After a light jog, they finally reached the building entrance. Both were somewhat dampened by the rain once they stepped inside.
They walked through the narrow hallway, walls plastered with old advertisements, and entered the elevator. As they pressed the button for the fifth floor, the old machine let out a loud, violent “whoosh” as it began to ascend.
Neither of them spoke.
The quiet atmosphere made Lin Qian instinctively bite her lower lip. She hadn’t expected to actually bring Su Qingmo home to escape the rain. She felt a flicker of anxiety—I hope the place is clean enough?
“We’re here, this is it.” Lin Qian took out her keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
Just as she stepped inside, her foot caught on something. She stumbled and began to fall backward.
Su Qingmo, following close behind, caught her steadily. “Careful.”
Lin Qian fell into a warm, soft embrace, accompanied by that faint, pleasant scent of lemon. Her body stiffened for a split second before she scrambled to stand upright. “I’m sorry, thank you.”
Su Qingmo’s lips curved into a smile. “It’s alright.”
Lin Qian looked down at the doorway to see what had tripped her. It turned out to be the two large bags of groceries she had dropped there earlier. In her rush to bring an umbrella to Su Qingmo, she hadn’t put them away, which led to her nearly taking a tumble the moment she walked back in.
Lin Qian moved the bags to the side and invited her guest in. She quickly scanned the room; it wasn’t messy, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Please, have a seat. You’re wet—I’ll go find you a change of clothes.” With that, she hurried into the bedroom.
Lin Qian rummaged through her wardrobe, but she couldn’t find anything truly suitable for Su Qingmo. In the end, she could only settle for a set of clean, loose pajamas.
“Thank you.” Su Qingmo didn’t seem to mind the style at all. She took the clothes and headed toward the bathroom.
Once Su Qingmo was inside and the door closed, Lin Qian took the opportunity to properly tidy up the living room. She straightened the cups on the coffee table and did some quick tidying. Though she was usually very diligent about cleaning, she wanted everything to be perfect.
As she finished and sat down, she felt something hard beneath her. She reached down and pulled it out.
When she saw what it was, she froze. She suddenly remembered that when she went to get the clothes, she had told Su Qingmo to sit right there…
Why was my bra sitting on the sofa?!
She must have left it there by mistake when she was folding laundry yesterday. Did Su Qingmo see it? She probably didn’t… right? Maybe…
Lin Qian’s face turned bright red. She scrambled to hide the garment back in her bedroom closet.
Creak.
The bathroom door opened.
Su Qingmo emerged, her slightly curled hair draped over her shoulders. She was wearing the pajamas—silk, smooth, with a peony embroidered on the chest. It was a rather dated, almost “tacky” design, yet on Su Qingmo, it somehow looked high-end and elegant.
Sometimes it isn’t the clothes that make the person, but the person who makes the clothes.
Of course, the pants were a bit short, revealing her ankles. They fit Lin Qian perfectly, but on the taller Su Qingmo, they looked like cropped trousers.
“The clothes… they don’t fit very well, do they?” Lin Qian felt embarrassed. Most of her clothes were like this; she couldn’t find anything better.
“It’s fine. It’s an emergency, no need to be picky. These are quite comfortable,” Su Qingmo said with a smile.
Su Qingmo sat down, and Lin Qian brought her a cup of ginger tea. After being caught in the rain, a warm drink was necessary to prevent catching a cold.
Lin Qian also sat on the sofa, but she kept her distance, leaving enough space between them for two more people. She held her own cup of ginger tea, taking small, awkward sips.
What should we talk about?
She racked her brain, but since she was never good at small talk, she couldn’t squeeze out a single sentence. The atmosphere felt increasingly strange—or perhaps it was just Lin Qian who felt it was strange.
“The rain is really lasting a long time,” Su Qingmo said, breaking the silence.
“Yes, it is.” Lin Qian looked toward the window with a worried expression.
How much longer would it pour? If it stopped now, she could see her “VIP guest” off. If it didn’t, would she have to stay the night? The thought of spending an entire night alone with her was terrifying.
Su Qingmo took a sip of the tea. “I usually don’t like ginger tea, but the way you make it is actually quite good.”
Lin Qian: “Maybe because I put in a lot of sugar?”
Su Qingmo looked at her meaningfully. “It is very sweet.”
Lin Qian completely missed the subtext and just gave a blank nod.
Su Qingmo looked at her and asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable with me staying here?”
Lin Qian shook her head quickly, her words betraying her feelings. “No, not at all.”
“Yes, you do,” Su Qingmo countered.
Lin Qian choked on her words.
Su Qingmo continued, “Not only are you uncomfortable, but you also find talking to me awkward. I mentioned being friends, but you still haven’t treated me like one. You still see me as the boss, and you still think I’m very mean.”
Lin Qian: “…”
How did she guess so accurately? Can she read minds?
But there was one point Lin Qian had to clarify: “I don’t think you’re ‘very’ mean anymore.”
Su Qingmo looked at her with interest.
“I used to think you were mean, but now…” Lin Qian paused and thought it over. “You’re a good person. Not mean.”
Su Qingmo chuckled. “Is that the truth?”
Lin Qian nodded vigorously. “When we were sharing the umbrella, you held most of it over my head.”
“Just because of that, you think I’m a good person and not mean?” Su Qingmo raised an eyebrow. “Well, when you were holding the umbrella for me, you tilted it toward me, too. You’re a very good person, as well.”
Lin Qian blinked. “Then… we’re both good people?”
Su Qingmo suddenly burst into hearty laughter. Seeing her laugh, Lin Qian was caught up in the mood and began to laugh, too. The conversation had started out awkward, but it didn’t feel so bad anymore.
“Do you want to watch TV?” Lin Qian suggested, trying to find an activity.
“Sure,” Su Qingmo agreed.
Lin Qian turned on the TV. The noise from the screen helped fill the gaps in the conversation. It didn’t matter what was on, as long as there was some background noise.
A drama called Professional Encounters was playing. As the opening theme song started, Lin Qian watched absentmindedly.
“This song sounds familiar,” Su Qingmo noted. “I remember now—I’ve heard you sing it before.”
Lin Qian looked puzzled, but then she remembered. She had stayed late for overtime once and had hummed a few lines at her desk. She had stopped as soon as she saw Su Qingmo nearby and had hoped the boss hadn’t heard. It turned out she had heard everything…
Su Qingmo: “You have a very nice singing voice.”
Lin Qian’s expression stiffened. What does that mean? Is she going to ask me to sing right now?!
Fortunately, Su Qingmo didn’t have that intention. Lin Qian breathed a sigh of relief and followed the topic. “President Su, your voice is very beautiful. I’m sure your singing is lovely, too.”
Su Qingmo: “Are you asking me to sing for you?”
Lin Qian waved her hands frantically. “No, no! That’s not what I meant!”
Su Qingmo laughed but didn’t push it, turning her attention to the screen. Lin Qian watched along with her, though her mind was still wandering.
“Is that actress named Gu Shiqiu?” Su Qingmo asked suddenly.
“You know her?” Lin Qian was surprised.
Su Qingmo found it funny. I’m not a cavewoman; is it that shocking that I know who she is? She cleared her throat and said, “A friend gave me two concert tickets a while back. I think they’re for her concert.”
Lin Qian’s eyes lit up for a second before dimming again. She had wanted to go to that concert, too. The tickets were hard to get but not overly expensive, yet in the end, she hadn’t bought any. There were too many people at concerts; she wanted to go, but she instinctively recoiled from crowded environments. Besides, she had no one to go with, and going alone was even scarier.
Even though she loved Gu Shiqiu and knew almost all her songs, and the idol rarely performed in Tubei, Lin Qian felt that missing this chance meant she might never get another one.
“I’d quite like to go, but I don’t have anyone to go with me,” Su Qingmo said regretfully.
Lin Qian was stunned. Su Qingmo has no one to go with her? How is that possible?
Su Qingmo looked at her, as if a brilliant idea had just struck her. “How about you come with me?”
Lin Qian stared at her blankly.
Su Qingmo finished her ginger tea in one gulp. “Silence counts as a ‘yes’.”
Lin Qian bit her lip and finally whispered, “Okay. Thank you.”
Su Qingmo smiled. Though the voice was tiny, she had heard it clearly.
Lin Qian: “I’ll transfer the money for the ticket to you…”
Su Qingmo cut her off. “Between friends, there’s no need to count every penny so strictly.”
Lin Qian looked confused. Is that how friends are? Isn’t there an old saying about ‘even brothers keep clear accounts’? Even though Su Qingmo didn’t lack the money, Lin Qian felt guilty accepting such a favor for free.
Su Qingmo added, “Besides, you’re accompanying me. I’m the one troubling you. If you really feel bad about it, you can just buy me dinner sometime in the future.”
Lin Qian nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll buy you dinner later, then.”
The corners of Su Qingmo’s mouth twitched into a smirk. Favors are wonderful things—they go back and forth, weaving a connection that never ends.
The opening credits finished, and the drama began. Su Qingmo appeared to be watching the screen, but her thoughts had drifted back to the past.
She remembered a similar conversation.
“What are you watching?” the past Su Qingmo had asked, sitting beside her and glancing at her phone.
Lin Qian had moved the phone so they could watch together. “A video of Gu Shiqiu’s old concert.”
Su Qingmo had watched for a while. “It sounds good. Did you go to this concert?”
Lin Qian had shaken her head. “No. Someone in the fan group dug up this old video, so I just clicked on it.”
Su Qingmo had stroked her head. “Don’t you love her? Why didn’t you go?”
Lin Qian: “There were too many people. You know I don’t like crowds. And back then, I had no one to go with. Then you showed up, and I had someone, but Gu Shiqiu had already retired. She doesn’t hold concerts anymore.”
Su Qingmo had looked at her, fell silent for a moment, and pulled her into an embrace. “I’m sorry.”
Lin Qian had buried her face in her chest and laughed. “Everything is fine. Why the sudden apology?”
Su Qingmo’s voice had been muffled. “If only I had met you sooner. Then I could have gone with you.”