In the center of the room stood a large bed, and the space was clean and tidy.
After placing her luggage in the room, Lou Qing contacted the others to head downstairs for lunch, as it was already noon.
Cui Lin rubbed her stomach. “Now that you mention it, I really am hungry.”
“How about we go to Hongcun? There are plenty of delicious food options there,” Tao Hai suggested.
Song Meixi’s interest was piqued. “Let’s go! I’ve read the guides and know which places are good.”
Their original plan for the afternoon was to visit Hongcun, so it was the perfect opportunity to grab lunch as well.
During this season, the area was crowded with tourists, especially at midday. The food street was packed with people as far as the eye could see. Since they were all quite hungry, they found a shop, ordered some snacks, and began eating while walking there were simply no available seats inside.
Lu Huan felt a bit shy at first. While the others ate, she held her food in her hands. But seeing how much everyone was enjoying their snacks and noticing that other tourists around them were doing the same, she hesitated for a moment before taking her food out of the bag. As soon as she took a bite, her eyes lit up. “This is delicious!”
Lou Qing smiled and asked, “Is this your first time eating while walking?”
Lu Huan’s face flushed slightly with embarrassment. She kept dabbing her lips with a tissue, worried about staining her image.
Lou Qing leaned in slightly, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Not bad, right?”
Lu Huan nodded quickly, her ears turning bright red.
Lou Qing didn’t tease her further and instead led her to try more tasty treats.
After sampling a variety of foods, everyone was full, so they decided to take a leisurely stroll to digest while enjoying the beautiful scenery around them.
The view was breathtaking, and Lu Huan found herself completely captivated.
At some point, Lou Qing had slung a camera around her neck and was following the girl, taking photos. In every shot, Lu Huan was the focal point, a mesmerizing figure against the stunning backdrop.
Noticing Lou Qing was no longer by her side, Lu Huan panicked slightly. “Sister!”
“Over here,” a voice called from behind. Lu Huan turned toward the sound.
Click. Lou Qing captured the moment, then walked over and soothingly patted the girl’s head. “I’ve taken quite a few photos of you.”
Lu Huan was still a bit flustered. “You scared me!”
Unbeknownst to her, her tone carried a hint of a girlfriend’s playful complaint. Lou Qing’s heartbeat quickened as she gazed intently at the girl.
Oblivious, Lu Huan continued, “When there’s no one around, I get scared.”
“Good girl,” Lou Qing said softly, pulling her into an embrace and gently patting her back. “It’s my fault. I should have let you know where I was.”
Buried in the woman’s arms, Lu Huan’s eyes curved into a smile. Taking advantage of the fact that Lou Qing couldn’t see her face, she grinned even more freely, though her words remained modest. “It’s partly my fault too. I was so absorbed in the scenery, I should have held your hand.”
Lou Qing chuckled, took a step back, and extended her hand. “I’ll hold your hand. You can enjoy the view as much as you like.”
“Okay.”
“Mom, Mom, I want you to carry me!”
“Mom’s tired and can’t carry you right now.”
“No, I want you to carry me!”
The woman sighed and had no choice but to bend down to pick up the child. Her face, free of makeup, was somewhat sallow. Though she was only twenty-five, she looked as if she were in her thirties.
Gu Li, holding her daughter, walked along the narrow path. After just a few steps, she spotted a familiar figure ahead. She felt as though she must be hallucinating and widened her eyes in disbelief, staring intently until she confirmed that it was indeed someone she knew.
A smile spread across her face as she saw the figure, and she opened her mouth to call out. But then she noticed a girl standing beside that person, a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen, quiet, sweet, and well-behaved. The way she looked at Lou Qing, in particular, made it seem as though Lou Qing was her entire world.
Gu Li’s steps faltered, and she stood frozen in place, unable to move for a long time.
The child in her arms tugged impatiently at her hair. “Mom, hurry up! I want something delicious. Buy it for me now, or I’ll tell Dad when we get home, and he’ll hit you.”
At the thought of her husband’s fists, Gu Li shuddered, her eyes filled with fear. She hurried off with the child, but before leaving, she glanced once more at the two people holding hands, their faces beaming with happiness. They looked so content.
If only it were her.
A bitter smile touched Gu Li’s lips. She didn’t even dare to imagine it.
After graduating from university, she had been called back to her hometown by her parents and married off to a man. The marriage had not been a happy one, but her mother said that this was how it was for all women after marriage revolving around their husbands and children.
Having attended university and seen the world beyond, she didn’t really agree with her mother’s words. But she had grown up here, and everyone around her lived this way. Breaking free from that mindset felt impossible; her thoughts had solidified, and she had become part of it all.
On nights when her husband had beaten her, in the stillness, she would think of Lou Qing, of Lou Qing’s kindness and respect toward her. For the first time, she felt that gender wasn’t something to fear; it was a person’s character that was truly frightening.
But there was no going back now.
Lou Qing hadn’t noticed the woman watching her from behind. She held Lu Huan’s hand, strolling with the girl, enjoying the scenery, and chatting.
This way of being together was something she cherished deeply, even wishing she could freeze this moment in time.
“Let me take a few more photos of you,” she said, realizing they had reached the center of Hongcun, a spot perfect for pictures.
“Okay,” Lu Huan replied, standing by the Moon Pond, her gaze fixed on the woman crouching not far ahead, her eyes curved into a smile.
Just then, the sun began to set, casting a golden-orange glow over Hongcun and dyeing the surface of the lake. In the camera’s frame, the girl was looking at her with a smile, and Lou Qing’s lips curved upward as she captured the moment.
“Sister, let me take one of you too,” Lu Huan said, rushing over.
“Alright,” Lou Qing handed the camera to the girl.
They took individual photos and also asked a passerby to snap a picture of them together.
Lou Qing was a head taller than the girl. In the photo, Lou Qing tilted her head slightly, while Lu Huan grinned brightly, freezing that moment in time for the two of them.
At noon, to save time, they had snacked on local street food. Now, tired from walking, they found a restaurant and ordered some of the area’s famous dishes.
To prepare for the next day’s trip to Huangshan, they returned to the hotel a little after nine.
When she opened the door, Lu Huan remembered that tonight, she would be sharing a room with Lou Qing.
“You go take a shower first,” Lou Qing said.
“Okay.”
While Lu Huan was taking a shower, Lou Qing was on a call with a client. She hadn’t been at the shop for the past few days, leaving some matters to Xiao Mu and a few other part-time tattoo artists. They were all longtime friends, trustworthy and reliable.
However, some regular clients still specifically requested Lou Qing as their tattoo artist. Since she was on leave, their appointments had to be postponed.
After hanging up, she heard movement behind her and turned to see the girl emerging in a nightgown. Lou Qing froze for a moment before quickly snapping back to reality. She stood up, grabbed the clothes prepared by the bed, and hurried into the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower too.”
Watching her somewhat flustered retreat, Lu Huan chuckled quietly to herself.
As Lu Huan was drying her hair with a hairdryer, her phone on the desk buzzed with a notification, a new message.
She glanced casually and saw a new friend request. Turning off the hairdryer for a closer look, she realized it was from Jiang Wenshu, whom she had blocked. The note read: “Lu Huan, I have something important to tell you.”
Lu Huan ignored the request outright, completely uninterested in whatever “important” matter Jiang Wenshu claimed to have. After all, she couldn’t imagine Jiang Wenshu having anything of significance to say.
Seeing no response after a long wait, Jiang Wenshu gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger.
[System: Favorability of the target has decreased by 3%.]
[Decreased by 5%]
But today, after hearing from a friend about An Ke’s situation, a sense of guilt resurfaced within her.
[System: Favorability of the target has increased by 8%]
[Increased by 2%]
Faced with the fluctuating numbers from the system, Lu Huan remained unfazed, as if she hadn’t noticed. She even found the notifications annoying and muted them directly.
When Lou Qing came out, she saw the girl sitting on the edge of the bed scrolling through her phone, looking at some photos she had taken. Though they weren’t as polished as camera shots, a few stood out as quite beautiful. Lu Huan edited them slightly and posted them to her social media.
Her social media circle was small, consisting only of real-life family and friends including her roommate.
Mom Lu: “Where did you go, dear?”
Dad Lu: “Did you go alone, sweetheart?”
Wei Jia: “Wow, that place looks amazing! I wish I had gone too.”
Wu Xinyu: “So beautiful.”
Then, a video call came in from Mom Lu. Lu Huan’s hand trembled, nearly dropping her phone.
Somehow, she felt the same nervous guilt as if she had been caught dating her eyes instinctively darting toward Lou Qing.
“Who is it?” Lou Qing asked, drying her hair with a towel.
This was the first time Lu Huan had seen her with her hair down less sharp, more gentle.
“My mom,” Lu Huan replied.
Lou Qing’s hand stilled mid-motion. She turned as if to leave. “I’ll go wash up in the bathroom.”
“I’ve already answered,” Lu Huan said, blinking at her.
Lou Qing stood frozen for a few seconds before turning back to face the camera and greeting, “Hello, Auntie.”
“Hello,” Mom Lu replied with a smile, studying the slightly mature-looking woman. She asked Lu Huan, “Sweetie, who is this?”
“She’s an older sister I just met someone who’s been really good to me,” Lu Huan introduced Lou Qing to her parents openly.
Dad Lu happened to be sitting nearby, and the three of them took the rare opportunity to chat. However, the couple soon had to attend to their work again. After exchanging a few more words with Lu Huan, they ended the call hurriedly.
“Sis?” Lu Huan had felt that Lou Qing was a bit off from the start too quiet. She sat by the bay window, a small pane open to let the breeze in, lost in thought.
“Finished your call?” Lou Qing snapped back to reality.
“Yeah,” Lu Huan said with a smile. “My mom said she’d like to have you over for a meal sometime. She’ll cook herself.”
Lou Qing looked intently at the girl, lowering her eyelids to conceal the emotions in her eyes, and said nothing.
Pretending not to notice her expression, Lu Huan picked up the hairdryer nearby and said, “Sis, let me dry your hair for you.”
“Mm.”
Fingers combed through her hair, warm fingertips brushing against her scalp. Lou Qing’s heart was anything but calm; it even momentarily scattered the gloom within her.
When she saw the girl introducing her to her family without hesitation, Lou Qing had felt an urge to flee. Even though there was nothing special between them, and the girl had only introduced her as a friend, the wounds left by that person from the past still lingered. They weren’t the kind that faded with time.
Thinking about this made her feel it was unfair to Lu Huan, leaving her unsure how to face the girl in that moment.
She didn’t notice when the hairdryer stopped. All she heard was the girl’s voice whispering in her ear, “Sis, do you have a girlfriend?”