Every eye in the room was fixed on Cheng Luo. If stares were physical objects, she likely would have been poked full of holes by now.
The most agitated among them was Zhai Qing’s father. Suppressing his fury, he said, “Qingqing, stop joking with your father. Who is this girl? She’s one of your employees, isn’t she?”
But Zhai Qing had no intention of following his lead. She cut straight to the point. “I love her, and she loves me. I fell deeply for her the first moment I saw her. Dad, you won’t disapprove, will you? I have finally found my happiness.” As she spoke, she used her height advantage to pull Cheng Luo into her arms from behind, looking for all the world like a couple deeply in love.
Zhai’s father was so angry he could no longer maintain his composure. With a cold snort, he let his assistant support him as he walked away, leaving a large crowd behind.
A man in a wine-red suit stepped forward to take control of the situation. “Uncle was just so surprised by the news that he needed a moment to calm his heart. Please, everyone, don’t worry.”
The guests weren’t fools; many looked as though they wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. Before long, the crowd dispersed to resume their socializing.
Zhai Qing didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until her father’s back had completely vanished from the banquet hall. Her tensed shoulders finally relaxed, and only then did she realize she still had Cheng Luo circled in her arms.
She quickly let go and took a few steps back. “I’m sorry. That was sudden. I hope I didn’t scare you.”
Cheng Luo remained motionless with her back turned.
As for Cheng Luo’s current state, if someone were to light a match near her, she could have blasted off into another galaxy at speeds rivaling a rocket. That was her first kiss, the only first kiss of her life, and it had been taken away just like that.
“What’s wrong, Cheng Luo? What’s the matter!” Zhai Qing watched as the girl’s face turned from red to white. Soon, Cheng Luo was gasping for air, her chest heaving in a way that looked quite terrifying.
Zhai Qing quickly covered Cheng Luo’s mouth with her hand and whispered in her ear, “Relax, relax. Breathe gently!”
Cheng Luo gradually slowed her breathing. She leaned weakly into Zhai Qing’s arms, her voice as faint as a mosquito. “You, those things you just said,” she started.
“They were all fake. I just made them up,” Zhai Qing said to put her at ease.
“Oh.” Cheng Luo’s heart settled, but a secret sense of loss rose within her. She tilted her head back, and her eyes landed on Zhai Qing’s thin, pale pink lips as they moved. Just moments ago, those lips had touched hers. It had felt warm and soft.
Cheng Luo quickly shook her head to suppress the strange thoughts popping up in her mind. Only then did she realize she was still held in Zhai Qing’s embrace, with a lean arm resting across her back.
Cheng Luo retreated several steps to create distance between them. Regaining her composure, she asked, “Senior, do you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”
Zhai Qing withdrew her empty hand and nodded. Cheng Luo immediately and naturally linked her arm with Zhai Qing’s, complaining slightly, “Senior, next time can you give me a script beforehand? I definitely didn’t perform well just now.”
Feeling the warmth on her arm, Zhai Qing raised an eyebrow. “Then I’ll need your full cooperation moving forward, Junior.” The way she drawled the last word was low and melodic; Cheng Luo inexplicably thought of a demon from a fairy tale who could bewitch people.
If Zhai Qing were a demon, Cheng Luo figured she would be a lowly minion, waking up every day to ask, “Great King, what are your orders for today!”
Fortunately, Zhai Qing wasn’t a demon, and Cheng Luo had her own time to clock out. Zhai Qing had spent the entire banquet with Cheng Luo on her arm. Even after leaving, she could still feel the lingering warmth on her sleeve. She drove back, only to find that Cheng Luo was no longer where she had left her.
She was driving a flashy fire-red sports car today, but it was currently crawling along the roadside at a snail’s pace. Sure enough, after a short while, she spotted a familiar figure walking slowly along the curb.
Zhai Qing rolled down the window. “It’s late. Tell me where you live and I’ll drive you back.”
Cheng Luo actually waved her off. “No need, Senior. I’ll just take the bus back in a bit.”
There wasn’t a soul at the bus stop, and Zhai Qing couldn’t possibly feel safe letting her go. She kept her face stern and said briskly, “Get in the car. Don’t make me say it twice.”
Cheng Luo stood there for a moment, but she soon buckled under Zhai Qing’s gaze and scrambled into the car. Cheng Luo had never been in a sports car before and found everything novel. Meanwhile, Zhai Qing leaned sideways without saying a word, her dark eyes fixed on her.
Cheng Luo blinked. As their eyes met, she suddenly gasped and said flusteredly, “The seatbelt! I forgot, I’m sorry.”
Zhai Qing watched her fumble. Cheng Luo’s face flushed red from the rising temperature in the car. She unbuttoned the ill-fitting suit jacket, revealing the clean white shirt underneath. Above the shirt was a neck even fairer than the fabric; because she was thin, Zhai Qing could vaguely see the protrusion of her throat.
“Ahem, are you ready?” Zhai Qing withdrew her gaze and tried her best to focus on the road ahead, but the image she had just seen refused to leave her mind.
After Zhai Qing looked away, Cheng Luo glanced at her, her eyes filled with a mix of confusion and longing. In the small, enclosed space of the car, the two remained silent, yet it felt as though something significant was quietly changing. The atmosphere was quiet and subtle.
The speeding sports car was like a flickering flame, eventually coming to a halt in front of a cluster of dilapidated residential buildings.
“Senior, the car can’t get in. I’ll just walk from here.”
Zhai Qing’s brows furrowed as she took in the scene. It was far too run-down. The narrow alleyway had no lights, looking like a bottomless black hole with no clear destination.
As soon as Cheng Luo got out and closed the door, she saw Zhai Qing getting out as well. She hurried to stop her. “Senior, go home quickly. I can walk back myself.”
“I’ll walk you. Do you live here?”
Zhai Qing had never imagined Cheng Luo lived in such difficult conditions. She had assumed her family was well-off, but it turned out to be the exact opposite.
Cheng Luo gave an embarrassed smile. “This is our old family house. We used to live in the city, but when my brother got married, we left that place for him as a wedding home. My parents and I moved back here. They’ve been saying for years that this area would be demolished for redevelopment, but it still hasn’t happened.”
“Let’s go. This is my first time in a place like this,” Zhai Qing said bluntly.
Seeing her mind was made up, Cheng Luo could only pull a heavy object from her bag. She flicked a switch, and in the next second, the entire alley was illuminated so brightly that even the insects in the corners fled.
Zhai Qing instinctively squinted. If she hadn’t seen clearly that it was a flashlight, she would have thought aliens had arrived in a UFO to abduct them.
“That flashlight is very bright.”
“If it wasn’t bright, I’d be a bit scared. Sometimes I feel like there are footsteps behind me and I have to run home. But since I bought this, I’m not afraid anymore. It gives me a total sense of security!”
Although Cheng Luo said this, her cautious glances into the distance and her unconsciously quickened pace betrayed her inner anxiety.
“Ah!”
As they walked, Cheng Luo suddenly stumbled. Her balance wavered, and it looked like her hand was about to hit the grimy ground when Zhai Qing lunged forward and caught her upper body.
The flashlight followed Cheng Luo’s drooping arm and shone on the ground. A brick was sitting right in the middle of the path. In the surrounding darkness, Cheng Luo’s fear was completely interrupted by the frantic thumping of her heart.
Zhai Qing had one arm wrapped around her waist. Her steady breathing was right by Cheng Luo’s ear, and the heavy, clear thud of a heartbeat rhythmically disturbed her soul. She suddenly thought back to the day they met at school. She had thought it was just a fleeting glimpse, but now she could see this person every day. She could see Zhai Qing’s strength and reliability, her moods, and the warmth within her heart.
“Don’t just look ahead; remember to watch your step.”
“You eat quite a lot at lunch; why are you still so thin? The workload isn’t that heavy, is it?”
“Are you dazed? You aren’t even replying.”
Eventually, they stopped before an ancient gate. Through the cracks, one could see that the lights inside were already out. Cheng Luo turned around. “I’m here, Senior!”
“So you can speak after all?” Zhai Qing said, surprised.
“Senior, do you have someone you like?”
“What, starting to investigate your boss’s private life?” Zhai Qing crossed her arms over her chest. This junior was sometimes sharp and sometimes dazed, but she was certainly interesting.
“You, doing that today, won’t your partner be angry?”
Zhai Qing thought for a moment before realizing she was referring to that kiss. A smile tugged at her lips, hidden in the darkness, as she deliberately drawled, “Probably not. It was just a touch; it is not like we did anything else.”
Cheng Luo’s heart sank. Did that mean she had a partner?
Zhai Qing slowly added another sentence. “I don’t know if my partner would mind, since I don’t even know where she is.”
Cheng Luo tightened the corners of her mouth and shoved the flashlight into the arms of the person in front of her. “It’s dark! Watch the road and get going!”
Zhai Qing could tell she was being kicked out. She leaned forward, tilting her head to whisper in Cheng Luo’s ear, “Don’t be late for work tomorrow.”
Watching the light move further and further away, Cheng Luo reached up to touch her ear. It felt as though they had brushed against each other again just now.
Before sleeping, Cheng Luo lay in bed holding her phone. She was browsing the school forums, looking for any traces that person might have left behind.
She had forgotten to close the curtains last night. Sunlight streamed through the glass, shining onto a messy single bed. Cheng Luo’s eyelids flickered. She grabbed the quilt from under her and pulled it over her head.
She had just dreamed that Zhai Qing was about to confess to her for the 99th time. She hadn’t agreed the first 98 times, having vowed in the dream to only say yes on the 99th. Just as she was about to agree, Cheng Luo abruptly opened her eyes and stared at the plain white wall in shock.
Zhai Qing!? Confessing to her!?