Qiu Yiran slowly realized—this was probably an offer to buy her a drink. She touched her nose awkwardly, unsure what to say, so she just smiled at the woman at the next table again.
After smiling, she dropped her somewhat stiff smile and turned back—
Across many unfamiliar faces, she saw Li Wuhui.
The stage switched songs, shadows flickering.
The woman held two drinks, seemingly just weaving through the crowd.
She looked at her from afar.
Yellowish light melting down her face.
But for some reason, her gaze seemed cool.
Qiu Yiran primly pressed her legs together.
When Li Wuhui came over,
She took the initiative to explain. “The blonde lady at the next table bought me a drink. I didn’t know what to say to her, so I just smiled.”
As she said this—
The blonde lady noticed and waved at her again.
Qiu Yiran stiffly waved back in response.
Then, under Li Wuhui’s tall, slender shadow, she lowered her head, reaching for that drink—
But Li Wuhui’s hand was faster.
Before she could pick it up,
A cup of hot coffee was stuffed into her hand.
Qiu Yiran looked up a beat late—
Li Wuhui had already moved the apparently cold pink drink aside, squinting at her with an icy tone. “Haven’t your parents ever told you, growing up, not to casually drink drinks from strangers?”
Qiu Yiran blinked in confusion, her palm warm and toasty, so her focus wasn’t on that at all. “How did you find hot coffee in a bar?”
Li Wuhui didn’t speak.
She only moved the pink drink much farther away before it seemed somewhat acceptable, then spat out, “It’s on the menu here.”
“That blonde lady doesn’t seem like a bad person.” Seeing Li Wuhui’s expression wasn’t great, Qiu Yiran explained. “But I wasn’t going to drink it anyway. I just wanted to move it aside so you could set down the drink you brought.”
Her explanation was clear.
But after explaining,
Li Wuhui’s expression didn’t improve much. She picked up her own drink and took a calm sip.
“Got it. Be more careful next time.”
Qiu Yiran parted her lips slightly. She always felt like Li Wuhui was still angry.
But while she hesitated.
Li Wuhui spoke first to stop her. “You don’t need to explain anymore.”
Under the lights, the woman looked at the wobbly band on stage. Her expression seemed perfectly normal as she lifted her chin slightly. “I was joking. I didn’t really care that much.”
Qiu Yiran scratched her chin.
She didn’t know what to say. Continuing would make her seem overly dramatic.
And it wasn’t easy to say anything else, after all…
They were there to get divorced. Explaining too much would seem even stranger.
Li Wuhui also fell silent for some reason.
So both of them went quiet and drank from their cups in silence.
Qiu Yiran took a sip of coffee and found it a bit bitter. She frowned slightly.
Then she heard Li Wuhui suddenly say, “But in the end, we’re not divorced yet.”
Qiu Yiran set down her coffee.
She thought Li Wuhui had something serious to say and nervously picked at her fingers. “I know.”
Li Wuhui hummed in acknowledgment and dropped a bombshell. “So don’t cheat on me right under my nose.”
Qiu Yiran nearly choked on the coffee she’d just swallowed. She looked at Li Wuhui in shock. “What did you say?”
Li Wuhui fell silent.
She quietly finished the drink in her cup, then glanced at the pink beverage over there.
“Whatever.”
After a pause.
Li Wuhui sighed, her lashes lowered as she let out a very soft laugh.
“Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
With that, she tossed back the rest of her drink.
When she set the glass down again.
She propped her chin lazily on her hand, but her eyes had already grown a bit hazy.
Qiu Yiran noticed the change and looked at her with some concern. “Li Wuhui, don’t drink too much.”
“I know.” Li Wuhui replied curtly.
Qiu Yiran wanted to say more—
But Li Wuhui wouldn’t look at her.
Li Wuhui kept her gaze slightly lowered, her face hidden in the dim light. No one knew what she was thinking.
Qiu Yiran’s throat felt blocked.
She pressed her lips together, unsure what she could say.
In the end, she said nothing.
They both fell quiet after that.
They didn’t continue the topic—
First, because their relationship made it inappropriate.
Second, because Li Wuhui seemed unwilling to bring it up again.
Later, Li Wuhui’s expression returned to normal, as if the little interlude had never happened. She focused her attention on the stage.
The band on stage could really sing. The lead singer’s voice had gone hoarse, but they still played many familiar English songs.
Li Wuhui had drunk too quickly.
A bit tipsy, she slumped in her chair, propping her face lazily and humming along to the songs slowly.
It was very much like the scene from the day they first met.
Qiu Yiran unconsciously stared at Li Wuhui’s face—from her eyes to her chin. She stared for a long time, long enough to study every curve and angle and draw some conclusions, yet her mind remained blank. She knew nothing about her subject, Li Wuhui.
When Li Wuhui lifted her gaze slightly, Qiu Yiran clumsily looked away.
Li Wuhui didn’t look at her for long and started humming a slow ballad in English.
Perhaps infected by Li Wuhui, Qiu Yiran sipped her hot coffee slowly and felt herself relaxing in the atmosphere.
Midway through, she heard a familiar tune.
She narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin curiously toward the stage.
When the highly infectious lead singer looked her way and grinned broadly, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
But when Li Wuhui glanced at her casually, she shyly tucked her smile away.
They didn’t stay in the bar much longer.
After a few songs, they squeezed out through the crowd of strangers.
Going from a crowded place back to just the two of them all of a sudden, Qiu Yiran still felt a little unaccustomed.
On the road, she unconsciously hummed a few lines from the bar.
But once she realized it—
Qiu Yiran paused for a moment and abruptly shut her mouth.
She carefully glanced at Li Wuhui.
She saw the woman quietly hugging her arms, swaying a bit as she walked under the moonlight. She probably hadn’t noticed.
Qiu Yiran breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn’t know why she was acting like someone who’d never seen the world before.
Back in the day.
Living among crowds, interacting with people, and digging into their emotions had been her routine.
With that thought.
Qiu Yiran sniffed and suddenly fell silent too.
But then Li Wuhui spoke. “They sang really well.”
Qiu Yiran was stunned. “You heard that?”
Li Wuhui hummed.
Seeming a bit dizzy, she rubbed her temple.
“It’s not like you’re competing or performing on stage. Singing casually in front of me—what’s there to be embarrassed about?”
“It’s not embarrassing…” Qiu Yiran hesitated for a few seconds, staring at their shadows walking side by side on the ground. She said softly, “It’s just been a long time since I felt like this, so I’m not used to it.”
“Not used to what?” Li Wuhui asked.
“Not used to crowds, not used to going out, and not used to…”
At that point, Qiu Yiran glanced at Li Wuhui.
She swallowed the words “being out with you.”
Her lips moved as she said three words very slowly. “It’s nice.”
Li Wuhui hummed, seemingly oblivious to her hesitation.
“You don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere, right?”
“No.” Qiu Yiran shook her head, then asked with concern, “What about you? Does your head hurt from the alcohol?”
“It’s fine.” Li Wuhui spoke slowly, but her words were clear. “Just one drink—not much. I’m okay.”
Li Wuhui’s eyes looked clearer than before, so Qiu Yiran relaxed a little.
“Then let’s head back quickly. No more wasting time.”
Li Wuhui didn’t say much else.
The two returned to the hotel.
Li Wuhui urged Qiu Yiran to shower first. While she was in the bathroom, Li Wuhui opened the window and spaced out to sober up.
She closed the window ten minutes early. After Qiu Yiran came out of the shower, she instructed her, “I might take a while in there today. Go to sleep early—don’t wait for me.”
Qiu Yiran wanted to say something.
But seeing Li Wuhui’s expression, like she didn’t want to talk more, she didn’t disturb her. She only said, “You shower soon too, and get some early sleep.”
Li Wuhui hummed.
She watched as Qiu Yiran slowly made her way to bed on crutches and curled up into a little ball.
Only then did she go into the bathroom and splash cold water on her face.
At that moment, Li Wuhui finally sobered up a bit.
She looked at her calm expression in the mirror and suddenly regretted what happened at the bar—
She had promised to take Qiu Yiran out to have fun.
But after a pointless little incident, she couldn’t control her emotions and put on a sour face.
In the end, she didn’t let Qiu Yiran fully enjoy the bar’s atmosphere.
Now, Hermit Crab Qiu Yiran had finally mustered the courage to take her first step out, only to have to watch Bad Egg Li Wuhui’s mood.
With that thought—
Li Wuhui let out a self-mocking laugh.
She didn’t know why she was always the bad guy, always so quick to get angry at Qiu Yiran.
She was sarcastic and intolerant.
She had no patience for Qiu Yiran’s self-deprecating words and couldn’t tolerate Qiu Yiran not loving her.
No wonder Qiu Yiran couldn’t stay by her side.
Li Wuhui quietly wiped the water from her face.
She forced herself to sort out her emotions, brushed her teeth, showered, and walked out slowly afterward.
By then, Qiu Yiran was asleep.
A dim little lamp was left on in the room. Qiu Yiran made a neat little lump at the edge of the bed, like a tiny mountain peak waiting for Li Wuhui to climb.
Li Wuhui walked over.
Just like she’d done these past few days.
She stood by the bed, felt her forehead for fever, and stared at her peaceful sleeping face for a while.
Then she planned to turn off the light.
But she paused by the small table on the way—
Because she saw her Crooked-Leg Glasses, neatly placed on the table, with a Paper Note tucked underneath.
Li Wuhui picked up the note.
She squatted helplessly on the ground, hugged her knees, and stared intently at the line of text on the note.
Like she was holding the orange she’d picked up from the ground that day.
For a very, very long time.
Her legs numb, she finally stood up.
She carefully slipped the Paper Note into a compartment in her wallet, not wanting to crease even a corner.
Because that night.
Hermit Crab Qiu Yiran had not only fixed the crooked leg of her glasses for her, but also secretly left a note for Bad Egg Li Wuhui:
【Thank you for taking me out to play. I was very happy.】
It was completely worth commemorating.
