The Bathroom
[Who’s wearing it?]
Zhu Qing really didn’t want to say it was hers.
[Not a specific person. I mean statistically speaking, what kind of clothes are the most attractive?]
Qian Cancan’s answer still circled back to specifics.
[Attractive to whom?]
Zhu Qing was annoyed.
[Attractive to you, attractive to me, attractive to Qian Chu, attractive to Li Lan, attractive to everyone.]
Qian Cancan said it straight out.
“If I knew what style Qian Chu likes, that’d be great. You like high-end stuff; your type is a cold, abstinent older-sister beauty. Me? I’ve got a heart full of universal love. I want to give every lonely girl a home.”
Zhu Qing automatically ignored all of Qian Cancan’s nonsense and kept going with the topic. “What about Li Lan?”
Qian Cancan blurted, “How would I know? But women her age probably like younger ones, right? Like you. Whatever style you are, that’s the style she likes.”
Qian Cancan’s words were crude, but they gave Zhu Qing a reminder.
Young, lively, youthful—that was basically a college girl, wasn’t it?
Come to think of it, Zhu Qing had gotten married right after graduation. Back then, she’d had exactly that vibe: a college girl.
But what did college girls wear?
She couldn’t exactly put on a school uniform.
“Why, are you trying to dress up?”
As expected of a real best friend, Qian Cancan could pretty much tell what Zhu Qing wanted to do. Zhu Qing didn’t hide it either and said honestly, “Last time we went out, weren’t we going shopping? Then you ate too much, and after just two stores you couldn’t walk anymore.”
“No, it was you who couldn’t walk anymore,” Qian Cancan refused to take the blame. “You ate like some rich tycoon. I just got infected by you and ate too much.”
“Anyway, I don’t have any clothes that work,” Zhu Qing said gloomily. “My closet’s full of middle-school hoodies. Even I don’t think they look good.”
“What’s wrong with hoodies? Hoodies make you look young,” Qian Cancan said with a laugh. “And shirts with jeans.”
Zhu Qing was speechless. “That’s too plain.”
“Then don’t wear pants.”
Zhu Qing thought Qian Cancan was being obscene.
Don’t wear pants and feel the cool breeze on her legs?
“No, I mean that kind of ‘pants are missing’ look,” Qian Cancan said quickly. “If your legs look good, show your legs. If your waist looks good, show your waist. What you wear isn’t the point. What attracts people is your body and temperament, and of course your face too.”
Zhu Qing fell into thought.
Qian Cancan heard the confusion in her voice and felt a little sad. “Poor you. You were such a good flower, and before you’d even seen many butterflies after graduating, someone uprooted you. Now you can’t even figure out what to wear.”
Zhu Qing didn’t argue and asked humbly, “Then how should I reinvent myself?”
The two of them left home and headed straight for a styling studio.
Qian Cancan was a regular here. There’d been a period when she’d developed some inexplicable fear of water and couldn’t even wash her own hair; she had to have someone else do it. Once every two days, five hundred a wash, for two months straight—that made her a VIP at this studio, and she still had a hundred washes left unused.
“Trim her hair first,” Qian Cancan instructed. “Don’t cut it too short. She’s used to tying it back, so give her a pretty ponytail cut; something like a lively little brown horse in the sunlight. Then do a treatment.”
The owner came out personally to greet them, smiling warmly. “Of course. Do you want to dye it too? Her skin is very fair; she can pull off any color.”
Zhu Qing raised a hand before Qian Cancan could speak. “No, keep the original color. No perm, no dye.”
Qian Cancan looked disappointed. “Do what she says.”
The owner’s skills were decent. After the wash, Zhu Qing felt her hair regain its shine; it was smoother and looked much neater.
They even gave her a princess-style double ponytail.
The second stop was a facial treatment. Zhu Qing refused injectables and other cosmetic procedures and only got a simple moisturizing cleanse, but the effect was still excellent; her skin, fully hydrated, looked bright and clean.
Then they reached the final step: choosing clothes.
Standing under the bright mall lights, Zhu Qing felt a little lost. The stores were packed with every style imaginable, but her understanding of clothes was still stuck in her college years, and she had no idea what Li Lan would like her to wear.
Qian Cancan dragged her straight into a youth-oriented brand store. The sales assistant greeted them enthusiastically. “What kind of clothes are you looking for?”
Qian Cancan waved a hand grandly. “Pick out a few outfits for her that make her look young, show off her figure, show off her temperament, and don’t make it look like she’s trying too hard to look young.”
The sales assistant studied Zhu Qing and smiled. “This young lady has fair skin and great proportions. She could try an academy style or a light-sweet style; it would look fresh and sweet without seeming childish.”
Zhu Qing asked softly, “What’s a light-sweet style?”
Qian Cancan touched her chin. “Maybe something like milk tea. Thirty percent sugar—lightly sweet, sweet but not cloying.”
The sales assistant quickly brought out several sets of clothes: a cropped sweatshirt with a pleated skirt, a belted shirt dress, a short top with an A-line skirt. At a glance, they all had that crisp, clean academy feel.
Qian Cancan evaluated them with a hand on her chin. “Not bad, but something’s still missing.” She turned to Zhu Qing. “What do you think?”
Zhu Qing said she couldn’t tell.
A lot of the time, shopping for clothes was like this; you couldn’t say exactly what was missing, but you couldn’t quite say how good it was either.
They picked through everything, but Zhu Qing still felt it was a little off.
Then her phone rang.
It was Xiao Bao, asking Zhu Qing where she was.
Before leaving, Zhu Qing had asked the nanny to stay home and look after Xiao Bao, but Xiao Bao probably hadn’t seen her for days and had woken up looking for her.
The clothes still weren’t settled, and when Zhu Qing checked the time, it was already nine at night.
“Let’s stop here for today,” Zhu Qing told Qian Cancan, then had the sales assistant pack up the first few outfits she’d tried on.
Qian Cancan yawned. “Want to get a late-night snack?”
Zhu Qing thought about it. “Come to my place and sleep with Xiao Bao. I’ll make sweet soup for you two.”
In the end, Qian Cancan didn’t go home with Zhu Qing. Someone suddenly called her to a gathering, saying they’d invited a little star who’d been pretty popular before; Qian Cancan liked that type, so after dropping Zhu Qing off, she headed off to join the fun.
Zhu Qing knocked on the car window, frowning slightly. “It’s already nine. Go and come straight home after.”
Qian Cancan said cheerfully, “It’s only nine. It’s still early.”
“It’s one of those gatherings again,” Zhu Qing said, her mouth tightening a little. “Wasn’t that little star blacklisted for beating up staff? Are you sure you want to go?”
Qian Cancan rested an elbow on the window and tilted her head to wink at Zhu Qing, looking completely carefree. “Don’t worry, I’m just going to watch the excitement. You know me.”
Zhu Qing thought: exactly because I know you, I’m worried.
Qian Cancan had been the kind of person to take the initiative and hold hands with pretty older sisters since she was five. She looked like a playful, wildly flirtatious type and always gave other people the wrong impression, but in fact she was very devoted and steadfast once she liked someone.
Unfortunately, she loved stumbling into all kinds of messy situations. Zhu Qing said helplessly, “Someone’s going to get a hold of you sooner or later. Be careful.”
With a wave of one hand, Qian Cancan drove off in her flashy pink sports car with swagger.
-
When Zhu Qing got home, she pushed the door open.
“Zhu Zhu!” Hearing the door, Xiao Bao came charging out hugging a little pig plushie, running straight toward Zhu Qing; but when she reached her, she suddenly stopped.
Xiao Bao looked at Zhu Qing expressionlessly, her hair a mess and her face looking a little off.
The nanny came out behind Xiao Bao. Zhu Qing asked softly, “What’s wrong with Xiao Bao?”
The nanny said helplessly, “When she woke up and found out you weren’t home, she’s been like this. She won’t talk and she won’t eat.”
“I just went out to buy something. Haven’t you eaten dinner yet?” Zhu Qing crouched down and smoothed Xiao Bao’s frizzy hair.
Xiao Bao’s big, adorable eyes stared at her without blinking. “Did Zhu Zhu run away because I scared you?”
Zhu Qing couldn’t help laughing. “Of course not. Let’s go eat.”
Xiao Bao sounded dejected. “I called you Mom, and you didn’t want it.”
Zhu Qing pinched Xiao Bao’s arm. It was hard, clearly because she was tensing up. If Zhu Qing didn’t say anything, Xiao Bao just kept staring at her. Zhu Qing found it a little amusing; she adjusted her wording and tried to keep it simple. “If you call me Mom, then what do you call Li Lan?”
“Mom,” Xiao Bao said.
Zhu Qing smiled. “Then when you call for Mom, how would Li Lan and I know who you’re talking to? And even if we could tell the difference, you can’t call me Mom. Only the person who gave birth to you can be called Mom.”
Zhu Qing had a roommate who kept a cat. Once, her boyfriend came over and, while petting the cat, said, “Dad brought you some freeze-dried treats.” The roommate had looked disgusted, like she’d swallowed something dirty. Let alone having a child call someone else Mom.
Calling the nanny auntie was fine; calling Zhu Zhu was fine too. Even calling her Little Mom would be better than sharing the same title as Li Lan.
Xiao Bao lowered her head in disappointment.
Zhu Qing took Xiao Bao to the dining room, reheated dinner, and watched her eat.
When Xiao Bao wasn’t sulking, she was very well-behaved. She had a pretty face, an oval face, and bright almond-shaped eyes; she was adorable, the kind of child who’d have no trouble becoming a child model.
But Xiao Bao and Li Lan were two completely different types. One had a small frame and soft, round, cute features; the other had long bones and refined, high-end features.
Looking at her, Zhu Qing’s heart only softened more.
“What were you doing while I was asleep, Zhu Zhu?” Xiao Bao asked after finishing her meal and not wanting to go to bed yet.
Zhu Qing chatted with her patiently. “Video-calling your mom. She’s very busy with work and asked whether you’d gone home.”
Xiao Bao’s eyes widened a little, then drooped again. “Oh. Mom has never video-called me.”
“Your mom will be back tomorrow,” Zhu Qing said gently, thinking Xiao Bao was missing Li Lan. “Don’t worry.”
Xiao Bao pouted. “I’m not worried. It’s Zhu Zhu who’s worried.”
Zhu Qing smiled and patted her head. “Go to sleep. I’ll make you something tasty tomorrow.”
Xiao Bao’s eyes lit up instantly. “What tasty thing?”
“Whatever you want,” Zhu Qing said. “Let me see if I can make it.”
Xiao Bao rattled off a long list without pausing: “Cheese-baked sweet potato, cartoon rice balls, little burgers, pumpkin pot, little cheese cubes, flower-shaped ice cream, fruit candy skewers!”
The nanny reminded her from the side, “Yanqiu, you have kindergarten tomorrow. You can’t eat that much.”
Xiao Bao immediately looked disappointed.
“You’re going to kindergarten tomorrow?” Zhu Qing asked. “Then are you coming back for lunch and dinner?”
The nanny shook her head. “Tomorrow at eight, Teacher Zhao will come pick her up. After kindergarten, she’ll have other classes, and Xiao Bao will be brought home at nine at night.”
Zhu Qing stared blankly for a long moment after hearing that. She looked baffled. Xiao Bao was five, not fifteen. How had her schedule become eight in the morning to nine at night?
Wasn’t the education department promoting a lighter workload? Who was pushing against the current and overworking a five-year-old under the double-reduction policy?
“Don’t worry, Teacher Zhao won’t have her studying the whole time,” the nanny explained. “Most of the time she takes her out to play.”
Zhu Qing turned to confirm with Xiao Bao. “Really?”
Xiao Bao nodded obediently. “Mm. Tomorrow the teacher is taking me to see Civilisations AR. There are mummies inside, and I can even help take apart a pyramid!”
It took Zhu Qing two seconds to realize what Xiao Bao was saying. It should be a 3D projection about Egyptian civilization, maybe with interactive elements that let her see how the pyramids were built.
All right, that sounded pretty high-end. And Xiao Bao seemed quite interested in mummies, so Zhu Qing decided not to interrupt. Maybe this was what elite education looked like. “That’s good. Do your best. Then I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow morning.”
Knowing she could eat Zhu Qing’s cooking, Xiao Bao jumped up cheering and nearly tripped over the chair. “Yay! Zhu Zhu’s cooking is super delicious!”
Xiao Bao praised people nonstop; she dumped out every compliment she knew all at once. “Zhu Zhu is a genius, Zhu Zhu is perfect! You’re an angel, you’re amazing, I like you so much!”
Zhu Qing was a little red in the face from the child’s innocent praise and coughed lightly. “All right, all right. Then, um, do you know what your mom likes to eat?”
Xiao Bao stopped waving her arms and scrunched up her little face to think for a while. “Mom doesn’t seem to like eating very much.”
The nanny explained from the side, “Miss Li really doesn’t like meals. I rarely see her eat much.”
Zhu Qing thought to herself that when she ate with Li Lan last time, Li Lan hadn’t eaten that little.
“But Mom will eat Zhu Zhu’s food,” Xiao Bao suddenly remembered. “Even though Zhu Zhu doesn’t cook much, Mom always eats it.”
Zhu Qing continued asking, “Do you remember what I made?”
Xiao Bao froze, then puffed out her cheeks. “Hmph, I don’t know! Mom eats it all every time and doesn’t leave any for Xiao Bao. Mom never leaves me any food.”
Zhu Qing didn’t take Xiao Bao’s words seriously and laughed softly. “Then tomorrow you should eat it all too and not leave any for her.”
After coaxing Xiao Bao to bed, Zhu Qing returned to the kitchen and started thinking about what to make tomorrow.
Zhu Qing had known how to cook since she was little. Her earliest memory was at a childcare center. She’d not even been as tall as an adult’s leg when Qian Cancan woke up hungry in the middle of the night and insisted on dragging Zhu Qing out to look for food. Zhu Qing had cooked a bowl of instant noodles on an induction stove and even cracked in two eggs. The eggs had stuck to the pan and burned a little, but from that point on, Zhu Qing’s cooking skill was awakened.
Later, when the two adults found out she could cook, she had even more to do; she had to help in the childcare center kitchen and make meals for all the children. Cooking too much eventually made her sick of it, and cooking became something she was very good at but very much disliked.
But cooking for someone you liked was different. Zhu Qing was very willing to feed Li Lan. The food she’d made last time had suited Li Lan’s taste, especially the pineapple sweet-and-sour pork, so this time she should make another sweet dish along similar lines.
Models ate little and still had to work at high intensity, so nutrition had to be sufficient.
Zhu Qing looked things up while agonizing over tomorrow’s menu, and along the way she even detoured into Li Lan’s fan forum.
Unfortunately, the fans didn’t know what Li Lan liked to eat either; the consensus was just, “Because her figure management is so strict, whether she eats or not is basically metaphysics.”
The next day, Zhu Qing made Xiao Bao cat-shaped rice balls and cheese-baked sweet potato. For dessert, she made candied-hawthorn skewers, and Xiao Bao was one hundred and twenty percent delighted.
After seeing Xiao Bao off, Zhu Qing still hadn’t decided what to cook, so she could only ask directly.
[I’m cooking tomorrow. Is there anything you want to eat? Taking requests.]
-
After the last set of cover shots was finished, Li Lan returned to the makeup room and closed her eyes, waiting for the makeup remover.
Today’s shoot was no different from usual. Every magazine liked to dig some sense of story out of her face, as if that made everything feel more high-end.
But there were benefits too. They wouldn’t deliberately focus on her figure, and she didn’t need to rely on showing skin to get attention. Although Li Lan had walked lingerie shows overseas and didn’t really mind whether she wore more or less, she understood very well the commodity nature of a model; in the end, when she could avoid showing skin, it was better not to do it on purpose. She had more autonomy than those entertainers who went into the sex industry.
The girl in the same studio as her today had also gone into that line. She wanted to reverse that impression and make the audience accept her transformation, forget her past.
Li Lan watched her running around busily with a humble, trying-hard look and remembered her own first few years after entering society. Back then, she also had no choices; the way she struggled to survive had been even more miserable than this person’s.
The door to the makeup room opened. Li Lan, eyes still closed, said, “Bring me some candy. I’m a little dizzy.”
A warm drink was placed beside her hand. She picked it up and took a sip; it was sweet soup.
“Qian Chu, get the staff some drinks and buy some desserts. Remember to give a portion to the other girl taking photos too; I saw she didn’t have lunch.”
There was no movement beside her. Li Lan’s eyelids twitched; just as she was about to turn her head, a rich, gentle voice sounded.
“She’s called Wang Yier. She’s an erotic model. Her photos were originally going to be placed at the back of this issue, but I thought it wasn’t appropriate and already had the editor-in-chief remove them.”
Li Lan’s eyes flew open.
There was a mirror in front of her. In the mirror was a woman in luxurious attire, wearing a collarless satin-gray suit; her face was dignified and beautiful, her whole body carrying the aura of someone in power as she looked down at Li Lan.
Li Lan stood up. “Director Yang.”
Yang Huayi pulled over the chair Li Lan had just been sitting in with one hand and sat down smoothly.
Li Lan lowered her gaze. “What brings you here, Director Yang?”
Yang Huayi’s expression was calm; nothing could be read from it. Her tone was neither angry nor pleased. “You turned down the expo.”
Li Lan was silent for two seconds. “I’d had a heavy workload these past few days, and I wasn’t feeling well.”
Yang Huayi said, “I’m very unhappy.”
Li Lan closed her mouth.
The air instantly fell silent. Yang Huayi had a strong presence. Even though she leaned back casually in the chair, she still gave the impression of looking down on everyone.
Li Lan still couldn’t completely ignore the pressure Yang Huayi brought, but she didn’t want to give in.
When no reply came from Li Lan, Yang Huayi said coolly, “There was a director at the expo; I’d originally wanted to introduce you. But you didn’t go, and you didn’t tell me either.”
Li Lan said softly, “I thought Director Yang wouldn’t interfere with my work schedule.”
“Oh? Your work?”
Li Lan’s lashes trembled. She was a little angry and very much wanted to say, why wasn’t it her work? Her career had been built step by step by her own hands. She had never fallen, no matter how hard or painful things got. Why couldn’t she make her own decisions now?
“Of course.” Li Lan lifted her head, anger showing on her face, her tone a little harder too; a faint trace of irritation pressed between her brows.
Seeing her attitude, Yang Huayi actually smiled instead of getting angry. Her tone eased a little, and she didn’t press the issue any further. “If you say it’s yours, then it’s yours.”
Yang Huayi casually tossed over a script and said flatly, “The script is here. Republican-era drama, low-budget production, a more literary female-female lead project. I suggest you read it carefully before deciding whether to take it. Give me your answer before the variety show.”
Li Lan looked at the script she’d thrown aside and slowly realized what Yang Huayi had been trying to do lately.
What Li Lan had now was only her looks and the professional quality of a model. If she wanted to transform, wanted to return to the domestic market, what she lacked was exposure and work.
Going on a national variety show would increase exposure and recognition; making a film that could win awards and prove her acting ability would give her a work to stand on. These were all crucial to her transformation into an actress.
Yang Huayi was helping her.
But Li Lan didn’t want to have too much to do with Yang Huayi.
“Director Yang, I really don’t understand,” Li Lan thought it over and then laid it out directly, neither humble nor overbearing. “What’s the point of all this?”
If this had been more than ten years ago, Li Lan would have known Yang Huayi was doing it to satisfy her own preferences. She liked discovering raw jade and creating stars with her own hands, watching beautiful girls shed their youthfulness and grow into all kinds of stars according to her tastes. She had nurtured many top celebrities; behind many of the female stars who shone brightly for a time was her handiwork.
Li Lan didn’t want to offend Yang Huayi, but she was no longer eighteen. She was thirty now; the possibility of being sculpted had long since passed. Why was Yang Huayi still doing all this?
“Director Yang, I’m thirty now.”
Hearing Li Lan’s words, Yang Huayi’s gaze suddenly drifted far away. Her elegant face softened for a moment, as if she had remembered someone, and she didn’t speak for a long time.
While Li Lan was waiting for her answer, her phone suddenly lit up.
Seeing that it was a message from Zhu Qing, she opened it.
[I’m cooking tomorrow. Is there anything you want to eat? Taking requests.]
Zhu Qing was cooking?
The corners of Li Lan’s mouth lifted unconsciously, and that warm, pleased feeling nearly bulldozed its way through her gloomy mood without any mercy.
She’d be home soon. Once she got home, she’d see Zhu Qing, and she’d be able to eat the food Zhu Qing made with her own hands. That thought lifted Li Lan’s mood so quickly she now wanted nothing more than to teleport home immediately.
[Anything is fine]
[The pineapple last time was very tasty]
Yang Huayi noticed the change in her. After Li Lan finished replying, she asked faintly, “You like her that much?”
Li Lan took a second to react, then realized her mood was good and said whatever came to mind. “Of course I like her. If I didn’t, why would I marry her?”
That answer made Yang Huayi fall silent again.
After a while, she finally spoke, her tone unreadable. “If you like someone, you have to marry them?”
“Depends on the person. Me, anyway,” Li Lan said. “If you don’t get married, are you just waiting to break up?”
Yang Huayi didn’t speak again. A while later, Qian Chu’s voice came from outside, careful and tentative. “Director Yang, Manager Lan, the flight’s going to be delayed.”
Yang Huayi stood. “Think carefully about the script. Also, your daughter Yanqiu is five this year, right?”
Li Lan grew wary. “Why is Director Yang asking about her?”
With her back to Li Lan, Yang Huayi said, “Get ready. She can enter Q School.”
Q School was one of the country’s top international schools. Its admission spots were notoriously hard to get. Not only did they assess the parents’ professions and family assets, they also tested the child with written exams and interviews.
Q School had excellent teachers. The students there were either rich or powerful, and all kinds of resources were extremely abundant. It could be said that once inside, a child would receive the best education from every angle, which would be immensely beneficial to their lifelong development.
A school like that was absolutely impossible for Li Lan to get into on her own.
What did Yang Huayi mean? Was she going to help Xiao Bao get into Q School? Why would she help with that?
Li Lan was very surprised, but before she could say anything, Yang Huayi had already walked out. Her departing back looked somewhat hurried, carrying a kind of unspeakable gloom.
Li Lan shook her head, planning to ask about it next time if she had the chance.
-
After receiving Li Lan’s message, Zhu Qing immediately got to work.
Based on Zhu Qing’s observations, Li Lan probably liked sweet dishes. The first dish was crispy lotus root slices in a sweet-and-sour glaze, glossy and clear; then came sweet and sour pork coated in a bright red sauce, golden and crisp; and finally a plate of crystal-clear emerald-and-white rolls bursting with juice. The staple dish was creamy caramel pasta, along with a bowl of tom yum seafood soup.
Zhu Qing rarely made such a confusing East-West fusion meal, but these dishes were perfect for testing Li Lan’s preferences.
If she liked Thai tom yum soup, then many Thai dishes should be acceptable too.
If she accepted pasta, then Western-style food should also be fine; that way Zhu Qing could keep feeding Li Lan in all sorts of different ways.
Zhu Qing gave herself a thumbs-up.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Li Lan saying she’d just gotten off the plane.
Zhu Qing set the food on the table and was just about to celebrate her perfect preparation when she looked up and saw her own disheveled reflection in the cabinet glass.
Zhu Qing:!!
Oh no!! She’d actually forgotten to change clothes!
-
When Li Lan was standing with her suitcase waiting for the elevator, a subtle sense of confusion rose in her heart.
After Zhu Qing got off the plane, she’d replied with a simple “okay,” but after that she never answered any more of Li Lan’s messages.
Li Lan asked Zhu Qing whether she needed her to bring anything back; Zhu Qing didn’t reply.
Li Lan asked if she wanted her to come downstairs to help carry the luggage; Zhu Qing still didn’t reply.
But those small anomalies didn’t dampen Li Lan’s good mood. On top of the five straight days she’d been working last week, her workload for this month had already exceeded target by a wide margin. For a long time, there wouldn’t be any long-distance separation from Zhu Qing.
That lifted mood reached its peak after her fingerprint unlocked the door, then began to fall.
Li Lan pushed the door open, changed into slippers at the entryway, and found the house completely silent.
She walked into the living room and smelled the fragrance of food.
The table was filled with tempting, fragrant dishes, all steaming hot, which meant they’d just come out of the wok.
But... where was the person?
Li Lan raised her voice. “Zhu Qing?”
After the call, nothing happened.
After a moment of hesitation, Li Lan first went to her room and changed clothes. When she returned to the living room, there was still no sign of anyone.
Li Lan walked up to the master bedroom. The door was closed; she knocked. “Zhu Qing?”
Still no response.
Li Lan frowned, worry rising in her heart.
She called Zhu Qing’s phone. Three seconds later, a cheerful ringtone sounded from inside the master bedroom.
Li Lan no longer hesitated and pushed the door open.
The master bedroom was fairly large, the whole room visible at a glance. There was no one inside, only the phone ringing on the bed. Li Lan shifted her gaze to the attached bathroom.
At that moment, there was a thud from inside, like something had fallen.
Li Lan hurried over, already imagining that Zhu Qing had slipped while showering or fallen asleep in the bath and drowned. Her heart was in her throat.
Li Lan yanked the door open hard. “Xiao Qing—”
The scene in front of her made her breath catch.
Hot, humid steam surged out; in the hazy mist, she saw Zhu Qing at a glance, collapsed on the floor.
Zhu Qing was sitting there in an utterly miserable posture, wearing only a shirt that was clearly one size too big. The pure white cotton long sleeves had been steamed slightly wrinkled by the moisture; the hem was tossed about in disarray, barely covering her thighs, yet because she was sitting on the floor it had ridden up a little, revealing a flash of blindingly pale skin.
Her long legs looked like they might have been bruised, bent pitifully; when she heard the door, she curled up again in fright.
On top of her head were two fluffy buns, and a few stray strands of hair were damp and stuck to her reddened cheeks. Her whole face was flushed red, even the tips of her ears stained crimson; her lashes trembled in panic, and her wet eyes peered up from beneath, looking exactly like a startled little animal.
The bathroom was a complete mess. A comb and hair gel were scattered over the sink, and a soaked dress lay on the floor; clearly that had been the outfit she intended to change into.
At this moment, Zhu Qing was frantically tugging at the too-long hem of the shirt, trying to cover herself; but the more panicked she got, the less obedient the fabric became, slipping open more and more.
Li Lan’s gaze swept over Zhu Qing’s reddened knees and then suddenly noticed that her elbow was red too. She immediately frowned. “Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”
Zhu Qing quickly shook her head. The movement was too big, and one of the buns on her head popped loose with a slap. She let out a small sound of alarm and hurriedly reached for the fallen hair tie; as a result, the shirt collar slipped open, revealing half a snow-white shoulder.
Li Lan’s breathing visibly stalled for a moment.
“Be careful.” Li Lan clenched her hand, forcing herself to look away, and moved forward quickly to help her up.
With Li Lan’s help, Zhu Qing managed to stand; only to realize in despair that now that she was upright, the hem covered even less, and with just one lift of her hand, certain alluring curves were exposed...
Zhu Qing frantically tried to cover herself, but her left hand got stuck in the overlong sleeve, and when her right hand pulled at the hem, she accidentally stepped on the trailing edge. She flailed twice like a clumsy penguin, and because of the violent movement her buns completely came undone, her frizzy hair and red face making her look like a hamster soaked by rain.
Her shirt hem had been fully rolled up to her waist by her ridiculous movements, and her two pale legs kicked wildly. In a flash of inspiration, Zhu Qing grabbed the towel nearby and threw it over her legs, but she accidentally knocked over the shelf; bottles of shampoo and body wash tumbled down with a clatter.
Li Lan hurriedly lifted an arm to block them, shielding Zhu Qing in her embrace, only to take the full impact herself.
“I didn’t mean to!” Zhu Qing was practically falling apart. “Are you okay?”
When Zhu Qing realized she still hadn’t cleaned herself up and Li Lan had already gotten off the plane, she hurried into the bedroom to comb her hair. But who would have thought the styling she’d done yesterday had used hair gel, locking the ponytail in place so tightly that she couldn’t fix it for ages? When Li Lan first walked in, her hair had looked like a puffed-up wasp nest, and she didn’t dare go out and face her.
In a panic, Zhu Qing had tied the ponytail into buns. Just after she finished, she accidentally got the clothes she’d brought in wet. At that point Zhu Qing was already down to her underwear, and the only clothes in the bathroom were a set Li Lan had left behind before. Zhu Qing had no choice but to quickly put on the shirt; but after dressing, she horrifiedly realized she had no pants.
Then Li Lan pushed open the master bedroom door, startling Zhu Qing so badly that she fell.
And that was how this scene came to be.
It was over. Zhu Qing was in complete despair; she had ruined everything and actually let Li Lan see her looking so miserable!
Zhu Qing was still in Li Lan’s arms, and she awkwardly tried to stand up. Because she was too nervous, she was sweating all over; the damp shirt clung to her body, outlining several ambiguous curves.
“Don’t move.” Li Lan’s voice was frighteningly hoarse.
Zhu Qing was only wearing Li Lan’s shirt, fluttering and struggling in her arms. Her soft skin kept brushing against Li Lan through the thin fabric; that fact made Li Lan’s eyes grow bloodshot bit by bit, her breathing nearly spiraling out of control.
Zhu Qing tilted her face up. Too aggrieved and too embarrassed, she was so angry her eyes had gone misty.
From this angle, Li Lan could clearly see Zhu Qing’s collarbones rising and falling with her rapid breathing, and... the scenery farther down.
“Turn around.” Li Lan ordered through gritted teeth.
Zhu Qing obediently turned her back, looking utterly dejected.
Li Lan grabbed the towel nearby; her movements were a bit rough, but when she wrapped it around Zhu Qing, she unconsciously softened her touch.
Once Zhu Qing was bundled up in the towel, she gained a little sense of security. She covered her face in despair and peeked at Li Lan’s expression through her fingers; the tips of her ears were so red they looked like they might drip blood.
At this moment, she very much wanted to vanish straight into the bathroom floor.
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Sorry I’m late; I’m not stuck on the plot, I just work overtime every day [crying]
Zhu Qing: I have no face left to see anyone, wuwu.
Li Lan: (gaze deepening)