Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 55

Birthday

“Ah, found you, Qiao Yu!”

The loud and careless voice snapped Qiao Yu out of the ambiguous aura. She looked back following the voice and saw Cong Ye approaching with a funny expression.

“You disappeared just by turning around. I thought you went off to do who knows what, turns out you came to look for Lin Qing, eh~”

His tone was quite teasing. Qiao Yu forced a smile but ignored his suggestive eyebrows.

“I wanted to say, since you bought so many taiyaki, at least share one with me…”

Young Master Cong, looking a bit wronged, kept glancing at the paper bag in Lin Qing’s hand. Lin Qing looked at Qiao Yu and, upon receiving a helpless nod of approval, handed the bag to Cong Ye. He gleefully took out a taiyaki and started eating with delight.

“Tasty! Food given with sentiment truly hits differently!”

“Can’t the taiyaki at least shut your trap?”

Qiao Yu didn’t expect Cong Ye came over just to snag a taiyaki… Such a trivial matter indeed.

Yet, deep down, Qiao Yu felt a faint sense of gratitude.

It was thanks to Cong Ye that she was pulled out of her wild thoughts; otherwise, who knows what she might have done—

“The host’s dopamine levels were quite high just now.”

“Are you performing a physical check-up on me anytime and anywhere now?!”

Even as the system in her mind explained that this was a new daily routine health check and that today’s check just happened to coincide with this moment, Qiao Yu was still half convinced. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of being constantly watched by the system.

She had almost made a huge mistake! The system wasn’t sleeping now, so if she really did something inappropriate to Lin Qing, the system would have seen everything from start to finish.

If such a thing really happened, it’s unclear who would get hurt more, the system or Qiao Yu.

After this scare, Qiao Yu forcefully pushed down those nosy thoughts that were sticking their heads out, and her mood became a bit heavier.

On the other side, Cong Ye just took one and very consciously gave the bag back to Lin Qing. Lin Qing took her time eating and chatted leisurely: “Have you chosen the gift?”

“Yes! Don’t worry! We definitely picked something great, it’s super beautiful—”

“Don’t you blurt it out now!”

Qiao Yu, who hadn’t yet adjusted her mood, hurriedly covered Cong Ye’s mouth. This guy has a complete lack of filter, which really made Qiao Yu worry her heart out.

“—Mmph, mmph, I get it, I get it, I can’t say it now…”

Cong Ye pleaded repeatedly and managed to escape from Qiao Yu’s grasp, cleared his throat, and with a sense of mystery said to Lin Qing, “It’s a secret!”

“You’ll find out on your birthday!”

Qiao Yu was relieved. Seeing Cong Ye’s proud and pleased smile, she could tell he was very satisfied with this gift.

Without a change in her expression, she shifted her gaze and the light in her eyes slightly dimmed.

Another day quickly passed, and as scheduled, Lin Qing’s birthday arrived.

As the main event of this trip, the day started off with a big, boisterous celebration from the morning. Everyone from the moms to the hotel staff was brimming with enthusiasm, and the overly abundant food had Qiao Yu stuffed from breakfast.

“You alright?”

“Still, still good…”

Faced with Lin Qing’s concern, Qiao Yu really didn’t want to show such an embarrassing state in front of her, so she forced herself to straighten her back with bravado.

It was through takoyaki that she and Lin Qing restored their previous relationship.

But Qiao Yu was clear in her heart that this was only a superficial restoration.

Both of them knew that what happened in the hot spring that day hadn’t been resolved at all; they simply avoided mentioning it, both deliberately and unconsciously.

After that day, their relationship indeed underwent some changes.

However, what the core of this kind of change is and where it will take them, Qiao Yu still didn’t quite understand.

The day’s itinerary was incredibly busy, and Qiao Yu didn’t last long before the travel to and fro took its toll and she digested her food.

In the morning, they visited the Sky Tree, and looking down from the observation deck hundreds of meters high was a novel experience. At noon, they went to a famous sushi restaurant for a good meal; Qiao Yu laboriously supported Cong Ye, who had jelly legs from the fear of heights, and was dead tired after walking all that way. With the help of the delicious food, she recovered quite a bit.

In the afternoon, they visited the Ghibli Museum that Lin Qing had wanted to see; Qiao Yu marveled at the myriad of exquisite works, it’s just a pity that she couldn’t stay until the end.

As dusk approached, Qiao Yu saw Cong Ye signaling from not too far away; she nodded in understanding, catching the hint.

She hesitated for a moment but still walked over to Lin Qing and said softly.

“I need to step out for a bit, see you in a while.”

After seeing Lin Qing nod her head in confusion, she then turned around and left. True to her expectation, after she walked out of the museum with Cong Ye, she indeed heard his bewilderment.

“Weren’t we supposed to sneak away? What did you tell Lin Qing?”

“…I was just a bit worried she might be concerned…”

“Ah, I can already see it—Qiao Yu, the image of you settling down in the future has emerged before my eyes.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Bickering along the way, they left the building and got into the car prepared by the hotel staff, driving towards their destination.

Half an hour later, as it was nearly closing time for the museum, Qiao Yu still hadn’t returned. Lin Qing frowned and asked the adults.

“Qiao Yu said earlier that she was stepping out for a moment—”

“Yes, indeed. Being away for so long must have made Qingqing worried.”

Mother Lin said with a gentle smile, patting her daughter on the shoulder.

“Shall we go find her then?”

Without further ado, she began ushering Lin Qing towards the exit of the museum. The three people trailing behind followed at a leisurely pace, chatting casually and occasionally expressing their amazement.

“Cong Ye has also disappeared, but it seems like Qingqing hasn’t noticed at all.”

“No way, Old Cong, we always need to weigh what’s more important. It seems that in Lin Qing’s eyes, he’s less important than her. My bad, haha.”

“With the brazen way you’re laughing, I really can’t tell if you’re actually sorry.”

Though that’s what was said, their expression was quite gentle.

“Let’s drop it, we can’t control their matters anyway, and after all, Qingqing is already considered part of our family.”

“Hmm?”

Facing the puzzled Father Qiao and Mother Qiao, CEO Cong looked towards the slender silhouette of the woman ahead, smiling without a word.

The skies of February still darken early, and lights had already been lit by the time they left the art museum.

The baffled Lin Qing was led to the car and only settled down uneasily after her mother vaguely assured her.

“Don’t look so serious, I haven’t tricked you.”

Mother Lin watched her daughter with a smile, clearly amused to see the usually composed Lin Qing looking so restless for once.

“Are you really just anxious to find Qiao Yu—have you become so nervous about her just because you haven’t seen her for a short while?”

“…”

Being teased by her mother about such things made her feel more embarrassed than if anybody else had said it.

Lin Qing silently leaned back in the rear seat and closed her eyes, deciding to ignore everything.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Mother Lin, being empathetic, didn’t press further and considerately covered the pretend-sleeping girl with a blanket.

The car drove smoothly, the journey taking longer than Lin Qing had expected.

She knew Qiao Yu must be up to something for her birthday, feeling eager and yet longing to see her soon.

Over the past years, Lin Qing never made much of a fuss about her birthdays, it was only because Mother Lin placed great importance on them that she played along. But every year, just before blowing out the candles, she had no wishes to make, simply wishing for her family’s good health.

But this year was different; Lin Qing had a wish.

She wanted to be with Qiao Yu. She hoped that Qiao Yu felt the same, to fall in love with her.

Just the thought of these words made Lin Qing’s heart ache as if it was being squeezed.

“Alright Qingqing, time to open your eyes.”

Hearing her mother’s voice tinged with laughter, Lin Qing paused her thoughts, gave up her poor attempt at feigning sleep, and opened her eyes.

The car slowly came to a halt, and Mother Lin led her out of the car, where they were greeted by a slightly salty breeze.

“The sea…?”

Yes, before her was a beach, pitch dark with nothing visible.

Lin Qing looked questioningly at Mother Lin, who just smiled without saying a word.

Just as she was about to ask a question, the darkness at the seaside was suddenly cut through by a streak of light.

A small glimmer shot up swiftly into the sky and burst with a pop, its trajectory bright and dazzling.

That appeared to be a signal. Soon after, the coastline lit up with numerous lights. Some were like the fireworks that had just soared, while others were ground-based, shooting up sparks strongly, creating a brilliant spectacle of fiery trees and silver flowers.

They weren’t the grand, eye-catching fireworks high in the sky; Lin Qing could tell that these were just ordinary handheld fireworks. But as many tiny sparks lit up along the pitch-black coastline, her eyes were cleansed by the light, and she stared trance-like toward them.

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

Mother Lin spoke sentimentally. The other three adults also got out of the car parked behind and walked over to their side. Gazing at the continuous fireworks, they got into a playful mood and ran into the fray. Soon, new lights joined the fireworks display.

“Fireworks weren’t originally part of the plan. It was only the day before yesterday that Cong Ye—along with Qiao Yu—came to discuss it with us.”

“You can buy many handheld fireworks sets in Japanese stores. They laid out everything in advance and even had the staff from the hotel help them. That’s how they were able to set it all off at the same time and make it look so beautiful.”

“Setting off high-altitude fireworks might be a bit tricky, but I remember they said that the cherry blossoms you wanted to see can’t bloom in February, but—”

“—but fireworks can.”

Mother Lin hadn’t finished her sentence when she was abruptly interrupted by a voice chiming in.

The voice was brimming with laughter, and a figure approached them from the beach, holding a sparkler at an angle, spitting out gorgeous sparks.

“Look, it’s like a fireworks festival! Even if it’s just the simplified version, haha!”

He walked up to Lin Qing, the light illuminating his brows and eyes.

“…Cong Ye.”

A faint emptiness touched Lin Qing’s heart, but she quickly gathered her spirits and smiled at him.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, it’s your birthday after all—and the fireworks are pretty fun too.”

Cong Ye waved his hand, the sparkler in his grasp burning out. He made a sound of mild disappointment, put away its remains, and handed a long box to Lin Qing.

“It’s a gift! Happy Birthday!”

After another round of thanks, Lin Qing accepted the present, her gaze uncontrollably flicking back toward the beach.

The fireworks kept burning, one burst quickly following another. She wondered how many sets they had actually bought.

Her heart was filled with an urgent sense of anticipation, her eyes softly reflecting the twinkling lights of the fireworks, as she spoke in a gentle voice.

“Who came up with this idea?”

Lin Qing actually had an answer in mind already; she just wanted to use it as a starting point, a reason to approach Qiao Yu.

“Ah… it was me.”

The response that came caught her off guard. She turned her head to look at Cong Ye, momentarily unable to process what he had just said, and felt her heart subtly sink.

Cong Ye wore a troubled look as he rubbed the back of his head, but his next words lifted Lin Qing’s spirits again.

“Qiao Yu told me to say that.”

Qiao Yu didn’t know how many rounds of fireworks she had lit by now. Looking at the still ample supply at her feet, she began to wonder if she had bought too many.

Well, fireworks don’t go bad anyway, she thought. If it comes to it, I can just take them back and set them off another day.

With that thought, she let go of her worries and took the opportunity while the fireworks were still going off to sneak in some time to light up an incense-stick firework.

With a hiss, a small flame ignited in her hands. Qiao Yu, holding a slender bamboo stick, squatted on the ground, staring at the tiny spark lost in thought.

Cong Ye should be watching the fireworks with Lin Qing by now. Hopefully, he can perform better this time and say more nice things.

When she was helping him buy gifts, they just happened to see a fireworks set. Qiao Yu immediately thought of their conversation that day at the temple and on the spot, dragged Cong Ye to the merchandise shelf to make a decision.

Some things, perhaps, don’t need to wait for a next time; they can be right now.

…That’s what she said, but Qiao Yu doesn’t have much confidence in the overall presentation.

After all, it can’t compare with a formal fireworks display, the limitations of handheld fireworks probably only go so far. Can this really make Lin Qing happy…

Not good, suddenly starting to doubt everything now.

Qiao Yu huffed and shook her head to dismiss the lack of confidence, getting chills from the biting sea breeze, as negative thoughts kept bubbling up uncontrollably.

Ah, in the end, isn’t she just paving the way for others.

She gripped the bamboo stick a little harder, the incense-like flame still burning stubbornly.

Fireworks… If only her feelings for Lin Qing could be like the fireworks.

Human life spans several decades or even a century, but it’s only been a little over half a year since she met Lin Qing. This… isn’t a very long time.

If Lin Qing could have had a smoother, worry-free life, why would she need to drag Lin Qing into her messy, dark world without a glimmer of daylight.

She doesn’t want to do things like laying out a bridal gown for someone else.

But what she wants to do and what she has to do have always been two different things.

Similarly, wanting to do something and being able to do it are also two different things.

Qiao Yu stubbornly watched the flickering light, as if entrusting something important to it.

…It will eventually burn out, right?

With a pop, the incense-stick firework sputtered and fell.

Qiao Yu’s vision darkened along with it.

“Are we not lighting anymore?”

A voice that shouldn’t be there suddenly entered her ears, making Qiao Yu’s hands tremble, nearly failing to grip the bamboo stick, as she stood up in a fluster.

Lin Qing, wearing a long coat, stood elegantly nearby. The sea breeze tousled her hair, and the glow of the fireworks illuminated her brows and eyes, a sight stunning enough to captivate the soul.

“Aren’t we lighting more?”

She asked again, and only then did Qiao Yu realize she was referring to the skyrockets that had already been set off. Qiao Yu, in a fluster, hurriedly picked up another one from the ground to light.

“H-How come you’re here?”

“To find you.”

Qiao Yu was at a loss for words in response to Lin Qing’s straightforward answer, unable to voice the flurry of questions inside her, only able to watch as Lin Qing approached gracefully.

“What were you just setting off? I want to try it too.”

“Ah, it’s an incense-stick firework, they’re not very impressive, they go out easily. Maybe you should play with a sparkler instead, those are more reliable—”

“I don’t want that.”

Lin Qing looked straight into Qiao Yu’s flustered eyes, her own clear and resolute, and said without a doubt.

“That’s not what I want.”