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Lu Yunshu was busy.
And once she was busy, she forgot to eat.
But it was fine—she’d already subscribed to her girlfriend’s mealtime reminder service.
Whenever it was time to eat, Jin Hanshuang always came to look for her.
First, she would send a message that made Lu Yunshu’s phone chime.
Then a “poke” notification would pop up on the screen.
As long as her phone was nearby, Lu Yunshu would see it right away.
And right on cue, she would also attach a photo of her meal to share with her girlfriend.
Jin Hanshuang would send pictures of her own meals back, too.
It was a mutual back and forth.
This went on for a few days.
But one day, Jin Hanshuang discovered something different.
It was right after she “nudged” Lu Yunshu.
She paused for a moment, then beamed. On WeChat, she “nudged” Lu Yunshu several more times with even more enthusiasm.
When Lu Yunshu saw this, a smile appeared in her eyes.
She pretended she didn’t understand, replying: [Hanshuang is poking me a lot today.]
[Jin Hanshuang]: That’s right.
[Jin Hanshuang]: I think someone likes to see me do it.
[Lu Yunshu]: This ‘someone’ likes it very much.
Her phone buzzed again.
Jin Hanshuang “nudged” her a few more times.
The two of them began enjoying this little ritual.
It could be considered their mealtime dessert.
In the evening, Lu Yunshu’s group chat lit up again. Le You and the others were chatting happily about a new topic while their Boss Lu was still buried in work
Le Yu @ Lu Yunshu: [Is our Boss Lu still working?]
Then she “nudged” Lu Yunshu.
A new notification jumped on screen:
[I nudge “Yunshu” and call out: wifey.]
[Le You]: ?
[Fan Jia]: ?
[Xiao Fanfan]: ?
Unbelievable.
Le You quickly withdrew the message.
[Le You]: As long as my hand is fast enough, I will not be part of this game!
[Le You]: Congratulations [clapping hands.jpg]
[Xiao Fanfan]: Congratulations [clapping hands.jpg]
By the time Lu Yunshu checked the chat, Le You’s message was already gone.
“?”
What happened?
Why all the question marks?
For many days, Jin Hanshuang faithfully nudged her wifey and provided her reminder service.
And yes, someone really loved it.
She loved it so much that she started treating it like a punch-card reward system. Rack up enough points, and maybe you could redeem them for a prize.
Jin Hanshuang’s voice came through the receiver, laced with amusement: “So…what kind of prize can I exchange for?”
Since she was the one checking in, she should be the one racking up the points—and it should be President Lu who delivered the prize to her.
Lu Yunshu lowered her eyes and thought about it.
“You can exchange your points for a free residence voucher to my home.”
Jin Hanshuang played along. “Wow, that’s amazing! So, how many points do I need for this exclusive reward?”
Lu Yunshu took her role very seriously. “Let me check.”
The next second, she announced, “Congratulations, valued customer. You’ve accumulated enough points to redeem this prize. Would you like to redeem it now?”
Jin Hanshuang laughed and answered without hesitation, “Redeem it—right now!”
Lu Yunshu said, “Great, your residence voucher will now be issued to your account.”
Jin Hanshuang raised her eyebrows.
“Okay, I’m waiting.” She was curious to see how Lu Yunshu would send it.
Then she saw Lu Yunshu send her a picture.
It was black text on a white background, bordered by a simple hand-drawn rectangle. The image had clearly been cropped to the borders, and inside, there were two lines of text:
Line One: Lu Yunshu’s Free Residence Voucher
Line Two: Valid Forever
It was so clearly a rushed job inside a notes app, but Jin Hanshuang still found it impressive.
She smiled.
Damn it, she’d fallen for Lu Yunshu’s cuteness again.
She saved her precious voucher to her phone and tucked it into their shared sweet moments photo album.
“I can redeem this voucher whenever I like, right?”
“Yes, and it also comes with lifetime customer support.”
“Very good. I’ll call you if I have any problems.”
“You’re more than welcome. In fact, I’d recommend coming over tonight.”
Hearing this, Jin Hanshuang said, “Huh?”
She asked, “Aren’t you busy?”
Lu Yunshu nodded, then remembered that Jin Hanshuang couldn’t see her. “Well, I’ve pretty much wrapped everything up. At least I can go on a date with my girlfriend.”
Jin Hanshuang understood. “Perfect. I’ll come see you tonight.”
Lu Yunshu mimicked her. “Perfect.”
Perfect—she could go on a date with her girlfriend again.
At around nine in the evening, Jin Hanshuang drove into the parking garage underneath Lu Yunshu’s apartment complex.
After she parked her car, she turned and began walking toward the elevator.
She’d only taken a few steps when she saw a familiar figure come into view.
The moment Jin Hanshuang saw Lu Yunshu, a soft and gentle smile bloomed across her face like a flower, and she unconsciously quickened her pace.
Lu Yunshu saw Jin Hanshuang hurrying toward her. Jin Hanshuang’s long hair lifted in the breeze. Her eyes were shining like stars, and the hem of her beige coat fluttered behind her.
It was a moment so breathtaking that Lu Yunshu’s heart began racing.
She reached out her hand.
But instead of taking Lu Yunshu’s hand, Jin Hanshuang pulled out her phone and pretended not to recognize her. “Excuse me, beautiful sister. Do you know where Lu Yunshu’s home is?”
Then she held up the photo of her free residence voucher. She held her cheek and said with a look of distress, “I’m here to redeem this, but I don’t know where she lives…”
A very cinematic moment.
Lu Yunshu was stunned, then she couldn’t help but laugh.
So cute.
Jin Hanshuang was so cute that she wanted to play along without even thinking.
“Jiejie asked the right person. Since I happen to know, let me take you there.”
Jin Hanshuang said, “Thank you so much. Sorry to trouble you~”
Then she asked, “Wait, you’re not a bad person, are you?”
Those were her words, but her eyes were teasing.
Lu Yunshu replied, “Does wanting to hold jiejie’s hand make me a bad person?”
Jin Hanshuang answered, “Yes, it does.”
Lu Yunshu lifted their clasped hands with a smile. “Then what’s this…?”
Jin Hanshuang smiled. She squeezed Lu Yunshu’s hand. “This is all part of my plan. Now you can’t escape when the police come.”
Lu Yunshu laughed.
The two of them walked into the elevator together, shoulder-to-shoulder.
Jin Hanshuang rested her head on Lu Yunshu’s shoulder, clingy and affectionate.
Lu Yunshu asked, “Is this part of jiejie’s plan too?”
Jin Hanshuang replied, “Yes, this is also part of my plan.”
Lu Yunshu smiled. “Jiejie’s plan is so thorough.”
“Mhm~”
“What to do? I think I’m falling in love.”
They turned to face each other.
Jin Hanshuang leaned over and kissed Lu Yunshu on the lips.
“Then from now on, you will be my wife.”
Lu Yunshu froze.
Then she came back to herself and pulled Jin Hanshuang into herself. She wrapped her arms around Jin Hanshuang’s waist, her expression softening, “Say it again.”
Jin Hanshuang hugged Lu Yunshu’s neck. “Wife.”
“Again.”
“Wife.”
“More.”
“Wife~”
Lu Yunshu squeezed Jin Hanshuang. “I really love to hear this word. My wife should say it more in the future.”
She always expressed her feelings for Jin Hanshuang so sincerely.
She liked her so much. She really, really liked her!
Jin Hanshuang embraced Lu Yunshu. “Okay~ I’ll call you that every day from now on.”
Then she couldn’t help but kiss Lu Yunshu’s hair and embrace her again and again. “You’re just too cute!”
She loved her, she loved her, her little puppy wife!
A few days later, Lu Yunshu planned to eat dinner with Le You and the others.
She had promised to treat them to dinner to celebrate Shen Wenxin’s agreement to her and Jin Hanshuang’s relationship.
Jin Hanshuang was also going to meet up with her own friends.
The two of them lingered in the doorway with a long, sweet kiss.
Jin Hanshuang affectionately stroked Lu Yunshu’s soft, rosy lips. “Be careful on the road. Text me when you get there. Don’t forget to dress warm and eat well. Eat until you’re full, okay?”
“Okay.” Lu Yunshu smiled and kissed Jin Hanshuang’s fingertips.
Then she couldn’t help but lean in and kiss Jin Hanshuang silly until her lipstick was smeared off all over again.
“You be careful too. Text me when you arrive. See you later, wifey.”
Jin Hanshuang was living with her for a couple of days.
Once their dinner plans were over, they would see each other again.
“Okay, see you later.” Jin Hanshuang said. “Wifey~”
Jin Hanshuang kissed her little puppy again.
Le You booked a hot pot restaurant because that was what winter called for.
The four of them arrived one after another. Lu Yunshu was last to arrive.
In the restaurant packed with customers. Le You raised her hand to wave Lu Yunshu over.
Lu Yunshu sat down and took out her phone.
After texting Jin Hanshuang that she had arrived, she casually placed her phone and keys aside on the table.
“Have you all ordered?” she asked.
Xiao Fanfan handed her a cup of warm water. “Yeah. Scan the QR code and see if there’s anything else you want to add.”
Lu Yunshu accepted the water, took a sip, and nodded. She scanned the QR code to look at the menu.
Xiao Fanfan happened to be sitting next to Lu Yunshu. When she glanced down, she noticed the little wooden tag attached to Lu Yunshu’s keychain.
Curious, she picked it up. “What’s this?”
She flipped it over. “Why is there a number one carved into it?”
Le You and Fan Jia looked over, intrigued.
Xiao Fanfan said, “Looks like a number tag.”
She joked, “Don’t tell me you stole it from a hotel’s queue ticket stand?”
Lu Yunshu: “…”
She couldn’t help but laugh.
Fan Jia stretched out her hand. “Let me see! Let me see!”
Xiao Fanfan passed it to her.
As Le You leaned over to look, a line suddenly popped into her head. “I am one?”[1]
Fan Jia: “?”
Lu Yunshu: “?”
Xiao Fanfan: “You are a genius.”
Le You: “It’s true.”
Lu Yunshu chuckled again.
She finally decided to explain, “It’s not from a hotel—it’s a love token.”
She added, “It was a four-month anniversary gift.”
She continued, “From Hanshuang, to me.”
She chose the order of her words very deliberately.
The strong smell of love was impossible to ignore.
Her three friends: “Oh—a stinky couple.”
Fan Jia slowly pushed Le You away. “Who are you to complain? You are also in a stinky relationship!”
Le You: “Hehe.”
Then Le You looked at Lu Yunshu, “Oh, so it turned out to be a small gift—I thought it was…”
Lu Yunshu faced Le You, her expression growing serious. “You thought it was what?”
Le You smiled wickedly and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I thought you became the ‘one’ in love-making.”
Lu Yunshu: “?”
Lu Yunshu: “What—”
She stopped mid-sentence.
She got it.
After so many years spent with Le You and Fan Jia, she had learned everything she was supposed to know—and everything she wasn’t.
Le You obviously meant something unsuitable for children.
“You really are…” Lu Yunshu sighed helplessly.
Le You grinned as she returned Lu Yunshu’s car keys.
Just then, the waiter came with their food.
Lu Yunshu picked up her keys and closed her hand around the cool little wooden tag.
She gently rubbed the number carved on it, staying silent.
She couldn’t help but think of Jin Hanshuang.
Thanks to her friends, her thoughts were instantly pulled in another direction.
She and Jin Hanshuang had been together for nearly six months now, and their feelings had only grown stronger.
Now that Shen Wenxin knew and approved of their relationship, all the obstacles between them had vanished.
So then…why hadn’t jiejie “corrupted” her yet?
[1] Here, Le You is repeating the first half of the internet phrase “我是1, 你是0” or “I am one, you are zero.” In homosexual relationships, “one” refers to the top and “zero” refers to the bottom.
