Who Comes Out on Top

Qian Cancan counted off the points on her fingers as she repeated it to her.

“Though I completely understand it; cooking every day is impossible, and it really does wear us out,” Qian Cancan said. “But then again, that’s Li Lan. Could you really hold yourself back?”

Zhu Qing gave a dark little laugh to herself. How could she hold herself back?

The moment she saw Li Lan, her heart had started racing; by the third day after they met, she’d wanted to pounce on her.

An elegant, mature beauty with that abstinent, untouchable vibe; she hit every one of her deepest aesthetic weak points and practically had her slamming the accelerator pedal to the floor.

She’d already been holding out to the limit until yesterday.

And then, of all things, Li Lan had actually pinned her down!

So much for the older one doting on the younger and the younger going wild for it.

The older one had only gone wild for her.

Thinking back to the details from last night—the parts that hadn’t been cut, censored, or blurred—Zhu Qing felt her insides churn.

Blood rushed to her head. Hot-blooded indignation and resentment tangled in her chest, and Zhu Qing was almost sick with it.

Qian Cancan asked eagerly, “What happened?”

Zhu Qing turned around with a blank face. “Nothing happened.”

No matter how you looked at her, she didn’t seem like nothing had happened. If this had been before, Qian Cancan would have kept pressing; but she was a little dazed herself, so she only gave an “oh.”

“So you got beaten up?” Qian Cancan was more concerned about Zhu Qing’s swollen eyes.

Her eyelids were thinner than average, so even a little redness or swelling showed clearly.

Qian Cancan remembered that when they were kids and she’d just been sent to daycare, she’d wanted to give little Zhu Qing a warning. While Zhu Qing was doing stretches, she’d kicked her right over. Zhu Qing had immediately started crying, her eyes all red and miserable.

After that, whenever Qian Cancan got near her, Zhu Qing would glare at her. It wasn’t until Zhu Qing found a chance to kick Qian Cancan into the pool and nearly drown her that the grudge between them had finally begun to ease.

The red-eyed little Zhu Qing had been one of Qian Cancan’s deepest early memories.

Zhu Qing was holding back a bellyful of anger and didn’t know how to explain it, so she glared at Qian Cancan.

All of this was because of your useless chain!

With a highly critical look, Zhu Qing swept Qian Cancan from head to toe and back again, then spat out a few icy words: “A silver-plated spear that can’t fire.”

Qian Cancan: ...

“Hey, what did I do to deserve that?” Qian Cancan said, utterly confused. “Who pissed you off?”

Zhu Qing picked up the backpack from the floor and walked straight to one of the guest rooms, pushing the door open and immediately getting a face full of dust.

Qian Cancan followed after her and scratched her head with a laugh. “Your room, you clean it yourself.”

Zhu Qing didn’t feel like moving. “Give me your phone.”

As she handed it over, Qian Cancan asked, “What for?”

“Call housekeeping.”

“You don’t have a phone?”

“I left it at home.”

“Oh.”

The pointless conversation trailed off, and Qian Cancan finally picked up on something strange.

She’d left her phone at home.

A phone was something practically fused to your hand; unless something had happened with food, drink, work, sorrow, or joy, how could anyone forget it even existed?!

Judging from Zhu Qing’s state, it had to be sorrow.

Unhappy; run away from home.

Then something must have happened back home.

Thinking of the errand she’d sent Zhu Qing on, Qian Cancan walked over and bumped her shoulder.

“Hey, you and Li Lan last night...?”

Zhu Qing was already upset, and hearing that made her even more sullen.

“Your stupid chain,” Zhu Qing muttered. “It came right off as soon as I struggled!”

Qian Cancan thought about it. “Silver. There’s also silver-plated gold, and oh right, jade.”

Zhu Qing: ...

“What kind of sick person makes a chain out of silver!”

Pure gold and pure silver were both soft, damn it!

Qian Cancan looked innocent. “It was 925 silver; it’s not that soft. The material’s actually pretty good. Anyway, the reviews were great; nobody said it looked bad.”

Like hell “looks good” counted for anything. Zhu Qing didn’t even want to speak.

Qian Cancan thought it over, then took Zhu Qing’s temper for frustrated disappointment from not getting what she wanted, and comforted her. “It’s fine. If it doesn’t work once, there’s always a second or third time. You refused to fulfill your duties before; now you should give her some time to adjust. You can’t just want to be on top whenever you feel like it and then not want to when you don’t.”

The more Zhu Qing listened, the weirder it sounded, and she quickly raised a hand. “All right, you don’t need to keep talking.”

She handed the phone back to Qian Cancan, her expression slightly unnatural. “Um, Li Lan called you a lot.”

Qian Cancan said righteously, “Don’t answer! She pissed me off by upsetting my bestie; I absolutely will not pick up her call!”

Feeling touched, Zhu Qing patted her shoulder. “Good. I don’t want to go back right now. Let me be alone for a while. Oh, and Qian Chu called you too.”

Qian Cancan’s expression stiffened in a strange, awkward way.

Zhu Qing turned back to look at her. “You... constipated?”

Qian Cancan shook her head furiously and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. “Nothing. Are you hungry? Want to eat? I’ll order takeout.”

The living room was a mess of kitchen waste, but thankfully the kitchen itself was spotless. Zhu Qing and Qian Cancan sat by the island and awkwardly ate a pile of takeout.

Zhu Qing stirred the seafood congee in her bowl, unable to work up much of an appetite. No matter how she sat, she felt uncomfortable.

Just then, Qian Cancan’s phone lit up with an incoming voice call.

Qian Cancan didn’t like answering calls; voice chat was fine, though the avatar displayed on the screen was pretty unpleasant.

Zhu Qing glanced over. It was Qian Chu.

Qian Chu’s avatar suited her very well: a white background with the black character Qian. Every time Zhu Qing saw it, she felt like Qian Chu must be selling calligraphy.

Qian Cancan flipped the phone over with one hand and didn’t answer.

Zhu Qing swallowed a mouthful of seafood congee. “Why aren’t you picking up?”

“She’s Li Lan’s person,” Qian Cancan said as if it were obvious. “I could tell with my eyes closed what she’s calling for.”

Zhu Qing wiped her mouth and looked at the phone. “They might not know where I am. You can answer and say I’m not at your place.”

Qian Cancan pinched the little plastic spoon, thought that made sense, then flipped the phone back over and answered.

“Zhu Qing isn’t here,” Qian Cancan said the moment the call connected.

Zhu Qing: ...

Qian Chu: ...

“How do you know what I was going to ask?” Qian Chu said. “Zhu Qing left her phone at home. How would you know she wasn’t at home?”

Only then did Qian Cancan realize she’d exposed herself.

Zhu Qing pressed a hand to her forehead, at a loss for words.

Qian Cancan said breezily, “She told me herself. She said it on the phone—that she left it at home? That she didn’t bring it out?”

Qian Chu was silent for two seconds. “Cancan, I’m not joking. Give the phone to Zhu Qing. I want to say a few words to her.”

Qian Cancan clicked her tongue. “I’m not joking either. Zhu Qing isn’t here. You won’t get her from me.”

“Cancan,” Qian Chu’s voice turned serious, carrying even a hint of command and reproach. “Do you think unconditional support is what’s best for Zhu Qing? Do you know why I’m calling her?”

“Otherwise what, support has to come with conditions? You think you’re so precious that people are desperate for your little bit of support?” Qian Cancan frowned, the lazy smile on her face disappearing. “Hang up.”

Qian Chu suddenly raised her voice. She sounded furious, though she forced herself to rein it in and change the subject.

“Zhu Qing, I know you’re listening,” Qian Chu said loudly. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but you stormed out of the house over a disagreement and even forgot your phone. Manager Lan is very worried about you.”

Zhu Qing set down her spoon, glanced at the sky, and spread her hands innocently while meeting Qian Cancan’s eyes.

She was an adult. Wasn’t storming off in a huff perfectly normal? Unlike her, who had to argue a point over and over and over until she convinced the other person.

Seeking common ground while preserving differences was the true way to harmony.

Zhu Qing and Qian Cancan had come to the same conclusion without discussing it. Qian Cancan said directly, “Stop meddling in how she handles her own business. You’re standing up for Li Lan, so I can stand up for Zhu Qing too. She just finished cooperating with your Manager Lan on a variety show; she’s done her share of work and paid her dues. What’s wrong with leaving home for a bit? Even if she moved out with the whole house, that’d still be fine!”

Qian Chu finally couldn’t hold back and said in a low voice, “Qian Cancan, stop making trouble and stoking the flames here. This is not the attitude for solving a problem.”

Qian Cancan instantly blew up. “Who’s stoking flames? I think you’re the one stoking mine! I’m making trouble? I think you’re the one being self-righteous!”

The two of them suddenly started arguing. Zhu Qing stared, dumbfounded, and hurriedly grabbed Qian Cancan’s flailing hand while trying to save the phone from its precarious fate.

Mouthing silently, Zhu Qing told her, “Don’t fight.”

She rarely saw Qian Cancan sparring with anyone. In Zhu Qing’s memory, Qian Cancan had always been the most easygoing one: carefree, loyal to her friends, and kind to people. Even when she disagreed, she wouldn’t directly push back. How had she managed to start arguing with Qian Chu over a phone call?

Qian Cancan’s voice only got louder. “If you look down on me, then don’t call me! Is that your attitude toward solving problems? Are you solving the problem, or solving the person who brought the problem up?! You open your mouth and start lecturing me and lecturing A-Qing. Who do you think you are? Don’t think I don’t know your type; polished selfishness, old-fashioned and reactionary. I hate people like you the most!”

Zhu Qing couldn’t hold her back anymore. Qian Chu was probably about to be angry enough to turn into a sieve, so she simply snatched the phone over and said, “You two stop arguing. What exactly do you need from me?”

She was a little speechless too. Couldn’t Qian Chu just say it directly? Why did she have to force Qian Cancan to admit Zhu Qing was there?

Qian Chu was breathing heavily. It took her a while before she could speak.

“Manager Lan mentioned before that she found the best neurologist in the country for you. Do you remember? The doctor is coming over the day after tomorrow for a consultation; the appointment’s already been made. You’ll need to do some tests in advance. Should I send you the list of tests, or should we come pick you up?”

Zhu Qing immediately said, “Send it to me. I’ll go by myself.”

Qian Chu took a deep breath. “All right. That’s all.”

After Zhu Qing snatched the phone away, Qian Cancan seemed to have had the mute button pressed on her; she didn’t move at all. Maybe Qian Chu really had said something serious, because she didn’t swear again.

Qian Chu’s voice softened, and she let out a sigh. “Manager Lan will have a courier deliver your phone to you. Is there anything else you need to bring?”

Zhu Qing said, “No.”

After thinking about it, she added, “Thanks.”

After all, she was troubling other people with her own matters, so Zhu Qing managed to show a little courtesy at the end.

After hanging up, Zhu Qing said helplessly, “How do you two always end up shouting at each other? Qian Chu’s just like that. You know it.”

Qian Cancan snorted. “If getting the doctor to look at your head wasn’t serious business, I’d definitely keep arguing with her. That woman is just annoying; she looks down on everyone all day long.”

Zhu Qing felt that Qian Chu wasn’t that kind of person. “She came from a hard background. Out in some mountain backwater, she was the only one in decades to get into a Double First-Class university. She lost all her relatives and had to make it on her own in a big city. How good of a personality do you expect her to have? She didn’t have any parents or family supporting her. If it weren’t for her own standards, could she have made it this far?”

Qian Cancan thought about it. Her arrogance deflated a little, but she was still indignant.

“Making it this far on your own is impressive; I admit that,” Qian Cancan said. “But that still doesn’t mean she has any right to look down on me.”

Zhu Qing didn’t know what to say now. “...Forget it. You and she aren’t work partners or anything. If you can get along, get along; if you can’t, then just be nodding acquaintances.”

Qian Cancan didn’t say anything after that. She still looked displeased, and Zhu Qing didn’t know what else to say. She got up to help clean up the takeout and put the trash by the door.

By the time they ate, the housekeeper had already come once to tidy up. Zhu Qing was sore all over and wanted to sleep a little more, so she went straight back to the bedroom.

This was the room Qian Cancan had left for her. The apartment was about the same size as Zhu Qing’s place, though right now only Qian Cancan lived here.

The décor inside was even more luxurious; everything had been chosen from the most expensive options.

When Zhu Qing lay down on the bed, she was still thinking about Qian Cancan and Qian Chu’s argument.

Just from this apartment, you could tell that even the currently popular Li Lan had nearly emptied her savings to buy a flat in a first-tier city where every inch of land was worth gold.

But Qian Cancan didn’t need to do anything. She only needed to be born, and she would effortlessly own properties all over the place; once she became an adult, all kinds of luxury cars would be hers to choose from.

Zhu Qing lived side by side with Qian Cancan day after day, and she could still sense the gap between them. For someone like Qian Chu, it would be even more obvious.

Thinking and thinking, Zhu Qing slipped into a dream.

The dream had none of the irritating argument from earlier, but some scenes shamelessly resurfaced anyway.

Zhu Qing dreamed that she woke from a dazed half-conscious state; the danger of the position made her alert, and she struggled free and crawled outward.

Crawl, back, crawl again, then back again.

She really had wanted to use force, but discovered that Li Lan’s strength was fucking no joke!

No wonder she had grown up in an orphanage and later made it through life overseas; no wonder she could carry heavy machine guns and do hard labor. Zhu Qing was no match for her.

If she had only kept coaxing Zhu Qing gently and tenderly, that would have been one thing.

But Li Lan had clearly not held back; she was exactly the same with kissing. At first it was soft and gentle, but later she started plundering and seizing, swallowing Zhu Qing up like someone who hadn’t eaten in three days inhaling a little cake, looking like she wanted to chew and swallow her whole.

The moment Li Lan got her hands on her, Zhu Qing nearly cried.

In her memory, or rather in all her imaginings, it had always been Zhu Qing who did this kind of thing to Li Lan. Every time she kissed Li Lan, Li Lan’s initial awkwardness and faint resistance only deepened Zhu Qing’s impression.

Now that she thought about it, Li Lan was just an old fox.

She resisted, she was shy, she refused—my ass!!

She was the one getting eaten, not the one doing the eating!!

The one who ate and took and took was truly shameless.

Zhu Qing had piled up a bellyful of anger in the dream, until faint arguing came from outside and woke her from that bittersweet, miserable state.

As soon as she opened the door, the sound of the argument grew louder.

The front door was half-open. Qian Cancan was standing in the doorway, tugging with someone else.

“Get lost, my home doesn’t welcome you!”

Zhu Qing jumped. Was this a thief?

She was just about to go help when a hand reached in from outside. “Cancan, calm down. I’m here to apologize.”

Qian Chu’s voice.

Zhu Qing withdrew the idea of going out.

How could Qian Cancan listen to her explanation? “Right now, immediately, get out of my house.”

With that, she tried to slam the door.

Zhu Qing saw Qian Chu’s hand on the doorframe. That woman actually didn’t let go; looking at the way the door was about to close, she seemed willing to have her hand smashed rather than leave.

“Hey...”

Zhu Qing had just started to speak when she saw Qian Cancan stop a centimeter before crushing the hand. Then Qian Chu pushed the door open and came in.

Zhu Qing’s eyes widened instantly.

She rubbed at her eyelids and saw a scene that left her shocked.

————————

Zhu Qing: Oh～～～～～～

Li Lan covered her eyes. “Don’t look at what you shouldn’t.”

Thank you, everyone, for the nourishing liquids; we finally broke a thousand [crying][crying][crying]