Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 95

Strawberry

Before long, Qiao Yu and Cong Ye walked by one after the other. The expressions on their faces didn’t look good.

Qiao Yu looked upset, while Cong Ye looked confused and a little aggrieved. Upon seeing Lin Qing, he rushed forward to complain to her.

“Lin Qing, Lin Qing, listen to me, Qiao Yu blamed me as soon as she saw me!”

After this period of time, the expressions on their faces had almost calmed down, leaving only a few unnatural blushes which Lin Qing tried to cover up with ease. She asked in pretended confusion, “What did she say?”

Cong Ye was indignant, “She said my talking affects the ecological balance!”

“…”

“And as soon as she saw me when she opened the door, she blurted it out—this is going too far! Is she picking a fight? Right?”

It must be said that what Qiao Yu said was really unreasonable. Lin Qing silently sat down next to Qiao Yu, who remained silent. The other person stubbornly turned away without admitting fault, then placed the water brought by Cong Ye on the coffee table in front of Cong Ye with a loud bang, displaying very poor behavior and attitude.

“At such an old age and still tattling, how embarrassing.”

“What do you mean by tattling! This is clearly reporting in front of you openly and honorably! Not tattling at all! Not tattling at all!”

“Enough, stop arguing and drink water to shut your mouth.”

Completely misunderstood the situation and received very unfair treatment, Cong Ye grumbled as he picked up the water glass. Just before taking a sip, he realized the temperature from the paper cup was not right and shouted loudly.

“You gave me hot water, didn’t you?”

“No, it’s just slightly warmer than room temperature water.”

“Isn’t that hot water then?”

Cong Ye was furious, huffing and puffing for a while before finally taking a sip. He put the cup down angrily and locked eyes with Qiao Yu in mutual anger.

Seeing that if nothing was done, these two people would probably argue from morning till night, Lin Qing, who understood the mystery behind it, couldn’t bear to watch any longer. With a long sigh, she intervened to reconcile.

“Alright, alright, Qiao Yu is in the wrong in this matter.”

“Right! Lin Qing is really a good person! She is fair!”

“…”

With these words spoken, one was happy while the other was sad. Lin Qing immediately felt the atmosphere around her quietly deflate, and the gaze directed at her seemed a bit wronged, like a puppy scolded by its owner.

“…But Cong Ye also did something wrong.”

“Huh?”

Unable to withstand Qiao Yu’s gaze, she had to apologize to the innocent Cong Ye. Lin Qing decisively added a sentence, faced with Cong Ye’s incredulous gaze, and awkwardly said, “It’s possible that your loud voice when you called for the door scared the small animals… maybe.”

“…”

This time, Cong Ye was speechless. He looked at Lin Qing, then at Qiao Yu’s smug expression, and ultimately chose not to appeal further, silently accepting this loss.

“Fine, it’s Qiao Yu’s birthday today, I won’t argue with the birthday girl.”

“What you did is even worse than arguing with the birthday girl.”

“I didn’t do anything at all?! Just because I talked? This is too much!”

This situation was getting out of hand. Lin Qing had to turn around and look at the unyielding Qiao Yu. She lightly pinched the back of her hand, and Qiao Yu obediently fell silent. She took a deep breath, feeling a bit regretful.

“Fine, for Lin Qing’s sake… I was a bit too impatient, I’m sorry.”

“Eh? Oh, no, I also did something wrong…?”

Caught off guard by her sudden change in attitude, Cong Ye awkwardly apologized with a lowered head, unable to understand what had really happened behind the scenes.

“Well, let’s just let this matter go! Happy birthday, Qiao Yu!”

Fortunately, he had a thick skin and quickly brushed off the incident, cheerfully congratulating Qiao Yu and handing her the gift box he was holding.

“A gift! Don’t worry, I’m an adult now! I won’t gift items like superhero masks anymore!”

“Is that so, thank you.”

Hearing his addition, she sighed in relief, reached out to take the box, and casually asked.

“What is it?”

“A Switch gaming console.”

“So, it’s common for adults to gift gaming consoles?”

Even though she was criticizing it, it was indeed much more practical than the leather case she received years ago. Upon Cong Ye’s urging, Qiao Yu opened the packaging and took out the gaming console.

“Look, I thought you don’t have much to play with at home, so if I gift you this, we can play together today—I really don’t want to play cards anymore.”

Cong Ye frowned as he spoke, still haunted by the grim poker game experience from their trip years ago.

“Come on, let’s set this up together. Can we use the living room TV?”

“Yes, feel free to use it.”

Saying this, she tossed the remote control to Cong Ye, but didn’t show any intention to figure it out with him. Qiao Yu stood up and pointed towards the direction of the refrigerator, “I’ll go wash some fruits; Mi Yi and Lu Yao will be here soon.”

“Oh, okay, you go then. Thank you!”

Cong Ye raised his hand and waved, gesturing to her, then turned to invite Lin Qing, “Want to come and see how to set up the gaming console together?”

“I’ll pass… um, I need to—”

“!”

Cong Ye suddenly felt uplifted and noticed Lin Qing’s gaze kept glancing towards the departing Qiao Yu, so he enthusiastically suggested.

“Are you going to help Qiao Yu wash the fruits? Oh, you should, after all, washing fruits can be quite difficult. That guy Qiao Yu definitely can’t handle it.”

The words were spoken deliberately, and the tone became strange.

Lin Qing hesitated and gave him a look, but ultimately stood up hesitantly and also gestured towards the direction Qiao Yu had left.

“…Then I’ll go over there for a bit.”

“Yes, yes! Eating dirty fruits can make you sick! Make sure to wash them thoroughly!”

Cong Ye nodded vigorously, his face beaming with a smile, always making Lin Qing feel like she was being rushed. As she was about to leave, she remembered something and stopped, hesitating for a while before speaking.

“If Mi Yi and the others come later and Qiao Yu and I haven’t returned yet…”

“I’ll go open the door, I’ll go open the door! Don’t worry!”

Enthusiastic Cong Ye thought he couldn’t let such a trivial matter disrupt the shared work time of these two people, so he confidently took on all the tasks in the living room. After he agreed, Lin Qing hurriedly responded with an “uh-huh” and quickly left the room, leaving Cong Ye happily setting up the gaming console, completely unaware of any clues as to why he was scolded in their previous conversation.

Just before Qiao Yu stood up, she gently squeezed Lin Qing’s hand, hinting at something like “come with me.”

Initially hesitant about whether to go or not, Lin Qing ended up being pushed by Cong Ye. It felt like she was on the brink of making a decision, like an arrow on the bowstring that had to be released. Confused, she went with the flow and ended up in the kitchen.

Qiao Yu was standing in front of the sink with her back to her, her movements appearing nonchalant as she picked the leaves off the strawberries absentmindedly.

The kitchen was located around a corner from the living room, and although they could hear Cong Ye’s voice, they couldn’t see each other.

The space was quite spacious, but once in a situation where she was alone with Qiao Yu, Lin Qing couldn’t help but feel suffocated.

She still maintained some rationality and vigilance, standing at the doorway without entering, clearing her throat twice. Qiao Yu turned back in response. “…I’ll help you wash the fruits.”

Deciding not to mention the incident where Qiao Yu squeezed her hand, Lin Qing truly only intended to wash some fruits, as regardless of how she thought about it, now was not an “appropriate” place or time.

At least initially, that was truly her intention.

However, as she approached the sink to lend a hand, the distance she had tried to maintain was effortlessly shortened by Qiao Yu. She lightly bumped her shoulder and spoke in a muffled voice.

“Qingqing didn’t help me just now.”

“…”

Lin Qing was momentarily speechless, not expecting that Qiao Yu’s call for her to come over was just to protest against her behavior a moment ago, which made her unable to hold back a laugh.

“I didn’t help you? Cong Ye didn’t do anything at all, just knocking on the door. I’m already supporting you with a clear conscience.”

“It’s not just ‘knocking on the door,’ he clearly disturbed us.”

There was still a hint of discontent in her words, as Qiao Yu angrily pulled off a strawberry leaf, looking deeply resentful.

“… A rare opportunity.”

“…”

Lin Qing fell into silence again, deciding to ignore Qiao Yu’s muttering, pretending not to have heard it.

Fortunately, Qiao Yu seemed to just want to complain for a bit and had no intention of continuing the interrupted behavior from before. The two of them got along for the time being, peacefully washing the fruits. Lin Qing took on the complex task of peeling and cutting the apples into small pieces, while Qiao Yu continued to focus on the strawberries.

“It seems like we’re newlywed.”

“Qiao Yu, don’t say weird things.”

Although Qiao Yu would occasionally blur out such risky remarks, overall she was quite honest. This made Lin Qing feel that her previous attitude of being on guard was a bit exaggerated, and she couldn’t help but laugh at herself for overthinking.

There may be a slight trace of regret deep down in her heart, but Lin Qing would absolutely not admit it.

… Probably because the recent intimate actions with Qiao Yu had gone a bit overboard.

Mainly due to the mistake on the fourth day, the standards were set too high all of a sudden. When subsequent actions didn’t meet the same standards, it was easy to feel dissatisfied, especially after the person she cared about just said “like.”

By the time she noticed, it had inflated to a point where it couldn’t be ignored.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Qiao Yu’s voice came from a very close distance, and Lin Qing only then realized that she had unknowingly moved next to Qiao Yu, almost sticking to her.

“Ah, no—”

Lin Qing suddenly became flustered, raising her head in an attempt to come up with an explanation, but forgot to move her feet first. As soon as she lifted her head, she was met with Qiao Yu’s close-up face, and her words got stuck in her throat.

“… What’s wrong? Do you need help?” Qiao Yu blinked unknowingly and continued, “I’ve almost finished washing the strawberries over here. Oh, would you like to have some?”

She picked up a strawberry in a friendly manner, holding it up and offering it to Lin Qing. The strawberries looked very appealing, fresh and ripe, enticing to eat.

She must have just wanted to hand the strawberry to Lin Qing.

Instead, Lin Qing inexplicably grasped her wrist and brought it to her mouth, tucking away the loose strands of hair falling by her ear, lowering her head, and bit by bit, she ate the strawberry.

This is wrong, this is very dangerous.

Even though rationality was trying to sound the alarm, it was of no use. Lin Qing felt an indescribable emotion swelling in her chest, as if she would blurt out if she didn’t do something soon, causing discomfort and unbearable itchiness in her heart.

Eating the last bite off Qiao Yu’s hand, she gazed lightly at the red juice on Qiao Yu’s fingertips. Controlled by overwhelming emotions, her brain made a daring move that was usually unimaginable. She gently licked it off.

Feeling Qiao Yu subconsciously flinch, Lin Qing raised her eyes to look at her somewhat disapprovingly. When she felt Qiao Yu relax, she was satisfied like a contented kitten, slowly licking the juice clean.

“… Thank you, it’s very sweet.”

Lin Qing released Qiao Yu’s hand with lingering reluctance, subconsciously licking the corner of her lips, certain that she saw a gulp from Qiao Yu’s throat.

Then, the next moment, as if fulfilling a wish, she felt Qiao Yu’s other hand slowly wrap around her waist. Qiao Yu didn’t immediately tighten her hold, patiently giving her enough time to break free.

However, Lin Qing pretended not to notice, allowing Qiao Yu to eventually pull her into an embrace.

“Very sweet… right?”

Qiao Yu’s voice was somewhat hoarse, and Lin Qing raised her eyes to see a mixture of obscure emotions in her light-colored pupils, as if she too had fallen into chaos.

“Hmm,” she responded softly, her gaze shifting to the fruit plate beside them. “Do you want to try it?”

No, what are you saying? How could you say that in this situation?

Reason was barely holding on, drowned out by the sound of her heartbeat.

“… I want to try.”

Without needing to say more, Qiao Yu understood the hint in Lin Qing’s words very well. She lowered her head, causing the conversation in the kitchen to stop, leaving only faint, indistinct sounds that wouldn’t reach outside the kitchen.

Lin Qing only had time to close her eyes before experiencing the long-awaited taste of lips and tongue that met hers. Suddenly feeling a sense of weightlessness, she could only rely on Qiao Yu to stand, her hand softly resting on Qiao Yu’s shoulder.

Qiao Yu did not intend to stop with just a superficial taste, the agitated heart of a young hunter being stirred up. It was difficult to consider time and place, with only the gentleness of actions being maintained, tenderly but irresistibly entangled with the prey.

“It really is very sweet.”

Finally pulling back slightly in the gap, Lin Qing breathed lightly, hearing her speak earnestly, feeling a sudden wave of embarrassment in her heart.

“I… really like you.” Qiao Yu’s eyes were no longer as bright as usual, once again pressing forward relentlessly, catching Lin Qing’s slightly evasive gaze. Lin Qing suddenly had the illusion that her amber eyes had deepened. “I like you.”

There’s no need to rush to implement what was said before—

Lin Qing wanted to say this, but it turned into a low moan stuck in her throat as Qiao Yu moved away from her lips and daringly continued downward.

She seemed to favor the mole on Lin Qing’s collarbone. As it was touched, Lin Qing heard the sound of the door opening in the living room, followed by the conversation of a few people drifting in and out, gradually bringing her back to reality from the fleeting clouds with a sudden jolt.

“… Qiao Yu…”

Lin Qing had to softly call out to the person burying their head in her neck, but the other person remained completely unmoved, even hugging her tighter.

“Hiss…”

She wanted to say that Mi Yi and Lu Yao were here, but suddenly felt a slight biting pain coming from her neck.

Qiao Yu finally lifted her head slowly and looked at Lin Qing.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

Lin Qing, however, couldn’t bring herself to speak.

It was this kind of gaze.

Greedy, persistent, captivating, like a gaze that wanted to devour her completely.

This was what she wanted.

The fruit must be difficult to wash.

Thinking this way, Cong Ye realized that he hadn’t done this kind of work much before, but it seemed to be a laborious task now.

Because after Mi Yi and Lu Yao arrived, Qiao Yu and Lin Qing finally walked out of the kitchen holding a fruit plate, receiving a warm welcome from everyone.

The group gathered cheerfully to eat fruit together. Midway through, Mi Yi suddenly frowned at Lin Qing and said, “Lin Qing, did you get bitten by a mosquito on your neck? Qiao Yu, you really need to do something about the mosquitoes in your house, they’re still around.”

Before Cong Ye could see clearly, Lin Qing quickly raised her hand to cover her neck, remaining silent for a while before saying, “… Yes, maybe I got bitten by a mosquito on the way here or at some point.”

“We should light a mosquito coil or something later for Qiao Yu.”

Nonchalantly, Cong Ye said, looking at Qiao Yu nodding as she chewed on a strawberry.

Come to think of it, was Lin Qing bitten by a mosquito before she entered the kitchen? Why does he feel like there wasn’t anything unusual about her when he first saw her?

Ah, forget it, it’s not a big deal anyway.

After tilting his head and pondering for a while, Cong Ye couldn’t come up with a definite answer. He shrugged and pushed this matter to the back of his mind.

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