Chapter 53 Part 2

As soon as the question left her mouth, the autumn night seemed to grow even colder. Even the sky’s single bright moon was shrouded by clouds.

Wenwen had asked her question. Yun Chun fell silent for a few seconds before replying, “Of course.”

Yun Chun added, “We’ve always been together.”

~~~

Yun Chun watched Wenwen head upstairs. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans jacket and strolled slowly toward home.

The rundown neighborhood lights flickered dimly. A gust of wind blew past, and Yun Chun shrank into herself.

A bitterness welled up in her heart.

What she had told Wenwen had sounded so nice. But in reality, ever since returning from Milan, nothing had changed between her and Lu Qingxue.

Her confession, her plea to be together—they had all been washed away that rainy night, as if they had never happened.

Lu Qingxue had never given her an answer.

Was she confused? Of course she was.

But with Lu Qingxue’s sudden disappearance, Yun Chun hadn’t found the courage to ask again. She was afraid the response waiting for her would be another vanishing act.

The deep autumn night was truly cold.

Yun Chun took two steps forward and suddenly stopped.

Ahead, beneath a streetlamp, a figure stood motionless. The person was bathed in the light but cast no shadow, as if she had merged with it completely.

Joy lit up Yun Chun’s face. She quickened her pace into a jog and reached Lu Qingxue’s side. “What are you doing here?”

Lu Qingxue turned to greet her, and the two fell into step side by side.

“You missed me,” Lu Qingxue replied as they walked.

Yun Chun figured it must have been an unconscious thought during her chat with Wenwen. “I only thought about you for a second.”

Lu Qingxue hummed in acknowledgment. “So I appeared.”

Yun Chun’s tipsy eyes sparkled. Just one thought, and she shows up?

“Did you hear what I said to Little Wen just now?”

“No.”

Lu Qingxue continued, “I’ve been here watching you. I wouldn’t eavesdrop on your privacy.”

Yun Chun muttered, “What privacy? It was just some idle chat.”

Lu Qingxue let out a soft hum and a light laugh.

Seeing that smile, Yun Chun pursed her lips. She suddenly pulled her left hand from her pocket and held it out to Lu Qingxue. “How about holding hands?”

Lu Qingxue arched a brow but didn’t take it right away. “Aren’t you afraid someone might see?”

The cold wind made her hand ache, but Yun Chun kept it extended in the air. “Who would be out here? Besides, I’ve been drinking—they’d just think I’m acting drunk.”

When Lu Qingxue still didn’t move, Yun Chun’s lashes cast delicate shadows under the flickering streetlight. “The last time we held hands was that Spring Festival when I visited your house. Except this time, I don’t have any mung bean cakes for you.”

Lu Qingxue lowered her gaze to Yun Chun’s hand, listening to her words. Her smile lingered. “You still remember.”

Beneath the dim moonlight, she reached out and clasped Yun Chun’s hand.

It was warm.

In her heart, Yun Chun thought, If only she were a little plumper, with more flesh on those bones.

Unaware of Lu Qingxue’s thoughts, Yun Chun’s lips curved upward in secret delight. The next moment, she watched as Lu Qingxue slipped their joined hands into the pocket of Yun Chun’s jacket. Her smile deepened.

This way of holding hands was pretty good.

It kept the chill away, no one would see, and she could grip Lu Qingxue tightly.

“I’d forgotten about it before, but after meeting you, it slowly came back to me.”

Cold air slipped into her mouth as she spoke, and Yun Chun paused before adding, “It wasn’t really forgotten. It was more like hide-and-seek—it hid itself in a corner. I didn’t go looking for it, and it patiently stayed put.

“But when I saw you, it wanted to come out. And I wanted to find it. We hit it off right away, and I remembered.”

Lu Qingxue smiled faintly. “After that day, I bought mung bean cakes every now and then. But after I went abroad, I couldn’t find them anymore. It’s been ages.”

“Then I’ll look online and order some.”

“Sure.”

Inside the pocket, Yun Chun squeezed her hand. “It’s freezing. Let’s hurry back.”

Lu Qingxue didn’t feel the cold, but she noticed the goosebumps prickling Yun Chun’s neck. She frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you wear more layers?”

Yun Chun shot her a look. “Didn’t I ask your opinion before heading out today? You said this looked good on me—that’s why I wore it!”

Lu Qingxue fell silent for a beat. “I said your figure looks good in anything.”

“That sounds so perfunctory!”

“It’s the truth.”

Lu Qingxue went on, “Besides, I think I told you to put on a coat. You insisted on the jeans jacket.”

Yun Chun’s bravado deflated at once. Even the wind couldn’t reignite it. She mumbled, “A coat’s just not as convenient…”

Lu Qingxue raised a brow. “Is that my problem?”

Yun Chun let out a cheeky laugh and leaned against Lu Qingxue’s shoulder. “I’m just picking a fight on purpose. What are you going to do about it?”

Lu Qingxue gave her a helpless look and murmured softly, “Your body’s your own responsibility.”

Yun Chun chuckled. “My body’s mine, but the one whose heart aches seeing me cold is you.”

Noticing Lu Qingxue’s gaze, Yun Chun coquettishly added, “Come on, can’t a girl be a little narcissistic now and then?”

Lu Qingxue replied, “No narcissism needed. My heart does ache for you.”

The answer sent Yun Chun’s heart pounding. She pursed her lips and spoke softly to Lu Qingxue. “In that case, I have to ask the great Designer Lu to help me put together a warm yet stylish outfit tomorrow. I’m going with Sister Xing to talk business.”

Lu Qingxue smiled. She lifted her other hand and tapped Yun Chun’s forehead lightly with her fingertip. “So I’ve become your free personal stylist now?”

Yun Chun grinned shamelessly. “Not just free—exclusive. After all, I’m the only one in the world who can see you.”

Lu Qingxue laughed. “Fine.”

Yun Chun paused, then asked, “Why aren’t you arguing back?”

Lu Qingxue tilted her head. “Arguing about what?”

Yun Chun pressed, “Don’t you think I’m being unreasonable?”

In the pocket, Lu Qingxue’s hand rubbed the soft flesh at the base of Yun Chun’s thumb. Her voice was as light as thin mist. “I think you’re just being coquettish.”

Heat flooded Yun Chun’s cheeks. She choked out, “W-who’s being coquettish? I’ve never done that in my life.”

Lu Qingxue side-eyed her for two seconds. “That’s the same as when you claim you’ve ‘never cried.'”

“…”

Fine. If she had cried a few fewer times in front of Lu Qingxue, maybe she could argue. But when Yun Chun thought about how often she had teared up around her, she let it go.

She rested her chin on Lu Qingxue’s shoulder and whispered, “Anyway, you’re the only one who knows all my little secrets.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

Lu Qingxue let out an “oh” and smiled tenderly. “Then I’ll keep them safe for you.”

Another gust of wind swept by. Yun Chun blinked and shivered. She pulled their joined hand from the pocket, then curved her eyes into a smile at Lu Qingxue. “Sister Qingxue, do you know what I want to do right now?”

Lu Qingxue studied her and guessed, “Run home?”

“You got it again.”

Yun Chun wasn’t surprised. She asked, “What do you think?”

Lu Qingxue offered no opinion. She simply nodded. “I can keep you company.”

Yun Chun smiled silently.

She turned and tugged Lu Qingxue along, dashing toward home.

The cold wind whipped against her face, but Yun Chun no longer felt chilly. Her mind was filled with one thought: running home while holding Lu Qingxue’s hand—running home together.

In that moment, the deep autumn night didn’t seem so cold anymore.

Yun Chun glanced back at Lu Qingxue, who was keeping pace right behind her, running along.

Moisture gathered in the corners of Yun Chun’s eyes. She turned forward again.

It didn’t matter anymore. As long as Lu Qingxue stayed by her side, that was enough.

If she stayed forever, they would always be together.

~~~

The desire to be with Lu Qingxue wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment impulse on Yun Chun’s part. She had thought it through deeply, considering every possible issue that might arise.

That included… Yun Yueqin.

It was why, after returning to the country, she had delayed so long before visiting Xu Lanmeng’s house.

Today, with no work on her schedule, Yun Chun bought a fruit basket and headed over.

The sign on Xu Lanmeng’s door still read “No One Home.”

Yun Chun rang the doorbell anyway.

A minute later, the door opened. Seeing Xu Lanmeng, Yun Chun smiled. “Auntie Xu, long time no see. Did you miss me~?”

Xu Lanmeng looked just as she had before Yun Chun left the country—no changes at all. Upon seeing her, Xu Lanmeng replied, “I did.”

Yun Chun was taken aback. Had she really given it some thought? She’d only been making polite conversation.

Xu Lanmeng could read her mind. “If you did want to know,” she said, “how would you handle that thing your mom mentioned?”

Yun Chun touched her nose awkwardly and followed Xu Lanmeng inside. “Where’s Mom?”

“In the study.”

“What is she doing?”

Xu Lanmeng glanced back at her. “You know I have a lot of clients, right?”

Yun Chun nodded. “Yeah.”

“And a lot of them are important people.”

Xu Lanmeng went on, “Your mom’s in the study right now, poring over my contacts and client files. She says she wants to set you up on some blind dates.”

Yun Chun blinked. “Huh?”

She blinked again. “And you just… let her?”

“The files were right there. How could I say no?” Xu Lanmeng shrugged. “Besides… if I’d refused, she might still be mad at me.”

Yun Chun chuckled and set the fruit basket down. She was just about to knock on the study door when Yun Yueqin emerged, having heard her daughter’s voice.

The moment she laid eyes on Yun Chun, Yun Yueqin asked about her job and checked on her health. Once she heard everything was fine, the worry that had been gnawing at her finally eased.

Then Yun Yueqin took Yun Chun’s hand and led her toward the study. “Come on,” she said. “Mom found several lovely girls for you. I’ll have Auntie Xu play matchmaker and introduce you.”

“No need to go to any trouble, Mom.”

“What’s the trouble? They’re all friends of Auntie Xu’s.”

Yun Yueqin pushed open the study door, but Yun Chun planted her feet and said seriously, “What I mean is, you don’t need to find me a partner. I already have one.”

Yun Yueqin paused. “You have what?”

“Someone I… like.”

The smile on Yun Yueqin’s face froze. “Who?”

She pressed, “Last time I asked, you said you didn’t like anyone yet. How did that change after one work trip? Is she from overseas? What does she do?”

“Neither.”

Yun Chun hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. “It’s Sister Qingxue.”

She noticed the sudden shift in Yun Yueqin’s expression and hurriedly explained, a touch of panic in her voice. “Mom, I didn’t tell you last time because I hadn’t realized my own feelings for her yet. Plus, you didn’t know anything about Sister Qingxue, so I kept it to myself. I have no idea how you found out, but please—no more matchmaking. Things with Sister Qingxue and me are just fine as they are.”

Yun Yueqin’s brows knitted together. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and fell silent for a long time before murmuring, “I don’t approve.”

“She’s like me. She’s dead.”