The Alley Was Always This Long – Chapter 29

Gangdao

“Are you Miss Cheng?”

[Afraid you would notice, yet afraid you wouldn’t—that was my frantic infatuation, my quiet affection, and that faint, cowardly self with nowhere to settle.]

            

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Monday morning, Cheng Xiang showed up at the airport right on time.

When Tao Tianran appeared, Cheng Xiang was holding a latte and wearing earbuds. Catching the familiar, cool scent as Tao Tianran walked past, she didn’t even look up.

Tao Tianran said nothing and went to Starbucks to buy an Americano.

            

For the three-hour flight to Gangdao, neither spoke. Cheng Xiang watched an old movie on the seatback tablet called 《Night at the Museum》, then played Gomoku for a while.

It wasn’t until the view outside the window revealed the scattered, star-like city of the island, glittering in the sunlight like a luminous pearl, that they landed.

They headed straight to the hotel to check in. Cheng Xiang had asked the assistant beforehand this time, so she wouldn’t end up sharing a room with Tao Tianran again.

            

Their rooms were adjacent.

Cheng Xiang dropped off her luggage, freshened up briefly, and followed Tao Tianran out.

The client’s company was in Central. On her last trip to Gangdao, Cheng Xiang hadn’t spent much time in the bustling districts. Now, gazing at Statue Square and the Bank of China Tower—landmarks she had only ever seen in Gangdao movies—she stole a glance at Tao Tianran beside her. Tao Tianran wore a white shirt with rose-grey trousers, carrying the Bolide bag she used so casually that the leather showed slight wear.

            

Strolling in her high heels, she looked every inch the Gangdao local.

Cheng Xiang clicked her tongue inwardly. She exchanged a few casual words with Tao Tianran, wondering if she could slip away later to grab some curry fish balls.

The pace of life on Gangdao was undeniably fast. The stride of the office elites was twice that of Beicheng, phones pressed to ears as they rattled off Cantonese, English, and Portuguese. Yet there were also leisurely dressed wealthy wives, waiting by the curb with Hermès bags for their cars.

            

“Number Eight¹.”

Cheng Xiang, still thinking about her curry fish balls, didn’t react to the call.

But Tao Tianran beside her turned her head.

            

Standing before them was a wealthy matron in a qipao. Her attire was relatively understated, save for the emerald brooch on her chest, which was the size of a palm. She smiled at Tao Tianran. “It really is you. When did you get back?”

Tao Tianran replied flatly, “Today.”

“Going back to visit Grandpa?”

            

“Probably won’t have time.”

The lady looked at Cheng Xiang. “Are you Miss Cheng²?”

Tao Tianran frowned slightly. “She’s my colleague. We’re in a hurry. We’ll go first.”

            

She truly did turn and lead Cheng Xiang away, leaving the lady standing there alone.

Setting aside the fact that Tao Tianran’s Cantonese accent was incredibly attractive, Cheng Xiang only caught about half of what was said.

Knowing Tao Tianran was from Gangdao, Cheng Xiang had considered learning Cantonese. But in Beicheng, Tao Tianran always spoke Mandarin with no accent whatsoever. Lacking the environment, Cheng Xiang’s Cantonese never progressed beyond the level she’d picked up watching TVB dramas as a kid.

            

But she had understood one sentence clearly.

“Are you Miss Cheng?”

Was it Chen? Or Cheng?

            

If it was Cheng… who was she referring to?

Did Tao Tianran’s family know about Cheng Xiang?

Tao Tianran clicked her heels beside her. “If you have something to ask, ask.”

            

“That lady just now… is she family?”

“My Third Aunt.” Tao Tianran led her into the towering office building, her slim, cool fingers pressing the elevator button. “Are you done? Can you focus on work now?”

Cheng Xiang thought: No.

            

But she didn’t dare ask any further.

The “Miss Cheng” that Third Aunt had mentioned couldn’t possibly be referring to Cheng Xiang… could it?

With the client’s office right in front of her, Cheng Xiang had no choice but to shelve her thoughts.

            

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There was no escaping social engagements.

The boss hosted them, treating them to a crab dinner. It wasn’t at a bridgehead, but at a fine old-fashioned restaurant near Victoria Harbour, close to their hotel.

Cheng Xiang had assumed Tao Tianran despised such functions.

            

But after attending a few with her, Cheng Xiang realized Tao Tianran navigated them with ease. She wasn’t sycophantic, nor was she arrogant. She spoke her mind, her politeness laced with a cool detachment.

Cheng Xiang finally understood: Tao Tianran wasn’t averse to socializing because she simply didn’t care.

Tao Tianran maintained that sense of detachment toward the entire world, and so the world didn’t make things difficult for her. Cheng Xiang reflected on her past self: You really can’t live like a coward.

            

Tao Tianran never drank at these events. She also shot Cheng Xiang a look, signaling her not to drink either.

Dinner ended. Tao Tianran politely declined the client’s offer of a ride, and the two walked back to the hotel.

It was late summer, early autumn. The night breeze by the sea carried a slight chill, the salty air leaving a damp mist on their forearms.

            

A streetlamp looked like watercolors bleeding into the night.

Cheng Xiang strolled slowly, stealing a glance at Tao Tianran.

“What?” Tao Tianran asked.

            

Cheng Xiang shook her head. She stretched her arms and took a few bouncy steps forward in her heels. “Nothing. Teacher Tao, do you want some ice cream?”

Really, it was nothing.

She had just dreamed of this scene.

            

She and Tao Tianran coming to Gangdao together. Walking by Victoria Harbour, her arm linked through Tao Tianran’s.

Tao Tianran shook her head. “No cold food at night.”

Cheng Xiang grumbled inwardly: Yet you drink at night.

            

They returned to their separate rooms. Cheng Xiang showered first. Being from the north, she was used to the high, dry air; this humid climate felt sticky.

Perhaps it was the soundproofing of the old five-star hotel, but she couldn’t hear Tao Tianran’s footsteps next door.

Wrapping herself in a bathrobe, Cheng Xiang rubbed her hair with a towel and walked to the window.

            

Her gaze froze.

Tao Tianran was downstairs. This time, she wasn’t sitting on a bench with a wine bottle beside her. She wore a long trench coat, leaning against the railing. The sea breeze rippled past her lean, cold silhouette.

Cheng Xiang looked away and went back to the bathroom to blow-dry her hair.

            

Ten minutes later.

“Hey, Teacher Tao.”

Tao Tianran glanced back casually. Cheng Xiang waved a hand at her. “You really don’t want ice cream? I came down to buy some and saw you here.”

            

“No, thank you.”

Cheng Xiang walked closer. Tao Tianran glanced at the ice cream in her hand—a Japanese import, the small cup reading “Tsujiri Matcha.”

She turned back to gaze at the harbor. Across the water, the famous Ferris wheel turned slowly, cruise ships gliding over the shimmering waves.

            

Leaning her back against the railing, Cheng Xiang bit down on the small ice cream spoon. She leaned in and sniffed Tao Tianran. “You’ve been drinking. Why didn’t you invite me to join you?”

Tao Tianran shot her a look.

She had just showered. Her long, wavy hair, not yet fully dry, was exceptionally fluffy, carrying a faint scent of jasmine in the sea breeze. But her face was striking as a rose, thick lashes lowered, her smile perpetually seeming nonchalant.

            

She wore a loose shirt, seemingly unbothered by the cold, underneath it the tight camisole of summer. The honey-tan she had gotten in Thailand had faded, leaving her skin pale and smooth once more.

“Teacher Tao, can I ask you a question while I have the chance?”

“Mm.”

            

“Have you ever, even for a moment, mistaken me for someone else?”

“What do you mean?”

“For instance… when you suddenly touched my eyelashes.” Cheng Xiang tilted her head back slightly, looking at Tao Tianran’s profile. “You said before that I look a bit like your ex, right?”

            

The condensation from the ice cream carton melted against her fingertips. Her lips curved lightly, but her heart was pounding.

Tao Tianran turned her head, meeting Cheng Xiang’s amber eyes.

The sea breeze fluttered against Cheng Xiang’s thick lashes. Or rather, Cheng Xiang felt Tao Tianran’s gaze land precisely there.

            

Tao Tianran asked, “Do you think you look like her?”

Cheng Xiang shrugged. “How would I know? I don’t know her.”

Her throat tightened, as if a metal wire were scraping against her windpipe.

            

Tao Tianran turned back to the sea. “No one really looks like her.”

Cheng Xiang bit her lower lip and chuckled. “The way you say that, Teacher Tao, makes it sound like you’re still hung up on her.”

After a long while, Tao Tianran parted her lips. “It’s just that she’s…” Her dark eyes fixed on the lights of Victoria Harbour in the distance. “So annoying.”

            

Cheng Xiang’s heart slammed against her chest with a dull thud.

She scoffed.

The carton in her hand, softened by the melting ice cream, felt like her own collapsing mood. She stepped forward, leaving Tao Tianran standing there alone.

            

Tao Tianran turned up the collar of her trench coat to block the wind, hands in her pockets. She stared at the harbor lights reflecting on the water like abstract watercolors, murmuring a word in Cantonese: “Silly girl.”

Cheng Xiang’s footsteps faltered.

Those two syllables were carried into her ears by the sea breeze, blown to pieces, the strokes of the characters scattered until the emotion within them was impossible to grasp.

            

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After returning to Beicheng from Gangdao, they never brought up that topic again.

They barely interacted, either.

There was one meeting, however, where a client rejected Cheng Xiang’s first draft. Yi Yu called a meeting to brainstorm ideas.

            

Everyone offered suggestions on how to revise it. Only Tao Tianran said, “If there’s nothing wrong with the design itself, perhaps you should hold your ground.”

Yi Yu, who had been examining a newly acquired diamond with a magnifying glass, tossed it in her hand and caught it. “Teacher Tao seems to appreciate Shianne, huh?”

Tao Tianran replied evenly, “I appreciate talent.”

            

Streaming variety shows operated on a formula these days: the sooner it aired, the sooner it recouped costs. Post-production was swift.

The day the show aired, after work, Zhuwei patted the sofa in the living room. “Sit.”

Cheng Xiang walked over and sat down, tossing her handbag aside.

            

Zhuwei said, “Even if it’s just for the show’s effect, the impression isn’t good, right? She is, after all, your future sister-in-law.”

Ha. Cheng Xiang had forgotten about that.

Tao Tianran had only come to the house for a few meals at Yi Yu’s behest, to discuss the commercial prospects of synthetic stones. How did that make her a future sister-in-law?

            

Just then, the heavy, antique-style wooden door swung open. Yu Yuce walked into the living room, his shirt sleeves rolled up, suit jacket draped over one arm.

Zhuwei looked up. “Is it handled?”

Yu Yuce pressed his jaw down. “No major issue.”

            

Zhuwei nodded. “Good. I had your assistant invite Miss Tao over for dinner tonight.”

Tao Tianran was coming to dinner tonight?

Things were currently a bit delicate between Cheng Xiang and Tao Tianran at the company. They didn’t speak when they saw each other—though to be precise, they didn’t really see each other. Before Cheng Xiang went to the pantry or the restroom, she always checked if Tao Tianran was there.

            

If she was, Cheng Xiang would shrink back at her desk like a quail, waiting until Tao Tianran left.

When Cheng Xiang returned from Thailand, she had firmly decided to treat Tao Tianran with a calm heart, to interact normally, to stop seeking revenge, and to stop avoiding her.

Later, she found it hard. Really hard.

            

She couldn’t help but guess. Guessing what Tao Tianran had felt for Cheng Xiang in the past. Guessing what Tao Tianran felt for Yu Yusheng now.

This was a game she was destined to lose.

She had spent all those years guessing what Tao Tianran was thinking, and she had never guessed right once.

            

The thought of breaking up came suddenly, surprising even Cheng Xiang herself.

That day, she had texted Tao Tianran to ask what she wanted for dinner. Tao Tianran chose tomato and beef brisket.

After leaving the office building that smelled of stir-fried pork with green peppers, Cheng Xiang went to the market near their apartment. She never went to the supermarket; the produce at the market was fresher and cheaper, and she was on good terms with all the vendors. Buying tomatoes even got her a free head of garlic.

            

On the way home, she fed the stray cats in the compound.

Tying on an apron, she hummed a tune as she cooked. The apron was a maid-style one she had carefully picked out, a touch of playful spice, though now it was splattered with oil stains.

One dish of tomato beef brisket. One plate of stir-fried loofah.

            

She was setting the table when she received Tao Tianran’s call. Tao Tianran said she had been scheduled for a celebration dinner at the last minute, mentioning the design award she had won recently.

Such a major award.

Yet Tao Tianran’s tone was so casual. As if winning awards was easy for her.

            

Maybe winning awards was easy for her.

“I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, everyone gets dragooned into things sometimes.” Cheng Xiang licked her lips. “I know.”

            

This was too ordinary. Cheng Xiang felt she didn’t mind at all.

Really.

She ate dinner, then covered the leftovers with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge, planning to take them to the office for lunch the next day.

            

She sat at her desk and turned on her computer.

At work, she designed games; after work, she drew comics at home. Following her routine, she checked her email first. For the seventy-seventh time, she received a rejection notice from a webcomic platform.

She smiled and adjusted her drawing tablet.

            

Around ten o’clock, the security door clicked. Tao Tianran pushed it open and came in.

Cheng Xiang put down her stylus and went over. “You’re back.”

“Mm.” Tao Tianran tossed her bag aside, unbuttoning her shirt as she walked in. She asked Cheng Xiang, “Have you eaten?”

            

“I have. And I’ve showered too.”

“Then I’ll go wash.”

While grabbing a towel, she saw Cheng Xiang’s towel next to it. It had a cartoon Doraemon print, the fabric worn fuzzy from use.

            

As she walked toward the bathroom, she asked Cheng Xiang, “Do you think bath towels get uncomfortable after a while?”

“Huh?” Cheng Xiang looked up.

“Let’s go buy new ones this weekend. Replace all the towels in the house.”

            

“Don’t be like that,” Cheng Xiang said. “Why replace them when they’re perfectly fine? What’s uncomfortable? Just wash them with fabric softener.”

“Let’s just buy new ones.” Tao Tianran slid open the glass door and stepped into the shower.

Cheng Xiang put down her drawing tablet and sat on the sofa, hugging her knees.

            

After her shower, Tao Tianran came out with the towel wrapped around her long hair.

She asked Cheng Xiang, “What are you doing?”

Cheng Xiang looked up. “Tao Tianran.”

            

“Mm?”

“Will you ever go back to Gangdao?”

Tao Tianran gave her a look. “No.”

            

“Then what will happen?”

“What do you mean? I’ll stay here and keep designing jewelry.”

“What about me?”

            

“You’ll be here too.”

“I mean, what if I never get good at drawing comics?” Cheng Xiang curled her toes, scratching at her soft household socks.

“That’s okay too. Just keep doing your current job.”

            

Cheng Xiang opened her mouth, then closed it.

As Tao Tianran was drying her hair, she heard Cheng Xiang ask over the hum of the hair dryer, “Do you want to do it?”

“Tonight?”

            

Cheng Xiang: “Mm. Let’s do it.”

Tao Tianran had never initiated sex. But whenever Cheng Xiang initiated, or even hinted, she never refused.

In bed, with the lights turned off, Tao Tianran’s cool, slender body covered hers.

            

Hugging Tao Tianran was like embracing a snowfield.

Her skin was neither cold nor hot to the touch. The sight of that pale expanse brought a burning sensation to the eyes, like snow blindness.

Cheng Xiang held tightly to Tao Tianran’s lean back. “Tao Tianran.”

            

“Mm?”

Cheng Xiang suddenly rolled over, pressing down on Tao Tianran’s slender back. “Tao Tianran.”

She kissed the two tiny dark moles on Tao Tianran’s shoulder blades, trailing down along her spine.

            

No one else knew that Tao Tianran had a faint, crimson mole on her lower back, like the sole imperfection in a field of ice.

“Tao Tianran.”

Tao Tianran lay face down on the pillow. “Mm.”

            

She wanted to get closer, to possess. She really didn’t know, besides her lips and fingers continuing downward, what other method she could use to make Tao Tianran understand the humility and arrogance, the adoration and jealousy she felt when facing her.

But Cheng Xiang stopped there, her face pressed against the soft skin of Tao Tianran’s lower back. “You didn’t even sweat.”

Tao Tianran turned her head back. “What?”

            

Cheng Xiang sat up, her hair rubbing messily against the pillow, making her look somewhat disheveled and helpless. “How come you never sweat? Even when we’re doing it.”

The next day, when Tao Tianran came home from work, she saw Cheng Xiang sitting cross-legged on the sofa, her knees covered by a large cotton housecoat. An old sitcom was playing on the TV screen.

Cheng Xiang stared at the screen, giggling.

            

Tao Tianran opened the fridge, twisted open a bottle of soda water, and took a sip. Looking at Cheng Xiang, she asked, “Do you want to go out for dinner?”

Cheng Xiang smiled at the screen. “Tao Tianran, let’s break up.”

A long silence followed.

            

Tao Tianran stared at the soda bottle condensing water beads on the counter. Her fingertip tapped the counter once, then again. Finally, she pursed her lips and asked, “Have you thought it through?”

Cheng Xiang rubbed her nose, then rubbed it again. “Mm.”

Tao Tianran paused for a moment, then nodded.

            

She found her suitcase and started packing. Cheng Xiang continued sitting on the sofa watching TV, giggling.

Tao Tianran dragged her suitcase to the side of the sofa. “Well, I’m leaving then.”

Cheng Xiang kept her eyes on the TV. “Mm.”

            

After Tao Tianran left, Cheng Xiang stared at the sitcom on the screen, her toes curling tightly inside her socks.

Now, sitting in the living room of the Yu family home, Cheng Xiang stood up. “I’m going upstairs.”

Zhuwei said, “Get ready and come down quickly. We’re having dinner with Miss Tao.”

            

Cheng Xiang returned to her room. Yu Yuluo poked her head in. “Want to be a paparazzo?”

“No.” Cheng Xiang slumped listlessly onto the sofa.

“Come on. Consider it my repayment for the snacks you brought me from Thailand.”

            

“Spill.”

Yu Yuluo ran in and dove into Cheng Xiang’s lap. “Do you know what happened to First Brother? He was photographed with a female celebrity. A top idol, too. The paparazzi managed to contact him, which means they want money to hush it up.”

Cheng Xiang stood up abruptly.

            

Yu Yuluo clung to her like a koala. “What are you doing!”

“Get down first.”

Cheng Xiang headed straight downstairs.

            

In the living room, Yu Yuce was discussing company matters with Zhuwei.

Cheng Xiang stopped on the last two steps of the stairs. “I liked girls in high school, right?”

Zhuwei’s expression froze for a second, her face turning very ugly. “Why are you bringing that up again?”

            

“You thought that was wrong.” Cheng Xiang lifted her chin toward Yu Yuce. “Now you want him to pursue Tao Tianran, but he’s been photographed with a female celebrity at the same time, and you think throwing money at the problem will fix it?”

Zhuwei said nothing. She just warned in a stern voice, “Yu Yusheng, think clearly about what you are saying. Think about who gave you everything you have now.”

Cheng Xiang turned and ran upstairs. Zhuwei called after her, “Where are you going? Miss Tao is about to arrive.”

            

“Stomachache.”

Cheng Xiang went to the study and collapsed into the depths of the sofa. Reaching to the bookshelf beside her, she pulled out a book and flipped it open to cover her face.

She didn’t know how much time passed.

            

She only knew that the light filtering through the window turned gray and dim, spreading around her like mist on a river.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

            

“It’s me.” Tao Tianran shuffled in wearing slippers.

A wave of cool fragrance washed over her as Tao Tianran’s cold voice sounded low. “Reading like this?”

Cheng Xiang hid under the pages. “Fell asleep.”

            

Tao Tianran walked to the sofa and picked up the book. Cheng Xiang had randomly pulled out 《Jane Eyre》, a small antique edition with a sage-green cover that was slightly yellowed. As Tao Tianran lifted it away, Cheng Xiang belatedly smelled dust and ink through her nose.

Excessive dimness, like excessive brightness, blurred the features.

Yet through that mist, Tao Tianran read softly, “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?”

            

Cheng Xiang leaned back against the sofa and laughed softly.

She finally realized that Tao Tianran’s clear voice wasn’t just attractive when speaking Cantonese. Any language passing through those vocal cords was touched by frost and moonlight.

She asked, “Why are you here?”

            

“Heard you had a stomachache.”

Cheng Xiang stood up, walked to the study door, and locked it. The brass lock clicked, sounding like the pendulum of an antique clock swinging through the dusk to hasten an ambiguous night.

Cheng Xiang leaned her back against the door. “I mean, why are you at my house?”

            

No one turned on the lights. The garden streetlamps were on, filtering vaguely through the glass, along with the late-summer roses, turning everything into a mirage.

Cheng Xiang curled her lips. “Do you really want to be my sister-in-law?”

She stepped closer to Tao Tianran, step by step.

            

Lowering her eyes, the waist cinched by the trousers was incredibly slender. Today, Tao Tianran wore a thin, elephant-grey leather belt, fastened neatly. It was the kind of waist one arm could encircle.

Cheng Xiang stared at the metal buckle. “Want me to call you that?”

“Sister-in-law?”

            

From the corner of her eye, she could see the rise and fall of Tao Tianran’s chest. Cheng Xiang suddenly realized she was standing too close. Two women of equally tall stature stood in the floral shadows cast through the window, the bookshelf behind them. A Victorian brass desk lamp blurred the passage of time.

Tao Tianran stepped back. Her features darkened, leaving only those thin lips clearly visible.

Cheng Xiang stepped closer. “Hmm?”

            

Tao Tianran was still holding the small antique book. Faced with Cheng Xiang’s sudden aggression, her finger bones loosened, and the book fell to the floor with a flutter.

It might have kicked up dust from the pages, because Cheng Xiang felt an itch on her ankle. She lifted her foot and rubbed it lightly.

This aggression didn’t belong to her. Just like the invasive woody perfume she wore didn’t belong to her.

            

Tao Tianran retreated again.

Cheng Xiang squinted slightly, wanting to see that small, old, pink scar under Tao Tianran’s eye, shaped like half a teardrop.

She asked herself inwardly: What are you doing?

            

Tao Tianran’s lips moved. She said, “I came to make it clear. Stop sending flowers to the office. If there’s anything in the future, you can contact the Big Boss directly.”

“Oh.” Cheng Xiang nodded. “Is Teacher Tao explaining herself to me?”

“Why does Teacher Tao need to explain to me?”

            

Her gaze drifted downward, past the scar under Tao Tianran’s eye, landing on her lip bead.

It was strange. Such thin lips, yet they possessed such a full lip bead.

A long silence ensued. Someone shuffled past in slippers in the hallway—probably the cleaning lady, because the corridor lights came on, turning into a liquid warm yellow that flowed in through the crack under the door.

            

But it seemed to lack the strength to go further, stopping right at their feet.

They remained submerged in the darkness.

Only after the footsteps passed did Tao Tianran open her mouth again, her thin lips parting softly. “What if my reason is absurd?”

            

Cheng Xiang’s lips curved up.

“How absurd? Does Teacher Tao dare to tell me?”

They stood so close that even their shadows overlapped like dark floral silhouettes. But Tao Tianran lowered her head in silence, her face falling into a shadow cast against the light, making her expression unreadable.

            

Cheng Xiang subconsciously bit her lip.

Tao Tianran, who are your emotional fluctuations really for?

Is it because I look like Cheng Xiang? Or because I don’t look enough like Cheng Xiang?

            

Is it because I have Cheng Xiang’s devotion, infatuation, and tolerance for you?

Or is it because I have the beauty, talent, and courage that Cheng Xiang lacked?

She didn’t dare ask.

            

Perhaps the answer would hurt, so she didn’t dare to ask.

Stop here, Cheng Xiang told herself. Only reaching this point did she realize how wrong she had been. Could she truly face the possibility that Tao Tianran liked someone else?

But what about all this unwillingness in her heart? What was she supposed to do with it?

            

Someone knocked on the door. Tap, tap.

Yu Yuce’s voice came from outside. “Tianran, are you still in there?”

Cheng Xiang narrowed her eyes slightly. As she leaned over to switch on the floor lamp beside her, she brushed against Tao Tianran’s shirt. Why could things between women be so beautiful? Even the rustle of their shirts rubbing together sounded like rain, falling in the sudden dusk created by the lamp.

            

Tao Tianran raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sudden glare.

Cheng Xiang leaned in close again.

Her nominal eldest brother was still knocking on the door outside. She brought her lips close to Tao Tianran’s ear. “It’s fine if Teacher Tao doesn’t tell me. How about I invite Teacher Tao to dance at the Kunpu annual meeting this weekend?”

            

“Will Teacher Tao wear a backless evening gown? That little red mole on your lower back…”

“…looks best.”

Tao Tianran’s breath hitched suddenly, her steps faltering as she backed away.

            

Cheng Xiang walked straight to the door and pulled it open.

Yu Yuce’s knocking hand froze in mid-air. “Where’s Tianran?”

Cheng Xiang said, “Come with me.”

            

She strode out, completely ignoring Tao Tianran, who stood as an indistinct shadow in the dim light.

Yu Yuce hesitated for a moment, then followed her down the hallway.

She ushered Yu Yuce into the other study at the end of the hall. “Please enter.”

            

The decor was different. The wall by the door was half moon-white, half patina-green, exuding a faint Republican-era charm. A painting hung there—Gao Jianfu’s 《Peerless Beauty》. Beside it stood a full-length mirror with a twisted copper frame, reflecting Yu Yuce’s tall figure.

Cheng Xiang leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her waist still soft as if boneless.

“Ge³,” she said. “Look at yourself.”

            

She lowered her gaze to her fingertips, twirled them, then lifted her eyes again. “Does someone like you deserve to call her Tianran?”

Yu Yuce’s gaze turned sharp instantly.

Cheng Xiang smiled lazily. She walked behind Yu Yuce and tilted her head slightly, letting half of her face reflect in the full-length mirror. “Stay away from her.”

            

“There are many things I might have let slide. But her—” She curled her lips, staring at Yu Yuce’s face, so similar to her own. “Try getting close to her again. Just try.”

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