Chapter 114
The two of them faced off.
As each second ticked by, neither of them could afford to keep dragging this out.
After a moment, Gu Yanqiu sighed and said, “Let’s make a deal.”
Lin Yuewei immediately went on guard. “What kind of deal?”
She still remembered exactly how Gu Yanqiu had locked down her limbs just now. If she hadn’t learned ground grappling from her coach before, she would already have been devoured whole. Acting like some fierce old wolf when she had clearly only just turned from a little white rabbit into this.
Gu Yanqiu usually looked as harmless as a bunny; ever since Lin Yuewei had praised her for being cute, she even liked calling herself “the little cutie” from time to time. Yet in a situation like this, she was actually this vicious.
Lin Yuewei had really misjudged her!
Gu Yanqiu said, “We take turns.”
Lin Yuewei asked, “You first or me first?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “Me first.”
Lin Yuewei said at once, “No, I go first.”
Gu Yanqiu didn’t understand. “Is the order really that important to you?”
Lin Yuewei nodded. “Yes. If it’s not important, why do you want to go first?”
Gu Yanqiu thought she was making perfect sense, and her reasons were entirely proper. “Because last time it was interrupted from my side, and also I’m more patient than you; my learning ability is slightly better than yours too...”
Before she could finish, Lin Yuewei cut her off. “Give it a rest, Gu Yanqiu. You haven’t even looked at the materials. On what basis are you saying your learning ability is better than mine? Your imaginary learning ability? I’ve studied for several months already!”
Gu Yanqiu: “You—”
She drew a deep breath and silently repeated the three sacred words in her head: don’t argue, don’t argue, don’t argue. She closed her eyes briefly and said, “Rock-paper-scissors. Is that okay?”
Lin Yuewei thought about it, gritted her teeth, and agreed readily. “Fine.”
It was the fastest and most convenient method.
Lin Yuewei was a little cold with the blanket in her arms, so she picked up the clothes she’d tossed to the floor and put them back on. Halfway through, she froze in surprise when she saw Gu Yanqiu already neatly dressed. When had she even taken off her pajamas? She herself was still perfectly fine.
That made her feel even more fortunate that she’d reacted in time and gotten this rock-paper-scissors chance. Otherwise, if they’d really gone by who was stronger or weaker, her odds were much lower than Gu Yanqiu’s. Wasn’t it agreed that she hadn’t looked at the materials? Had Gu Yanqiu secretly crammed on the sly?
“Scissors, paper...” Each of them tucked one hand behind her back, then thrust it out at the same time. “Rock.”
Gu Yanqiu had scissors. Lin Yuewei had paper.
Lin Yuewei’s inner world collapsed.
Gu Yanqiu laughed triumphantly.
Gu Yanqiu even made a show of coming over to take off the clothes Lin Yuewei had just put on. Lin Yuewei clutched at her collar and felt she could still struggle a little. “We never said the rules; who said one round decides it?”
Gu Yanqiu looked displeased, but Lin Yuewei had indeed exploited a loophole. Lin Yuewei didn’t want to be cooperative, but Gu Yanqiu couldn’t just force her.
This time they agreed in advance: best two out of three.
“Scissors-paper-rock.”
The second round: Gu Yanqiu had rock; Lin Yuewei had scissors.
Score, 2:0. Lin Yuewei was beyond saving.
Like a trapped beast making a last-ditch struggle, Lin Yuewei caught hold of one of Gu Yanqiu’s sleeves and resorted to the coquettish tactic she usually despised, begging softly, “Can we make it best three out of five?”
Gu Yanqiu patted her head.
After Lin Yuewei lost at rock-paper-scissors, she set aside every thought she had ever imagined and simply considered herself a lifeless salted fish. She wasn’t actually that concerned with who was on top and who was on the bottom; that wasn’t important. What she wanted was to be the one who first saw Gu Yanqiu in this sort of state, to enjoy the feeling Gu Yanqiu was enjoying. That kind of stimulation was far greater than simply lying there and enjoying it herself; at least that was what she believed at the moment.
Lin Yuewei wanted to undress herself, but Gu Yanqiu refused, saying they should take it slowly and that it would be more romantic if she did the undressing herself. Fine, then let it be romantic; who told her to win rock-paper-scissors? The winner was boss.
Gu Yanqiu poked Lin Yuewei’s lips with her index finger. They were soft and pink, moist, and still damp from kissing only a short while ago. Lin Yuewei clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She had a big temper, especially in front of people she was close to; she could blow up without hesitation. Now Gu Yanqiu was the person closest to her, so she could get angry with full confidence even when she was in the wrong.
Gu Yanqiu understood her, and she had just won the most important round of rock-paper-scissors, so she was in a very good mood; she generously forgave everything.
After clicking her tongue, Lin Yuewei furtively glanced at her, hoping that her temper might soften Gu Yanqiu’s heart. Gu Yanqiu usually went along with her pretty well. What if this worked?
But Gu Yanqiu remained unmoved; she only smiled.
“...”
Only then did Lin Yuewei understand how tonight would end. Still, she thought, rock-paper-scissors should only decide who went first and who went later. At worst, she’d lose the initiative for a while; later on, she could still wrest the steering wheel back. So long as she didn’t try to snatch the wheel on the highway in the middle of the drive, Gu Yanqiu had no reason to question her. More optimistically, what if Gu Yanqiu’s driver’s license was a fake piece of paper meant to bluff people? She could pull into a service area halfway through and boldly switch drivers.
That was the plan.
But plans never keep up with changes. She had never imagined that Gu Yanqiu would drive the car completely out of gas and nearly burn out the engine; by the time Lin Yuewei found a gas station, it was already the next morning.
...
At seven in the morning, Lin Yuewei woke in Gu Yanqiu’s arms and lay there dazed for a long while before finally coming back to herself.
In her fantasy before this, she should have been gazing at Gu Yanqiu with infinite tenderness, waiting for the beauty who’d been tormented all night to wake up, then asking considerately, “How do you feel?” Maybe the beauty would be shy; she would seize the chance to kiss her while saying some filthy sweet nothings, preferably enough to make her blush even more, then tease each other a bit before getting up for breakfast and sending the sore-waisted, aching beauty off to work.
Lin Yuewei lifted a leg and felt the soreness still lingering in her muscles; her eyes were full of cold detachment.
Gu Yanqiu was awake too. The arm around her waist tightened, pulling Lin Yuewei closer. Then she lowered her head and kissed her forehead. Her voice sounded satisfied and lazy, with a trace of half-awake sexiness. “Good morning.”
And undeniably, there was a bit of that just-waking-up sensuality.
That sexy voice brought Lin Yuewei’s memories flooding back.
Gu Yanqiu, this novice driver, had shown none of a beginner’s awkwardness. Whether on straightaways or through curves, she was extremely practiced; she just wasn’t very skilled at sudden acceleration. Sometimes she would overshoot and, counterproductively, slam into the roadside guardrail. But her ability to adapt was especially strong; she could quickly wrench the steering wheel back into the proper position and keep circling the mountain road again and again. After sleeping a bit, she was lively and energetic once more.
Lin Yuewei decided to forgive her for making her feel like she’d been rattled around on a roller coaster all night.
“Good morning.” Lin Yuewei yawned.
Gu Yanqiu lowered her head and sucked at her lips, clinging to her. “Can we do it again?”
“What do you mean, can we?” Lin Yuewei pushed at Gu Yanqiu’s arm. “Go make breakfast.”
Gu Yanqiu wouldn’t let go, rubbing her nose against Lin Yuewei’s neck.
Lin Yuewei itched unbearably and laughed in exasperation. “Are you a dog?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “I am; I want to eat you.”
Lin Yuewei thought something was off about that line. After mulling it over, she said indignantly, “You’re insulting me.”
Gu Yanqiu burst out laughing and nimbly threw back the blanket and got out of bed. Lin Yuewei wanted to get up and catch her, but as soon as one foot touched the floor, she trembled and had to grab the bedside table to steady herself. Since she couldn’t catch the culprit, she launched a sonic attack instead. “You stop right there!”
Gu Yanqiu had burned all the gas in the car last night and still felt a little guilty; or maybe the driving experience had been too good, in any case she stopped obediently and walked back toward Lin Yuewei.
Lin Yuewei gave her a light kick; it only made her own leg hurt more. In the end, she waved her hand in annoyance. “Hurry up and make breakfast.”
She peeked toward the doorway and, seeing that Gu Yanqiu had indeed left, she quietly put on a coat, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom to run a bath. Too lazy to go back, she pulled over a small stool and squatted beside the tub to wait for it to fill.
The warm water washed over every sore, weak cell in her body. Lin Yuewei stretched out with utter comfort, squinting slightly as if she were about to fall asleep in the tub. She simply shut her eyes and vaguely cursed Gu Yanqiu in her mind; none of it was something Gu Yanqiu could hear.
Uncontrollably, she also replayed last night in her head. Her thoughts kept rewinding, her fingers idly tapping on the surface of the water. Judging by her expression alone, she actually looked rather pleased with herself.
It wasn’t until a soft sound of the door opening that she jolted awake.
Gu Yanqiu was standing not far away, looking a little at a loss.
“I came upstairs to call you for breakfast, but you weren’t in the room, so I...” Her fingers twisted together tightly.
Lin Yuewei averted her gaze from those long fingers and said magnanimously, “It’s fine. I’ve already seen everything that needed to be seen anyway.”
Gu Yanqiu, who hadn’t expected her to be so open: “...”
Lin Yuewei said, “Can you still not handle this? Who exactly is the driver here? I haven’t even been embarrassed; why are you embarrassed?”
Gu Yanqiu said, “I’m not.”
Lin Yuewei challenged her, “Then what are you?” Deliberately scooping up a handful of water, she stretched out one arm and poured it down from above. “Are you afraid of me?”
Gu Yanqiu was silent for a second, then strode straight toward the bathtub.
Lin Yuewei shouted to stop her. “Fine, I’m the one afraid of you!”
Gu Yanqiu held back a laugh as she retreated. “Hurry up. Breakfast is going to get cold.”
Lin Yuewei was so annoyed she grabbed a handful of water and splashed it at her, but Gu Yanqiu backed away too quickly and dodged it. At the doorway, she heard Lin Yuewei cursing.
So cute.
Looks like her little cutie would have to step aside. Clearly Lin Yuewei was much cuter than she was.
***
“Today I’m going home for a bit,” Lin Yuewei said at the table after taking a bite of the omelet Gu Yanqiu had cut for her and swallowing it fully.
“Okay; I’ll drive you later.”
“What about Schrödinger? Did you pack up its stuff?”
“...”
Last night they had been too busy driving around the mountain road and had forgotten Schrödinger entirely. Who knew how long it had scratched at the door; when they got up this morning, it was ignoring them and still sulking. Gu Yanqiu said, “I’ll get off work this afternoon and come back here first to pick up Schrödinger, then go home.”
“Alright.”
Lin Yuewei glanced at Schrödinger crouched in the corner. Schrödinger spared her not even a single look.
“When did it fall asleep?” Lin Yuewei asked Gu Yanqiu.
“It was already asleep by the time I went to sleep.”
Lin Yuewei rolled her eyes. “I don’t know when you went to sleep.”
Gu Yanqiu then showed a faint hint of smugness. “I know when you went to sleep.”
Lin Yuewei threw a tissue at her. “How is that any of my business?”
Gu Yanqiu didn’t dare laugh anymore and obediently said, “I washed my hands last night and went to sleep at two.”
Lin Yuewei threw the whole tissue box at her. Gu Yanqiu lifted a hand and caught it precisely. “Actually, I fell asleep about the same time as you.”
“You say one more word!” Lin Yuewei made as if to throw her chopsticks.
Only then did Gu Yanqiu, still not quite satisfied, shut her mouth.
Lin Yuewei didn’t want to sit at the same table with this smug little villain, so she went off to the corner of the house to dote on Schrödinger. Schrödinger turned its head away and waddled off on its short little legs.
Gu Yanqiu cleared the dishes from the table. Lin Yuewei was still outside playing chase with Schrödinger from time to time, occasionally supporting her waist.
Gu Yanqiu called out, “Time to head out.”
Lin Yuewei bent down and said goodbye to Schrödinger, then walked to the foyer with her head held high. She changed her shoes and went out the door; Gu Yanqiu closed the door behind her, then jogged over to open the car, attentive and considerate.
***
“Mom, I’m back,” Lin Yuewei called weakly, but instead of Ran Qingqing, it was the housekeeper who answered.
“Madam went out.”
“Went out?” Lin Yuewei was surprised. “So early? It isn’t even nine yet.”
“Yes.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No,” the housekeeper said. “Yuewei, why do you look so bad?”
“I didn’t sleep well last night.” Lin Yuewei waved it off. “It’s nothing.”
“Young people shouldn’t stay up too late all the time.”
“I know.”
Lin Yuewei padded into the house in cotton slippers, then called to the housekeeper, who had turned to go back inside after chatting with her. The housekeeper looked back. “What is it?”
Lin Yuewei asked, “Nothing. Did you buy the vegetables for lunch today?”
The housekeeper shook her head. “No. I’ll go buy them later.”
Lin Yuewei said casually, “Then buy some chives at noon. I want to eat them.”
The housekeeper agreed, then asked, “Why chives all of a sudden? You usually don’t eat them much.”
“I suddenly want them. I saw a recipe online; I’ll send it to you later and you can just make it according to that. I’ll try the taste.”
“Alright, alright.”
“I’m going upstairs to sleep. When my mom comes home, just tell her I’m back.” Lin Yuewei stretched as she walked upstairs.
“Go sleep. Don’t stay up late tonight either.”
Lin Yuewei caught up on some comfortable sleep and went downstairs feeling refreshed, her hands swinging loosely, only to see her mom on the sofa downstairs teasing the dog—Ms. Ran Qingqing.
“Hi, my dear Ms. Ran Qingqing,” Lin Yuewei greeted her enthusiastically from the stairs.
“Hi, my dear daughter,” Ran Qingqing replied.
Lin Yuewei flopped down on the sofa and glanced at the wall clock in the living room. “What did you go out for so early this morning?”
“Nothing much. I went out to burn incense.” Ran Qingqing’s gaze was a little evasive. She loosened her hand from the corgi’s ears, and the corgi seized the chance to jump off her lap and frolic around the house.
Lin Yuewei folded her arms, looking relaxed. “Is there a temple near our place?”
Ran Qingqing lied without blinking. “One was just built recently, pretty far from our house. I got up very early.”
Lin Yuewei smiled at her; Ran Qingqing smiled back. Then Lin Yuewei suddenly barked, “Spill it!”
Ran Qingqing was startled, instantly bristling. “How do you talk to your mother? So loud and rude.”
Lin Yuewei said, “If you won’t tell the truth. Now the two of us are on the same boat, and you’re still hiding things from me. What if you secretly soften up? Wouldn’t I be wasting my feelings?”
“Who’s softening up?” Ran Qingqing grabbed a cushion and flung it at her. Lin Yuewei’s reflexes were fast enough that she caught it with one hand. Ran Qingqing glared at her. “Let go.”
Lin Yuewei let go and took the two hits from Ran Qingqing squarely.
Ran Qingqing said, “I’m not softening up. I just went out to meet someone.”
Lin Yuewei asked, “Who?”
Ran Qingqing said, “That college girl your dad cheated with before.”
Lin Yuewei dragged out an “oh,” and her eyes immediately turned interested as she looked at her mother.
Ran Qingqing said with disgust, “I knew that would be your reaction.”
Lin Yuewei said, “Oh? So you can do it but not admit it?”
“What do you mean, ‘can do it but not admit it’?” Ran Qingqing realized she’d been led by the nose by Lin Yuewei, and quickly spat, “Who said I did anything? I didn’t do anything at all.”
“Then you didn’t come home last night?”
“What do you mean didn’t come home? I went out in the morning.”
“Oh, oh, so you went out before it was even light this morning?”
“...” Ran Qingqing was so pinned by Lin Yuewei’s back-and-forth that she had nothing to say, so she simply stopped talking and went off to play with her dog.
Seeing that her mother really couldn’t be bothered to banter with her anymore, Lin Yuewei took the initiative to admit fault and coaxed Ran Qingqing back. Ran Qingqing looked at her and caught a different note in her expression. “You seem especially excited.”
“Do I?” Lin Yuewei shrugged. “Maybe I’m hungry.”
Ran Qingqing guessed she was talking nonsense, but girls who’d fallen in love often had this sort of thing going on, so she didn’t press further. As for her, meeting that student had been entirely the student’s own invitation.
“She’s still inviting you after all this time?” Lin Yuewei said in surprise. Hadn’t it been more than half a year already?
“Not that long, was it? She’s been in touch with me all along.”
“All along?” Lin Yuewei was even more shocked. “Why have I never heard you mention it?”
“You never asked.”
“I’m asking now, so hurry up and tell me.”
“Actually, it’s not that often. Once every month or two; there was one month when we met twice.”
“Mom.” Lin Yuewei said gravely.
“What?”
“I only see you once every more than three months.”
“That’s because you went off to film. Don’t lump them together. You little spendthrift, what’s wrong with doing something else? If you’d stayed in the company and properly inherited the family business, would I have to be this troubled? I...”
“Stop, stop.” Lin Yuewei made a pained expression. One more word and she really might have performed a head-first dive into the ground on the spot.
“That girl went to the same university as me. In other words, I’m her senior. And she’s a senior this year, right? She’s interning and looking for work, and sometimes she gets pretty troubled, so she comes to chat with me. Sometimes on weekends she invites me out for afternoon tea.” Ran Qingqing had actually been rather bothered at first; after all, the kid had once slept with Lin Yuewei’s father, and even though she later came to her senses, just seeing her still felt a little off. But the kid kept calling her Sister, and that softened her heart. Besides, she thought, this was also someone who’d been deceived, and the two of them were basically in the same boat. Over time, she gradually got past her prejudice. On top of that, Ran Qingqing had been needing companionship lately, so the young woman would chat with her and cheer her up from time to time.
Lin Yuewei had already automatically imagined a melodramatic soap-opera plot involving a mistress and the legitimate wife; moreover, she felt her mom might still not realize she was being played. So she cleared her throat and said, “A modern young woman, asking a woman who’s been a stay-at-home wife for more than twenty years for career advice?”
“What’s wrong with that? Your mother was excellent in both character and studies back in the day too; I’ve held jobs before.”
“Didn’t people get assigned jobs when you graduated from college?”
“...”
“Mom,” Lin Yuewei said with deep feeling, “today’s young people, boys or girls, have really deep tricks when they’re chasing someone. You should first figure out whether she’s trying to play you.”
“What tricks? What chasing?”
Lin Yuewei explained it to her in simple terms. Ran Qingqing was startled. “There’s such a thing?”
Lin Yuewei nodded with a grave expression.
Ran Qingqing immediately ran off to make a phone call nearby, probably to ask that young girl about it. When she came back, she looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. “She said she likes me.”
Lin Yuewei looked exactly as if she’d known it all along.
She probably had also awakened some intuitive sense after falling in love herself.
Ran Qingqing said, “I’m already in my forties. I’m twice her age. What does she like about me?”
Lin Yuewei studied her mother’s face. While her skin wasn’t that of a twenty-something youth, her features were exquisitely refined. She looked to be only in her thirties, and she usually dressed herself up neatly and properly, with the kind of pampered elegance that came from a life of privilege. It would be perfectly normal for her to attract not just a few peach blossoms, but a whole peach forest.
After hearing Lin Yuewei’s thoughts, Ran Qingqing shook her head and said, “I’m not talking about that. I mean, how did I end up becoming someone little girls like? I’ve seen several young men liking me before; that’s not strange.”
“...Then I don’t know.” Lin Yuewei touched her chin. “Maybe she got infected by me and Gu Yanqiu? A little gay vibes and all that.”
Ran Qingqing: “Go away.”
Ran Qingqing’s first peach blossom was temporarily snuffed out by her, but this unexpected blossom from nowhere had actually added quite a bit to her confidence in getting divorced again. She could now not only attract little wolfdogs and little puppy dogs, she could even attract women too. She was a magnet for both men and women; life was already much more interesting than before.
Divorce, hurry up and divorce. Only after the divorce could she run toward her new life.
Ran Qingqing called her lawyer and got a definite answer: if things went smoothly, they could finalize the divorce before the New Year, and there was no need to wait until after.
Ran Qingqing boldly declared, “This year, I absolutely must bring home a little puppy dog for the New Year.” After recently learning online about puppy dogs and wolfdogs, Ms. Ran Qingqing had developed a preference for the obedient and gentle type.
Lin Yuewei applauded her vigorously from the side until her palms turned red. “Bring one back, bring ten back!”
Ran Qingqing shoved a cushion at her.
Mother and daughter spent the rest of the morning in their usual daily chaos until lunchtime, when the housekeeper came out of the kitchen to call them. After washing their hands, the two sat face-to-face at the dining table. Ran Qingqing stared at the plate of chives for a while.
Lin Yuewei noticed her gaze and, quick as a flash, served her a chopstickful first. “Mom, don’t you love chives? Eat more.”
Ran Qingqing lifted her eyelids and said coolly, “When have I ever loved chives?”
Lin Yuewei said, “They’re for your little puppy dogs in advance. Build them up.”
Ran Qingqing narrowed her eyes, then suddenly stood up, leaned across the entire dining table, and reached out to grab Lin Yuewei by the collar and yank her toward herself. Lin Yuewei had changed into one of the family’s pajamas for sleeping; it was very loose, and after that tug, half her shoulder slipped out.
Lin Yuewei: “!!!”
Ran Qingqing let her go and pushed the whole plate of chives toward her, smiling sweetly. “I’m not in a hurry; you should use them on your little wolfdog first.”
She clicked her tongue nonstop. “Are all young people these days basically beasts?”
Author’s note:
Secret code: the famous fanfiction writer has returned to the mountains once again. After treating everyone to honeysuckle tea, what other surprise will she bring this time?
Let me say a word for Lin Gong: the Forbidden City was pure luck. I refuse to accept it!