Slowly Lure In
The next day was Saturday. After dinner, Lin Xian and Xiao Wanqing went to the gym together for a workout. Before starting, Lin Xian remembered to show Xiao Wanqing the script after receiving guidance from the organizers following her selection, and making further modifications.
With the television on, Xiao Wanqing sat on the sofa, while Lin Xian moved a small single-seat stool, sitting opposite her. Lin Xian handed over the script, eagerly watching Xiao Wanqing, awaiting her comments.
Xiao Wanqing focused intently while reading, saying nothing. Quickly flipping through the pages, she closed the script, praising Lin Xian with a smile, “The plot is more coherent, the logic is more complete, and the format is quite orderly. Excellent.” As she spoke, she casually flipped the script in her hand and, seemingly by chance, caught sight of some large characters at the back.
Turning the script over, Xiao Wanqing saw on the clean white paper at the bottom center, four large characters written in a vigorous style, resembling cursive script. On closer inspection, they seemed to be… “徐徐誘之(Slowly Lure In)?”Four large characters.
Xiao Wanqing furrowed her brows in confusion and asked Lin Xian, “Are you planning to change the name?”
Lin Xian was puzzled and denied, “No, not at all. Why do you ask?”
Xiao Wanqing pushed the script towards Lin Xian, pointing at the four ink-black characters, and said with a smile, “Did you write these four characters? They look pretty good.”
Lin Xian was momentarily stunned, looked down, and froze for a moment. Then, she suddenly reacted, snatched the script from Xiao Wanqing’s hand with exaggerated movements, and stood up abruptly. She explained in a rapid succession, “I didn’t write it… Oh, I did write it. I just casually wrote it… Oh no, I mean, I was bored during class, had a sudden inspiration, and wrote it on a whim…”
She was flustered and seemed overly anxious. Xiao Wanqing, a bit puzzled, chuckled and said, “Why are you so nervous? It’s normal to daydream occasionally in class. I won’t hold it against you.”
Lin Xian, holding the paper to her chest, slowly lowered her hands. It was unclear whether she breathed a sigh of relief or felt a bit disappointed.
Yeah, why am I so nervous? Aunt Xiao doesn’t even know…
She doesn’t know that these four characters were written by her last night. Unable to sleep, she finally couldn’t resist the surge of emotions, leapt out of bed like a carp, grabbed a pen under the moonlight, and with a heart full of overflowing love, wrote down a significant topic about her sweet dreams on the paper.
“徐徐誘之” — her plan to pursue Xiao Wanqing.
The phrase “心有猛虎，細嗅薔薇(Heart like a fierce tiger, delicately sniffing the roses)” that Shi Man sent to her kept her awake, pondering for a long time. She gradually organized the various moments with Xiao Wanqing, recalling her hesitation after confessing under the moon, and the restraint she showed today when wanting to kiss away her tears but only daring to embrace her. It seemed that she was beginning to understand.
In her heart, there was a fierce tiger — a tiger representing the burning flames of love for Xiao Wanqing. It could warm Xiao Wanqing, but it could also potentially hurt her. The first withdrawal was impulsive, out of fear that Xiao Wanqing wouldn’t like girls, causing her distress and self-blame. The second withdrawal was out of heartache and understanding that Xiao Wanqing would definitely push her away; it wasn’t the right time yet.
Between them were gender, status, and age differences. These, in her eyes, were not problems in the face of love. However, before Xiao Wanqing liked her, loved her, and while she remained rational, these factors might be fatal issues.
She couldn’t approach Xiao Wanqing again after she became guarded, and she couldn’t bear to disregard Xiao Wanqing’s wishes, forcing her or threatening her.
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Therefore, all she could do was — “細嗅薔薇” — to delicately smell the roses. Restraining the burning fire, exchanging it for a small flame, slowly and quietly igniting Xiao Wanqing without her realizing it.
In the face of true love, everything would become unimportant. So, she had to wait, keep waiting for Xiao Wanqing to truly love.
But when would Xiao Wanqing like her? How could she make Xiao Wanqing like her?
Lin Xian gazed deeply at the gently smiling Xiao Wanqing, her eyes gradually turning obscure. Facing Xiao Wanqing every day, every expression, every moment, felt like adding fuel to the fire in her heart. Yet, she had to restrain herself. This was truly a difficult thing to do.
Xiao Wanqing stood up, arched her eyebrows at Lin Xian, and suggested, “That’s enough. Let’s head to the gym.”
The ambiguity in Lin Xian’s eyes gradually cleared away under Xiao Wanqing’s clear and gentle gaze, as if washing away all obscurity. Blame your excessive beauty; I love you, excessively beautiful.
Lin Xian raised her thin lips, replaced the obscurity with a warm and harmless smile, and delicately intertwined her fingers with Xiao Wanqing’s slender ones. Their fingers interlocked, and she cheerfully responded, “Sure, let’s go.”
Xiao Wanqing let her hold her hand, accustomed to it, completely unaware.
After the first time working out with Xiao Wanqing at the gym, Xiao Wanqing asked about her willingness and then helped her get a gym card. Subsequently, their weekly two-person workout appointment with Wen Tong gradually evolved into a trio outing for them.
Clearly, today was no different from usual. The three of them started with thirty minutes of aerobic exercise and then proceeded to strength training together. Wen Tong had slightly better physical fitness, so as usual, she did a few more sets of sit-ups and side crunches than the others. After finishing, she just lay exhausted on the mat, not moving.
After enough rest, Xiao Wanqing sat up. She moved next to Wen Tong, observing her tired expression, mischievously poking Wen Tong’s belly, pretending to lift her shirt, and teasing, “I noticed during the summer that your abs disappeared. I made a few jokes, and you’ve been holding a grudge ever since. Now, after training for so long, have they made a comeback?”
With a “slap,” Wen Tong unceremoniously swatted away Xiao Wanqing’s restless hand and sneered, “I’m afraid they still won’t meet your high standards. Or should I check yours to see if they’re still there…” With that, her hand started to mischievously move.
Lin Xian, on the side, suddenly brightened her eyes. Aunt Xiao has abs! Since the first time she worked out with Xiao Wanqing, Xiao Wanqing always wore neatly fitted workout clothes. She had never seen Xiao Wanqing’s abs!
She wanted to see, but Wen Tong couldn’t touch!
Fortunately, tit for tat, Xiao Wanqing also unmercifully slapped away Wen Tong’s hand with a “slap.” Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief.
Wen Tong wasn’t upset either. Her deep and sharp eyes softened with a smile. She squinted slightly and beckoned Xiao Wanqing, “Help me wipe off the sweat; it got into my eyes.”
Compliantly, Xiao Wanqing picked up a towel from the side and wiped the beads of sweat off Wen Tong’s forehead and face. In a somewhat annoyed tone, she remarked, “I noticed your strength when you hit me. Can’t you wipe it off yourself?”
Wen Tong didn’t respond, simply lying there, enjoying Xiao Wanqing wiping her, her gaze soft as she looked at Xiao Wanqing…
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Despite having such a strong presence, Lin Xian, who initially felt even oppressed by this person upon their first meeting, now strangely associated these four words: gentle eyes and brows.
Is she judging people by their eyes? Why does she feel that Wen Tong’s gaze is off…
Lin Xian’s heart suddenly skipped a beat…
On the way back, Xiao Wanqing seemed to be in a good mood. She played cheerful music, with a slight upturn of her lips and a smile in her eyes. Lin Xian pursed her lips, looking down as if lost in thought. Xiao Wanqing noticed Lin Xian’s low mood and asked with concern, “Xian Xian, what’s wrong?”
Lin Xian bit her lip, concerned about Wen Tong, and asked Xiao Wanqing, “Does Aunt Wen have a boyfriend?”
Xiao Wanqing’s lips curved deeper, teasing her, “What’s wrong? Is your mom trying to set her up too? I don’t think she does at the moment. Actually, I’m not very sure; her romantic life changes quickly.”
Initially, when they first met, Lin Xian knew that Wen Tong had a boyfriend since university, with whom she had been in a relationship for two years. After they broke up during their second year of graduate school, Wen Tong seemed not to have had a long-term boyfriend for more than six months. At first, Lin Xian occasionally saw her with a new boyfriend. Later, the relationships started and ended faster, and sometimes, Lin Xian would hear that she had a new boyfriend without even meeting the previous one.
Lin Xian pursued, “Now? Does she currently have one?”
Xiao Wanqing’s hand, on the steering wheel, paused for a moment. She looked at Lin Xian with some surprise, as if afraid Lin Xian had misunderstood something. She quickly explained, “Although Wen Tong and I are good friends, she is different from me. She has always liked guys, so she had boyfriends in the past.” She briefly recalled some of the names of the guys Wen Tong had mentioned to her and silently added, “And many of them, to be honest.”
“She has always liked guys,” Lin Xian heard this with relief, quietly sighing. However, in the next moment, Xiao Wanqing dropped another bomb.
“Haha, I suddenly remembered something funny.” Just after defining Wen Tong as “straight” in her mind, Xiao Wanqing thought of the rare few seconds when Wen Tong wasn’t “straight.” “Two years ago, she broke up and was feeling heartbroken. She invited me to a bar to drink. Suddenly, as if she had seen through the vanity of romantic relationships, she asked me, ‘Is there really no point in heterosexual relationships? Lao Xiao, is it true that girls are more suitable for girls?’ Just as I was about to comfort her, she said again, ‘Lao Xiao, if we’re still single at the age of thirty-five, why not just make do with each other.'”
Lin Xian’s internal alarm bells rang loudly. She immediately became nervous and asked, “Did you agree?” This Wen Tong! Something’s definitely not right! She must have ulterior motives! Intentions unknown! Ill-intentioned!
At the red light ahead, Xiao Wanqing looked ahead, gradually slowing down the car speed, and casually said, “It was just a joking remark. We were close friends back then. Maybe it wouldn’t work out. After thinking about it herself, she laughed for a long time and then accepted the invitation of a nearby guy to happily go dancing.” Perhaps writers have a more vivid imagination and visual sense than ordinary people. As soon as Wen Tong finished speaking, Xiao Wanqing involuntarily imagined the scene of her sleeping with Wen Tong, and inexplicably, she felt a shiver down her spine. Too familiar! Friends are just friends…
The car came to a stop, and Lin Xian stared at Xiao Wanqing’s calm and tranquil side profile as she waited for the green light. She watched her long eyelashes fall and rise, fluttering one after another. Suddenly, she softly and gently asked, “Aunt Xiao, when you’re thirty-five and still single, let’s live together, okay?”
It was a joking remark, but the girl’s voice sounded too serious and gentle. Xiao Wanqing, slightly surprised, glanced at her and collided with her overly focused and soft eyes. For a moment, she seemed to be immersed in the charming gaze of the girl, involuntarily imagining what Lin Xian would be like at thirty-five when she, Xiao Wanqing, was twenty-one. By then, Lin Xian would have grown even more, perhaps becoming increasingly bright and charming. What would she look like…
As if the next second, the cars waiting behind honked, urging them to move. The green light had been on for two seconds, and Xiao Wanqing was at the front, but she didn’t move a muscle.
Xiao Wanqing was startled by the honking horn, abruptly pulling her gaze away and turning her head. Without looking around, she started the car…
Lin Xian had been staring at her, naturally catching her momentary distraction. After Xiao Wanqing turned her head, a inexplicable blush gradually crept up to her ears.
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With a fox-like expression, Lin Xian had a mischievous smile in her eyes. With a feigned sense of grievance, she asked Xiao Wanqing again, “Is it bad to live together like this?”
Compared to the straightforward and candid imagination of her and Wen Tong’s scene from earlier, this time, it was clear that Xiao Wanqing hadn’t thought much, but for some reason, there was a moment where it seemed like something was off.
It’s a bit hot…
She bit her lip and said hesitantly, “It’s… it’s quite good.”
Lin Xian chuckled, innocently saying, “Aunt Xiao, is it a bit stuffy in the car? I feel a bit hot…”
That’s it.
Xiao Wanqing relaxed her brows, rolled down the car window a bit, and calmly said, “Yeah, it is a bit.”
