Today’s itinerary was still focused on exploring Huangshan. By the time they made it back to the foot of the mountain in the evening, everyone was completely exhausted. As the saying goes, going uphill is easy, but coming down is hard. By the time they reached the bottom, everyone was drained, especially Lu Huan, whose legs felt like jelly.
Lou Qing held her while hailing a taxi, eventually booking two cars to take them to the hotel.
If there had been enough space, Cui Lin would have sprawled out completely.
“I don’t think I’ll want to go out again for the next six months,” she said weakly.
Lou Qing sneered, “You said the same thing last time.”
Cui Lin: “Don’t call me out like that. Save me some face.”
Lou Qing: “Do you even have any face left?”
Lu Huan laughed as she watched the two bicker. Even the driver chuckled, finding their banter as entertaining as a comedy skit.
By the time they reached the hotel, no one had the energy to eat. They all agreed they needed to sleep first and eat later.
The decision was unanimously approved.
After a quick shower, Lu Huan collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
When Lou Qing finished her shower, she found the girl already deep in slumber. Only a small nightlight was on in the room. Feeling a bit tired herself and with nothing else to do, she pulled back the covers and prepared to rest as well.
By the time everyone woke up, it was already 11 p.m. They weren’t sleepy anymore, but they were all starving. Luckily, the night market had just opened. They strolled through it with renewed energy, eating and drinking their fill before returning to the hotel.
At that moment, the system prompted Lu Huan that Yu Lan had already begun to take action.
“What’s wrong?” Lou Qing asked, noticing her standing there in a daze.
Lu Huan snapped back to reality and shook her head with a smile. “It’s nothing.”
Lou Qing didn’t think much of it.
Since they had slept for several hours earlier, they weren’t tired anymore. Lou Qing suggested watching a movie, and Lu Huan nodded in agreement.
Naturally, they watched the movie in the hotel room. Lou Qing picked a recently released film, turned off the main lights, and left only the nightlight on. Patting the spot beside her, she asked, “Want to sit here?”
Her bed was positioned perfectly for viewing the TV screen, making it more comfortable to watch.
Lu Huan was more than willing but made sure to put on a shy expression, hesitating for a moment before moving over.
Lou Qing shook out the blanket and draped it over Lu Huan’s legs. Shoulder to shoulder, they settled in to watch the movie.
As Lu Huan watched the film, she used the system to monitor Yu Lan’s situation. At that moment, An Ke was already asleep, and Yu Lan was secretly checking An Ke’s computer.
To make things easier for Yu Lan, Lu Huan had the system assist discreetly, even ensuring An Ke fell into a deep sleep from which she wouldn’t wake, no matter what sounds she heard.
The first half of the movie was quite engaging, but it gradually became dull toward the end. Perhaps she was just tired, but Lu Huan’s eyes began to droop.
Lou Qing was still engrossed in the film when she felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning her head, she realized the girl had fallen asleep without her noticing. She smiled silently, picked up the remote, and turned the volume down.
But now, she couldn’t focus on the movie anymore. Her gaze kept drifting to the girl beside her. Even in her sleep, the girl looked serene. Lou Qing’s eyes wandered from her eyes to her nose, then lingered on her lips for a long while.
Lu Huan seemed uncomfortable in her sleeping position, so she shifted, sliding down slightly until her head rested against Lou Qing’s chest, her arms wrapped around Lou Qing’s waist.
Lou Qing paused, then completely lost interest in the movie and turned off the screen. She lay down, pulling the girl with her, and the girl lay beside her.
Perhaps out of selfishness, she didn’t carry the girl back to her own bed. Instead, she faced the girl, slowly leaned in, but stopped halfway.
The next day, when Lu Huan woke up and saw the face so close to hers, her eyes widened in shock, and her face immediately flushed red. Yet she didn’t move, almost reluctant to, and just stared blankly at the woman’s sleeping face.
“What are you looking at?” the woman asked, having opened her eyes at some point.
Only then did Lu Huan realize how close the two of them had been sleeping. Seeing the woman’s smiling eyes, she bolted upright in a fluster, scrambling off the bed. “I’m going to wash up.” With that, she closed the bathroom door with a sharp “thud.”
Lou Qing chuckled softly, sitting up and gazing toward the bathroom, a lingering smile on her lips.
During breakfast, Cui Lin glanced at Lu Huan, then at Lou Qing, and blurted out bluntly, “Did you two sleep together?”
“Pfft!cough, cough, cough.” Lu Huan sprayed the soy milk from her mouth, hurriedly covering it with a tissue. Not only did her face turn red, but her ears did too.
Lou Qing remained calm, though her expression wasn’t much better. “Is your mind already in the gutter this early? Should I buy you two bottles of bleach to disinfect it?”
Song Meiqian rolled her eyes and said, “She must be feeling lonely and cold.”
Cui Lin, unable to defend herself, pouted in grievance. “I just saw the looks on your faces and thought you two.”
Lou Qing shot her a glare, afraid that if she continued, someone would be too embarrassed to stay.
Lu Huan was so mortified she wished she could find a crack to crawl into.
Fortunately, the topic quickly shifted, allowing her to catch her breath.
Today, everyone was heading back. After finishing their meal, they returned to their rooms, grabbed their suitcases, and left the hotel.
Cui Lin and the others were a bit reluctant to part with Lu Huan. “Little cutie, let’s hang out again sometime. We’ll have Lou Qing bring you along.”
“Okay,” Lu Huan nodded.
Cui Lin couldn’t resist giving her a hug and patting her head. “If you run into that scumbag ex-girlfriend of yours again, don’t be soft-hearted. Beat her up every time you see her.”
Lou Qing’s face darkened as she grabbed Cui Lin by the collar. “Don’t corrupt the kid.”
“How is that corrupting? I’m just teaching her to protect herself,” Cui Lin argued indignantly.
“Get going,” Lou Qing said, shoving her into the car with a look of disdain.
Tao Hai, who was driving, rolled down the passenger window and said, “Lou Qing, we’ll head off first. Let’s keep in touch.”
“Sure,” Lou Qing waved.
Standing beside her, Lu Huan waved as well. “Goodbye, sisters.”
“Bye, little cutie,” Song Meiqian in the passenger seat smiled.
After the car drove off, Lou Qing said, “Let’s get in the car too.”
“Mm.”
These past few days of fun felt like a dream to Lu Huan, who vividly remembered the first day of the trip.
“A little reluctant to leave?” Lou Qing asked, glancing at the girl through the rearview mirror as she drove.
“Mm,” Lu Huan nodded seriously. “It’s the first time I’ve made so many friends and had so much fun.”
Lou Qing smiled. “It’s fine. We all live close by. We can meet up whenever we want. Tao Hai’s girlfriend’s birthday is in a few days, so we’ll see each other again then.”
Lu Huan hadn’t expected they’d meet again so soon, feeling both surprised and curious. “Sister, how did you all get to know each other?”
She could tell their friendship ran deep, the kind where even teasing couldn’t breed resentment.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, about thirteen years,” Lou Qing recalled.
“That long?” Lu Huan had assumed five or six years at most. Counting on her fingers, she finally said, “So that would be from high school?”
“Right, high school days.” Lou Qing smiled at the memory. Just then, they reached a red light. She stopped the car and glanced at the girl. “You probably can’t imagine how different I was back then.”
Lu Huan watched her with keen interest.
“I used to be quite the troublemaker smoking, drinking, climbing walls to skip class.”
Lu Huan’s eyes widened, unable to picture the woman ever having been like that.
As the light turned green, Lou Qing drove on, continuing, “I had no life goals back then, just drifting through each day. Our school was a vocational high school hardly anyone studied seriously, and the teachers didn’t bother much with us.”
Lu Huan listened intently the whole way. The high school life Lou Qing described was almost unbelievable, yet the sincerity in her sister’s expression convinced her it was all true.
That rebellious girl had simply grown up into the steady woman she was now.
“How wonderful!” Lu Huan sighed in the end.
“Hmm?” Lou Qing hadn’t quite caught it and turned to look at her.
The car was already parked at the school gate, but neither moved for a moment.
Lu Huan’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at her. “I wish I could have experienced that too.”
Lou Qing chuckled, placing a hand on the girl’s head and ruffling her hair firmly. “It wasn’t anything remarkable. Nothing worth envying.”
Grinning, Lu Huan grabbed her wrist, eyes curving into crescents. “It’s precisely because I haven’t experienced it that I’m curious.” Her smile faded slightly. “If only I could be as strong as you, sister.”
Thinking of the bullying the girl had endured in high school, Lou Qing gently pinched her nose. “Don’t overthink it. When we have time, I’ll teach you some self-defense moves.”
Instantly cheered, Lu Huan exclaimed, “Okay!”
“We’re at the school. Hurry inside,” Lou Qing said.
“Mm.” Lu Huan unbuckled her seatbelt. As she pushed the door open to leave, she suddenly turned back and, before Lou Qing could react, leaned in and kissed her cheek. Not daring to see her reaction, she grabbed her bag, dashed out of the car, and sprinted toward the campus without looking back.
Lou Qing sat there in a daze, only after a long while raising a hand to touch her cheek. Watching the long-vanished figure of the girl, she laughed softly. “Little rascal.”
Run off after causing a stir.
Lu Huan rushed all the way back to her dorm in one breath.
Wei Jia and Wu Xinyu happened to be in the room. About to ask why she’d returned in such a fluster, they noticed her flushed face, overwhelming shyness, and brilliantly shining eyes.
Wu Xinyu pressed her lips together and asked, “Huanhuan, what’s going on with you?”
Lu Huan’s heart was still pounding wildly, especially when she recalled the scene in the car. Unable to calm down, she responded to Wu Xinyu’s question with a distracted “Hmm?” clearly lost in her thoughts.
Wei Jia thought for a moment and said, “Huanhuan, are you in a relationship?” Her demeanor was exactly like someone longing for love.
Upon hearing this, Wu Xinyu’s expression darkened for a moment.
“No,” Lu Huan quickly denied, but her evasive eyes and guilty expression revealed that her words weren’t true. Even if she wasn’t in a relationship now, it wouldn’t be long before she was.