Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 94

The fire in my heart is burning

Break time is definitely not a good idea, Lin Qing is deeply reflecting.

It is now the evening of October 5th, even though a whole day has passed, Lin Qing still feels hot in the face when she remembers what happened yesterday afternoon.

In fact, since entering that “break time” yesterday, the two of them have not been able to study well.

It’s as if Lin Qing willingly walked into a swamp, she was trapped in Qiao Yu’s embrace and couldn’t and didn’t want to break free. She even lost her judgment, when Qiao Yu gently coaxed her to stand up and then pressed her up, what they did was completely different from her voice and her eyes, so simple.

From the corner of her lips to the mole on her clavicle, only two kisses apart.

The air became sticky, making it difficult to breathe. Lin Qing’s mind boiled in chaos, trembling but unable to push Qiao Yu away. She hesitated and grasped tightly at the back of Qiao Yu’s collar, almost preparing for what was about to happen at that moment.

Then… then Mother Qiao came to knock on the door, asking if they wanted to go downstairs to rest and have afternoon tea.

At the thought of this, Lin Qing choked back a sob and covered her face, unable to face the kind of embarrassment – what kind of embarrassment! It can only be said to still be in the probing stage – of feeling the strong sense of detachment and shame in hearing the parents’ voices.

Of course, in the chaos, Qiao Yu tried to refuse Mother Qiao’s invitation with a normal voice through the door. Both of them held their breath and strained to listen. They heard Mother Qiao regretfully say a few words about not pushing themselves too hard and about the importance of balancing work and rest. Then there was the gradually fading sound of footsteps, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

But Mother Qiao’s words still had a strong impact. Although from her perspective, it was just the most normal to worry for the children, to the ears of the two people indulging in activities they shouldn’t be doing behind the door, it must be said that it was a bit ironic.

So Lin Qing silently separated from Qiao Yu. During the subsequent study time, both of them were very concise and played the very normal roles of a teacher and a student cooperatively – honestly, in that kind of atmosphere, Lin Qing couldn’t hold on until the normal end of class time and instead of immediately escaping, Lin Qing really felt like she had tried hard.

What kind of break time is this? She thought it might as well be called trigger-happy time…!

With a sob, Lin Qing buried her face in the pillow, feeling too ashamed to face the world with her flushed face.

The aftermath of this incident was naturally quite strong, and she didn’t know when it would be able to be glossed over lightly. This probably required the power of time.

But unfortunately, Lin Qing no longer had that kind of time.

After burying her head in the pillow for a little while, she became restless and ultimately made up her mind to lift her head from the pillow and check the time on her phone.

It was 11:55 at night.

It was already the time that could not be delayed any longer. Lin Qing took a deep breath and sat up, determined as if prepared to face death.

She opened her contacts, found the person’s name, and made the call decisively.

The call was answered quickly. Lin Qing’s mental preparation was not quite ready yet when she heard the slightly reserved voice on the other end, the voice was a bit soft, probably because it was late at night and the volume needed to be kept low.

“Lin Qing?”

The arrow on the string must be released, Lin Qing took a deep breath and casually greeted her, “Good evening, Qiao Yu.”

“Good evening, what’s up? Calling me at this time.”

“…You are asking knowingly, aren’t you?”

“No, because it would be awkward if I guessed wrong in this kind of situation.”

Laughing together over the phone, Lin Qing let out a light hum and changed her tone gracefully.

“Well, I actually called to check on you. Didn’t I mention before that you should go to bed before twelve? Why are you still able to answer the phone now?”

“You’re just fishing for law enforcement, sir.”

Lin Qing was amused by Qiao Yu’s intentionally pitiful tone and playfully retorted, “Fishing is effective, don’t worry about it.” In reality, her expression had softened from the initial tension.

It was inconceivable. Before making the call, she was hesitating due to embarrassment, but now, after just a few words with Qiao Yu, her mind had become peaceful.

The two continued chatting with casual topics. Lin Qing occasionally glanced at the wall clock in the room. When she saw that it had indeed crossed midnight, she took a deep breath and finally said the real purpose that both of them knew deep down.

“Happy birthday, Qiao Yu.”

“Thank you.”

When she said this, she should have smiled very happily, as evidenced by the upward tone in her voice. It was now Lin Qing’s turn to knowingly ask, “Am I the first one?”

“….Yes…. I guess.”

Huh?

To her unexpected ambiguity, Lin Qing’s brows furrowed slightly. This phone call had been ongoing from yesterday until today. How was it possible that someone could have managed to wish Qiao Yu a happy birthday before her?

She became wary all of a sudden. The inexplicable possessiveness she felt was stirring inside her. Her voice unconsciously became serious, “Why did you say ‘I guess’?”

“…Because, I am currently…”

For some reason, Qiao Yu seemed hesitant and after hesitating for a while, she sighed and honestly spoke up.

“…I am currently in the living room. My parents were originally going to celebrate with me at midnight.”

“Ah…”

Lin Qing immediately bit her lower lip apologetically, feeling annoyed at herself for not thinking about this sooner. Did this phone call not disrupt Qiao’s family’s plans – no, wait.

Just as guilt began to flood her heart, an alarm went off in her mind. Lin Qing was startled by the sudden thought that emerged in her head, and for a moment even entertained the idea of escaping. However, she still held onto the last thread of hope and asked tentatively,

“…You said you are still in the living room, then, where are Uncle and Aunt?”

“…”

Silence. Silence was the best answer.

Lin Qing felt a tremendous shock to her fragile nerves. She stuttered a few meaningless words, then hastily bid farewell and hung up the phone upon hearing a distant, faint male voice on the other end. Silently, she closed her eyes and collapsed onto the bed, feeling drained.

…So, Qiao Yu’s soft voice while answering the call wasn’t due to the late hour, but because her parents were nearby, prompting her to speak quietly.

Although Qiao Yu’s words wouldn’t be overheard by Father Qiao and Mother Qiao, and there was no external speaker, and even though that’s true… !

Lin Qing realized that her desire to possess Qiao Yu had likely been transparent to the two adults. She felt exposed and buried her head under the blanket.

Fortunately, the world didn’t lead to a more embarrassing situation.

On the morning of October 6th, Lin Qing, thinking this way, knocked on Qiao Yu’s door.

Soon, she heard footsteps hurrying towards the door from inside. The door was swung open abruptly, revealing Qiao Yu’s face.

“You’re here.”

She looked a bit awkward, but still smiled happily, welcoming Lin Qing inside and fulfilling her duties as a host. They both sat down on the sofa in the living room, with no other sounds in the house.

Qiao Yu had answered her call here yesterday, right? And Uncle and Aunt were also there—ah, she couldn’t dwell on it any longer.

“…Yes, as I said in the group chat yesterday, my parents are not at home today for something, so don’t worry.”

Seeing Lin Qing’s unease, Qiao Yu reassured her as she brought water, nodding affirmatively and significantly towards her.

“You came early. The others might take a while…” as she spoke, the phone screen lit up. Qiao Yu took a look and said, “See, Cong Ye just said he had just left.”

Indeed, Lin Qing didn’t come to Qiao Yu’s house today for tutoring work, but as a friend – or above that, however you want to put it – to celebrate Qiao Yu’s birthday.

It had been decided a few days ago, as Qiao Yu’s parents couldn’t make it on this day no matter what, so Lin Qing proposed a small party for Qiao Yu amid guilt, coincidentally matching the opinions of Cong Ye and the others.

So everyone agreed to come over today, but Lin Qing, being nearby, arrived earlier.

Well, maybe there was a bit of selfishness in wanting to see Qiao Yu earlier, just a little bit.

Choosing to honestly face her own feelings, Lin Qing sighed and, in any case, first apologized for disturbing Qiao Yu yesterday.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t consider that you should have been celebrating with your parents at that time…”

“No no no, there’s no need to apologize to me for that kind of thing. I was really happy when I received your call.”

Qiao Yu waved her hands repeatedly as she spoke, hesitated for a moment, then added an explanation.

“…My mom and dad also seemed quite happy.”

Lin Qing silently averted her gaze, unsure of what to say.

Forget it, isn’t it good that everyone is happy?

Resignedly, she thought so to herself, sighing as she raised her cup to drink water.

“Here, this is a gift for you. Happy birthday.”

Deciding to end this topic, Lin Qing retrieved a tightly wrapped rectangular object from her bag and handed it to Qiao Yu, wishing her a happy birthday for the second time today.

“Huh? I said you didn’t have to bring a gift.” Qiao Yu blinked in surprise, reaching out to take it. The unexpected weight almost caused her to lose her grip. “It’s so heavy!”

She looked puzzled at the item in her hand, furrowing her brows, and tentatively glanced at Lin Qing.

“Can I open it now?”

“Sure, go ahead. It’s up to you.”

Lin Qing struggled to hold back her laughter and casually gestured for her to open it.

Seeing her like this, Qiao Yu had a pretty good idea of what it might be. She placed the gift on the table and resignedly began to unwrap it.

Sure enough, inside were two hefty reference books shining brightly.

Qiao Yu closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a sense of not wanting to face this.

“Even though you said not to bring anything, I still felt I couldn’t show up empty-handed, so I carefully picked them out… Do you like them?”

Lin Qing was clearly deriving pleasure from her reaction. A smiling voice came from the side, relentlessly asking for her thoughts. Qiao Yu smiled wryly, opened her eyes, and shrugged.

“I like them.”

No wonder it was so heavy. Lin Qing must have been tired carrying it from her home to here. Perhaps she should massage Lin Qing’s shoulders.

As she was thinking this, she saw Lin Qing blush for some reason. Her gaze shifted hesitantly, and she awkwardly said, “…Is that so? I’m glad you like my gift.”

“…”

The emphasis Lin Qing put on the words “my gift” was too deliberate, Qiao Yu squinted.

“Well, I really like it.”

Suddenly, a mischievous idea crossed Qiao Yu’s mind. She calmly sat next to Lin Qing, her smile innocent but with a hint of mischief. She delighted in seeing Lin Qing hesitate for a moment and then, unable to bear it any longer, glared at her, though it lacked any real threat.

Indeed, Lin Qing seemed to have an exaggerated reaction to the word “like.”

Qiao Yu knowingly raised her eyebrows, unable to pinpoint her exact feelings at the moment, but instinctively moved closer to Lin Qing.

“Was it because I didn’t say it enough before?”

This question was somewhat abrupt, but both individuals in the room clearly understood its meaning. Lin Qing pursed her lips slightly, as if a battle was raging in her mind about whether to play dumb or admit it. In the end, she couldn’t resist and muttered under her breath.

“…Let alone saying too little, I’ve only heard it once.”

Her eyes looked over with unspoken words, causing Qiao Yu to suddenly feel a bit guilty. “Back then, you only… said it once.”

“…”

Qiao Yu’s mind raced, carefully recalling memories from two years ago. Before she could fully wrack her brains, the system that had been silent while she was with Lin Qing suddenly sighed and spoke up, “It’s true. The host only clearly expressed liking Lin Qing on the day of confession. Really.”

“By the way, the next sentence after the confession was, ‘Can we do it again?’—”

“I don’t need to hear that kind of thing again! I remember it myself!”

A rush of shame overwhelmed Qiao Yu, her face instantly turning red. She quickly silenced the chatty system, took a few deep breaths in succession, then dared to look at Lin Qing, who was now biting her lip in evident annoyance.

“Before, um, I’m sorry. I did say too little.”

In any case, she apologized sincerely. Qiao Yu let out a sigh, lowered her head, and earnestly reflected on her actions.

“…It’s okay, anyway, these words aren’t something you can say all the time. You can just pretend I didn’t mention it just now.”

Lin Qing seemed eager to quickly end this topic. The urgency in her words was evident, but once Qiao Yu’s memory floodgates opened, she couldn’t stop reminiscing about the past.

Indeed, it’s very difficult to casually say those words out loud. But Lin Qing had said them many times more than her.

…To be frank, those words were mostly said when she and Lin Qing were in close contact.

At that time, the scene usually involved Lin Qing exhaling a few short words between breaks, while Qiao Yu continued to…well, continue.

Ah, just thinking about it makes her head feel like it’s about to explode.

Qiao Yu had to hastily interrupt her reminiscing, deeply feeling that her past self seemed like an impatient high school student, which was inappropriate.

But at least now she could make amends. She took a deep breath, approached and placed her hand on Lin Qing’s, who moved her hand slightly when Qiao Yu’s hand touched hers, but didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned back slightly, giving her a look that could hardly be called a warning.

“Don’t speak out of turn, I just said to pretend I didn’t mention it—”

“I have something to say.”

Despite usually listening to Lin Qing, Qiao Yu seemed particularly insistent this time. Lin Qing was forced to meet her gaze, looking deeply into her focused eyes as she solemnly spoke.

“I like you.”

An unfamiliar warmth surged from the depths of her heart. Lin Qing knew without looking in the mirror that her face must be red. She wanted to say, “Why are you saying this all of a sudden?” to break the tension, but when she opened her mouth, she found herself unable to speak. Qiao Yu’s words continued without pause.

“I have only liked you my whole life, and I will continue to do so from now on.”

“From today onwards, I will say it every day. I also have to make up for the past.”

Lin Qing couldn’t figure out whether this was good news or bad news. She could only sense that Qiao Yu’s gaze shifted slightly downward, probably landing on her lips, leaving her feeling a bit at a loss.

What should she do? What could she do?

Once Pandora’s box is opened, it cannot be closed. Lin Qing closed her eyes in silent resignation.

“Bang! Bang!”

“Open the door, Qiao Yu! I know you’re in there!”

“”…””

The atmosphere inside the room suddenly froze. The sound of knocking on the door and the cheerful shouts from Cong Ye echoed in the room. Lin Qing didn’t dare to open her eyes, but she heard Qiao Yu emit a gnashing sound from her throat. Clearly irritated, Qiao Yu stood up in a huff and walked to the door, opening it and getting into a heated argument with Cong Ye.

It was as if the world was trying to block them.

But, how should we put it? This time, it really was their fault. They knew people were coming soon but still let themselves get caught up in that atmosphere.

Lin Qing thought so, trying hard to calm herself down, opening her eyes and gently fanning herself to ensure her face regained its normal temperature before Cong Ye entered. However, the flames of unresolved emotions still burned within her.

It would be fine if everyone else was there today. At least there wouldn’t be any further loss of control.

…Probably.

---

---