Chapter 58
Li Qinyue had a very pleasant night. When Zhuo Zhi woke her up early the next morning, she was surprised to find she wasn’t grumpy.
Zhuo Zhi was leaning over the bed, looking at her with a sweet smile, “Breakfast is ready, Sister.”
Li Qinyue rubbed her eyes, also smiling, “Didn’t you go for your run today?”
“I woke up late,” Zhuo Zhi placed the clothes she had chosen for Li Qinyue on the bedside table. “Don’t come out in your nightgown, the heating isn’t on high outside.”
“Okay,” Li Qinyue covered her eyes with her hand, “Go out, I’m going to sleep a little longer.”
“You can’t sleep anymore,” Zhuo Zhi tugged at her arm, “The food will get cold.”
“Hey, hey, hey… that hurts, stop pulling!” Li Qinyue shouted.
Zhuo Zhi’s hand stopped, “I didn’t use any force.”
“You did last night,” Li Qinyue said with a smile, her eyes still closed.
“Didn’t you say the pressure was light?” Zhuo Zhi stood up.
Li Qinyue looked up at her, “It felt light then, but it feels heavy now, so what?”
“Nothing, massages need to be firm to be effective,” Zhuo Zhi turned and left the room.
Li Qinyue lay in bed, chuckling to herself. Although they had stayed up late last night, she felt energized. She got out of bed without any further delay.
She changed her clothes, put on her slippers, and went to wash up. She hadn’t brought her toiletries, so she used Zhuo Zhi’s baby-themed set, which was sitting on the sink.
The set was quite complete: facial cleanser, moisturizer, hand cream, all smelling milky and sweet.
It was the scent of Zhuo Zhi when she had snuggled in her arms last night.
When Li Qinyue came out of the bathroom, Zhuo Zhi was still busy in the kitchen.
Li Qinyue walked over and, seeing that Zhuo Zhi had only just started preparing the ingredients, said, “Look at you, learning to lie now.”
Zhuo Zhi didn’t turn around, “Don’t you usually take a while to get out of bed? You’re quick today.”
Li Qinyue suddenly hugged her from behind, “Today is different from usual.”
“Be careful, Sister!” Zhuo Zhi took a big step back, “I’m about to pour hot oil!”
“Go ahead, I’m not stopping you.”
“How can I pour it with you holding me?! It’ll hurt if it spills on your hand!”
“Oh, is that all you’ve got?” Li Qinyue didn’t let go, “I don’t care, I haven’t had enough hugs yet.”
Zhuo Zhi looked at the chopped vegetables on the counter and mumbled, “You haven’t had enough after hugging me all night…”
“Of course not,” Li Qinyue immediately replied, her chin resting on Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder, “If I had enough after just one night, that would be a cheap girlfriend, wouldn’t it?”
“Are girlfriends meant to be used?”
“Of course,” Li Qinyue said with a smile, “You were quite useful last night.”
Zhuo Zhi remained silent. Li Qinyue nuzzled her shoulder, “Don’t you want to ask for feedback?”
“You said it was good,” Zhuo Zhi’s voice was very low.
“Let me tell you how good it was,” Li Qinyue got excited, “First of all, your massage technique is amazing. I didn’t even realize my legs and feet were sore, but after your massage, my body feels like an old machine that’s been dormant for twenty years and has finally been restarted…”
Her analogy made Zhuo Zhi chuckle.
Seeing her laugh, Li Qinyue continued, her voice laced with amusement, “Secondly, your hands are so warm. Putting them on my back is like cupping therapy. All the chills I accumulated this winter have been expelled by your massage…”
Zhuo Zhi giggled.
“Lastly…” Li Qinyue paused, her lips brushing against Zhuo Zhi’s neck, “You’re my girlfriend after all, every touch sends shivers down my spine. Just a massage was enough to tire me out. You’re so powerful, how am I going to handle you in the future?”
Zhuo Zhi’s laughter died down, her face turning the familiar shade of crimson.
Li Qinyue couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss her cheek again, asking, “Can you smell it?”
“Smell what?” Zhuo Zhi asked mechanically.
“My scent,” Li Qinyue said, “It’s the same as yours.”
Breakfast was a struggle, just like the massage last night had been a struggle.
Whenever Li Qinyue decided to tease Zhuo Zhi, Zhuo Zhi felt like she was being attacked from all sides. Just when she thought she had become more mature and capable, she was quickly reduced to a flustered mess.
Li Qinyue was a demoness, the kind who had been practicing her seduction techniques for centuries. As Zhuo Zhi ate, she thought to herself, I can’t rush this, there’s plenty of time.
After breakfast, Zhuo Zhi cleaned up and got ready to go out. Li Qinyue watched her choose her clothes and asked, “Where are you going?”
“To buy you a phone,” Zhuo Zhi said, “And to look for a job.”
“It’s so cold outside,” Li Qinyue said, “No rush, we can do it later.”
“It’s not urgent, we can take our time,” Zhuo Zhi took a long down jacket from the closet and handed it to Li Qinyue, “Sister, wear this.”
“I have clothes…”
“The ones you have here are too thin, it’s below zero today, dress warmly.”
“This jacket…” Li Qinyue paused, swallowing her words of disapproval.
Zhuo Zhi pouted, “You wore my clothes last night too.”
Li Qinyue held the down jacket and laughed for a while, “Fine, I’ll wear it.”
Since she was wearing Zhuo Zhi’s childish clothes, Li Qinyue didn’t bother with makeup.
Besides, her only makeup now was a tube of lipstick and a powder compact in her bag. She was truly broke.
They left the apartment. Zhuo Zhi didn’t insist on taking the bus. Their goal was clear: to buy a new phone first.
If it had been the old Li Qinyue, she would have just had the latest model of her favorite brand delivered to her doorstep.
Now, wearing Zhuo Zhi’s clothes and spending Zhuo Zhi’s money, she could only browse and consider the “cost-effectiveness” of the phones.
Zhuo Zhi, on the other hand, was happy to spend money on Li Qinyue. In the end, when choosing between two models, she chose the more expensive one.
Leaving the phone store, Zhuo Zhi was excited. She immediately wanted Li Qinyue to insert her SIM card and try out the new phone.
Li Qinyue said, “I didn’t bring my SIM card.”
Zhuo Zhi looked at her bag, “You actually took it out, Sister?”
Li Qinyue switched her bag to her other hand, “Of course, I’m a meticulous person.”
Zhuo Zhi pouted.
Li Qinyue pointed ahead, “There’s a mobile service store over there, let’s get a new SIM card.”
“Don’t you already have one?”
Li Qinyue pulled her towards the store, “New life, new phone number.”
Zhuo Zhi had no choice but to get a new SIM card for Li Qinyue, who didn’t waste any time setting up her phone and then called Zhuo Zhi.
“Change my old number,” Li Qinyue said.
“I have it saved,” Zhuo Zhi said.
“Delete the old me, embrace the new me. The old me wasn’t your girlfriend, the new me is.”
“It’s useless even if you delete it,” Zhuo Zhi could guess what Li Qinyue was thinking, “I already memorized your number.”
“Tsk,” Li Qinyue hung up, “You fool.”
Zhuo Zhi linked arms with her, “You should consider my current status before calling me names.”
“Tsk,” Li Qinyue played along, “CEO Zhuo.”
“Yes!” Zhuo Zhi answered proudly.
“CEO Zhuo, I like that lipstick,” Li Qinyue tilted her chin, pointing randomly.
“Let’s buy it,” Zhuo Zhi said without hesitation.
“You’re so generous, CEO Zhuo,” Li Qinyue teased her, “Is your meager salary enough for me to splurge? I might buy a whole set, you know.”
“How much is it?” Zhuo Zhi whispered.
Li Qinyue burst out laughing and patted her head, “If you run out of money, I’ll take you as payment.”
Zhuo Zhi chuckled, “You love teasing me.”
But her eyes were still drawn to the cosmetics counter.
There was a girl trying on lipstick, showing each shade to her boyfriend, who clearly didn’t understand the difference, but was still trying his best to offer his opinion.
Zhuo Zhi found it sweet.
“Sister,” she tugged at Li Qinyue’s hand, “Let’s just buy one.”
“Hmm?” Li Qinyue followed her gaze, “I don’t need it, I already have one.”
“Those are just leftovers from your old life,” Zhuo Zhi said, “You should have a new one.”
“I don’t like that brand,” Li Qinyue said.
Zhuo Zhi was stunned.
“Have you ever seen me use that brand?” Li Qinyue asked, looking at her sideways.
Zhuo Zhi was even more stunned. She had never paid attention to these things, “Isn’t it… a decent brand? It looks quite… expensive.”
“Not expensive enough,” Li Qinyue pulled her into a hug, “You have to understand, it’s easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go from extravagant to frugal. I’m used to more expensive brands, I can’t lower my standards now. Since I can’t afford my usual brand, I won’t use any. Don’t I look good without makeup?”
“You do,” Zhuo Zhi quickly said, “Very beautiful.”
“Then that’s settled,” Li Qinyue led her away, “Let’s go look at something else.”
Zhuo Zhi looked back. The girl was still trying on lipstick. Zhuo Zhi suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
What Li Qinyue had said was true, but she was also trying to save Zhuo Zhi’s money, wasn’t she?
Li Qinyue had never been frugal when they went out together before. Now that their roles were reversed, Zhuo Zhi couldn’t satisfy Li Qinyue’s needs.
This made Zhuo Zhi feel uncomfortable, and she suddenly understood what it meant to “build a family and establish a career”.
Having someone to love, protect, and be responsible for, she wanted to provide them with a stable, carefree, and happy life.
Li Qinyue dragged Zhuo Zhi to the escalator. Zhuo Zhi looked back again.
Li Qinyue let go of her hand, sighed, and said, “Fine.”
Zhuo Zhi was stunned, “What?”
Li Qinyue pulled her hand and walked back towards the cosmetics counter, her long strides making them move like the wind.
The sales assistant greeted them, but Li Qinyue ignored her and said to the girl who was still trying on lipstick, “That shade you’re wearing, it’s death Barbie pink. Even I can’t pull it off, are you serious?”
The girl looked up at Li Qinyue, stunned, and put down the lipstick.
Li Qinyue pointed at the color chart, “You have a yellow undertone, your lips are pigmented, and it’s winter. This one, this one, and this one will work. This one would look best with your coat today.”
The girl gasped softly.
Li Qinyue glanced at her and added, “And don’t use shimmery eyeshadow if you have puffy eyelids, it makes you look like you’ve been beaten up.”
The girl’s face flushed crimson.
Li Qinyue pulled Zhuo Zhi back, “And lastly, you’ve only tried on a few shades, and your lips are already chapped. Do you really want to buy lipstick with your lips in this condition?”
This time, without waiting for anyone to react, she pulled Zhuo Zhi away.
They left as quickly as they had arrived.
Fortunately, they managed to squeeze into an elevator just as the doors opened. Once inside, Li Qinyue couldn’t help but laugh.
There were many people in the elevator, so Zhuo Zhi didn’t ask, just watched her laugh.
They didn’t get off at any floor. When they reached the top floor, they finally stepped out.
Zhuo Zhi looked around. This floor was occupied by tutoring centers, with the least amount of foot traffic. There was nothing they needed here.
She looked at Li Qinyue, “Are you running away, Sister?”
“Huh?” Li Qinyue was still laughing, her eyes crinkled, “I didn’t steal anything, why would I run?”
“You ruined that girl’s mood and the sales assistant’s business, you’re afraid they’ll beat you up, aren’t you?”
“They wouldn’t dare,” Li Qinyue patted Zhuo Zhi’s head, “I have you, who would dare to hit me?”
“But you can’t just go around provoking people…” Zhuo Zhi stopped mid-sentence.
Li Qinyue pinched her cheek, “Look at you, so bold now, saying whatever you want.”
“Hehe,” Zhuo Zhi chuckled ingratiatingly.
“Why would I go around provoking people? Can’t you use your brain?”
“Her boyfriend was buying her lipstick, but I didn’t buy you one…” Zhuo Zhi’s smile vanished, and she looked a little sad, “So you were jealous…”
“Damn…” Li Qinyue was dumbfounded by her logic. She pointed at herself, “I’m jealous of her? Huh? Am I not as pretty as her? Is my girlfriend not as handsome as her boyfriend? Or maybe she’s just richer than me.”
“Then what’s wrong?” Zhuo Zhi tugged at her sleeve.
“You kept staring at her! I was jealous, okay?!”
“No, I wasn’t, I didn’t…” Zhuo Zhi quickly denied, “I swear, I was just thinking that her boyfriend could buy her lipstick, but I couldn’t, so I… I was jealous…”
“Damn…” Li Qinyue cursed, then burst out laughing, “You’re projecting your own foolishness onto me.”
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi lowered her head.
Seeing her like this, Li Qinyue’s heart softened. She patted Zhuo Zhi’s head, “I wasn’t just jealous about that. You looked so envious, it annoyed me. I don’t think we’re any worse than them.”
“Yeah,” Zhuo Zhi nodded.
Li Qinyue paused for a moment, her voice lowering, “No, they do have something we envy.”
“What?” Zhuo Zhi immediately looked up, her competitive spirit ignited.
Li Qinyue said wistfully, “They definitely have a sex life.”
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