Still Have This Side – Chapter 72

I still feel somewhat regretful.

Qiu Zimin’s sudden question left Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue looking at each other in surprise.

What caught them off guard wasn’t just Qiu Zimin’s keen observation skills, but also her knowledge of what “dating” meant.

            

Yi Wanyue found it amusing that a second-grade child was seriously asking if they were dating. She opened her mouth and asked gently, “Do you know what dating is?”

“Of course I do,” Qiu Zimin replied.

Qiu Zimin switched hands to hold her chopsticks, then pointed a finger at Yi Wanyue, then at Qiu Baiyu, saying: “It’s when you like her.”

            

Then she pointed at Qiu Baiyu again, and back at Yi Wanyue: “And she likes you.”

A brief explanation, clear and to the point.

Qiu Baiyu confirmed, “That’s correct.”

            

She then asked, “Where did you learn all this?”

“At school, on TV… lots of places!”

Qiu Zimin put down her chopsticks and lifted her head proudly.

            

“Auntie, I’m already seven years old. I’m not a little fart child (literally ‘little fart child’, a colloquial term for a young, naive child) who doesn’t understand anything!”

She knows a lot and is already a little adult, not an immature little fart child anymore!

This statement amused both aunties.

            

A little one saying they’re not little anymore – what an adorable scene.

Yi Wanyue smiled and agreed, “Alright, our Xiaomin has grown up and isn’t a little fart child anymore.”

They couldn’t help but marvel silently at how much kids these days understand.

            

“So, are you two really dating?”

Qiu Zimin looked at them with eyes full of curiosity.

The two women exchanged glances once again.

            

Qiu Baiyu turned to look at Qiu Zimin and said with certainty, “Yes.”

There was no need to hide this from Qiu Zimin.

The child would eventually find out if she lived with them.

            

Besides, as Qiu Zimin said, she’s seven years old now, grown up, and not a child who doesn’t understand anything. So they should respect this “big kid” and share their happiness with her.

Yi Wanyue looked at Qiu Zimin and asked, “Xiaomin, would you mind if your aunties are dating?”

“Would you think… we should go find boyfriends instead?”

            

Children might understand what it means to like someone, but they might not necessarily understand that feelings can develop between people of the same gender as well as different genders. This is because most of the love they see in their environment is between people of opposite genders.

So, would she understand that love isn’t actually restricted by gender?

Could she accept her aunties being in love?

            

Qiu Zimin blinked, then suddenly asked with a serious face, “Will you love Auntie Baiyu?”

Yi Wanyue replied without hesitation, “Yes.”

“I will love her, protect her, and stay by her side with everything I have.”

            

It was both a promise to Qiu Zimin and a confession to Qiu Baiyu. She would keep her word.

Qiu Zimin turned to look at Qiu Baiyu and continued to ask seriously, “Auntie, will you love Auntie Wanyue?”

Qiu Baiyu shifted her gaze from Yi Wanyue to Qiu Zimin, her voice gentle yet firm: “Yes.”

            

“I will also love her forever and always be by her side.”

Qiu Zimin’s little face was serious and earnest. She nodded slightly, her tone suddenly becoming cheerful: “Then that’s fine.”

“Huh?”

            

Both aunties expressed their confusion in unison.

Qiu Zimin said, “As long as you love each other, that’s all that matters. Everything else is unimportant.”

“Finding boyfriends isn’t important either.”

            

“If you had to find boyfriends, they might not even love you, right? Like my dad, he doesn’t love auntie… but I want auntie to have lots of love.”

In her eyes, there was actually no difference between same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

But the presence or absence of love made a big difference.

            

Whether her aunties found boyfriends or girlfriends, love was essential. Without love, neither men nor women would do.

After hearing Qiu Zimin’s words, Qiu Baiyu turned and hugged her.

“Auntie understands, and will always remember this.”

            

Their Xiaomin was such a wonderful and amazing child.

They would have lots of love, and they would ensure she had lots of love too, making every day happy and joyful.

She would love her forever.

            

Qiu Zimin smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

Actually, Qiu Zimin was also very happy that Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue were together.

Because it meant they would always live together, and both aunties would always be with her — having her favorite adults by her side was simply fantastic!

            

“Aunties, you must take good care of each other, okay? Be happy-happy, just like how happy I am when I eat caramel pudding cake. This way, we can live together for a long, long, long time~”

She clacked her little abacus with a “pa pa” sound.

Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue exchanged a glance, unable to hold back their smiles.

            

“Alright, we’ll definitely take good care of each other,” said Yi Wanyue.

“You can rest assured,” Qiu Baiyu added.

“Let’s eat!”

            

Qiu Zimin was happy.

Today was indeed a day worth celebrating!

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Stars adorned the night sky as the city prepared for slumber.

            

Qiu Baiyu emerged from the bathroom after washing up, and as she looked up, she noticed someone on her bed.

Yi Wanyue sat at the head of the bed, covered by the blanket, smiling softly.

Then, she lowered her hand and gently patted the space beside her.

            

“It’s late, time for bed.”

She could finally share a bed with Qiu Baiyu openly, no longer needing to rack her brains for excuses to be close to her.

Qiu Baiyu’s lips curved into a smile as she turned off the bathroom light and walked towards the bed.

            

The room light went out, leaving only a warm bedside lamp.

As she lay down, Yi Wanyue followed suit, cuddling close and tucking the blanket around her.

Their heads touched, fingers intertwined, the scent of each other lingering in the air as they basked intimately in the gentle night light.

            

Qiu Baiyu noticed that Yi Wanyue had become more clingy.

This was good.

She also found herself instinctively wanting to be close to her, close to her beloved girlfriend.

            

Feeling the presence of the person beside her, Qiu Baiyu spoke in a soft tone, quite reflectively: “It feels like after today, I’ve become whole, without any regrets…”

Yi Wanyue looked at her, then heard her continue: “No, I still have some regrets.”

“What?”

            

Yi Wanyue asked, and then instantly remembered something—something very important to Qiu Baiyu.

“Is it about the promise with your first friend back home?”

She remembered Qiu Baiyu’s low spirits that night, remembered how she had opened her heart to her, and also remembered how melancholic she looked at the possibility of breaking her promise.

            

That was her first friend, very important to her.

She wanted to see her more than anyone else.

Hearing this, Qiu Baiyu suddenly curved her eyes in a smile: “Our Wanyue is truly clever.”

            

She continued: “I regret that the accident came so suddenly, I couldn’t say goodbye properly to my friends. The parting was too hasty. I also regret that I might really break my promise and never see that friend again…”

Each of her regrets was about friendship.

Life has too many unexpected turns. Although life and death are predestined, she didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye properly, and the promises made can no longer be fulfilled.

            

Although her current life is good, in another world, she forever has regrets that can’t be completed.

The person beside her embraced her, gently stroking her back intermittently. The soft fragrance on her body was endearing.

“It’s not the end yet.”

            

“We still have a very long future ahead of us.”

“Your friend might be waiting for you on some day in the future, so we don’t have to give up so early. We can still continue to look forward to it.”

Qiu Baiyu’s heart suddenly calmed, giving rise to a small spark of hope.

            

Indeed, there’s still so much time in the future, who knows if they might meet?

It’s no longer possible to properly say goodbye to the friends she met as an adult, but perhaps she could have a proper reunion with the mysterious friend from her childhood.

“You’re right.”

            

She wrapped her arms around Yi Wanyue’s waist, kissed her shoulder, and closed her eyes contentedly.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

But Yi Wanyue wasn’t satisfied.

            

“We’re girlfriends now, how can you just kiss my shoulder?”

Hearing this, Qiu Baiyu couldn’t help but laugh, lifting her head to rest on the pillow again, gazing at her.

As their eyes met, the night suddenly became very quiet.

            

In the lamplight, Yi Wanyue’s eyes held a tiny star, bright and alluring.

Qiu Baiyu raised her hand, gently caressing her cheek.

Her fingertips on Yi Wanyue’s face were like a summer night’s breeze, soft and tender.

            

Yi Wanyue held the back of Qiu Baiyu’s hand, lightly nuzzling it, then moved closer until their breaths were clearly audible to each other, so close that just a bit more would bring their lips together.

“May I kiss you?”

It was polite, and a bit adorable.

            

Qiu Baiyu couldn’t help but smile.

“I think for us now, this isn’t something that needs asking.”

Yi Wanyue smiled too.

            

“Alright, next time I won’t ask.”

With that, she leaned in for a kiss.

In the cool air-conditioned room, the kiss landing on their lips was soft and tender.

            

Their hearts quickened, the tips of their ears warming, nervous yet anticipating.

This was their fourth kiss.

No excuses, no hidden feelings, just honest connection.

            

Then, with love no longer needing concealment, they entered each other’s worlds.

Their reciprocated love collided between lips and teeth, creating intimate sounds.

Breaths became hazy and chaotic in the passionate embrace.

            

Soft moans mingled with heavy breathing.

Their love merged like water, inseparable and indissoluble, so intense it made them blush, yet addictive, making them reluctant to part and eager for more.

Now that their hearts were finally in sync, how could they bear to separate after just one kiss?

            

Naturally, they had to make up for the sweetness they had missed before, bit by bit.

Love indulged freely between their lips, melting away all sounds.

The two remained entangled for a long while, and when they parted, their gazes were soft and dreamy, their chests heaving.

            

After everything settled, they looked at each other and smiled, their smiles exceptionally tender.

Yi Wanyue reached out to tuck Qiu Baiyu’s hair behind her ear, adding another gentle kiss devoid of any desire.

With Qiu Baiyu by her side, she was already content.

            

“It feels so good to kiss you openly.”

Qiu Baiyu touched her lips and affirmed: “Very good, no bitter taste. You’ve been obediently quitting smoking.”

Hearing this, Yi Wanyue responded: “Of course I’ve been obediently quitting smoking, so you wouldn’t taste bitterness when kissing me. It’s just that I didn’t have any excuses to kiss you before.”

            

She then smiled and added: “Now we don’t need excuses anymore.”

Qiu Baiyu said with a smile: “I’ll be conducting surprise inspections often from now on.”

She was now the person who could openly perform surprise checks on her smoking cessation progress.

            

Yi Wanyue embraced her, her words brimming with smiles.

“Welcome anytime.”

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