Previous | Table of Contents | Next
Lu Yunshu sent Jin Hanshuang home.
Before leaving the car, Jin Hanshuang turned and said, “It’s good, very sweet.”
Then she asked, “Where did you buy it?”
“A few days ago,” Lu Yunshu replied. “When I get stressed at work, I feel like eating something sweet, so I bought some candies for my office. Sometimes, I’ll carry one or two on me.”
“I see~”
Jin Hanshuang’s hand came to rest lightly on Lu Yunshu’s shoulder, a comforting gesture.
“Drive safe.”
Lu Yunshu watched Jin Hanshuang stroll into her residence, not starting the car until the older woman’s figure had completely disappeared.
On her way back, Lu Yunshu was in a great mood. The simple compliment filled her heart with joy, and even after she arrived home, she still felt a lingering happiness.
Jin Hanshuang didn’t blame her for being too forward.
Jin Hanshuang accepted her candy.
Jin Hanshuang said it tasted good.
Something so simple filled Lu Yunshu with so much joy, as if that small gesture carried the promise of something more. In that moment, it felt like their relationship would unfold just as smoothly—with no obstacles, no sting of rejection.
As soon as she settled down, her friends bombarded her with questions in their group chat. Everyone was very concerned about her first love, mainly because the other person’s identity was very special, but also because they could feel that Lu Yunshu really liked her.
Lu Yunshu said things were going well.
Their interaction had gone smoothly.
Then Xiao Fanfan chimed in: [As friends?]
Sharp as ever, always hitting the nail on the head.
“…”
[Lu Yunshu]: I’m taking it slow.
[Fan Jia]: Being friends is already very good.
[Fan Jia]: After all, she is Shen Wenxin’s stepmother.
[Xiao Fanfan]: [Pat on the shoulder]
[Xiao Fanfan]: Our Yunshu, such a hard life ah.
Lu Yunshu: “…”
She was bullied into silence.
Out of nowhere, Le You came online to post pictures of her vacation.
The conversations in the group shifted to the city she was visiting, which was always bustling, never boring.
While chatting, a notification popped up on Lu Yunshu’s phone.
It was Jin Hanshuang asking her if she arrived home safely.
Lu Yunshu immediately pressed on the notification and replied: [Yes.]
[Jin Hanshuang]: Good, make sure to eat dinner.
[Lu Yunshu]: Okay.
[Lu Yunshu]: You too.
Jin Hanshuang didn’t send another message. She set down her phone and waited for Shen Wenxin to pick her up for dinner.
After Jin Hanshuang and Shen Wenxin finished dinner, they realized that the night was still young and decided to haunt their regular pub.
They sat in the corner of the bar, ordered two custom drinks, and leisurely chatted while listening to someone singing on stage. The atmosphere was very relaxing.
Suddenly, Jin Hanshuang’s phone lit up.
As she continued talking to Shen Wenxin, she unlocked her phone.
[Lu Yunshu]: What are you doing?
The younger woman sounded bored.
So bored that she came looking for Jin Hanshuang.
Jin Hanshuang glanced at Shen Wenxin across from her, the wheels in her head turning. Then she smiled, aiming her camera at Shen Wenxin’s hand holding the glass and snapping a photo.
Jin Hanshuang’s gaze lingered on Shen Wenxin across the table, her thoughts shifting. Then, as if arriving at a quiet conclusion, she smiled and lifted her camera, aiming it at the elegant curve of Shen Wenxin’s fingers around the glass. The shutter clicked.
Shen Wenxin noticed her action.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a photo.”
“You didn’t catch my face, did you?”
“Nope, would our President Shen like to inspect it?”
Shen Wenxin shook her head. She lost interest and picked up her drink.
As long as her face wasn’t in the photo, it was fine.
Jin Hanshuang wasn’t the type of elder who would take a picture of someone’s face without their consent anyway.
Jin Hanshuang sent the photo to Lu Yunshu.
Lu Yunshu opened the image.
The scene was dim and ambiguous. But from the lower right, a warm glow broke through the darkness, illuminating the center of the photo—a single, elegant hand bathed in golden light, adorned with a silver bracelet around the wrist, delicate fingers touching glass.
It was a woman.
Jin Hanshuang was with a woman.
As if struck by a massive boulder, Lu Yunshu’s heart shook. Her breaths seized. She sat up from her sofa.
A woman?
It couldn’t be…
[Who is it?]
She decided to ask directly.
Filtered by a screen, these words seemed devoid of emotion.
Jin Hanshuang responded: [Why don’t you guess?]
But Lu Yunshu didn’t want to guess.
Two answers she didn’t want to admit crashed through her mind.
A girlfriend? A friend with benefits?
For a secret admirer, this photo was really cruel.
Her thoughts scattered to the wind, her composure unraveling in every direction. No matter how hard she tried to piece it together, the ache in her chest only grew heavier.
She didn’t want to guess, didn’t want to send out her responses, as if sending them out would seal her defeat, forfeit her right to even pursue the older woman.
She was terrified that Jin Hanshuang’s heart already belonged to someone else.
After a long silence, she typed a few words on screen.
[Shen Wenxin.]
She pressed send.
Shen Wenxin—it better be you.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Little Classmate Lu is so smart.
Lu Yunshu: “?”
She immediately straightened, her gloom swept away.
For the first time, she found Shen Wenxin’s name pleasant to the ear.
[Lu Yunshu]: Is it really her?
[Lu Yunshu]: What are you two doing?
[Jin Hanshuang]: Having a drink and listening to someone sing.
[Lu Yunshu]: Oh.
[Lu Yunshu]: I thought it was someone else.
She could finally reveal her fears out loud.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Someone else?
As soon as Jin Hanshuang sent the message, she realized what Lu Yunshu meant. She couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Jiejie hasn’t had much luck in love recently.
Lu Yunshu, the love interest[1] herself: “…”
Under these circumstances, she should have sent a consolation message to Jin Hanshuang, something like, “Don’t worry, your luck will turn around. Jiejie is so outstanding, there must be no shortage of people pursuing her.”
But Lu Yunshu didn’t want to send a consolation message.
What if, after she gave the advice, Jin Hanshuang really did go and get a girlfriend—then what?
So she changed her mind and sent: [It’s good to be single sometimes.]
Jin Hanshuang neither agreed nor disagreed. She sent a cute kitty emoji and set down her phone, smiling.
When Shen Wenxin turned back to Jin Hanshuang, she saw the older woman’s mouth curved in amusement. She became curious. “Who are you chatting with?”
Jin Hanshuang lifted her drink. “A friend.”
Shen Wenxin raised her eyebrow, indulging in rare gossip. “A girlfriend?”
Jin Hanshuang’s hand paused, Lu Yunshu’s face coming to mind.
Beautiful and pitiful—a face that belonged to someone else.
She frowned slightly. “How could that be?”
The two of them…how could that be?
A few days later, Lu Yunshu sat in her office, her hand massaging her temple as she stared at the phone on her desk.
What excuse should she use to invite Jin Hanshuang out for dinner?
Was Jin Hanshuang free?
After thinking for a while, she picked up her phone and scrolled down to Jin Hanshuang’s WeChat. She had found a solution.
[Lu Yunshu]: Are you free?
[Lu Yunshu]: Can you come to dinner with me?
[Lu Yunshu]: I got stood up.
Five minutes later, Jin Hanshuang finally responded.
[Jin Hanshuang]: Who stood you up? Was it her?
[Lu Yunshu]: Yes.
The next second, Jin Hanshuang requested a phone call. “What’s going on? She stood you up? How?”
Lu Yunshu said, “We agreed to have dinner together, but she probably had something urgent to do…”
Jin Hanshuang was silent for a moment before comforting her, “It’s okay, you can always reschedule for another time.”
She added gently, “But I’m not free tonight. I’ve already made plans with some friends to go out. Go find someone else to accompany you, okay?”
Hearing this, Lu Yunshu sighed silently.
Unfortunately, she was too late.
“Okay…”
Jin Hanshuang’s composure wavered the moment she heard Lu Yunshu’s hapless response, her heart aching as if she were staring at a lonely puppy who was forced to stay home alone.
“Why do you sound so pitiful, Little Classmate Lu?” she asked. “How about this—next time, jiejie will keep you company, okay?”
Hearing her crush try to coax her with kind words, Lu Yunshu couldn’t help but smile. “Then it’s a deal.”
“Mhm, it’s a deal.”
After hanging up, Jin Hanshuang went to change clothes.
That evening, she and Du Mengying were going to attend a party—an exclusive women’s party. It was being hosted by their friend’s friend, and they had been invited to join the fun. There would be both lesbian and straight women. It was a chance to meet new friends—or even start a new relationship.
Her new romance might be on the horizon too.
But she never would’ve expected Lu Yunshu to show up.
At the time, she was standing on the balcony of the second floor, engrossed in conversation with Du Mengying. When she turned her gaze downstairs, her eyes caught on the person who had materialized at the entrance.
Tailored suit pants embraced a thin frame, highlighting long, slender legs. She stepped into the room with quiet grace, her white off-shoulder dress shirt sliding against pale skin, a black ribbon adorning her snow-white neck. Her restrained gaze hid behind a familiar pair of gold-rimmed glasses, sweeping across the main hall with a cool detachment.
Under the starry night, she stood out, dazzling.
Jin Hanshuang was stunned.
—Why was she here?
The translator (AmEricaNo) has something to say:
We’ve hit our goal again! Thank you to everyone on Ko-fi for the bonus chapter!
This week, I’m going to try posting the new chapter on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST instead of Saturday at 8 a.m. EST. Please bear with me for the experiment. If you would like to recommend any other times, feel free to in the comments.
[1] Okay, I’ve got some explaining to do for these two lines. In the original text, Jin Hanshuang says, “姐姐最近没什么桃花运呢” or “Jiejie hasn’t had much peach blossom luck recently.” In Chinese, “桃花” (táohuā) or “peach blossom” is a euphemism for love, so “桃花运” (táohuā yùn) or “peach blossom luck” is another euphemism for “luck in love.” So in the next line, Lu Yunshu thinks, as a pun, “卑鄙的桃花本人” or “The (despicable) peach blossom herself.” Obviously, cultural connotations like these can be difficult to express in English, so I decided to play around with the term “love interest” instead. Let me know your thoughts!
