Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 63

The people in this family are not very good at keeping secrets

Qiao Yu and Lin Qing became deskmates, and everyone around was quite happy about it.

Among them was Cong Ye, who joyfully patted Qiao Yu on the shoulder, saying, “See, luckily you didn’t have the crazy idea to switch seats with me back then. Otherwise, if you wanted to sit with Lin Qing now, you would have to ask Lu Yao to swap seats with you— that silly guy would have a hard time finding a reason to switch with Lin Qing.”

“I could say I have severe nearsightedness and can only barely see the blackboard when sitting next to Lin Qing.”

Lu Yao confidently puffed his chest out. Qiao Yu thought to herself, “So, even this thick-browed individual is part of the matchmaking squad,” and cleared her throat before speaking seriously.

“In that case, you’d probably be dragged directly to the seats on both sides of the teacher’s podium.”

“…”

Not only them, Qiao Yu also feels that many things have become much more convenient.

For example, when Lin Qing gives her lectures, when Lin Qing reminds her not to daydream during class, and when Lin Qing helps her take notes.

After a few days, Qiao Yu felt restless.

It’s absurd—almost all the help she receives is from Lin Qing. It seems like she can’t help Lin Qing with anything.

This is normal because Lin Qing is the top student in the class, always ranking among the top five in the grade. She is a high-achieving student, while Qiao Yu, who can barely be considered an average student, can hardly assist Lin Qing with her studies. The only time she can take the lead is when she eagerly rushes to the front to collect back her corrected assignments before Lin Qing.

“It’s like a dog desperately trying to help its owner, but the only skill it has is fetching a ball.”

Qiao Yu had no comment on the harsh remarks from her former deskmate Mi Yi.

Fortunately, the time to help Lin Qing move was approaching quickly. Lin Qing had finalized the moving date from her old home, set for this weekend.

On the rainy day at the cafe, Qiao Yu agreed to help Lin Qing move. Although Lin Qing mentioned it casually during a chat and said it’s okay if Qiao Yu couldn’t make it, Qiao Yu wouldn’t miss this opportunity to showcase her capabilities. She took the initiative on Friday to confirm the time with Lin Qing.

On Saturday, Qiao Yu arrived at Lin Qing’s old home earlier than planned. There was a moving truck parked outside, with the door wide open, but no sign of anyone moving in or out.

She arrived at the door and looked around, unable to see Lin Qing. Instead, she spotted President Cong sitting in the living room, her face full of sorrow as she struggled with sticking packing tape on a cardboard box.

“Oh, it’s Qiao Yu.”

Seeing Qiao Yu’s arrival, President Cong didn’t show any surprise, indicating that she must have heard from Lin Qing. With a slight nod towards her, she returned her focus to the task at hand.

Qiao Yu heard some noise coming from upstairs, probably Lin Qing and Mother Lin packing things.

She intended to greet President Cong briefly and then head upstairs to find Lin Qing. However, she couldn’t help but notice how poorly President Cong was handling such a simple task. The box had several layers of tape stuck on it haphazardly, failing to precisely seal the opening. President Cong, persistent in her failed attempts, stubbornly followed the seam layer by layer with an awkward attempt to seal it up.

The inefficiency of this work process is truly unbearable to witness. Qiao Yu thinks it’s a bit too much to just ignore it all, so she quietly walks over to President Cong’s side.

“Need help? Let me assist you.”

“Alright.”

Seemingly aware that her work isn’t going smoothly, President Cong reluctantly pushes a box towards Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu takes the tape handed to her and sits beside President Cong, confidently applying two strips of tape on the box under President Cong’s doubtful gaze.

“…”

President Cong’s expression immediately became exciting.

Her face showed a mix of surprise, admiration, and disbelief all at once, looking at the cardboard box and then at Qiao Yu, making Qiao Yu feel as if she didn’t just stick two strips of tape but magically turned them into two rainbows.

Unable to withstand President Cong’s eager gaze, Qiao Yu awkwardly raised the tape, gesturing by shaking it, “Do you need more? To stick?”

President Cong nodded enthusiastically and started pushing the cardboard boxes piled beside the sofa over to this side.

“These are things Lin Jing had neatly organized, let me help her seal them up.”

She said proudly, puffing up her chest a bit as if she was proud of being given a job.

It seems Aunt Lin probably gave her a simple task to keep her busy.

It’s easy to imagine President Cong always hovering around when Mother Lin is tidying up, feeling like she might have been bothering Aunt Lin and it was decided not to mention it.

So, Qiao Yu’s first job was to help the inexperienced President Cong package. The two of them took turns using a roll of tape, sitting on the sofa, sticking diligently.

Despite just Lin Qing and Mother Lin being only two people, there were quite a few things to tidy up. Qiao Yu looked at the many cardboard boxes next to the sofa. Although President Cong didn’t do much work, she was quite strict in controlling the quality of sealing. Plus, they surprisingly had only one roll of tape in such a big house… Calculating the current efficiency, she felt like this job would take quite some time.

Then the prolonged silence between her and President Cong seemed a bit awkward. Seeing President Cong looking completely gloomy and unwilling to speak up, Qiao Yu took it upon herself to initiate the conversation.

“You seem not in a good mood?”

“Mm.”

President Cong did not avoid her gaze, simply nodding directly.

“Why?”

“Because Ling Jing is going to move.”

President Cong said with a frown, looking pitiful.

“You have a really good relationship with Aunt Lin.”

Qiao Yu sighed sincerely. Upon hearing this, President Cong suddenly lifted her head, her expression unchanged, but her eyes seemed to light up.

“Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were teenagers, even earlier than when you and Qingqing met.”

Bringing up Mother Lin was like opening a box of endless stories. President Cong, who had been reserved until just now, began to speak freely.

“In high school, she was much more serious than now, like a little adult. People in our class were afraid to approach me, but she would come to me every day without fail, saying things like ‘Can you please be more responsible, Cong Zhao? Your missing homework is holding us back.'”

… Wasn’t the issue that President Cong never turned in her homework, and poor Aunt Lin had to deal with it.

It seemed like Lin Qing was quite different from Aunt Lin, Qiao Yu listened as President Cong continued.

“Once I got to know her, I realized she’s actually quite soft. The tough exterior was just a result of strict upbringing at home.”

Her voice lowered as she spoke, sounding somewhat annoyed.

“It’s because her family is so strict that they took her away after they found out about the two of us, causing us to be in this situation till now—”

“The two of you?”

Qiao Yu blinked in confusion, instinctively raising a question.

But as soon as she finished speaking, President Cong, who had been speaking smoothly just moments ago, suddenly froze, visibly trembling.

Although Qiao Yu didn’t fully understand what was happening, she keenly sensed a hint of danger. Before she could retreat, she was suddenly grabbed by President Cong, who quickly wrapped a roll of tape around her throat.

“?!?!!”

“I, I didn’t say anything! Just pretend you heard nothing! You didn’t hear anything at all!”

“Mmm—!”

Qiao Yu struggled to pat President Cong’s arm, realizing after a while that the person whose throat was being held couldn’t speak. She quickly released her grip.

Finally regaining her freedom, Qiao Yu nervously touched her throat and shifted slightly backwards, looking at the tense face of President Cong.

…At this point, even if she didn’t understand it before, she likely figured out now what “this situation” probably meant—

“I have no improper relationship with Lin Jing, okay? You… you should not spread rumors with Lin Qing.”

Well, this is like confessing without being pressed.

Now Qiao Yu finally understood where Cong Ye’s loose lips, which couldn’t keep anything secret, were inherited from.

Seeing her struggle to articulate her words, the garrulous President Cong got anxious again. She approached Qiao Yu, who could practically hear the frantic whirring of her brain, and Qiao Yu hurriedly raised her hands and shouted: “I won’t say! I won’t say anything!”

“Not saying what?”

“Huh?”

A familiar voice that didn’t belong to them chimed in. Both of them looked to the side and saw Lin Qing walking downstairs with a cardboard box, blinking blankly at their odd stance.

Qiao Yu quickly darted forward, unceremoniously taking the box from Lin Qing’s hands, and laughed dryly: “I’ll take it, I’ll take it. I’m helping Aunt Cong pack the boxes.”

Lin Qing saw that Qiao Yu was practically breaking out in a sweat. She glanced at President Cong, who looked both anxious and desperate, as if the end of the world was nigh.

Even though she was a little confused, she sensed the tense atmosphere and considerately didn’t press them on their previous conversation.

“You can help Aunt Cong with the packing first. We have quite a lot of stuff and we’re still tidying up.” Lin Qing laughed a little sheepishly, then gently wiped Qiao Yu’s brow with a tissue. “I’m going upstairs then, see you in a bit.”

“Uh, uh.”

Without any excuse to keep her, Qiao Yu watched Lin Qing’s figure disappear up the stairs, leaving the living room in a deathly silence.

“…You see, I really didn’t say anything, did I?”

It was up to Qiao Yu to break the silence. She turned to President Cong, who was staring at her, and timidly gestured towards the direction Lin Qing had left.

“…”

President Cong remained silent, but her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

“I, uh, I will keep this to myself! You can count on me!”

“…Really? That boy Cong Ye is known for having a loose tongue, you haven’t picked up this bad habit from him, have you?”

Ah, so President Cong also knows that Cong Ye can’t keep a secret. I wonder if she knows that she has the same problem……

Facing President Cong’s suspicious gaze, Qiao Yu felt this was an undeserved calamity – she didn’t want to hear it in the first place! But given the circumstances, she could only swear earnestly that she would never reveal this matter to Lin Qing, all the while filled with the fear of being silenced by President Cong.

Her sincerity finally moved President Cong, and the two temporarily put the matter aside, beginning a new round of packing. However, President Cong’s occasional inquiring gaze made Qiao Yu feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.

“I’ve brought the tape back – oh, isn’t this Qiao Yu!”

Cong Ye, carrying a convenience store bag, walked in through the door with a brisk pace, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the living room. He ran excitedly to Qiao Yu’s side.

Qiao Yu was almost moved to tears, probably the first time in her life she had been so happy to see Cong Ye.

“You’re here to help Lin Qing move, right? I heard from Lin Qing!”

“Oh my, I didn’t expect that you would be the first to offer help, and here I was trying to find a way…”

He at least knew to swallow the rest of his words, probably something like ‘I was trying to find a way to get her to invite you to help’, not saying it out loud was a relief to Qiao Yu.

“Alright, alright, give me the tape and let’s get to work.”

“Here, here, here, you’re so rough with me, now that we’re all friends, you start to treat me differently…”

Muttering, Cong Ye handed her the bag and very consciously picked up a sealed box, “I’ll move these packed ones to the car first, then.”

After saying that, he walked out. Qiao Yu let out a long sigh of relief, thinking that at least this time he didn’t say anything he shouldn’t have, not making the situation more complicated.

“Hey, Qiao Yu.”

She hadn’t relaxed for long when she was suddenly called out by Present Cong, causing her to shiver and turn her head. She saw a thoughtful expression on Present Cong’s face.

“…What’s going on? You and Qingqing aren’t together yet?”

“…”

The two stared at each other, falling into silence for a moment.

After a very difficult period of time, the moving process finally approached its end.

Qiao Yu staggered out of the Cong family’s house, feeling like she had survived a disaster.

After desperately explaining to President Cong that it was a misunderstanding, the look in her eyes when she looked at Qiao Yu was still skeptical. However, for some reason, it was as if she had taken a calming pill and fearlessly continued to confide in Qiao Yu. She treated her like a channel to pour out her feelings.

So, Qiao Yu learned many unknown emotional experiences between President Cong and Mother Lin, including their young love, their forced separation, their reunion with old friends, and the reconciliation that was finally confirmed when they were in Japan.

‘But by that time, Lin Jing had already decided to move out… After all, Qingqing and that boy Cong Ye are of similar ages, and it’s not very good for them to live under the same roof.’

President Cong’s expression was bitter, and she curled her lips.

‘… Why is Cong Ye always just ‘that boy’?’

Even Qiao Yu couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Cong Ye, who was being rejected by his own mother. In the interval when he came back to move his boxes, she handed him a glass of water.

Qiao Yu, who knew too many secrets, felt her heart pounding. She walked to the side of the car and carefully glanced at President Cong, who was standing at the door with a calm expression, bidding farewell. She received a kind smile in return.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Qing, who was standing beside her, asked in a low voice. She shook her head busily to indicate that it was nothing worth mentioning, comforting Cong Ye’s heart.

During the final farewell stage, President Cong behaved relatively normally, but Cong Ye was crying loudly, making Lin Qing remember to visit home often – it sounded just like a father who had married off his daughter.

The movers arranged by President Cong had already placed the luggage onto the truck, while Lin Qing and Mother Lin got into Qiao Yu’s car and headed to the new home address.

At this critical moment, the system inside Qiao Yu’s mind also began to worry, its thoughts filled with concerns about the future and the host.

But Qiao Yu had already reached a point where she could accept anything. Both the mothers of the male and female leads could be together, so she wouldn’t be surprised by anything that happened in this world. Love would just be love, as it wasn’t going to be destroyed tomorrow anyway.

Now, whenever she saw Mother Lin, she couldn’t help but avert her eyes. She had initially wanted to sit in the passenger seat to stabilize her emotions, but as they approached the car, Lin Qing took her hand, leaving her no choice but to sit in the back seat, feeling a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Thus, throughout the journey, she couldn’t avoid seeing Mother Lin’s figure in the front seat, causing Qiao Yu’s mind to be restless, still unable to get over the shock that the two were a couple.

“…Qiao Yu, are you really okay? I feel like ever since you stayed with Aunt Cong, you’ve looked a bit off.”

Lin Qing, unaware of the situation, was concerned about Qiao Yu’s unusual demeanor, and carefully touched her forehead, noticing it seemed a bit warm, which made her even more anxious.

“What’s wrong? Did Cong Zhao bully Qiao Yu?”

Before Qiao Yu could offer any comfort to Lin Qing, she saw Mother Lin turn her head around. Her gaze was tender. Despite Qiao Yu’s vehement head shakes, she reached out to touch her, making Qiao Yu feel her blood rush upwards.

“It does seem a bit hot.”

Lin Jing, worried, withdrew her hand and slightly furrowed her brows.

“Is it because of Cong Zhao? That person isn’t very good with words—”

She stopped mid-sentence as if she remembered something suddenly. Qiao Yu, shivering in the back seat, watched as the fair face of Mother Lin flushed from the roots of her ears.

“She’s prone to misspeaking.”

She repeated the statement with a different excuse, uncomfortably tucking her stray hair behind her ear, stutteringly comforting Qiao Yu a few words before turning back around.

Qiao Yu, feeling as if she was in great peril, finally relaxed, quietly leaning on Lin Qing’s shoulder. Lin Qing, clueless, patted her head, as Qiao Yu fought against the urge to cry, nuzzling back and forth.

Finally arriving at their destination, while Lin Qing was yet to get off the car, Mother Lin, who had alighted earlier, gently tapped Qiao Yu.

Turning her head, she saw the older woman gently place a finger to her lips, slowly winking at her.

Qiao Yu instantly held her breath, nodding frantically, and remembering to hold up her hand to prevent Lin Qing from bumping her head as she pulled her down, silently praying in her heart.

…She needs to retract her previous statement about Lin Qing and her mom not looking alike.

These two, in some ways, are really, super similar.

---

---