Raising a Dog
Teacher Jin, are you raising this dog?
Lu Zhenqiu was genuinely a little angry. Angry that Jin Shuilan wasn’t honest, angry that she had been like a fool. She was both angry and heartbroken. The memory of telling Jin Shuilan to her face that it wasn’t because Jiang Cha1 liked Tang Yingxia was undoubtedly another vicious stab. Thinking of this, she became angry at herself.
Jin Shuilan could neither cry nor laugh. When she tried to talk to Lu Zhenqiu, Lu Zhenqiu would just roll her eyes at her and even refused to sleep in the same bed at night. Jin Shuilan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. In the dead of the night, she turned to look at the person on the other bed and called out softly, “Qiuqiu.”
Lu Zhenqiu didn’t answer, but Jin Shuilan knew she wasn’t asleep; her breathing wasn’t as steady as it usually was when she was sleeping.
Lu Zhenqiu was indeed awake, but she ignored her, simply turning over to face away from Jin Shuilan. Jin Shuilan clutched her own blanket, hesitated for a few seconds, then threw it off and walked over to Lu Zhenqiu’s side. She looked down and said, “You barely ate any dinner tonight. Are you hungry?”
“Not hungry,” Lu Zhenqiu replied sullenly. Jin Shuilan placed a hand on her shoulder. When Lu Zhenqiu still didn’t respond, Jin Shuilan simply lifted Lu Zhenqiu’s blanket and slipped in beside her. Lu Zhenqiu sat up halfway, slightly astonished. “What are you doing?”
Jin Shuilan turned her head to the side. “I was sleepwalking.”
What a bizarre excuse.
Lu Zhenqiu almost laughed in spite of herself, forcing her expression to remain stern. Jin Shuilan apologized, “Qiuqiu, I’m sorry.”
It would have been better if she hadn’t said anything. The moment she did, Lu Zhenqiu’s eyes reddened again. She said in a low, slightly choked voice, “I don’t want to hear you apologize.”
Jin Shuilan asked, “Then what do you want to hear?”
Lu Zhenqiu replied, “I don’t want to hear anything.”
Jin Shuilan shook her head. “Anything but that.”
Lu Zhenqiu pinched her waist, not daring to use much force, but Jin Shuilan still let out a little “Aiya!”. Lu Zhenqiu quickly looked down, and Jin Shuilan took the opportunity to lean in and give her a kiss.
“Jin Shuilan!” Lu Zhenqiu exclaimed, annoyed. Jin Shuilan wrapped her arms around her, gently pulling her down to lie on the bed. “Qiuqiu, don’t think about the past anymore.”
Every time she thought about it, she would regret it all over again.
If she had known Tang Yingxia would treat Lu Zhenqiu like that, she would have played the villain back then. Even if it would have made Lu Zhenqiu suffer and feel miserable, she would have definitely told her the truth.
It wouldn’t have led to her being deceived for two years.
Looking back on these two years, it wasn’t just Lu Zhenqiu who felt upset and pained—she felt even more heartache. It was that cup of ginger tea she’d given, a case of yin wrong and yang mistaken2, that gave Tang Yingxia the opportunity.
Jin Shuilan said, “Qiuqiu, sometimes I wonder if all your misfortune these past two years was caused by me.”
“It wasn’t.” Lu Zhenqiu’s heart ached for her. She shook her head. “It was my own choice.”
Jin Shuilan opened her lips. “But…”
Before she could finish her “but,” Lu Zhenqiu turned over, hugged her, and kissed her on the lips. Jin Shuilan’s voice caught in her throat, and she didn’t speak again. Lu Zhenqiu wrapped both arms around her waist, closed her eyes, and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her earlobes.
Jin Shuilan wanted to close her eyes and enjoy it, but she also wanted to see Lu Zhenqiu clearly in this moment.
Having spent the last two days with Jin Shuilan, Lu Zhenqiu had learned quite a bit of ‘knowledge.’ She lowered her head, her fingertips moving nimbly, tracing paths over pale skin. The skin she touched trembled as if a current of electricity shot through the body. Jin Shuilan gripped Lu Zhenqiu’s shoulders, about to turn from guest to host3 and pin her down, when Lu Zhenqiu looked up at her and said, “We can’t do it.”
Jin Shuilan, who had been aroused to a fever pitch, was stunned to hear this. “Why?”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “My relatives have come4.”
Jin Shuilan stared at her blankly and muttered, “When did they arrive?”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “Just now.”
It dawned on Jin Shuilan. She began, “Qiuqiu…”
Lu Zhenqiu rolled over and pulled the blanket over herself. “Let’s sleep.”
How could anyone sleep now?
Jin Shuilan snuggled up to Lu Zhenqiu, took her hand, and interlaced their fingers. Her fingertips occasionally brushed against Lu Zhenqiu’s skin. Jin Shuilan said, “Qiuqiu, can’t you ask them to come a few days later?”
Lu Zhenqiu gently refused. “No.”
Jin Shuilan nibbled her earlobe. “Then when are they leaving?”
Lu Zhenqiu’s breathing grew shallow. She drew in a sharp breath, her ears burning. “I don’t know. Maybe they don’t want to leave.”
Jin Shuilan cried, “Qiuqiu.”
Lu Zhenqiu turned her head. “What? You’re allowed to trick me, but I’m not allowed to trick you? I’ll just trick… Mmph… Jin…”
For the few days Lu Zhenqiu was at the hotel, aside from going to the film set, Jin Shuilan’s feet did not leave the door5. She had no idea how the crew found out her girlfriend had come to visit. Her colleagues’ gazes were very suggestive, but Jin Shuilan was like the moon bright and the wind clear6, her expression perfectly normal. In fact, she made the colleagues who wanted to tease her feel embarrassed themselves, and they scurried away dejectedly.
The film crew had a day off on Tuesday, so they could have gone home then. But Jin Shuilan, thinking about how Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t gone out at all since arriving, took her to visit some nearby scenic spots after the break began. There were many crews filming nearby, and they ran into quite a few celebrities. Sometimes, if Lu Zhenqiu looked for a second too long, she would hear the person beside her ask, “Are they good-looking?”
If she said yes, she would be tormented in all sorts of ways when they got back. So Lu Zhenqiu’s standard reply was, “Not as good-looking as you.”
Jin Shuilan would then be perfectly content and lead her to the next spot.
Lu Zhenqiu sometimes felt she was like a child, especially easy to coax. If only she were this easy to coax in bed, too. Every time, she would entangle her until she was half-dead.
The two of them stayed until the day before the livestream, when Ji Zibo called to ask if they had gone crazy playing and if they still remembered the radio drama. Lu Zhenqiu quickly apologized and said they were on their way back.
After they returned, Ji Zibo arranged a get-together. Lu Zhenqiu saw that Hua Luo and Bai Mao were acting awkwardly, ignoring each other. She curiously asked Xiao Yu, “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Yu shrugged. “I don’t know. Having a tiff, I guess.”
Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t been in much contact with them recently, but Hua Luo had seemed quite happy before she returned. Why was she like this now that they were meeting? Puzzled, she went to ask Hua Luo, who said, “It’s nothing. I’m just stressed out because my mom is trying to set me up on blind dates recently. I’m so envious of you.”
As she spoke, she hugged Lu Zhenqiu, seeking comfort in her arms. When Jin Shuilan and Ji Zibo returned to the private room, they saw the two of them embracing. Jin Shuilan gave a light cough. Hua Luo said, “Oh no, my scent is on you now. Teacher Jin won’t get angry, will she?”
What green tea words and green tea speech7.
Lu Zhenqiu laughed. Hearing that she could still joke around, she felt relieved. The dinner didn’t involve any major discussions, just catching up on recent trifles. When the topic turned to Jin Shuilan’s livestream, Bai Mao said, “Your magazine invited me too.”
Jin Shuilan turned her head. “Are you coming?”
Bai Mao was blunt and decisive. “I’m not.”
She was famous for not doing livestreams. It was the same no matter which magazine invited her. She would do a voice call, but not appear on camera. When she participated in screenwriting, she also generally avoided being photographed on set. There had never been an exception, so no one was surprised when she said she wasn’t going.
Ji Zibo said, “I wonder if I’ll ever get to see Teacher Bai livestream in this lifetime.”
Bai Mao said, “You can wait for the next life.”
Ji Zibo burst out laughing with a “pfft” sound. She raised her glass. “Let’s have one, let’s have one8.”
Jin Shuilan had her livestream the next day, so she didn’t drink much. Lu Zhenqiu, on the other hand, was in high spirits and was plied with drinks by Xiao Yu and Hua Luo. The two were delighted to learn that her relationship with Jin Shuilan had taken a step forward, and the alcohol flowed as if it were free. On the way back, Lu Zhenqiu was so drunk she fell right asleep.
Jin Shuilan helped her into the elevator. They went to her place. Maomao hadn’t been brought over yet. The door opened to darkness. She carried Lu Zhenqiu inside and placed her on the bed. Lu Zhenqiu was quite drunk and was still clamoring for a drink. Jin Shuilan chuckled. “I’ll pour you a drink.”
She went out and poured a glass of warm water, handing it to Lu Zhenqiu. Lu Zhenqiu sat on the edge of the bed, took a sip of the warm water, and turned her head.
She stared intently at Jin Shuilan.
Jin Shuilan was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Lu Zhenqiu complained, “Jin Shuilan, you tricked me again. This isn’t alcohol.”
After she finished speaking, she rubbed the tip of her nose. Jin Shuilan could neither cry nor laugh. It took a great deal of effort to coax Lu Zhenqiu to sleep. She lay down beside Lu Zhenqiu, holding her in her arms.
The weather was nice the next day. Lu Zhenqiu woke up with a headache, likely from drinking too much. They had originally planned to pick up Maomao today, but He Jinmei was worried about them driving and simply brought Maomao over herself.
When Maomao saw Qiuqiu, it was so excited it couldn’t find north9. It stuck to Lu Zhenqiu and refused to let go. Seeing this, Jin Shuilan thought to herself that it was a good thing they hadn’t picked him up last night.
Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t help but laugh at its antics, and the room filled with the sound of her cheerful laughter. He Jinmei reminded them to remember to come home for New Year’s Eve dinner and then left, saying she was going back to prepare for it.
At a little past two in the afternoon, Jin Shuilan was sitting in the study. On the screen was the host for the livestream, who was also an editor from the magazine. After greeting Jin Shuilan, she pulled her into the livestream room. The room had been packed with people for a while, and bullet comments were flying everywhere. When Jin Shuilan entered, the page froze for two seconds, filled with declarations of love. Lu Zhenqiu sat outside, watching on her phone. Jin Shuilan greeted everyone, “Good afternoon, everyone.”
【Ooh ooh ooh ooh, hello wife!】
【Teacher Jin, I’m here!】
【Good afternoon, Teacher Jin! Can I come to your place for a free meal?】
【I can’t even pay attention to the bullet comments, I’m just looking at Teacher Jin. How can someone be so beautiful!】
Lu Zhenqiu tapped on this comment, smiled with her lips pressed together, and then liked it.
Jin Shuilan lowered her head to adjust her audio and heard the editor say, “Good afternoon, Teacher Jin. For this livestream, we’ve also specially invited several guests. Would you like to try and guess who?”
Before she could guess, the bullet comments started guessing.
Jin Shuilan already had an idea of who it was. She intentionally guessed a few wrong names before guessing one correctly, maximizing the entertainment value. The editor chuckled, “How are you so clever, Teacher Jin!”
Tang Yingxia heard this sentence the moment she entered the livestream room. The hair on her body stood on end. She tried to force a smile onto her face but couldn’t manage one. The readers in the livestream were all greeting her. Tang Yingxia suppressed the rage in her heart and her resentment toward the magazine, trying her best to say to them calmly, “Good afternoon.”
As soon as she finished speaking, others chimed in. Jin Shuilan glanced sideways at Tang Yingxia and shook her right hand slightly. The background noise was loud, so no one heard this small movement, but Maomao did. It immediately rushed into the study excitedly. Jin Shuilan shifted the object in her hand to her left. Maomao passed by her, staying close and constantly letting out little ‘aow aow’ sounds.
They hadn’t seen each other for many days, and Maomao missed her. Seeing that Jin Shuilan didn’t throw its toy, it moved closer, wanting to lick her. Jin Shuilan pressed its head down with one hand, smiling gently. “Be good. Go play outside for a bit. I’m livestreaming.”
The bullet comments went wild. 【Teacher Jin is so gentle】.
【Teacher Jin’s comforting words ahhhhhhh, WSL!10】
When Lu Zhenqiu saw Maomao appear on screen, her expression changed slightly. She immediately looked toward the study and called out softly, “Maomao!”
Maomao sat panting beside Jin Shuilan. Lu Zhenqiu’s voice was too quiet for it to hear. Jin Shuilan casually reached out and ruffled its head. The editor saw this and laughed, saying, “Teacher Jin, are you raising this dog? It’s so cute!”
Jin Shuilan faced the screen, her gaze clear and bright, and smiled faintly. “I’m not the one raising it.”
She explained in a gentle tone, “My girlfriend is.”
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes, memeda.
Jin Shuilan: Aiya, how did Maomao get into my room? Strange.
Lu Zhenqiu: ……
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