The crescent moon was half-waning, the lazy stars were faintly shining, and the villa area was utterly tranquil.
The Second Sister (Gu Fujin) had briefly come home, put down her books, poured a cup of hot water, and then teleported away again. She still hadn’t returned. Gu Fujin couldn’t help but worry, so she used a mental transmission to ask Gu Lingluo (the patron).
Gu Fujin: “Why haven’t you returned yet? Did something happen?”
Gu Lingluo: “Be right there.”
“Be right there” ended up taking more than two hours. Before Gu Fujin could ask for a third time, Gu Lingluo finally returned at a leisurely pace.
“The food is cold. I’ll warm it up for you,” Gu Fujin said.
“No need, I’ll eat it like this.”
The heating had been on since last month; the room temperature was quite high, and the food wasn’t exactly cold—it was perfectly fine to eat. Gu Fujin didn’t insist further and scooped a bowl of rice for her.
“What’s wrong? You look gloomy.”
Gu Lingluo picked up a piece of food and replied flatly: “Nothing.”
“Can’t I tell if something’s wrong? If you don’t want to talk, don’t. Tell me when you feel like it.”
Gu Lingluo swallowed the food in her mouth and looked up at her.
“Little Fourth.”
“Hmm?”
“Besides the Heavenly Court (the higher dimension/spirit world) and the Inner Pass (a vital energy point in TCM), what other methods can sense dark energy?”
Gu Fujin had already eaten. She was sitting on the sofa, holding her tea, keeping her company. She teased: “You know more than I do, yet you’re asking me? It seems you’ve met someone tricky and are desperately grasping at straws.”
“Not tricky, just a bit strange.”
“Strange how?”
“During this time, I’ve sensed three instances of ‘Evil Temptation’ on her, but no matter how I investigate, I can’t detect any dark energy. Especially just now…”
“Just now?” Gu Fujin pulled the tea back from her lips, looked up at her, and waited for the rest of the story.
Gu Lingluo picked up another piece of food, calmly and collectedly deflecting the topic.
Actually, just now was an excellent opportunity. She had always suspected Liu Xia was related to the source of the fluctuations she was investigating. It would have been perfect to use the ambiguous atmosphere to remove Liu Xia’s clothing and thoroughly investigate what was causing the mischief.
But she… She recited the Purity Mantra numerous times but couldn’t calm her mind. It was as if something was constantly inciting her to kiss her, touch her, and take her. That desire was incredibly intense! It was unlike anything she’d experienced in nine thousand years!
She wasn’t afraid and was confident she could resist the impulse, but the situation was too bizarre. She was always cautious, and after careful thought, she decided there was no rush and simply left.
Yet, even now, the memory of the touch on her lips and the warmth in her palm still causes her heart to beat irregularly, and her Dantian (core energy center) to feel faintly hot.
Gu Lingluo silently recited the Purity Mantra again, then said, “I think she definitely has a problem. Perhaps it’s related to this unusual energy fluctuation.”
Gu Fujin got up and walked over to the dining table. “So, the Evil Temptation you sensed was… love or lust?”
‘Evil Temptation’ was the softest yet most lethal form of dark energy. It couldn’t match the explosive power of ‘Resentment’ or the endurance of ‘Obsession,’ but it overcame hardness with softness. No matter how strong the will, once tempted by it, escape was difficult.
Evil Temptation was divided into Love Temptation and Lust Temptation. Love manipulated the heart, while Lust was simpler, just a pure physiological impulse. However, both ultimately led to a fierce possessiveness. Once controlled by it, one would inevitably sink deep, leading to destruction.
For example, a person corrupted by Evil Temptation might commit extreme acts in the name of love, such as stalking, imprisonment, suicide, or crimes of passion.
Gu Lingluo put down her chopsticks, interlocked her fingers, and pondered seriously for a moment.
“I can’t tell which one it is, or perhaps it’s both.”
“Can’t tell? How is that possible?”
Although the difference in dark energy fluctuations was subtle, differentiating them was as effortless as drinking water for them.
Gu Lingluo pursed her lips: “That’s why I find it strange.”
Gu Fujin mused for a moment, then said gently, “Perhaps the matter isn’t as complicated as you think.”
“What do you mean?”
Gu Fujin didn’t answer directly, asking instead: “Besides dark energy, what else can cause someone to be emotionally stirred?”
Gu Lingluo frowned, her gaze shifting around. “Could it be… the Thousand-Layer Shard is on her?”
The Thousand-Layer Shard was indescribable by any known material—not metal, not earth, not wood. Its texture changed constantly, and no one knew exactly what it was. It was only known to be a fragment of the Thousand-Layer Domain, and each piece contained energy capable of tearing space.
The Thousand-Layer Domain originally sat at the world’s yin and yang poles, like the Earth’s north and south poles, balancing the entire world.
At that time, the world was a complete, indivisible whole. But nine thousand years ago, with the emergence of humanity, resources were endlessly encroached upon, wars and slaughter became frequent, and the world was shrouded in death, fear, resentment… This dark energy expanded wildly, accumulating more and more.
Suddenly, one day, the heavens and earth changed color, all things trembled, and the surging dark energy finally destroyed the entire world!
The shattered pieces formed three thousand great worlds and countless small worlds. The Yin-Yang Thousand-Layer Domain was also shaken into fragments, scattered across various dimensions.
Without the Thousand-Layer Domain’s garrison, the world’s energy flowed haphazardly and was extremely unstable, liable to violently shake or be completely destroyed at any moment. Recovering the fragments and restoring the Domain was the only way to maintain the conservation of energy.
This task fell upon the Space Guardians.
Space Guardians were not born as such; they were survivors who, during the world’s fragmentation, were fortunate enough to be thrown out of the space without having their souls scattered, instead absorbing the excess energy and transcending chaos.
They gathered in the largest Thousand-Layer Shard, honoring the one with the highest energy as the Domain Lord. They traveled to various spaces to search for fragments, for their own sake and for the sake of all living things, eliminating unstable dark energy and maintaining spatial stability.
Gu Lingluo was one of the five Domain Lords. She knew the power of the fragments well. Besides this possibility, she couldn’t think of anything else that could easily conceal the dark energy on Liu Xia.
Gu Fujin smiled, a gentle and refined smile, yet with the unique teasing reserved for family.
Gu Lingluo frowned, “What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at your foolishness.”
“Don’t be impertinent. I’m your elder sister.”
“So what if you are? Even a wise person can be confused sometimes, let alone you, who are ninety thousand years old. Being confused once or twice is normal.”
Gu Lingluo rubbed her temple. “Stop beating around the bush. Get to the point.”
“Then let’s get to the point. The Thousand-Layer Shard can indeed conceal dark energy, but if it truly is the culprit, why would it only conceal her dark energy? Why didn’t it conceal the old locust tree’s dark energy before? Didn’t you say she was present when you collected the leaves, and when the old locust tree withered? At such a close distance, it should have been covered by association.”
“When not controlled by someone, the range of the fragment’s dark energy concealment is random. It can cover an entire space or just a hair’s breadth. It’s not impossible for it to only cover her.”
Gu Fujin put down her celadon teacup, slightly exasperated. “Fine, let’s assume she has a fragment on her. But with your ability, how could you not detect it?”
“Some fragments naturally protect themselves; without a detailed investigation, they can’t be found.”
“Then you should investigate closely. Go for a hot spring bath or a swim or something. ‘Frank confrontation’ (being naked together) would be more convenient.”
“No need for such trouble. I have my own methods.”
Gu Fujin nodded slightly. “Is your bad mood because of this matter?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“I just can’t stand how frivolous she is.”
“Oh? How is she frivolous?”
“She…”
“Hmm?”
Recalling the unexpected kiss just now, Gu Lingluo inexplicably felt a slight ache in her chest. This strange feeling had occurred before in the library.
“She is both showing great affection to me and agreeing to date someone else. If that’s not frivolous, what is?”
Gu Fujin smiled and shook her head. “That’s truly not frivolous. That’s being a scoundrel (a ‘渣’ – ‘zha’ person).”
Scoundrel…
Gu Lingluo put down her chopsticks. “I’m full.”
“Full already? You barely touched your rice.”
“I don’t have much of an appetite.”
Gu Lingluo got up to leave. Gu Fujin reached out and stopped her, her expression meaningful.
“You’re skipping a meal for such a small thing?”
“It’s not about her.”
“Then why?”
“I simply don’t have an appetite.”
“Oh, I see…” Gu Fujin didn’t expose her, but smiled and nodded. “Don’t rush off. I haven’t finished speaking.”
Gu Lingluo sat down again. As she bent over, her long hair slid forward. She frowned and tucked it behind her, but after a few tries, it slid down again. Irritated, she stood up and went to the bathroom, dug out a hair tie, and quickly pulled her hair back.
With her long hair tied up, her earlobes were exposed. Her vision was excellent. Even without turning on the bathroom light, she clearly saw the inconspicuous little black spot on her earlobe.
She reached up and touched it. It was indeed an ear piercing.
“When did I get an ear piercing? I don’t remember it at all.”
Gu Fujin froze. The fingers gripping the celadon cup tightened slightly. “I… I’m not very sure. It seems you got it after you visited a certain small dimension.”
“Which small dimension?”
“That was a long time ago. I can’t remember clearly either.”
A long time ago?
Gu Lingluo rubbed the piercing, feeling increasingly strange.
The ear piercing was one of the most obvious features of women in ancient times and a major taboo for women disguising themselves as men. She had a severe physical aversion to it. Unless someone forced her to get one, she would never do it voluntarily.
But with her ability, who could possibly force her?
Even if such a person existed, how could she not remember?
Gu Fujin walked to the bathroom door and, with a click, the warm yellow light came on.
“It really takes a toll on your mind to avoid using the light. Don’t think you can avoid nearsightedness just because your five senses are keen.”
“I have you. Even if I got nearsighted, you could cure it.”
“Do you really think I’m your nanny?” Gu Fujin smiled and shook her head. “Second Sister.”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever considered a possibility?”
“What?”
“Regarding what we just discussed, there is one more possibility for something that can incite love and lust, besides dark energy.”
“What?”
“The instinct that starts unknowingly but runs deep.”
The fingers rubbing the ear piercing suddenly stopped. Gu Lingluo turned to look at Gu Fujin, her dark eyes narrowed slightly.
Being annoyed by that troublemaker at school, and then being annoyed by her own sister at home—was she, as an older sister, lacking in authority?
“What ‘starts unknowingly’? What ‘instinct’? Are you trying to say I have feelings for her? Impossible. Even if she were the last person left in the world, I would absolutely never fall in love with her, absolutely not!”
Liu Xia spaced out all morning. She wasn’t listening to anything the teacher said. Hao Yan asked her what was wrong several times, but she only shook her head, refusing to say a word. Even Gai Gai noticed something was off, reluctantly put down her phone, and questioned her.
“What exactly happened? Just tell me!”
“Don’t ask anymore, or I’ll lose it.”
“Then tell me!”
Liu Xia shook her head, sighed, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. “I can’t say it.”
Gai Gai pinched her thigh. “Are you trying to drive me crazy!”
Liu Xia rubbed her leg, looking wronged. “That hurt! You should be gentler.”
Hao Yan glanced at the teacher. “Class is about to end. We’ll talk after class.”
The moment the bell rang, before Liu Xia could escape, the two flanked her and headed straight for the dormitory.
Liu Xia looked back toward the cafeteria. “Aren’t you two eating?!”
Hao Yan replied without turning her head, “Your problem is more important.”
“Then, what about Gai Gai? Didn’t you say that if you didn’t see your Lan Lan (Gai Gai’s girlfriend) for a while, you’d have a myocardial infarction? Aren’t you going to find her?”
Gai Gai linked one arm with Liu Xia and covered her chest with the other, her face filled with solemn pain. “I’ll do a video call later to supplement my cardiac enzymes. We need to sort you out first.”
Liu Xia was stunned.
One by one…
The greedy one is no longer eating, and the lustful one is no longer lustful…
Was she really that important in their hearts?
Why did she suddenly feel so overwhelmed and flattered?
Should she be moved to tears that they abandoned their greatest loves for her?
Well, there was indeed a tiny bit of emotion.
Entering the dorm, Hao Yan casually locked the door. She said she’d order takeout but didn’t. Instead, she pressed Liu Xia into a chair, opened a box of yogurt, and handed it to her to calm her nerves.
They were truly her Ji You (close friends/girl-friends). They knew she didn’t like flavorless water.
The sense of being moved increased a tiny bit more.
Gai Gai pulled over the only other chair, turning it backward and straddling it. The dorm heating was on full blast, and she was a little hot. Gai Gai’s short hair was slightly damp with sweat, a few strands sticking to her face. Her brown hair and pink lips made her skin look fairer and her face smaller, giving her a very delicate and well-behaved appearance.
Of course, that was just how she looked.
“Tell us, what exactly happened?” Hao Yan leaned against the desk, running her hand through her wine-red wavy hair. Both Liu Xia and Gai Gai were flushed with sweat, but Hao Yan remained completely cool and refreshed.
Liu Xia slurped down half a box of yogurt in one go, then let out a long sigh and lamented, “The road ahead is worrisome. I don’t know which way to go.”
Gai Gai leaned forward. “Did she give you the cold shoulder again?”
Liu Xia acted as if she hadn’t heard, continuing to suck her yogurt and sigh dramatically. “To be or not to be, that is the question.”
Hao Yan narrowed her eyes. “Speak like a normal person!”
Liu Xia ignored her, continuing to orate: “Love is precious, but life is more so; if forced to choose for integrity’s sake, both can be discarded!”
Gai Gai, expressionless, reached out and pop, squeezed her yogurt box, splattering white milk onto Liu Xia’s hand and a few drops onto her sleeve.
Liu Xia exclaimed, “What are you doing?! I just wore this jacket today!”
Gai Gai pulled out a tissue and helped her wipe it. “Why are you making such a fuss? It washes out easily.”
Hao Yan crossed her long legs and folded her arms, leaning against the table. She didn’t even bother to look at her newly done nails, just stared at Liu Xia.
“Can you talk properly now?”
Liu Xia clicked her tongue, shook her head, and sighed. “You two are inhuman! I was trying to organize my thoughts, couldn’t you have a little patience?”
Since she dared to complain, Liu Xia was prepared to be bombarded by them.
Something like… We were so worried about you that we skipped food and neglected our girlfriends; how dare you complain instead of being grateful?
Something like… We offered you our sincere hearts, but you treat us like mud—it’s utterly outrageous and against the laws of nature!
Things like that.
Yet, unexpectedly, both of them fell silent. After a while, Hao Yan spoke calmly.
“We were just worried about you. We were indeed too impatient. Take your time. You can tell us whenever you want.”
Gai Gai also said, “Um… you must be hungry, right? How about we order takeout first? What do you want to eat? I’m treating today.”
Accustomed to mutual insults and bickering, this sudden gentle, thoughtful, and understanding treatment made Liu Xia extremely uncomfortable and guilty.
When it came down to it, her Ji You friends were the reliable ones. She would never call them ‘plastic flowers’ (fake friends) again.
She reflected, deeply reflected.
“Actually… I’m not entirely sure. I just suspect, only suspect! I’m telling you this, but you absolutely cannot tell anyone.”
Gai Gai raised three fingers to the sky and swore, “I’d die before I tell!”
Hao Yan also said, “I won’t tell.”
Liu Xia leaned back in the chair, sighing heavily: “I suspect Gu Lingluo is les (gay) and that she has a crush on me.”
What kind of world-shattering, epoch-making gossip was this?!
The new campus belle is gay?!!
This wasn’t just random conjecture like before. Coming from Liu Xia’s mouth, it must have some factual basis. If any other student heard this news, they would be eager to ask questions. An overly dramatic person in the late stages of ‘Chuunibyou’ (eighth-grade syndrome) might even scream in excitement.
However, Hao Yan and Gai Gai were once again eerily silent.
Liu Xia closed her eyes, maintaining her dramatic pose for a long time. Seeing no reaction, she had to open her eyes to peer at them.
Both were looking down, looking utterly miserable.
“What’s wrong? She’s interested in me being gay; why are you two looking so gloomy?”
Hao Yan patted Gai Gai’s shoulder, smiling a little strained. “Nothing, just a little shocked. How do you know she’s gay?”
Liu Xia roughly recounted the events of last night.
Gai Gai leaned on the edge of the chair back and said, “You mean, either accidentally or deliberately, you two kissed, then she pressed you onto the sofa, stayed right next to your forehead for a while—a crime was about to happen—but in the end, she did nothing and just left?”
“Exactly. When I opened my eyes, she was already gone.”
Liu Xia felt immensely sorrowful—for her confusedly lost first kiss, and even more for the perpetrator who just left without any explanation.
Speaking of which, how did Gu Lingluo disappear? Both times, it was silent and undetectable, lighter than a cat’s paw.
Hao Yan squatted in front of her and held her knees. “I actually think this is a good thing.”
“A good thing? How is it good?”
She was almost crying; couldn’t Hao Yan tell? Yet she said it was good?
Hao Yan tried to reason with her. “Think about it. Even if you two just became Ji You friends, it would be like me and Gai Gai—you’d still have to part after graduation. Even if you shamelessly moved into her place after graduation, how long could you stay? How can you guarantee she won’t get married before she turns 30? Once she’s married, she certainly can’t keep you around as a lightbulb (a third wheel).”
This was also what Liu Xia was worried about.
“When she really gets married, I’ll move into a place near her and keep an eye on her at all times!”
Gai Gai interjected: “Do you know how expensive her house is? That villa area, if I recall correctly, averages 300,000 yuan per square meter, starting at 300 square meters. Do you think you can afford it? Her marital home won’t be any less luxurious than that.”
300,000 yuan?! 300 square meters?!!
Liu Xia felt like she was dead already.
If she sold her dad’s small company, she still couldn’t buy one house.
“Then… then I’ll buy a house in a nearby community, as close as possible.”
Hao Yan countered: “What if she marries abroad?”
“Then I’ll follow her abroad.”
Hao Yan sighed: “You yourself said she’s going to rob someone in the future. How do you know what will happen then? How can you be sure she’ll tell you? You can’t stick to her 24 hours a day. How can you guarantee the tragedy won’t repeat itself?”
Hao Yan’s words hit close to home; they were all her biggest worries.
“Then… what should I do?”
Gai Gai looked frustrated. “How can you be so dense! In this world, aside from lovers, not even parents can stick with you all day long! Lovers—the emphasis is on lovers!”
“But… I don’t like her. If I were with her, wouldn’t that be emotionally manipulative?”
Hao Yan said, “She hit you with a car that many times; you only manipulate her once. If anything, you’re still losing.”
Gai Gai added, “It’s because you’re too kind. If it were me, I’d have taken pre-emptive action after the first rebirth and ‘neng si ta’ (killed her) to eliminate future trouble!”
Liu Xia’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea!”
Smack!
Gai Gai hit her on the back of the head.
“With your IQ, whether you could kill her is one thing, but even if you succeeded, it would be full of holes. Do you want to go to jail? Huh? Do you want to be executed? Huh? You’re an adult now, and you need to be responsible for your actions, thank you!”
Liu Xia rubbed the back of her head. What they said made some sense. Gu Lingluo had caused her death so many times; shouldn’t it be her turn for revenge?
She had passed the conscience hurdle, but…
“I’m straight, steel-straight. The kind that would rather break than bend. What if she really does something to me… I’m afraid I’d…”
Gai Gai asked, “When she kissed you, did you hate it?”
This isn’t a question of whether she hated it or not, is it?
The key is, she’s straight! Straight!
Gai Gai is missing the point entirely, isn’t she?
“I didn’t hate it, no, but that was just a kiss. Going any further is another story.”
She closed her eyes and fantasized about the image of Gu Lingluo pinned beneath her on the bed: dark hair, cold eyes, red lips, pearl-white teeth, the sheets like snow, the beauty like jade. Plus that slender shoulder, narrow waist, and long legs—it was more than just a feast for the eyes.
But… admiring her was fine. What next? She had absolutely no idea how to proceed, dammit!
She told them she was straight, didn’t she? The most beautiful woman was nothing more than a vase in front of her. She could only appreciate her from afar, never daring to play with her.
The more Liu Xia thought about it, the more unreliable the whole thing seemed.
“No, no, no. Let’s forget it. Lesbian stuff, I really can’t do it.”
Gai Gai grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently twice. “Is there anything more important than your life? You have to do it even if you can’t!”
Liu Xia felt a little dizzy from the shaking. “Why are you so excited? If I die, I can just start over. Next time, I’ll definitely be more skilled and confidently march down the highway of Ji You friendship to victory!”
Gai Gai scoffed: “Next time? How do you know you can be reborn if you die? How do you know this isn’t the last time?”
“According to previous precedent…”
“According to precedent, rebirth is a fantasy with no logic. It can happen once, ten times, or it can end at any moment! No one can guarantee anything!”
Uh… that makes so much sense, she can’t even argue against it.
Ji You friends are so annoying! They scare her for no reason!
For the next few days, Liu Xia was plagued by nightmares. Even when dozing in class, she would dream of being hit by Gu Lingluo’s car but not being reborn, instead falling into the eighteenth level of hell to endure torment until her soul was scattered.
The scene was too painful, too terrifying, and too unsettling for her!
Even though she knew that ‘daytime thoughts lead to nighttime dreams’ (a Chinese proverb) and the nightmare simply reflected her inner worries, she couldn’t take it lightly since she had been reborn. Who could guarantee that the dream wouldn’t become reality?
She wasn’t afraid of dying and being reborn. Dying and reincarnating was also acceptable. Even dying and having her soul scattered seemed manageable. Liu Xia truly wasn’t afraid of death, but being tormented before having her soul scattered… she respectfully declined that option.
Even with a one-in-a-billion chance, Liu Xia dared not take the risk. Heaven knows, she was most afraid of pain!
After school, she saw Qi Fei squatting at the school gate from afar. She immediately turned and headed for the girls’ dorm.
Tormented by nightmares and having to dodge Qi Fei’s pursuit, Liu Xia was truly mentally and physically exhausted. She had no energy to explain the misunderstanding to him right now.
Sigh, she’d talk to him when she saw him at German class next week.
Arriving at the dorm, Gai Gai wasn’t there. It was easy to guess: she must have gone to the city to see her Lan Lan again.
Hao Yan was alone in the dorm playing with her phone. She was lying down on the top bunk in a standard ‘tomboy’ posture, feet propped against the wall. Yet, with a lazy lift of her eyelids, she instantly exuded charm.
“What’s up? Did something happen again?”
“I…”
“Hmm?”
“Thinking about…”
“Hmm?”
Liu Xia took a deep breath. Integrity? Go to hell!
“After thinking it over and over, I think your suggestion is great! Being a couple really seems to be the optimal solution! But…”
“But what?”
Liu Xia took off her shoes and climbed into Gai Gai’s bed on the top bunk. She sat cross-legged, resting her chin on her hand, looking miserable.
“How many people are in Gu Lingluo’s family? Does she have siblings? Are her parents open-minded? If we really got together, how big would the family obstacles be? Would we break up before she turns 30 because she couldn’t handle the pressure?”
Hao Yan put down her phone, rolled onto her stomach on the bed, pulled a pillow under her arm, and looked at her.
“Gu Lingluo’s parents are deceased. She has five sisters who are supportive and incredibly close. They only want each other to be happy. They absolutely won’t obstruct you. You can relax.”
“Did Gai Gai tell you this?”
“That’s right.”
Although Gai Gai was a bit of a lovesick fool, her ‘all-knowing gossiper’ skill was quite reliable.
“Then… do you think she’s a faithful person? Will she suddenly fall for someone else halfway through and dump me? Then I’d still die, wouldn’t I?”
Hao Yan ran her hand through her wine-red wavy hair. “Have some confidence in your looks, okay? Besides Gu Lingluo, you won’t find anyone prettier on campus, and not many outside of it either.”
“But you and Gai Gai are, aren’t you?”
It was odd. Hao Yan and Gai Gai’s divine looks were definitely above hers and on par with Gu Lingluo’s. Yet, everyone seemed blind, completely ignoring their beauty. Was her aesthetic sense abnormal? But her judgment of others seemed the same as everyone else’s.
Truly, strange things happen every year, but this year has more than most.
Hao Yan said, “Our beauty is unique; most people can’t appreciate it. Gu Lingluo can’t either.”
“But… is Gu Lingluo that superficial?”
Hao Yan propped her chin and chuckled. “If she were even slightly less superficial, she wouldn’t be interested in you.”
What did that mean?!
That was too insulting!
Liu Xia grabbed Gai Gai’s pillow and threw it at her.
Hao Yan, quick on her feet, caught it perfectly. Pillow stacked on pillow, it made lying down even more comfortable.
“Since you delivered a pillow to me, I’ll give you a proper analysis.
A wealthy, beautiful woman with high standards like Gu Lingluo—high looks, high intelligence, high experience—her taste is definitely top-notch. She won’t easily fall for anyone, but once she does, it might be forever; you won’t be able to shake her off. Instead of worrying about her changing her mind, you should worry about how to get out unscathed after 30 years, or just go for a lifetime commitment with her.”
Liu Xia: “Hehe…”
What forever and can’t be shaken off? Where in this world are there so many faithful, unchanging, passionate people? That was just the ignorant fantasy of teenage girls; she stopped reading fairytales long ago.
However, Hao Yan wasn’t entirely wrong. At least one point was correct: she shouldn’t worry about Gu Lingluo changing her mind. What she should worry about was… was Gu Lingluo really interested in her?
This was a very serious question.
“Do you think I might be overthinking it? That kiss was probably just an accident, and she only pressed me onto the sofa for a while without doing anything. It doesn’t necessarily mean she has a crush on me.”
Hao Yan lay lazily on the pillow. “Maybe she thought you hadn’t brushed your teeth and hesitated, even though she wanted to kiss you?”
Liu Xia gave a fake smile. “Can your jokes be any colder?”
“Or maybe she was shy or playing hard to get.”
Liu Xia rolled her eyes. “Couldn’t it be that she’s a scoundrel? She kissed me, thought it was boring, and wanted to abandon me?”
Hao Yan lifted an eyelid. “She’s not that kind of person.”
“You’ve only known her for a few days! Where does all this confidence come from?”
Last time, she was so sure that Gu Lingluo would look for her when she faked sickness! Didn’t that turn out wrong?
Hao Yan smirked. “Whether she’s that kind of person or not, you don’t have a choice. The only thing you can do now is… seduce her!”
“Ha! It’s easy for you to say! Why should I play with fire and burn myself when I could just be her Ji You friend? At worst, once our Ji You friendship is deep enough, I’ll make a pact with her—neither of us will marry before 30, and whoever does is a puppy. Maybe I can fool her.”
Hao Yan raised her eyebrows slightly. “You’ve been relentlessly chasing her for this long; don’t you understand her? Do you think she’s the kind of person who would make such a childish promise with you?”
Liu Xia sighed, lying flat on her back. “You’re right… So, what should I do now? Do I really have no choice but to seduce her? But what if she’s not interested in me? Wouldn’t I be shooting myself in the foot, losing everything, and closing the door even on the Ji You friend option?”
Hao Yan contemplated for a moment. “Then test her first. She kissed you first, so even if you mess up, you can put the blame on her, saying she misled you.”
That was a good way to shift the blame!
“How should I test her?”
“Just like I said, seduce her. Don’t be too obvious; be subtle. Something a straight girl wouldn’t understand, but a lesbian would immediately recognize. If she takes the bait, it means she’s interested in you. If she doesn’t, you can continue your sisterly affection.”
“So, no matter what, I still have to seduce her?” Liu Xia was practically in tears.
“Otherwise, do you have a better idea?”
It was because she didn’t have one that she felt like crying.
Liu Xia felt this idea was terrible. One wrong step, and she’d be shooting herself in the foot.
Everyone said Gu Lingluo was a pristine, untouchable goddess. Who would have thought she was a secretive, sadist who forced her to bite herself and run laps late at night?
Maybe behind her pure façade, she had already been as unrestrained as a wild horse in bed with countless men and women. Was she going to become one of those crumpled sheets?
“Ahhh! I’m so annoyed! I might as well close my eyes and jump off a building!”
Hao Yan looked disdainful. “It’s just seducing someone! Is it that hard? Maybe you won’t even need to seduce her; she’ll come onto you herself.”
“It’s easy for you to say! ‘You can, you up!’ You go and seduce her and keep an eye on her for me! I’ll be eternally grateful and worship you! Forget treating you to meals; I’ll even guarantee your job after graduation! How about that? Fair deal, come on baby! This is the moment to witness our friendship!”
Hao Yan rolled her eyes at her in silence. “What nonsense are you talking about in the middle of the day? If you think immediate seduction is difficult, then take it step by step. Start with pretending to be gay to test her.”
Pretending to be gay?
Fine, pretending to be gay it is.
German class on Wednesday arrived as scheduled. A full week had passed since Qi Fei’s confession, and she had been avoiding the patron for a whole week.
Of course, she had asked for leave from the patron’s tutoring session, which Hao Yan helped arrange.
Liu Xia couldn’t be blamed for being a coward. She hadn’t fully built up her mental strength yet, and the actual execution presented technical difficulties.
She was a fundamentally upright, ‘five-good’ socialist, steel-straight young person with no lesbian genes for dozens of generations—the kind that would rather break than bend. Suddenly having to pretend to be gay, she honestly didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet.
Don’t laugh; this was a serious problem.
For example, how should she walk to look like a lesbian? How should she smile to look gay? How does the lesbian version of putting her arm around Gu Lingluo differ from the Ji You version she shared with Hao Yan and Gai Gai?
Sigh, life is hard, pretending to be gay isn’t easy, so she’d just have to learn as she went.
She Googled a lot of ‘learning’ material, but the quality was mixed. It made Liu Xia jump and gnash her teeth, wishing she could back out immediately. Never mind whether she’d go to hell after she died; these materials already made her feel like she was in a living hell.
“What is all this random garbage?! I can’t do it! Absolutely not!”
Hao Yan didn’t even look, just curved her lips in a knowing smile.
Gai Gai, however, was incredibly curious. She leaned over Liu Xia’s shoulder to ‘study’ with her.
“Wow! Wow, wow, wow! So exciting! You can even play like this? Which Taobao store did you buy this from? Let me see.”
Liu Xia just shoved the phone at her. “You take your time and look. I need some fresh air to calm down.”
Hao Yan patted the crestfallen and dejected Liu Xia, speaking earnestly.
“Don’t worry about the details. You’re the ‘t’ (the dominant role in a female same-sex relationship); you’re the top. This kind of thing is up to you, isn’t it?”
Liu Xia gave her an exasperated look. “How do you know I am? Gu Lingluo is taller than me.”
Hao Yan said, “It doesn’t depend on height.”
Liu Xia asked, “Then what does it depend on?”
Gai Gai, without lifting her head from flipping through the Taobao store, interjected: “On vital energy!”
Liu Xia gave a wry smile. “So, just luck?”
Her luck was consistently bad.
Hao Yan climbed down from the top bunk, organizing her textbooks to get ready for class.
“It’s not luck. You can think of it as root bone—something from the depths of your soul. You are naturally the top, and you always will be.”
Gai Gai quickly added the horrifying items that made Liu Xia recoil to her cart. Heh heh, Xu Qinglan (Gai Gai’s girlfriend), get ready!
She quickly added, without looking up, “I can testify, you really are the top! Believe it or not, just watch!”
“Oh really? ~~Hehe.”
Liu Xia stood menacingly behind her, suddenly grabbing her two ears and pulling them outward!
“Who authorized you to buy this kind of garbage with my account?! You didn’t even bother to change the address and name! Do you want to die?!!!”
“Ah! Ow, ow, ow! Let go, let go!”
Gai Gai’s wailing didn’t soften Liu Xia in the slightest.
The address she left was the school gate guard post! The guard post!!
She was going to be infuriated to death by this unreliable idiot sooner or later!
“Change the recipient quickly!”
“Okay, okay, I’ll change it, I’ll change it! Let go! My ears are all red!”
Normally, Hao Yan and Gai Gai helped her reserve seats. Today, it was a rare occurrence that she arrived early at the dorm to find them. The three walked together to the lecture hall. As they entered, they saw Qi Fei sitting in the back row, waving at them from afar.
“Liu Xia, over here! I saved seats for all three of you!”
Gai Gai didn’t move her mouth, murmuring through her lips: “What a cunning boy. He knows to use the friend card now. Winning over me and Hao Yan means 90% success.”
Liu Xia covertly pinched Gai Gai’s waist. She was wearing thick clothes, so the effect wasn’t great.
“I’m gay now! You two forcibly made me gay! The moment you let go, I’ll bounce right back to straight!”
Gai Gai continued to speak without moving her lips: “You talk as if you became gay for us. Be straight if you want. Your future is up to you. You can do whatever you want.”
Liu Xia: “…”
Speechless, she just wanted to cry.
She didn’t want to embarrass Qi Fei in front of so many students. The three walked over under the piercing gazes of students with straightened hair. Before Liu Xia could take the initiative, Gai Gai pushed Hao Yan into the innermost seat, leaving the center seat right next to Qi Fei for her. They were absolutely, completely heartless!
Qi Fei was very enthusiastic. The desk and chair he had already wiped once, he now offered to wipe again meticulously…