After flying the kite, Su Qingqiu and Rong Jin took Su Xijing home.
Su Qingqiu had hired a temporary auntie who only came during the day to clean and prepare three meals. She didn’t stay overnight.
When they went out in the afternoon, the auntie had already cleaned the villa inside and out. The living room floor gleamed like new, spotless, and a simple spread of four dishes and a soup sat on the dining table.
Milk’s food bowl held a special cat meal the auntie had made, and Milk was happily devouring it beside the bowl.
They had played with Su Xijing all afternoon outside and were starving. Fortunately, the new auntie’s cooking was decent. They sat at the table for dinner, with Su Qingqiu occasionally picking some greens for Su Xijing.
“Xixi, no being picky. Otherwise, you won’t grow tall.”
“Xixi knows, Mommy.”
Su Xijing wrinkled her little nose and nibbled the greens bit by bit.
After dinner, Su Qingqiu took Su Xijing to bathe.
Su Xijing had run around under the sun all afternoon, and her clothes were soaked with sweat.
Su Qingqiu changed her out of the dirty clothes and put them in the laundry basket. The auntie would wash them clean tomorrow.
She filled the tub with water and added bubbles. Soon, fluffy bubbles covered the surface, with a few little ducks floating on top. She tested the temperature—it was perfect—so she called Su Xijing in to bathe.
Su Xijing played with the ducks on the water, placing a big one in front and the little ones behind it, lining them up in a row.
As the water rippled, the ducks seemed to swim.
“Mommy, look! Mommy Duck is swimming with her ducklings.”
For some reason, Su Qingqiu thought back to when they hadn’t swapped bodies yet. Rong Jin had stubbornly refused her help bathing and ended up flopping awkwardly in the tub on her back.
Lost in thought, she couldn’t help but smile.
She picked up another big duck and placed it at the front too, like two big ducks leading the little ones swimming together.
“The duck family swims together.”
Su Xijing splashed the water lightly, sending up tiny sprays. She laughed, revealing shallow dimples, stars sparkling in her eyes.
“Mommy, Xixi was so happy today. Xixi likes playing with Mommy and Auntie Rong Jin.”
Su Qingqiu gently pinched her soft cheek and whispered, “Mommy was happy too.”
…
Su Qingqiu washed Su Xijing until she was squeaky clean and smelled sweet, then dressed her in pajamas and let her go to the living room to watch SpongeBob on TV.
Su Xijing toddled off with her little legs pattering.
Milk nestled on the cat tree. Su Xijing stood below it, arms outstretched. “Milk, come down! Let’s watch cartoons together.”
Milk tilted its head, seemingly understanding, and hopped lightly down from the cat tree.
Su Xijing hugged Milk and snuggled on the sofa to watch TV.
Su Qingqiu searched the first floor for Rong Jin but didn’t find her. She knocked on the guest room door and went in.
Rong Jin was on the phone by the floor-to-ceiling window.
She sat in her wheelchair with documents on her lap, red pen marks all over them. She gazed faintly at the moon outside, her voice laced with chill.
“Have the project team keep a close eye. If Yang Corporation changes their quote, report to me immediately.”
Rong Jin heard movement at the door and turned to see Su Qingqiu enter.
She smiled, said a few more words to the other end, and hung up.
Su Qingqiu lowered her eyes. “Yang Corporation again?”
Rong Jin rubbed her temples. “Yang Qing is a sly old fox. I used several companies to drive up raw material prices on him, but he seems to sense something’s off.”
Business was a web of connections—pull one thread, and everything moved. Rong Jin wanted to strain Yang Corporation’s cash flow, but they weren’t easy to fool. Things had reached a stalemate.
Su Qingqiu said, “Yang Qing called me this afternoon. He wants to meet tomorrow. I think he’s going to discuss this.”
Rong Jin raised a brow.
It was no secret in business circles that she and Su Qingqiu were at odds. Yang Qing approaching Su Qingqiu spoke volumes.
Rong Jin looked up at her. “What do you plan to do?”
The look was teasing, as if she was certain Su Qingqiu would side with her.
Su Qingqiu averted her eyes, biting her lip, a bit annoyed inwardly.
“I’ll do what’s best for me.”
Rong Jin smiled knowingly. “Of course. After all, you’re a shareholder in Rong Corporation. If the daily chemicals line does well, you’ll profit too, right?”
Su Qingqiu: “…”
This woman had learned to preempt her words.
Su Qingqiu lowered her gaze.
Of course, she would help her.
Rong Jin’s obvious trust satisfied her longing.
But this closeness made her uneasy.
Rong Jin was too easy to handle now.
She had no defenses against Rong Jin.
If one day Rong Jin no longer wanted to be close…
She’d be helpless.
Rong Jin tugged at her clothes. She’d sweated playing kite with Su Xijing that afternoon, even without leaving the wheelchair.
Playing with kids was exhausting.
She wheeled toward the bathroom. “It was so hot this afternoon. I sweated—I’m going to bathe first.”
Rong Jin had lived at Su Qingqiu’s for nearly twenty days. Her leg couldn’t get wet, so usually she just wiped herself down if not sweaty.
With the cast, she could maneuver herself on and off the wheelchair fine.
When Aunt Zhao was around, she’d soaked in the tub.
Aunt Zhao wrapped her cast leg in waterproof cloth. Rong Jin lay in the tub with her leg on a support rack above, then added water and bubbles.
Aunt Zhao was older, and Rong Jin entered wrapped in a towel—no awkwardness.
After soaking and drying, she used the tub’s handrail to get up, donned a robe, and had Aunt Zhao help her out.
With Aunt Zhao gone, Rong Jin figured she could manage soaking herself.
Su Qingqiu unconsciously followed until Rong Jin entered the bathroom, then snapped out of it.
Her gaze involuntarily fell on Rong Jin’s open collar. The porcelain-white skin practically burned her eyes.
Her earlobes flushed.
Rong Jin had taken waterproof cloth from the cabinet and bent to wrap her left leg, winding it from bottom up with nimble hands, then slipping on a waterproof bag.
Su Qingqiu lowered her eyes and took the bag from her hand.
“Let me help.”
Rong Jin wouldn’t let her do such menial work. “I can do it myself.”
Su Qingqiu’s lashes trembled.
Rong Jin’s gaze fell on her downcast lashes, suddenly understanding.
They’d lived together long enough for Rong Jin to know she was sensitive, shy, thin-skinned, fragile, emotions brittle. Approaching and caring for her back then might have used up all her courage.
Rejecting her might make her retreat.
That couldn’t happen.
Rong Jin released the waterproof cloth and smiled. “Then, trouble you.”
Su Qingqiu looked up at her, then quickly lowered her head.
She fitted the waterproof bag on Rong Jin’s leg. Guessing how she bathed, she stepped back two paces. “Change your clothes.”
She fled like.
Rong Jin looked at her wrapped leg and chuckled lowly.
Couldn’t push too far—she’d get shy.
Couldn’t be the slightest bit distant—she’d be unhappy.
Just like a finicky kitten.
Rong Jin thought of Milk, who acted like a dog, and curved her lips.
If only Su Qingqiu were as honest as Milk.
Rong Jin stripped, wrapped a large towel around herself, knotted above her chest, exposing a vast expanse of jade-like skin.
Su Qingqiu reentered, eyes not daring to lift an inch, gaze drifting over the exposed round shoulders, embodying “avert your eyes” to the extreme.
Rong Jin watched her and recalled when they hadn’t swapped bodies yet, sharing a bed two nights.
Su Qingqiu wore a skimpy camisole then, her fine skin and curves on full display. Rong Jin had thought it a horror scene—if Su Qingqiu knew, she’d kill her.
Now, fortunes turned.
The one afraid to look was Su Qingqiu.
It felt surreal.
Su Qingqiu helped her into the tub to lie down. Filling water was a button by her hand; bubble balls were in a box nearby—just toss one in.
Figuring Rong Jin could handle the rest, she wanted to leave. “Wash first. I’ll wait outside the bathroom.”
Rong Jin: “Wait for me?”
Previously, Aunt Zhao never waited outside during her baths.
Having someone wait felt weird.
Su Qingqiu: “…You fell in the tub before.”
She worried Rong Jin might slip with her uncoordinated limbs. Her left leg had just healed somewhat—another fracture would be bad.
Rong Jin: “…”
Rong Jin recalled that embarrassing past and was speechless for once.
Seeing Rong Jin’s wooden expression, Su Qingqiu felt she’d scored a point.
Her lips curved slightly. “I’m going out. Call if you need anything.”
Rong Jin snapped back, grinning. “It’s inconvenient waiting outside. Why not just wash me? I don’t mind.”
Su Qingqiu: “…”
She turned away, slamming the bathroom door with a bang.
