Chapter 55 p1
Qin Qianrou kept her word. That afternoon after school, Shen Yiqiu found her car parked discreetly outside the university gates. It was parked quietly, not attracting any attention, but Shen Yiqiu spotted it immediately.
A smile involuntarily spread across her face, and the slight unease in her heart dissipated. Ever since the bell rang, she had been afraid of being late. This worry wasn’t about missing the ride, but simply about making Jiejie wait.
Qin Qianrou had messaged her ten minutes before class ended, telling her she was already outside.
Jiejie had really come to pick her up! Shen Yiqiu’s heart felt light and fluffy, like a marshmallow.
Qin Qianrou watched as the smiling figure approached, and even through the car window, she felt a warmth, a special kind of warmth that didn’t seem to come from the car’s heater.
Shen Yiqiu got into the car, still slightly breathless.
Qin Qianrou chuckled, looking at her. “No need to rush, I’m not in a hurry.”
Shen Yiqiu’s cheeks flushed, unsure if it was from running or from Qin Qianrou seeing through her eagerness.
“It’s not that, I just don’t usually have time to exercise, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to run a little.”
Qin Qianrou didn’t press the issue and started the car.
Shen Yiqiu hesitantly asked, “Jiejie, are you going back to the station later?”
“No, we’re going straight home.”
“Then let’s stop by the supermarket, we’re running low on groceries.”
Since Jiejie was driving, she could buy more groceries today, so she could make a variety of delicious meals for her. Shen Yiqiu’s mind raced, and her smile widened.
Qin Qianrou didn’t quite understand the source of her joy, but she was also affected by her cheerful mood, her nerves, tense from a long day at work, finally relaxing.
She slowly drove out of the university, merging into the traffic. Shen Yiqiu seemed to be pondering something, her expression serious. Qin Qianrou didn’t interrupt her at first, but after five minutes, she realized the silence in the car was too much, she wasn’t used to it.
Qin Qianrou, who usually preferred quiet, now found it unsettling not to hear Shen Yiqiu’s chatter.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Thinking about what groceries to buy.” And then planning the menu for the next few days.
Qin Qianrou hadn’t expected her to be seriously contemplating this. She had thought Shen Yiqiu was thinking about that man.
Her slight unease subsided, and Qin Qianrou’s tone softened a little.
“If you’re busy with your studies, don’t worry about these things, I can hire a housekeeper to cook.”
“No, I prefer cooking myself.”
Shen Yiqiu was genuinely worried Qin Qianrou would hire a housekeeper, she had mentioned it several times, and she had a tendency to act on her words. She insisted, slightly awkwardly, “I feel like cooking myself… makes it feel more like home.”
Qin Qianrou’s heart stirred, she felt the same way. It was just a shame her cooking skills weren’t great, and she was too busy.
“Then promise me you won’t let it affect your studies. If you can’t manage it, just tell me, and I’ll find a solution.”
Shen Yiqiu looked at her curiously, a hint of anticipation in her eyes, “Will Jiejie cook then?”
Qin Qianrou’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, then loosened.
“I’m not good at that, but I can take you out to eat.”
Shen Yiqiu was satisfied with this answer. As long as she was with Jiejie, it didn’t matter what they ate, or who cooked it, the important thing was being together.
Seeing her seemingly content expression, Qin Qianrou’s nervousness eased. She had felt a strange sense of awkwardness just now, she had never felt so self-conscious about her lack of cooking skills, yet she had inexplicably felt embarrassed in front of Shen Yiqiu.
Even a little… shy.
Once inside the supermarket, it was Shen Yiqiu’s domain. She had long since become familiar with this large supermarket in their residential complex, she could practically find the aisles she frequented with her eyes closed. Qin Qianrou followed closely behind, afraid of getting lost.
“Jiejie, let’s have steamed fish tonight, this one looks fresh.”
“You decide.”
“The shrimp looks good too, we’re here early today, this batch just arrived this afternoon. Everyone else is still at work, perfect timing.”
Shen Yiqiu had fewer classes this afternoon, and Qin Qianrou had also adjusted her schedule. Driving straight from the university, they had indeed arrived home unusually early.
But seeing Shen Yiqiu’s familiarity with the supermarket, she must have been here many times at this time of day. Thinking of her rushing out after class, taking the bus home, then coming here to buy groceries and cook, Qin Qianrou felt a pang of sympathy.
Shen Yiqiu, having walked a few steps ahead, turned around and realized the person following her was gone.
“Jiejie, what’s wrong?” She looked at Qin Qianrou with concern, afraid she might be uncomfortable here.
“Nothing, I was just… lost in thought.”
Shen Yiqiu smiled reassuringly. “Then wait for me here, I’ll be quick.”
Sensing Shen Yiqiu’s worry and consideration, Qin Qianrou couldn’t bear to see her constantly rushing around. Being here with her should be a comforting and reassuring presence, how could she make her feel even more anxious?
“It’s alright, it’s been a while since I last visited the supermarket, let’s take our time.”
When they finally emerged from the supermarket, each carrying two heavy bags of groceries, it was indeed a major haul.
Shen Yiqiu’s phone vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored it. Back at home, she automatically and efficiently unpacked the groceries, then started preparing dinner.
Qin Qianrou, watching Shen Yiqiu bustling about, suddenly felt that this place, with her presence, finally felt like a home.
Shen Yiqiu’s jacket was discarded on the sofa. Qin Qianrou picked it up, intending to hang it on the coat rack by the door with hers. The phone in the pocket vibrated again, and Qin Qianrou felt it through the fabric.
“Shen Yiqiu, your phone is ringing.”
“Oh, can you see who it is?”
Shen Yiqiu seemed to be handling fish, the running water from the faucet drowning out other sounds. She raised her voice slightly, but the soft and gentle quality remained.
Qin Qianrou smiled and shook her head, taking the phone out of the pocket.
There were five missed calls, all from the same number.
Not a long string of unfamiliar digits, but a saved contact.
However, the name wasn’t a normal one, just a simple “Yuan.” A single character, a surname, it was a bit strange.
The call seemed to have disconnected automatically; the person hadn’t called back yet. Qin Qianrou walked to the kitchen doorway, phone in hand. “It stopped ringing, it was from someone named Yuan.”
Shen Yiqiu’s back stiffened slightly, but she didn’t react otherwise.
“Oh, just leave it then, I’ll deal with it later.”
Shen Yiqiu’s tone was unchanged, she was still focused on the ingredients in the sink. If Qin Qianrou hadn’t seen her momentary stiffness, she might have truly believed she was indifferent to the call.
Shen Yiqiu’s heart was racing, slightly worried, and also annoyed with her cousin.
She had already told him that morning that she would be coming straight home after class, why was he still calling?
Qin Qianrou’s voice came again, this time with a hint of reproach. “This person seems to have called several times, shouldn’t you call them back? What if it’s something important?”
Shen Yiqiu shook her head nonchalantly. “What could possibly be so urgent? It can wait. Dinner is more important.”
Hearing the familiarity and understanding in Shen Yiqiu’s tone, Qin Qianrou felt a pang of discomfort. But hearing her say “dinner is more important” made her want to laugh.
She took a deep breath, turned around, returned to the living room, placed the phone on the coffee table, and ignored it for now.
She felt strangely out of sorts lately, often getting irritated for no reason, then suddenly switching from anger to joy. Although not exactly extreme mood swings, these frequent and erratic emotional fluctuations were unusual.
Shen Yiqiu bustled about in the kitchen, but she didn’t once glance at the phone, as if truly unconcerned. Qin Qianrou opened her laptop, occasionally glancing at the phone on the coffee table, but it didn’t ring again.
They did seem to have a certain unspoken understanding.
Qin Qianrou turned her attention back to her laptop. The price of being able to pick Shen Yiqiu up on time was bringing her work home.
Numerous emails requiring her attention had arrived in her inbox in the past few hours. Her reading speed and comprehension were far above average, honed through years of work, but today, she was reading very slowly.
Her focus wavered, and Qin Qianrou lamented that it had been a while since she last worked from home, she needed time to readjust. Shen Yiqiu was still busy in the kitchen, but her movements were quiet, a subtle reminder of another presence in the apartment, yet not at all distracting.
Only after dinner did Shen Yiqiu finally have time to check her phone. Qin Qianrou was still on the sofa, her laptop on her lap, but her gaze was subtly fixed on Shen Yiqiu.
The tall, slender figure was facing away from her, her long legs almost surpassing Qin Qianrou’s in length. It seemed Shen Yiqiu had grown quite a bit in the past six months.
Shen Yiqiu saw the numerous missed calls and messages from Yuan Qi and frowned. She was truly speechless; they had already discussed this, why was he changing his mind now?
They were both adults, a few days apart wouldn’t make a difference.
Although she grumbled inwardly, Shen Yiqiu still carefully read the messages, and her expression changed.
Ignoring everything else, she immediately called her cousin.
Only after hearing his voice on the other end did she finally relax.
“Cou… What’s wrong?” She was about to call him “Cousin” when she suddenly remembered Qin Qianrou was nearby, so she lowered her voice and walked towards the balcony.
The urgency and concern in her voice were evident, completely genuine. Because this tone was often used by Shen Yiqiu towards her, Qin Qianrou couldn’t help but frown.
The laptop on her lap was forgotten, and Qin Qianrou pretended to get some water. As she left the kitchen, passing by the balcony, she overheard snippets of Shen Yiqiu’s conversation, and although she couldn’t hear clearly, it still made her feel uneasy.
Shen Yiqiu said, “I told you to be mindful of what you eat, not to overindulge, now you know how it feels to have a stomachache.”
She also said, “I can’t come see you today, but remember to drink plenty of hot water, eat something light, and don’t catch a cold tonight.”
Then, Shen Yiqiu seemed to have said, “If you’re really not feeling well, call me, I won’t ignore you.”
…
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