Chapter 7
The sharp click of high heels rang out against the pavement.
Lin Yuewei walked so fast she was nearly running.
Gu Yanqiu followed behind her at an unhurried pace, not the least bit slower.
Lin Yuewei cried out when her heel skidded on the uneven road.
Gu Yanqiu hurried forward. “Hey.”
Within just a few hours, Lin Yuewei had been pulled into Gu Yanqiu’s arms three times. And every single time, it had been to save her; she couldn’t even get angry about it.
Lin Yuewei looked up at the face so close in front of her.
Gu Yanqiu: “……”
Lin Yuewei: “……”
Their gazes met; breath lingered between them.
The Gu Yanqiu who had been transformed into Tang Sanzang began to state her position. “I don’t have fe—mmph.”
Why was this person’s mouth so infuriating!
Lin Yuewei slapped a hand over her mouth, broke free from her embrace, and started walking again. She took two quick steps, then remembered the mishap from earlier and didn’t dare be wilful; she slowed down.
Behind her, Gu Yanqiu suddenly slapped her own right hand with her left.
Everything she had done had been instinctive. The instant she saw the other woman twist her ankle and lose her balance, she hadn’t had time to think; her body had reacted first and reached out to steady her.
And now look at this; the other party didn’t appreciate it at all and might even resent her for it. It would have been better to let her fall and teach her a lesson.
Just like on the way here, Lin Yuewei sat in the front passenger seat while Gu Yanqiu drove her to a private restaurant. The atmosphere was elegant and quiet, and their seats were on the second floor. The wooden staircase was a little steep here, so Lin Yuewei, determined not to repeat the same mistake, held the railing and climbed carefully, one step at a time.
Gu Yanqiu finished the stairs and turned back to glance at her; Lin Yuewei glared back.
Gu Yanqiu was utterly baffled. She thought, What on earth did I do to offend her this time?
She stayed rooted in place out of habit, and when Lin Yuewei reached the top, the two of them were led to their table by the waiter.
“Miss Lin, please.”
“Miss Gu, please.”
After a round of polite formalities, they sat down together.
The waiter brought over a gilded leather menu. Gu Yanqiu pushed it toward Lin Yuewei, but Lin Yuewei had already composed herself. She said coolly, “You order, Miss Gu. I’ve never been here.”
Lin Yuewei’s features leaned toward the cold side; when she didn’t smile, she looked sharp and aloof. Her eyes were long rather than narrow, with deep-set sockets and a gaze that seemed especially profound. The soft light above the table fell over her, faintly outlining the shoulders and waist beneath her sheer outer layer.
Once she became serious, she looked the part. She lifted the fine handle of the purple clay teapot and poured two cups of tea with calm precision. Then she lowered her head toward the cup and lightly fanned the air with her palm, drawing the fragrance up toward her nose.
Gu Yanqiu’s eyes landed on her half-lowered lashes, and she couldn’t help lingering there a moment longer.
“Why are you staring at me, Miss Gu?” Lin Yuewei asked with her eyes still closed.
Gu Yanqiu caught a hint of triumph in her tone, so she turned her attention back to the menu and ignored the question. She asked the waiter, who had been waiting by their table, “Please recommend your signature dishes.”
The waiter smoothly listed several items and explained each of their side dishes one by one. Gu Yanqiu selected two dishes and added a vegetarian dish, then asked Lin Yuewei, who had been absorbed in smelling the tea, “Would you like to take a look at the menu too, Miss Lin?”
Lin Yuewei suddenly opened her eyes. Perhaps warmed by the steam from the tea, the black and white of her eyes seemed less distinct; her gaze was misty and deep, carrying a dazed, almost intoxicated quality, with tiny shards of light reflected within.
Had peach blossoms bloomed in her eyes? Gu Yanqiu was momentarily dazed.
Lin Yuewei took the menu, flipped through it casually, added a soup and a dessert, then handed it back with perfect courtesy. “Miss Gu?”
Gu Yanqiu paused, then passed the menu to the waiter and turned to say, “That’ll do.”
The waiter left in response.
“Wait.” Lin Yuewei stopped him.
“Yes, Miss? What can I do for you?”
“The tea’s gone stale; bring a fresh pot.” Lin Yuewei lifted the lid and poured the untouched Jin Junmei from her cup back into the teapot.
“Yes, of course.”
“And this Jin Junmei is fake. Bring us ordinary Longjing instead.”
“Understood, please wait.” Ordinary waiters wouldn’t be able to tell fresh from stale tea, let alone real from fake; he stared at the delicate teapot for a moment in shock, not understanding, then took it away.
Gu Yanqiu looked at the other cup on the table, the one that belonged to her and was already half empty: “……”
Lin Yuewei said hypocritically, “I forgot to remind you, Miss Gu; you’re drinking far too quickly.”
Gu Yanqiu: “……”
She might as well treat it as the consequence of her own sharp words earlier that afternoon. A sip of fake tea was nothing. After graduating high school, Gu Yanqiu had gone abroad and stayed overseas for several years; she could talk at length about coffee, but when it came to tea, she was completely clueless.
“Are you well-versed in tea ceremony, Miss Lin?” Gu Yanqiu asked, a smile rippling across her face. She could tell the other woman genuinely knew what she was doing, not merely showing off. These days, young people who liked tea and knew how to appreciate it were rare. She didn’t feel annoyed at Lin Yuewei’s deliberate teasing at all; instead, her impression of her improved.
“I know a little. My grandfather likes tea.” Lin Yuewei thought in confusion, Couldn’t she tell I was doing that on purpose?
“Perhaps in the future, if there’s a chance—”
“If what?”
“Nothing.” Gu Yanqiu shook her head with a light laugh and casually picked up the tea beside her; then she remembered the little incident from earlier and set the cup back down again. She had been about to say that if she had the chance in the future, she’d like to learn from her. But the two of them were currently in the process of desperately drawing a line between them; if she said that, she’d have to add that she didn’t have feelings for her. Lin Yuewei had already blocked her three or four times today. If it happened once more, she might really sweep her sleeve and leave without even finishing dinner.
Gu Yanqiu closed her mouth.
The newly replaced Longjing tea was brought up. Lin Yuewei poured herself a cup, looked at its color and smelled its fragrance. Though her brow was faintly furrowed, she took a sip. Seeing that, Gu Yanqiu felt relieved enough to pour out the tea in her own cup. Just as she lifted the teapot to pour herself some more, a hand reached out and stopped her at the wrist.
“Miss Lin?”
Lin Yuewei pressed the call bell on the table, and the waiter came over at once. “What can I do for you?”
“Bring another cup; it has to match this teapot set.” Lin Yuewei pointed at the one on the table. “This one doesn’t want it anymore.”
The corner of Gu Yanqiu’s mouth lifted slightly; before Lin Yuewei could look over, she returned to normal and took off the Buddhist beads wrapped around her wrist, rolling them slowly between her fingers.
After the waiter left, Lin Yuewei said, “You don’t mind if it’s dirty?”
Gu Yanqiu nodded, a trace of amusement flashing by. “I do.”
She hadn’t thought that much about it; she wasn’t that particular.
Lin Yuewei shot her a look and said, “Then why didn’t you ask them to replace it with a new one? Why did I have to be the one to say it?”
Gu Yanqiu found her strangely amusing. This was the most relaxed she had felt in the past few months since returning to the country. Before she realized it, she’d lost her restraint and continued to answer her with complete seriousness, “Mm, I’m shy.”
Lin Yuewei: “……”
Gu Yanqiu coughed lightly and lowered her head to drink tea. Her long lashes hung down like they were weighted, covering her expression completely.
Only then did Lin Yuewei belatedly realize their conversation had perhaps gone a bit too far; she also turned her head away and looked at the night outside the street-side window.
A long silence fell between them.
It lasted until the waiter brought out the dishes. When their eyes met, both women wore calm expressions; all the ripples hidden in the tea’s fragrance were kept skillfully deep inside.
***
“I’m not going back. I’m heading home tonight.” After dinner, Lin Yuewei declined Gu Yanqiu’s invitation to ride in the same car again.
“Back to your own home?”
“Mm.”
“It isn’t safe for you to be alone at night. I’ll take you.”
“No need, no need, no need.” Lin Yuewei said “no need” three times in a row. “You absolutely must not send me back.”
Gu Yanqiu was surprised by her suddenly intense reaction and frowned slightly.
Lin Yuewei’s fear was written all over her face. “You know my mom is determined to set us up, right? If you send me back, you won’t be able to leave tonight; you’ll definitely have to stay the night at my house. Don’t send me.”
The wedding had been just yesterday, and Lin Mama’s overwhelming enthusiasm had left a deep impression on Gu Yanqiu. She was silent for a few seconds, then nodded readily.
Gu Yanqiu said, “Have your family driver pick you up. Safety comes first.”
Lin Yuewei said, “I’ll call right now.”
She was calling as she went down the stairs. Gu Yanqiu’s hand paused in midair for a second, then she reached out to steady Lin Yuewei’s arm. “Watch your step; I—”
Lin Yuewei groaned, “I know you don’t have feelings for me, you don’t need to keep repeating it.”
The driver on the other end of the call: “Miss, what did you say?”
Lin Yuewei leaned some of her weight on Gu Yanqiu’s arm and said, “Nothing. I’m at XX; come pick me up. I’m going home.”
The driver hesitated as if he had something to say. “Miss, this matter, it’s not really being put that way—”
Lin Yuewei: “Speak like a human.”
The driver said carefully and very softly, “Madam said that a bride only returns to her maiden home on the third day after the wedding. This is only the second day…”
Lin Yuewei’s chest rose and fell violently as she struggled to suppress the urge to curse aloud. “What the hell did you just say?!”
The driver swallowed. “That’s what Madam said, not me. So I can’t come pick you up.”
Lin Yuewei: “Hello—”
The driver hung up with lightning speed. Was he stupid? If he didn’t hang up now, he’d be facing the storm from the eldest miss.
Lin Yuewei stood in place with her phone in hand, grinding her teeth.
Gu Yanqiu said nothing and stayed by her side.
Lin Yuewei suddenly turned to look at her, her expression as though she wanted to eat someone alive. Gu Yanqiu took a half-step back and blinked innocently.
Lin Yuewei put away her ferocious expression, smiled, and practically forced out three words from between her teeth: “Go. Back. Home!”
Author’s note: Lin Mama: Though I may not be in the martial world, my legend is everywhere.