Good Morning
Good morning, Qiuqiu
When He Jinmei was going out in the morning, she saw a figure on the sofa. She rubbed her eyes, walked over suspiciously, and called out, “Lanlan?”
Jin Shuilan turned her head to look at her. She hadn’t rested the whole night, the corners of her eyes were slightly red, and she still had a faint smell of alcohol on her. He Jinmei saw her sitting alone on the sofa and was a bit bewildered: “How did you come? When did you arrive? Why didn’t you even give us a call?”
“Just arrived this morning.” Jin Shuilan said, “I didn’t sleep well last night and suddenly wanted to come over.”
He Jinmei nodded slightly and sat beside her: “What’s wrong? Did you argue with Qiuqiu?”
Jin Shuilan let out a laugh: “No.”
It was just that she learned some things last night, feeling both heartbroken and suppressed. After sitting idly in the study for a whole night yesterday, she took a taxi back this morning. Seeing that He Jinmei and Jin Wei were not yet awake, she didn’t disturb them, just sat alone on the sofa.
Jin Wei heard the movement outside the door and opened it: “Lanlan?”
“How did you come?” Jin Wei was curious: “Why didn’t you give me and your mom a call.”
He Jinmei turned her head to glance at him: “She’s here, so she’s here. Stop asking this and that. You go wash up, I’ll make breakfast. Lanlan ah, what do you want to eat?”
Jin Shuilan said: “Anything is fine.”
He Jinmei nodded: “Then I’ll steam some xiaolongbao1.”
Jin Wei didn’t speak, just went to the bathroom to wash up. He Jinmei went into the kitchen. Jin Shuilan thought for a few seconds and followed, sitting on a stool in the dining hall, just able to see He Jinmei’s busy figure.
From childhood to adulthood, she had always been in such an environment: warm, comfortable, with harmonious parents who were very good to her.
The more it was like this, the more her heart ached for Lu Zhenqiu. They had completely different pasts.
Last night, she didn’t reply to Lu Zhenqiu immediately because she knew that Lu Zhenqiu’s heart-knot2 should not be untied by her. Jin Shuilan glanced into the kitchen and called out: “Mom, is it ready?”
“It’ll be ready right away.” He Jinmei said: “I’ve put it in the pot to steam, we can eat in a little while. I’ve made you corn congee, it used to be your favorite. Why did you come alone, where’s Qiuqiu?”
Jin Shuilan looked at her for a moment, and instead of answering, she asked: “Mom, there’s something I’ve always been very curious about.”
He Jinmei put down the things in her hands, walked to her side, sat down, and turned her head to ask: “What is it?”
Jin Shuilan asked: “Why did you and Dad accept the fact that I like girls so quickly?”
He Jinmei sat beside her, lifted the ends of Jin Shuilan’s hair that had fallen on her shoulder, and tucked them back, revealing her ear. Her fingers were warm, feeling cozy next to her ear. He Jinmei said: “Why couldn’t we accept it?”
“Afraid of others’ gossip, afraid of others’ strange looks, afraid that others would think there’s something wrong with you.” He Jinmei said: “Lanlan ah, there are indeed many people like that.”
Especially among their relatives, who said that Jin Shuilan actually liked girls, and that a perfectly good family business was going to be ruined by her hands.
The Jin family would have no heir.
Jin Shuilan is unfilial. Even if she’s a homosexual, she could still get married and have a child. How could a perfectly good girl like women? She must have psychological problems.
Some didn’t dare to say it to their faces, but gossiped endlessly behind their backs, pointing fingers at them.
Some asked directly upon meeting them, even saying that they must have failed in raising their child, which is why they have a daughter who likes women.
Weren’t they angry? Angry! But what was infuriating wasn’t Jin Shuilan’s sexual orientation, but those prejudices.
He Jinmei patted her shoulder: “But those are all other people, not us.”
“A person lives for a lifetime, how many decades is that? In those few decades, to be concerned about others’ opinions at every turn, isn’t that tiring?” He Jinmei said: “Back when your dad wanted to start Sanshui, so many people said you don’t understand anything about live streaming, you’re not even good at using the internet, what are you doing in the live streaming industry? But look, your dad is happy doing it, and isn’t Sanshui doing just fine?”
“Career and relationships, although they can’t be mentioned in the same breath, this kind of thing is like a person drinking water, only they know if it’s cold or warm3. If you feel happy, feel that it’s good, and can be with the person you like for a long, long time, then that’s enough. If we really forced you to get married, what would be the result?”
She said half-jokingly and half-seriously: “You have this stubborn temper, just like your dad. If we really pushed you to the edge and you were gone, where would I find someone to support me in my old age?”
Jin Shuilan smiled, her expression much clearer. She said: “Mom, in a little while there’s an art exhibition in Nan City4, do you want to go see it?”
He Jinmei nodded: “Okay.”
Jin Shuilan accompanied the two of them for breakfast. During the meal, Jin Wei asked about Lu Zhenqiu. She thought for a moment and said: “In the future, we’ll come back together in the future.”
If Lu Zhenqiu is willing to give her a chance.
Lu Zhenqiu woke up and sat on the bed for quite a while. It had been a long time since she had the feeling of insomnia. In the few days right after breaking up with Tang Yingxia, she was pulled by Jin Shuilan to play games and watch TV series, each time until midnight, so she didn’t even have time to have insomnia. Last night was a rare occasion. She lay in bed listening for any movement outside the door. In fact, there wasn’t much movement; the soundproofing was too good, or Jin Shuilan’s movements were too small, she could hardly hear any sound.
Maomao squeezed over and licked her chin. Lu Zhenqiu rubbed its head, got out of bed, and pulled open the window. The weather was very good, the sun was shining high, and her gloomy mood also improved a lot.
Lu Zhenqiu got up to wash, opened the door, and didn’t see Jin Shuilan. She breathed a sigh of relief. After saying those things last night, she didn’t know how to face her this morning.
Maomao, however, was used to first going to Jin Shuilan’s door to paw at it a couple of times. Lu Zhenqiu quickly pulled it back. There was no movement at all in Jin Shuilan’s room, she didn’t know if she was still sleeping. After finishing washing up, Lu Zhenqiu turned her head to look at Jin Shuilan’s room again. During this period, Jin Shuilan’s schedule was very regular, sleeping early and waking up early. Sometimes, as soon as she opened her door, she would see Jin Shuilan smiling at her: “Good morning, Qiuqiu.”
Good morning, Teacher Jin.
She looked at the empty living room and lowered her head to make breakfast.
The living room was quiet, with only the faint sound of the television. After finishing breakfast, Lu Zhenqiu received a call from a colleague from the film crew, asking if she had gone to see the pet store. Lu Zhenqiu didn’t have time the past few days, but she was free today, so she said she could go take a look. The colleague giggled and also asked on the phone: “Is Teacher Jin going with you?”
She bit her lip: “There’s no such thing.”
The colleague heard that something was off in her voice and didn’t dare to ask anymore, just obediently hung up the phone.
Lu Zhenqiu clicked into Weibo. Her private messages were stuffed full, several thousand of them, she couldn’t look at them one by one. There were also some seeking cooperation. After replying to a few, Lu Zhenqiu saw the Weibo post that Ji Zibo sent yesterday.
【Crew team building, happy.】
The background was Zhang Xin’s concert, it was taken at the South Gate. Many people from the crew were standing together. Ji Zibo was at the front making a V-sign with her hand, and the other people also had smiles on their faces.
【I told you the crew went together, right? Why insist on dragging in some date between Teacher Jin and Zhenqiu.】
【It really is a crew team building, I guessed right!】
【But have you guys not noticed that Teacher Jin and Zhenqiu aren’t in this picture?】
【They just went late, what’s the problem with that.】
【Okay okay, don’t guess randomly. If there really was something going on, how could Teacher Ji so quickly say it was a crew team building? It shows that neither Teacher Jin nor Qiuqiu have any intentions in that regard, which is why she clarified.】
【I heard from someone in the crew that their relationship is very good.】
【In my lifetime, I’m dreaming of Teacher Jin going public online!】
In the hearts of her fans, Jin Shuilan was the king of being single and solitary. The number of authors who had confessed to her, and publicly at that, was if not ten, then at least eight, but she had never responded. One time, anonymously, a fan asked her why she didn’t reply. She said she was afraid that if she replied, the other person would be angered to tears.
Straight girl + solitary, this was everyone’s impression of her love life.
Even Ji Zibo, who had collaborated with her the most, said that it was hard to imagine what Teacher Jin would be like in a relationship, estimating that she would probably anger her girlfriend into running away within two days.
Lu Zhenqiu silently scrolled through the comments one by one. Every time she saw the three words “Teacher Jin”, she would pause for a few seconds, then scroll past.
Although Jin Shuilan did not appear in the picture, the words mentioning her were the most numerous. Lu Zhenqiu also saw that the reading blogger from yesterday had also popped up in the comment section.
【Heartbroken——crying so loudly, I really like Qiuqiu and Teacher Jin, the two of them are a perfect match!】
A perfect match?
Lu Zhenqiu unknowingly sat for over half an hour. When she stood up, her legs were numb. She sat on the sofa, rubbing her calves, and suddenly thought of the expression on Jin Shuilan’s face when she was rubbing her ankle, so serious and focused, as if she were doing something very important.
Lu Zhenqiu kneaded her legs for a few minutes and they slowly recovered. Hua Luo gave her a call, her voice muffled and unclear: “Qiuqiu ah, are you free this morning?”
She asked: “What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t we agree to buy a gift for Teacher Jin?” Hua Luo said, rubbing her eyes: “Can we do it this morning?”
Lu Zhenqiu said: “I have to go to the pet store in a bit.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you, and then we can go buy the gift together.”
Lu Zhenqiu hummed in agreement. Hua Luo said: “Should I call Xiao Yu? The three of us haven’t gotten together in a long time.”
“Got it.” Lu Zhenqiu agreed. Hua Luo happily went to call Xiao Yu. The three of them arranged to meet at the entrance of the pet store. Lu Zhenqiu put down her phone and went back to her room to change clothes. Maomao bounced around her legs happily, seeming to know it could go out. Lu Zhenqiu casually found a purple fur-collared shirt and jeans, and put on a down jacket over them. Although the sun outside was nice, she still dressed very warmly. When she went to the door to change her shoes, Maomao leaned against her side. Lu Zhenqiu led it out.
The window in the hallway was open. As soon as she stepped out, there was a blast of cold air, chilly and brisk. Lu Zhenqiu walked over and half-closed the window, then waited for the elevator to come up.
Floor by floor by floor.
The numbers kept changing, jumping from odd to even. Lu Zhenqiu tightened her grip on Maomao’s leash, her expression calm. The elevator arrived with a ding and slowly opened. A person was standing inside.
For a moment, Lu Zhenqiu didn’t react.
When Maomao saw Jin Shuilan, it barked happily, woof woof woof, and rushed in excitedly, rubbing back and forth against Jin Shuilan, a whining sound coming from its throat. They had only been apart for one night, but it seemed very enthusiastic.
Lu Zhenqiu was pulled by it, her body stumbling. She supported herself with one hand on the side of the elevator and barely managed to stand firm, making eye contact with Jin Shuilan.
Jin Shuilan was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, her long hair draped over her shoulders. She lowered herself to rub Maomao’s body, her head slightly raised, the gaze under her bangs clear. Her thin lips parted slightly: “Good morning, Qiuqiu.”
It was still the familiar greeting, so familiar it felt unreal.
Lu Zhenqiu gripped Maomao’s leash tightly, her fingers exerting force, tightening, her knuckles turning white. Her voice was slightly hoarse: “Good morning, Teacher Jin.”
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes, memeda.
Lu Zhenqiu: Is this a dream?
Jin Shuilan: It’s not.
Lu Zhenqiu: Why not?
Jin Shuilan: In a dream, I wouldn’t be this gentle to you.
Lu Zhenqiu: …
✨ Unlock Early Access to Chapters! ✨
Choose your perfect membership at bamboopandatl.net:
📚 Full Access ($4.99)
• Advanced chapters of ALL ongoing novels
• Access to complete finished novels
• Ad-free reading experience
📖 Single Novel Access ($1.49)
• Advanced chapters of ONE specific novel
• Ad-free reading for chosen novel
PayPal is the only current payment option!