and now they were all staring at her with excitement.
“Just now…”
When Gu Yizhi’s voice came out, everyone was a little surprised. Xu Qingtang’s eyes widened even more. Just as someone was about to ask for verification, Gu Yizhi turned her head. “What was the name of that song just now? It was quite good.”
This dramatic pause had undoubtedly piqued everyone’s curiosity. Her senior apprentice-sister said, “‘The Love of Glass,’ by Leslie Cheung.”
Gu Yizhi nodded to show she understood, then looked at Xu Qingtang, seemingly puzzled. “Miss Xu, it’s your turn to answer. What’s wrong? Why are you blushing?”
It’s because I was thinking about just now…
Xu Qingtang finally understood.
This woman refused to suffer even the slightest loss. She had secretly mocked her, and she immediately had to get it back with interest, all while maintaining an innocent appearance and asking with a smile what was wrong.
Fortunately, her senior apprentice-sister came to smooth things over at this point. “Alright, alright, we won’t make it difficult for you. It’s indeed heartbreaking for the celibate queen to answer this question. Let’s change it. How about you sing a song instead? Qingtang, I remember you know Cantonese. How about you sing ‘The Love of Glass’ from just now?”
After the gathering, while taking a drunk colleague home, her senior apprentice-sister quietly asked her in the taxi, “Qingtang, do you not like CEO Gu from Zhishang?”
Xu Qingtang was slightly taken aback. “Why do you say that?”
Her senior apprentice-sister said, “I rarely see you like this. You’re usually very easygoing when we’re all together. Did she do something to you?”
The neon lights outside the car window flickered. She was messaging Tang Gui. They had originally planned to go back together, but they both had to take drunk colleagues home, so they had to give up the idea.
Hearing this, Xu Qingtang looked up and laughed. “Senior Sister, why don’t you think I’m just targeting her?”
Her senior apprentice-sister snorted almost imperceptibly. “Don’t give me that. I know you better than that.”
“Not really. She’s quite nice. It’s my own problem.”
“In a bad mood?”
Xu Qingtang said vaguely, “I guess so.”
Xu Qingtang didn’t know why, but Gu Yizhi could always stir her emotions. Normally, she should keep her distance from Gu Yizhi and have no further contact, but she just couldn’t bring herself to dislike this person.
She returned home with a confused mind, took a shower first, and then sat on the bay window, lost in thought for a while.
She thought of Tang Gui’s question, “Is she really straight?”
To be honest, Xu Qingtang had never seen a straight woman like this. But which lesbian would have no reaction at all after kissing someone?
Maybe she really just saw it as an experiment to satisfy her curiosity, and she was just the test subject.
Thinking this, Xu Qingtang felt a sense of relief, but also a strange discomfort. It was a feeling she couldn’t describe. Maybe, maybe it was because she was a little unhappy about being treated as a plaything…
Gradually, Xu Qingtang drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, she still couldn’t escape Gu Yizhi. This time, they not only kissed in the corridor but even pressed against the railing and began to… without a care for anyone else.
Xu Qingtang was finally woken up by the heat.
She had accidentally pressed the air conditioner remote at some point and turned it off. She got up from the bed, feeling that she was truly possessed to dream of doing that kind of thing with Gu Yizhi.
That’s a straight woman…
Xu Qingtang, you’re so sinful.
*
Although it was the weekend, Xu Qingtang was not idle. After washing up, she took a taxi to the Lin City television station, pressed the floor button with familiarity, and took the elevator up.
Just as she stepped out of the elevator, a woman in a shirt dress walked towards her, her face made up with exquisite, heavy makeup. She was stunned for a moment when she saw Xu Qingtang, then broke into a smile. “I was just about to go down and get you, and you’re here.”
Xu Qingtang also smiled. “How could I trouble Director Zhou.”
“Don’t say that. If Teacher heard, she’d skin me alive,” Zhou Jiaran said. “You know the situation, right? I won’t waste your time. This way.”
Zhou Jiaran was a graduate of the Lin City Opera School. The “Teacher” she mentioned was Xu Qingtang’s mentor, Yang Yihua. Both of them were Yang Yihua’s prized students, but Zhou Jiaran was not very passionate about opera. She had changed her major in her sophomore year and became a director after graduation. She was currently preparing to produce a variety show to promote opera culture, but it was different from the usual variety shows that promoted xx national quintessence xx culture.
She said, “Those are all too boring, like documentaries. The people who love to watch them will always be a minority.”
Xu Qingtang didn’t know the specific content. She was here this time to act as an opera consultant. Zhou Jiaran said, “My skills are only half-baked. I can’t tell the good from the bad. Qingtang, if there are any problems, you have to speak up.”
Xu Qingtang nodded. “Alright.”
She stayed at the television station until noon. Everyone had gotten to know each other, and a few people had exchanged contact information with Xu Qingtang. Then they suggested taking a group photo to post on their Moments.
Xu Qingtang couldn’t refuse. She picked a few photos to make a nine-square grid, with the caption: A day with pretty ladies.
She had accidentally included the location.
Tang Gui was the first to like it and left a comment: [When I’m rich, I’ll definitely buy the television station and give it to you.]
Xu Qingtang replied with a smile: [No need, the 17th floor is enough. I’m easy to please.]
A mutual friend replied: [One dares to say it, the other dares to believe it.]
When the ordered boxed lunches arrived, Zhou Jiaxing said she had to go and communicate with her colleagues again. Xu Qingtang nodded. “Go on.”
Because she had fallen asleep so suddenly, her phone had run out of battery and turned off. Xu Qingtang borrowed a charger from someone and sat quietly in a chair to rest.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Qingtang vaguely heard someone shout something. She looked up and saw a delivery boy in a yellow uniform, wearing a kangaroo hat, and holding a bouquet of flowers, walk in, look around, and shout.
“The rare top in the lesbian circle?”
“The rare top in the lesbian circle!”
“Who is the rare top in the lesbian circle?”
“Your flowers!”
Xu Qingtang shuddered and almost fell off her chair. The delivery boy was still shouting loudly, “Who among you is the rare top in the lesbian circle? Hurry up and get your flowers, I’m going to be late!!!”
“…”
Amidst everyone’s astonished expressions, Xu Qingtang walked towards the delivery boy. The boy was still looking around, calling out for the top. Xu Qingtang was so ashamed and angry she almost wanted to run away, but she had to speak up. “I am… stop shouting.”
The delivery boy’s face was anxious. He thrust the flowers into her hands and then ran off quickly.
Xu Qingtang looked at the vibrant red roses, was silent for a while, and when she turned back, everyone, as expected, was staring at her.
She looked at the roses again.
Was that the color of roses? No, that was her blood.
Xu Qingtang felt that she had died at this moment.
The kind of death where you’re completely and utterly dead.
She took a deep breath, picked up her partially charged phone, and saw a message.
Gu Yizhi: [Did you receive them? Miss Xu, I was indeed captivated by your kiss. What should I do?]
*
Author’s Note:
When I was writing this chapter, I remembered something from a few years ago. At that time, I had just started playing King of Glory and really liked Zhuang Zhou. I even changed my Taobao name to “Zhuang Zhou’s Little Kun Kun.” As a result, when a delivery arrived at the beginning of the month, my phone was out of service. The delivery guy couldn’t get through, so he shouted downstairs, “Zhuang Zhou’s Little Kun Kun, Zhuang Zhou’s Little Kun Kun, come and get your package.”
In the end, I got my package under the amused but restrained expressions of a group of old ladies downstairs.
Thinking about it now, it’s still a very embarrassing social death.
Lol author-nim 😂