Lin Xian and I are together
It felt like living a wonderful dream. At one point, Xiao Wanqing grasped Lin Xian’s hand, walking side by side through the long night illuminated by dim street lamps, believing that everything could truly start over. Xiao Wanqing, someone so unaccustomed to fortune’s favor, thought that maybe, just maybe, she could embrace happiness once more.
But in the end, it was a dream. And with every dream comes the moment one awakens.
After dinner, Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian were watching TV in the living room together. Lin Xian, like a little kitten, curled up on the couch, affectionately resting her head on Xiao Wanqing’s thigh. Looking up at Xiao Wanqing, she raised both hands and used her index fingers and thumbs to form a picture frame, her eyes curving into a smile as she exclaimed, “Xiao Xiaowan, you’re really beautiful. People say that this upward angle is the most unflattering, yet how are you still so gorgeous? It makes my heart race.” She said the last part in an exaggerated girlish tone, coquettishly teasing Xiao Wanqing into laughter.
Xiao Wanqing lifted her hand and playfully flicked Lin Xian’s smooth forehead, chuckling, “Maybe it’s not that I’m beautiful, it’s that you make it sound beautiful.”
Lin Xian pretended to be hurt, crying out “Ow,” and swiftly caught Xiao Wanqing’s mischievous finger. Pulling it to her lips, she playfully bit it, flashing a wicked smile, “For bullying me, you must be punished.”
Xiao Wanqing watched the girl lying on her legs, her unintentionally seductive gaze flowing as she felt the warmth at her fingertips. Her earlobes instantly grew hot and her heartbeat quickened. Swallowing slightly, she tried to look natural as she quickly withdrew her finger from the girl’s mouth, feigning seriousness, “Xianxian, there are germs on my hand.”
Lin Xian licked her lips, observing Xiao Wanqing suddenly appear shy and cute, which tickled her heart. She turned her face, pressing Xiao Wanqing’s hand and buried her face in Xiao Wanqing’s abdomen, playfully rubbing her nose against the fabric of Xiao Wanqing’s taut stomach and probed, “Xiao Xiaowan, do you have any other nicknames?” She so wanted to call her Xiao Panpan, a name unique to her, as adorable as she was. Yet she was afraid, afraid that the casual use of this name would stir up memories related to Auntie Xiao’s parents.
The thin layer of clothing lifted slightly with the girl’s movements, and her warm breath touched Xiao Wanqing’s skin, further stirred by her inadvertent rubbing, which made Xiao Wanqing feel her body temperature rising. She moved instinctively, retreating slightly, and answered Lin Xian without understanding why she asked, “Why suddenly ask this?” She playfully flicked Lin Xian’s nose, “What you’ve been calling me is a nickname already.”
Lin Xian pursed her lips, turned her head back with her glossy black eyes gazing straight into Xiao Wanqing’s, coquettishly urging, “Others, are there any more? Think about it for real.”
Hearing this, Xiao Wanqing genuinely reflected on it. The next second, as if something dawned on her, a shy, nostalgic smile appeared on her lips. Indeed, occasionally, her mother would still call her by that other nickname she had. But the truth was, the self that was associated with that nickname… was like a dark history.
In front of her beloved, she lied clumsily to protect her image, saying, “No, I can’t remember.” However, the light smile that leaked from her eyes honestly betrayed her.
Lin Xian immediately became relentless, a crafty smile on her face as she poked Xiao Wanqing’s waist, “Really? Why do I feel like you’re not telling the truth?” Xiao Wanqing felt a relief in her heart; clearly, she remembered, but in her eyes, there was not the sorrow Lin Xian feared to see. Could it be that this nickname wasn’t a taboo in Auntie Xiao’s heart? Or perhaps Auntie Xiao was now able to face the memories of her parents, if only a little?
They were still playing around when Xiao Wanqing’s phone, placed on the coffee table, suddenly started vibrating.
“Xianxian, stop it, I need to take this call,” Xiao Wanqing said with a soft, pleading voice. Lin Xian, being considerate, stopped.
Xiao Wanqing leaned slightly forward to pick up the phone from the coffee table, the screen displaying the name “Wen Tong.”
She guessed that Wen Tong might have called to check if her gastroenteritis was getting better. Xiao Wanqing’s lips curved in a faint smile as she swiped the answer button with one hand, while naturally stroking Lin Xian’s black hair with the other.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the call connected, Wen Tong spoke with an unexpectedly serious and low voice, “Xiao.”
Xiao Wanqing’s expression grew serious, and the smile at the edge of her lips faded. Wen Tong rarely addressed her so formally; such a tone usually meant that there was some serious matter to discuss.
“It’s me, what’s wrong?”
Silence fell on the other end of the line. Xiao Wanqing’s graceful brows furrowed slightly as she waited patiently.
“Are you… are you with Lin Xian?” After a moment, Wen Tong spoke again in a low voice, her tone betraying no emotion.
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Xiao Wanqing’s hand, which had been caressing Lin Xian’s hair, suddenly stopped. Her heartbeat skipped, too shocked and tense to react immediately.
She had intended to tell Wen Tong, but had never imagined being caught off-guard and directly questioned by her like this. Quickly, she glanced down at Lin Xian, who was curiously looking up at her, and she regained her composure.
She shifted slightly, motioning for Lin Xian to get down, and Lin Xian obediently sat up.
Xiao Wanqing stood up and walked briskly out to the balcony. Gazing into the dark night sky, she bit her lip, her breathing growing heavier. She replied solemnly to Wen Tong, “Yes. Wen Tong, Lin Xian and I are together.”
The next second, just as she had anticipated, Wen Tong’s voice suddenly escalated, carrying an obvious fury and disbelief. She sternly reprimanded Xiao Wanqing, “Xiao Wanqing, have you lost your mind?! Do you even realize what you’re doing?”
Xiao Wanqing had braced herself, but when Wen Tong’s unusually harsh words actually reached her, exploding in her ears and her heart at that moment, she still felt… pain.
Her throat tightened painfully as she suppressed the ache and sourness in her heart, asking calmly, “Wen Tong, how did you find out?”
From the moment Wen Tong heard Xiao Wanqing’s affirmative answer, her mind buzzed. That last sliver of hope she had clung onto after Yan Jia’s phone call shattered…
When Wen Tong had received Yan Jia’s call, she had just finished up her work and was considering calling Xiao Wanqing to check on her gastroenteritis—whether it had gotten any better, and if not, Wen Tong planned to drive over and accompany her to the hospital again. However, she had barely reached for her phone when it conveniently rang.
It was a string of unfamiliar numbers.
Since she’d started working at Shixing, Wen Tong had to rebuild her network, so she assumed it was someone from work whom she’d not saved in her contacts yet. Without hesitation, she answered, greeting politely, “Hello, who’s this?”
“Wen Tong, it’s me, Yan Jia.” The name announced on the other end of the phone was one she hadn’t heard in a long while.
Wen Tong’s expression instantly darkened.
Her acquaintanceship with Yan Jia was largely due to the intermediary, Xiao Wanqing. When Yan Jia and Xiao Wanqing had just broken up, out of sympathy for Xiao Wanqing and hoping to mend things, Wen Tong had secretly met with Yan Jia. But after talking and truly seeing Yan Jia’s selfishness and cruelty towards Xiao Wanqing, Wen Tong couldn’t suppress her rage and splashed a drink in Yan Jia’s face. Yan Jia, guilty at heart, didn’t retaliate and left in silence.
Anjiang City wasn’t that big; their circles inevitably overlapped, and they had coincidentally met in earlier years. But privately, since that incident, although their social media accounts remained connected, they never reached out to each other again.
Wen Tong was somewhat surprised to receive a call from Yan Jia once more. Her thoughts wandered, even speculating whether Yan Jia having a son as her second child counted as completing the ‘mission’ she once spoke of. So, did Yan Jia actually dare to think…?
Unexpectedly, what Yan Jia asked was, “Is Xiao Wanqing with a young girl now? Wen Tong, you’re by her side, why don’t you advise her? It’s fine for a child; they have the time and energy to be reckless, but it’s different for Xiao Wanqing…”
Wen Tong’s mind exploded upon hearing this. What was Yan Jia talking about? For a moment, her heart raced like thunder, a bad hunch slowly forming in her mind.
Regardless, she calmed herself down first, responding with a cold and unkind tone to Yan Jia, “Stop right there, Yan Jia. Not to mention whether she is with a young girl, what does it have to do with you? What place do you have to question or reproach me here? Whether she is with someone, is that any of your business?”
Yan Jia’s fingers clutched the window frame, her knuckles whitening, speechless at Wen Tong’s questioning. Her eyes reddened as she said, “I’m just concerned about her; I don’t want her to get hurt again.”
“So your concern is to rashly call me, for fear that others won’t know about her new relationship that may not receive blessings? How do you even know I’m still on good terms with her? Do you know if she wants me to be aware of this? If I had fallen out with her, your call right now would be harming her!”
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Suddenly from the other end of the phone, the sound of a baby’s incessant crying and a man’s impatient yelling could be heard, followed by footsteps. It seemed like Yan Jia had picked up the child and was softly cooing.
The chaos made Wen Tong’s heart even more irritable. Her tone became colder and more agitated, “Yan Jia, she cannot afford your ‘concern.’ Whatever happens to her is no longer any of your business. Look after yourself, mind your tongue, feed your own child, and stop bothering others.” With that, she hung up the phone decisively.
But after hanging up, Wen Tong slumped into the sofa, remaining there for a long time, despondent.
After all these years, Yan Jia had been quiet as a mouse, so her sudden, rash attempt to contact her couldn’t possibly be without reason. What kind of little girl could possibly be at Xiao Wanqing’s side?
A face, fresh and radiant, flashed through Wen Tong’s mind, along with a sense of threat, long forgotten and now vividly recalled.
Wen Tong’s heart skipped a beat, and a chill spread through her body.
Her long-held hopes had truly come to naught, and she could distinctly hear the cruel sound of her heart shattering into pieces. But the delay had been so prolonged that when the actual moment of death came, the pain was somewhat numb, numb enough that she could still think clearly.
She felt panicked, scattered, rushed, afraid.
Xiao Wanqing, had she gone mad?!
Even if it wasn’t her, even if it was someone else, as long as Xiao Wanqing could truly be happy, Wen Tong was willing to resign herself to it and retreat to the position of a good friend. But how could it be Lin Xian?! Did she not realize what this meant?!
The deep hues in Wen Tong’s eyes darkened further, her eyebrows knotted tightly.
She answered Xiao Wanqing, “Yan Jia called to ask me about it.”
Xiao Wanqing’s expression turned cool, a dark fire rising in her heart. She took a deep breath and apologized to Wen Tong, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hide this from you. I was also planning to tell you over dinner in a couple of days. I didn’t expect you to find out about this from someone else.”
Wen Tong struggled to regulate her voice, which was nearly out of control due to the swirling anxiety, disappointment, pain, and worry. She made a great effort to calm her tone and arranged to meet with Xiao Wanqing, “Can you come out now? I feel we need to have a proper talk face to face.”
“Okay,” Xiao Wanqing replied with a dim look in her eyes, softly agreeing to her request.
After hanging up the phone, she returned to the living room where Lin Xian had moved a small sofa stool, sitting in front of the sofa cutting a mango. Seeing Xiao Wanqing come in, the girl turned her head, eyebrows lifted joyfully, and said, “Xiao Xiaowan, I’m trying out the method you taught me to peel mangoes.” She pushed the glass bowl beside her and called out, “I’ve peeled some grapes for you, eat these first, we’ll have the mangoes in a bit.” (LP: Peeling grapes, what?!)
The genuine laughter from earlier playfulness had already disappeared from Xiao Wanqing’s face. Looking at the girl’s bright and beautiful smile, there were shallow and dark ripples flowing in her eyes.
She stood still behind Lin Xian, silently bending down to wrap her arms around Lin Xian, pressing her face against the girl’s slender shoulder, feeling the comforting and affectionate warmth from Lin Xian and this sense of complete satisfaction in her heart. A subdued grievance and pain flashed across her eyes.
Lin Xian, sensitive to the emotional change in Xiao Wanqing, ceased her movements and asked in a gentle voice, “What’s wrong? Did Aunt Wen say something?”
With a gentle shake of her head against Lin Xian, Xiao Wanqing softly spoke, “It’s nothing much, just a little matter. I need to go out now to meet with her.”
Lin Xian slightly turned her body, asking anxiously, “Can I come with you?”
Xiao Wanqing gazed deeply into her eyes, her gaze as tender as water. With a comforting and affectionate tone, she leaned in to peck a kiss on Lin Xian’s slightly parted lips, saying, “It’s not very convenient.”
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In the end, she did not eat the grapes and mangoes that Lin Xian had peeled for her. Instead, she hugged Lin Xian again, grabbed the car keys, and left the house.
“Wait for me to come back.” This time, it was her turn to say this to Lin Xian.
The author has something to say:
Auntie Wen experiences heartbreak, hugging herself as she sobs.
Shi Jinglan lifts her eyes: Come here.
The above is purely fictional. 2333 might actually say the opposite.
LP: Again, peeling grapes?!
Also, author implying something kekw