Chapter 4
Lin Qianqian woke up near noon, seeing Lu Yin coming down the stairs, still wearing last night’s clothes.
She glanced at the laptop. “Did you stay up all night?”
“Just busy with some things,” Lu Yin closed the laptop, unplugged it, and put it in her bag.
“I saw your message this morning. I was already asleep when you sent it,” Lin Qianqian watched Lu Yin glance at her, then blinked, feigning confusion. “So, when are we going to talk?”
“…I mean, when are we going to discuss the ground rules?”
“Now,” Lu Yin poured her a glass of water and sat down opposite her. “My schedule is irregular. My training courses start soon, so I’ll be out a lot, early mornings and late nights. I might even come back in the middle of the night.”
“No problem. I haven’t found a job yet, so my sleeping schedule is flexible too,” Lin Qianqian said understandingly. “I’m still jet-lagged.”
Lu Yin clarified, “What I mean is, the soundproofing here isn’t great. We might disturb each other.”
Lin Qianqian paused mid-sip, looking up. “How bad is the soundproofing…?”
“I’m not sure,” Lu Yin didn’t give a definitive answer. “I haven’t lived here long, and I’ve always lived alone.”
“I went to bed early last night, around two or three. I fell asleep right after asking you for a pillow,” Lin Qianqian looked down, gulping down the water, then offered the glass to Lu Yin. “Can I have another glass?”
Lu Yin refilled her glass.
Lin Qianqian assumed it would be warm water like before, but the heat surprised her, and she stuck her tongue out to cool it, trying to hide her discomfort.
She felt Lu Yin’s gaze, strange and scrutinizing, as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
But she had only stayed one night. Surely Lu Yin wasn’t already annoyed with her?
She hadn’t done anything wrong.
Remembering last night, Lin Qianqian realized she was feeling guilty, which explained why everything about Lu Yin seemed to irritate her.
A clear conscience fears no accusation. She just needed to push the thoughts aside and talk to Lu Yin openly.
“It’s fine. We’ll just be quiet,” Lin Qianqian offered what she hoped was a friendly smile.
This smile had served her well abroad, charming foreigners into being exceptionally welcoming, though she later learned they simply found her small stature endearing. Even after discovering the truth, her indignant outbursts were met with affectionate head pats from taller foreign women.
Anger from someone small was often perceived as cute.
Lu Yin’s gaze lingered, assessing whether she was genuinely oblivious or feigning ignorance.
“What are your plans?” she asked.
“I’m applying for jobs, but you know it’s not easy to find work right now. I need to take my time and find the right fit,” Lin Qianqian stated the harsh reality. “Once I find a job, I’ll rent a place nearby. I won’t stay long.”
“Mm,” Lu Yin acknowledged. “Let me know if you need help finding a place.”
Lin Qianqian wasn’t happy.
Lu Yin’s attitude remained polite but distant. This wasn’t what she wanted.
She would rather be scolded, or even delude herself into believing she could regain Lu Yin’s affection, than endure this estrangement.
Did this mean Lu Yin had moved on from everything that happened between them?
Lin Qianqian refused to accept it.
She hadn’t come back to simply let things go.
There were too many complications back home, but Lu Yin was worth facing them for.
“I used the toiletries in the bathroom last night, just so you know,” Lin Qianqian searched for common ground, trying to bridge the distance between them.
She even considered staging a “chance encounter” in the bathroom.
“Just use them. No need to tell me. The kitchen is fully stocked if you want to cook,” Lu Yin paused, then added, “I have some art supplies on the second floor. I sometimes work in the loft. Your room is downstairs. Tell me if I’m being too loud.”
Lin Qianqian nodded, noticing Lu Yin’s injured right hand. Tentatively, she asked, “Do you still paint?”
“Not as much. I teach at the training center, mainly focusing on instruction.”
Lu Yin’s tone was open, without a hint of concealment.
This made Lin Qianqian feel even more defeated.
“Can I go upstairs and take a look?” Lin Qianqian asked, then rephrased it more assertively, “I want to go upstairs and take a look.”
She was tired of being cautious. It wasn’t her nature, and it felt awkward.
Since Lu Yin treated her like a stranger, she might as well be herself, following her impulses.
If it mended their relationship, great. But if it made things worse, she would simply leave once she found a job.
Until then, she needed to remind Lu Yin of her presence, the boisterous presence of her younger self.
Lu Yin set down her things and headed upstairs. “Come on up.”
Lin Qianqian followed, finding several easels and various boxes scattered around.
“It’s a bit messy. I haven’t had time to tidy up.”
Lin Qianqian looked around curiously, flipping through the paintings on the easels. “Are these yours?”
They didn’t look like Lu Yin’s style.
“No. They’re my students’ work. I’m helping them with revisions,” Lu Yin saw her looking at another easel. “Those are too.”
The loft ceiling was lower than the rest of the apartment. The floor was covered with a rug, strewn with paintbrushes and tubes of paint.
She knew Lu Yin had excelled at watercolors, her style fresh and vibrant. She had even learned a bit about the medium herself. But now, it seemed Lu Yin’s teaching had broadened her artistic range.
Several charcoal sketches lay scattered on the rug, depicting geometric shapes and small animals.
Lu Yin stood quietly, observing her as she looked at the easels, the boxes, the sketches…
Finally, her gaze landed on a locked cabinet.
“What’s in the cabinet?” Lin Qianqian asked, then quickly looked away, drawn to the colorful paintings surrounding it.
“Just some old things,” Lu Yin retrieved a paintbox and several tubes of paint from a box, along with some brushes.
“Old things?” Lin Qianqian turned, accidentally bumping into the paintbox.
Her question was cut short as the three primary colors spilled onto the rug, mixing into a sticky mess.
Lu Yin crouched down, grabbed the trash can, and started wiping up the paint with wet wipes.
“Sister, I’m sorry!” Lin Qianqian looked at the stained paintbox, feeling a pang of guilt.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself.
She should have said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” not “Sister, I’m sorry!”
It was what she always said as a child when she made a mistake.
Back then, Lu Yin would pat her head and say, “It’s okay.”
“It’s fine,” Lu Yin replied calmly, not touching her head, focused on cleaning up the mess.
Lin Qianqian crouched down too, her hands clumsily wiping at the paint.
She had just ruined the paints Lu Yin had taken out, and they looked expensive.
After making a mistake, the natural instinct is to flee.
Lin Qianqian lost all interest in exploring the loft. She pointed her toes towards the stairs, her entire body expressing a desire to escape.
Lu Yin didn’t bother retrieving new supplies. She tied up the garbage bag and carried it downstairs.
Lin Qianqian sat back at the dining table, picking at the bread from her snack bag.
It tasted bland. She crinkled the plastic bag, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet apartment. She watched Lu Yin return, expertly packing her bag.
“Are you going to work?” Lin Qianqian’s fidgeting failed to attract the woman’s attention.
She wanted to eat Lu Yin’s cooking, not stale bread.
“Message me if you need anything,” Lu Yin replied.
“Let’s go out for breakfast together,” Lin Qianqian offered.
“I already ate,” Lu Yin said, “while you were in the bathroom this morning.”
Lin Qianqian tried to recall the morning’s events. It seemed she vaguely remembered something like that.
Lu Yin had asked if she wanted to eat, and she had refused.
She wouldn’t have left her warm bed if it weren’t for an unavoidable biological urge.
“Did you sleep at all last night?” Lin Qianqian asked again.
She hadn’t found a job yet and would be bored staying home alone. The training courses hadn’t started, so Lu Yin shouldn’t be that busy.
She needed to find a way to keep Lu Yin home, or tag along with her.
“I can catch up on sleep at the institution. They have single dorms,” Lu Yin said, putting on her shoes.
“But I’m really hungry,” Lin Qianqian resorted to her most effective tactic, forcing tears to well up in her eyes as she looked at Lu Yin.
“Try to get to bed earlier tonight,” Lu Yin glanced at her. “There’s a street food market around the corner, and the subway station is just a short walk away. Go explore and get something to eat.”
Can you at least acknowledge my existence? Lin Qianqian wanted to scream.
Her silent plea was met with the sound of the closing door as Lu Yin left without another word.
Lin Qianqian took a deep breath, feeling a surge of frustration.
In Lu Yin’s eyes, she was merely a distant relative staying over, offered free lodging out of past affection, treated with polite detachment, and secretly hoped she would find a job and leave soon, restoring peace and quiet to her life.
But Lin Qianqian wasn’t satisfied with this at all.
From last night until now, she had tried all her usual tricks, but Lu Yin remained unmoved.
Lu Yin was like a tightly curled hedgehog, impervious to her attempts to get close.
She needed to find a way to break through this strange tranquility, to rekindle even a spark of their former connection.
Just a small spark.
Once she had an opening, the rest would be much easier.
Breaking down Lu Yin’s defenses would be a challenge, and Lin Qianqian felt a headache coming on.
It was only the second day of their reunion, and she already wanted to pull her hair out.
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