Chapter 8
The woman on the screen that day had been beautiful and captivating.
Lin Qianqian replayed the scene in her mind, the woman on Lu Yin’s computer, their friendly video chat, the neatly arranged fruit platter, the steaming cup of coffee.
She was getting impatient. Why wouldn’t Lu Yin sit down with her for a proper conversation, or even a friendly romp in bed? She still remembered all of Lu Yin’s preferences, the mole on her collarbone that she used to nibble on, leaving it encircled by a ring of teeth marks. If Lu Yin didn’t stop being so distant, she would bite her hard as payback.
Lin Qianqian seethed with frustration.
She should have kissed Lu Yin full on the mouth under the guise of a cheek kiss at the airport. And if Lu Yin got angry, she could have wiped Lu Yin’s mouth, feigning innocence, and blaming it on lingering habits from abroad.
The last time they had been intimate… Lin Qianqian paused, the memory surfacing. She had been kicked out of Lu Yin’s room that night.
The unpleasantness of the recollection made her stop her fantasy abruptly.
She was reaching her limit. Why wouldn’t Lu Yin sit down with her for a proper conversation, or even a friendly romp in bed? She vividly remembered all of Lu Yin’s preferences, the mole on her collarbone that she used to nibble on, leaving it encircled by a ring of teeth marks. If Lu Yin didn’t stop being so distant, she would bite her hard as payback.
Lin Qianqian fumed.
She should have kissed Lu Yin full on the mouth under the guise of a cheek kiss at the airport. And if Lu Yin got angry, she could have wiped Lu Yin’s mouth, feigning innocence, and blaming it on lingering habits from abroad.
The last time they had been intimate… Lin Qianqian paused, the memory surfacing. She had been kicked out of Lu Yin’s room that night.
The unpleasantness of the recollection made her stop her fantasy abruptly.
She had to step up her game. Otherwise, Lu Yin’s girlfriend might show up with a suitcase any day now, pointing at her and declaring, “I won’t allow another woman in this house! Not even a sister!”
She hadn’t enjoyed the jacuzzi enough, hadn’t had enough free food and lodging. She couldn’t be kicked out.
Unfortunately, Lu Yin had been spending most of her time at the institution lately, and Lin Qianqian hadn’t been able to catch another video call.
What finally broke Lin Qianqian’s obsessive thoughts was the return of her only true friend from abroad, Ming Yao.
They met at a cafe. Lin Qianqian struggled to find the place on the map, surprised that Ming Yao seemed more familiar with the area than she was.
Lin Qianqian was directionally challenged. When she first arrived abroad, the navigation app was her most used. She would sometimes stand right on top of the marked location, unable to find her destination, only to realize, with a frustrated stomp, that it was right in front of her.
“Little Grass! Over here! Lin Grass!” Ming Yao waved at her.
Lin Qianqian, standing outside the cafe window, briefly considered disowning this friend. She walked over nonchalantly. As a waiter passed by, she asked, feigning politeness, “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
“No, please sit down,” Ming Yao replied with a smile.
As soon as the waiter left, Lin Qianqian’s smile turned into a glare. “I told you not to call me that!”
As Lin Qianqian’s only Chinese friend abroad, Ming Yao had been the unwilling recipient of her drunken emotional outbursts, including a dramatic recitation of her award-winning third-grade essay.
That’s when Ming Yao had suggested, “Why don’t you just change your name to Little Grass? It would make the ‘deer eats grass’ thing even more obvious.”
Lin Qianqian had thought she was crazy.
But she must be a little crazy herself to be such good friends with Ming Yao.
“Okay, okay, I won’t call you that. But Qianqian, I have something to celebrate,” Ming Yao lowered her voice. “My dad had a heart attack a few days ago and is in critical condition in the ICU.”
Lin Qianqian searched her memory. “Didn’t you just post on social media, ‘Happy wedding, Dad! Stay young and live a long life’?”
“Maybe…my blessings didn’t reach him…” Ming Yao chuckled dryly. “I’m already looking for a lawyer.”
Lin Qianqian couldn’t comprehend the thought processes of the wealthy, only offering a supportive, “I’m rooting for you. Sponsor me when you become a rich lady. Artistic performances only, no funny business.”
“But there’s a problem. How do I get rid of my stepmother?” Ming Yao pondered. “I need to get them divorced while my dad is still warm. The first in line for inheritance are the spouse and children, but it has to be just me.”
Lin Qianqian’s mind conjured up images of soap opera drama, and she nodded vaguely.
She wasn’t interested. It wasn’t her problem. She was preoccupied with winning back Lu Yin.
“Where is your stepmother?” Lin Qianqian asked, trying not to appear too dismissive.
“She hasn’t returned to the country. I can’t reach her.”
“Can’t reach her? Why?”
“She took care of all the illegitimate children my dad had outside the marriage, and now she’s gone missing,” Ming Yao sounded genuinely worried. “Do you think she’s planning to take all the inheritance for herself?”
Lin Qianqian’s eyes widened slightly. “Murder is illegal.”
“Of course not! Anything that can be solved with money isn’t a real problem! I just don’t know what she did with them!” Ming Yao’s expression was grim. “I should have stayed in contact with her while we were abroad. She didn’t even come back with my dad…”
“Are you sure you can outsmart her?” Lin Qianqian sometimes thought Ming Yao was a naive rich girl, not particularly bright.
“Of course! Have some faith in me!” Ming Yao puffed out her chest. “Just wait for the good news. When it’s all over, I’ll buy you anything you want.”
“Even an apartment?” Lin Qianqian asked.
“Why don’t you just acknowledge me as your older sister and we’ll split the inheritance fifty-fifty?”
Lin Qianqian scoffed. “I don’t need another sister. I already have one.”
They chatted for a while longer, and then Lin Qianqian noticed several notifications from the job search app on her phone. All rejections.
With her foreign education, finding a job should have been easy.
But she wanted a short commute, no overtime, and a decent boss. The salary wasn’t a major concern, as long as she could cover her basic expenses.
She had lowered her expectations repeatedly, but still couldn’t find anything suitable.
After several unsuccessful interviews, she was starting to despair. Why was the job market so bad?
The sun was brutal, and her skin was sensitive. She dreaded sitting in front of interviewers with a sunburned face.
Even with sunscreen, she could see her skin darkening.
“There’s a new media company looking for copywriters. They’re desperate,” Ming Yao offered.
“No way. I don’t want to work with someone I know. I just want to coast. It would be awkward for both of us if the boss yelled at me.”
Lin Qianqian had forced herself to study hard for four years just to graduate.
Now that she had finally graduated, she wanted to live life on her own terms, as a carefree slacker.
But reality had other plans.
“It’s a startup, less than a year old. I’ve met the owner a few times. She’s a rich girl who started a company to kill time, just like you,” Ming Yao sent her the job posting. “They seem pretty laid-back. Mostly promotional stuff.”
Lin Qianqian scrolled through the company’s articles. “This is all over the place. Food, travel, reviews… There’s no central theme.”
“Seems like it’s based on the owner’s whims. Whatever she’s interested in that week,” Ming Yao said. “I just thought I’d share it with you. No pressure.”
“I’ll think about it,” Lin Qianqian replied.
She jolted awake again, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
Lu Yin lay in the darkness, her palms cold.
She had dreamt of the girl beneath her, crying and calling her “Sister…” Her cheeks were flushed, like vibrant roses, a redness that didn’t belong to a young girl, but Lu Yin, seemingly deaf to her pleas, left countless bite marks on her skin.
When the girl cried out again, Lu Yin choked her, silencing her screams and cutting off her breath.
Blood bloomed on the skin, the girl’s cries fading into unconsciousness.
Lu Yin’s eyes stared into the darkness, her throat dry. She steadied her breathing.
Dewdrops on blades of grass, sinking into the earth, unstoppable.
She shouldn’t have brought her back. She had thought she could control herself, at least for a while.
She would provide temporary shelter, endure until Lin Qianqian found a job and moved out, and then endure watching her fall in love with someone else.
But she had overestimated herself.
The girl had invaded her life, and now her dreams.
She had buried the disgusting past, maintaining a facade of normalcy, letting time numb her emotions.
But now, her peaceful life was shattered.
This was a nightmare.
She had to endure, make the girl give up and leave her life again.
She didn’t have the courage to continue, her pride wouldn’t allow it.
Soon, it would be over. Just a little longer.
Lu Yin closed her eyes, repeating the mantra in her mind.
Unable to sleep, she got out of bed, walked through the dark apartment, up the stairs, and into the loft. She retrieved the painting from the locked cabinet and hung it on the empty hook.
Lu Yin stood there, arms crossed, her hand reaching out to caress the painted skin of the girl, just like she had years ago.
But canvas was just canvas. There was no warmth, no give.
She picked up a brush, dipped it in white paint, and painted over the girl’s colorful top.
The girl’s skin became a blank canvas. Lu Yin changed colors, adding a touch of cherry red to the lips, leaving only the blue jeans.
A faint smile touched Lu Yin’s lips. The painting was almost perfect.
Calming herself, she went downstairs.
The nightlight was on in the living room. Lin Qianqian was crouched on the floor, motionless.
Lu Yin approached, smelling alcohol. She poured a glass of water and offered it to Lin Qianqian. “Have you been drinking?”
Lin Qianqian looked up, a silly grin on her face. “My best friend came back, so we met up and had a few drinks.”
The clock on the wall indicated it was almost three in the morning. Lu Yin frowned. “Don’t drink outside, and don’t come home this late.”
“I wanted to drink. Why do you care…” Lin Qianqian mumbled, reaching for the water, but Lu Yin snatched it away, setting it down on the table with a thud.
Lin Qianqian tried to stand but felt dizzy. She remained crouched on the floor.
“I’m your roommate now. You’re my landlord, but you won’t let me pay rent, so I can stay out all night if I want…” Lin Qianqian sighed weakly. “My stomach hurts…”
Lu Yin picked up the glass and held it to her lips.
Lin Qianqian, parched, gulped down the water, finishing it quickly.
As Lu Yin pulled the glass away, Lin Qianqian closed her eyes and grabbed her wrist. “I want more…”
Lu Yin struggled slightly, but Lin Qianqian’s grip was firm. She felt the warmth of the contact against her skin.
“There’s no more. I’ll pour you another glass,” she said calmly.
Lin Qianqian immediately released her wrist.
After three glasses of water, she finally opened her eyes, struggling to stand.
Her mind still hazy, she leaned on Lu Yin, her drunken words slurred. “Help me. I can’t walk straight…”
It was only a few steps, but she clung to Lu Yin, her legs heavy as lead.
Lin Qianqian draped herself on Lu Yin, her breath warm against Lu Yin’s neck and collarbone.
Lu Yin turned her head away, her expression cold, and quickly pulled her to the sofa.
“Why are you avoiding me…” Lin Qianqian lay on the sofa, waving her hand towards Lu Yin, a faint blush still on her cheeks. “Don’t you want to hold my hand…?”
“Sister…” she drawled, her voice coquettish and clingy.
Lu Yin stood over her, looking down. “Lin Qian, are you sober?”
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