Longing for the storm, if only to keep you here a bit longer
Qiao Yu couldn’t exactly intervene in Lin Qing’s decision to move out from his family home. According to Lin Qing, the preparations for this move had started a year ago, and it was only now that a place had been chosen.
For Qiao Yu, it didn’t really matter, so she accepted the situation quite smoothly.
“What should I do, Qiao Yu? Does Lin Qing really hate me that much?”
“…”
However, the person in question, Cong Ye, clearly found it hard to accept and fell into a spiral of self-doubt and insecurity.
On the first day back at school, Qiao Yu was cornered by a seemingly unenthusiastic Cong Ye for a heart-to-heart, leaving Qiao Yu unsure how to react.
“Just deny it. You heard what Lin Qing said too, right? This has been in discussion for a while now and has nothing to do with you.”
“But, but, think about it, Lin Qing wouldn’t even look at me the day she came back from her trip—”
“No, didn’t you happily send me a message later, saying you misunderstood? You also said Lin Qing was actually nice to you, even going out of her way to start a conversation with you, something she’s never done before. Why bring up old grievances now?”
Cong Ye, probably realizing he was being somewhat unreasonable, decided to change the subject, murmuring under his breath.
“Just, just because she seems nice to me… but who would show it if they disliked someone!”
“Let’s not even get started on how many people you’ve just fully b*tch-slapped with that statement, I need to correct you on one thing, there really are people who show their dislike.”
Qiao Yu said this, pointing directly at Cong Ye, his mouth exaggeratingly adding a “tsk tsk” tone.
“When Lin Qing first transferred here, I sure didn’t see you holding back your disdain.”
“——”
It was like being unexpectedly stabbed. With a grunt, Lin Ye clutched his chest and stumbled back a few steps.
“Why bother digging up such ancient history…!”
“No, it was just last semester.”
Qiao Yu watched with amusement, pretending to hold a microphone and extending her hand towards the other’s mouth.
“So, Mr. Ye, from initially disliking Lin Qing for approaching you uncontrollably to now feeling uneasy and insecure because she intends to move away and you think she hates you, do you have anything to say?”
“I was wrong, it was I who was too youthful and impulsive back then…”
The self-introduction began to sound strange, with a bitter look on Cong Ye’s face.
“Lin Qing, she’s beautiful and kind-hearted. Back then, it was completely I who was picking faults—ha! Could it be that it was then that the seed of grievance was sown, leading to today’s outcome!”
“I don’t think so.”
Seeing Qiao Yu calmly shaking her head, Cong Ye’s eyes, which had just widened, drooped down again.
“…Speaking of whcih, why do you have such a big reaction to her moving out?”
Now that things have come to this, Qiao Yu can finally face the fact that Cong Ye is her potential rival in love, head on. Even though she is quite confident about Cong Ye as a person, his excessive reaction still sparked some vigilance in her.
“Even if you ask me that…”
Cong Ye was suddenly stumped by the question, his mouth half-open in confusion.
“…Weird, now that you ask, I don’t know why either. I just feel like it’s natural, like Lin Qing is supposed to live in my house.”
“…”
Qiao Yu’s gaze sharpened.
“No, no, no! I definitely didn’t mean it in a weird way!”
Realizing how easily his words could lead to misunderstanding, Cong Ye hurriedly explained, pressing towards Qiao Yu with an impressive momentum.
“I only see Lin Qing as a friend! What I meant was, subconsciously—ah, that word isn’t great either, I just naturally… would think that way…”
“Forget it, forget it.”
Watching him flustered and tongue-tied, Qiao Yu generously patted his shoulder.
“This is probably your (the male lead’s) self-awareness.”
This was what the system secretly told her in her mind just now. According to it, that’s probably something like the world’s motivational force. Having gone through the shocking fact that the male and female leads didn’t love each other, the system itself was somewhat confused about how the world works. It spoke in a vague way, and Qiao Yu, who half-understood it, felt that the system’s explanation was no different from not saying anything at all.
Cong Ye nodded his head as if he thoroughly agreed, adding the adjective she missed: “It’s a brother’s self-awareness.”
…Has he always considered himself in this role? I find it annoying.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
“Yeah, after talking to you, I suddenly realize this might not be such a big deal. Seems like it’s just me being overly self-conscious again.”
After a moment of reflection and seeing things more clearly, Cong Ye absentmindedly rubbed the back of his head, deciding to put the matter aside, his expression showing a hint of regret.
“But it’s still kind of a pity, after all, if I wanted to help her chase—”
“Chase…?”
The word barely started with a “y” before Cong Ye abruptly swallowed it back, deliberately ignoring Qiao Yu’s narrowed eyes of suspicion and clumsily changing the subject.
“Look, Qiao Yu, it’s a fire hydrant.”
“Who would be interested in a fire hydrant, were you not finished speaking just now?”
“Oh, oh, Qiao Yu, look, it’s a painting.”
“That decorative painting has always been hanging there unmoved, right? Hey, you better finish what you were saying—”
Unable to withstand Qiao Yu’s relentless questioning, Cong Ye shrank back a step, then turned and fled.
Everyone was buzzing: Getting bumped into…?
“Here, your coffee.”
“Thank you.”
Qiao Yu pushed the coffee brought by the waiter to Lin Qing, picking up her own iced cola and taking a sip.
Now was after school, and she had been asked out by Lin Qing, coming to a café not far from the school.
“What’s up? Suddenly asking me to come over.”
Lin Qing is usually a pretty well-behaved high school student, not tending to linger outside after school. So, for her to initiate an invitation to meet at a café after school was a first. This made Qiao Yu take it quite seriously.
“It’s nothing.”
Unexpectedly, Lin Qing said lightly, slowly stirring her coffee with a small spoon.
“I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
“Is that not okay?”
As she spoke, she raised her eyes to look at Qiao Yu, who was easily defeated by that glance.
“Of course, of course, no problem at all.”
Joking, how could Qiao Yu ever say no to Lin Qing? Even if Lin Qing suggested moving into her house, Qiao Yu would probably just dramatically assure her it was no problem.
Watching her nod sincerely, Lin Qing smiled and took a gentle sip of her coffee.
“I thought you had something you wanted to tell me.”
Qiao Yu, who had been mesmerized watching Lin Qing’s actions, was suddenly caught off guard by her seemingly out-of-the-blue question and blinked in confusion.
“…Something to say?”
Qiao Yu searched through a blank mind, hesitatingly touched her chin, and then started speaking.
“You look very beautiful today.”
“…”
Caught off guard, Lin Qing’s hand trembled, and her coffee cup clanged crisply against the coaster.
“It’s not that.”
She tried to maintain a calm tone, temporarily ignoring her ears that seemed to start blushing.
“Not really?” The person across her looked puzzled, frowning in confusion for a while, then tentatively pushed her cola towards Lin Qing, “…Want some?”
“…”
Sometimes, Lin Qing really couldn’t understand Qiao Yu’s patterns of behavior. She silently took a big sip through the straw and then pushed the cup back towards Qiao Yu.
“It’s not this either.”
But you drank it anyway—Qiao Yu didn’t say it out loud, but her expression said it all, very easy to read.
She glanced from Lin Qing to the straw, blinked suspiciously, cleared her throat, and asked, not knowing any better.
“…Then, what should I say?”
Seeing that Qiao Yu was truly oblivious, Lin Qing had no choice but to speak plainly, “What do you have to say about my moving?”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
“Um, didn’t you tell me already? That it’s been planned for a while and recent events have nothing to do with it.”
“…Besides that, you don’t have anything else you want to ask?”
“Ah.”
Qiao Yu had an epiphany, while Lin Qing sat across seriously, ready for her questions.
“When are you moving? Do you need my help?”
“…Since you put it that way, yes, I do.”
Lin Qing relaxed her tense shoulders, deflating a bit, and in doing so, confirmed that Qiao Yu would come help on the moving day.
“I thought you would definitely ask why I’m moving or subtly try to convince me not to move or something…”
“Why?”
Seeing Lin Qing seeming somewhat defeated, Qiao Yu was utterly baffled but then suddenly understood her intent.
“…No, since you said you don’t like him, I won’t meddle in trying to matchmake you two anymore, rest assured.”
“I think I’ve never shown that I liked him before, you’ve been misunderstanding this for such a long time.”
Lin Qing morosely stirred her coffee, casting a probing look at Qiao Yu.
“This enthusiasm of yours, both starting and ending so abruptly.”
Qiao Yu silently lowered her head, disguisingly sipping her drink.
“Well, it’s for the best that you no longer have that idea.”
Currently, the cafe was mostly filled with students from their school, and both of them were somewhat celebrities at school. Even though they specifically chose a corner booth, they could still feel gazes cast their way every so often.
Lin Qing knew this wasn’t a good occasion to delve deeper, so she let Qiao Yu off lightly for the time being and changed the subject.
“It’s a bit regrettable, I was thinking if you really said something like that, I’d let you help me get my right ear pierced as well.”
“…Please, give me a break.”
The very thought of hurting Lin Qing herself was unbearable for Qiao Yu, who still felt anxious recalling that moment. She leaned over to part Lin Qing’s hair, checking that her left ear had healed nicely before she could relax.
“It’s impressive you’ve managed to wear an earring at school without getting caught by the teachers…”
“It’s possible they’ve noticed but didn’t say anything, considering I’m a good student.”
The implication was “even if they saw it, they’d let it slide.” Qiao Yu sighed at this so-called privilege, and seeing Lin Qing trying to keep a straight face, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“…I feel like you’re a bit different today, compared to before.”
Watching Qiao Yu’s gentle smile, Lin Qing inexplicably felt her cheeks heat up. She hastily lifted her coffee cup to hide her face, her heart betraying her by racing.
Seeing Qiao Yu after school started felt different from the Qiao Yu she knew from their trip. There seemed to be a change somewhere.
Maybe it was the aura around her. She seemed softer, as if she had let something go. Already not one to hide her emotions well, her gaze now seemed even more open and honest.
“Really?”
Qiao Yu, realizing belatedly what Lin Qing was hinting at, lowers her head slightly and smiles softly.
“Probably because I’ve figured some things out.”
Seeing Lin Qing’s puzzled expression, she deliberately blinked, adding a touch of mystery.
“I’ll tell you, but not now.”
“One day, I’ll… tell you everything.”
From her relaxed tone came a seriousness, prompting Lin Qing not to pry further but to nod lightly instead.
The two casually chatted away, and just before they finished their drinks, rain suddenly began to fall outside the window, with distant thunder rumbling softly.
“…It’s started to rain, and I didn’t bring an umbrella.”
Lin Qing looked out the window with some concern, noticing the rain’s fierce approach, pattering aggressively against the glass.
“I didn’t bring one either.”
Despite saying so, Qiao Yu seemed much more relaxed and even laughed.
“How lucky we both are to be sitting here instead of walking outside.”
Lin Qing also laughed, and the two resumed their conversation without any tension.
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“What should we do, want to order something else?”
“Sure, I told the driver uncle to pick me up later today since I planned to go for a drink after school. Looking at the rain, it’s pretty likely there’ll be traffic…”
“Alright, take a look at the menu. What do you want to order?”
“I want coffee!”
“You just said you didn’t like bitter things, which is why you ordered cola at a coffee shop. Why the sudden change of heart?”
“It’s because watching you drink made it seem delicious…”
“…If you order it and can’t finish, I’m not dealing with it.”
“I’ll have the Irish coffee.”
“Want some tear drops.”
“Bringing that up all of a sudden, it’s not something many people know about, you know? If it wasn’t me sitting opposite you, it could have been quite the awkward moment.”
Qiao Yu looked towards Lin Qing, who was holding back laughter, with eyes that shone brightly, reflecting her image, her heart softening immensely.
Outside, the rain poured heavily, while inside, it was as warm as spring. The aroma of coffee, the fizz of cola, the air charged with a hint of ambiguity, and you, within reach.
She felt like a poet enveloped in love, treasuring every minute and second of this time, even beginning to wish that the rain would last a little longer.
Amidst the distant rumble of thunder and the overcast sky, there’s a longing for the storm, if only to keep you here a bit longer.
LP: “Want some tear drops” is in English originally… Idk what it means
