The moment she stepped out of the car, a wave of intense heat hit her. Xiana’s windbreaker was extremely thick, and she instantly felt a bit irritable from the heat!
Enduring the annoyance and the chafing with every step, she made her way over to the side of the car next to Lin Yuran.
Up close, Xiana was surprised to discover that Lin Yuran was actually taller than her
She remembered that when they were kids, this person was a whole head shorter with stubby legs. Back then, whenever Xiana didn’t want to wait for her, the younger girl could only chase helplessly from behind, crying out Older sister, older sister, but never being able to catch up.
Now Xiana instinctively glanced down at the slender, well-proportioned calves exposed beneath the other woman’s skirt. If she were to run now, she’d probably catch up to Xiana with ease
Wait, why on earth was she looking at that and thinking these things? Xiana yanked her gaze away and looked at the suitcase next to Lin Yuran.
Is that all of it?
She asked, raising her eyes to look at Lin Yuran. From a distance, the other woman had looked bare-faced, but up close, she was wearing makeup, very light and natural. In the sunlight, a hint of eyeshadow along the corners of her eyes shimmered faintly against her glasses.
Even though there was no expression on that face, Xiana had a strange feeling that Lin Yuran was actually in a pretty good mood.
While Xiana was looking her over, Lin Yuran was observing her as well Her gaze drifted softly from the messy, loose bun on Xiana’s head down to her clean, pale face. This completely bare-faced look overlapped infinitely with memories of the past.
Xiana, long time no see.
Lin Yuran spoke, but didn’t answer her question.
Xiana looked at her and blinked. That voice really was nice, sounding like it had been filtered through a clear spring, carrying a hint of fresh, crisp peppermint.
Only, such a nice voice should be used to say useful things!
In weather this hot, was this kind of polite small talk strictly mandatory?!
They weren’t even close, and yet she was going on about long time no see Though thinking about it, it really had been a long time, ten years? Fifteen years?
When was the last time she saw her, anyway? Xiana couldn’t quite remember.
Whatever, why bother thinking about it? But considering they would be bumping into each other constantly from now on, Xiana forced the corners of her mouth up, swallowed her irritation, and returned the pleasantry.
Yeah, long time no see.
Without waiting for Lin Yuran to continue with more pointless chatter, she pushed the workflow right along: So this is all the luggage, right? You push that suitcase, and I’ll take these two boxes.
With that, Xiana bent directly over to pick up the two box-like gift cases on the ground.
The moment she bent down, the straps over her shoulders pulled tightly across her spine, Xiana’s heart skipped a beat as she instantly realized something was wrong!
In this posture her line of sight peered right down her open neckline, seeing it all clearly: the red ropes winding around, completely exposed. Her chest must have been chafing, making her look even perkier than when she’d checked in the mirror at home.
A chill swept across her neck and shoulders. Sensing another gaze fixed on her, Xiana jerked upright, her trembling gaze crashing once more, through the lenses of her glasses, into those slender, delicate eyes.
The eyes that had previously shown no emotional fluctuation now held a ripple of movement, like the light gleaming off her lenses had fallen right into them, making her gaze look somewhat shimmering.
Xiana: !
Oh no, she didn’t actually see that, did she?!
Thinking back to the angle they had been standing at, if Lin Yuran had been looking at her at that exact moment, she definitely would have seen it.
As Xiana thought about what she looked like underneath her clothes right now, her heart accelerated wildly. Good grief, how could she let someone else see that?!
To what extent had she seen? How far down?
Xiana anxiously bit down on her lip, looking at the silent person in front of her while wondering if she should say something.
Perhaps she should explain? That she had a reason for looking like this, that she wasn’t a pervert, that she was doing it all for the sake of art!
Then again, what if the other woman hadn’t seen anything? If she brought it up like that, wouldn’t she be exposing her own privacy? That would be even more embarrassing!
Xiana, what are you dawdling for?
Amidst her inner turmoil, Xiana heard her mother’s booming voice again. She looked toward the front of the car and saw her mother’s entire head poking out of the window.
Hurry up! They don’t let cars park here for very long. Do you want to get penalty points on your license?!
Xiana snapped back to reality and glanced at Lin Yuran. The slight ripple in the other woman’s gaze had already smoothed back into stillness, but looking at her so quietly gave off an inexplicably meaningful vibe.
Let’s go.
Realizing that even if she had been seen, this wasn’t the right place to explain, Xiana turned and headed toward the back of the car.
Those few steps chafed her terribly all over again.
Putting the items into the trunk, Xiana turned around to grab the suitcase from Lin Yuran.
Seeing that the other woman was gripping the handle and refusing to let go, Xiana poked her hand with a finger: Let go.
That hand paused for a second, then retreated.
This time, Xiana didn’t bend over. She dropped her shoulders, heaved the case up in one swift motion, and shoved it into the trunk.
Throughout the movement, the ropes against her skin tortured her with a very prominent existence. Gritting her teeth to keep from making a sound, and feeling Lin Yuran’s gaze fixed squarely on her back the whole time, she didn’t even turn around. She slammed the trunk shut, dropped a curt Get in the car, and walked toward the front.
She felt an inexplicable urge to turn and flee.
By the time she climbed into the car, Xiana was sweating profusely. Even places she couldn’t see felt damp and sticky, it was utterly miserable!
All that sweat just from moving a tiny bit of stuff? Xia Lian looked at her daughter’s exhausted-looking face as she sat down, feeling that today’s kids severely lacked physical exercise.
Xiana pulled out a tissue to wipe her sweat: It’s hot.
You know it’s hot, so why are you wearing so much? Xia Lian suddenly noticed how abnormal Xiana’s outfit was. That’s right, with this weather, why on earth are you wearing such a thick windbreaker?
She herself had been wearing short sleeves for ages.
Xiana honestly wanted to scream at her dear mother. Only now did she notice anything unusual; the entire drive over, all she had thought about was picking up Lin Yuran as fast as possible, completely oblivious to her own torment.
It’s all your fault! I was perfectly fine in an air-conditioned room, dressed just right for it, until you dragged me out unceremoniously without even giving me time to change clothes!
Thinking about it made her mad. If she’d been allowed to tidy up properly, she would never have stepped out of the house like this.
A car door closed in the back seat. Amidst their conversation, Lin Yuran had quietly slipped into the vehicle.
Hearing the sound, Xiana looked over. Their eyes met within the confined space, and remembering what had just happened, she couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward.
Did this person actually see the vacuum-sealed rope-bound situation under her windbreaker or not If she saw it, what would she think of her?
Would she think she was a total pervert?
Xiana turned it around in her head: if she were the one who saw Lin Yuran looking like that, she’d definitely think the other person was a freak
She carefully observed the other’s expression, but couldn’t detect a single hint of abnormality Xiana began to suspect she was overthinking things; maybe she hadn’t seen anything after all
From now on, whatever temperature you want to set the air conditioning in your room is fine, but for common areas like the living room, you need to check with Xiaoran first.
Seeing that Lin Yuran had settled in, Xia Lian naturally cut off her conversation with Xiana and smoothly steered the topic toward Lin Yuran.
With that, she turned to look at the back seat: Xiaoran, I never expected that in the blink of an eye you’d grow up this much, and turned into such a beauty, too. Auntie almost didn’t recognize you.
Hearing this, Lin Yuran pulled her gaze away from Xiana, looked at the speaker, and slightly curved the corners of her lips.
Xia Auntie looks just the same as when she was young, though. I recognized you right away.
At those words, Xia Lian let out an amused Oh my: What do you mean the same? Look at these white hairs of mine, I’m getting old.
Despite saying that, her smile was radiant, you could tell she loved hearing it.
Xiana curled her lip. Seeing that Lin Yuran seemed entirely normal, she felt slightly reassured and turned her gaze back to the front.
Hold on tight, we’re moving.
Xiana issued a warning before shifting into gear and pulling away. If she stayed parked any longer, she’d really get ticketed.
Just drive your car.
Xia Lian acknowledged her, then immediately went back to leaning over the seat to gaze at Lin Yuran in the back. The more she looked, the more miraculous it felt; this kid who had looked so ordinary back then had blossomed into such a striking looker.
And this height, she had clearly shot up.
I still remember when you guys moved away, you were only about this tall. Xia Lian casually gestured, though she didn’t remember the exact height, short anyway. I never imagined you’d grow so tall now.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, Xiaoran, how tall are you now?
While being looked over, Lin Yuran maintained a polite smile and answered the question courteously: Without shoes, 176 centimeters.
Xiana: What?!
She instinctively turned her head back for a look. One hundred and seventy-six!
Wow. Xia Lian let out an exclamation. That’s even taller than our Xiana. Our Xiana hit 165 by elementary school graduation, but she didn’t grow a single millimeter all through junior high, and only shot up two centimeters in high school. Right now she’s 167.
176, 167, Xia Lian chuckled. You two have totally flipped positions now.
With that, Xia Lian turned back to look at Xiana, her gaze seeming to say, Look at that, you can’t even win at height.
Xiana:
She felt like her childhood role as the perpetual comparison victim had just made a comeback.
The crucial point was, if she was falling short here, shouldn’t her mother be the one reflecting on why she didn’t raise her kid to grow taller?
At that thought, Xiana glanced in the rearview mirror. One hundred and seventy-six, how on earth did she grow that tall? For the very first time, Xiana felt a twinge of envy toward Lin Yuran.
After marveling at that, Xia Lian resumed her chat with the younger woman.
Is everyone at home doing well? How long was the bullet train from Beijing? You must be tired, right?
Lin Yuran answered them one by one: Everyone’s fine. It took about five hours. I’m not tired.
Hearing that it took over five hours from Beijing, Xia Lian did some mental math: Does that mean right after you finished renting your apartment from me, you left?
Mm-hmm.
When Lin Yuran acknowledged this, she glanced at the driver’s seat reflection.
Xia Lian sighed in amazement: Your execution speed is really,
She suddenly recalled Xiana’s earlier description, impatient, which did make her efficiency sound a bit exaggerated.
Thinking that to herself, her spoken words remained honey-sweet as Xia Lian continued: Your efficiency really is high. As expected of someone who works in management.
Xiana’s mouth twitched. Her mom truly possessed an uncanny talent for finding every possible angle to flatter someone.
Eyeing the congested intersection ahead, Xiana casually asked: Why didn’t you take a plane? It only takes two hours.
Besides, the route to the airport was way easier to drive than this area.
She’s afraid of heights.
Before Lin Yuran could reply, Xia Lian answered for her: Did you forget?
Huh? Xiana raised one eyebrow. Forget what?
When you were kids, you dragged Xiaoran up a tall tower to watch the sunset. After watching it, you came down by yourself, but Xiaoran is acrophobic, and she wasn’t found and brought home until the middle of the night.
When they found her, her condition had been terrible.
That was also the single time Xia Lian had beaten her child the hardest, nearly breaking a feather duster over her backside. In the days that followed, she had gone over to Lin Qing’s house multiple times to offer profuse apologies.
Shortly after that incident, Lin Qing packed up Lin Yuran and moved away quickly. Xia Lian only heard about it later from a colleague: Lin Qing’s stated reason for moving was that the neighbor’s child was a bad influence on her own daughter.
Some people even praised that behavior as being comparable to Mencius’s mother moving three times
As the mother of that bad influence child, Xia Lian had felt quite aggrieved at the time. In her view, kids playing around was completely normal; her own Xiana might have been a bit mischievous, her grades a bit lackluster, and she certainly loved dragging neighborhood kids away to skip class and play, but
Well, Xia Lian couldn’t really finish that but. She could understand Lin Qing’s desire for her daughter to succeed. To be completely honest, if Lin Yuran had kept hanging around with her Xiana from childhood, there was no guarantee she would have turned out the way she did today
It took Xiana quite a while of hard thinking before she finally recalled the event her mother was talking about. Remembering it made her angry all over again, back then, Madam Xia Lian had unleashed twelve tenths of her strength on her, nearly turning her bottom into a flowering garden.
I didn’t drag her up there. She followed me on her own.
Xiana had stated that fact many times when the incident happened, but nobody believed that someone terrified of heights would voluntarily climb up to such a high place.
Back then, Xiana hadn’t known the other girl was acrophobic. As she spoke, she glanced into the rearview mirror and locked eyes with the passenger in the back seat once more.
She hadn’t gotten the chance to ask back then, and later she forgot all about it. Since the topic had come up today, Xiana smoothly voiced her inner puzzle.
You’re afraid of heights, so why’d you follow me up there?
In the mirror, those delicate eyes blinked.
Forgot.
Coupled with a somewhat blank expression, this response made it seem as though she genuinely couldn’t remember the event at all.
Xiana frowned. She hadn’t forgotten, did academic prodigies really have memories this terrible?
It’s normal to forget. How many years ago was that?
Xia Lian figured it wasn’t a particularly pleasant memory anyway, so forgetting was better. She took over the conversation, looking at the present-day Lin Yuran with maternal concern: Xiaoran, has that little problem of yours gotten any better now?
Xiana let out a dry laugh: Mom, the way you ask that makes it sound like she caught a cold, ‘has it gotten any better yet?’ How is she even supposed to answer that,
Before the words had even faded, Xiana heard that gentle, unhurried voice speak up from the back seat once more.
It’s much better now. Thank you for asking, Auntie.
Xiana turned her head in surprise to look at the other woman, and seeing her resume that mild, well-mannered expression, she furrowed her brow even deeper.
Call it a hunch, but she felt like Lin Yuran’s attitude toward her mother was suspiciously over-the-top
Her mom didn’t really have anything worth coveting, so brown-nosing her like this couldn’t possibly be an attempt to get a discount on rent, could it?
See? How could she not answer?
Xia Lian looked at Lin Yuran, adoring her more by the minute. Modern youngsters rarely showed this much patience with elders’ questions, answering every single one.
Xiaoran, your mother must be so proud of you. So young, and already a general manager of a company.
With that, she glanced at Xiana and sighed: Sigh, unlike Xiana,
What about me?
At a red light, Xiana stopped the car and looked back at her dear mother, bracing herself to hear whatever harsh critique was coming next.
Xia Lian snorted: What about you? When other people introduce their kids, it’s ‘company general manager’ or ‘corporate executive.’ How am I supposed to introduce you? ‘A shut-in amateur painter’? Anyone who doesn’t know better would think I’m reciting your MBTI type.
Xiana:
Ever since she came out of the closet, her mom’s internet browsing speed had just been getting faster and faster.
You’d better pass that bar exam for me.
Ever since learning her daughter was a lesbian, Xia Lian had concluded that Xiana’s academic credentials were a lost cause, and so she sought to upgrade her professionally instead.
A lawyer was the highest-sounding profession she could realistically hope for.
Xiana matched her mother’s immunity to pressure: Do I look like the type who can pass that exam?
Xia Lian hadn’t brought it up randomly. She looked at Lin Yuran and offered a knowing, scheming smile: Well, we have Xiaoran now, don’t we? You should learn from her. Xiaoran was a top-scoring gaokao scholar; she must have some amazing study methods.
She looked at Lin Yuran with a pleading expression: Xiaoran, take our Xiana under your wing and help her make some progress, will you?
Xiana:
Progress in what, exactly?
Also, since the two of you will be living together from now on, I hope you’ll take care of each other,
Mom. Unable to bear listening any longer, the light turned green, and Xiana decisively cut her off. We’re just cohabitating, not getting married. Why should she have any obligation,
Before she could finish, a clear, soothing voice interrupted her.
Okay.
Lin Yuran, who had been sitting quietly in the back the whole time, suddenly spoke up: Xia Auntie is being too modest. Xiana is great too, and she has plenty of strengths that can help me progress. For instance, her painting, she inherited Auntie’s genes and has a rare talent in that area that I couldn’t hope to catch up to even if I whipped horses to chase her.
Xiana: !
Something is fishy!
Observing her mother’s deepened smile lines, Xiana felt that her earlier suspicion might not have been paranoia after all. This Lin Yuran really seemed to be buttering her mom up just to make her happy.
Xia Lian was genuinely delighted. Whenever she criticized Xiana for being useless, she was just venting; what she actually wanted deep down was for someone to step in and refute her words.
You’re the modest one, child. If you studied painting seriously, you might not turn out any worse than our Xiana. She does have talent, it came from me, but her personality takes after her dad’s. Too lazy; she wastes her gift.
Lazy people have their own blessings. Lin Yuran picked up the thread naturally. Painting doesn’t necessarily have to achieve conventional worldly success. Aesthetics are extremely subjective, and sometimes worldly success boxes in art to a certain extent. As long as you paint happily yourself, it’s not wasting your talent.
This was the longest stretch of speech Lin Yuran had delivered since getting into the car.
Xiana looked skeptically into the rearview mirror. The person in the reflection wasn’t looking at her; from Xiana’s angle, Lin Yuran’s gaze was fixed forward, her brows level with her glasses, looking quite earnest indeed
As if she weren’t just flattering her, but genuinely meant every word
Xia Lian hadn’t expected Lin Yuran to say something like that. Hearing it put that way, her lazy daughter suddenly sounded like an unconstrained, avant-garde artist.
Xiana herself felt that her status as a shut-in amateur painter had just been elevated by several major grades.
As expected, someone qualified to be a corporate executive really knew how to talk.
Still, rent couldn’t be discounted, seven thousand was the market rate. Maybe she could consider giving a slight discount on the cooking and labor fees, though.
As mothers and daughters often do, Xia Lian’s thoughts drifted to the exact same subject: rent. She had already decided that after three months, if Lin Yuran still wanted to stay, she wouldn’t charge rent at all, as long as the younger woman hung around to chat with her from time to time.
Xia Lian invited Lin Yuran to come stay at her small suburban villa over the weekend and promised to introduce Xiana’s father to her.
Hearing Lin Yuran agree instantly, Xiana felt a vague sense that something was off.
Yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
Before long, her mother and Lin Yuran were chatting away with increasing enthusiasm, completely forgetting there was a third person sitting right beside them.
Xiana had been reduced to their personal chauffeur.
Half an hour later, Master Xiana silently steered the car into the residential complex’s basement parking garage and watched the two of them step out, acting all chummy.
Xiana deliberately waited until she was the absolute last to get out, taking a deep breath of mental preparation beforehand.
More walking meant she was about to be chafed by those ropes all over again!
She was genuinely curious now about how people who enjoyed rope play managed to endure it; she felt like she was about to be sent straight to the afterlife
Thankfully, it was just this final stretch of walking
Silently pumping herself up, Xiana stepped out of the car, and the moment her feet hit the ground, she heard her mother’s distant voice calling out:
Xiana, I’m going to call the elevator. Help Xiaoran bring her luggage up.
Knowing she couldn’t get out of it, Xiana irritably acknowledged the command and walked toward the back of the car.
Lin Yuran was already waiting there.
The car was parked deep against a concrete pillar, blocking off one side while Lin Yuran stood on the other, giving Xiana an instant feeling of being cornered. She instinctively took a step sideways.
Once she stood still, realizing they were the only two people in this tight space, Xiana remembered what had happened back at the station. Maybe she could ask about it now?
Xiana had been mulling over the question the entire drive; not getting it cleared up felt terribly agonizing.
She wanted to ask if the other woman had seen anything, or simply explain that no matter what she thought she saw, it wasn’t what it looked like.
Um
Just as Xiana opened her mouth, a voice called out from the nearby elevator lobby, it was her mother urging them on: Xiana, move faster! The elevator is coming down from the 7th floor.
Ah, coming!
Forget it, I’ll talk to her after Mom leaves, she thought. Getting constantly interrupted was terribly annoying!
Abandoning her attempt at conversation, Xiana reached out to grab the suitcase.
At the exact same time, a hand moved a fraction of a second slower than hers and landed right over the luggage handle she was gripping.
The black handle wasn’t very long, causing their hands to partially overlap as they both grasped it.
Feeling the heat radiating from the hand over hers, Xiana’s heart skipped a beat. She looked down at the hand covering hers,
Lin Yuran actually had very nice hands: long fingers, well-proportioned knuckles, the kind that looked made for wearing rings.
Wait a second. Xiana stared at the distinct, long-worn indentation of a ring around the left ring finger.
What was this
You’re not convenient. I’ll get it.
Within this enclosed space marked off by their surroundings, that slightly rising tail-end of the voice carried a faint, inexplicable aura of ambiguity.
Xiana snapped out of her daze and instinctively jerked her hand back: Okay.
She truly wasn’t in a convenient state for heavy lifting; those ropes were digging into her uncomfortably.
With that acknowledgment, she watched as the other woman effortlessly lifted the suitcase with one hand, picked up the two gift boxes with the other, and pressed the trunk’s close button.
Let’s go. Time to go home. Lin Yuran said, taking the lead and walking ahead.
Hearing the suitcase wheels rolling across the waterproof epoxy flooring, Xiana instinctively took a step to follow, but a sudden thought hit her brain:
Not convenient?
Lin Yuran had just said she wasn’t convenient for carrying luggage It was true that she was a bit inconvenienced, but Xiana looked down at herself. Outwardly, there was nothing about her appearance that suggested any physical inconvenience at all.
Realizing what kind of inconvenience the other woman meant, Xiana fully snapped back to her senses!
Damn it, she totally saw it after all!