Chapter 25
Lu Yin returned to her room, her mood unsettled.
Initiating intimacy was different from receiving it.
She had kissed Lin Qianqian. What would she do next? Would she lose control completely, force herself on Lin Qianqian?
Lu Yin closed her eyes, reminding herself this was reality, not a nightmare.
She had kissed her sister, Lin Qianqian, not the mocking figure from her dreams.
The figure in her dreams would abandon her, while Lin Qianqian had returned, against all odds.
They were different. Lu Yin knew it.
She calmed herself, pushing the kiss from her mind, trying to regain her composure.
She couldn’t let Lin Qianqian see her true self, not yet.
Lin Qianqian could see her as the gentle older sister, or even the cold and distant one.
But she couldn’t be seen as a monster.
There were two kinds of terrifying people in this world: heartless monsters and those who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Unfortunately, she was both.
The former was her present self, the latter her past self.
Lin Qianqian’s mind rebooted after a few minutes. The bedroom door opened again.
Lu Yin looked at her, surprised. “Why are you still here?”
“You…you…” Lin Qianqian scrambled forward. “Do you even realize what you just did?”
“There are germs on the floor,” Lu Yin frowned at her strange behavior. “Wasn’t that your birthday present?”
“I asked for it, so you just did it?”
Lin Qianqian couldn’t believe it. This woman, who had been trying to kick her out just moments ago, had kissed her without hesitation.
It had to be a split personality. There was no other explanation.
This was strange. Very strange.
“It’s not something I can take back,” Lu Yin said, opening a drawer and rummaging through it. The pill bottle was empty. She slammed the drawer shut in frustration.
She went to the refrigerator, filled a glass with ice, and drank the ice water in one gulp, the coldness calming her racing heart.
Lin Qianqian was easy to distinguish from the figure in her dreams. Lin Qianqian never looked at her with mockery, with disdain.
Despite their lack of blood relation, a certain familial dynamic existed between them.
Like typical sisters, the younger one would act out, get scolded, and then receive a reward.
Lin Qianqian, still suspicious, watched Lu Yin, then asked, “Can you kiss me again?”
She closed her eyes, waiting.
If Lu Yin kissed her again, she would accept the undeniable truth: Lu Yin still had feelings for her. And then, all bets were off.
This woman, who had dared to kiss her, would dare to take her to bed.
This was getting out of hand.
“Open your mouth,” Lu Yin said, peeling an orange.
Lin Qianqian opened her mouth, swaying slightly, her anticipation growing.
“Wider.”
Lin Qianqian opened her mouth wider.
Something was placed inside. She instinctively started to chew, then choked on the orange juice, coughing.
She opened her eyes, glaring at Lu Yin, her racing heart finally slowing down.
Right. This felt familiar.
Being fed oranges. A novel experience.
She had tried to feed Lu Yin an orange before, and had been rejected.
She didn’t know how their relationship had progressed so quickly, but she was enjoying it.
That Saturday, Lin Qianqian arrived at the art institution just before six o’clock.
She peeked into several studios, but couldn’t find Lu Yin. She turned off her camera and decided to check the office.
The office door was slightly ajar. She heard a child’s voice.
Instead of knocking, she peeked inside, her eyes meeting Lu Yin’s.
“Come in,” Lu Yin said.
Lin Qianqian entered.
Lu Yin was taking care of a little girl, about four or five years old.
She was feeding the girl yogurt. Snacks and candies were scattered on the table.
“I thought you were teaching,” Lin Qianqian said, sitting down beside her, noticing Lu Yin’s affectionate gaze fixed on the child.
Lu Yin wiped the girl’s mouth with a tissue. “I had a morning class. It’s finished.”
“Then why didn’t you come home? I was planning to pick you up.”
Lu Yin gestured towards the little girl, and Lin Qianqian understood, nodding.
Lu Yin glanced at her, then her attention returned to the child. “Sister, I’m finished…”
“Do you want more?” Lu Yin retrieved another yogurt cup from the cabinet.
“No, thank you.”
Lu Yin placed the yogurt on the table, then, seeing Lin Qianqian’s silence, offered it to her.
“Giving me her leftovers?” Lin Qianqian turned her head away. “I don’t want it.”
“Fine,” Lu Yin said, then explained, “It’s Yu Jie’s daughter. She’s teaching a class, so I’m looking after her.”
“…Oh,” Lin Qianqian said. “I waited for you all afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you call or text me?”
“I didn’t want to disturb your class.”
Lu Yin checked the time. “Yu Jie has another class tonight. I won’t be able to come home.”
Lin Qianqian ripped open the yogurt container, the sound echoing in the room.
“My sister bought that for me! It’s good, right?” the little girl asked eagerly, pointing at the yogurt, her eyes shining.
“Which sister?”
“Sister Xiao Lu,” the little girl clutched Lu Yin’s wrist. “It’s good, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not,” Lin Qianqian said. “Not good at all.”
Lin Qianqian finished the yogurt, unwrapped a lollipop, and popped it into her mouth, then reached for another snack.
The little girl, polite and sharing, simply watched her, her lower lip trembling slightly. “You’re going to eat everything…” she mumbled.
“It’s okay. We’ll buy more later,” Lu Yin said, stroking the girl’s head.
She didn’t want to stop Lin Qianqian. It would only make things worse.
But seeing Lu Yin’s gentle care for the child, Lin Qianqian felt a surge of jealousy.
“Do you have a thing for little girls?” she asked sarcastically. “Is it a sister complex? You see a child and you just have to take care of them.”
“Have you eaten?” Lu Yin asked, trying to change the subject. “There’s a good fried rice noodle place nearby.”
“No.”
“Then I’ll take her. It gets crowded later,” Lu Yin said.
Lin Qianqian didn’t reply.
Lu Yin had taken care of her like this once.
But not anymore.
Was it because she was older now, no longer a child in Lu Yin’s eyes? Or was it because their relationship had shifted from familial affection to something more complicated, something Lu Yin couldn’t reconcile with her own past?
Lin Qianqian didn’t know the answer.
But she couldn’t forget the ten years Lu Yin had cared for her, treating her better than a real sister.
She wanted to repay Lu Yin, to be with her, to help her heal from the past, to free her from the burden of guilt she carried.
Yu Miao entered, carrying two takeout containers. “Xiao Lu, I asked one of my students to bring us food. Eat while it’s hot.”
Seeing Lin Qianqian, she frowned. “Oops, I only bought two.”
“Give it to her. I’m not that hungry,” Lu Yin said, handing the container to Lin Qianqian, separating the chopsticks for her. “Is that enough?”
“Nini, come here,” Yu Miao called out to her daughter, returning to her desk, ignoring the two sisters. “Did you behave for Sister Xiao Lu?”
“Sister Xiao Lu bought me lots of snacks!”
“Be careful. You’ll lose all your teeth if you eat too many sweets.”
“They’re mostly biscuits. Nothing unhealthy,” Lu Yin said to Yu Miao, then retrieved another yogurt cup and offered it to Lin Qianqian. “This will help with the dry food. Or do you want some water?”
“I can’t finish this,” Lin Qianqian said after a few bites, still feeling resentful.
She was always unhappy when she came here, feeling like an outsider.
But she was family. She had even heard that Lu Yin had a stake in the institution, not just a teaching position.
At other companies, relatives of the owner flaunted their connections, enjoying special privileges. But here, she was constantly being scolded and rejected, her frustrations simmering beneath the surface.
Lu Yin took her chopsticks and finished the rest of her food. “We can get something else when we get home.”
The lunch break ended quickly. Yu Miao finished her meal, gathered her things, and headed towards the studio with her daughter.
Lu Yin waved goodbye to Nini.
“I’ll take her to the studio. She’s well-behaved and won’t disturb my class,” Yu Miao said, holding Nini’s hand. “You should go home early. Don’t stay up too late.”
Lu Yin nodded, tidying up the desk and watching them leave. Knowing Lin Qianqian would be pleased, she smiled, remembering Lin Qianqian’s mischievous grin. “Ready?”
Lin Qianqian scoffed, already familiar with the location of Lu Yin’s car keys, retrieving them from the drawer and heading towards the parking garage.
Sitting in the driver’s seat again, Lin Qianqian wondered if she should get a driver’s license. Commuting during rush hour was exhausting.
But she didn’t know where to even begin.
She shared her thoughts with Lu Yin.
“Why do you need a driver’s license?” Lu Yin asked.
“Driving is convenient,” Lin Qianqian said, calculating the costs. “If I live with you for free for a few years, I’ll save enough money to buy a car. Then you can help me choose one.”
“In your dreams,” Lu Yin said, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. “Live with me for free for a few years? Where do you find such good deals?”
“You’re the one who offered,” Lin Qianqian said, worried Lu Yin would change her mind. “Don’t try to kick me out again. I can’t handle it.”
“I’m not charging you rent. You have to offer something in return.”
Lin Qianqian looked at her suspiciously, unsure what she meant.
Lu Yin didn’t want her money, and presumably not her body…
Then what could she possibly want?
“Be more specific,” Lin Qianqian said.
“You owe me,” Lu Yin said cryptically.
It was too soon to reveal her true intentions. She needed to be patient, to proceed cautiously.
She had decided to try again, to rebuild their relationship, but she had to be prepared for the consequences, even if it meant Lin Qianqian leaving again.
Lin Qianqian didn’t like being indebted to others, except Lu Yin.
Debt implied a connection, a tie that bound them together. She liked being connected to Lu Yin, liked the ambiguity of their relationship.
As they drove past a bustling street food market, Lu Yin brought up a topic from their earlier, somewhat tense, conversation.
“You barely ate anything for lunch. Do you want to get something else?”
Lin Qianqian’s earlier playful mood vanished as she remembered the apartment viewing.
Her smile faded, and she said sullenly, “I want the yogurt Sister Xiao Lu bought.”
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