Spring and bright scenery
As He Ying stepped out of the kitchen, she caught sight of Jing Dan with an expression as if she had been struck by lightning. She couldn’t help but take a second glance at her. Why did she look so much like a dazed goose that had taken a hit?
“What’s wrong?” He Ying waved her hand in front of Jing Dan’s face.
Lifting her eyes, Jing Dan looked at her with a deep gaze. What was wrong? She had just realized that He Ying’s cooking was too good to be true!
“…It’s nothing.”
Seeing her like this, He Ying did not press her further and simply invited her to have breakfast.
When Jing Dan started to eat her breakfast at the table, the food, which was usually delicious, now made her feel a bit melancholy. Because He Ying’s cooking was so good, she found herself thinking about it all day long and couldn’t get anything else done.
Watching her eat as if she was being tortured, He Ying was struck by the memory of Jing Dan eating a boxed meal before, which upset her greatly.
Had her cooking skills regressed to be on par with that boxed meal?!
She refused to believe it and tasted everything on the table. There was no change. Her culinary skills were as good as ever, and some dishes, which she made often because Jing Dan liked them, even exceeded her usual standards. It made no sense for Jing Dan to look so pained while eating?!
“What’s really wrong with you? If you really can’t eat, you don’t have to.” He Ying said quietly.
Jing Dan suddenly realized and looked up at He Ying, only to see her gaze somewhat coldly fixed on herself. Blinking, she said, “I can eat it.”
Her sixth sense this time seemed sharper, noticing that He Ying was angry because she had been distracted earlier.
After speaking, she threw all her previous thoughts out of her head. No matter what those things were, what was most important now was to do justice to the delicious food in front of her.
He Ying: “…”
She didn’t say much afterward, but in her heart, she harbored some concerns. Was this kid tired of eating the food she prepared? Tired, yet too embarrassed to say it out loud.
He Ying sighed internally. What was there to be embarrassed about? She was so much older; surely, she wouldn’t get angry over such a truthful remark? If she didn’t say anything, at most, she would just reduce the number of times she cooked for her in the future.
At this moment, Jing Dan was unaware of He Ying’s thoughts. Later on, when she couldn’t eat He Ying’s cooking for a long time, she even wondered if she had eaten too much at He Ying’s expense, worrying if she had financially burdened her.
After breakfast, He Ying reminded Jing Dan to find someone to fix the kitchen wall soon. That big black spot was too jarring against the white wall.
“Oh,” Jing Dan obediently nodded in agreement.
Seeing her so obedient, He Ying was slightly taken aback. Was this kid not covered in her usual layer of aloofness?
Seeing her so at ease, she was happy for it and didn’t make a special point to talk about it, just smiled at her, put on the clothes she had lent Jing Dan earlier, and left.
Perhaps they were always on the fringes of the entertainment industry, not so sensitive to the ins and outs of it, which led them to not pay much attention to many things.
Like this suit of clothes.
By the time the two realized they were hanging high on the trending searches list, it was already too late to turn back.
#JingDanHeYing#
#ChunHeJingMingIsReal#
#TheSameSuit#
Besides, there were other assorted tags lingering in the mid to lower ranks, but their popularity was also rising rapidly.
And what sparked so many topics was just because of a suit of clothes.
A dark red suit that was worn by Jing Dan the day before, but found on He Ying the following day.
—Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I knew there was something off about them! Can’t believe this was confirmed so quickly!
—Wow, truly worthy of the Divine Beauty and Teacher He, a single romance causing such a buzz.
—Ah, I disagree! President Jing is my wife!!!
—I also disagree! Teacher He must be mine!
—What species have sneaked in above, they seem to be thinking about nonsense.
—+1+1+1
—Doesn’t anyone realize where Teacher He came from? From President Jing’s house! What did they do last night!
—Ah! When two single ladies share a room, something must have happened! I can attest, I was the bed from last night, and I’m all broken now!
—Wow, I can attest too! I am the bedsheet they ripped!
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Upon seeing the so-called “official announcement” about her and Jing Dan, as well as the comments from netizens, He Ying was like: “…”
Do these people have too much time on their hands? Staring at others’ clothes all day? And what’s behind those vicious comments? Is the internet lawless now?
She held her forehead; explaining this was going to be tricky.
However, before she could figure out how to explain, the first to bombard her with calls was Hu Tu.
The moment she picked up the phone, Hu Tu’s urgent voice came through, “What’s going on with you guys?! Didn’t you say there was nothing between you and Jing Dan? Why then were you caught wearing the same clothes?”
Hu Tu was both frantic and furious, feeling that these two buddies were being far too dishonest with her as a friend! Staying together the night before last, and then again last night, didn’t you find that weird?
He Ying remained expressionless; she too wanted to know what was happening. But the truth was, there really was nothing between them. Yet now, rumors made it seem as if they were deeply involved, even suggesting they had… well, collapsed the bed last night…
Hu Tu pressed, “Speak up! Don’t think by staying silent, you can make it seem like nothing happened!”
Seeing those comments online, even she nearly believed them! Scared, she hurriedly called to confirm.
He Ying: “…What can I say? It’s obvious, I just lent her my clothes to wear, and then I wore my clothes again. Who knew their thoughts could diverge so much.”
And diverge too much, indeed.
Hu Tu was dubious: “Is that really all there is to it? There’s really nothing going on between you two?”
He Ying couldn’t help but roll her eyes. How many times had this person worried about something happening between her and Jing Dan? What could possibly happen between her and Jing Dan? To that person, what existed beyond food? Was love something you could eat?
“Rest assured, that’s all there is to it. There’s really nothing between us. Just in case—I mean, just in case something does happen one day, you’ll be the first to know. Does that work for you?” She was utterly exasperated by Hu Tu, who guarded her as if she were a thief. Wasn’t she, He Ying, good enough?
“Bullsh*t!” Hu Tu roared. “You guarantee that there will never be anything between you two, not even that ‘just in case’!”
He Ying: “…” Even Jing Shiyue wasn’t this impatient, right? What was Hu Tu in such a hurry for?
“…Tell me the truth, do you like Jing Dan?” This person’s excitement was beyond reason.
Upon hearing this, Hu Tu was momentarily speechless. Trying to keep her irritation in check, she replied with more than a hint of annoyance, “Don’t spout nonsense. If I liked someone, even little aunt wouldn’t like her!”
She is decades older than Jing Dan, yet they grew up together. She has gotten used to taking care of Jing Dan like a younger sister. How could she possibly develop feelings for her sister? Is she not even human anymore?
He Ying: “…So, you actually like Jing Shiyue?”
Hu Tu struggled for breath, her face turned red, and she finally yelled, “Scram!”
Then the call was abruptly ended.
He Ying: “…” If it’s a no, then it’s a no. Why the aggression?
However, after being so rudely interrupted by Hu Tu, He Ying found she no longer cared about the nonsense online. From being speechless to indifferent, she thought, ‘the innocent will clear themselves.’ But she still needs to discuss with Jing Dan on how to clarify this situation.
Jing Dan browsed the trending searches online, feeling somewhat bewildered. Was wearing the same outfit as He Ying enough to spin out all these stories?
And what were people even saying? It was all clearly fabricated, so why did it sound so believable?
They said she and He Ying were a couple?
She thought back carefully and didn’t recall doing anything that couples do. According to TV dramas, aren’t couples supposed to kiss? She and He Ying never kissed.
Then there was sleeping in the same bed. Though she did share a bed with He Ying, it wasn’t the same as the sleepovers depicted on TV, where things escalate to kissing followed by removing clothes.
Considering they hadn’t done anything couples typically do, she really couldn’t wrap her head around why she was being paried with He Ying in the first place.
Thinking about being with He Ying, she found it somewhat weird. If they were together, would they also be kissing and taking off clothes?
The image of He Ying’s lips came to mind, rosy and plump, like a piece of squishy jelly. Would kissing them feel like kissing jelly, slippery and bouncy?
Hmm… Suddenly, she was a bit curious to see if it was indeed like kissing jelly…
Her thoughts were a jumbled mess due to the rumors online, but in the end, she had to snap back to reality and face the facts…
Currently, she’s holding two cats in her arms, one white and one black, comfortably nestled and sleeping.
She looks down at the cats in her arms, thinking that the most important thing right now is to bring the cats to her aunt…
Her eyebrows furrowing, she recalled her assistant mentioning that they couldn’t find a black and white cat at the moment, so they had to bring back these two.
But originally, taking care of one cat for her aunt was troublesome enough, and now there were two…
Just as she was feeling disheartened, Jing Shiyue contacted her first.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
【Jing Shiyue】: What’s with the trending topic? Do you guys really have something going on?
It was one thing when you were still in your panda form and people shipped you together, but now you’ve both turned human and there’s still this drama, and it seems quite believable, so this isn’t a small matter anymore.
Jing Dan remained silent for a moment before truthfully explaining the whole situation to her.
【Jing Shiyue】: …
After replying to that kid, Jing Shiyue furrowed her brows as she looked at her phone screen. Despite what Jing Dan said, why does she find it so hard to believe that there’s really nothing going on?!
After all, with Jing Dan’s temperament, if there truly was something, she probably wouldn’t think it’s a big deal.
No, she didn’t trust her own judgment; she exited Jing Dan’s chat window and opened Qiu Shuhuai’s. But her fingertips hovered above the screen, unable to type anything.
Her face turned somewhat pale, and her lips, tightly pressed together, lost all color.
She didn’t dare.
She couldn’t bring herself to reach out to her again.
When Qiu Shuhuai entered the office, she saw Jing Dan holding two cats in herarms, frowning as if deep in thought.
When did the company suddenly get cats?
Her gaze landed on the two cats, with their round heads and big eyes, looking not very bright but oh so adorable!
“President Jing, are they your cats?” she asked.
Jing Dan lifted her eyes, then looked down at the cats in her arms, and casually replied, “No, they belong to my aunt.”
It was originally meant for her.
Qiu Shuhuai’s eyes widened a bit as she carefully observed the two cats. Jing Shiyue actually raised cats? And two that seemed not so bright at that?
However, she didn’t know if it was due to Jing Shiyue’s filter effect, but as she looked at these two cats, they seemed increasingly adorable to her.
“Can I hold them?”
“Oh.” Jing Dan handed both cats to Qiu Shuhuai. Watching the two little cats with their soft and squishy appearance, her expression remained cool, utterly unmoved by their cuteness.
Qiu Shuhuai: “…” How can you have no expression at all in front of such a cute creature?
But after she hugged the two cats into her arms, she kind of didn’t want to let go anymore. Holding these two cats, this soft touch felt just like when she used to hold Jing Shiyue before. Her hands would bury into her fluffy fur, sinking deep, and holding her felt like hugging a warm cloud.
A slight smile curled up at the corner of her lips, but her chest started to ache, all because of her. If it weren’t for her careless words, Jing Shiyue wouldn’t have been pushed so far away.
“Why would she suddenly start raising cats?” Qiu Shuhuai wondered while stroking the cat’s head. That person herself is just like a cat, and now she wants to raise cats to keep her company?
“It’s not her own intention to raise them.” Jing Dan said seriously, “I got into some trouble, and needed auntie’s help to wrap things up, so she was forced to raise the cats.”
And until now, she hadn’t mentioned this to her aunt, mainly because she was afraid of being scolded, even though her aunt had never scolded her before.
Qiu Shuhuai: “…”
She silently glanced at Jing Dan, surprised that despite her age, she was still a child in need of her aunt’s care.
Watching Qiu Shuhuai gently stroking the cat with a tender look on her face, Jing Dan suddenly remembered the awkwardness between her and her aunt. After a moment of thought, she said, “I’m going to visit my aunt later; would you come with me?”
Finally, she glanced at the two cats and made up a reluctant excuse: “I don’t like holding cats.”
Qiu Shuhuai: “…”
Although she was speechless, the thought of possibly seeing that person again made her feel faint, her heart racing.
In a daze, as Jing Dan asked her once more, she heard her own response.
She agreed.
Wanting to see, but afraid to do so.
Until she sat in Jing Dan’s car, she hadn’t come to her senses, her mind still in a blur.
Wanting to see her yet fearing the meeting, Jing Dan was completely oblivious to the emotions of the person in the passenger seat. To wrap up affairs and ease her mind as soon as possible, she drove right at the speed limit. A journey that normally took about forty minutes was completed in just over twenty by her.
Upon arrival, as she got out of the car, she noticed the passenger still in a daze and couldn’t help but frown and called out to her twice.
“!”
Qiu Shuhuai was jolted awake, initially looking at Jing Dan with a blank stare before realizing the situation and getting out of the car with the two cats in tow.
Seeing her looking so distracted, Jing Dan was puzzled for a moment but then decided not to overthink it. What she really needed to consider was how to explain the cat situation to her aunt later and to ask why she was feeling out of sorts.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Because she had messaged Jing Shiyue beforehand, she was already home when they entered, sitting leisurely in the living room.
Jing Shiyue, who had been leisurely sipping tea, scalded her lips with the hot drink upon seeing the two enter. She couldn’t help but hiss in pain, becoming flustered as the teacup tipped over, spilling tea all over the floor.
Jing Shiyue: “…”
The two at the door: “…”
The three of them looked at each other wordlessly, momentarily frozen by the awkwardness of the situation.
Finally, Qiu Shuhuai, acting as if nothing had happened, placed the two cats on the ground and then walked over to Jing Shiyue. After checking that her lips were fine, she pulled out a tissue to start cleaning the wet table.
The closeness brought Jing Shiyue’s familiar face and that enchanting scent into proximity, making Jing Shiyue’s heart flutter momentarily before she hastily stopped Qiu Shuhuai’s actions, saying with an uncomfortable expression, “You don’t have to do this; I’ll clean it up!”
Things weren’t the same between them as they used to be; how could she let a guest take care of such tasks?
Qiu Shuhuai, whose arm was grabbed, had a stiff expression. Standing straight and meeting Jing Shiyue’s gaze, the tip of her nose slowly began to turn red and sour.
She hadn’t seen her for such a long, long time, not since their last accidental encounter, and now, time seemed to have crawled by as slowly as a snail.
Looking at Qiu Shuhuai’s gaze, Jing Shiyue herself was also uncomfortable. She was the first to look away, but her eyes reddened at the corners.
She was a bit at a loss as to how to face this past lover.
Standing at the door, Jing Dan didn’t know if she should approach or if she should leave immediately, leaving space for the two of them.
Just as she hesitated, her phone rang. That little sound seemed to explode between those two, snapping them both back to reality.
