Su Qingmo silently turned off the faucet, feeling a bit sullen as she continued washing the dishes. This little thing really knows how to ruin a mood.
Lin Qian stood by the kitchen door, watching her.
To be precise, she wasn’t looking at Su Qingmo herself, but at her dress. It was beautiful—a light-colored fabric with gold embroidery on the shoulders, a perfect blend of modern fashion and traditional Gufeng elements. It was a far cry from the stiff professional suits Su Qingmo usually wore at the office. While the suits made Su Qingmo look cold and unapproachable, this dress added a layer of softness to her cool elegance.
Sensing her gaze, Su Qingmo asked with a smile, “Are you looking at me?”
“No,” Lin Qian blurted out, caught off guard. She instinctively wanted to deny it, but as the words reached her lips, she pivoted and told the truth: “I was looking at your dress.”
Su Qingmo looked down at her attire and smirked. As expected, Lin Qian was 100% a sucker for anything with traditional elements. It seemed the half-hour she spent picking out her outfit before leaving was well worth it.
Su Qingmo wiped the water from her hands and took a step toward Lin Qian. “Is it that pretty?”
Lin Qian nodded. “It is.”
Su Qingmo: “I think so too.”
While Lin Qian was focused on the dress, Su Qingmo’s gaze drifted to Lin Qian’s feet. Lin Qian was standing right at the threshold of the kitchen, which had a small step. From that position, a single step backward would almost certainly cause her to lose her footing.
It’s a perfect spot.
Su Qingmo took another subtle step forward. Seeing her approach, Lin Qian instinctively backed up.
“Ah!” Lin Qian cried out as her foot missed the step. She began to tumble backward.
A flash of craftiness flickered in Su Qingmo’s eyes. she moved quickly, catching Lin Qian firmly by the waist.
Time seemed to freeze for a second. Lin Qian stared blankly at the woman holding her so closely. That faint, pleasant scent of lemon enveloped her again.
Before Lin Qian could react, Su Qingmo promptly let go. “Be careful. Don’t fall.”
Lin Qian bit her lip awkwardly. “Thank you.”
Why do accidents always happen when I’m around Su Qingmo? Lin Qian wondered. First, she was almost caught by the elevator doors and fell into her arms; then she tripped over her own shoelaces in the office and landed in her lap; then she slipped on the groceries at the front door and tumbled into her again; and now this…
Does she think I’m a complete klutz? Lin Qian counted them up—one, two, three, four times she had ended up in Su Qingmo’s embrace in such a short period.
Su Qingmo caught the look of utter confusion on Lin Qian’s face and couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Lin Qian snapped out of it and looked at her, bewildered.
“Dishes are done. Where do they go?” Su Qingmo asked, changing the subject.
“In that cabinet over there,” Lin Qian pointed. Su Qingmo neatly tucked the washed dishes away.
Afterward, Lin Qian insisted Su Qingmo go rest on the sofa while she sliced some post-meal fruit. When she emerged from the kitchen with a full platter, Su Qingmo was nowhere to be found on the sofa.
Instead, Su Qingmo was standing by the window. The noon sun bathed her face, making her skin look as white as snow. She was idly poking at a small cactus on the windowsill, looking quite relaxed.
Lin Qian brought the fruit over and offered a kind warning: “Careful, don’t get pricked.”
The warning had barely left her lips when a sharp “Hiss!” followed.
Su Qingmo jerked her hand back and stared at her fingertip. She had been pricked by the cactus.
Lin Qian hurriedly set the fruit down and rushed over to check. “Are you okay?”
The words “I’m fine” were at the tip of Su Qingmo’s tongue, but her eyes flickered with a thought. She extended her finger toward Lin Qian. “I think the needle is stuck inside. It really hurts.”
Lin Qian frowned with worry and took her hand to inspect it. As their hands touched, Su Qingmo’s lips quirked up.
Lin Qian looked closely. “There’s no needle. It probably just stung.”
Su Qingmo nodded, but she made no move to pull her hand away.
Lin Qian was confused. Does she not believe me? Is there really a needle in there? Lin Qian lost her confidence and turned Su Qingmo’s hand over, checking several more times.
“There really isn’t a needle,” Lin Qian confirmed, finally letting go.
Su Qingmo looked at her now-empty hand and gave a disappointed “Oh.”
Lin Qian: “?”
Why does she sound disappointed? Did she want a needle stuck in her finger?
Su Qingmo stared at her fingertip. “It still hurts a lot.”
Lin Qian: “Should I put a bandage on it?”
Su Qingmo: “Okay.”
Lin Qian looked at the finger that didn’t have a single visible mark, scratched her head, and went to her room to get a bandage. When she returned, Su Qingmo held her hand out again, clearly expecting Lin Qian to apply it for her.
However, Lin Qian stared at her hand, stuck. Which finger was it again? There was truly no visible wound.
“The index finger?” Lin Qian guessed. She peeled the bandage open, but before she could apply it, Su Qingmo said softly, “It was the middle finger.”
Lin Qian froze.
Su Qingmo laughed.
Lin Qian’s forehead was practically covered in imaginary black lines.
Su Qingmo withdrew her hand. “I’m teasing you. It doesn’t hurt, and there’s no wound.”
Lin Qian: “…”
Su Qingmo: “Are you mad?”
Lin Qian: “You’re so bored.”
“Am I?” Su Qingmo poked the cactus again. “I think it’s fine.”
Lin Qian watched her. “Stop touching it. You’re going to get pricked again.”
Su Qingmo obediently stopped and rested her hand on the windowsill, tapping it rhythmically and cheerfully. Lin Qian’s gaze fell on Su Qingmo’s hand slender, elegant, without any flashy nail art. Her nails were clean and neatly trimmed.
“Your hands are very beautiful,” Lin Qian complimented.
Su Qingmo’s fingers paused. She turned her head and met Lin Qian’s clear, honest eyes.
Su Qingmo cleared her throat awkwardly.
Lin Qian was still staring at her hand. Su Qingmo’s fingers curled slightly, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
Seeing such an expression on Su Qingmo’s face was a surprise to Lin Qian. “Are you blushing?”
Su Qingmo shot her a glare. Lin Qian shrunk back instinctively, clearly startled.
Su Qingmo: “…”
After a long pause, Su Qingmo said, “I’m not mean.”
Lin Qian burst out laughing. “I didn’t say you were!”
Su Qingmo sighed. She really is a rabbit; a tiny scare and she bolts.
Buzz…
A mosquito hovered in front of them. Lin Qian’s eyes followed its flight until it landed on Su Qingmo’s arm.
Slap!
Lin Qian said excitedly, “I got it!”
Su Qingmo sucked in a breath of air. Lin Qian looked down at the red mark she had just left on Su Qingmo’s arm and felt a wave of guilt.
“Were you hitting a mosquito, or were you trying to hit me?” Su Qingmo asked sincerely.
“The mosquito,” Lin Qian answered weakly.
“It didn’t look like it,” Su Qingmo said, pointing to the large red patch on her arm.
In the interest of fairness, Lin Qian held her own arm out. “You can hit me back if you want.”
Su Qingmo looked at her amusedly and pushed her arm away. “Forget it.”
Buzz, buzz…
An even larger mosquito appeared, circling around before landing on Su Qingmo’s arm again. Su Qingmo quickly shook her arm. The mosquito flew away.
Lin Qian: “…”
Did she shake her arm that fast because she was afraid I’d slap her again? At that thought, Lin Qian laughed.
Su Qingmo looked at her. Lin Qian checked her laughter.
“Has anyone ever told you?” Su Qingmo asked.
“Huh?”
“That you look very beautiful when you smile.”
“Someone has said that before.”
Su Qingmo froze and looked at her. Meeting Su Qingmo’s suddenly unfriendly gaze, the words “Sister Xiaoyu said it” died in Lin Qian’s throat. She quickly pivoted: “Actually… no one has.”
Su Qingmo gave a couple of dry laughs.
“Tell me about that friend,” Su Qingmo said suddenly. “The one who said you look beautiful when you smile.”
Lin Qian rubbed her nose, a strange sense of guilt bubbling up.
“Can’t you tell me?” Su Qingmo asked.
“It’s not that I can’t,” Lin Qian looked at her cautiously. “I just feel like… you’ll be unhappy if I talk about her.”
Su Qingmo put on a magnanimous face. “How could that be? I’m not that petty.”
Lin Qian looked at her. Actually, it feels like you’re exactly that petty.
Su Qingmo: “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Lin Qian chose her words carefully, keeping it general. “We grew up together.”
Su Qingmo nodded. “A childhood friend.”
Lin Qian: “She takes good care of me.”
Su Qingmo nodded again. “A heartwarming childhood friend.”
Lin Qian: “…”
Su Qingmo, expressionless, began plucking the needles off the cactus.
Lin Qian watched with heartache; she had raised that cactus for a long time and felt attached to it. She tried to stop her. “If you pluck anymore, it’ll go bald!”
Su Qingmo stopped. “So, in your heart, the cactus is more important than me?”
Lin Qian: “???”
Lin Qian surrendered: “Fine. Keep plucking.”