The Hand of Confession – Chapter 231

Volume 7: Days of Stargazing at the Inn

Red White Lotus¹

Take her out for a stroll²

Shen Maomao thought she might have been bewitched. Why else would she keep wanting to laugh for no reason?

The meal was ready. Shen Maomao patted Lou Jingmo’s shoulder, urging her to take off her apron and wash her hands, while she herself dutifully dished out the noodles and carried the bowls to the table.

By the time Lou Jingmo came out from washing her hands, she was already sitting obediently at the table, swinging her legs.

Lou Jingmo sat down beside her. Shen Maomao held two chopsticks in her mouth and beamed at her. In that moment, she didn’t look much like a rabbit, but rather a little fox that had just stolen the cream.

“Why are you smiling so slyly?” Lou Jingmo asked inexplicably as she picked up her bowl.

Shen Maomao cupped her face and gazed at her. “Lou-jie, I think if gods really exist… then we must be guilty of a crime.”

Lou Jingmo looked at her in surprise. “Are you having an episode?”

Shen Maomao shot her a glare and said morosely, “Look, a perfect woman like me is together with a perfect woman like you. Isn’t that a sin?”

Lou Jingmo was speechless.

She glanced at Shen Maomao, and though she said nothing, her eyes clearly conveyed the message: Are you out of your mind?

Shen Maomao rolled her eyes. “You’re not even happy when I compliment you. I really don’t get how you have a girlfriend.”

Who cares why? Lou Jingmo thought. The fact is, I have one. Certain people weren’t asking why I had a girlfriend when they were climbing into my bed.

Perhaps Shen Maomao thought she couldn’t do anything to her? Was she not confident in herself, or was she too confident in her self-control?

Lou Jingmo put down her bowl. She decided she ought to think of a way to teach this little brat a lesson.

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Time in the real world always passed by quickly. June had pranced away, leaving only its short little tail behind.

Shen Maomao was about to graduate and had to return to school ahead of time—with Lou Jingmo, of course.

They checked into the hotel where they used to meet frequently. The next day, they woke up bright and early and went to the university hand in hand.

Late June was the period just before final exams. There were very few people wandering around campus. Most students were immersed in a sea of books, studying day and night, wishing they could photocopy the contents of their textbooks directly into their brains.

In such a tense atmosphere, the two of them, strolling leisurely, appeared particularly out of place.

Holding a parasol, Shen Maomao linked arms with Lou Jingmo, chattering happily about things that happened at her school.

“See this patch of grass? Residents from nearby would often bring all sorts of pets here for a walk. They wouldn’t clean up the poop afterward, and the whole lawn started to reek. The smell of all kinds of animal sh#t fermenting together…”

Lou Jingmo said, “Can you not be so graphic? Or switch to a less disgusting topic? Shen Maomao, don’t you think you’re a real mood-killer?”

Shen Maomao giggled. “That’s why our school has banned walking dogs on campus now.”

Lou Jingmo felt that she and Shen Maomao must be true loves. If it were anyone else this toxic, she would have beaten them to death long ago.

They finally arrived at the classroom designated in the school notice. By this time, many people were already waiting inside.

Everyone was talking about which companies they had signed with or what offers they had received. Their words were filled with either pride or envy, making the classroom as chaotic as a large wet market.

As Shen Maomao pushed the door open, the male class president, who had been chatting with others at the front, raised his hand to greet her. “Hey? Shen Maomao? Come get your graduation certificate.”

With his announcement, everyone’s gaze naturally shifted to her, and by extension, to Lou Jingmo behind her.

Several boys in the class practically glued their eyes to Lou Jingmo, their thoughts blatantly obvious.

One boy asked frivolously, “Well, well? Who’s this great beauty behind you? Your bestie, Shen Maomao? Does she have a boyfriend? How about adding me on WeChat?”

After all, Lou Jingmo was genuinely beautiful. She had a great figure, was tall, and possessed a cool, aloof aura. She had a tempting maturity and sexiness that the young women who had yet to enter the workforce lacked. It was no surprise that she attracted attention.

No surprise, no surprise… yet Shen Maomao, who was repeating this to herself, currently felt like a suancaiyu³—sour all over. She desperately wanted to gouge out the eyes of those who were leering at Lou Jingmo.

What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a beauty before?

Lou Jingmo also frowned, clearly growing impatient.

Shen Maomao took two steps back, slung an arm around Lou Jingmo’s shoulder, and said to the boy with a roguish swagger, “What are you looking at? This is my girlfriend!”

The air seemed to fall silent for a moment. The people in the classroom looked at each other, unsure whether to break the awkward atmosphere.

Just then, someone muttered in a low voice, “A lesbian, huh,” instantly pushing the atmosphere to another peak of awkwardness.

In the end, it was the class president who stepped in to smooth things over. “Not bad, Shen Maomao. I haven’t even found a girlfriend yet, and you’ve already got one?”

Shen Maomao smiled sweetly at him. “Of course. I’ll send you an invitation when we get married.”

Hearing this, Lou Jingmo glanced at her with a hint of surprise.

The class president just laughed, not taking her seriously, and changed the subject. “By the way, do you have Ren Yue’s phone number? She didn’t reply to the message about the last-minute classroom change, isn’t answering private messages, and seems to have changed her number. We can’t get in touch with her at all…”

Shen Maomao’s smile faded slightly. “That, I really don’t know. We haven’t been in contact for a long time.”

A classmate behind her, failing to notice the displeasure in her expression, foolishly teased, “Did you ghost your roommate for your girlfriend?”

Shen Maomao replied theatrically, “Well, my darling here has a petty heart and gets jealous easily…” Her comment was immediately met with a chorus of boos.

After a bit more chatter, the crowd shifted their focus, turning their attention to another girl who had also brought her partner. Her boyfriend was quite famous—the department grass⁴ of their faculty. Naturally, this was more gossip-worthy than Shen Maomao bringing a girlfriend.

Shen Maomao led Lou Jingmo to an empty desk and sat down. She asked a nearby classmate, “What time are we taking the graduation photos?”

The classmate answered, “The advisor and the League Branch Secretary⁵ went to rent the gowns. Class One is going first, then our class. We’ll probably have to wait a while.”

After waiting in the classroom for about half an hour, her advisor hadn’t arrived, but Ren Yue and their two other roommates did.

Though it had only been a short time since they last met, Ren Yue had changed dramatically.

She had become thin and frail; her slender arms and legs looked as if a gust of wind could knock her over. Her skin was pale, her cheeks slightly sunken, and she had large, dark circles under her eyes. She looked utterly exhausted, as if she had just recovered from a major illness, appearing haggard beyond recognition.

One stood at the door, the other sat in the far corner by the window. Their eyes met across the entire classroom before Ren Yue was the first to look away, making no pretense of a greeting.

The other two roommates, who had been about to call out to Shen Maomao, froze awkwardly with their hands half-raised, not knowing whether to lift them or put them down.

Shen Maomao smiled at them, then also withdrew her gaze and turned to play with Lou Jingmo’s fingers.

There were four of them in the dorm room. Although they all talked, they mostly paired off. She had spent four years trying to be friends with Ren Yue, only for it to end in a complete mess.

Sometimes, putting myself in her shoes, she thought, if I were the one pulled into the game first, if I had gotten Judas, would I have let Lou Jingmo enter the game to replace me?

The answer was obviously no.

Perhaps it wasn’t a problem with her social skills, but that Ren Yue was inherently selfish and self-serving.

A short while later, the advisor walked into the classroom with the League Branch Secretary and the Academic Affairs Representative⁶, carrying a large pile of clothes.

The advisor first did a roll call. After confirming everyone was present, he began to give a speech. He summarized their past achievements, lamented the swift passage of time, and finally wished every student a bright and prosperous future. His words moved the more sentimental girls in the class to tears.

Lou Jingmo quietly tickled Shen Maomao’s palm and whispered, “Why aren’t you crying?”

Shen Maomao whispered back, “Cry about what? I can’t even name everyone in this class. My entire university life has been confined to my dorm room. What is there to be reluctant to leave?”

Lou Jingmo was perplexed. This university experience is a little different from what I imagined.

After the advisor’s speech, it was time for the graduation photos. Everyone put on their bachelor’s gowns and caps. The girls all busied themselves touching up their makeup. Shen Maomao was the only one who had brought nothing, as unconcerned as a guy.

Lou Jingmo took a light-colored lipstick out of her bag, forcibly held Shen Maomao down, and applied it for her. It instantly brightened up Shen Maomao’s delicate little face. Only then did she let her go for the photos.

After the formal group photo, those with good relationships started grabbing their friends, arranging to take personal souvenir pictures with their phones.

The other two girls from her dorm room approached, bringing a reluctant Ren Yue with them. One of them called out to her, “Shen Maomao! Come take a picture with us for old times’ sake! Your friend can help us take it!”

Without even looking at Ren Yue, Shen Maomao refused directly. “No thanks, I have something urgent to do…”

The other girl pleaded, “Just one photo, it won’t take long. We might not see each other again in the future, let’s just take one picture to remember this by! Besides, the graduation ceremony is later, where are you going? You don’t want your degree certificate anymore?”

Shen Maomao was speechless.

It was Lou Jingmo who took the initiative to take the roommate’s phone. “Go on,” she said. “Just stand on the side. Don’t get too close to anyone.”

The two roommates looked puzzled for a second.

Shen Maomao explained with a smile, “My girlfriend. She gets very jealous.”

The two were stunned for a moment, then quickly laughed. “Holy crap, you’re actually gay? I never would’ve guessed, Shen Maomao. Does that mean you were taking advantage of us all those times we showered together?”

Shen Maomao laughed and cursed, “Bullsh#t! I only just turned gay recently. Look at my girlfriend, do I need to take advantage of you two?”

Lou Jingmo gave her a very supportive smile.

The two girls silently shut their mouths and started organizing the positions for the photo.

Ren Yue, standing to the side, seemed a bit dazed, lost in her own thoughts.

Shen Maomao stood on the opposite end from her, separated by the other two roommates, putting as much distance between them as possible. She flashed a standard eight-toothed smile for Lou Jingmo.

After the picture was taken, Shen Maomao said goodbye to her two roommates, treating Ren Yue like she was invisible the entire time. The roommates seemed to have gotten the hint and tactfully didn’t try to keep her, watching as she disappeared from sight with her girlfriend’s arm linked through hers.

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