“Why are you back so late today?” Cheng Luo was curled up on the sofa and only looked up when she heard the sound of the door opening.
Zhai Qing hung up her scarf and replied, “Oh, I worked overtime for a bit.”
“Have you not eaten yet?” Zhai Qing asked, seeing the dishes neatly arranged on the dining table.
“Not yet. I waited for a while.”
While Zhai Qing went to wash her hands, Cheng Luo quickly put the cold dishes back into the pan to reheat them. At the dinner table, the two chatted casually.
“How has school been lately?”
“Just going to class, leaving class, and eating. It is very boring.”
“Are you free this weekend? A friend opened a new hot spring resort on the mountain. Do you want to go together?”
Cheng Luo’s eyes lit up, and she asked again to be sure, “Are we going together?”
Zhai Qing nodded as if it were a matter of course. “If you don’t go with me, who else would you want to go with?”
Cheng Luo finally smiled, her gloom from the day vanishing instantly. “I want to go with you.”
In the darkness, accompanied by the sound of steady breathing, Cheng Luo opened her eyes and vaguely traced the silhouette of the person beside her.
What exactly was their relationship now? Friends? That seemed a bit too shallow. Lovers? That didn’t seem quite right either.
Cheng Luo carefully held that delicate hand. That was the hand that had firmly taken hers and given her a home. She must like me at least a little bit, right?
Cheng Luo gradually leaned over until her head rested gently on Zhai Qing’s shoulder. Only at this time of day did she feel truly at peace, knowing the other person was right by her side.
“Li You, sorry for the trouble today. I’ll help you with the cleaning next time.”
“It’s fine. It’s not easy for you to get out and have some fun. Have a good time and don’t worry about it.” Li You waved her off, urging her to hurry.
As soon as Cheng Luo stepped out of the teaching building, a black Jeep stopped in front of her.
“How did you drive in? I could have just walked out to find you.”
“Ms. Zhai gave me a pass before. It saves us the walk.”
Perhaps because they were going on a trip, Zhai Qing was dressed very casually today. Her hair was draped over her shoulders, visibly longer than before. The hot spring resort was not far away; they arrived in just over an hour. However, Cheng Luo stared at the endless flight of stairs before her.
“Are we going to have to hike up the mountain?”
Zhai Qing snapped her fingers. “Bingo!”
She rolled up her sleeves, tied her hair back with a rubber band, and pulled a huge hiking backpack out of the trunk.
“You aren’t going to carry that all the way up, are you?”
Zhai Qing tightened the straps and glanced at the trail entrance. “Let’s go. I won’t hold you back.”
The path was neither too long nor too short, but by the time Cheng Luo reached the top, she was completely out of breath. Zhai Qing took the initiative to handle the check-in.
“Ms. Zhai, here are two room cards. Our boss gave special instructions.”
“Hmm, one room is enough. When will your boss arrive?”
“The boss said she won’t arrive until tonight and told you not to wait for her.”
Zhai Qing nodded. She naturally took Cheng Luo’s hand and squeezed it. “Follow me. Don’t get lost.”
Cheng Luo followed her closely, unable to hide the curve of her lips.
The room was spacious and seemed to have the best view, overlooking the scenery below. However, for some reason, there were two beds.
Pushing open the balcony door revealed a courtyard. Vibrant flowers were planted along a white fence, and a wooden screen stood to one side. Behind it was a steaming hot spring pool.
Cheng Luo’s eyes sparkled. “We can soak in the hot spring right in our courtyard without going out?”
“There are larger springs outside, but we might run into other people.”
Cheng Luo nodded like a chick pecking at grain. “Small is good. Small is better.”
“Can we soak now?” She was dying to jump in. Nothing beat the coziness of a hot spring in the middle of winter.
But Zhai Qing refused without hesitation. “You can’t go on an empty stomach. You didn’t eat breakfast.”
“I had a glass of milk,” Cheng Luo pleaded.
“No. Food will be delivered soon,” Zhai Qing remained firm.
Unable to convince her, Cheng Luo could only circle the hot spring longingly, occasionally dipping a finger into the water. She looked like a kitten that couldn’t reach a fish, watching it swim around anxiously.
It wasn’t until five o’clock in the afternoon that Cheng Luo finally got into the water. Even after they finished eating, Zhai Qing had refused to let her in, insisting she shouldn’t soak right after a meal.
“This is amazing!” Cheng Luo closed her eyes in comfort, resting her head on the marble tiles while splashing the water playfully with her arms.
Zhai Qing hadn’t been particularly interested in the hot spring, but seeing Cheng Luo’s joy made her feel excited as well. After changing, she stepped into the water. Hearing the movement, Cheng Luo opened her eyes, and her cheeks turned a suspicious shade of red.
Zhai Qing was wearing a small crop top and a skirt that barely reached her thighs. Her straight, fair legs were on full display, along with her lean, slightly muscular back.
This was the first time Cheng Luo had seen her wearing so little. She looked down at what she was wearing: a frumpy, conservative pink dress that had faded from lack of use. It looked cheap and didn’t match the atmosphere of the courtyard at all.
When Zhai Qing entered the water, Cheng Luo self-consciously hugged her arms to cover herself, pressing her body against the stone wall. Zhai Qing didn’t notice. Instead, she stepped closer and leaned against the wall side-by-side with Cheng Luo.
“Do you like it?”
“I like it.”
Zhai Qing’s sudden proximity caught her off guard. The slight friction of their shoulders gave her goosebumps, and she had to use all her willpower not to run away.
“It seems like something is missing.”
Cheng Luo looked at her in confusion.
“Wait for me.” Zhai Qing stood up. She hadn’t noticed while in the water, but the cold air hit her immediately, making her shiver. She wrapped herself in a huge towel and ran barefoot into the room, returning shortly with a bottle of red wine and two glasses.
Before Cheng Luo could decline, a glass was pressed into her hand. Zhai Qing clinked glasses with her solemnly. Seeing this, Cheng Luo could only brace herself and take a sip.
However, her hand slipped, and the wine slid down her throat in one go. Zhai Qing only managed to say “Don’t” before it was gone.
Cheng Luo swallowed and wrinkled her face. “This tastes terrible.”
“Then don’t drink anymore.” Zhai Qing took the glass away and gently patted her back.
This was Cheng Luo’s first time drinking red wine. Combined with the heat of the spring, her head soon felt heavy. She slumped uncontrollably onto Zhai Qing’s shoulder. After a half-minute, she seemed to decide that wasn’t enough; she wrapped her arms tightly around Zhai Qing and rubbed her head against her restlessly.
Zhai Qing couldn’t take it anymore and had to half-carry her inside. Seeing her lying haphazardly on the bed, Zhai Qing finally realized Cheng Luo was drunk.
A drunk person was not as well-behaved as usual; Cheng Luo kept mumbling something. After asking the front desk to send up some hangover soup, Zhai Qing leaned in curiously to listen.
Cheng Luo’s words were broken. “Mean, Zhai Qing is mean.”
Zhai Qing pinched her cheek playfully. “How am I mean, you little brat?”
Cheng Luo struggled to open her eyes, seemingly trying to see who was in front of her. Just as Zhai Qing was about to ask again, Cheng Luo suddenly lifted her head. A wine-scented kiss landed unexpectedly on the corner of Zhai Qing’s mouth.
Zhai Qing froze. In that instant, it felt as though her heart had stopped beating, and every nerve was concentrated on her lips. She remained stiff, not daring to move, feeling a slight, moist sensation. Before she could process it, the weight on her lips vanished and the breath near her nose moved away. A sense of loss immediately filled her heart.
Zhai Qing looked at the person beneath her, for once not knowing what to do. After a long time, she pressed her hands onto Cheng Luo’s shoulders and asked with a hint of urgency in her voice:
“Who am I?”
She used so much force that Cheng Luo frowned and mumbled incoherently, “Zhai, Zhai Qing.”
Before she could finish, her remaining words were swallowed between their lips and tongues.
Cheng Luo was woken up in the middle of the night by a burning throat. She struggled to push the person beside her away and walked barefoot to the kitchen to drink some water.
As the cold water went down, Cheng Luo felt her throat come back to life. However, she reached up to touch her lips. A stinging pain immediately followed, and they felt swollen. Did I eat something spicy? Or did a bug bite me? Why does it hurt so much?
Her memory had cut out after that glass of wine; she couldn’t remember anything. Her head still ached a bit, so she went back to bed without thinking too much. I’ll just look in the mirror tomorrow morning.
The warmth of the person beside her was comforting, and Cheng Luo soon drifted off. Just as she was about to fall asleep, a crisp click sounded in the darkness. The door was pushed open from the outside. Since the curtains in the living room weren’t drawn, a beam of moonlight shone in.
“Are you asleep, Zhai Qing? I want to sleep with you tonight.”
Cheng Luo’s first reaction was to hide under the covers, shrinking behind Zhai Qing without moving.
“Zhai Qing?” the woman called again.
This time the voice was a bit louder, and Zhai Qing woke up. She sat up and looked toward the door, not quite awake.
“Shang Ya? Why are you here?”
“I specifically arranged for two beds because I wanted to sleep with you.” Shang Ya was the owner of the resort. “Go back to sleep; I won’t disturb you.”
As she spoke, she pushed the door open, walked in, and sat on the other empty bed. Zhai Qing’s brain hadn’t fully started up yet, so she didn’t realize anything was wrong. Suddenly, the quilt beside her moved. She reached out and felt something soft, which reminded her of something.
“Shang Ya, you should find another room. It is not very convenient.”
“What is inconvenient? It is just sleeping. I’m not going to watch you shower. Besides, it is not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”
Hearing those words, Zhai Qing’s heart skipped a beat.