Lin Xian had been deceiving her all along
Early the next morning, Lin Xian was eagerly waiting in the lobby for her grandparents to wake up, brimming with excitement. Despite knowing that even if she returned to Xiao Wanqing’s home early, Xiao Wanqing might not have returned from her company trip yet, Lin Xian couldn’t wait to go back.
The plan was to go back after lunch, around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, but Lin Xian couldn’t wait. After breakfast, she made up an excuse, telling her grandparents that she suddenly remembered a course design assignment she got the due date wrong for — it was due tomorrow, and she urgently needed to go back to Xiao Wanqing’s place to rush through the work and had to leave first.
Her grandparents were worried about her traveling alone and wanted to accompany her, but Lin Xian felt bad for disrupting their rarely-held annual gathering of old friends and insisted that she was old enough to take care of herself, assuring them not to worry.
With her backpack slung over her shoulder, Lin Xian, for the first time on her own in a strange place, took public transport to the bus station, bought her own ticket, and boarded the long-distance coach (coaches are technically buses but not all buses are coaches) headed for the home of the woman she loved.
On the bus, Lin Xian wanted to text Xiao Wanqing to ask, “Xiao Xiaowan, when are you coming back? I’ve returned from the countryside. Is it okay if I pick you up at the station?” But after a bit of thought, she worried Xiao Wanqing might be on the company trip with many colleagues around. She wondered if Auntie Xiao still minded the incident Lin Xian caused at her company before and, hesitating for a moment, she decided to erase the pickup part and changed it to, “I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the complex, alright if I help you with your luggage?”
Xiao Wanqing quickly replied to her, informing her, “I’ve got an afternoon ticket, so I probably won’t arrive until the evening.” A few seconds later, another text came in, expressing concern: “I’ll be getting home quite late. If you haven’t had dinner by the time I get back, there are frozen dumplings in the fridge. You could cook some to fill you up for now, and I’ll make you something delicious when I get home.”
Lin Xian, with an air of coquettish pride that belied her actual meaning, responded: “As if I would.” As if she wouldn’t wait for her to come back and cook for her. She could prepare a grand meal and wait for her return, after all.
Travel-worn and weary, upon arrival one should certainly rest well. Xiao Wanqing only needed to take care of eating well, taking a bath, and having a beautiful sleep.
As for the rest, she’d take care of it all.
Not long after setting off, she received a series of anxious texts from Zhou Qin, who was still traveling out of town, asking if she got on the wrong bus, if she was lost, and if she knew which bus to take from the bus station to go home. Lin Xian felt a mix of warmth and amusement.
She’s 18, not 8. How old do they actually think she is?
In her earphones, she listened to a playlist copied from Xiao Wanqing’s car stereo, imagining how Xiao Wanqing must look and feel while listening to these songs. This was her first time spending three hours alone on a coach, yet with Xiao Wanqing’s presence in her heart, she did not feel the journey to be overly long or lonely. In fact, there was a sense of calm and enjoyment.
Having returned to the North District bus station in Anjiang, Lin Xian first went home to pick up her luggage. Without delay, she then hurriedly took a bus to visit Xiao Wanqing’s home in the South District.
By the time she reached Xiao Wanqing’s place, it was already past 3 in the afternoon. Lin Xian hadn’t even had lunch, yet she was brimming with energy as she went straight to the supermarket to shop for groceries and started preparing dinner.
Xiao Wanqing, like a motor to her, provided an endless source of motivation. Tasks that she used to find unbearably tiresome and boring now felt enjoyable, even if they were hard work.
As the time passed 5 in the evening, she texted Xiao Wanqing, following the precise train schedule gave to her in the afternoon, asking if she had arrived home yet.
Xiao Wanqing received the message just as she was getting out of the taxi parked at the entrance of the residential complex. She retrieved her luggage from the trunk and, while walking into the complex, fished her mobile phone out of her bag to read the message.
Seeing Lin Xian’s inquiry, a faint smile spread on her lips, but she didn’t reply right away.
It wasn’t until she stood at the elevator entrance that she danced her fingertips across the screen, informing Lin Xian that she was about to enter the elevator and would be home very soon.
As she expected, once she got out of the elevator and rounded the corner of the hallway, what came into view was the girl waiting for her at the door with a radiant smile and sparkling eyes—the girl in the apron, leaning against the door, waiting for her.
Under her intense gaze, Xiao Wanqing, dragging her luggage with a smiling face and eyes, took steps towards her.
“I’m back.” She lowered her eyes to meet Lin Xian’s unusually fervent gaze.
The girl looked steadily at her, blinked, and didn’t say a word.
Xiao Wanqing touched her face with a light smile, unsure what kind of game the girl was playing.
She leisurely pushed open the half-ajar door, dragging in her suitcase. Turning back to look at Lin Xian, still rooted to the spot by the door, she spoke with a gentle chuckle, “Are you playing statue?” Her voice sounded a bit hoarse.
No sooner had her words fallen than, without warning, the girl snapped the door shut and suddenly quick-stepped towards her, cornering her helplessly between the shoe cabinet and herself. Xiao Wanqing’s reflex was to push Lin Xian away, but Lin Xian swiftly raised her hands to interlace her fingers with Xiao Wanqing’s, then pressed them against the surface of the shoe cabinet.
Before Xiao Wanqing could react, a warm kiss landed on her lips.
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The girl kissed with her eyes closed, earnest and devout. Her actions were a bit more hasty and rough than the last time, yet even more fervent and provocative. Xiao Wanqing’s head was already somewhat dizzy and warm, and that kiss made her dizziness intensify, her heartbeat so fast it was almost unmanageable, her body felt as if it were burning up.
The girl’s tongue tip pried apart her lips, then swept over her teeth and gums, attempting to delve even deeper.
Xiao Wanqing felt as if something was uncontrollably brimming out of her heart. She could hear the sound of her own rationale, in the face of Lin Xian, crumbling away bit by bit once again.
Her free hand couldn’t help but wrap tightly around Lin Xian’s slender waist. Lin Xian’s relentless, fervent advances were too much for her to withstand any longer. She slightly parted her teeth, ready to join in Lin Xian’s passionate dance…
Suddenly, a tickling sensation in her throat from her overly rapid breaths made her tense up. Instinctively, Xiao Wanqing pulled back a little and quickly turned her face away. Lin Xian’s hot tongue tip grazed her fair cheek lightly, leaving a trail of heat…
The next second, Xiao Wanqing began to cough violently.
Immersed in the joy of Xiao Wanqing’s acceptance and even her readiness to respond, Lin Xian felt a sense of contentment as if there would be no regrets left in her life. The hand grasping Xiao Wanqing was sweaty with nervous perspiration.
Just when things seemed to be getting to their best, the unexpected avoidance brought Lin Xian a moment of pain and confusion. Following that, she heard the distressed and rapid coughs of Xiao Wanqing. She immediately realized what was happening, casting aside all else, her heart aching as she gently lifted her hand to pat Xiao Wanqing’s back, helping her catch her breath.
After a good while, Xiao Wanqing’s coughing finally ceased. She turned her face back to Lin Xian, her tender eyes brimming with shimmering tears, her entire being was different from her usual grace and elegance—delicately fragile and radiant, like a bright and delicate flower swaying in the storm, waiting to be picked.
She raised her hand and gently wiped the glistening moisture from Lin Xian’s lips, her cheeks flushing an even more vivid red.
“You little rascal, getting bolder by the minute,” she said with a laugh in her voice, hoarse from the coughing that still hadn’t completely subsided, rough like sandpaper against Lin Xian’s heart, tickling it until it began to itch again.
Lin Xian bit her lip, knowing that Xiao Wanqing had accepted her. With her eyes curving into crescents, and not quite satisfied, she leaned in again, but this time Xiao Wanqing seriously struggled and pushed her away: “Xianxian, I’ve caught a cold, it’s contagious.”
The day before when Lin Xian didn’t contact her, she went to see the rapeseed flowers. Not only did she miss the full bloom and fail to see the dazzling fields she anticipated, but she was also drenched by a sudden rain; then later that evening, after a bath, a bit of wine, and a while spent in the breeze, she woke up the next day to find herself with a cold. Other than feeling okay, her throat was painfully dry and sore.
“I’m not afraid,” Lin Xian spoke and realized that her voice had changed too. The base of her tongue was subtly sore…
“I am, silly,” Xiao Wanqing fondly scolded her.
She tried to free her hand that had gone numb from being pressed against the shoe cabinet by Lin Xian, who, in turn, obediently released it.
With her sore arm and the other one, she wrapped both around Lin Xian’s waist, drawing her close into her embrace. She affectionately rested her chin on Lin Xian’s shoulder and murmured into her ear, “Xianxian, ask me once more.”
With eyes brimming with radiant joy as if sharing a telepathic connection, Lin Xian understood. She tilted her head, her lips close to Xiao Wanqing’s ear, and softly asked, “Xiao Xiaowan, have you missed me?”
“Mm, I’ve missed you,” her voice was soft, carrying a hint of cheerfulness after resignation.
She didn’t know if it was right, but she could no longer suppress the overflowing desire to express herself, to see Lin Xian’s satisfied smile.
She fooled herself, thinking this extent of interaction was permissible.
Lin Xian indeed chuckled joyfully in her ear. She gently nibbled Xiao Wanqing’s ear and tightened her arms around her waist even more.
After a warm moment, Lin Xian asked, “Are you hungry? I’ve almost finished preparing dinner.” Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she shuddered and exclaimed with a startle: “Ah, the soup I left cooking in the pot!!!”
Xiao Wanqing couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle, her heart growing softer by the moment.
After dinner, Lin Xian, who knows she has a cold, earnestly took it upon herself to clean and wash the dishes. Xiao Wanqing, having taken medicine and bathed, was once again ushered into the bedroom by Lin Xian, encouraged to get a good, early night’s rest.
She had thought that a night’s sleep would bring significant improvement. However, contrary to her expectation, the illness struck like a collapsing mountain but receded like unwinding silk; she wasn’t feverish or runny-nosed, yet the coughs persisted, coming in relentless waves.
Lin Xian, worried, urged her to visit the hospital for a check-up. Unable to resist her insistence, Xiao Wanqing gave in after work on Wednesday and returned from the hospital with an armful of medicine.
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On Thursday, Lin Xian had a public elective class and wouldn’t be home for dinner. When Xiao Wanqing got back home, intending to casually whip up some dumplings for dinner as she usually did when Lin Xian wasn’t around, she entered the kitchen only to discover sticky notes on both the pressure cooker and the rice cooker.
She reached out to take down the sticky note, her eyes shimmering with little stars as she read the fluid ink characters written by Lin Xian.
Opening the stew pot, she indeed found the rock sugar stewed pear, just as Lin Xian had mentioned.
Lin Xian had said, “Auntie Xiao, I asked my mom, and she said this nourishes the lungs and stops coughs. Give it a try, you have to drink it all up, okay? I’ll check when I get back tonight.”
In the rice cooker, there was corn and mushroom porridge that had been cooked.
She cautioned her, “Don’t neglect to eat properly just because I’m not home.”
She checked the keep-warm timing on the stew pot and the rice cooker, estimating that Lin Xian must have made a special trip back after her afternoon classes.
Such a silly girl.
So dependable, making her harbor fantasies she shouldn’t have.
Xiao Wanqing’s fingertips tightly clutched the sticky note, her eyes gazing at the soup and porridge in the pot, her lips curved in a satisfied, gentle, and moving smile.
At 7:30 in the evening, Xiao Wanqing was reading in the study when she suddenly heard the “pitter-patter” of raindrops beating against the windowpanes. Shortly after, a torrential downpour started pelting down.
Xiao Wanqing’s brow furrowed slightly, feeling somewhat anxious for Lin Xian, who was still at school. She knew that Lin Xian usually didn’t have the habit of carrying an umbrella.
She wondered if the rain would stop by the time Lin Xian’s classes ended.
Taking up her mobile phone, Xiao Wanqing sent a text message to Lin Xian, asking, “Xianxian, it’s raining. How about I come to pick you up later?”
A long time passed, and Lin Xian did not reply.
At 7:45, timing it just after classes should have ended, Xiao Wanqing called Lin Xian. Unexpectedly, Lin Xian’s phone was turned off. Xiao Wanqing surmised that it might be out of battery.
Hesitating briefly and seeing the rain intensify outside, Xiao Wanqing ultimately couldn’t shake off her concern. She grabbed her car keys, picked up two umbrellas in the entryway, and headed out.
Lin Xian had previously told her about the teaching building where her classes were held, and she even knew which classroom it was.
She would just wait for Lin Xian at the bottom of the building after her class.
At night, Jingnan University’s campus was open for anyone to enter. Xiao Wanqing parked as close as possible to the teaching building where Lin Xian’s classes were held, then got out of the car, took an umbrella, and waited under the building for Lin Xian’s class to end.
At 8:30, the end-of-class bell rang, and the rain continued to pour.
The weather forecast didn’t mention rain, and there had been no sign of it earlier, leaving most students without umbrellas, hesitating at the doorway, not daring to venture out. Xiao Wanqing carefully scanned the entrance, distinguishing each face, but Lin Xian’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, a voice called out to her, “Auntie Xiao, what are you doing here?”
Xiao Wanqing focused her gaze and saw it was Chen Zhi, whom she had met once before.
Chen Zhi had permed her hair, and Xiao Wanqing had not recognized her when she initially glanced over.
She noticed that Chen Zhi had an unfamiliar classmate by her side, which left her a bit disappointed. Xiao Wanqing curved her lips into a slight smile and replied to Chen Zhi, “Xianxian forgot to bring an umbrella. I came to pick her up.” After a brief pause, she asked Chen Zhi, “Are you taking the same elective course as Xianxian? Have you seen her?”
Chen Zhi blinked regretfully, realizing her mistake. She had called out to Xiao Wanqing subconsciously, and only now remembered that Lin Xian had mentioned that Auntie Xiao was unaware of her part-time job.
She was just thinking about how to help Lin Xian smooth things over when her clueless teammate naturally voiced her confusion: “Didn’t Lin Xian not take any elective courses this semester?”
Chen Zhi panicked, her mind racing for a solution. But when she looked up, she saw Xiao Wanqing’s usually gentle and kind face observing her with a calm and intense scrutiny that felt oppressively authoritative. Suddenly, her mind went blank.
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“Lin Xian hasn’t been taking any electives, has she?” Xiao Wanqing didn’t question Chen Zhi any further but instead turned her head to softly ask the unfamiliar girl.
Seeing Chen Zhi’s reaction, the girl belatedly realized she might have said something out of line and was too frightened to reply.
Xiao Wanqing’s heart sank, turning icy.
Lin Xian had been deceiving her all along.
She didn’t ask any further.
Noticing that neither Chen Zhi nor the other girl had umbrellas, she smiled and offered, “Shall I give you both a ride back?”
Where could Chen Zhi find the courage or the face to accept? She quickly waved her hands and insisted it wasn’t necessary.
Xiao Wanqing didn’t press them, instead handing the extra umbrella she had to Chen Zhi. With a gentle voice, she said, “Don’t get drenched; be careful not to catch a cold. Just return the umbrella to Lin Xian later.”
After speaking, she turned around. Under the stunned gaze of Chen Zhi, who was still grasping the umbrella, Xiao Wanqing opened her own umbrella and stepped into the inky curtain of rain. Her tall and graceful figure swayed with a trace of forlornness, gradually disappearing into the cold, lonely night…
LP: No way this is gonna be a problem, right? … right??