Lin Qian retracted her gaze and shook her head. This sudden sense of security felt strange, even a bit absurd.
She’s just my superior, Lin Qian reminded herself. They weren’t close; in fact, they were practically strangers.
“Why did you buy so many sausages? Are they for that little ginger cat?” Su Qingmo glanced at the bag in her hand, which contained over a dozen sausages.
Lin Qian was surprised. “You know about Big Fatty?”
The corners of Su Qingmo’s mouth curved upward. This “little rabbit” had stopped using the formal “you” (nin) in her excitement, which made her feel much closer.
“That night you were drunk and I brought you home, you could barely stand, yet you insisted on going over to say a few words to that kitten,” Su Qingmo answered.
“I see…” Lin Qian looked slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t do anything… strange that day, did I?”
Su Qingmo shook her head. “No, you were quite peaceful.”
Lin Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Otherwise, it would have been too humiliating.
“However,” Su Qingmo’s voice rose again.
Lin Qian’s heart skipped a beat.
Su Qingmo tilted her head toward her. “You did have quite a lot to say to that kitten.”
Lin Qian’s expression became strained. “I didn’t say anything weird, did I?”
Su Qingmo countered with a question: “Do you think you’re the type to say weird things?”
Lin Qian bit her lip and tried to search her memory, but she couldn’t recall a single detail from that night. She never knew her drinking could lead to a blackout so complete it was as if a segment of her life had been erased.
“You didn’t say anything strange,” Su Qingmo replied firmly.
But before Lin Qian could relax, Su Qingmo added, “You just kept telling the cat that I was very mean.”
Lin Qian froze in awkwardness. “Did I really say that?”
Su Qingmo nodded. “You did. Several times, in fact.”
Lin Qian: “…”
The atmosphere fell into a heavy silence.
Lin Qian kept her head down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to speak ill of you behind your back.”
Su Qingmo stopped walking and looked at her.
Lin Qian bit her lip, her heart filled with unease.
“It’s alright,” Su Qingmo said. “But there is one thing I should probably explain: I’m not mean.”
Su Qingmo said it so seriously, as if it were a matter of grave importance.
Despite her anxiety, Lin Qian unexpectedly felt an urge to laugh. Suppressing the smile, she said, “Okay, I understand. You aren’t mean, President Su.”
Su Qingmo smiled.
The two continued walking as the sky darkened and the streetlights flickered on, one after another.
“President Su…”
“It’s after work hours. Could you not call me that?”
Lin Qian blinked. Under the glow of the streetlights, Su Qingmo’s cool features seemed to have softened.
Lin Qian felt a bit lost. “Then… how should I address you?”
Su Qingmo thought for a moment. Terms like “Baby,” “Darling,” or “Sister” flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed them. Given their current relationship, such names were obviously impossible.
“Just call me by my full name, just like I call you Lin Qian,” Su Qingmo suggested.
“That doesn’t seem right.” Lin Qian bit her lip. Addressing a superior by their full name felt as improper as calling a teacher by their name back in school; her instinct told her it was rude and disrespectful.
Hearing this, Su Qingmo simply said, “Oh,” and fell silent.
Lin Qian wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she heard a hint of disappointment in that “Oh.”
She looked at Su Qingmo tentatively, just as Su Qingmo looked back at her. Their eyes met, and Lin Qian hurriedly looked away.
“Lin Qian.”
“Yes?”
Su Qingmo took a deep breath, appearing to have weighed her words for a long time. “If I said that I feel a special connection with you and want to be your friend, would that be too forward?”
Lin Qian’s expression went completely blank.
Su Qingmo stared at her without blinking, her eyes filled with obvious anticipation.
Lin Qian bit her lower lip awkwardly, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
“Actually, you’ve probably noticed. After all, we’ve been ‘bumping into’ each other quite a lot lately.” A trace of bashfulness flickered across Su Qingmo’s face.
A wave of shock crashed through Lin Qian’s heart. What she means is… those ‘coincidental’ meetings weren’t accidents at all, but intentional!
Seeing her remain silent, Su Qingmo lowered her gaze, a flash of hurt crossing her eyes. “Alright, I understand. Asking to be friends was too forward of me.”
Her tone was low, making her look like a dejected, pitiful soul.
Lin Qian hurriedly spoke up. “No, no! That’s not what I meant. Being friends is… fine, as long as you don’t find my personality too strange.”
Su Qingmo’s eyes brightened instantly. The shift in her mood was so rapid that Lin Qian wondered for a split second if the previous disappointment had been an act.
Su Qingmo was all smiles now. “Why would I think your personality is strange? I think you’re…”
She paused, making Lin Qian’s curiosity pique.
“I think you’re a lot like a little rabbit.” Su Qingmo began to laugh as she spoke.
Lin Qian frowned in confusion. A little rabbit? It was the first time she had ever heard someone describe her that way.
“So, we’re friends now, right?” Su Qingmo asked.
Lin Qian nodded, though she still felt a bit uncertain. She couldn’t understand why someone like Su Qingmo was so insistent on being friends with her when they clearly belonged to completely different worlds.
Su Qingmo: “Since we’re friends now, perhaps we can use more intimate names?”
“Su…” Lin Qian hesitated for a long time.
Su Qingmo didn’t push too hard. “It’s fine, call me whatever you like. But can I call you by a more intimate name?”
Lin Qian gave an affirmative nod.
Su Qingmo thought for a moment and said, “Xiao Qian.”
It was a perfectly normal nickname, but looking into Su Qingmo’s watery eyes, Lin Qian felt her face begin to heat up. She looked away and gave a small grunt in response.
Su Qingmo smiled gently. “Then I’ll call you that from now on.”
“Okay,” Lin Qian replied.
“We’re here.” Su Qingmo looked at the apartment complex nearby, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance. “This walk was really quite short.”
Lin Qian didn’t pick up on her reluctance. She was confused—was the walk short? It took nearly twenty minutes.
Lin Qian said, “Thank you for walking me back. I’ll take the bags now.”
Su Qingmo handed over the large bag she had been carrying. Lin Qian’s sharp eyes caught the red marks on Su Qingmo’s palm where the handles had dug in.
Looking up, she saw Su Qingmo still looked perfectly composed. She had chatted so casually during the walk that Lin Qian had assumed the bag wasn’t heavy for her. It turned out her hands had been chafed red the whole time.
“See you tomorrow,” Su Qingmo said.
“See you tomorrow,” Lin Qian replied.
Lin Qian walked into the complex, while Su Qingmo stood at the gate, lingering for a long time.
Carrying the two heavy bags home, Lin Qian was exhausted. However, instead of resting immediately, she ran to the window and peeked down.
Su Qingmo was still standing by the road.
Lin Qian frowned. Why isn’t she going back yet?
Lin Qian retracted her gaze and leaned against the wall, lost in thought.
Friends? She didn’t quite understand what that meant. Growing up, her only friend had been Sister Xiaoyu, but Xiaoyu was so busy that they rarely met, and she had many other friends besides.
Everyone had many friends. Everyone except her, she was always alone.
“Su Qingmo,” Lin Qian whispered the name.
Su Qingmo was likely just like Sister Xiaoyu, with countless other friends. Friendship wasn’t an exclusive thing, after all. But shouldn’t friends be on equal footing, from similar social circles? Why would someone like her want to be friends with her?
She couldn’t figure it out. Eventually, she convinced herself it was just something Su Qingmo had said in passing and that she didn’t truly want to be friends.
Rumble!
A sudden crack of thunder echoed, and a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the dim room.
Lin Qian’s shoulders jumped in fright. Soon, a torrential downpour began. The rain was sudden and fierce, arriving without warning.
A thought struck Lin Qian. She grabbed an umbrella and ran downstairs.
But when she reached the entrance of the complex, shielding herself from the rain, Su Qingmo was nowhere to be seen.
Strangely, she felt a pang of disappointment.
“Xiao Qian.” A voice drifted from behind her, cutting through the sound of the pattering rain.