Chapter 66
A phone call rescued Lin Qianqian. Lu Yin, her teasing only partially serious, let her go to answer it.
“Ming Yao? You’re out of the hospital? When?” Lin Qianqian asked, her attention immediately shifting. “Are you okay? Are you back at Dr. Zhong’s?”
She bombarded Ming Yao with questions, surprised by her sudden release.
The car started, and Lin Qianqian, startled, quickly fastened her seatbelt and adjusted her position, continuing her conversation.
“I’m glad you’re okay. When I saw the news…” she paused, not wanting to upset Ming Yao. “Let’s hang out after the New Year.”
Friendship, it seemed, was about offering companionship and a listening ear. She couldn’t solve Ming Yao’s problems, but she could offer support, encourage her to face her challenges, her fears.
She had repeated the offer to “hang out” countless times, hoping to offer some comfort, some reassurance.
She felt a sense of obligation towards Ming Yao, who had helped her during her difficult times abroad.
She was lucky. It seemed she always had someone to rely on.
Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and she could finally enjoy a proper Chinese meal, not the bland, modified versions Lu Yin had been making her eat.
While abroad, she had dreamt of authentic Chinese cuisine, but now, back home, the food seemed less important. Being with Lu Yin was enough.
She would happily eat plain steamed buns with Lu Yin, though Lu Yin would never let her.
“Sister, it’s been a while since we celebrated New Year’s together,” she said, thinking about their plans. “How about I cook the New Year’s Eve dinner?”
“You cook?” Lu Yin asked, her voice laced with skepticism.
“It won’t be that bad if you supervise me,” Lin Qianqian said.
Ambulances aren’t that expensive in China, right? A few days of IV fluids for food poisoning should be manageable.
She didn’t dare voice her thoughts. Lu Yin would scold her.
“Fine. What do you want to make?”
“Everything! I’ll create a masterpiece!” Lin Qianqian declared, searching online for recipes.
What are the easiest dishes to make?
What are the simplest stir-fries?
Related searches:
How to learn to cook in five minutes?
Lu Yin started driving, her mind elsewhere.
Lin Qianqian was still wearing her thin clothes from last night. Lu Yin hadn’t wanted to stay at the institution any longer, and seeing Lin Qianqian sleeping so soundly that morning, she hadn’t wanted to wake her, planning to bring her some warmer clothes.
But in the hallway of the institution, she saw a familiar figure.
A middle-aged woman she hadn’t seen in four years, the woman who had once accused her of corrupting her daughter.
Yu Miao emerged from the office, pulling Lu Yin inside and then confronting the woman, her expression cold and unwelcoming.
“Hello, I’m looking for someone,” Lin Yun said. She didn’t recognize Yu Miao, or perhaps she had simply forgotten her.
“The institution is closed for the holiday. The teachers are all gone,” Yu Miao said curtly. “Come back after the New Year. You can find information about our classes on our official website.”
“Do you have Lu Yin’s contact information? I need to speak with her,” Lin Yun said, smiling politely. “It’s a personal matter.”
Yu Miao looked at her. “A personal matter?”
“Yes,” Lin Yun said. “I haven’t seen her in years. I don’t have her number.”
“Who are you?” Yu Miao asked, her gaze sharp.
“I…” Lin Yun stammered, unable to answer.
“You better have a good reason for being here,” Yu Miao warned. “Otherwise, I’ll call the police.”
“No…I…”
Yu Miao’s anger simmered beneath the surface.
This woman, responsible for Lu Sui’s death, living comfortably on the insurance money, had even dared to insult Lu Yin.
She wanted to see her in prison.
Lu Yin had been watching from the office window, imagining what Lin Yun would look like now.
Perhaps she would be haggard, her relationship with her daughter strained, her life a mess.
But Lin Yun, appearing unexpectedly at her workplace, looked well-dressed, her appearance suggesting a comfortable lifestyle.
Lu Yin didn’t want to analyze her own complex emotions, the mixture of anger, resentment, and a strange, unwelcome pity.
She didn’t care about Lin Yun anymore, as long as she didn’t try to take Lin Qianqian away from her again.
She might be accused of being weak, of repaying evil with kindness, but she didn’t care.
“What do you want?” she asked, stepping out of the office as Yu Miao’s anger threatened to escalate.
“Why are you here?” Yu Miao asked, frowning. “Go back inside!”
“Xiao Lu, I just wanted to see you,” Lin Yun said, her voice surprisingly gentle, her usual mocking tone absent. “It’s almost the New Year, and Qianqian hasn’t contacted me since she came back. I wanted her to come home for the holiday, but she hasn’t been answering my messages. I know you work here, so I thought you could help me reach her.”
“Lin Yun, shouldn’t you be taking care of your own daughter instead of asking other people? Lu Yin has nothing to do with you!” Yu Miao exclaimed.
“I was just asking. If you don’t know, that’s fine. I’m not here to cause trouble,” Lin Yun said, her smile fading. “Why did she even come back? She had a good job abroad. What else could she possibly want besides you?”
“Lin Ayi, I won’t let her contact you,” Lu Yin said, her voice calm, her smile a chilling contrast to her words.
Lin Yun was taken aback by Lu Yin’s demeanor, the quiet, submissive girl she remembered now replaced by a confident, almost threatening presence.
She glanced around, realizing Lu Yin was no longer the vulnerable, isolated girl she had been years ago. She couldn’t afford to offend her.
She swallowed her anger and turned to leave, kicking the door on her way out.
Yu Miao started after her, but Lu Yin stopped her. “Let her go.”
“You should have taught her a lesson! How dare she come here! I should have called the police!” Yu Miao exclaimed, her voice filled with indignation.
Back in the office, she drank a glass of water, trying to calm down.
“Showing up during the holidays, bringing bad luck,” she muttered. “If only I had stayed in touch with Lu Sui. We wouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Lu Yin’s phone buzzed with notifications. She glanced at it, and Yu Miao said, “That mother and daughter are a constant source of trouble. Taking turns tormenting you.”
Lu Yin silenced her phone and put it away.
“Did you receive the student information I sent you a few days ago?” she asked Yu Miao.
“You’ve already asked me several times. That’s not how you change the subject,” Yu Miao said, looking at her. “You’re not on the duty roster. I know you don’t want to be here during the holidays.”
Lu Yin smiled faintly. “Thank you, Yu Jie. I should be going now.”
“Sister, can I eat this?” Lin Qianqian asked, showing Lu Yin a picture of boiled shrimp on her phone.
“You’re still thinking about seafood after your allergic reaction?” Lu Yin asked, her voice laced with disapproval.
“We can buy freshwater shrimp! Not saltwater shrimp!” Lin Qianqian said seriously. “I can eat those, right?”
“No,” Lu Yin said, parking the car. “Show me the menu when you’re done.”
Lin Qianqian’s face fell, and she followed Lu Yin inside, grumbling.
Why did she have to be allergic to something she loved?
“Can I at least have some allergy medicine on hand? Or grind it into powder and mix it with my food…?”
Lu Yin ignored her, opening the refrigerator.
“Go change into something warmer.”
“I washed my pants a few days ago. They’re not dry yet.”
Lu Yin closed the refrigerator. “Didn’t you use the dryer?”
“I forgot…” Lin Qianqian said, lying easily, especially when it came to eliciting Lu Yin’s concern, her childish antics a way of testing Lu Yin’s affection, her patience.
Lu Yin looked at her, then turned and went to the balcony.
There was no point in arguing. Lin Qianqian never learned.
“They’re frozen solid. When did you wash them?” she asked, bringing the pants inside and hanging them in the bathroom.
“Yesterday? No, wait, the day before yesterday?” Lin Qianqian said vaguely. “Will they break if I try to bend them?”
“Do you want new pants, or do you want a spanking?” Lu Yin asked.
Lin Qianqian blinked. “Is that a multiple-choice question?”
“You can also choose neither.”
Lu Yin still had many unanswered questions about Lin Qianqian: how had she survived abroad with her complete lack of practical skills? And where had she acquired this masochistic tendency?
Surely someone had encouraged it, nurtured it, and the thought always soured Lu Yin’s mood, her jealousy a sharp, unwelcome pang.
She didn’t trust Lin Qianqian’s reassurances, her declarations of love and loyalty, her words a constant reminder of Lin Qianqian’s other life, a life that didn’t include Lu Yin.
She didn’t want Lin Qianqian to have any other connections, any other attachments.
Under Lu Yin’s watchful gaze, Lin Qianqian reluctantly changed into warmer pants.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed a slight roll of fat around her stomach.
She had a small frame, her body soft even when she was thin.
When she had been struggling financially abroad, she had tried to lose weight, hoping for visible abs, but excessive exercise had only made her dizzy, her muscles stubbornly refusing to grow.
Fat, however, accumulated easily.
She walked into the kitchen, her hand on her stomach. “Sister, I’ve decided on an all-vegetarian menu for New Year’s Eve,” she announced dramatically.
“Weren’t you just craving freshwater shrimp?” Lu Yin asked, her phone still displaying Lin Qianqian’s search history:
Can people with seafood allergies eat freshwater shrimp?
She hadn’t found a definitive answer, so she had mentally dismissed Lin Qianqian’s request.
“I’ve lost my abs!” Lin Qianqian exclaimed, lifting her shirt. “See? All flab.”
Lu Yin pulled her shirt down, though she couldn’t see any difference.
“You have no idea how good it feels to have abs!” Lin Qianqian sighed. “The girls in the photography club had amazing abs.”
Lu Yin wasn’t one to be motivated by such comments.
“What did you just say?” she asked, her voice sharp.
“I said…” Lin Qianqian, seeing the look in Lu Yin’s eyes, quickly backtracked. If she didn’t behave, she might actually get hit.
She reached out and touched Lu Yin’s waist. “Sister, I love your figure,” she said, her voice soft and sincere.
Lu Yin was thin, her bones prominent beneath her skin, and Lin Qianqian always felt a pang of protectiveness when she held her.
“It’s perfect for…” she squeezed Lu Yin’s waist playfully. “Grinding…”
That night, Lin Qianqian regretted her words, her earlier teasing earning her the usual punishment.
Lu Yin, instead of her usual silence, interrogated her about her day, her conversations, her interactions with others.
Who secretly drew you? Did you really touch someone else’s abs?
“Are you deaf or something…?”
She had lost count of how many times she had answered those questions.
Lu Yin had chosen option B for her multiple-choice question, each slap a stinging reminder of her careless words.
In the aftermath, Lin Qianqian had kicked and struggled, but Lu Yin had easily overpowered her, her leg, thrown out in a moment of frustration, now hooked over Lu Yin’s shoulder, her body a willing captive.
Lu Yin held her close, her embrace tight and possessive.
In the past, Lin Qianqian would have snuggled into her arms, seeking comfort, seeking reassurance.
But now, Lu Yin was quiet, her eyes open, her gaze intense, her emotions hidden beneath a mask of indifference.
“Lin Qian, let’s celebrate New Year’s Eve together,” she whispered.
Lin Qianqian tried to turn and look at her, but Lu Yin’s hand held her head still, her touch gentle, but firm.
“Of course we are!” she said, her voice slightly muffled, her mind searching for a way to escape this awkward position.
“This is uncomfortable! I want to cuddle you!” she complained, but Lu Yin didn’t let her move.
What is she doing?
Is she still jealous?
“I was just kidding! I didn’t touch anyone…I swear…” Lin Qianqian pleaded, reaching for Lu Yin’s hand.
Lu Yin’s head rested against hers, their fingers interlaced, her silence a heavy weight in the quiet room.
Lin Qianqian stopped struggling, sensing something was wrong.
“Let’s go to the supermarket tomorrow, okay?” she asked. “I want ice cream. Can I have some?”
“I’ll take your silence as a yes,” she continued, her voice a playful banter, a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. “And how about one shrimp? Just one? Is that allowed?”
“Okay, you’ve agreed to that too.”
She chattered on, feeling Lu Yin’s warm breath against her neck.
“Sister, I promised to be with you. I won’t leave you,” she said, her voice sincere. “I promise.”
She knew Lu Yin’s fears, her insecurities, and she would reassure her, again and again, her words a constant reminder of her love, her loyalty.
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