Not Quite Just Friends

After saying that, Xu Zhitong shamelessly reached out and pinched the almond-shaped nails on Lin Yang’s fingers. Her nude manicure was long and slender, set with glittering diamonds—simple, but luxurious.

She’d noticed it the moment they met yesterday, but hadn’t found a chance to touch it.

One of Xu Zhitong’s hands was still holding Lin Yang’s palm, and with the other she got bolder, pinching not just the manicure but the pads of Lin Yang’s fingers and her palm too.

So soft and fragrant. So pretty…

Compared to that, her own fingers had no manicure at all. Her nails were trimmed short and smooth, with not even a hint of dry skin.

This was exactly that kind of relationship, like mommy and mami.

But mommy and mami didn’t wear manicures.

The kind of relationship she and Lin Yang had was different from the one her mom and mami had…

From childhood to now, Xu Zhitong had always been in elite classes that focused on academics, and the school teachers clamped down hard on romance.

On top of that, she was a little slow on the uptake. Back in middle school, when the academic pressure wasn’t nearly so intense, there had been one or two secret early romances in her class; Xu Zhitong was always the last to know, and only found out after they broke up, shocked out of her mind.

She really thought those people were just very close friends!

Her middle school classmate, who’d been gossiping with her, looked speechless. “Girls can fall in love, get married, and have kids too. How could there be pure friendship?”

Xu Zhitong, confused but stubborn, said, “Of course girls can have pure friendship. What you have is a sex-obsessed brain, and that’s not good.”

Classmate: “…I’ll lend you two romance novels, okay?”

Xu Zhitong: “No way. I’m only on volume ten of that big heroine novel, and there are thirteen more volumes after that. My mom only lets me read one hour of leisure books a day, so I don’t have time for yours.”

Her classmate seemed to remember something, and her expression slowly turned self-doubting. “Wait, I just remembered—last semester, didn’t you get along pretty well with that super pretty senior? You always took the snacks she brought you, so why did you stop hanging out later?”

Xu Zhitong said, “She was kind of weird. She always said things I couldn’t understand.”

Classmate: “Be specific.”

Xu Zhitong thought for a moment. “Something about the plums being ripe, the moon being beautiful… maybe she was about to enter high school and planning to choose the liberal arts track.”

Classmate: “…"

Xu Zhitong said, “She also asked me whether I could stop hanging out with other girls… so abstract. We weren’t even in the same grade. Was I supposed to cut off everyone in my class for her? Of course I said no.”

Classmate: “…"

So it wasn’t a breakup at all! This person hadn’t understood the senior’s confession in the first place!

Thinking of the senior’s pretty face and gentle personality, and of those classmates who always posted melodramatic status updates whenever Xu Zhitong and the senior seemed close, she said with genuine admiration, “You’re too strong, Sister Zhitong. What kind of no-CP novels are you reading? Share them with me—I want to read them too.”

…

Xu Zhitong had held onto that belief all the way to seventeen, all the way into high school. Jiangcheng No. 1 High was an elite school, and even more so, a place completely cut off from the shaping of romantic ideas.

To be honest, even before she lost her memory, Xu Zhitong had never imagined what her future romantic partner might be like.

And yet, and yet, now.

Xu Zhitong had a sudden revelation.

She and Lin Yang were supposed to be this kind of relationship!

How could there be pure friendship between girls? She must have had unusual thoughts about Lin Yang a long time ago!

Thank goodness her future self was so smart and decisive; she didn’t know when, but she must have established a romantic relationship with Lin Yang, one that would bind them together for life.

Wonderful.

Xu Zhitong kept imagining it for a long while. Only after quite some time did she look up and discover that Lin Yang wasn’t looking at her at all, but had turned her head away. Under the curtain of her chestnut hair, Xu Zhitong could just make out the reddened tips of her ears and cheek.

Ah, she’s embarrassed.

So cute.

I want to eat Lin Yang up in one bite…

Xu Zhitong’s heart was racing a little from her own imagination too; her face burned, and she reluctantly let go of Lin Yang’s hand, feeling that their relationship had already been made clear for all to see.

When can we kiss?

Why wasn’t Lin Yang telling her yet that they were together? She’d already figured it out.

Xu Zhitong was a little anxious and wanted to get closer.

But this wasn’t a good time either; she’d been touching Lin Yang for so long.

She had only just woken up from memory loss. She couldn’t look too desperate.

She still didn’t know what kind of dynamic her adult self had with Lin Yang.

But for some reason, she also couldn’t bring herself to ask directly. Even though the feelings in her chest were so full they were almost spilling out, something seemed to block them, stopping her from saying it aloud.

Could it be that after growing up, she had become more emotionally restrained?

Xu Zhitong coughed and held herself back, standing up as she covered for herself. “I’ll pour you another glass of water.”

She turned and left in a flash.

Sitting on the sofa, Lin Yang waited until Xu Zhitong had fully turned her back before slowly relaxing her toes, which had been tightly curled into the shaggy carpet the entire time.

The tingling sensation still lingered all over her body. Her hand, which had been set down, rested on her leg, still holding the stiff posture it had taken under Xu Zhitong’s kneading.

From the fingertips that had been touched to the fingers and palm that had been kneaded, everything was completely numb with a prickling tingle. She had to use all her strength just to keep her fingers from trembling; the other hand propped behind her almost wrinkled the sofa fabric from how tightly it was gripping.

Just now, Xu Zhitong’s gaze had been scorching too. Wherever it passed, it seemed to carry some strange power, as if it were about to peel her whole body open.

The itch spread along with Xu Zhitong’s gaze, traveling from her fingertips all the way through her body. Lin Yang had even lost the ability to move; her legs were pressed tightly together, her lips pursed, and from top to bottom she only felt her legs go soft in a thoroughly embarrassing way.

After Xu Zhitong poured the water and then took some time to calm herself down, she returned to the living room only to find Lin Yang no longer on the sofa.

The bathroom door was shut. Through the frosted glass, she could see a vague figure inside, as if Lin Yang were adjusting her skirt…

Xu Zhitong only caught a glimpse before immediately looking away, too embarrassed to look directly.

Just how much filthy, colorful garbage had her brain been filled with before she lost her memory?

How could she see this scene and, in one second, immediately imagine a whole pile of nonsense…

No, no, no.

Xu Zhitong set the water glass down, slapped her own cheeks, and walked two circles around the living room.

Going to the supermarket with Lin Yang was different from going out alone.

Xu Zhitong deliberately ran back to the master bedroom and dug out a couple of ear cuffs and rings to wear.

After all that trouble, when she came out, she found Lin Yang standing at the sink, leaning slightly forward as she touched up her makeup in the mirrored cabinet.

There were still a few drops of water in her hair. Her knitted long dress was form-fitting, and because of her posture, it showed a very obvious curve.

Xu Zhitong stood outside, glanced once, looked away, then couldn’t help sneaking a few more looks.

Was Lin Yang wearing…?

…

Don’t think about those things!

She definitely was.

What style was it? So seamless.

—Stop thinking about it!!!

So this was the price of adulthood?!

Was her self before the memory loss really doing those big, dirty things with Lin Yang in this house every day? Otherwise how could one glance make her imagine all sorts of things?

It had to be the environment influencing her.

She was clearly just an innocent, honest, well-behaved little girl.

Xu Zhitong covered her face and crouched by the wall, reflecting on her sins.

When Lin Yang finished touching up her makeup and turned back around, she saw Xu Zhitong crouched in the corner with her face buried in her hands.

Buried in her head like an ostrich.

Lin Yang frowned slowly.

What was going on?

She walked over and stood beside Xu Zhitong, then turned her head to glance toward the sink.

Lin Yang paused. From this angle…

Her eyes widened slightly, and then the roots of her ears flashed red again.

In disbelief, she lowered her head and looked at Xu Zhitong’s blue hair, where dark black roots had grown out a little.

No way, right?

Xu Zhitong’s memory had only gone back to seventeen; her feelings toward her still hadn’t changed from friendship.

Maybe it was something else.

But Lin Yang was too embarrassed to ask directly too. How was she supposed to open with that? Did you peek at me just now? What if she hadn’t, and Lin Yang ended up looking unbearably self-conscious?

It would also seem like she was deliberately trying to tempt her.

She coughed lightly and said, “Shall we go?”

Xu Zhitong sprang up. “Go, go.”

The two of them each concealed roughly the same secret thoughts, and all the way there, neither of them said a word.

The neighborhood supermarket wasn’t big, and there weren’t many people inside; it was very different from the supermarkets Xu Zhitong usually went to.

Xu Zhitong thought it was because of the technological progress of the past eight years, and she kept looking left and right with curious interest.

After checking the prices of the fruit and snacks, Xu Zhitong moved closer to Lin Yang, who was pushing the cart, and tugged at her wrist.

“Little Lamb.”

“Mm?”

“Have prices really gone up this much over the past few years? Why are even apples selling for… this much?”

She leaned against Lin Yang’s side, and her breath came close too.

Lin Yang could tell Xu Zhitong was a little uneasy.

Uneasy about an unfamiliar environment and an unfamiliar era.

Lin Yang’s mood improved quite a bit compared to just now when she’d been watching Xu Zhitong dart around and look at everything.

Her expression was gentle as she said, “A little, but you can afford it, can’t you?”

Xu Zhitong said, “Yeah.”

She did have quite a bit of money in her bank account. Lin Yang knowing that was completely normal.

Xu Zhitong relaxed a little more, straightened her back, and kept one hand awkwardly holding Lin Yang’s, while the other rested lightly on the cart handle.

When they reached the meat section, Xu Zhitong said, “Let’s buy a chicken; I’ll make soup for you. And some meat too, how about it?”

Lin Yang was just about to say okay when the clerk by the refrigerated display greeted them warmly.

“Ms. Lin, I haven’t seen you in a long time. It’s been over a month, hasn’t it?”

Lin Yang paused, then smiled a little unnaturally. “Yes, I’ve been a bit busy lately.”

The clerk quickly picked out a few steaks from the side. “Last time you said you wanted this cut. We just got a fresh batch in, flown here cold-chain this morning. Want to take a look?”

Lin Yang: “…Sure.”

Xu Zhitong watched from the side. Lin Yang was this familiar with the supermarket clerk?

Clearly the one who liked going to supermarkets and shopping was her. Back in school, it had always been Xu Zhitong dragging Lin Yang to the stationery store by the school gate after class.

She looked at those steaks again and again, and the more she looked, the less pleased she felt.

She didn’t even know Lin Yang liked steak now.

Pouting, Xu Zhitong stepped forward and asked, “Auntie, don’t you recognize me?”

She lived here too, and she loved cooking so much; if she cooked, she needed to buy groceries. The clerk remembered Lin Yang; how could she not know her?

Behind Xu Zhitong, Lin Yang tightened her grip on the cart handle, almost losing her composure.

The clerk laughed cheerfully, glancing at Lin Yang and then at Xu Zhitong. “Oh, haven’t you always been the one coming to buy groceries, Miss Lin? Don’t tease auntie; auntie’s old, and my memory’s not good.”

She deflected smoothly, assuming she’d been dragged into a young couple’s game.

Xu Zhitong didn’t really catch that. She only felt that the clerk had put her and Lin Yang together, and her mood improved again.

Although she still didn’t quite understand why it had always been Lin Yang who came to buy groceries between the two of them.

Xu Zhitong wanted to ask more, but Lin Yang, after picking out two steaks, stopped her. “Didn’t you say you were going to buy chicken?”

Xu Zhitong looked at the size of the steaks. “Isn’t this enough to eat? She’s already prepared these for you, so I won’t buy it…”

Seeing the half-awkward, half-wronged expression on her face, Lin Yang asked, “Really? Then I’ll put them back?”

Xu Zhitong hesitated for two seconds.

She wanted to eat the steak Lin Yang fried. She hadn’t eaten anything cooked by a rich young lady before.

She also wanted to cook for Lin Yang. That was something she was good at, something she could handle steadily.

…

After weighing the two sides, Xu Zhitong shut her eyes, gritted her teeth, and made up her mind. “I’ll buy it next time then.”

Lin Yang gave a soft laugh; her brows and eyes curved slightly.

The clerk, who’d been watching as if she expected the two of them to start arguing, relaxed when nothing happened and smiled along. “Ms. Lin, I’ll scan these for you. Just a moment.”

She took the steaks aside and weighed them while chattering away, dispensing marriage advice to Lin Yang:

“When two people live together, they’ve got to talk things out. How could there be no bumps in the road? Even if you argue, you’ll still make up by the end of the bed. You’ve been coming by on your own all this time, in such a rush; auntie’s been worried just watching. Okay, done. I’ve rounded down the change for you. Come often in the future, all right?”

Those words reached Xu Zhitong’s ears.

Mm?

She blinked from behind and felt like the clerk was hinting at her.

What did “bumps in the road” mean? What did “argue” mean?

Could it be that before she lost her memory, she and Lin Yang had been arguing?

Oh!

She got it again.