Chapter 49
Standing by the lake, Zhuo Zhi still couldn’t bring herself to repeat her conversation with Han Ziyang to Li Qinyue word for word.
She told her everything, except for that part about sleeping together. She simply couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Her expression betrayed her, and Li Qinyue, giving her an “okay” sign, said, “I’m hungry, let’s eat first.”
They went to the restaurant on the island in the middle of the lake, which served upscale local cuisine, and the food was indeed delicious.
It was winter, and after a hearty lunch in a warm room, they felt sleepy.
Li Qinyue yawned and dragged Zhuo Zhi to a nearby cafe. On the second floor, there were a few rooms for resting, decorated with Japanese-style tatami mats. Two lazy cats lounged in the room.
Li Qinyue lay down and pulled Zhuo Zhi into her arms, saying that holding her would keep her warm.
Once again, Zhuo Zhi was pressed against Li Qinyue’s chest, her back against Li Qinyue’s front. The first time, she was nervous, and now, she was still nervous.
She tried to breathe lightly so as not to disturb Li Qinyue.
The two cats were grooming themselves across from them, licking each other, which made Zhuo Zhi’s tongue feel heavy with sleep.
Time passed quietly. After about half an hour, Li Qinyue stirred behind her, rolling over to lie flat, then after a few seconds, rolled back and put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s waist.
Zhuo Zhi’s stomach instinctively tightened.
Li Qinyue’s voice was right beside her ear, “You’re not asleep?”
“I’m not tired,” Zhuo Zhi stared at the cats, “They’re so cute.”
Li Qinyue propped herself up on her elbow, resting her chin on Zhuo Zhi’s arm, “They are quite cute.”
“They were licking their fur for so long, they finally fell asleep.”
Li Qinyue coughed loudly, startling the two cats awake.
“Wake up,” Li Qinyue said, “Your little sister Zhuo Zhi wants to watch you groom yourselves.”
The two cats stared at Li Qinyue, confused.
Li Qinyue turned to Zhuo Zhi and said, “See, just as silly as you.”
Zhuo Zhi laughed, “I didn’t want to watch, you did. You’re just blaming me.”
“I don’t want to watch,” Li Qinyue looked down at her, “If I did, I would have just done it myself. Why watch them?”
“Do what yourself?” Zhuo Zhi’s mind was a little sluggish, she just followed the conversation flow.
Li Qinyue squeezed her shoulder, “Lie down flat and I’ll show you.”
Zhuo Zhi relaxed her shoulder and lay down. When she saw Li Qinyue hovering above her, she realized what Li Qinyue meant and blushed furiously, “You’re kidding again, Sister…”
“I’m not kidding,” Li Qinyue leaned down and gently licked Zhuo Zhi’s lips with her tongue, “I, Li Qinyue, never joke.”
Zhuo Zhi’s chest tightened with emotions. Li Qinyue’s long hair cascaded down, blocking the light in the room. In this small, intimate space, those emotions became even more intense.
Li Qinyue was about to lick her lips again when Zhuo Zhi raised her hand to stop her, “Sister, I have something to tell you.”
“Hmm?” Li Qinyue’s fragrance lingered on Zhuo Zhi’s lips. She didn’t move, maintaining the distance between them.
“C-Can you get off me for a bit?” Zhuo Zhi pushed against her with some force.
“No,” Li Qinyue countered, “I told you to speak your mind earlier, and you didn’t. Now you want to talk? There has to be some punishment, right?”
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi didn’t dare to push any harder. After a moment of thought, she said carefully, “Han Ziyang also mentioned your sexual orientation. I thought about it, and I think he made a good point.”
“What point?” Li Qinyue’s tone was a little sharp.
“Most people still find it hard to accept homosexuality. If you’ve always liked girls, Sister, then there’s no problem. But if you originally liked men and are deliberately pretending to have a girlfriend, the impact will be huge,” Zhuo Zhi looked away, “For example, your friends all think you like girls now. If you meet a guy you like in the future, it’ll be hard to explain. And if this gets out of hand and your family finds out, it’ll cause a lot of trouble. That kind of damage might be irreversible.”
Li Qinyue sat up, letting light back into the room.
She leaned against a cushion, rummaging through her pockets, seemingly looking for a cigarette.
It had been a while since she last smoked, thanks to Zhuo Zhi keeping her bad habits in check.
But given the current environment and the topic of their conversation, Zhuo Zhi didn’t dare to speak up.
Li Qinyue couldn’t find her cigarettes and cursed softly.
Zhuo Zhi looked at her, her heart pounding with both nervousness and fear.
Li Qinyue gave up on smoking and stretched out her legs, crossing them in front of Zhuo Zhi.
After a moment, she asked, “So you’re not going to believe me about my sexual orientation, but you’re going to believe him?”
“No, no, no, I’m not,” Zhuo Zhi quickly denied, “I didn’t believe what he said, I’m just reminding you.”
“Why would you remind me if you didn’t believe him?” Li Qinyue looked at her, “Think about it, are you reminding me for my sake, or because you want to know yourself?”
Zhuo Zhi pursed her lips and lowered her head.
One of the cats stretched and yawned widely, “Meow~~” easing the tension in the air.
Zhuo Zhi fidgeted with her fingers, feeling the need to be honest, so she whispered, “I want to know myself.”
“Oh,” Li Qinyue suddenly smiled, “How do you think sexual orientation is determined?”
Zhuo Zhi looked up at her, her expression troubled, “I don’t know, I’ve never thought about this before.”
“Then think about it now,” Li Qinyue pointed at her, “First, think about yourself. Do you like men or women?”
Zhuo Zhi froze, speechless.
Li Qinyue kept her gaze on Zhuo Zhi. After nearly ten minutes, she asked, “What have you decided?”
“I don’t know,” Zhuo Zhi shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell, and I don’t know which one I should be…”
“The most common way to determine it is,” Li Qinyue interrupted her, “whether you feel sexual desire towards men or women.”
Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue, a panicked look in her eyes.
“Sexual desire means…” Li Qinyue sighed, “Wanting to do intimate things with someone.”
Zhuo Zhi’s face flushed crimson.
“Like a roasted suckling pig,” Li Qinyue added.
“Huh?” Zhuo Zhi finally found something she could respond to, “Aren’t you full?”
“You look like a roasted suckling pig right now,” Li Qinyue leaned against the wall, chuckling softly.
Zhuo Zhi touched her face, it was burning.
Li Qinyue patted the cushion next to her, scooting closer, “Let me put it this way. I have that kind of desire for you, so according to the most common definition, I’m at least bisexual.”
“Huh? Huh?” The amount of information was overwhelming. Zhuo Zhi covered her face, her cheeks burning even hotter.
“What’s with all the ‘huhs’?” Li Qinyue looked at her, “Isn’t it obvious? We’ve kissed, we’ve hugged, we even discussed when to take the final step. What are you surprised about?”
“Ah,” Zhuo Zhi dropped the question mark.
“Oh, right,” Li Qinyue said, “I even invited you to try my first time, have you forgotten?”
No, how could she forget?
Every flirty remark, every gesture that made Zhuo Zhi’s heart race, was deeply engraved in her mind.
Zhuo Zhi felt guilty. She had repeatedly questioned and prompted Li Qinyue to confess her feelings, while she herself hid behind a wall, afraid to take a step forward.
Her reluctance to make a move had allowed others to misinterpret Li Qinyue’s feelings, and this made Zhuo Zhi very unhappy.
After a long silence, she finally mumbled, “I, I, well, I’m not sure…”
“Okay,” Li Qinyue raised her hand to stop her, “I understand, I understand, you’re still young, you’re an innocent little flower. I’ll arrange a schedule for you.”
“What schedule?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
“When we get home, I’ll find some videos for you to watch,” Li Qinyue said.
“Ah,” Zhuo Zhi gasped.
“Tsk,” Li Qinyue chuckled, “I never thought I’d be someone’s sex education teacher.”
With this new schedule in mind, Zhuo Zhi’s mind was a bit hazy for the rest of the day.
They stayed on the island until Driver Li called them. They left the island and got into the car heading to the mansion.
Qin Xiang was also in the car. She chatted with Li Qinyue about family matters, leaving Zhuo Zhi out of the conversation, which was fine with Zhuo Zhi, as she couldn’t even focus on it anyway.
So, she continued to let her mind wander, lost in a haze of confusing and messy thoughts.
The atmosphere at the mansion was much livelier.
Not only were the young people Zhuo Zhi had met at the Jiahu Lake villa present, but there were also several other cousins, both older and younger. The Li family was truly a large one.
The elders gradually arrived as well. It was probably a rare gathering for them too, so they sat together, chatting amongst themselves, ignoring the younger generation.
When it was time for dinner, several tables were set up in the grand hall of the mansion, creating an atmosphere of an old-fashioned celebration.
Zhuo Zhi naturally stayed close to Li Qinyue. She looked around and noticed that she wasn’t the only outsider. The two drivers, the housekeeper and his wife, and the cooks were sitting at a table. A cousin had brought her boyfriend, who had brought his sister, and they were sitting at another table.
Naturally, Han Ziyang, who had come with Li Hao, was also present.
The atmosphere was relaxed. The Li family elders looked quite kind, but among the younger generation, there were a few, like Li Qinyue, who looked tough and had a temper.
Zhuo Zhi initially wanted to learn more about Li Qinyue’s father, but he was sitting far away, and she couldn’t stare at him. She just took note of his appearance. He was middle-aged and slightly overweight, but tall with thick hair, still quite handsome.
Good looks were definitely hereditary. Zhuo Zhi looked at Li Qinyue beside her. Her nose and lips resembled her father’s, with smooth lines and sharp angles, giving her a cold and aloof look when she wasn’t smiling.
As she was thinking about this, Li Qinyue turned to her and smiled, her expression instantly softening like a spring breeze.
“What are you looking at?” Li Qinyue asked.
“Looking at everyone,” Zhuo Zhi said, “I didn’t expect there to be so many people.”
“Yeah,” Li Qinyue explained, “It’s not really a family banquet. The real family banquet is on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day is just a casual gathering, and we get red envelopes, like a year-end bonus.”
“So we get red envelopes on New Year’s Eve too?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
“Of course,” Li Qinyue said with a smile, “Our family doesn’t lack money. As I said, today’s red envelopes are year-end bonuses, rewarding the hardworking people for their year of hard work, rewarding the disobedient children for not causing any major trouble. On New Year’s Eve, we give out lucky money red envelopes, to everyone, for good luck.”
“Hahaha…” Zhuo Zhi laughed, “Then you won’t be getting much today, Sister.”
“It depends, if there are no surprises, I haven’t had a financial deficit this year, so I’m considered well-behaved,” Li Qinyue took a bite of meat and continued after swallowing, “But if there are any surprises, I won’t get a single penny.”
“Today?” Zhuo Zhi had a bad feeling, “What kind of surprises could there be?”
As soon as she finished speaking, someone at the table to their right stood up, holding a glass of wine, and went to toast the elders.
If it had been any other Li family member, Zhuo Zhi wouldn’t have noticed, but this person was Han Ziyang, the one she was most worried about.
Han Ziyang went to the table where Li Qinyue’s father was sitting, his attitude respectful yet friendly, his smile both flattering and sincere.
His voice wasn’t loud, and Zhuo Zhi, sitting far away, could only hear a few words. But the reaction at the table was obvious, the elders were all happy, Li Qinyue’s father smiled and clinked glasses with him, and Han Ziyang then leaned closer and spoke to him for a while.
Qin Xiang, who was sitting at their table, said, “I heard Han Ziyang went to some research institute abroad. After returning, his professional title was immediately promoted. He’s considered a rising star at their hospital now.”
Someone at the table chimed in, “Our Li family is great in every way, except for our academic performance. That’s why everyone likes Han Ziyang so much, he’s the perfect son.”
“My dad’s company has so many graduates and PhDs, yet he never shows any favoritism towards his subordinates. But with Han Ziyang, he’s all smiles.”
“That’s different. Subordinates are subordinates. Han Ziyang has always been the ‘child from another family’. Speaking of which, I remember when I was in junior high, I got 19 points on my math test. It was the middle of summer, and my dad made me stand in the courtyard as punishment. Damn, I was sweating like a pig. And guess what? Han Ziyang’s family was celebrating their son getting 19th place in the city, setting off fireworks in broad daylight. Damn, damn, damn, my dad will definitely remember this when he sees him today, I bet he’ll bring it up again and make fun of me.”
“Hahahahaha, if I were your dad, I’d remember it too, it would be a sin not to, it’s fate…”
They discussed Han Ziyang for a while. Zhuo Zhi listened intently, her eyes fixed on him.
Han Ziyang finally left the table where Li Qinyue’s father was sitting and went to the table where Li Qinyue’s grandfather was sitting, holding a glass of wine.
Zhuo Zhi frowned and poked at the rice in her bowl, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Compared to a “child from another family” like Han Ziyang, she, who hadn’t even gone to college, couldn’t possibly win the elders’ favor.
Li Qinyue suddenly nudged her arm. Zhuo Zhi looked up and saw that she was holding a cup of tea.
“Take it,” Li Qinyue tilted her chin. Zhuo Zhi noticed that there was another cup of tea on the table.
Zhuo Zhi took the cup and asked, “What for?”
Li Qinyue stood up and walked towards their grandfather’s table with Zhuo Zhi, “To offer tea.”
Zhuo Zhi was stunned, almost stumbling, “Is it… appropriate for me to go?”
“If he can go, why can’t you?” Li Qinyue said, her face full of disdain, “A truly good child doesn’t drink alcohol. They drink tea to cultivate their mind and body—”
She drew out the last word, her tone suggestive and meaningful.
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