Chapter 29: Rose Funeral (1)

Every time Nan Qi claimed first place on the podium, gazing down at Bo Ranying’s radiant and lively smile in the crowd below, she always felt the urge to hold onto that moment. Leaving just like that would be too regrettable; she had to preserve this bright splash of color from her youth.

Once that fervent emotion took root, it became impossible to suppress.

So, after hearing her ranking announced, Nan Qi would always send Bo Ranying a text in advance, telling her to come up front at the right moment.

Once the interviews and award ceremony footage were done, Nan Qi would always coax the photographer into snapping a photo of the two of them together.

She wanted a picture with her Top Support Group President. The stage where she received her award was one she wanted to share with Bo Ranying.

The photographers never refused Nan Qi’s requests.

When they saw Bo Ranying weave through the sea of people to Nan Qi’s side, her face full of adoring praise, and Nan Qi naturally beaming with pride and satisfaction, the photographers found the sight heartwarming. It was no trouble at all, so they happily obliged.

“You two have such a great friendship,” the photographer sighed sincerely. “I’ve noticed your cheering for Nan Qi since we started—I have to say, it was impressive. What a massive show of support.” He gave Bo Ranying an admiring nod.

He had encountered requests before to stick around after group shots for extra photos, but usually they were solo portraits or pictures with fellow winners from the same school. Shots like Nan Qi’s, with a friend, were exceedingly rare.

“Do you want any specific poses? Just standing together feels a bit plain.”

The photographer raised his lens and called out just before pressing the shutter, his professional instincts kicking in as he prepared to direct their stance and expressions. But before he could say more, Nan Qi and Bo Ranying effortlessly struck a series of intimate poses, each frame stunningly beautiful.

It was as if they weren’t taking a casual snapshot, but a professional portrait session.

The theme? A celebration of the cosplay competition victory.

The photographer was thrilled beyond words, too busy capturing shot after shot to speak.

Over their three years of high school, Nan Qi had competed in all sorts of events, big and small. Whenever Bo Ranying was there with her, she would beg the photographer for pictures, then send them to her phone. She kept a dedicated album for them, backed up across multiple cloud drives, safely preserved.

It wasn’t just Bo Ranying supporting her, either. When Bo Ranying, as a dance prodigy, traveled to various schools for her art entrance exams, Nan Qi took time off from school to accompany her to every university test. Just as Bo Ranying had done for her, Nan Qi endured the embarrassment and curious stares, holding up a custom banner emblazoned with Bo Ranying’s name outside the exam hall, offering silent encouragement and positive energy.

After each round of exams, Nan Qi would rush over, pulling Bo Ranying into her arms and telling her, “Ranran, you’re amazing.”

Bo Ranying didn’t want adults butting in; she wanted to be alone with Nan Qi without restraint. So she turned down offers of adult supervision, promising to call home daily with her location and updates to report she was safe. Only then did the Bo Family relent.

They instructed the two girls to look out for each other, not to push themselves too hard, and to call home if any problems arose.

Of course, the girls promised faithfully—but they had already decided that, barring emergencies, they absolutely wouldn’t call home.

“Exams are done—want to go out and play?” Nan Qi said to Bo Ranying with a knowing smile.

“Sure, but let’s head back to the hotel first.”

Nan Qi followed her lead. Hand in hand, they returned to the hotel.

They had booked a double room with a king-sized bed. For days on end, they ate and slept together, drifting off each night in each other’s arms, feeling utterly secure.

Out of the school environment, they no longer needed to dodge crowds for hidden spots. This room was their private sanctuary, where they could kiss freely, play around, experiment, and invent new ways to kiss.

Sometimes Nan Qi would stretch out her long arms, sit up straight, and draw Bo Ranying into her embrace, settling her firmly on her lap. She would lean in low, pressing a cascade of soft, lingering kisses to her lips.

Other times, Bo Ranying would perch on the vanity, and Nan Qi would brace her hands on the surface, bending down to capture her lips.

Or they would embrace while kissing, their bodies naturally tipping backward onto the plush comforter, where they would continue kissing passionately, impossible to pull apart.

The last one was the most likely to spark something more. With the constant-temperature AC running, they wore only light, comfortable sleepwear that hinted at their curves with every movement. When they tumbled onto the bed, the fabric would rub against the sheets and ride up, exposing a stretch of pale waist, the dimples on either side teasingly visible.

It wasn’t just the hems bunching up—the necklines would spread from their embracing tussles, revealing the creamy white skin beneath, like the sweetest frosting on a cake.

Innocent as they were, the girls simply followed their heart’s desires, kissing cheeks, brows, eyes, noses, lips, chins. Their breaths grew heavier, and kissing faces no longer felt like enough.

They clutched each other fiercely, as if trying to embed one another into their very bodies, twisting across the soft bed and leaving it delightfully disheveled.

“Little Qi,” Bo Ranying suddenly whispered her name.

Nan Qi blinked her damp eyes, letting out an unconsciously coquettish hum. “Mm?”

Her voice was so melodic, so enchanting, paired with Nan Qi’s slender, fox-like eyes that were just beginning to hold allure—it could set anyone’s heart racing.

Bo Ranying flushed. She discreetly hooked a strand of hair from behind with her pinky to shield her burning cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke again. “Don’t you feel a little stuffy?”

Nan Qi paused to sense it. “A bit, yeah. Is the AC too high? I’ll turn it down.”

She reached out toward the controller on her side of the pillows.

Bo Ranying stopped her, her voice soft but clear. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“I think it’s the clothes—they’re too thick, constricting the blood vessels and blocking circulation. That’s why we feel stuffy.”

By now, Nan Qi had lost all the sharp reason of a competition champion. Her eyes and mind were filled only with the girl before her. Whatever Bo Ranying said, she believed without question. “So what do we do?”

“I have a way.”

The hand hooked around Nan Qi’s neck slid downward, past her sensitive lower back, to rest on that slender, graspable waist. She felt the blood pulsing beneath the taut abs. “Mm, no problem here.”

Nan Qi wondered: Then where’s the problem?

Her gaze followed the path of Bo Ranying’s hand.

Suddenly, darkness fell before her eyes, a field of pure white filling her vision.

But her other senses sharpened.

Bo Ranying’s sweet, sweat-tinged breath ghosted over her cheek. Nan Qi’s forehead and back prickled with sweat.

Bo Ranying’s fingers brushed the corner where a vibrant camellia bud waited to bloom. The red velvet petals felt impossibly tender against her fingertips, caressing and kissing them, yearning to unfurl. She had never touched anything so wondrous; she didn’t want to let go.

A gentle pinch—she expected red sap to stain her, but the petal was too soft.

It clung to her finger, responding fully.

When she released it, only a deep red nail mark remained on the petal.

Her uncle’s family once had a milky-white kitten she had cradled endlessly, convinced it was the softest, sweetest, most fragrant thing in the world.

But today, she realized Nan Qi was softer, sweeter, more fragrant… by a thousandfold.

Nan Qi clutched her collar tightly, her face flushed crimson, her long legs instinctively pressing together, tracing winding lines on the sheets.

She finally emerged from the white haze, seeing Bo Ranying’s actions clearly. Shock overwhelmed her.

She felt so strange.

Straining to remember, she pieced together the last fragment: Bo Ranying hiding her profile behind her hair, the curtains drawn, the room’s light dim and indistinct, her voice laced with seductive invitation.

“I have a way to relieve Little Qi’s chest stuffiness. Want to try?”

She had nodded in agreement.