Chapter 59
When Lin Qianqian returned from the restroom, Ming Yao was gone. She was about to message her when she saw them through the window: Zhong Shiwu and Ming Yao.
She knew their relationship was more than just stepmother and stepdaughter, the brief, legally binding connection a mere formality.
She deleted the message and waited for Ming Yao to return.
When Ming Yao sat back down, her eyes were red-rimmed.
Lin Qianqian didn’t ask. She knew Ming Yao was hurting.
Years ago, in college, Ming Yao had had a crush on a senior, and when it hadn’t worked out, she had seemed unfazed, her usual cheerful self.
But now, Zhong Shiwu had completely changed her, her mood, her behavior, a reflection of her unspoken desires.
Lin Qianqian sighed. It seemed even Ming Yao had met her match.
“Qianqian, thank you for coming today,” Ming Yao said, struggling to use the chopsticks.
If she hadn’t seen Zhong Shiwu, she would have been able to eat normally. But seeing her had triggered the familiar habits, the ingrained responses.
“I’m the one who invited you. I should be thanking you,” Lin Qianqian said, forcing a smile. “This meal is on me! Order whatever you want.”
Ming Yao scanned the menu and added a few dishes, and Lin Qianqian felt a flicker of hope.
Ming Yao seemed better than their last few meetings.
They ate in silence, a comfortable contrast to their usual boisterous conversations. Ming Yao was quiet and withdrawn, and Lin Qianqian didn’t push her.
Perhaps that’s what true friendship was: comfortable silence, unspoken understanding.
After a while, Ming Yao looked out the window, as if sensing something.
Zhong Shiwu was walking past the restaurant with a young girl, opening the car door for her.
She paused, glancing back towards the restaurant.
Ming Yao quickly looked away, her hand instinctively reaching for her plate, then for the cutlery, then realizing they were eating hot pot, she picked up her chopsticks.
Her heart pounded in her chest. After a tense thirty seconds, she finally picked up a piece of meat and ate it, then glanced out the window again. The car was gone.
She wanted to go after her.
If going to Zhong Shiwu’s house meant rejection, then she would find another way, a legitimate reason to see her.
If it worked, great. If not, she would leave, escape this city, this life, and start over somewhere new, somewhere no one knew her, no one knew her past.
“Qianqian, if we never see each other again…”
Lin Qianqian was startled by her words. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. I’m just…making a decision,” Ming Yao said, licking her lips. “You’ll support me, right?”
“Of course! I’ll support you no matter what!” Lin Qianqian said, then added, “Where are you going? Don’t forget about me.”
With Ming Yao’s family connections, she would never lack for friends, wherever she went.
Their old classmates from college, despite their close friendships, had drifted apart.
Lin Qianqian didn’t want that to happen to them. She would miss Ming Yao terribly.
“I won’t forget you. I’m just thinking about it,” Ming Yao said, smiling. “I’ll let you know when I decide.”
“Okay!” Lin Qianqian said, ordering a few more dishes and several bottles of beer, determined to get drunk.
Words spoken in moments of despair often became self-fulfilling prophecies.
Seeing Ming Yao was a rare occurrence now. She had to treat every meeting as if it were their last.
They raised their glasses, the cold beer a bitter contrast to the warmth of their friendship.
Their eyes met, both red-rimmed.
She had never felt this way about a friend before, this sense of impending loss, this fear of being abandoned.
She didn’t want to lose Ming Yao.
After their meal, Ming Yao’s driver was waiting outside.
Lin Qianqian, slightly drunk, complimented the luxurious car, her words a rambling stream of praise.
Ming Yao, also a bit tipsy, laughed, her earlier sadness momentarily forgotten.
The drive back to Lin Qianqian’s apartment seemed surprisingly short.
The driver opened the door for Lin Qianqian, who thanked her and then stumbled towards the building, her steps unsteady.
She hadn’t had a drink in a long time.
She spent most of her time with Lu Yin now, their meals a shared ritual, and Lu Yin rarely drank, especially when she had to drive.
Her low tolerance for alcohol meant a few beers were enough to make her feel lightheaded, her mind clear, but her body weightless, as if she were floating.
She was going to be scolded.
That thought occupied her mind as she walked home.
Why did alcohol always bring back memories of her most embarrassing moments?
The pavement was icy, and she slipped, almost falling before grabbing onto a tree, the snow from its branches falling down her neck.
She instinctively reached for her scarf, then realized she had left it in Ming Yao’s car.
She shivered, pulling her jacket tighter, and made a mental note to ask Ming Yao for it later.
The warmth of the apartment enveloped her as she stepped inside.
She warmed her hands with her breath and was about to go to the bathroom when she saw Lu Yin emerge from the bedroom, a glass of water in her hand.
“Sister, do you need more water? I’ll get it for you,” she offered, taking the glass and filling it with hot water.
Lu Yin, seeing her flushed cheeks and smelling the alcohol on her breath, knew she had been drinking.
Lin Qianqian held the warm glass in her hands, walking towards Lu Yin, then stumbled, her body swaying slightly. She quickly drank half the water.
Lu Yin frowned.
“I’ll get you some more…” Lin Qianqian said, her voice slightly slurred, turning to go back to the kitchen, but Lu Yin took the glass from her hand.
Lin Qianqian watched as Lu Yin sat down on the sofa, poured herself some water, and drank it without even glancing at her.
She hurried over to Lu Yin, her voice a playful whine. “Sister, I’m sorry! I have three things to apologize for!”
“First, I shouldn’t have had any drinks.”
“Second, I shouldn’t have come home so late.”
“Third…third…” she paused, then, unable to think of a third excuse, said, “Third, I didn’t kiss you goodbye this morning! Here’s your kiss!”
She kissed Lu Yin’s cheek, then waited nervously for her response.
“Are you thirsty?” Lu Yin asked, handing her the glass.
Lin Qianqian took it and quickly finished the water. “Can I have some more? Hot pot always makes me thirsty.”
Lu Yin refilled her glass.
She knew Lu Yin was giving her the silent treatment again, and she braced herself for a scolding.
As Lu Yin stood up and walked towards her room, Lin Qianqian followed, grabbing her hand just as she was about to close the door.
“Sister, just scold me already!” she pleaded. Don’t keep it all bottled up inside!
Lu Yin’s expression softened. “Go take a shower,” she said.
“Don’t lock the door,” Lin Qianqian said, afraid of being shut out again.
She had spent too many nights sitting outside Lu Yin’s door, like a banished concubine, and she had had enough.
“I’ll watch you go to bed,” Lu Yin said, the familiar phrase a strange comfort to Lin Qianqian, a reminder of their shared past.
Saying those words felt good. Powerful.
Lin Qianqian grinned, then, seeing Lu Yin’s expression darken, added, “Hurry up.”
Even better.
“I haven’t showered yet,” Lu Yin said, leaning against the doorframe, her gaze meeting Lin Qianqian’s. “Want to join me?”
Lin Qianqian’s eyes widened, and she took a step back, suspicious. Such a suggestive offer from Lu Yin couldn’t be a good thing.
“That’s…so embarrassing…” she said, forcing a laugh. “But okay!”
She took Lu Yin’s hand and pulled her towards the bathroom, chattering excitedly. “I’ll get your pajamas!” she said, running back and forth between the bedroom and the bathroom.
Before handing Lu Yin the pajamas, she made her promise. “You’re not going to pour cold water on me again, are you? Just because I’m joining you in the shower?”
“Was that my fault?”
“Wasn’t it?” Lin Qianqian asked, then, seeing Lu Yin’s expression, quickly backtracked. “I was partly to blame too. Fifty-fifty.”
The hot water from the shower turned the bathroom into a steamy sauna, the air thick and humid, the mirrors fogged.
Lin Qianqian, her vision blurred, took Lu Yin’s hand and kissed it, then, rising onto her tiptoes, kissed Lu Yin’s lips.
Their bodies pressed together, the heat intensifying, Lin Qianqian’s fingers digging into Lu Yin’s wrist.
The warm water cascaded over her, her eyes closed, the sensation disorienting, the warmth of Lu Yin’s body indistinguishable from the heat of the water.
The floor was slippery, and she couldn’t find her slippers. She stood on one leg, her other leg resting on Lu Yin’s arm for support.
It felt like she was both showering and climbing a mountain, the exertion making her breathless, her mind blank.
She leaned against the cold tile wall, a shiver running through her as the cool surface contrasted with the heat of the water, the warmth of Lu Yin’s body.
Lu Yin turned up the water, her hand moving to Lin Qianqian’s back, the touch gentle, almost hesitant.
“You…” Lin Qianqian opened her eyes, the water stinging, then closed them again, then opened them again, annoyed.
Was Lu Yin doing this on purpose? Teasing her, leading her on, then stopping?
“What?” Lu Yin asked calmly.
“You…” Lin Qianqian spluttered, unable to speak, her mouth full of water. She reached for a towel, but couldn’t find one.
Lu Yin handed her a towel, and Lin Qianqian dried her face, her vision clearing.
She turned off the shower.
“What are you doing?” she asked, pressing her body against Lu Yin’s, her leg rubbing against Lu Yin’s.
“Taking a shower. What do you think I’m doing?”
Lin Qianqian whimpered, her voice a soft plea. “I want…”
Lu Yin didn’t reply, turning the shower back on, the sound of the water filling the silence.
Lin Qianqian poked her, her face crumpled with frustration.
Lu Yin stepped away, wrapped herself in a towel, and left the bathroom, her abrupt departure shattering Lin Qianqian’s hopes.
She had been tricked again.
And this time, it was even more cruel, Lu Yin stopping just as things were getting good.
She quickly finished her shower, her anger simmering, ready to confront Lu Yin.
The bedroom door wasn’t locked, which surprised her.
She saw Lu Yin lying on the bed, her back turned.
Lin Qianqian grabbed the hairdryer and stood beside the bed, turning it on full blast.
She played with her hair, knowing Lu Yin would eventually react to the noise, her annoyance a form of acknowledgement, even if it was just a demand for silence.
But Lu Yin seemed determined to ignore her. Lin Qianqian wasn’t worried. She interpreted Lu Yin’s silence as jealousy, a sign of her possessive nature.
She finished drying her hair, climbed into bed, and snuggled close to Lu Yin, using her usual tactic.
“Sister, be generous. I was just meeting a friend,” she whispered, kissing Lu Yin’s cheek. “Don’t be angry.”
Lu Yin’s eyes were half-closed, her mind elsewhere.
Zhong Shiwu usually left the country during the Spring Festival, finding the holiday too boisterous.
If she didn’t finish what she had started before the New Year, it would have to wait.
The thought of Lin Qianqian alone, with no one else to distract her, made her more willing to indulge Lin Qianqian’s whims.
“You’re so heartless! Your poor little sister is so lonely, and you won’t even say a word!” Lin Qianqian said, her fingers playfully pinching Lu Yin’s side.
Lu Yin knew what she wanted, a continuation of their interrupted encounter in the bathroom.
The ringing of the phone interrupted them. It was Zhong Shiwu.
She wouldn’t call this late unless it was important.
“I need to take this,” Lu Yin said, going to the living room.
So frustrating.
Lin Qianqian waited impatiently, then removed her clothes, wondering what position to strike.
Lu Yin returned a few minutes later, Zhong Shiwu’s assurances having put her in a good mood.
Seeing Lin Qianqian naked on the bed, the duvet pushed aside, she raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Lin Qianqian smirked. “Guess.”
“I’m asking you.”
Lin Qianqian’s mind raced. She jumped on top of Lu Yin, her lips finding Lu Yin’s, her words a breathless whisper against Lu Yin’s mouth.
“Sister, you have no idea how much I love you,” she murmured, her voice thick with desire.
She lay on the bed, her head on the pillow, her legs bent, grateful for the alcohol-induced courage.
The dizziness hadn’t completely faded, and Lu Yin had only suggested they shower together because she was worried Lin Qianqian would pass out in the bathroom.
But it wasn’t the alcohol that was making her lightheaded now. She felt the soft brush of Lu Yin’s hair against her skin.
Lu Yin’s lips moved lower, her tongue tracing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, and Lin Qianqian’s head tilted back, her eyes closed, her body arching into Lu Yin’s touch.
She had drunk too much, too much water, too much beer, her body heavy, her mind hazy.
Her elbows pressed into the mattress, her face buried in the pillow, her moans muffled by the soft fabric.
She felt like she was drowning, clinging to a floating piece of driftwood, her legs kicking, trying to reach the shore.
But the driftwood was entangled in seaweed, her struggles futile, her movements only tightening the knots.
The waves crashed over her, the world a blur of white, and she gasped for air, her eyes searching for the shore, but she was still adrift, the seaweed clinging to her legs, pulling her down.
“Sister!” she cried out, her voice a desperate plea, needing Lu Yin to save her.
But Lu Yin was also struggling, the waves crashing over her, the water filling her mouth, her nose.
“Sister…” Lin Qianqian whispered again, her body limp, her cries fading into a soft moan, a wave of pleasure washing over her, her release a warm, pulsing sensation against Lu Yin’s skin.
Lu Yin sat up, pulling Lin Qianqian’s legs, dragging her towards the shore.
The bed was dry, the duvet pulled over Lin Qianqian, her body still trembling from the aftershocks.
Lu Yin wiped her face with a tissue, her gaze lingering on Lin Qianqian’s flushed cheeks, her parted lips.
“Can’t you be gentler…?” Lin Qianqian whispered, her voice thick with tears, a mixture of love and resentment.
Lu Yin chuckled. “You deserved it.”
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