Chapter 41 Part 1

Nan Qi’s action was like a bluebird skimming across the lake’s surface, stirring faint ripples. Before the water could settle, a massive stone crashed down, shattering the waves and sending huge splashes skyward, startling fish and crabs into a frenzy.

The bowl suddenly slipped from Tang Lian’s hands. Before her was Nan Qi’s flawless, beautiful face, close enough to see the ring of soft pink fuzz on her ear. Tang Lian’s heart fluttered wildly, her own cheeks flushing in response.

She stared, mesmerized, at the way Nan Qi carefully set the bowl of noodles down on the dining table. It took Tang Lian a few more seconds to snap out of it.

She had been so entranced by Nan Qi that she had forgotten she was still holding her own bowl. Nan Qi must have come over to take it as a subtle reminder to watch herself in public…

In an instant, a wave of thick embarrassment washed over Tang Lian.

She froze for a moment, composing her expression before walking back and sitting down across from Nan Qi—conveniently positioned so that she could glance up and see her at any time.

Though that earlier scene had left her momentarily unable to face Nan Qi, Tang Lian was no stranger to high-stakes situations. She quickly adjusted her mood, reassuring herself that it was perfectly normal to turn into a staring monster when facing someone who had captivated her from the very first glance. Getting lost in admiration and forgetting one’s business was just human nature.

No need to be too hard on herself.

The awkwardness lingered, but she still wanted to steal more glances at Nan Qi.

Casually, Tang Lian set Nan Qi’s phone down on the table.

At that moment, Nan Qi’s mind was a mix of subtle tension and embarrassment. She had no desire to talk to Tang Lian or pay attention to her actions.

All her focus was on the steaming bowl of noodles before her.

In the porcelain-white bowl, pale yellow noodles lay neatly separated, swimming in a clear broth tinted light brown. Golden oil droplets and vibrant green garlic flecks floated on top, interspersed with blanched Shanghai greens and perfectly fried poached eggs. The scallion oil infused everything with a fragrant aroma that made her mouth water just looking at it, fully awakening Nan Qi’s appetite.

She first picked up a chopstick of noodles. The hand-pulled strands were chewy and springy, melting smoothly in her mouth with a light, refreshing flavor.

Then she scooped a spoonful of broth. The clear, fresh liquid warmed her stomach, sending comfort through her entire body. Nan Qi even squinted her eyes in delight, utterly conquered by this simple bowl of veggie noodles.

But what truly surprised her was the runny yolk egg. She bit into the spot where the white met the yolk, and the golden liquid flowed out immediately, melting on her tongue without needing to chew.

Nan Qi had always loved eggs cooked to about seventy or eighty percent—runny but not raw. She hadn’t mentioned it beforehand, yet Tang Lian had accidentally hit the mark perfectly.

Unbeknownst to herself, Nan Qi let go of a sliver of her wariness and reserve toward Tang Lian.

She ate earnestly, her movements quick but graceful, flowing like water—or like a high-frame-rate animation brought to life.

Tang Lian ate her own noodles quietly, part of her attention devoted to observing Nan Qi and savoring the sight of her eating. The more she watched, the cuter Nan Qi seemed, the more joy bubbled up in her heart.

How could someone make eating noodles look so elegant? She devoured them quickly and with such relish, as if savoring a gourmet delicacy.

And yet, it was just a makeshift late-night snack thrown together from whatever was in the kitchen.

To receive such genuine appreciation from Nan Qi filled Tang Lian with surprise and delight.

She said nothing. The air filled only with the sounds of slurping broth and chewing noodles—harmonious, not awkwardly silent.

The two sat facing each other, sharing a meal, the scene evoking the everyday warmth of countless ordinary urban households. Simple and unremarkable, yet profoundly precious.

But for now, neither could fully appreciate it.

Tang Lian quietly noted the fleeting joy that had crossed Nan Qi’s face when she bit into the runny yolk egg.

She pulled out her phone and opened her notes app to edit.

【Nan Qi’s favorite foods: Runny Yolk Egg.】

This was the second entry.

The first one read:

【Nan Qi likes: Bo Ranying.】 Behind Bo Ranying’s name, she had added parentheses in red font, striking it through.

Sooner or later—inevitably—she would change that record one day.

Replacing it with a brand-new name.

Nan Qi eventually polished off the entire bowl, even drinking every last drop of broth. She grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth and sincerely praised Tang Lian’s cooking.

Seeing that Nan Qi had finished, Tang Lian quickly set down her own bowl.

The atmosphere was perfect now, the earlier embarrassment from Nan Qi’s reminder fully dissipated.

Tang Lian slid the phone across the table, deciding to come clean.

Her voice carried a hint of nervousness. “Nan Qi, while you were in the shower earlier, someone called. It kept ringing, so I picked up for you.”

At those words, Nan Qi’s gentle gaze sharpened instantly. She shot Tang Lian a cold, icy glance and snatched up the phone to check.

That frosty stare, laced with chill, made Tang Lian’s heart jolt—not from shy excitement, but from the sudden spike of Nan Qi’s anger.

She could tell Nan Qi was extremely upset.

Intimidated by Nan Qi’s furious expression, Tang Lian’s fingers slid from the table to her lap, clenching into a ball and digging anxious wrinkles into the hem of her nightgown.

Nan Qi was indeed furious. She wanted to slam down the bowl and storm out. She hated anyone touching her personal belongings without permission. She had only handed over the phone to charge, not to have Tang Lian answer her calls.

Nan Qi was very particular about boundaries and disliked others crossing them. She held herself to an even stricter moral line.

Reason and propriety suppressed her impulse to smash the bowl.

With a dark expression, she first thoroughly checked the phone, confirming no apps had been opened or snooped through. Then she locked the screen, tapped the phone icon, and reviewed the call log.

At the top was a glaring call duration of 11 minutes and 25 seconds, from Bo Ranying.

Below that stretched a long list of missed calls from Bo Ranying, too many to count easily.

Bo Ranying must have called because she realized Nan Qi had moved, only to find someone else answering.

Nan Qi had no idea what Tang Lian and Bo Ranying had discussed during those 11 minutes and 25 seconds.

Unable to guess, she asked directly, “Tang Lian, what… did you say to her?”

In front of Tang Lian, she omitted Bo Ranying’s name.

Tang Lian could tell Nan Qi was angry and didn’t beat around the bush or say anything misleading. She straightforwardly recounted the gist of her conversation with Bo Ranying.

When she heard how Tang Lian had deliberately bragged about Nan Qi showering at her place, smugly boasting that she had gotten Nan Qi’s contact info, and even mentioning parts of their WeChat chat, disbelief filled Nan Qi’s clear eyes. Her brows furrowed deeply, until she finally snapped, “Ridiculous!”

Startled by the sudden outburst, Tang Lian realized Nan Qi couldn’t tolerate such reckless provocation. She pressed her lips together and shrank back into her chair, looking rather pitiful.

Her feet tucked up onto the chair, knees drawn together, the nightgown’s hem draping naturally to cover her, curling into a tiny ball to minimize her presence.

Lawyer Nan, stripped of her power suit, still commanded quite the presence at home.

After hearing Tang Lian’s account, Nan Qi’s finger hovered unconsciously over the dial screen, right on Bo Ranying’s contact. One tap, and the call would go through.

Her heart stirred. Long-ingrained habit kicked in, urging her to call Bo Ranying and explain, just like she had done countless times before.

High school had been the peak of their closeness, when Nan Qi and Bo Ranying had seen each other as irreplaceable, their possessiveness running deep.

Both were campus celebrities—Bo Ranying flashy and attention-grabbing, Nan Qi quietly admired from afar. People worshipped her in private, crushing on her but too intimidated by her icy aura to approach face-to-face.

Still, a few bold souls braved the frost to chat with her, slipping her love letters or handmade gifts, shyly expressing their affection—guys and girls alike.

Bo Ranying would get jealous over anyone getting close, simmering with vinegar even at same-sex hugs or extra chit-chat.

Naturally, Nan Qi cared. In those hazy days of first love, she saw it as a sweet burden.

She would chide Bo Ranying’s jealousy helplessly, yet secretly revel in how adorable she looked fuming, basking in the attention and priority.

Deep down, she believed it was Bo Ranying’s subtle way of showing affection, signaling her feelings. Nan Qi was utterly enchanted.

Whenever Bo Ranying got jealous, Nan Qi would earnestly explain that Bo Ranying was her one and only close friend—no one else could ever compare.

Only then would Bo Ranying relent.

As her fingertip hovered over the screen, Nan Qi replayed Tang Lian’s words in her mind. At the same time, she recalled that morning when Bo Ranying had coquettishly explained that she hadn’t given out the contact info on purpose.

From it, she extracted an undeniable truth.

Bo Ranying hadn’t lied entirely. She hadn’t offered the contact willingly; Tang Lian had coaxed and prodded her into it.

But at the same time, Nan Qi knew all too well—and was utterly certain—that she herself wouldn’t fall for anyone else easily. So even if it slipped out accidentally, Bo Ranying probably didn’t take it seriously, figuring a little coaxing would smooth over any anger.

Bo Ranying was as self-righteous as ever, convinced that everything in the world should follow the path she had envisioned.

Nan Qi decisively closed the dial screen and analyzed Bo Ranying’s state of mind.

She saw no need to explain herself anymore. Her heart was calm and still—she no longer cared what Bo Ranying thought. Whatever mood Bo Ranying was in had nothing to do with her.

At the same time, a profound sense of clarity lingered in her mind. Nan Qi suddenly realized that once she stopped caring, her heart felt so light and free, as if it were cradled by soft clouds. With a single thought, it could carry her drifting to any distant place she had once dreamed of.

This serene and peaceful feeling washed away the anger she had felt when Tang Lian had touched her phone without permission. It eased the tension in the air, but Nan Qi wasn’t about to let it slide entirely.

Her sullen expression softened considerably, and the cold intensity of her demeanor faded. She locked her phone and laid out her boundaries to Tang Lian.

“Tang Lian, I need to make this clear: I don’t like it when people touch my personal belongings without asking. I’ll let it go this time, but there won’t be a next time.”

There was an uncharacteristic firmness in her words, signaling that this was a line she truly cared about—one that shouldn’t be crossed lightly. Otherwise, they might not even be able to remain friends.

Tang Lian keenly noticed that during the pause when Nan Qi had been staring at her phone, checking it over, she seemed to have come to some realization. The fury that had been building in her had softened, and her attitude had turned gentle.

Realizing her crisis had passed, Tang Lian’s nature instinctively reasserted itself.

She lowered her legs, relaxing her body. Her toes skirted around Nan Qi and hooked onto the leg of the opposite table, bracing against it.

“Got it,” she said tentatively, a hint of softness in her voice.

Seeing this rare glimpse of obedience from her, Nan Qi felt relieved, figuring Tang Lian had taken her warning to heart.

However, Tang Lian’s meekness was fleeting, like a flash in the pan.

Once she was sure Nan Qi had stopped being angry, she leaned forward, closing the distance between them. She stared intently at Nan Qi’s strikingly beautiful eyes and brows, her tone laced with affection and ambiguity. “What do you mean by personal belongings? Do you count?”

She wanted to ask Nan Qi if she could… touch you without permission?

Tang Lian brimmed with interest, naturally exuding a seductive allure that swirled around Nan Qi like a trembling vortex, drawing her in.

Nan Qi froze, her face instantly flushing red.

Tang Lian’s nearly flirtatious words left her stunned and stumbling over her response. Mortified and furious, she pointed a delicate finger at Tang Lian, only for it to be gently captured and held, with Tang Lian even giving her hand a playful shake.

“You… you’re just…!” Nan Qi’s eyes flashed with crimson-tinged anger as she desperately racked her brain for the right word to describe Tang Lian.

Finally, she came up with “forward.”

“Yeah, you’re so forward!”

She forced the words out in a mix of bluster and embarrassment, yanking her hand free from Tang Lian’s grasp.