She crossed the line
Xiao Wanqing gazed quietly at Lin Xian as she walked step by step towards her. Her eyes were calm like water, and on her lips was a sincere smile that hadn’t been shown all evening.
Lin Xian came to a stop beside Xiao Wanqing. She turned her head and glanced indifferently at the middle-aged man in the Mercedes-Benz below the stairs, then nonchalantly withdrew her gaze, apologizing with a smile to Xiao Wanqing, “Sorry, I just went to look for a parking spot, so I’m a bit late.”
Taking the opportunity, Xiao Wanqing stepped towards Lin Xian, shoulder to shoulder with her, and with a polite smile, she said her goodbyes to the man, “Mr. Wang, my friend is here to pick me up. I won’t trouble you any further.”
The man had hoped to take advantage of everyone’s drunkenness to make some innocuous intimate moves on the way, but suddenly, this kid out of nowhere cockblocked him. He squinted contemptuously at the motorcycle helmet in Lin Xian’s hand, his expression turning cloudy.
But further persistence would make things uncomfortable for everyone, which would be pointless. He put on a magnanimous act, following Xiao Wanqing’s lead, “Since Chief Editor Xiao has someone to pick her up, I’m relieved. I’ll take my leave, then. Perhaps next time we could have a meal together?”
Xiao Wanqing hadn’t even answered when Lin Xian suddenly interjected with an exaggerated alarm, “Oh no, I think I forgot to lock my bike.” Having said that, she anxiously grabbed Xiao Wanqing’s hand and hurried off with large strides to the side.
Xiao Wanqing, in her high heels, was forced to stagger to keep up with the girl’s rapid pace. Seemingly embarrassed, she turned back for one last farewell to the man, “Then, Mr. Wang, goodbye. Take care on the road.”
Once they rounded the corner and the annoying car was out of sight, Xiao Wanqing let out a snort of laughter. She steadied her steps and gently tugged the girl’s hand, calling her name softly, “Xianxian, we’re out of his sight now.”
Hearing this, the girl really did relax her body and stopped walking.
Lin Xian turned around and, under the hotel’s multicolored decorative lights, she studied the beautifully dressed, slender, and affectionately gazing woman, just a step away from her. She pursed her lips, moved closer to Xiao Wanqing, and said in a displeased, heavy tone, “And you’re laughing. Just now, I really wanted to hit someone.”
If it wasn’t for the guess that the man must be someone Xiao Wanqing knew from work, which she didn’t want to complicate things for her, Lin Xian wouldn’t have hit him. But certainly, she would have given him a fierce glare or snapped at him with sharp words.
She really wanted to shout from the rooftops that Xiao Panpan was hers, and no one else was allowed to covet her.
Xiao Wanqing had been drinking and was somewhat tipsy. The slight flush of intoxication added a charming red to her fair complexion, making her eyes look watery and bewitching. Hearing Lin Xian’s words laced with jealousy, she couldn’t help but look enchanted.
Seeing Lin Xian so flustered, Xiao Wanqing’s lips curled up in a childishly playful gesture. She shook the hand that Lin Xian held, then leaned in close, wrapped her arms around Lin Xian’s waist, and nestled her chin on her shoulder. With a soft coo, she coquettishly whispered, “Xianxian, you’re so good to me…”
Lin Xian’s heart, which carried a small storm of emotions, melted the moment Xiao Wanqing looked at her with a smile and shook her hand. The usually mature and composed woman turning so adorably clingy was simply too irresistible. Embraced by Xiao Wanqing’s affection, Lin Xian’s heart thudded wildly – sweetly exhilarated, yet also a little frightened.
She was sure that her Xiao Panpan must have been a bit tipsy; otherwise, she wouldn’t have engaged in such intimate gestures with her on a busy street corner where people could pass by at any moment. If she hadn’t come tonight, how difficult would it have been for this slightly inebriated Xiao Wanqing to reject that sleazy old man?
She nuzzled Xiao Wanqing’s hair gently and almost imperceptibly kissed the hair by her ear, softening her voice to negotiate, “How about next time I pick you up, is that okay?”
Xiao Wanqing chuckled softly by her ear, “Even if I don’t let you come, you’d still show up, wouldn’t you? Disobedient.” She stepped out of Lin Xian’s embrace and lightly pinched the girl’s palm, her reprimand tinged with a bit of worry.
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The next second, she suddenly covered her mouth, as if about to sneeze.
Lin Xian immediately got nervous. She noticed Xiao Wanqing’s bare-shouldered evening gown and expressed her concern, “Are you cold? It seems to be getting windy.” She fastened the helmet onto Xiao Wanqing’s head, with Xiao Wanqing complacently following her movements.
Lin Xian freed her hands and briskly rubbed Xiao Wanqing’s smoothly chill shoulders before turning around to lead her to where she parked her little sheep, explaining, “I have a light jacket in the trunk of the bike, just bear with it a little longer.”
Xiao Wanqing leaned comfortably against Lin Xian, admiring the girl’s enchanting profile, her usually clear eyes now brimming unmistakably with love.
For a moment, she wanted to follow Lin Xian without a care in the world, to entrust her with everything. But it was just a moment—her irrational thoughts were quickly swept away by the cool breeze.
She wasn’t the nineteen-year-old Xiao Wanqing anymore, and Lin Xian was still just nineteen.
With caring gestures, Lin Xian draped the jacket over her. Xiao Wanqing wanted to sober up with the breeze and took off her helmet to store it in the bike’s trunk. Wearing a dress, she couldn’t straddle the scooter comfortably, so she chose to sit sideways, clutching tightly onto Lin Xian’s slender waist to keep her balance.
Even after riding for quite a while, Lin Xian couldn’t shake off the memory of that man’s gaze. She furrowed her brows, still bothered, as she thought about Xiao Wanqing beside her, enduring the chill of the ride on the little ‘sheep’ scooter.
Clutching the handlebars, Lin Xian felt the sting of financial insecurity for the first time in her life, “Xiao Xiaowan, in the future, I’ll have my own Mercedes and BMW too.”
Not quite understanding the context, Xiao Wanqing still leaned forward and kissed the girl’s back gently, her voice soothing, “I believe you.”
Hearing the unwavering confidence in Xiao Wanqing’s voice dissolved Lin Xian’s brooding gloom in an instant. Yet she playfully prodded Xiao Wanqing, “Why do you believe in me so much?” She wanted to coax more sweet words from Xiao Wanqing.
Xiao Wanqing didn’t respond with the expected platitudes. Instead, she paused and seriously said, “Because, Xianxian, think about it—how many of your peers have a little sheep? Having a little sheep at your age is like having the Mercedes or BMW of your generation, it shows you’re already ahead of everyone else.”
Lin Xian was taken aback by her words and suddenly couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Xiao Panpan made such a reasonable point that Lin Xian was left speechless.
Still laughing, the woman tightened the arm she had wrapped around Lin Xian’s waist and straightened up. She leaned in and whispered in Lin Xian’s ear, enunciating each word tenderly, “Xianxian, I have a BMW too. But I prefer your little BMW.” After saying this, she gently kissed Lin Xian’s little ear that was exposed to the air.
She never doubted Lin Xian’s abilities and certainly didn’t need Lin Xian to have those abilities right now. Because that’s what she wanted to give to Lin Xian.
In that moment, Lin Xian’s heart trembled with Xiao Wanqing’s words. She drove on in a daze, feeling as though she too was intoxicated.
Intoxicated by the sweetness of Xiao Panpan’s words, which, when unsaid, were silent, but once spoken, plucked at her heartstrings.
Regretfully, she wished she had recorded this moment to play back, for Auntie Xiao almost never spoke so honestly when sober.
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She teasingly lured Xiao Wanqing further, “Xiao Xiaowan, what do you fancy more than my little BMW?”
Xiao Wanqing, listening to the girl’s delicate voice while holding her tender body, felt even more intoxicated. Something seemed to stir within her as, through Lin Xian’s thin blouse, she began to trace with her index and middle finger from the navel, imitating footsteps, leisurely climbing upwards.
With a laid-back tone laced with a teasing laugh that tickled Lin Xian, she counter-queried, “What do you think I prefer?” Her breath was as sweet as orchids.
The pace of Xiao Wanqing’s fingers seemed not to tread upon her abdomen but, rather, upon her fluttering heart. Facing the cold night wind, Lin Xian’s body suddenly flushed with heat, and her ear tingled with the warmth of Xiao Wanqing’s breath, turning red as if it were about to bleed.
As Lin Xian involuntarily sped up, eager to get home and punish this drunkard who became increasingly flirtatious, Xiao Wanqing suddenly slid her hand down and tugged at Lin Xian’s lapel, hesitatingly saying, “Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you since earlier, but I’m not sure if I should.”
“What is it?”
“Xianxian, did you deliberately button your shirt like that?” Her fingers were once again between her ribs. “I wanted to secretly fix it for you, but couldn’t find the right spot. I thought it’d be better to tell you.”
Confused, Lin Xian looked down at her clothes and the next moment, as she saw her shirt’s uneven front, her smile slowly, slowly… faded.
Did she button her shirt wrong?!!!
She had stayed home all day and had only changed her clothes when leaving, in a bit of a hurry. She just used her phone’s camera to check her makeup and never took a good look at her clothes. So, was this the image she had of herself, thinking she looked cool when she appeared in front of Xiao Wanqing, and in front of that fat-headed man?
So, Auntie Xiao wasn’t flirting with her, huh? Ahhh!
In an instant, all of Lin Xian’s fanciful thoughts vanished, her mind flooded with embarrassment, shame, wanting to die, ahh…
Xiao Wanqing observed the girl’s reactions from beginning to end, quietly narrowing her eyes. She laid her face against Lin Xian’s back, and where Lin Xian couldn’t see, she smiled with a mix of indulgence and sadness.
Fool…
Sorry, it was her who couldn’t control herself after drinking and crossed the line.
A week after the party, news began to spread that the magazine was planning to set up a branch and dispatch staff. There was much private speculation about who would be chosen, and Xiao Wanqing was undoubtedly the top contender.
Some hoped she would stay, and naturally, others hoped she would leave. Her staying meant that the opportunity for an outstation promotion would be up for grabs, giving others a chance; her departure meant that someone among those who stayed could take over her position.
In the eye of the storm, Xiao Wanqing remained as if above the fray, calm and collected, giving nothing away that would allow outsiders to guess her thoughts.
She’s had other troubles on her mind lately. Mr. Wang, whom she failed to see off properly, doesn’t know what got into him. He started sending her messages daily. Xiao Wanqing initially replied out of politeness, but in the past couple of days, his messages have become increasingly blatant and excessive, and Xiao Wanqing finally couldn’t stand it and blocked him.
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Putting down her phone, Xiao Wanqing felt a rare sense of irritation swirling in her mind. She stood up to get a cup of water, only to remember that the office water cooler was broken and no one had come to fix it yet. Holding her cup, she went to the break room—a place she hardly ever ventured—to make a cup of coffee, to wake up and calm down.
As she reached the break room door, hand on the glass handle and pushing it open just a tad, she heard the laughter and talking of several colleagues with their backs to her: “Is it for real? Who did you hear it from? Hope it’s not another wild rumor.”
“It’s true, a colleague from another department said they saw her outside the hotel getting all cuddly and kissy with a girl.”
A male voice sneered, “No wonder she acts so high and mighty, like she’s above everyone else—turns out she’s gay.”
The previously speaking woman sounded as if she’d stumbled upon a revelation, exclaimed in surprise, “Ah, now I remember, it must be that young girl who caused a scene here a few months ago! Things seemed off then.”
In the scorching summer heat, Xiao Wanqing suddenly felt as if she’d plummeted into an ice cellar.
LP: Ah, yes, of course, she’s got to be gay because she’s acting ‘high and mighty’! I don’t understand the logic here! Even worse, there’s really people in the real world thinking this!
