Illusion
Teacher Jin, do you have time?
“Teacher Jin, I… she…” Just as Lu Zhenqiu started to speak, Jin Shuilan said, “She’s young and speaks carelessly. Don’t mind her.”
Effortlessly diffusing the awkward atmosphere, Lu Zhenqiu realized that Jin Shuilan’s grace was truly exceptional. When she was with her, there would never be a truly mortifying moment. Even if one second she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, the next second Jin Shuilan would be able to pick up the conversation.
Lu Zhenqiu gave a slight nod.
Jin Shuilan said, “She probably heard it from my mom. My family has been very keen on arranging blind dates for me recently.”
Oh…
So the blind dates she mentioned were real, not a specially made-up excuse.
Thinking of her earlier speculation, Lu Zhenqiu only felt more embarrassed. She lowered her head. The game wasn’t over yet; her healer character was following behind the marksman, and the game’s sound effects looped in the living room.
“There’s someone here.” Jin Shuilan’s voice drifted over. Lu Zhenqiu turned her head and didn’t notice when Jin Shuilan had sat down beside her. Seeing she didn’t react, Jin Shuilan reached out and tapped the second skill on the screen. Her fingers were slender and long, her nails trimmed into a rounded shape and coated with a protective oil that shimmered with a glossy sheen.
Lu Zhenqiu noticed that the shape of Jin Shuilan’s hands was very beautiful, with well-defined knuckles.
The red-named player1 in the game was forced out of the brush by the second skill and retreated two steps. Jin Shuilan leaned forward half an inch. Lu Zhenqiu lowered her gaze, and Jin Shuilan’s side profile filled her vision. Her eyelashes were distinct, root by root; her skin was a cool, pale white; her thin lips were pressed together; and the light cast a shadow by the wing of her nose, an interplay of light and dark.
The two were too close; Lu Zhenqiu’s nose was filled with Jin Shuilan’s crisp, clean scent. Though it was a very faint scent, for the first time, she found it intense. Lu Zhenqiu retracted her gaze, handed the phone over, and said, “Teacher Jin, you play.”
A phone was stuffed into Jin Shuilan’s hand. The body of the phone was very hot; she didn’t know if it was because of the phone itself, or the warmth of Lu Zhenqiu’s palm.
She nodded. “Alright, I’ll play then.”
Lu Zhenqiu agreed and shifted to the side. A few seconds later, she got up, went to her room to get her pajamas, and as she entered the bathroom, she glanced to the side. Jin Shuilan was leaning against the sofa, her figure slender, with narrow shoulders and a slim waist. Her beautiful hair was loose behind her, revealing a part of her side profile. Lu Zhenqiu pressed her lips together. Ever since she learned of Jin Shuilan’s feelings and the balance of their friendship was broken, she could no longer be as composed around Jin Shuilan as she had been before.
If it were Xiao Yu or Hua Luo, she would have felt that a distance like that just now was completely fine, but when Jin Shuilan got close, it was hard for her not to be conscious of it.
Lu Zhenqiu sighed softly and lowered her head as she entered the bathroom.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Jin Shuilan looked back. The game had just ended, and the victory special effects sounded in the living room. Her cousin sent a message: [Saozi, are you still playing?]
She turned on the voice chat. “Not anymore.”
Her cousin let out a cry of surprise. “Sis, you’re back? Where did you just go?”
Jin Shuilan: “I went to the restroom.”
Her cousin: “Oh, that was saozi just now, right? Why didn’t you tell me? Good thing I didn’t say anything reckless.”
Still say you didn’t say anything reckless? What you said was completely out of line.
Jin Shuilan glanced in the direction of the bathroom but didn’t reply. Her cousin muttered, “Sis, why aren’t you talking? I didn’t say anything just now, I swear.”
“I know,” Jin Shuilan said. “Get some rest early.”
Her cousin instantly broke into a mischievous grin. “Got it, got it! You two are about to have some nightlife!”
What nightlife!
She’s really asking for it2, daring to say anything.
Jin Shuilan was so exasperated she laughed. “I’m logging off.”
“Go ahead. Oh right, Sis, let me ask one last question.”
Jin Shuilan hummed in confusion. Her cousin asked, “Between you and her, who takes the lead in bed?”
The lobes of her ears, hidden behind her hair, began to burn. Especially with the trickling sound of water from the bathroom accompanying this question, Jin Shuilan’s thoughts instantly went astray. She said in annoyance, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“How is it nonsense? You’re already sleeping together, I just…” Jin Shuilan couldn’t listen anymore. Without giving the other person a chance to speak, she closed the game directly.
The entire living room fell silent at once, making the sound of running water from the bathroom seem exceptionally clear. Jin Shuilan sat stiffly for a few seconds, her face slightly flushed. She walked to the balcony and opened the window. Cold wind poured in, and she instantly felt much calmer.
Maomao leaned against her, tilting its head up as if waiting to be petted. Jin Shuilan stroked its head. Maomao whimpered twice, seemingly very comfortable. When Lu Zhenqiu came out of the bathroom, she saw Maomao lying comfortably beside Jin Shuilan. Jin Shuilan was sitting on a chair by the balcony, the window half-open. Wind blew in, along with a few snowflakes.
She had raised Maomao for several years and knew its temperament. It was especially well-behaved and easy to get close to people, but the person Maomao was closest to was still her. In the past, when Tang Yingxia visited her rental apartment, Maomao would always squat by her side and rarely approached Tang Yingxia on its own.
But since moving here, Maomao’s relationship with Jin Shuilan seemed to be even better. As soon as it was let out, it loved to squat at the door of Jin Shuilan’s study. Sometimes it would also lie at the door of Jin Shuilan’s room. As long as the door was open and Jin Shuilan hadn’t come out, Maomao would slip inside, stand by the bed wagging its tail, and wait for Jin Shuilan to come out to follow her around. In the past, when she took a shower, Maomao would definitely squat at the bathroom door to guard her. Now, it had gone with Jin Shuilan.
Even now that she had come out of the shower, Maomao hadn’t noticed.
She figured it was because Jin Shuilan took it out for a walk every afternoon, so it had become a bit dependent on her.
Lu Zhenqiu’s mind wandered as she stood motionless. The cold wind made her sneeze. She rubbed the tip of her nose and saw Jin Shuilan look over. She asked, “Aren’t you cold, Teacher Jin?”
“It’s fine,” Jin Shuilan said. “I just wanted to get some air.”
After speaking, she looked at Lu Zhenqiu. Lu Zhenqiu was wearing light gray pajamas. The apartment had heating, so she wasn’t dressed very thickly; it was just a thin spring and summer style. It was very loose, but because she had just showered, there was still some water that hadn’t been dried off, so the fabric clung to her skin, the curve of her waist faintly visible. Without even walking over, Jin Shuilan felt as if she could smell the fragrance of shower gel.
Her mind once again went to that damned “nightlife” and “who takes the lead in bed.”
Even with the cold wind blowing, Jin Shuilan still felt hot. With a whoosh, she slid the window shut and said to Lu Zhenqiu, “You should go back to your room and rest. I’m going to take a bath.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded.
As Jin Shuilan passed by Lu Zhenqiu, she added, “It’s going to snow tomorrow morning. You should come to the studio with me; it’ll be hard to get a taxi.”
Lu Zhenqiu said “oh.” “Let’s decide tomorrow morning.”
Jin Shuilan didn’t say more, nodded, and went to the bathroom. Lu Zhenqiu called Maomao and took it into her room. She lay on the bed. Compared to yesterday’s guilt, panic, and helplessness, she was much calmer today. It was also Jin Shuilan’s attitude that had put her at ease. Jin Shuilan’s excellent grace meant that, even after being rejected, they had not fallen into a more awkward situation.
Lu Zhenqiu hugged Maomao, their heads touching. Outside, the wind howled, but the room was warm and quiet.
The next day, it was indeed sleeting3 again. Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t take Maomao out. Maomao lay by the window, breathing onto the glass, clearly wanting to go out very much. But it also knew it couldn’t, so it didn’t make a fuss or paw at the door, just lay by the window looking left and right. When Jin Shuilan woke up, Lu Zhenqiu had just finished hanging up the laundry. She walked over and asked, “Is Maomao not going out today?”
“It’s too cold,” Lu Zhenqiu said. “Not going out.”
Jin Shuilan nodded. “What time are you going to the studio?”
Lu Zhenqiu: “I’ll go right after breakfast.”
Jin Shuilan said, “I’ll go with you.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Okay.”
After eating breakfast, the two got into the car together. Lu Zhenqiu sat in the back seat. Jin Shuilan glanced at the empty front passenger seat but said nothing, simply placing her bag on it. By the time they arrived at the studio, Ji Zibo was already there, holding a pen and taking a headcount for the wrap party. Lu Zhenqiu still remembered the gathering when she first joined the crew. In the blink of an eye, this show was about to end. A faint sense of reluctance suddenly washed over her. Ji Zibo had to call her name twice before she snapped out of it.
“Qiuqiu, are you coming or not?”
Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t confirm her schedule, so she tentatively agreed. Most of the others were going; after all, it was a rare opportunity for them to work with Jin Shuilan and Ji Zibo, so they certainly wouldn’t miss a chance to get together. After finishing the count, Ji Zibo returned to the break room. There weren’t many people left inside. She placed the notebook on the table, saw that Lu Zhenqiu was reading her script, and called out, “Qiuqiu.”
Lu Zhenqiu looked up and heard Ji Zibo ask, “Do you like Teacher Zhang Xin’s songs?”
They had mentioned it during a casual chat.
Lu Zhenqiu said, “Yes, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Ji Zibo smiled. “Teacher Zhang Xin is coming for a concert, did you know?”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “Does Teacher Ji want to go too?”
Ji Zibo nodded. “I asked Bai Mao to get me tickets. Do you want one?”
Jin Shuilan, who was sitting opposite Lu Zhenqiu, looked up and glanced at Lu Zhenqiu, hearing her say, “I’ve already asked Teacher Bai to buy tickets for me.”
Ji Zibo said, “Alright then.”
Someone called for her from outside the door. Ji Zibo put down her pen and paper and went out. The staff members in the break room left in twos and threes until almost everyone was gone, leaving only Jin Shuilan and Lu Zhenqiu. The door was open, and people came and went in the hallway, their footsteps noisy.
Lu Zhenqiu lowered her head, her fingers clutching the edge of the script, twisting the paper out of shape. The other concert ticket was originally for Jin Shuilan. It was also because of Jin Shuilan that she had the opportunity to buy tickets in advance. Logically and reasonably, she should ask her.
Thinking this way was not a problem, and doing it was not a problem either, but when the words reached her lips, she could never say them. The words on the script in front of Lu Zhenqiu seemed to warp, becoming as indecipherable as a book from heaven4. She couldn’t take in a single character; her mind was completely preoccupied with the matter of the ticket.
Jin Shuilan called out, “Qiuqiu?”
Lu Zhenqiu snapped back to reality. “Huh?”
Jin Shuilan looked toward the door. “It’s your turn to record.”
Lu Zhenqiu looked over. Ji Zibo’s assistant was standing at the doorway, smiling and waving at her. It seemed she was afraid of Jin Shuilan, so she didn’t dare to come in. Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Coming.”
After speaking, she stood up, packed her script into her bag, and as she was leaving, she took a few steps out before turning back and calling, “Teacher Jin.”
Jin Shuilan’s hand, which had been scrolling on a screen, paused. She looked up, her eyes meeting Lu Zhenqiu’s. Lu Zhenqiu said, “About that concert ticket, Teacher Bai has already given it to me. If Teacher Jin has time…”
“I have time.” Jin Shuilan spoke before Lu Zhenqiu could finish, her gaze burning and bright. Lu Zhenqiu met those eyes and fell silent for a moment, hearing Jin Shuilan’s clear voice repeat, “I have time.”
Lu Zhenqiu pressed her lips together.
It was probably because Jin Shuilan was so earnest—so earnest that Lu Zhenqiu fell under an illusion.
She had clearly only asked if Jin Shuilan had time to go to a concert, yet now she had the absurd feeling that she had just asked Jin Shuilan out on a date.
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes, memeda! Your slow-poke author5 has a second update today, surprise!
Jin Shuilan: Isn’t going to a concert a date?
Lu Zhenqiu: ????
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