“How are you supposed to help me bathe if you’re wearing sunglasses and can’t see a thing?” Bo Ranying pouted, failing to grasp Nan Qi’s good intentions, and said unhappily.
“Don’t toy with me… You’ll be the death of me…”
Her voice broke apart, the words stringing together in feeble fragments.
Nan Qi managed to keep up a calm front as she helped Bo Ranying out of her clothes. She adjusted the showerhead to the perfect temperature, handling each task with meticulous care.
But the moment she opened her mouth, her inner panic laid itself bare.
Pretending to be stern, she ordered Bo Ranying to brace herself against the wall. Bo Ranying just giggled, draping her snowy white arms over Nan Qi’s shoulders and leaning half her body against her. The only thing separating them was the thin fabric of Nan Qi’s shirt—a barrier so negligible it might as well not exist.
The hot water cascaded over Bo Ranying’s body, inevitably splashing onto Nan Qi’s shirt and soaking it through.
The wet fabric only drew them closer together.
A jolt like an electric shock raced through her nerves, her chest tightening with an itchy ache.
Nan Qi suddenly didn’t dare breathe. She clenched her teeth, silently reciting laws in her mind—from consumer protection rights to marriage law to inheritance statutes—drawing on every ounce of willpower to keep herself from losing control.
Like an ascetic monk, she banished all thoughts from her head and mechanically rinsed Bo Ranying off, her gaze fixed solely on the girl’s fair, rosy-cheeked face.
Even so, her mind couldn’t help conjuring up that fleeting glimpse: the girl’s graceful figure.
Crimson plum blossoms atop snowy peaks, glistening emerald waters, radiant jade glow, fragrant and tender flesh—flawless pale skin tinged with soft pink. Everything was as beautiful as a fairy tale…
Nan Qi had known for a long time that Bo Ranying was stunningly beautiful.
Back in their first year of high school, she and Bo Ranying hadn’t been close at all. Nan Qi had only heard her name in passing.
She couldn’t recall what had soured her mood that day, but midway through self-study period, she’d walked out, heading all the way to the locked science building. She climbed the stairs to the top floor, leaned on the railing, and gazed up at the bright moon in the night sky, trying to shake off her bad feelings alone.
Suddenly, the light flicked on in the physics lab next door—like a dazzling galaxy bursting into the pitch-black cosmos, brilliant and captivating. Nan Qi instinctively looked over and saw a girl in a red ballet dress sitting at a desk.
She rose on tiptoe, stretching her feet taut. Her legs were slender and straight, leading up to an elegant, beautiful skirt with cutouts that revealed patches of snowy skin. Her shoulder blades looked like wings ready to take flight. Before Nan Qi could make out her face, the girl spun into motion in her red dress, whirling faster and faster—like fireworks in the night, mesmerizing and radiant. Her skirt flared out, her hair whipping around to land on her shoulders, back, and cheeks. She was like an elf, like a goddess. However long the girl danced, Nan Qi watched.
Only when the girl finally stopped, drenched in sweat and panting to recover, did Nan Qi snap back to reality. She recognized her as Bo Ranying, the famous beauty of the school.
Remembering why she’d come there, Nan Qi had no desire to approach such a radiant girl. Her first instinct was to shrink back into the shadows.
But before she could move, the girl spotted her.
Bo Ranying looked surprised at first, then called out with a playful smile: “So our class president skips class too, huh?”
“It’s not skipping. I’m just clearing my head.”
Nan Qi lowered her eyes in embarrassment, puzzled by the familiarity in Bo Ranying’s tone.
They were just ordinary classmates who barely spoke outside of necessities. Yet Bo Ranying sounded like they were already friends.
From that coincidental night onward, their relationship really did improve.
Whenever they crossed paths, Bo Ranying would greet her first. Sometimes she’d even invite Nan Qi to watch her practice dance, or ask about her birthday to prepare a gift…
Bo Ranying had always been the kind of girl who easily won people over.
That night, the little girl’s ethereal dance in her red dress in the physics lab had been permanently etched into Nan Qi’s heart.
Nan Qi had thought nothing could shatter her memory of that evening. But right here and now, she realized Bo Ranying could be even more beautiful.
She didn’t dare do anything more. Roughly grabbing the body wash, she squeezed some into Bo Ranying’s palm and told her to wash herself.
Bo Ranying grumbled under her breath—mumbling complaints Nan Qi couldn’t quite make out—as she applied it methodically.
Nan Qi held the showerhead, offering nothing but silence.
The bathroom was thick with steam, the humid heat slowing her thoughts to a crawl.
Then Bo Ranying dropped a bombshell: “Little Qi, I really want to be with you forever, you know? You have this reassuring presence. No matter how far off track I veer, no matter what choices I make, I just know you’ll always pull me back… I never have to worry about going astray, because you’re by my side.”
White bubbles danced across Bo Ranying’s cheeks, making her adorable face look even purer and more flawless. No one could doubt the sincerity in her words.
I really want to be together forever.
The words hit Nan Qi like a lethal poison.
Mesmerized, her heart stirred. Out of habit, she gazed devoutly at the girl before her and said, “Then let’s be together forever. I like you, Ranran. I’ll treat you so, so well.”
She wished she could rip out her heart for Bo Ranying to see just how much she liked her.
But that confession acted like a switch, instantly clearing the fog from Bo Ranying’s mind.
The girl’s hands froze, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face.
This girl’s feelings were too genuine, too stubborn. Once you got tangled up, there was no easy way out. Unable to bear the weight, Bo Ranying sensed things veering off course and hit the brakes.
“Little Qi, I meant… let’s always be friends…”
“Sorry, no.”
Nan Qi cut her off with a bitter smile. She didn’t want to hear those familiar three words again.
“Don’t say you’re sorry. I get it.”
It was just another routine confession, another failure.
She’d seen it coming.
She just couldn’t bear to let go of these last moments together as time wore on.
“Little Qi…” Bo Ranying called her name helplessly.
“All done? Let me rinse you off.”
Warm water poured down, easily washing away the suds.
Bo Ranying mumbled in agreement, not daring to act spoiled or cling to Nan Qi with her usual playfulness.
The rest of the time dragged on like an extended penalty phase.
Nan Qi silently fitted a shower cap over Bo Ranying’s wet hair, wrapped her in a towel, dried her off, and helped her into the Cinnamon Dog onesie pajamas. She blow-dried her hair and applied conditioner.
Ignoring her own soaked shirt, she went to the kitchen to brew some ginger tea and fed Bo Ranying sobriety pills.
Once the ginger tea was ready, she drank a bowl herself.
Throughout it all, Bo Ranying sat quietly on the living room rug, watching Nan Qi bustle about in the kitchen. Every now and then, she’d tilt her head and ask if she needed any help.
She knew she’d hurt Nan Qi and was trying to make amends, to coax her back.
At least she was still willing to coax her. That meant there was some affection there.
Nan Qi tried to console herself with the thought.
Of course, she wouldn’t let Bo Ranying help. The Little Ancestor just needed to wait for her.
After making sure Bo Ranying took her medicine and finished the ginger tea, Nan Qi put the cold wontons in the fridge to keep fresh, scooped her up from the rug, carried her to the bedroom, tucked her in, and told her to sleep.
Only then did Nan Qi grab her pajamas and shuffle like a zombie to the bathroom.
The scent still lingered in the bathroom.
It was the citrus-lemon body wash Bo Ranying loved, mingled with her natural fragrance.
Since high school, Nan Qi had caught a wonderful scent on Bo Ranying—like flowers blooming in summer sunshine and rain. She was utterly enchanted by it.
She’d once asked others if they smelled it around Bo Ranying. They all said no.
Only she could smell it.
To her, it was a secret delight, as if fate had woven a special bond between them.
A bond shared only with her.
