Haven’t talked about it yet
Cong Ye has been feeling a bit weird lately.
Of course, this refers to the two people who have been causing him a lot of worry—their relationship seems to have undergone some changes again.
But if you ask him what exactly he’s noticed, he can’t quite put his finger on it. After all, they’ve always been inseparable and extremely close, and that remains the case. However, Cong Ye just feels that something about the atmosphere is off.
For example, take the time when Qiao Yu’s eraser fell to the side during a class. Lin Qing, who was closer, picked it up for her. When returning it to her, their fingertips unintentionally brushed against each other. Qiao Yu reacted as if she had been electrocuted, jerking her hand dramatically and flinging the eraser onto the unsuspecting face of Cong Ye.
What’s the big deal with their fingers touching? There was a time when she would casually interlock fingers with her, and she never reacted so drastically before.
During the break in a PE class, Qiao Yu bought a bottle of a new-flavored drink. After trying it, her expression was indescribably odd, sparking curiosity among everyone. While mentioning how hard it was to describe the taste and suggesting others try it, she passed the bottle towards Lin Qing. Lin Qing looked at her, then at the mouth of the bottle, hesitating to reach for it when Qiao Yu suddenly, with a panicked face, pulled it back, shouting she would buy another and ran off.
After that, Lin Qing’s face turned unusually red, but when asked, she simply said it was because of the heat. Come on, it’s only April. Cold snaps are still a thing.
There were countless such incidents. Despite having done even more outrageous things before, their actions seemed to have regressed to this point!
These fluctuations in their relationship left Cong Ye puzzled until, at the new session of the “Lin Qing Love Support Conference,” Mi Yi struck a chord with a single sentence.
“— It’s always like this at the start of a relationship, young people are just awkward.”
She looked at them with a smile that, while beaming, exuded an invisible pressure.
“Let’s talk.”
Mi Yi squinted her eyes, her smile brimming with charm. What should have been a question was delivered with the assertiveness of a statement.
It was as if an enlightenment struck Cong Ye, the piece of popcorn chicken he just picked up dropped with a plop back into the tray, eagerly leaning forward.
“Let’s talk!”
Lu Yao, who was engrossed in his burger, nearly choked from the sudden shout, and it took a large gulp of Coke for him to recover. Although he hadn’t kept up with the turn of events, it didn’t stop him from imitating the action and turning his head around.
“Are you guys talking business?”
“…I came along because you guys said we were just going to enjoy some junk food.”
Lin Qing, at the center of the conversation, wore a complicated expression. Feeling the intangible pressure from the three of them, she found herself in a dilemma, not knowing whether to put down her fries or eat them.
Seeing that they had no intention of dropping their line of questioning, Lin Qing sighed in resignation.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t talked about it yet,” Lin Qing regretfully started.
“Huh?” Cong Ye was the first to jump into the conversation, defensively crossing his arms with a questioning look.
“What’s with the atmosphere between you two lately?”
“Yeah,” Mi Yi surprisingly joined in with enthusiasm, “It’s like you’re acting out some high school romance drama…it’s making me anxious.”
“Hmm, I didn’t quite catch any of that…”
Lu Yao, arguably the most thick-skinned among them, rolled his eyes, switching tactics.
“But today, since Qiao Yu didn’t come with us for once, we wanted to snoop around for any updates.”
The other two nodded earnestly, their eyes, hungry for knowledge, fixated on Lin Qing.
Lin Qing silently stuffed some fries into her mouth, chewing methodically before swallowing, revealing a proper, polite smile.
“I’m going home for today.”
“She’s running away?!”
Ignoring the loud protests from the three, Lin Qing quickly grabbed her backpack and headed out, hurrying away from McDonald’s.
“…That’s what Lin Qing said, what do you all think?”
Unable to stop her and watching as Lin Qing left, Cong Ye’s expression turned serious. He crossed his arms on the table, sweeping his gaze over the other two like some kind of organization leader.
“Eh? I think it’s true.”
“How could that be! Can’t you use your brain for once and not believe everything you hear!”
But the leader had already made up his mind, instantly rejecting the naïve and carefree answer from his subordinate, Lu Yao.
“…I also think it’s probably true.”
“What!! …So, does that mean there’s something wrong with my thinking?”
Upon hearing the wise strategist Mi Yi’s opinion, which differed from his own, he immediately began to waver. Despite Lu Yao quietly muttering, “Changing sides so fast, huh,” from the start, he began to rethink everything.
“Right, after all, Lin Qing has no reason to hide anything from us.”
And he quickly convinced himself.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
“Um…”
Mi Yi responded, absentmindedly squeezing ketchup out.
“Yes, although we still don’t know exactly what happened between the two of them…”
She picked up a fry, dipping it heavily in ketchup before biting down hard, chewing as if she had a deep grudge against this particular piece.
“…Seriously, when can the two of them actually get together?” The three of them looked at each other, each letting out a sigh of frustration.
Unaware of the subtly gloomy atmosphere that ensued at McDonald’s, Lin Qing returned home, pushing open her room door.
“Ah, you’re back.”
Facing her desk, Qiao Yu turned her head at the sound, greeting her, with her computer screen displaying a half-written document in front of her.
“Just let me know before you leave next time. Even though our family’s driver uncle has already gone back, I can still take a taxi to pick you up.”
“It’s fine, that would be too much trouble.”
Lin Qing thought about Qiao Yu waiting outside without any guards up to pick her up, then being caught red-handed by the three people accompanying her. No matter how she considered it, she felt it would be hard for the two of them to escape their questioning.
Seeing Qiao Yu, Lin Qing’s expression unconsciously softened. She took off her coat and sat next to her, glancing at the screen.
“Are you almost done?”
“No… I’m only halfway through. I really haven’t written in so long; my hands are getting rusty…”
She sighed as she said this, flexing her hands and stretching, her joints cracking audibly twice.
Yes, Qiao Yu was in Lin Qing’s room, writing a chapter.
Today, a few people at school had invited both of them, but Qiao Yu declined. She vaguely told them she was busy today, with only Lin Qing knowing the actual reason why.
In short, she had run out of pre-written material to post. Qiao Yu, albeit reluctantly, had no choice but to hastily write a new chapter just to get by.
Now that everything was out in the open, Qiao Yu’s state of mind for writing was far from good. Being asked to write a love story about Lin Qing and Cong Ye under these circumstances felt almost like a punishment game.
So, she dragged her feet writing until now, with more than half of the week gone and the update still not in sight, forcing her to work overtime to catch up.
As for why she was in Lin Qing’s house—
“Aunt Lin left the house just now, saying she had an appointment with Aunt Cong… hmm.”
Qiao Yu hesitated for a moment, hurriedly adding a sentence to cover up her unease.
“But the food is already prepared, said to just warm it up and eat.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lin Qing didn’t find it strange, and sighed.
“Mom and Aunt Cong have a really good relationship, this is the first time I’ve seen her have such a close friend.”
“Yes, they are really close.”
Qiao Yu dryly responded, discreetly shifting her gaze away.
She was currently staying at Lin Qing’s place as a guest for food.
Both of Qiao Yu’s parents were incredibly busy, and ensuring they were home half the time was already challenging enough; Qiao Yu had grown accustomed to many evenings dining alone.
The day after Lin Qing stayed over at her place, Qiao Yu’s parents were off to a distant city for a business trip. Having just shared their feelings for each other, Lin Qing certainly couldn’t overlook this situation and promptly extended an invitation to Qiao Yu.
So now, every day after school, Qiao Yu would go to Lin Qing’s house for dinner, and she wouldn’t head back to her home until they’d finished their homework together.
Mother Lin had kindly suggested once that it wouldn’t be a problem to stay over, but when Qiao Yu and Lin Qing exchanged glances, they tacitly decided not to take up the offer.
…How should I put it? After everything was out in the open, it felt like they were more constrained than before.
Before, when their affection was hidden under the guise of friendship, any sort of intimate gesture seemed normal. Holding hands, a hug – they were all just girls, so this level of physical contact was nothing out of the ordinary.
But now, it was different. Knowing that their feelings for each other were more than just platonic, they both began to worry whether such closeness might seem inappropriate.
Maintaining the proper distance has become Qiao Yu’s dilemma recently. Too far, and she feels uncomfortable; too close, and she fears Lin Qing might feel the same. The balance between the two is hard to grasp, and she is still finding her way through it.
It’s somewhat amusing to think about it, but Qiao Yu and Lin Qing confessed their feelings to each other in bed, of all places. This has significantly transformed their relationship the moment they stepped out of bed, making it hard not to let others misunderstand their bond.
But in reality, now they are in a place where even holding hands takes a moment of hesitation, treading as cautiously as middle schoolers embarking on their first love.
“No, no, no, you haven’t started dating yet! You were just overthinking it, Host!”
This situation can often be attributed to the system in Qiao Yu’s head, nervously issuing commands here and there since that day. After that day, Qiao Yu felt as though she was living with a guardian overly protective against premature dating, constantly needing to chide and guide her, truly making her head ache.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Now, as she sat side by side with Lin Qing doing their homework after dinner, Qiao Yu moved a bit closer to ask Lin Qing about a problem. Suddenly, she shivered and frowned.
“…What’s wrong? Is it your ‘watcher’ again?”
Lin Qing noticed her reaction and looked at her with a hint of amusement.
“Yes, it suddenly started reciting Buddhist scriptures to me.”
Qiao Yu sighed, slightly annoyed, and tapped her head to make it stop.
Having already shared so much with Lin Qing, there was no reason to continue hiding the matter of the system. Qiao Yu packaged the system as a watcher living in her brain, explaining its functions and more to Lin Qing.
“…It’s really strict, isn’t it?”
Lin Qing said, chuckling lightly as she reached out to massage Qiao Yu’s temples.
This was more effective than any miracle cure—the system fell silent the moment Lin Qing touched her.
“…”
What’s going on…
Qiao Yu blinked in confusion and then suddenly understood, not mincing words in her mind.
“Hey, did you just stop because you realized your actions were actually bringing us closer together?”
“Eh?!,” came a very human-like exclamation of surprise from the system.
It seemed the system hadn’t expected its motives to be seen through at all.
“No no no no, that’s not it at all! I definitely don’t think that way!”
“Has your personality changed that much? Honestly, it’s kind of disgusting.”
Qiao Yu was merciless, the system began to wail loudly.
“That won’t do, Host! If things keep going like this, by the time the raw rice is cooked…”
“?! What cooked rice?!”
Shocked, Qiao Yu suddenly stood up, unable to directly face Lin Qing next to her, who looked puzzled. She waved her hand, signaling Lin Qing not to mind her, and continued to quarrel with it.
“If you don’t understand, then don’t talk nonsense!”
“I do understand!” This statement seemed to have hit a sensitive nerve in the system, as it suddenly started obsessing over a strange point, “I know it’s possible between women too! It’s nothing but tools and hands—”
“Wow—! Wow—!”
Qiao Yu was screaming in her mind to drown out its unfinished sentence, feeling a rush of blood and her face burning hot.
“Don’t say such weird things! We’re not at that kind of relationship yet!”
“….Eh? Not doing it?”
“Why do you sound so regretful again?!”
After being messed around by the capricious system, Qiao Yu really found it hard to understand its way of thinking, exhausting herself thoroughly.
“Umm… I do feel a bit weird now…”
Sensing Qiao Yu’s inexplicable mood, the system’s voice turned pitifully low.
“On one hand, I feel that it’s absolutely impossible for the host and Lin Qing to be in a love relationship, but on the other hand, I kind of feel like it’s not so bad… Huh?! Have I been infected by a virus?!”
“Eh, you can get infected with viruses—the kind that exists… Are you saying which part is the virus?”
The system was momentarily at a loss for words due to Qiao Yu’s calm reply, and after seriously thinking for a while, it shakily said, “…I think it should be the ‘absolutely impossible’ part?”
“…”
Qiao Yu hesitated, wanting to speak but stopped herself.
“Hiss, is it really like that? Seems not quite right… um…”
Deciding to leave the system, which was caught in confusion, aside and not deal with it, Qiao Yu silently sat down, meeting Lin Qing’s concerned gaze.
“Finished talking?”
“Um, it seems to be standing at some important crossroad in life.”
“…?”
Of course, Qiao Yu couldn’t mention the system’s vulgar words to Lin Qing, so she lightly brushed it off with a laugh, “I think it won’t understand for a while.”
“At least now no one will disturb us.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Heaven and earth as my witness, Qiao Yu truly had no ulterior motives when she said that.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, the atmosphere in the room became sticky. It was then Qiao Yu realized something was amiss and hurriedly waved her hands, trying to explain, “I didn’t mean—”
“…So did you have some bad thoughts just now?”
Ignoring Qiao Yu’s explanation, Lin Qing looked at her with eyes filled with amusement.
“Why else would your monitor suddenly start reciting Buddhist scriptures to you?”
She was half teasing, half serious. Her long, lazy hair draped over her shoulders, and her eyelashes fluttered languorously, stirring captivating ripples.
It was hard to look away.
“…No way?”
Qiao Yu replied in the same tone, almost jokingly.
“Just looking at you, my thoughts are always a mix of good and bad.”
Lin Qing was taken aback by Qiao Yu’s words, her breath hitched, and her eyes widened, but she saw that Qiao Yu had already retreated after the remark, now sitting upright and starting to write down answers with a pen in hand.
She saw the other’s ears gradually turning red and lowered her head to hold her pen as well.
“…I didn’t ask you to hold back.”
Hearing the soft words coming from beside her, Qiao Yu’s hand trembled, nearly marking a line on her workbook.
Doing things out of one’s comfort zone is indeed very embarrassing, Qiao Yu felt that she still had a long way to go.
