Just hug me
Adding another person into daily life is not an easy thing.
In various fairy tales, most only write about the prince and princess getting married, without describing their life after marriage. Some people believe this is because the stories after living together are not as beautiful as the love itself.
Indeed, there are many couples who become resentful due to destructive differences in living habits. After all, living in the same house is very different from the days of not seeing each other all the time and maintaining a certain distance during the love stage. Many things can only be truly understood after living together, to see if this person is really suitable for oneself.
But for Qiao Yu and Lin Qing, it seems to be not a difficult thing at all.
They have not encountered any difficulties in adapting to each other since they started living together. They are like fish in water with each other, even if there are some differences in details, they can quickly adjust to a comfortable state for both. From the first day they moved in, there have been no arguments due to differences in living habits — of course, except for those at night.
“Listen, Qiao Yu, even though it’s winter now, I still attract attention when wearing turtleneck sweaters.”
“Indeed, how about changing to wearing a scarf?”
“I don’t need you to provide solutions for me! Can’t you at least go a bit lower…!?”
—Such small disputes like the one above still happen frequently, but let’s set that aside for now.
Their habits and preferences align perfectly, rarely showing disagreements when selecting things for their home. Rather than calling them a couple in passionate love, this level of compatibility is more like that of an old married couple.
This was quite surprising for them as well, as they only realized that not all couples can smoothly transition to living together like them when inviting their friends over to their home.
“It’s true. Those of you who didn’t live in dorms might not know, even getting along with roommates can be a very difficult task.”
Mi Yi, who went quite far from home for university, looked a bit gloomy, while Lu Yao nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, I don’t see any of my roommates being able to charm a girl after living together with their girlfriends. After all, they try to use cologne to cover up the fact that they don’t shower.”
“…it feels like a disaster waiting to happen with that smell.”
The girls present all showed indescribable expressions, with Cong Ye looking shocked and sighing in relief that his university was close to home, so he didn’t have to live with other boys.
“No, not all boys are like that… I just wanted to say, everyone may have their own little quirks, and it’s not limited by gender.”
Lu Yao said thoughtfully, looking at Qiao Yu and Lin Qing, smiling with emotion.
“But—how should I say this, you two don’t seem to be bothered by each other’s quirks.”
“I agree, Qiao Yu even gained a bit of weight.”
“Huh? Is that true?”
Qiao Yu wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not. She looked at Cong Ye, who was nodding seriously. She hesitantly rubbed her own belly and suddenly felt a hand reaching over, pinching her face lightly and softly sighing.
“It’s good if that’s the case. She was too thin before.”
Lin Qing carefully confirmed the touch of her own hand, feeling that it had indeed improved a bit from before, feeling comforted.
“Ah, Lin Qing’s tone is just like Qiao Yu’s wife.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? How is that alike? Isn’t this an established fact?”
Mi Yi and Cong Ye’s back-and-forth banter no longer easily made these two blush. She calmly raised her arms, smiling politely. “Yes, as for me having a wife and a house, what do you all think?”
“…What’s going on? Are you provoking us?”
“Yes. Let’s put aside the fact that my parents gave me the house, but the wife is someone I found myself.”
“Wow, this guy’s attitude is too despicable. What do you mean ‘I found myself’? Do you know how hard it was for Lin Qing in high school, Qiao Yu? I hate that you were so clueless back then.”
“…No, that was—On that note, all of you were love consultants at that time, each flourishing in your own ways. Why is it that after so many years, not a single one of you is in a relationship?”
“That’s enough, let’s stop here, Qiao Yu. I’m just here to celebrate your housewarming. If you want to talk about this topic, don’t blame me for opening this bottle of Coke that I just vigorously shook right in your face.”
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“Enough, Qiao Yu… Mi Yi’s expression is serious…”
Watching Qiao Yu and the other three interact, the scene was chaotic for a moment. Lin Qing leaned against the edge of the sofa, not getting involved, gazing deeply at the scene.
Despite everything that had happened, their laughter and playfulness were just the same as before.
She and Qiao Yu walked forward step by step, with these people always cheering them on, coming up with not-so-clever ideas, releasing enthusiastic goodwill.
Adding another person into one’s daily life is not an easy task.
But in their sophomore year, without hesitation, Qiao Yu effortlessly pulled her into her own circle of life. Perhaps it was from that moment that their lives began to gradually merge, eventually culminating in the harmony they now shared.
She truly hoped that this kind of life could continue indefinitely.
That night, as the noisy friends gradually left, the home finally returned to the state of just the two of them together.
Even after showering, Qiao Yu couldn’t shake off the situation from earlier, furrowing her brows as she twisted his damp hair, “It’s really frustrating, being sprayed with Mi Yi’s bottle of Coke.”
“So she said it was just an accident, who knew the bottle cap wasn’t sealed tightly.”
Suppressing a smile, Lin Qing reached out to check for her, reassuringly saying, “It’s fine, everything should be washed clean.”
“Alright.” Qiao Yu nodded sullenly, feeling somewhat relieved, then with a tousled head of wet hair, she moved closer to Lin Qing, “Have you finished showering?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t sprayed with Coke, so I dried my hair quickly. Don’t come closer, go dry your hair… Really, fine, I’ll help you dry it.”
A quick glance at her eyes told Lin Qing exactly what she had in mind. Pretending to be displeased, she pushed her lightly, then finally gave in, stood up, picked up the hairdryer, and gently dried Qiao Yu’s hair.
Having successfully achieved her goal, Qiao Yu happily squinted her eyes, gently shaking her head to help her lover dry the still damp areas. Lin Qing tapped her, reminding her not to move around.
“What are we going to do next?”
Amidst the hum of the hairdryer, Lin Qing asked.
“Do you want to watch TV together or play games? But it seems like there isn’t anything good on TV today.”
“Well… I can’t, I have to write today.”
Qiao Yu’s apologetic voice came through, causing Lin Qing’s hand holding the hairdryer to freeze for a moment. She quickly resumed her actions before Qiao Yu could sense anything unusual.
“…Is that so, then there’s nothing we can do.”
Her voice was soft, her eyelids drooping to hide her emotions.
But it seemed that her lover still caught on to her subtle cues. Qiao Yu suddenly turned her head, grasped her wrist, took the hairdryer and turned it off, causing the room, now devoid of the sound of blowing, to fall into silence.
“What’s wrong? Your hair isn’t dry yet.”
Lin Qing’s expression remained calm, showing just the right amount of surprise and confusion. Qiao Yu stared at her eyes intently, unable to detect any flaw.
Had she not systematically confirmed in her mind that the sigh she heard belonged to Lin Qing and was not just her imagination, she might have truly been deceived by Lin Qing.
“…Are you very concerned?”
Qiao Yu set the hairdryer aside, took Lin Qing’s hands and gestured for her to sit beside her. Initially hesitant, Lin Qing resisted a bit, but Qiao Yu lightly patted her own thigh in a somewhat threatening manner, causing Lin Qing to blush and then sit down beside her.
“I heard you sigh.”
Qiao Yu spoke bluntly and indeed felt Lin Qing’s body stiffen, but Lin Qing didn’t argue back. After a brief silence, she began to speak.
“Well, I’m slightly concerned about the content.”
“The content?” Qiao Yu raised her eyebrows in surprise, bluntly questioning, “You’ve seen it before, why are you concerned about it now?”
“…The new chapter you’re writing, I haven’t seen it, that’s what I’m concerned about.”
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“…”
To tell the truth, it seemed very suspicious. Qiao Yu silently furrowed her brow.
It appeared as if Lin Qing hastily fabricated a plausible excuse to try to get away with something, but it was so obvious that even Qiao Yu could see through it; this behavior was really unlike Lin Qing.
“Alright, I’m probably going to write about the intimate moments between you and me when you were tutoring me in my room.”
“Intimate—Do you really have to write about that kind of thing!”
Okay, now Lin Qing was truly concerned, her eyes widening in panic as she stared at Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu’s face was serious, and it was difficult to tell if she was joking or not.
“What’s wrong? You look so surprised. So, you’re not concerned about whether I’ll write about these things?”
The words spoken had already shifted away from the original topic, and Lin Qing suddenly realized that she might have walked into a trap.
“Qingqing is lying.”
Asserting this, Qiao Yu, unusually assertive, approached her, with her amber eyes forcing Lin Qing to meet her gaze.
“Are you really only concerned about the content?”
Ah, it seems that tonight’s Qiao Yu is unexpectedly very sharp.
Lin Qing lightly bit her lower lip, lowered her eyelashes, showing a distressed expression on her face, unable to speak for a moment.
“Or maybe,” seeing her not speaking, Qiao Yu’s eyes flashed, and she continued on her own, “what you’re really concerned about is the fact that I still need to write?”
“…”
Lin Qing’s breath hitched, slightly flustered, she forcefully broke eye contact with Qiao Yu and turned her body to the other side.
But even if she didn’t answer, her actions had already revealed her answer. Qiao Yu understood in her heart, a mix of complex emotions welling up inside. Opening her mouth, she let out a sigh before saying:
“If you’re feeling uneasy, just tell me.”
Qiao Yu lowered her voice, wrapping her arms around Lin Qing from behind. Her lover’s back stiffened, still unwilling to turn around and look at her. Qiao Yu gently pulled her closer, her hands crossing over Lin Qing’s abdomen as she tentatively rested her head on Lin Qing’s shoulder, thankfully encountering no resistance.
“…I feel like I’m being unreasonable.”
Gradually softening in Qiao Yu’s embrace, Lin Qing finally spoke, her voice muffled.
“I know this is unavoidable, and I know as long as the satisfaction level doesn’t drop to zero, you won’t leave, but, but…”
“Just thinking that this thing still exists, thinking that there is such a mechanism, such a numerical judgment determining your existence, I just—”
Her words suddenly choked up, unable to continue. Qiao Yu’s hand exerted a little more pressure, gently comforting her lover’s sudden trembling.
Qiao Yu’s slightly dry hair lightly brushed against Lin Qing’s neck, causing a slight tickling sensation. The warmth behind her felt so real, both within reach, but at the same time…
“…I get scared.”
Lin Qing gently touched Qiao Yu’s hand on her waist, which was immediately grasped by her without hesitation, and their fingers intertwined.
“I know, it’s normal, not unreasonable at all.”
Qiao Yu’s voice calmly entered her ears, soothing Lin Qing’s uneasy heart bit by bit. She softly agreed, leaning back, fully surrendering herself into her lover’s embrace, greedily absorbing Qiao Yu’s warmth.
“…It’s okay, if you’re scared, then I can try to—”
“Qiao Yu!” Lin Qing’s eyes widened in shock, abruptly turning around to face Qiao Yu, looking into her serious eyes. “Don’t… don’t take any risks.”
Qiao Yu’s tone just now was too solemn, as if she was about to make a promise to solve everything.
But Lin Qing knew that this was the responsibility Qiao Yu bore when she came to this world. Logically speaking, she and this responsibility should coexist. Wanting to live in this world without bearing any responsibility related to existence may be easy for her, but for Qiao Yu, it was harder than anything.
It would not be an easy task, just like when Qiao Yu decided to change her writing drastically before.
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But Lin Qing could not bear Qiao Yu leaving for a second time.
“I’m just a little scared, I know nothing will happen even if things continue like this. The satisfaction level has been rising recently, and I am well aware of it in my heart.”
Lin Qing didn’t want Qiao Yu to take risks for this potential danger. Being content with the current situation was not a bad thing. As long as she suppressed that hint of fear in her heart, they could continue to be together — yes, that’s right, it was indeed right.
She silently repeated in her mind several times. On one hand, she could suppress her emotions and maintain a moderate attitude. On the other hand, it was either heaven or hell, a choice that Lin Qing could almost immediately make without needing much time.
“When I’m scared, just hug me.” Lin Qing smiled gently, holding Qiao Yu’s hand.
“…Just hug me.”
She repeated in a low voice, and Qiao Yu’s throat tightened, wordlessly hugging her tightly as she had requested.
Ah, this was not acceptable.
To continue to force a smile, revealing a quiet smile, like a piece of fragile broken glass, Lin Qing.
Qiao Yu closed her eyes.
It was she who sowed the cause.
She absolutely did not want to let this seed continue to exist and bear evil fruit.