Chapter 19 Part 2

That day they had formally settled the terms of their arrangement: times to meet, places, all the basics agreed upon to minimize surprises. She had absolutely good reasons for bringing up no overnights at the time. First, they never finished later than ten-thirty, well before the neighboring school’s curfew, which was early enough that Qin Yue’s trip home was safe. Second, a reason she had given Qin Yue not long ago: Qin Yue was still young with many possibilities ahead of her, and the fewer people who knew certain things, the better for her. So she chose to meet at night and end at night, hiding everything that couldn’t see the light of day in the darkness. Third, they had genuinely been strangers then, and it would have been unbearably awkward for two strangers to share a bed.

As for now. She had first sent Qin Yue home in a downpour past midnight, and just now had personally intercepted her off the bus. However she looked at it, she had no grounds to send Qin Yue away like this. But if she wanted the arrangement to continue, the agreement couldn’t be broken at will. Yet Qin Yue had also said in so many words that she didn’t mind a little extra contact between them. Besides, after this stretch of time together, they could hardly be called strangers. More importantly, tonight’s ordeal wouldn’t fade from Qin Yue’s mind so quickly, and she wasn’t fit to be alone right now.

With a firm answer in mind, Shen Jianqing leaned back. “Our agreement only applies at night. It’s still the small hours of the morning.”

With that, the air conditioner’s gentle breeze swept past, and Shen Jianqing couldn’t hold back a yawn. She curled up on her side in the crook of her arm and said sleepily, “Qin Yue, come to bed.”

The breeze also stirred the ends of Qin Yue’s hair in the shifting light. She watched them sway patiently, the quick breaths between her lips gradually easing.

Qin Yue turned off the light and slipped under the covers. In under half a minute, even, steady breathing came from beside her.

Qin Yue lay with her eyes open watching the moonlight on the wall. Little by little, the arm resting on top of the covers grew cold, and she wanted to tuck it in. The moment she moved, the breathing beside her stopped. Then a warm woman’s palm soothed her face and, as if exhaling a great weight, Shen Jianqing pulled close and held her, murmuring into the hollow of her shoulder like something spoken in a dream: “Qin Yue, it’s alright. Sleep well.”

A ripple passed through Qin Yue’s eyes. A long while later, she looked down at the person nestled against her. With the night to hide behind, her lips were free to curve however they pleased.

The next morning, having slept less than three hours, Shen Jianqing was jolted awake by a phone call. She rolled over onto her pillow in irritation and very much wanted to hurl the phone off the thirteenth floor. Then she remembered the project proposal she had submitted yesterday and was instantly awake. She snatched up the phone. “Hello?”

It was Ke Liangping, of course, calling to say the proposal was fine and that she only had to wait for the result. In that case, didn’t she have at least a week off to enjoy life?

Shen Jianqing’s mood soared. She tossed the phone onto the covers and flopped back to sleep.

Five seconds later, her head whipped around to look beside her.

Empty.

Her heart skipped. Without even stopping to put on shoes, she ran out of the bedroom. The smell of food drifted through the apartment. It grew richer the closer she got to the kitchen.

Shen Jianqing ran over and collided with a sight she had never once seen in all her thirty-four years: a young, beautiful woman had pinned her hair up in a lazy knot with a claw clip, loose strands framing the delicate contours of her face. A stark band of gauze still covered her neck, and she wore pajamas a size too small. For convenience she had rolled both sleeves to her elbows, exposing slender forearms that showed and hid themselves in soft lines as she stirred the sweet porridge.

It wasn’t exactly a picture of ease and comfort, and yet, for no reason at all, two phrases surfaced in Shen Jianqing’s mind: a long road, walked slowly; the years, unhurried. It ran contrary to everything Qin Yue’s life had always been, and yet it was exactly what Shen Jianqing saw as she stood in that sunlit kitchen. She found it fitting.

At the stove, Qin Yue turned at the sound. Shen Jianqing’s bedraggled look pinned her in place for several seconds before she asked, “Teacher Shen, why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

Shen Jianqing came back to herself, braced a hand on the doorframe, and let out a long breath. “I was rushing to find you. I thought you’d snuck off somewhere to cry alone.” Said in a teasing tone with a joke’s lightness, so that none of last night’s gloom would have a chance to reignite.

Qin Yue smiled at that and answered straight. “I didn’t cry.”

Shen Jianqing lifted her right foot, rubbed it against her left ankle, and stepped on the top of it. “I can tell.” She could even smile. And she still had the leisure to make porridge. It seemed last night really was behind her.

The weight on Shen Jianqing’s heart settled fully, and she felt light all over. She pulled out a chair and sat down, covering her mouth with the back of her hand for a small yawn. “Why are you up so early?”

“Habit.”

Shen Jianqing sighed. “Terrifying.”

Qin Yue smiled without a word. The stillness particular to early morning drifted through the air. Then Shen Jianqing noticed how deftly, and how pleasingly, Qin Yue moved in the kitchen.

She watched quietly for a while. Sleepiness slipped away unnoticed. She sat up and propped her chin lazily on her palm, fingertips tapping lightly in front of her ear.

“Qin Yue.” Shen Jianqing spoke up suddenly.

Qin Yue turned. “Hm?”

Shen Jianqing gave a short laugh, her tone unhurried. “You’re so domestic. Whoever marries you will be a lucky man.”

Qin Yue’s lashes flickered. The faint sizzle in the pan flared for an instant, and a drop of oil leaped onto her arm. The sting was barely there. Qin Yue turned back and carefully scrambled the egg that had nearly formed a heart shape before saying, “But as it happens, I’m a lesbian. No one can marry me.”

The index finger Shen Jianqing had just raised before her ear froze in midair. They were both lesbians, but neither had ever said the word out loud plainly, so much so that Shen Jianqing had completely forgotten this part of things. The words had reached her lips and spilled out before she could stop them. If anyone else had heard that, they’d have called her a scumbag, no question. Just slept with the woman… no wait, just let the woman sleep with her, and then turns around and pretends nothing happened. Real class act. Fortunately, Master Qin was magnanimous enough not to seem to mind.

Shen Jianqing settled back and changed the subject with a smile. “What’s your plan for today? Work as usual?”

“I covered a shift for someone yesterday, so I don’t have to go in today.”

“Perfect. Go home and get a good rest.” Shen Jianqing’s voice dropped suddenly, turning serious. “Until summer break is over, try not to walk alone at night. Yesterday was luck. If something like that happens again, you might not come out of it in one piece.”

Qin Yue flipped the egg over and answered flatly. “Mm.”

Before long breakfast was ready. Qin Yue set everything on the table and sat across from Shen Jianqing. “These are all I know how to make. I don’t know if they suit your taste.”

Shen Jianqing pulled her eyes from the phone screen, glanced at the food, and said, “You go ahead. I’m not very hungry.”

Whether she wasn’t hungry or it wasn’t to her taste, Qin Yue had already read it from the crease that flickered between her brows. Qin Yue didn’t press. She bit into the egg on her own and said, “Teacher Shen, could I borrow your phone to text a friend? My screen went black when I dropped it last night.”

“She knows about us, but she’s tight-lipped. She won’t tell anyone,” Qin Yue added.

“Understood.” Shen Jianqing chuckled and switched straight out of Weibo, handing over the phone. “When you’re done, save your number in there too. Voice calls are too dependent on the setting. Not convenient.”

“Sure.”

Qin Yue quickly typed in Guan Xiangchen’s number and sent: 【Master Cao is covering my shift today, so I won’t be at the factory this morning. Don’t wait for me to bring you food. Qin Yue.】

It wasn’t yet half past seven and Guan Xiangchen was still on shift with no access to her phone. So once Qin Yue had sent the text and saved her number, she handed the phone back.

Shen Jianqing took the phone and stood up. “I’m going back for a bit more sleep. Wake me when you leave and I’ll drive you back.”

“No need. There’s a direct subway line from here,” Qin Yue said.

Shen Jianqing frowned. Thinking of how Qin Yue had returned to normal, she released her lips and said, “Suit yourself,” and turned away.

Qin Yue sat alone at the table and spent a full half hour finishing both portions of breakfast, after which her stomach began to feel rather unwell.

In the Lead Science locker room, Guan Xiangchen suddenly saw a text from a strange number signed “Qin Yue.” Utterly bewildered, she hurriedly found Qin Yue’s number and called, wanting to ask what was going on. The call couldn’t connect. She tried again. Same result.

Guan Xiangchen began to worry. Qin Yue’s phone was on 24/7. There was never a time it couldn’t be reached. After a moment’s hesitation, she dialed the number from the text.

At the other end, Shen Jianqing was fast asleep. Jolted awake, she burrowed irritably under the covers for a long while before finally groping for the phone. “Hello?”

Guan Xiangchen froze. That voice… “You’re her?!”

Guan Xiangchen’s shrieking jolted Shen Jianqing fully awake. She held the phone away and glanced at the screen: a local number she hadn’t saved. Shen Jianqing swallowed, cleared her throat, and put on her teacher’s composure. “Who are you looking for?”

Guan Xiangchen spoke at top speed. “Qin Yue! I’m her best friend!”

Shen Jianqing instantly understood where the call was coming from. She lowered her guard a little and said, “Qin Yue has already gone home.”

“Oh,” said Guan Xiangchen, then slyly considered for two seconds before asking, “Why was A-Yue at your place first thing in the morning?”

Shen Jianqing wasn’t sure how much Guan Xiangchen knew about last night, nor how much Qin Yue wanted her to know. So she kept it brief. “Qin Yue had a scare yesterday. It wasn’t good for her to be alone.”

Getting no real details only made Guan Xiangchen explode. “What kind of scare?!”

“You’d better ask her in person.”

Guan Xiangchen changed and bolted back. When she arrived, Qin Yue was sitting at the table repairing her phone.