Extra 2 Part 1
Qiao Yu x Lin Qing in the Parallel World
After completing the memory sorting, there will be a slight dizziness as a side effect in a short period of time.
Sitting weakly on the bench outside the department, rubbing his temples, Cong Ye couldn’t determine whether his dizziness at this moment was due to this side effect or because of the tug-of-war between Qiao Yu and Lin Qing in front of him.
After sending a message to Qiao Yu and waiting for a reply in vain, Cong Ye saw that his appointment time had arrived, so he had to take the initiative to complete the memory sorting. Just as he came out, he saw the two people he was concerned about tangled up at the entrance of the memory sorting department. It seemed that Qiao Yu wanted to go in, but Lin Qing stubbornly blocked her and refused to let her in.
Although he had tried to persuade them, the effect was minimal due to the unclear situation. Cong Ye had no choice but to honestly withdraw from the battlefield and sit aside, listening for half a day before vaguely understanding the whole story.
“… I just want to organize my memories normally, without meaning to forget about you.”
“No, I can’t rest assured. Unless you let me go in with you.”
“But the doctor just said two people can’t go in together…”
…Above, such one-sided persuasion had been going on for more than ten minutes, but Lin Qing remained adamant, seemingly leaving no room for negotiation.
Cong Ye glanced at the growing crowd around the two, his brow furrowed with concern.
In any case, from the outcome, neither Qiao Yu nor Lin Qing were able to participate successfully in this company-organized memory sorting, as they were both refused entry by the doctor.
Having painfully erased parts of his memory related to Lin Qing, Cong Ye felt that his eyes were exceptionally clear now, as if he had gained a detached clarity. Despite Qiao Yu’s tight-lipped stance regarding what happened that day, Cong Ye could still piece together the rough outline of events from the fragments of conversation between Lin Qing, who had suddenly showed up at his door that night, and the subsequent discussions between them.
He couldn’t help but sigh with relief that he had given up early, and genuinely felt happy for his troubled sister, Qiao Yu—this seemed like significant progress, didn’t it? This was evident in how Lin Qing was sticking closer to Qiao Yu at work, making it almost impossible for him to find out what happened when Qiao Yu was alone. He even received a formal request from Lin Qing a week later to share an office with Qiao Yu.
To be honest, as a fairly wealthy company, it was normal for leading researchers like Lin Qing and Qiao Yu to each have their own offices, providing them with the best research environment. Cong Ye had never received such a request before. He glanced at Lin Qing’s calm and indifferent expression, thinking that this was probably the result of their discussion, so he promptly approved it.
“…Huh? I’ve never heard of such a thing before?”
However, when he cheerfully went to Qiao Yu’s office with Lin Qing and heard this news, Qiao Yu looked extremely puzzled, casting a “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” look at Cong Ye.
“No, no, no, you should look at Lin Qing. Whatever you want to know, you should hear it from her.”
Cong Ye silently criticized these two for being really strange lately. He silently turned his head, attempting to convey this sense of puzzlement to Lin Qing. However, Lin Qing, seemingly oblivious, remained unchanged in expression. She just softly smiled at Qiao Yu and began tidying up Qiao Yu’s untidy desk, seemingly making space for her own equipment.
“…”
Seeing that Lin Qing had no intention of explaining, both Qiao Yu and Cong Ye looked at each other in utter confusion. From each other’s eyes, they could tell that neither had any clue about the current situation.
What’s going on between you and Lin Qing? Is your relationship a bit strange lately?
Hindered by Lin Qing’s presence, Cong Ye desperately squeezed his eyes, trying to convey this question to Qiao Yu with an intense gaze.
“What’s with that expression? It’s like when your pinky toe hits the corner of a table while wearing flip-flops, and your flip-flop ends up with only the ‘toe’ part left.”
What expression is that?
After an output of crazed effort, all he received was the look of a friend seeing a fool. He could only deflate and relax his almost cramping eyelids, forcefully closing his eyes.
“…By the way, do you have time after work today?”
Unexpectedly, Qiao Yu suddenly brought up an invitation, prompting Cong Ye to quickly open his eyes and look over. He saw Qiao Yu, with a somewhat awkward shift of her eyes, wearing a hesitant expression on her face, as if she had some difficult-to-articulate concerns. This made him keenly sense the scent of gossip in the air.
At this moment, he almost felt like he could read Qiao Yu’s mind. Whatever Qiao Yu was about to tell him must be related to the recent anomalies! The key to unraveling the mystery was in her hands! Cong Ye wouldn’t miss such an opportunity!
“Of course—”
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Cong Ye responded without hesitation, but suddenly choked up when he inadvertently glanced up.
Lin Qing, who had been quietly tidying up things, seemed to have stopped at some point. She stood silently behind Qiao Yu and looked over at him. Her eyes were clear and cold, devoid of any emotion, yet Cong Ye felt an invisible pressure from her gaze.
“…I, I have something…”
He was naturally three inches shorter than Lin Qing, but he decisively changed his words. Seeing Qiao Yu, who was clueless about the situation behind her, looking puzzled, Cong Ye feared she might ask further questions. He quickly chuckled and preemptively said a few lies, such as being too busy with work lately and possibly not having any free time. Then, he hastily left her office.
…Forgive me, Qiao Yu. Although I really wanted to go, it seems that Lin Qing is genuinely unwilling.
I don’t know why Lin Qing didn’t directly tell Qiao Yu, especially since Qiao Yu has always listened to her.
Forget it, forget it. It seems like there are still many unresolved issues between them. He shouldn’t get involved in this muddy water.
Cong Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and sincerely prayed for his good friend.
“Today is the day both of our families are having dinner together. Do you remember?”
“Uh, yes, I remember.”
Not yet accustomed to the feeling of having another person in her space, Qiao Yu felt uneasy and took a step back in response to Lin Qing’s words.
…Was it her imagination? She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Qing had just been too close to her.
“Are you avoiding me?”
Her arm was suddenly caught, startling Qiao Yu, who turned her head to meet Lin Qing’s eyes, which had begun to show signs of anxiety again.
“…”
It seems it wasn’t just her imagination.
Unexpectedly, even her small movements could cause Lin Qing to become flustered. Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately softened her voice.
“I’m just not used to someone being so close to me while I’m working. Don’t overthink it.”
“Mm.”
Lin Qing looked at her steadily for a moment before lowering her gaze obediently and letting go of her.
Sometimes Qiao Yu really couldn’t figure out whether the current situation was good or bad.
If it’s considered good, at least Lin Qing now knows about her feelings and hasn’t chosen to reject her. Instead, she actively approaches her, consciously trying to shorten the distance between them.
But to say it’s bad—this is definitely going a bit too far. Rather than being in a period of mutual testing ambiguity, this seems more like Lin Qing taking precautionary measures to prevent her from running away again, and gradually intensifying them.
How tight are these precautions? Sometimes Qiao Yu even absurdly feels that if it weren’t for Lin Qing’s remaining sanity, she might be locked up with iron chains by Lin Qing.
Although Lin Qing doesn’t admit to this, when Qiao Yu asked why she wanted to move into her office, she just calmly offered the lame excuse of “researching alone feels a bit lonely,” which seems somewhat reasonable but doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. But thinking about how these days, every time they leave work together, Lin Qing stays at her place until bedtime before leaving— and with a trend of staying later and later— there’s always a sense that Lin Qing will eventually ask to move into her home.
…Strange, after her feelings were revealed, the situation seems to be unfolding differently from what she imagined.
It seems that her evasion that day left a very deep impression on Lin Qing. In recent days, whenever Qiao Yu shows even a hint of similar behavior, Lin Qing reacts very intensely. This leaves Qiao Yu a bit bewildered, only able to fully accept Lin Qing’s approach and try to fulfill all her requests as much as possible.
But is this really okay?
Qiao Yu’s eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head, using her bangs to cover her eyes.
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They need to have a good talk.
It’s just that, looking at the current situation, she doesn’t know when they will have the chance to have a conversation that flows smoothly and doesn’t give Lin Qing too much to think about.
That evening, both of them finished work early. As childhood friends, their families’ parents were good friends when they were young, so they would occasionally arrange to have dinner together when both families were free.
When Qiao Yu and Lin Qing arrived, the meal was almost ready. They sat down amidst the parents’ greetings and picked up their chopsticks without much ceremony.
Both of them had good relationships with their families. Even after moving to a new city for work, their feelings remained unchanged. The dinner table was filled with cheerful laughter, and the conversation revolved around the recent developments and anecdotes of both families and the two young women.
As they grew older, although they weren’t at the age to worry their parents yet, occasionally such topics would come up.
“Yuyu, I have a friend who introduced a pretty nice girl. Do you want to meet her?”
With a mouthful of rice stuck in her mouth, Qiao Yu struggled to swallow it down and looked at Mother Qiao’s concerned face before stuttering out a response.
“…No, I don’t have much time recently.”
“You always say that.”
Mother Qiao pretended to be displeased, giving Qiao Yu a stern look. Qiao Yu shrank her neck, feeling guilty, and took a couple of bites of rice. She avoided looking towards Lin Qing.
“If you don’t have time recently, it’s fine. No rush. Whenever you have time, just meet with them. Or do you prefer boys? That’s fine too. Mom will help you find someone.”
…Well, with the advancement of technology, it’s a good thing that there isn’t such a strict restriction on the gender of one’s partner. But when Qiao Yu’s mother asks such questions, it still makes her feel uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to divert the topic with some nonsense, she heard the person next to her, who had been silent since just now, suddenly speak up.
“Aunt Qiao, Qiao Yu likes—”
Lin Qing’s voice was soft and gentle, but it made Qiao Yu’s heart jump into her throat, and she looked at Lin Qing in a fluster.
She wasn’t prepared to confess her feelings for Lin Qing in front of both sets of parents, especially since they weren’t officially together yet. To say it at a time like this…
Sensing her hesitation, Lin Qing paused for a moment, glanced lightly at her, and her deliberately formed lips were clearly about to utter the word “me.”
“—like girls.”
Fortunately, Lin Qing still considered her feelings and didn’t say it directly. Qiao Yu breathed a small sigh of relief, but quickly realized that this statement didn’t improve the situation much.
“Hmm? How does Qingqing know about Qiao Yu’s matters?”
As expected, Mother Lin quickly noticed the problem, her gaze unusually sharp as she inquired, scrutinizing the two.
“I-I told her!”
Knowing that hesitating at this moment could easily lead to trouble, Qiao Yu quickly took over the conversation. Her nervous voice even became a bit shrill, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.
“Oh, I see…”
Mother Qiao’s voice sounded noticeably disappointed. She sighed and, with a hint of frustration, said,
“Now that we know you like girls, what’s wrong with meeting up? Qingqing, you should advise her more. Let her learn from you. Qiao Yu always avoids these kinds of things.”
“I—”
Qiao Yu subconsciously wanted to refute, but in the blink of an eye, she stopped, suddenly realizing something crucial in what her mother had just said.
“…Learn from Lin Qing?”
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She said slowly, sensing a pause in the breath of the person beside her, followed by a sudden flurry of confusion, as if hesitating for a moment between preventing her mother from explaining to Qiao Yu. However, that moment was enough for Mother Qiao, unaware of the situation, to calmly reveal the truth.
“Qingqing has met others several times. Although nothing came of it, she didn’t just avoid it like you did.”
“…”
“Hey, didn’t Lin Qing tell you?”
At this moment, Mother Qiao began to sense that something was amiss. She glanced at her daughter, who was keeping her head down without saying a word, then looked at Lin Qing, whose complexion was unexpectedly pale as paper. For the time being, she couldn’t focus on discussing the matter any further. Startled, she stood up hastily and asked, “What’s wrong with Qingqing? Why is she so pale?”
The other adults at the table also became tense and approached Lin Qing, expressing their concerns. Lin Qing’s lips moved a few times, but no words came out. Her eyes were fixed on Qiao Yu, who, however, didn’t look back. She just quietly set down her chopsticks, and the slight clink of the dishes touching caused Lin Qing to tremble uncontrollably.
Just as she couldn’t help but turn away from Qiao Yu to explain to her, Qiao Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and glanced over at her.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
The perfectly timed concern, the flawless expression, no one could tell what was wrong.
However, Lin Qing fell into an indescribable panic.
“Qiao Yu, I…”
