Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 115.3

Extra 1 Part 2

Qiao Yu x Lin Qing in the Parallel World

“If he can’t even let go of a relationship, then…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was already clear, as she held Qiao Yu’s hand with intent.

“Qiao Yu, you need to stay away from someone like that.”

Lin Qing’s fingers slowly intertwined with hers, creating an illusion of tenderness.

Qiao Yu, however, remained silent and withdrew her hand.

“…Qiao Yu?”

She then stood up from the bed. Not expecting such a reaction, Lin Qing raised her head in surprise and looked at her, only seeing half of her profile.

“I can’t.”

Lin Qing heard Qiao Yu speak, her voice very soft, as if it were floating in midair, an illusory and distant sound.

“Lin Qing, I can’t stay away from people like this.”

As she spoke, she turned around, the corners of her eyes slightly red, trembling as she took two steps back.

“…Because I am also such a person.”

Qiao Yu’s voice finally began to tremble as well. She seemed about to collapse, continuously shaking her head as she retreated. In Lin Qing’s stunned gaze, she backed up to the door, leaning against it half-exhausted.

“I also can’t completely let go of a relationship.”

“To forget someone… for me, it is equally difficult.”

Her face was pale, and she weakly smiled, displaying a fragile weariness, unable to stop herself from laughing out loud.

“The person I love has been with me… for too long.”

“If I were to forget her—” Qiao Yu stared unblinkingly at Lin Qing, her gaze suddenly softening, “I would forget most of my life.”

“But you are right.”

Qiao Yu suddenly composed her expression, revealing a gentle and distant smile.

“It seems I made a big deal out of nothing.”

Lin Qing suddenly broke free from the suffocating atmosphere, widened her eyes in confusion, and hesitantly looked at Qiao Yu.

“Sorry, I drank some alcohol and lay on your bed. I’ll compensate you for the bedding next time.”

When the thought that was close to the truth surged in her heart, Qiao Yu continued speaking to herself, gradually becoming polite, then looked at her deeply and lowered her head.

“…Goodbye.”

In just a moment of hesitation, Lin Qing failed to catch Qiao Yu. When she rushed out, she was a step too late, watching helplessly as Qiao Yu entered the jump point without hesitation and disappeared there.

Why? Where is Qiao Yu going? Her home is next door; she doesn’t need to go to the jump point. What is she trying to do?

An indescribable wave of panic surged in her heart. Lin Qing had almost no time to process the secret she had just learned, overwhelmed by this emotion. Her chest felt tight with bitterness, and she clutched at her shirt in confusion.

She had been with Qiao Yu since they were little. No matter when, Qiao Yu was always by her side. Lin Qing always felt that they were meant to be together. She knew everything about Qiao Yu, and Qiao Yu knew everything about her.

…It was supposed to be like this.

They had never even fought. Let alone something like this.

Qiao Yu left her, and she didn’t even know where to look.

Lin Qing couldn’t suppress the increasingly intense emotions in her heart. She trembled as she tried to contact Qiao Yu, but there was no response. Then she contacted every mutual friend she and Qiao Yu had, even Qiao Yu’s parents, but all the answers she got were negative.

The anxiety grew stronger and stronger. Lin Qing wandered aimlessly through the streets. She had lost her methodical approach, and even though she knew it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, she couldn’t stop.

She had to find Qiao Yu.

Lin Qing stood by the roadside, took a deep breath, and then opened her contact list.

“Yes, tomorrow, go to the company and bring my memory reception interface to the hospital.”

“Huh? Why? Can’t you get it yourself?”

“I told you it’s not possible! Just remember this and don’t forget! That’s it!”

Forcing herself to act tough, Qiao Yu ended the holographic call with Cong Ye and let out a long breath.

It’s really cold.

This was very unreasonable since her clothes were supposed to automatically adjust to a comfortable temperature, but Qiao Yu still felt like she was falling into an icy abyss.

“…So stupid.”

She was huddled in an unknown alley, not even sure where she was herself. Only this way could she be certain that Lin Qing wouldn’t find her.

For the first time in her life, Qiao Yu didn’t want to see Lin Qing.

If it weren’t for the fact that the memory sorting needed that interface, she wouldn’t even have contacted Cong Ye. The risk of getting it herself was too high. After all, she and Lin Qing worked at the same company, and Lin Qing might be lying in wait for her there.

…Of course, this was just Qiao Yu’s imagination. Lin Qing probably didn’t even care.

A dense pain rose in her chest again. Qiao Yu slid helplessly down the wall and sat on the ground, looking up at the moon hanging in the pitch-black sky.

There was only one moon in the universe. She and her counterpart in the parallel world were looking at the same moon, so why were their lives so different?

In that world, her counterpart met Lin Qing late but they hit it off immediately. In this world, she had been with Lin Qing from the very beginning, yet now it was impossible to get close to her.

If that’s the case, it would have been better not to have met Lin Qing at all.

Better never to have met such a captivating person.

Warm liquid uncontrollably fell from her face, wetting the ground and spreading into tear stains.

Qiao Yu buried her face in her arms, curling up into a small bundle. Her shoulders shook silently, not even a sob escaping her.

This unknown fragility could only bloom in the starless night.

After a sleepless night, Qiao Yu arrived at the designated hospital with red-rimmed eyes, at the agreed meeting place with Cong Ye, leaning against the wall waiting for him.

Her memory sorting appointment was scheduled to begin in two hours, during which time she needed to decide which memories to delete.

It was a difficult decision, and Qiao Yu absentmindedly stared at the terminal, suddenly receiving a notification of a new message.

Cong Ye: I’m here to give you a heads up.

It was a message from Cong Ye, straightforward and abrupt. Qiao Yu furrowed her brow, quickly receiving follow-up messages.

Cong Ye: Long story short, when you called me yesterday, Lin Qing had just found me. She was right beside me at the time.

Cong Ye: I really couldn’t hide it from her. I’m sorry, Qiao Yu.

Cong Ye: If you don’t want to meet her, I suggest you slip away quickly. She just left, wishing you the best of luck.

“Qiao Yu.”

…To hell with “best of luck.” Could this person’s communication skills be any slower? The enemy’s already at the gates, and the messenger pigeon’s just landing.

With all these chaotic thoughts in her head, Qiao Yu had no intention of shifting her focus to the person calling her name. Unconsciously, she gritted her teeth, calculating the likelihood of escaping if she bolted now.

But the person before her seemed to have learned from yesterday’s lesson, hastily stepping forward and grabbing her wrist.

“Qiao Yu. Look at me.”

Unlike the anxious plea in her words, the hand grabbing hers was rough and heavy-handed, exerting too much force. Qiao Yu calmly furrowed her brow, sighed lightly, and looked up.

It was Lin Qing. A disheveled Lin Qing Qiao Yu had never seen before.

She looked even worse than Qiao Yu, who had spent the night sleepless in an alley. Pale as if recovering from a serious illness, her eyes held a glimmer of moisture, pleading as they met Qiao Yu’s gaze.

No matter how stone-hearted Qiao Yu might be, she couldn’t bear to see her like this, especially since Qiao Yu loved her deeply.

“…Instead of memory sorting, you should get a check-up first.”

In order to avoid complicating things further, Qiao Yu struggled to speak words that didn’t sound overly concerned, trying to extricate herself from Lin Qing’s grasp. However, this action seemed to startle Lin Qing, who held onto her even tighter.

“You asked Cong Ye yesterday to get the access terminal for you.”

Lin Qing stared at her as if startled, her words sounding anxious.

“What… What are you planning to do?”

“Memory sorting. Aren’t you doing it today too?”

Unable to bear seeing her like this, Qiao Yu averted her gaze.

It seemed that Lin Qing misunderstood again. Qiao Yu felt her trembling violently for a moment, followed by a bewildered hesitation.

“Listen to me, Lin Qing.”

Finally, Qiao Yu spoke first, deliberately avoiding looking at Lin Qing, staring blankly at the ground as she spoke.

“I acted impulsively yesterday. I shouldn’t have said those things to you in that situation.”

“It must have caused you trouble, I’m sorry.”

“…No, that’s not it—”

Lin Qing seemed to want to say something, but couldn’t get it out. Qiao Yu patiently waited for a moment without a response, then continued.

“Whether you believe it or not, I actually never intended to tell you, but now I think you might have guessed it.”

She took a light breath, her tone becoming solemn.

“I like you, in the way lovers do.”

“This isn’t a confession, and you don’t have to answer me. I just feel that at this point, it’s important to make things clear. Besides, memory sorting is coming up soon, so it’s a good opportunity to forget about it.”

As soon as Qiao Yu finished speaking, Lin Qing suddenly pressed her against the wall, pinning her wrists. She winced in pain, forced to look at Lin Qing.

At such a close distance, in such an ambiguous posture, Lin Qing’s expression seemed to hit a sore spot, as if she could cry at any moment.

“Forget…”

She murmured the word again, fear lingering in her eyes, unresolved.

“Are you going to forget about me?”

“…”

Qiao Yu remained silent, painfully turning her head away, only to have Lin Qing forcefully straighten it, forcing their eyes to meet with her vulnerable, unsettling gaze.

“Are you going to… forget about me? Qiao Yu…?”

LP: I’ve been busy with work, I apologize _(:3」∠)_

Delicious angst, I like it~