Forbidden to Flirt and Run 2

Chapter 2

What are you supposed to say when you’re trying to hook up?

Xu Qingtang had no idea.

She sat on the living room sofa, feigning composure. Gu Yizhi’s home was minimalist in style, with a warm yellow ceiling light casting its glow downwards. Gu Yizhi stood not far away and finally took off her jacket completely. Xu Qingtang then noticed that her slip dress was actually backless, a V-shape that snaked from her shoulders down to the dimples of her lower back. Her delicate, sexy butterfly bones were like a butterfly’s wings poised to take flight against a snowy landscape.

It felt like an intensely suggestive signal.

Sure enough, Gu Yizhi turned her head slightly to look at Xu Qingtang. “How much did you drink?”

There’s always a process, a few words to be exchanged, otherwise it would be too awkward. Xu Qingtang could understand Gu Yizhi’s attempt at small talk. But after she casually replied, “Not much,” Gu Yizhi fell silent and went to the kitchen to warm up some milk.

What kind of move is this?

Xu Qingtang was a bit dumbfounded.

She was even more bewildered when Gu Yizhi handed her the milk and asked if she was hungry. Xu Qingtang took a sip. The moment she sat down, her head felt even dizzier. Could it be that Gu Yizhi is actually like me, a little… chicken?

Unsure of what to say, Xu Qingtang gripped the glass tightly. After a moment, she said, “This milk is pretty good.”

Gu Yizhi sat down beside her. “Is it?” she asked in a gentle voice.

Xu Qingtang: “Yeah.”

Gu Yizhi: “I just bought it. I haven’t tried it.”

Xu Qingtang: “Then… you should have some?”

Gu Yizhi’s red lips moved slowly. “Alright.”

The conversation was gradually devolving into awkward small talk. Xu Qingtang noticed Gu Yizhi suddenly stand up and slowly lean toward her. As she froze, the cool perfume she had smelled earlier enveloped her again, and the woman’s soft, warm lips drew nearer.

Xu Qingtang froze again.

Gu Yizhi’s kiss was light and brief. She quickly pulled away, smiled, and agreed with her, “It does taste pretty good.”

Xu Qingtang came back to her senses, staring at Gu Yizhi’s moist, red lips. She felt a tingling in her ears. “…I thought you’d lost interest.”

This time, Gu Yizhi didn’t speak.

Her answer was a passionate, lingering kiss.

They kissed their way from the living room to the bedroom. Xu Qingtang was dizzy from the kissing, and just before her consciousness faded, she saw Gu Yizhi gently kiss her eyebrows and eyes.

…

Xu Qingtang was woken up by a ringing phone.

She groggily opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar environment. The sound of running water came from a nearby bathroom. She sat up with a start, looked at the clothes scattered on the floor, and belatedly realized—oh, she was at Gu Yizhi’s place.

So, did we do it or not?

Xu Qingtang pulled the blanket over herself and thought for two seconds. Realizing she felt no discomfort, she guessed they probably hadn’t.

When did I fall asleep?

Her mind raced for a few seconds before she finally noticed the buzzing phone. She picked it up and answered—

“Qingtang, you need to come to the hospital, quickly. Sister Qi, she…”

Xu Qingtang’s mind went blank for a second. She scrambled to put on her clothes and rushed downstairs to hail a cab.

The hospital.

Xu Qingtang first saw the caregiver, Auntie Zhou, in the inpatient ward corridor. She took a deep breath and asked, “How’s my mom?”

“She’s fine, she’s fine,” Auntie Zhou exhaled, still shaken. “The doctor said Teacher Qi just got too emotional. She’s sleeping in the room now.”

The weight in Xu Qingtang’s chest lightened slightly.

She went to pay the fees first, then met with the doctor on duty, Dr. Zhang, in his office. After learning that Teacher Qi was indeed not in any serious danger, she finally relaxed completely.

In the hospital room, Auntie Zhou was wiping Teacher Qi’s face with a towel. Noticing Xu Qingtang’s return, she said with a guilty expression, “Teacher Qi was fine during the day. After dinner, she stayed in her room and didn’t come out. When she finally came out for a drink of water, she fainted. Luckily, I was quick enough to catch her, otherwise…”

Xu Qingtang comforted her, “It’s not your fault.”

After speaking, she took out her phone and glanced at the date, June 3rd, and couldn’t help but sigh.

Teacher Qi’s physical and mental health had been poor for years. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with coronary heart disease, and now even the slightest issue made Xu Qingtang anxious and worried, terrified that something might happen to her mother.

It was nearly eleven o’clock. Xu Qingtang called a car for Auntie Zhou and stayed behind to watch over her mother.

…

When Xu Qingtang woke up, the doctor on rounds had just left.

Teacher Qi pulled open the bed curtain, her body trembling slightly as if unable to support itself. Xu Qingtang quickly helped her back onto the bed. “Let me, let me.”

Teacher Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “Such a fuss.”

“This is called being thoughtful. Haven’t you heard the auntie in the next bed saying every day that she wishes I were her daughter?” Xu Qingtang laughed as well. “Mom, don’t take your blessings for granted.”

Xu Qingtang teased for a moment, then noticed a bouquet of flowers on the bedside table. “Where did these flowers come from?” she asked in surprise.

There had been nothing there last night.

Looking at the bouquet, a faint smile appeared on Teacher Qi’s pale face. “A student sent them.”

Xu Qingtang had just walked to the bathroom. Hearing this, she suddenly turned back, puzzled. “Which student?”

Teacher Qi had stopped teaching ten years ago. In the first few years, some students would still visit, but after so much time, it was only natural that they had lost contact.

“You probably don’t remember,” Teacher Qi coughed lightly, her hand holding the water glass trembling. “Alright, go wash up. Don’t you have to go to the theater today?”

Xu Qingtang didn’t pay it much mind. “Ah,” she said, “no performance today. Rehearsals don’t start until Thursday.”

Xu Qingtang was a Peking Opera actress specializing in dan roles. The theater didn’t require her to clock in; she only needed to go when there were performances or rehearsals, so her schedule was relatively flexible.

In the bathroom’s half-length mirror, a woman in a cream-white qipao appeared. Her long hair was slightly messy, her fair and delicate face showed a hint of fatigue, and her dark, moist eyes were bloodshot, giving her a gentle yet strangely fragile look brought on by a touch of sickliness.

Xu Qingtang stared at her reflection.

She realized that her eyes and Gu Yizhi’s only looked similar in a static state. Gu Yizhi seemed colder, like the moon in the desolate night.

But when they moved, they were completely different.

Her fingers adjusted the frog buttons on her qipao. It felt a bit tight today, constricting. She looked herself up and down. Have I gained weight recently?

Xu Qingtang came out of the bathroom, planning to go buy breakfast. Just as she was about to ask Teacher Qi what she wanted to eat, she saw her on the phone with someone, smiling very gently.

As soon as she hung up, Xu Qingtang said, “I’m going downstairs to get something to eat.”

“No need,” Teacher Qi said. “My student is on her way up in the elevator. She’s bringing breakfast.”

Xu Qingtang was slightly surprised. “The one who sent the flowers?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

Xu Qingtang idly scrolled through her phone. Lin Huaijia had called her countless times last night, finally sending a WeChat message that said, “You need to calm down.” Tang Gui, on the other hand, had spammed her with a series of lewd stickers, asking about the results of her campaign.

She couldn’t help but think back to last night. Fragments of sensual, ambiguous images flashed through her mind.

A person’s thinking is completely different when sober versus when drunk. Xu Qingtang began to ponder Gu Yizhi.

She had only met Gu Yizhi a few times, barely exchanging a few words. All she knew was that Gu Yizhi had recently returned to Lin City. She had only seen her address by chance when Lin Huaijia was sending her a gift not long ago. Because the apartment number matched the last digits of her own phone number, she had taken a second look.

Who knew her drunk self would be so reckless as to actually show up at her door.

As she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Teacher Qi say, “You’re here. Come, sit.”

Xu Qingtang looked up, and her expression changed instantly.

A woman was walking in slowly from the doorway. She wore a black, one-shoulder, high-necked knit dress, and her long, slender legs were clad in thin high heels. Her features were a mix of heroic spirit and charm. A delicate silver chain adorned her slender neck, her lips were red, her eyes deep, and her facial features looked as if they had been meticulously sketched with a charcoal pencil.

Every step she took carried a naturally exuded, mature charm.

Gu Yizhi.

Those two words popped into Xu Qingtang’s mind.

“Qingtang, what are you spacing out for? Greet her,” Teacher Qi said. “Yizhi is older than you, you should call her Sister Yizhi.”

Sis-ter Yi-zhi?

Xu Qingtang’s face twitched.

It wasn’t that Xu Qingtang was thin-skinned. The feeling was akin to your teacher, right after class, suddenly asking you to call her “wife,” or your fuck buddy, upon returning home, expecting you to call her “mom.” It was so awkward it made her scalp tingle.

Especially while staring at Gu Yizhi’s smiling face.

While Xu Qingtang was feeling awkward, Gu Yizhi was perfectly composed and natural. She looked into Xu Qingtang’s eyes with a faint, teasing smile. “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

It’d be a miracle if I did.

Seeing the other party so at ease while she herself looked like a thief with a guilty conscience, Xu Qingtang cursed herself for being useless. On the surface, however, she remained calm and simply hummed in agreement.

Seeing this, Teacher Qi couldn’t help but smile. “You two know each other?”

Xu Qingtang had no choice but to explain that they had met a few times. Teacher Qi didn’t press further, but Xu Qingtang herself was full of questions.

Gu Yizhi is Teacher Qi’s student?

How did I not know that?

Gu Yizhi had brought light porridge and side dishes and was chatting happily with Teacher Qi. Xu Qingtang watched from the side, finding the scene both bizarre and unsettling.

Under her undisguised scrutiny, the properly seated Gu Yizhi suddenly looked up. As those deep, dark eyes met hers, Xu Qingtang instinctively looked away, pretending to adjust the hospital bed’s handle as if helping Teacher Qi straighten the sheets.

She heard Teacher Qi say that the porridge was appetizing.

Gu Yizhi smiled.

Xu Qingtang had never noticed before, but now she realized that Gu Yizhi not only had a beautiful face but also a pleasant voice—clear, gentle, especially when she smiled.

“Teacher, you go ahead and eat. I have something to discuss with Qingtang.”

Teacher Qi: “Go on.”

Xu Qingtang’s head shot up. Gu Yizhi had already stood up and was walking gracefully toward the balcony. Teacher Qi waved her hand, signaling for her to follow.

Xu Qingtang, who was being completely managed: …

Walking to the balcony, Xu Qingtang closed the door. Gu Yizhi leaned against the railing, the morning sun spilling onto her shoulders, creating a soft halo around her that made her appear as gentle and lush as mist.

Xu Qingtang asked, “What is it?”

The morning breeze blew gently. Gu Yizhi tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m here to get my things back.”

What things?

The only thing they could be said to have in common was last night…

Xu Qingtang looked at Gu Yizhi in disbelief. The words reached her lips, but she deliberately lowered her voice. “We just kissed a few times and I became your ‘thing’? Gu Yizhi, I never thought you were so…”

Gu Yizhi asked, amused, “I’m so what?”

Xu Qingtang said bluntly, “So shameless.”

Gu Yizhi laughed again. “So my image in your mind was that good before.”

Seeing her like this, Xu Qingtang couldn’t stay angry. She put on a slightly stern face and said, “Be serious. If you have something to say, say it.” She warned, “Don’t say any of that nonsense.”

Xu Qingtang had heard of people developing feelings after a hookup, but at most, they were attempted fuck buddies. They hadn’t even gotten a taste of it, so where would the feelings come from?

She wasn’t so arrogant as to think Gu Yizhi would fall for her at first sight.

Gu Yizhi’s smile faded. She turned her head to look at her. “Why did you leave last night without telling me?”

“It was an emergency. You can probably guess the situation.”

Last night, the phone call had sobered Xu Qingtang up in an instant. Her mind was filled with nothing but getting to the hospital. Revenge, Gu Yizhi—none of it mattered. After confirming Teacher Qi was okay, she had considered letting Gu Yizhi know, but they had no way of contacting each other, and given their awkward relationship, she had dismissed the thought.

Gu Yizhi nodded. “I can see that. So when are you returning my bra?”

Xu Qingtang: ???

“Who took your bra? What do you mean? When the hookup fails, you resort to slander? If you can’t have it, you destroy it? Is your bra gold-plated or something? Why don’t you just say I took your diamond-studded panties too?”

Gu Yizhi watched her spew venom with composure, finding it amusing. Her voice was laced with laughter. “It’s not gold-plated, but the size is different. It would be tight on you.”

It would be tight…

After subconsciously glancing down, Xu Qingtang’s face twitched again: …