18. Her Fingers Were Still So Cold
They spent a long time at the theme park, eating, drinking, and strolling through the streets.
Smiles lit up both girls’ faces, lost in the moment, until dusk settled and the lights began to twinkle, reminding them that evening had arrived.
There was a special ceremony at the theme park at night.
On the bustling main street, a large cake mold stood tall. Couples visiting the park on Qixi Festival could check in and contribute to the cake’s growth. With each milestone reached, another layer would be added.
Once the cake was complete, a grand fireworks display would light up the riverside.
Ruo Xiaoxi, munching on a beef skewer, was led by Xia Zhibai to the cake. They checked in and received two small tags, like ema, on which they could write wishes and hang them on the nearby Qixi tree. The branches were already adorned with many such tags.
“What should I write…” Xia Zhibai pondered, looking up at the tree with the tag in her hand.
“Ah? I have to write something too?” Ruo Xiaoxi, seemingly preoccupied with her skewer, reacted a beat slower than usual, looking at the tag offered to her.
“Of course, both of us have to write something and hang it up for the wishes to come true.”
“Oh, alright.” Ruo Xiaoxi took a pen, thought for a moment, and then, deliberately avoiding Xia Zhibai’s gaze, turned around and secretly wrote on her tag before tying a red string to it.
Hmph, so secretive, as if I really want to see.
Xia Zhibai chuckled, wrote down a few wishes of her own, and then, holding both tags, stood on tiptoe to hang them up. After all, it was said that the higher you hang it, the more likely it is to come true.
Just as she finished, she swiftly snatched Ruo Xiaoxi’s tag and peeked at it! As if she really wanted to see, yes, she did!
“Hey! Wait, Sister Xia, that’s cheating! I want to see yours too!” Ruo Xiaoxi exclaimed, raising her small fists in protest, jumping up and down.
“Hee hee, shorty, you can’t reach~” Xia Zhibai patted her head. The tag was hanging just out of Ruo Xiaoxi’s reach.
Let’s see what Xiaoxi wrote…
She suddenly felt nervous. As she was about to read the tag, Xia Zhibai could hear her own heartbeat.
It was Qixi Festival, and she had spent the day with Ruo Xiaoxi, so maybe…
Maybe Ruo Xiaoxi would write something about her?
—[The beef skewers are delicious.]
Eh? Did she misread it? She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
Oh, she missed a word.
—[The beef skewers are so delicious!]
She missed an intensifying word.
The calm before the storm.
Holding Ruo Xiaoxi’s tag, Xia Zhibai froze for a good fifteen seconds.
Then, her forehead creased with annoyance. Turning around with a forced smile, she saw Ruo Xiaoxi trying to sneak away and gave her an awkward look.
Xia Zhibai grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
“This is supposed to be a wish, and you write this!? You just wrote ‘The beef skewers are so delicious’? Nothing else you wanted to write? Little glutton?”
“I, I couldn’t think of anything else at the moment! I was eating beef skewers, and inspiration struck! There’s probably even grease from my hands on the tag.”
“And you’re proud of that?” Xia Zhibai felt like she was standing in a cold wind. She had written heartfelt wishes for Ruo Xiaoxi, wishing her to become even more beautiful and maybe a little more devoted in her affections.
A cold wind, indeed. Her fingers were still so cold, needing the warmth of Ruo Xiaoxi’s embrace.
Well, rather than anger, she felt a pang of sadness.
Xia Zhibai sighed. She shouldn’t have expected anything from this little rascal.
“I’m speechless. Forget it, it’s just a tag.” Xia Zhibai decided to let it go. Maybe she was the only one who found these things meaningful, a small memento of their time together.
But just as she was about to let go of the tag, she noticed some writing on the back.
“Hmm?” She tilted it slightly and saw a line of neat, elegant handwriting, in the same style and tone as the front: —[Sister Xia is so beautiful!]
Xia Zhibai’s eyes widened, her heart calming down.
She glanced at Ruo Xiaoxi, who was looking down at her shoes, trying to appear innocent. Ruo Xiaoxi hadn’t mentioned the writing on the back, leaving it to fate, to Xia Zhibai’s luck, whether she saw it or not.
Whether Xia Zhibai saw her as the carefree, uncaring Ruo Xiaoxi, or the one who secretly cared, it didn’t matter to her. She could be both, or neither.
Xia Zhibai took her hand, holding it tightly in hers.
Yes, she really liked this adorable girl, a girl who could turn her into a full-fledged lesbian. No, she only liked Ruo Xiaoxi.
Or rather, she liked this girl enough to transcend gender norms.
They sat side by side on a large rock by the river, like many other couples, listening to the whisper of the summer wind, watching the fireworks explode in the night sky, the colorful sparks illuminating their faces.
The train of love had reached its final destination.
Ruo Xiaoxi imagined hearing her own voice on the loudspeaker, announcing her arrival. It was time to get off and board the next train, headed towards an unknown destination.
Because she was a girl who dated but didn’t commit, a girl who didn’t want responsibility. Drinking someone’s blood and running away, that was her way of life as a little vampire princess!
“Ruo Xiaoxi…” Xia Zhibai said softly.
Here it comes, the confession. Ruo Xiaoxi closed her eyes, thinking about how to gently break up with this older sister, minimizing the heartache, leaving a pleasant memory behind.
“Ruo Xiaoxi, after the fireworks, do you want to come over to my place? I bought a lot of pretty dresses, would you be interested in trying them on?”
“Sister Xia, we really… Eh?” Ruo Xiaoxi, her lines prepared, was caught off guard. Xia Zhibai hadn’t confessed, but instead invited her home.
Eh? Eh? Eh?
Wasn’t she supposed to confess during this romantic fireworks display?
Why wasn’t she following the script?
Was this… overtime?
Leave a Reply