The Alley Was Always This Long – Chapter 74

The Fireplace

“Where to kiss?”

[Let me be the devotee under your skirt,

            

Let me be the ant of your world,

Let me shake my branches in the spring, blooming with flowers all over for you,

And let me be your omnipotent god.]

            

---

Cheng Xiang climbed back into her passenger seat.

Tao Tianran was about to turn on the overhead light when Cheng Xiang whispered, “Don’t turn on the light.”

For some reason, she was even more embarrassed than Tao Tianran.

            

Cheng Xiang slumped back in the passenger seat, her chest heaving. The heavy scent of hormones in the car lingered, refusing to dissipate, and the rain outside, which had been pouring for nearly an hour, finally began to ease.

Tao Tianran set the car in motion again. Glancing over at the passenger seat, she saw that Cheng Xiang had pulled out another wet wipe to clean her fingers while she drove.

Not just her fingers, but all the way to her palm.

            

Tao Tianran abruptly pulled her gaze back, unable to fully face the realization that those were her own desires.

The drive to the resort went smoothly, and they arrived close to midnight. The rain had completely stopped, leaving a crisp, biting chill in the mountain air. Tao Tianran got out to grab the suitcase, but before Cheng Xiang stepped out of the car, she quietly pocketed the two used wet wipes.

Walking around to the trunk, she slung her backpack over her shoulders, then took the suitcase from Tao Tianran’s hand to wheel it herself.

            

“I can get it myself,” Tao Tianran said.

“No way,” Cheng Xiang said. “I’m the gong¹.”

Tao Tianran smiled.

            

The two of them checked in together, only feeling the sheer weight of their exhaustion once they finally stepped into their room. Cheng Xiang didn’t even have the energy to marvel at the two plush down beds or the fireplace built into the wall. Setting her backpack down, she asked Tao Tianran, “Are you hungry?”

Tao Tianran shook her head.

“Then go take a shower quickly.” Cheng Xiang kneaded her lower back. “I’m exhausted just from sitting in the passenger seat for so long, let alone you doing all the driving.”

            

Tao Tianran went into the bathroom to shower. Standing under the running water, she washed away the stickiness from a certain place as a different kind of desire quietly bloomed within the rising steam.

By the time she changed into her pajamas and walked out, she found that Cheng Xiang had actually fallen asleep, sprawled face-down on the bed.

Tao Tianran silently curled her lips into a faint smile.

            

On the nightstand, a small handful of cherries lay on a paper towel alongside a few lychees, clearly set out for Tao Tianran to enjoy once she finished her shower.

Tao Tianran walked over.

Fast asleep, Cheng Xiang looked incredibly sweet, her nose occasionally wrinkling out of habit.

            

Tao Tianran pursed her lips, deciding against waking her. She gently unfolded the quilt and draped it over her.

Then, she lay down on the other bed.

At three in the morning, Tao Tianran woke up, roused by the howling wind and rain outside. She turned her head, only to find the other bed empty.

            

Tao Tianran instinctively reached for her phone charging on the nightstand, her first reaction being to look down at the time.

The screen of her iPhone cast a cool glow, displaying: May 13, 2024, 3:06 AM.

Tao Tianran sank back onto her pillow in relief, raising a hand to knead the space between her eyebrows.

            

A moment later came the soft sliding sound of a door track.

Cheng Xiang shuffled out in her slippers. She had closed the door tightly behind her earlier, preventing even a single sliver of light from escaping.

Noticing the glowing screen of the phone charging by Tao Tianran’s bed, she quietly tiptoed over to sneak a look.

            

She whispered tentatively, “Tao Tianran?”

Tao Tianran replied softly, “Mm.”

Cheng Xiang smiled soundlessly. “You’re awake? The rain is really loud out there, isn’t it? I was woken up by it too, so I originally wanted to take a shower.”

            

“You didn’t take one?”

“I wasn’t sure if the sound of the shower would leak out even with the door shut tightly. I didn’t want to wake you, so I let it be.”

Tao Tianran sat up from under the covers and asked her, “Are you cold?”

            

Though summer was fast approaching, the mountain weather was wild with sudden wind and heavy rain. Because the weather forecast had been inaccurate, neither of them had brought any warm clothes.

Cheng Xiang sniffled. “I’m fine.”

Most of these mountain resorts in Yunting had strict limits on electricity consumption and did not have air conditioning installed. Tao Tianran slipped her hand out from under the quilt, pinched Cheng Xiang’s fingertips, and then slid out of bed to switch on a small wall lamp near her headboard.

            

“What are you getting up for?”

“Do you want to try the fireplace?” Tao Tianran stood by the bedside, her fingers wrapped around the vintage-styled receiver of the room’s landline phone.

Cheng Xiang had noticed the fireplace the moment they walked into the room.

            

It looked incredibly chic, the kind of thing she had only seen in dubbed foreign movies on TV when she was a child. Once, she had gone to play at a classmate’s house, and the girl’s first-floor living room actually had a European-style fireplace. But it had been the height of summer back then, so Cheng Xiang never got to see it lit, which she had always found rather disappointing.

“Now?” Cheng Xiang asked. “In the dead of night like this, won’t it be too much trouble?”

“The rooms here are very expensive.”

            

“Huh?”

Tao Tianran added, “Though we came with invitation cards, so we didn’t pay anything.”

“Oh.” Cheng Xiang couldn’t hold it in and laughed.

            

Still holding the receiver, Tao Tianran said, “Go take your shower first. By the time you’re out, the fireplace will be ready.”

Cheng Xiang indeed walked into the bathroom. Amidst the rushing sound of the shower, she couldn’t hear any movement from the room outside.

By the time she walked out with her hair blown half-dry, the staff member who had come to tend to the hearth had already left, leaving the fireplace crackling as though lit by magic.

            

Tao Tianran had slipped a bathrobe over her pajamas and was sitting in front of the fireplace. Hearing Cheng Xiang come out, she looked back and extended an arm toward her.

Cheng Xiang placed her hand in hers, and Tao Tianran pulled her smoothly into her lap.

As Cheng Xiang sat on Tao Tianran’s lap, the glow from the fireplace faintly illuminated their faces. Outside, the raindrops pattered loudly against the windowpane, rolling down in dense, heavy streams.

            

“This is so luxurious. I didn’t think we’d get to use the fireplace visiting during this season.” Cheng Xiang turned her head to ask, “Do you want some fruit? I brought cherries and lychees. Don’t worry, the cherries have been washed.”

Tao Tianran gave a soft murmur of agreement but did not let her go.

Having just showered, Cheng Xiang’s slender, pale neck peeked out from her bathrobe. Tao Tianran cast her gaze downward, curling her index finger to lightly scrape the spine at the back of her neck.

            

Cheng Xiang tilted her head to dodge the touch, grasping Tao Tianran’s slender wrist. “Is this rug in front of the fireplace clean?”

Tao Tianran paused before answering, “It’s clean.”

Cheng Xiang nodded and stood up, her pale, delicate ankles resting right beside Tao Tianran’s knees. “Tao Tianran, now that the room has warmed up, aren’t you hot?” she asked softly.

            

Tao Tianran looked up at her from below.

With a flick of her slender fingers, she untied her bathrobe. The robe slithered down onto the rug, revealing the moon-white pajamas underneath.

Cheng Xiang continued in a low whisper, “Are you not warm like this, then?”

            

Tao Tianran stared at her for a moment, then raised her fingers again, placing them on the top button of her pajamas.

Cheng Xiang tucked in the corners of her mouth; she wanted to see Tao Tianran take the initiative.

As the moon-white pajamas slid down onto the pile of the bathrobe, Cheng Xiang squatted down. Finding the position a bit awkward, she shifted to kneel on the rug.

            

She watched the firelight from the fireplace reflecting on Tao Tianran’s face. “What do you want me to do?”

Tao Tianran rubbed her pinky ring² with a slow, almost ritualistic movement before speaking: “Kiss me.”

Cheng Xiang leaned down, brushing her lips against Tao Tianran’s with deliberate restraint. “Like this?” she teased.

            

Tao Tianran parted her lips, letting just the tip of her tongue peek out.

The sight made Cheng Xiang’s heart skip a beat. After sucking on it gently, she asked, “And then?”

“Keep kissing.”

            

“Where to kiss? Point it out to me.”

Tao Tianran raised a finger, hovering just over a certain spot without quite touching it. Before Cheng Xiang lowered her head, she glanced at the cherries resting on the nightstand, noting their similar, rich color.

She swept her tongue over the spot, asking teasingly, “Is this enough?”

            

“No.”

“Then what else do you want?” Her light amber eyes gazed at Tao Tianran, looking entirely innocent and naive.

Tao Tianran parted her lips slightly, letting slip the exact words Cheng Xiang wanted to hear.

            

Cheng Xiang’s heart was on the verge of exploding. Simply looking at the Tao Tianran of this moment was meaningless; only by outlining in her mind the image of her ascetic white shirt, sharp suit trousers, and perpetually ice-cold, indifferent gaze could she truly understand how heart-stoppingly captivating the contrast of this moment was.

Cheng Xiang raised her face, her lips wet, and asked Tao Tianran, “And then?”

What Tao Tianran said next went completely beyond Cheng Xiang’s expectations.

            

She felt her spine go completely numb, guiding Tao Tianran down onto the spread-out bathrobe. The belt of her own bathrobe had completely unraveled at some point, and her face now brushed against Tao Tianran’s thigh.

Her nose was filled with a rich scent of hormones similar to the one in the car earlier. Tao Tianran’s arched back was like a beautiful bridge, and the firelight of the fireplace painted her as exceptionally beautiful. In a brief pause, Cheng Xiang murmured breathlessly, “I want to eat you up.”

Rather than saying I want to eat you up, it was more that I wanted to engulf you.

            

Rather than saying I want to engulf you, it was more that I wanted to destroy you.

Rather than saying I want to destroy you, it was more that I wanted to remake you.

To fill your bones with my bones, to let my blood give birth to your heart, and to use my sweat and tears to replenish your radiant, lustrous form.

            

She pressed on with her eager exploration, the rain outside masking the fragmented sounds in the room.

When it finally came to an end, Cheng Xiang sat up. She went to wash her own face first, then helped clean Tao Tianran.

Tao Tianran lay with her eyes closed, her slender arches pressing against the soft carpet.

            

Cheng Xiang wrapped herself back in her bathrobe and sat down on the rug beside her. She reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from Tao Tianran’s eyelashes, then picked up her pajamas to drape them over her. “Hey,” she whispered. “Do you want some fruit or not?”

Tao Tianran lazily hummed in response.

Cheng Xiang stood up, but just as she was about to head toward the nightstand, she felt a gentle tug at her ankle.

            

Looking down, she saw that Tao Tianran had encircled her ankle with her slender fingers.

Lying there on the rug, she said, “I don’t want you to go.”

“If I don’t walk over there,” Cheng Xiang teased, “how am I supposed to get the fruit? Do you expect them to fly over to us?”

            

With a soft, relaxed chuckle, Tao Tianran let her fingers slip away.

Cheng Xiang walked over to fetch the fruit and grabbed an ashtray to use for the pits, bringing them back to the rug as she sat back down.

She asked Tao Tianran, “Do you want cherries or lychees?”

            

“Lychee.”

Cheng Xiang gently peeled away the dark-red, textured shell, holding out a whole piece of pearly, translucent fruit flesh to Tao Tianran’s lips.

Tao Tianran kept her eyes closed, remaining perfectly still. Amused, Cheng Xiang tapped the lychee against her lips. “Come on, open up.”

            

Instead of parting her lips, Tao Tianran opened her eyes.

Amidst the firelight, she just gazed at Cheng Xiang like that.

With the lychee still pressed gently against her lips, Cheng Xiang fell silent, returning her gaze.

            

After a long silence, she asked softly, “Tao Tianran, will we be like this forever?”

It was such a foolish question. Qin Ziqiao would probably laugh herself to death if she heard it.

Cheng Xiang was also raised on modern views of relationships; she could easily say, “If something can be solved with money, don’t talk about feelings.” Yet, the firelight from the fireplace warmed her eyes, and when she uttered the word “forever,” it didn’t feel the least bit out of place.

            

When she said “forever,” her meaning was that she wanted this moment to be longer by an hour, a minute, a second.

Tao Tianran reached up to hold her wrist, and using Cheng Xiang’s hand, she bit the lychee held between her fingers.

There was a post-intimacy shimmer in her usually cold eyes that almost made Cheng Xiang’s heart grow restless again.

            

Only after she slowly finished eating the entire lychee did she reply, “We will.”

“You promise?” Cheng Xiang asked.

That was an even sillier question. How could Tao Tianran possibly guarantee such a thing?

            

But Tao Tianran closed her eyes briefly. Holding the lychee pit in her mouth, she kissed Cheng Xiang’s fingers, which were stained with sweet, sticky juice, and said softly, “I promise.”

“Why are you keeping the pit in your mouth?” Cheng Xiang’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Aren’t you worried you’ll choke?”

She held out her open palm. “Spit it out.”

            

Tao Tianran tilted her chin down and spat the pit into her palm. Cheng Xiang closed her hand around it and stood up. “I’ll be right back. Going to the bathroom.”

Tossing the lychee pit into the trash can, Cheng Xiang turned on the faucet, but amidst the gurgling water, she didn’t know what she wanted to do next.

Vanity counter in hand, she looked up at her reflection in the mirror.

            

The pit-a-pat of her wildly thumping heart was almost unbearable, as if she had suddenly eaten too much salt, making even the base of her neck feel tight.

Cheng Xiang dipped her fingertips in the cool water and patted the back of her neck.

Tao Tianran, you are like salt to me.

            

---

The next morning, Cheng Xiang woke up first.

She and Tao Tianran were sharing a single bed, with Cheng Xiang clinging to her tightly like a koala hugging a tree trunk.

Ugh, why am I so clingy? This is embarrassing.

            

Releasing her hold on Tao Tianran, Cheng Xiang slipped quietly out of bed and parted the curtains to peer outside.

The rain had stopped. Outside, a grove of bamboo was heavy with morning dew, looking vibrant and lush.

Letting the curtain fall back into place, she turned to look at the figure still fast asleep on the bed. “Tao Tianran, rise and shine! The sun is practically burning your backside.”

            

Pfft, that was so cheesy. Why did I say that?

She walked back to the bed, kneeling on one leg at the edge, and poked Tao Tianran’s cheek. “Are you getting up or what?”

Tao Tianran cracked her eyelids open slightly. “Where do you see any sun?”

            

“It’s really out there,” Cheng Xiang insisted. “You can see it if you open the curtains. If you don’t believe me, I’m really going to pull them back.”

“Don’t,” Tao Tianran muttered, her voice raspy with sleep. “It’s too bright.”

“Then get up.”

            

“I can’t get up.”

Amused, Cheng Xiang asked, “What will it take to get you out of bed?”

Tao Tianran slipped a slender wrist out from under the quilt and gave it a small wave.

            

Cheng Xiang pulled her up, laughing quietly to herself.

After sitting dazed for a few seconds, Tao Tianran got up to wash her face. Cheng Xiang walked over to the coffee table to look through the breakfast menu, calling out to the bathroom, “Hey, they have a really nice breakfast selection here!”

Steaming slightly from the warm water, Tao Tianran walked out. “Hungry?”

            

Cheng Xiang nodded. “Hungry. Seriously hungry.”

That kind of activity really drains your energy.

Once Cheng Xiang finished washing up, they headed downstairs together to the buffet restaurant.

            

Since the resort was still in its soft opening phase, there were not many guests, but the breakfast spread was exceptionally lavish. After eating, they went outside for a walk. Following the night of rain, the morning sun shone down with brilliant clarity, the temperature began to rise, and the crisp scent of bamboo, pine, and cypress filled the air.

Cheng Xiang laced her fingers together and stretched her arms overhead. “Ah, this feels amazing.”

Fresh spring grass peeked out from the gaps between the wide stone pavers.

            

Cheng Xiang hopped over a patch, touching the tip of her nose, suddenly feeling like she was trying too hard to act young.

Taking another leap, she kept her head down and called out, “Tao Tianran.”

“Mm?”

            

“You have to pretend you didn’t notice that I want to kiss you again right now.” It was so clingy, so terribly cheesy.

“Alright.”

Cheng Xiang lost her footing on the next step, nearly twisting her ankle on a paver.

            

This woman… what is wrong with her? I told her to pretend she didn’t notice, and she actually isn’t going to kiss me? Doesn’t she understand flirting? At all?

Tao Tianran lowered her head and laughed.

Cheng Xiang sidled up to her, peering up at her. “You’re teasing me again, aren’t you? Is that all I am to you? Some silly little pig?”

            

People in love are so dramatic, Cheng Xiang scolded herself. A pig is a pig, why do I have to keep saying ‘little pig’?

“You’re not a pig,” Tao Tianran said.

“Silly little pig,” Cheng Xiang corrected.

            

“Fine, not a little pig,” Tao Tianran said. “You’re a fancy rat³.”

“You know about fancy rats?” Cheng Xiang’s eyes went wide. “Ziqiao always says I look like a fancy rat, too! Do I really look that much like one?”

Tao Tianran raised her hand to cradle the back of Cheng Xiang’s neck. The morning sun slanted down, casting a warm, gentle light over her shoulder blades.

            

The halo of sunlight fringed Tao Tianran in a soft, golden outline. Cheng Xiang felt a sudden, profound sense of unreality wash over her.

Seriously, this moment was so beautiful it didn’t even feel real.

As a beast of burden⁴ who had been thoroughly beaten down by society, Cheng Xiang felt her heart tighten slightly in apprehension, half-expecting some kind of trouble to ruin the moment.

            

Just as Tao Tianran was about to kiss her, the phone in Cheng Xiang’s pocket began to vibrate.

Cheng Xiang habitually pulled it out to take a look.

With a sigh, she told Tao Tianran, “Hold on, wait, wait. Keep that exact mood right there, don’t let it fade. I have to take this call. It’ll be quick.”

            

For any corporate slave, there was nothing more terrifying than receiving a call from a colleague on a day off.

Because it usually meant she was being summoned to the office for overtime.

She had already made up her mind: she wasn’t going. She would just tell them she had a fever.

            

To avoid dampening Tao Tianran’s mood, she stepped slightly to the side to answer. “Hello?”

Tao Tianran stood in place, a wild blade of grass brushing gently against her ankle.

Everything was peaceful and serene until Cheng Xiang’s tearful voice pierced the quiet: “Tao Tianran!”

            

Tao Tianran’s heart clenched. She whirled around to look at Cheng Xiang, who was clutching her phone by the bamboo grove.

With a devastated expression, Cheng Xiang wailed, “My coworker just called! Our company went bankrupt out of nowhere! The boss ran away with his sister-in-law⁵!”

Tao Tianran paused, then walked quickly over to Cheng Xiang.

            

“So… what should we do now? Do we need to go back?” she asked.

“Oh, no, no, no, we don’t.” Cheng Xiang raised a hand to twirl the ends of her hair. Her hair was so fine and soft that it always stuck up slightly in the morning. “Honestly, that job… well, it wasn’t really that great to begin with.”

Dropping her hand, she clasped her fingers behind her back and continued walking forward.

            

Tao Tianran stood in the sunlight, watching her back.

Cheng Xiang was clearly deep in thought. She had completely forgotten about her earlier instruction to “keep the mood” for a kiss.

Tao Tianran caught up with her. “Are you sure we don’t need to head back early?”

            

“Positive.” Cheng Xiang flashed her a single-dimpled smile. “Isn’t there a waterfall nearby?”

“Mm.”

Over the next two days, the two hiked through the wilderness, visited the waterfall, and ate wild vegetable hotpot. When night fell, the staff set up a tent on a wooden platform. Wrapped snugly in blankets, they looked up and could see a sky full of stars.

            

On Sunday afternoon, the two made their return trip. Cheng Xiang turned her head to stare out the car window.

Tao Tianran kept one hand on the steering wheel. “What are you thinking about?”

“Thinking about life.” Cheng Xiang rubbed her thumb and index finger together a few times, then turned her head back and burst out laughing before she could stop herself. “My god, I’m so not suited to saying things like that. By the way, is there a service area ahead? Would it be okay if I stopped to use the restroom?”

            

Tao Tianran steered the car into the service area.

Muttering to herself, “I didn’t even do anything, so why do I feel a bit depleted?” Cheng Xiang jogged all the way into the restroom.

Tao Tianran stepped out of the car. The early summer breeze fluttered the ends of her hair in a golden-tinted breeze. She stood by the car, slightly stretching her shoulders. As she looked down to reply to a few work messages, she suddenly heard an extremely sharp screech of brakes.

            

Tao Tianran looked up instinctively, seeing a brick-red cargo truck screeched to a halt right in front of a green belt, leaving two thick, dark skid marks on the concrete. Cheng Xiang was standing directly in front of the truck’s bumper.

The driver poked his head out and yelled, “Do you walk without looking where you’re going?!”

“Hey!” Cheng Xiang hopped madly on her feet to argue back. “This is a crosswalk! It’s clearly you who wasn’t looking!”

            

Tao Tianran hurried over in her high heels. Seeing her, Cheng Xiang waved her hand and jogged toward her. Tao Tianran seized Cheng Xiang’s hand, her lips parting and closing twice, but she could not make a sound.

“Wow, that scared the life out of me! Did you see that? The driver was clearly nodding off behind the wheel,” Cheng Xiang said, clutching Tao Tianran’s fingers. “Wait, why are your hands so freezing? I literally just washed mine, and yours are colder than mine. You’re covered in cold sweat, do you know that?”

She knit her brows, looking up at Tao Tianran with concern. “What’s wrong? Is your blood sugar low?”

            

“Come on, let’s go.” She tugged at Tao Tianran’s arm. “There’s a convenience store inside. Let’s go sit down and get you something to eat.”

Cheng Xiang scanned the shelves. “Hmm, all these breads have fruit jam fillings, you probably won’t like them. What about a Snickers? Or, if you really don’t want anything sweet, how about I make you a bowl of instant noodles? Mushroom stewed chicken flavor?”

Tao Tianran kept her eyes lowered, staring blankly at the shelves.

            

Cheng Xiang decided not to overthink it. She grabbed a cup of mushroom instant noodles and went to the counter to pay. “Could I get a Green Grape Drinking Yogurt too? And do you have hot water for the noodles? Great, could you add a little extra water, please? Thanks, I can’t eat things that are too salty.”

The cashier handed the noodles back to Cheng Xiang, who cradled the cup in her hands. “This water doesn’t feel very hot. Will it cook the noodles properly? Is it the only dispenser you have? Alright, that’ll do.”

She secured the paper lid with a plastic fork, picked up the yogurt, and told Tao Tianran, “Let’s head over to the dining area.”

            

Tao Tianran took the yogurt from her hand.

“There’s an empty table over there.” Cheng Xiang walked over with Tao Tianran and sat across from her. Setting the noodles down, she poked the straw through the seal of the yogurt and pushed it toward Tao Tianran. “The noodles will take five minutes. Drink this first.”

Tao Tianran lowered her eyes, slowly sipping the yogurt.

            

Cheng Xiang rested her elbows on the table, cradling her head in her hands as she looked at Tao Tianran. “How did your blood sugar drop so suddenly? I thought you barely ate anything for lunch.”

She reached out her other hand, gently testing the weight of Tao Tianran’s wrist resting on the table. “You need to eat more, you’re so thin.”

Removing the fork, she began to stir the noodles. “I think it’s ready. The noodles might be a little firm—nothing we can do about that with the lukewarm water—but you’ll have to make do. Oh, and I added a bit more water, so it shouldn’t be too salty.”

            

Cheng Xiang kept up her gentle chatter as she mixed the seasoning into the soup.

Tao Tianran lifted her eyelids, her gaze first drifting across the crowded expressway service area. There were so many people here—some eating with their heads bowed, others standing outside the glass doors smoking to clear their heads, and a few waiting in line for a savory crepe at a food stall. Finally, she gathered her gaze back, letting it rest on Cheng Xiang in front of her.

The steam rising from the instant noodle cup cast a soft mist over Cheng Xiang’s face. Her thick eyelashes fluttered as she focused entirely on stirring the noodles with absolute sincerity.

            

Amidst the overwhelming clatter of the mortal world, she seemed almost surreal.

Tao Tianran reached out, placing her hand over Cheng Xiang’s hand resting on the noodle cup.

Feeling a slight tickle, Cheng Xiang shifted her hand, but she did not pull away from Tao Tianran’s touch. Instead, she curled her lips into a smile. “What is it?”

            

Her warmth was real. Her touch was real. Tao Tianran asked, “What do you want to do?”

“Huh?” Cheng Xiang looked up. “First, I’ll keep you company while you finish these noodles. If you can’t finish them, I can have a few bites…”

“I mean with your life,” Tao Tianran said. “Didn’t you say you were thinking about your life? What do you want to do?”

            

Cheng Xiang was stunned.

She sniffled, her toe lightly scraping against the floor.

I want to be with you, Tao Tianran, a voice inside her head whispered softly.

            

Setting that aside, she raised her downcast lashes. Her nose crinkled slightly as she smiled, looking a bit self-conscious. “Actually, you didn’t know this, but… every day after work, I’ve been drawing my own comics…”

“They aren’t really fully formed yet.” She raised a hand to touch the tip of her nose. “But I did think about whether I should quit my job to focus on drawing them…”

“Then go do it.”

            

“Huh? But…” Cheng Xiang dropped her hand from her nose. “Sigh, then I worry about whether I should find another job first. After all, I haven’t saved up all that much money. Maybe I should wait a bit longer, until I have a bit more of a safety net…”

“Don’t wait.”

Cheng Xiang fell silent, staring at Tao Tianran. She felt that the Tao Tianran of today was slightly different.

            

Tao Tianran raised her hand, gently brushing the back of her fingers against Cheng Xiang’s cheek. She withdrew her hand and said, “Don’t wait. If you keep waiting, you might spend your entire life never taking that first step.”

“When life ends, we won’t regret what we did, only what we didn’t do⁶.” Tao Tianran had to pause, pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth to keep her voice from trembling. “Trust me.”

Cheng Xiang’s thick, long eyelashes fluttered softly.

            

It was truly so strange.

Here they were, sitting in a bustling service area surrounded by endless, deafening noise, yet they were discussing such a solemn topic.

Then, she smiled and nodded. She paused for a moment, then nodded once more.

            

As if speaking to Tao Tianran, and equally to herself, she said, “Of course I trust you, Tao Tianran.”

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