After Escaping Marriage - Extra 34 [END]
Chapter 177: Extra 4 - A Joyous Union
Lian Yabing arrived home, her mind a million miles away. She tossed her bag aside and sank onto the sofa, lost in thought.
The ringing of her phone finally broke through her daze.
Lian Yabing snatched up her phone, her heart pounding with anticipation. But the sparkle in her eyes died the moment she saw the caller ID. Composing herself, she answered the call.
“Mom.”
“Are you off work? Why haven’t you replied to my messages? Do you have to work overtime tomorrow? If not, I’m going to reply to Auntie Hu right now. I just saw a photo of her son today, and oh my, he’s quite the looker…” Her mother’s barrage of questions made Lian Yabing’s headache even worse.
She cut her mother off, lying, “I just got off work. I didn’t see your message.”
“Oh, well, you know now. Remember to meet Auntie Hu’s son tomorrow. I’ll send you the time and place later.”
“…Got it.”
There was no point arguing with her mother. No matter what excuse she came up with, her mom would find a way to push her into the blind date.
Hanging up, Lian Yabing lay on the sofa and turned on the TV with the remote.
An American drama happened to be on, and Lian Yabing heard the female lead call another character Stephanie.
Lian Yabing: “…”
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Stephanie was probably relaxing at home, without a single thought for who Lian Yabing was.
Forgetting about the Korean drama she’d been watching, Lian Yabing showered early and went to bed. She tossed and turned for a long time before sleep finally came. In the last moment before drifting off, she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to dream of Li Lan or not.
She must not have dreamed at all, because when she woke up the next day, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
She put on a long dress and light makeup, then pulled up the address her mother had sent the night before and took a taxi to the coffee shop where the blind date was scheduled.
Auntie Hu’s son was, in fact, quite handsome, a clear standout among the men she’d met on previous blind dates. He seemed pleased with her as well. Lian Yabing stirred her coffee and politely answered his questions.
It was the usual talk of cars, property, and future plans—a checklist of conditions to be laid out and weighed on a scale.
Finding true love through a blind date was a fool’s dream. It might happen for some, but Lian Yabing held no such hope for herself. She’d lived this long without ever knowing the taste of love, and she was beginning to think she never would. A suitable match, marriage, children… she could put it off for another two or three years, but that was it.
The sweetest couple she knew was Yu Qingtang and Cheng Zhanxi. They had been inseparable back in their first year of high school. Now, years after Lian Yabing had started working, she had recently taken Yu Qingtang out for a meal, and Cheng Zhanxi was still right there, holding her hand, as inseparable as ever.
In real life—no, could a love like that really happen to her? She didn’t believe it.
The Mr. Hu sitting opposite her had bright, eager eyes. Lian Yabing kept a polite smile on her face, but inside, she felt a quiet sense of boredom.
She turned to look out the large glass window. The main road was a blur of traffic. As her gaze shifted to the sidewalk just outside, she saw Li Lan walk past, dressed in a flax-colored long dress, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
Mr. Hu could tell Lian Yabing wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, but then again, how many people were on a blind date? She had a delicate, pretty face and a nice disposition, and her background was an acceptable match for his, so he kept on talking.
But then, the woman’s expression suddenly changed. First, a look of shock crossed her face. Then, throwing etiquette to the wind, she twisted around to follow a figure outside the window before turning back to him. “I have something to take care of,” she said. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Before Mr. Hu could even process it, the seat opposite him was empty.
“???”
At the entrance.
“Stephanie!”
Li Lan turned toward the voice. Lian Yabing was standing in the doorway of a coffee shop, one hand braced against the frame. Her face was flushed, and she was slightly out of breath.
Li Lan’s gaze deepened for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. A gentle smile touched her lips. “What a coincidence.”
Having run out on impulse, Lian Yabing was now at a loss for words. “What a coincidence,” she echoed awkwardly. Searching for something to say, she asked, “What are you doing here?”
Li Lan lifted the shopping bags in her hands.
“Shopping. And you?”
Lian Yabing opened her mouth, but for some reason, she found it hard to say the words “blind date.”
But Li Lan seemed to recall something. “You’re on a blind date, aren’t you?”
Lian Yabing’s smile became forced. “Yes.”
“Well, I won’t keep you then,” Li Lan said.
Lian Yabing’s smile all but vanished. She nodded silently.
Li Lan held shopping bags in both hands but didn’t leave immediately.
Lian Yabing: “?”
Li Lan walked closer with her shopping bags and winked at her. “Do you like your date today?”
A flicker of baffled anger joined Lian Yabing’s confusion, darkening her expression.
“That’s none of Director Lan’s concern.”
She’d dropped the English name, a clear sign of her mood.
Li Lan’s expression didn’t change. She explained gently, “You’ve misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood what?”
“I was going to say, if you don’t like him, I can help you out,” Li Lan said with a smile.
Lian Yabing had completely forgotten her anger, only confusion remained. “How would you do that?”
“Well…” Li Lan said mysteriously, drawing it out. “You’ll find out soon enough. Go on back inside. I’ll come find you in a little while.”
Lian Yabing was completely bewildered, yet she found herself trusting Li Lan instinctively.
Her head was still spinning as she returned to her seat. How had a simple hello turned into this? Would Li Lan really show up? And how exactly was she planning to “help”?
More importantly, when Li Lan had asked if she liked her date, the question itself hadn’t even registered. Her entire focus had been on why Li Lan was asking.
“Miss Lian?” Mr. Hu waved a hand in front of her.
Lian Yabing smoothed over her expression and resumed the conversation, acting as if nothing was amiss.
When would Li Lan come?
Lian Yabing was completely distracted, her mind fixed on that one question.
About ten minutes later, she heard the click of high heels—a steady, unhurried rhythm drawing closer and closer to her table.
Lian Yabing held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
Was it her?
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of flax-colored fabric. The footsteps stopped.
Lian Yabing’s heart skipped a beat. She slowly lifted her eyelids.
Li Lan casually set her shopping bags down on the seat next to Lian Yabing, then leaned in, cupped her face, and pressed a light kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“I’m late, darling.”
Lian Yabing’s face flushed crimson.
Her mind was a complete jumble, and a buzzing filled her ears.
Mr. Hu was stunned into silence, his expression a mixture of shock and suspicion. “You’re…”
Li Lan sat down next to Lian Yabing, intimately wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and introduced herself, “I’m her girlfriend.”
“…”
“…”
Mr. Hu left, but Li Lan didn’t remove her arm from around Lian Yabing’s shoulders. Lian Yabing, still in a daze, simply let her.
“S-S-S… Stephanie…” After a long moment, Lian Yabing finally turned to face Li Lan, who was watching her with a faint smile. She was practically sputtering, unable to form a coherent sentence.
“Shh.”
Lian Yabing obediently closed her mouth.
Li Lan’s hand rested on her shoulder. Her fingertips traced a path to Lian Yabing’s ear, brushing over the pale shell and the soft, full lobe. The light filtering through the window caught it, making it glow like a piece of warm, red jade.
Li Lan’s gaze slowly softened, filled with a lingering tenderness.
Unfortunately, Lian Yabing, oblivious to such subtleties, couldn’t read the look. She just thought Li Lan was acting strangely, and that her gaze felt… dangerous.
“Director Lan,” Lian Yabing couldn’t help but say.
“Call me by my name.” Li Lan’s eyes flickered with a trace of helplessness.
“Stephanie.”
Li Lan’s hand tightened, gently pinching her earlobe.
“Hiss—”
The pinch stung, but Lian Yabing wasn’t angry. In fact, she felt a strange flicker of happiness, though she couldn’t say why.
Li Lan released her earlobe with an unreadable hum.
With her date gone, it was just the two of them, sitting side by side. Feeling a little awkward, Lian Yabing shifted slightly away and asked quietly, “Do you have plans this afternoon?”
“No.” Li Lan raised an eyebrow at her. “Why?”
Lian Yabing almost lost her nerve. She took a quiet breath, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’d like to treat you to lunch.”
Li Lan looked at her for a few seconds and said, “Okay.”
As Lian Yabing turned to grab her purse, also picking up Li Lan’s shopping bags, she missed the faint smile that played on Li Lan’s lips.
If spending time with her blind date felt like a day dragging on for a year, then being with Li Lan was the opposite—an entire afternoon flew by in what felt like an instant. Before she knew it, dusk was falling, and Li Lan was dropping her off at her apartment building.
Li Lan stood by the car, politely waiting to see her inside as she always did. Lian Yabing turned back, and on a sudden impulse, she asked, “Would you like to come up for a cup of tea?”
Li Lan’s eyebrow raised in a barely perceptible arc.
A flicker of regret crossed Lian Yabing’s features, but she didn’t retract the offer, simply holding Li Lan’s gaze.
Li Lan readily agreed, “Sure, I’m a bit thirsty anyway.”
Lian Yabing rented a loft apartment, a popular choice for young professionals. The layout made excellent use of the thirty-odd square meters, with the bedroom upstairs and a compact living room, dining area, kitchen, and bathroom squeezed onto the first floor. It was small but had everything she needed.
A person’s home reflects their personality, and Lian Yabing’s small apartment was impeccably clean. As she opened the door to let Li Lan in, she seemed perfectly at ease, not at all flustered.
The little quail has grown up quite a bit, Li Lan thought to herself.
She sat on the sofa, looking around at the room’s decor while chatting casually with Lian Yabing. “Do you live alone?”
Obviously, Lian Yabing thought. Have I not made that clear?
“I do,” she said, flicking the switch on the electric kettle. She returned the question out of politeness. “What about you?”
It wasn’t work hours, and they weren’t doing market research. A little small talk about their personal lives was perfectly normal.
“I just got back from overseas, so I haven’t had time to make any friends yet.” Li Lan’s answer was far more intriguing than Lian Yabing’s.
Haven’t had time? Lian Yabing’s mind raced uncontrollably. Does that mean once she does make friends, she won’t be living alone anymore? What kind of friends is she looking for?
“What kind of friends?” Li Lan repeated her words.
Lian Yabing jumped, horrified to realize she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. What was wrong with her today? She kept doing things that were completely out of character.
Li Lan smiled. “I don’t know either. Maybe I’ll know when I meet her.”
Li Lan was looking right at Lian Yabing as she spoke, but Lian Yabing was staring intently at the electric kettle, even grabbing a cloth to wipe down the kitchen counter, clearly trying to busy herself to hide… something.
Lian Yabing brought over the hot tea. Li Lan took it with both hands and blew on the surface.
The tea was just an excuse. Li Lan took a small sip, set the cup down, and announced she had to leave.
Lian Yabing saw her downstairs and watched her car disappear down the road.
She went upstairs alone, holding her phone in the elevator. The screen showed her chat with Li Lan, still on the last message from the day the research ended last week.
Stephanie: 【I’m home. Rest early.】
Lian Yabing slowly typed: 【Be safe.】
Lian Yabing put her phone away. Her reflection in the polished elevator wall showed her biting her lower lip.
She quickly let go of her lip and gave a couple of self-conscious coughs, even though she was alone in the elevator.
She opened the door to her apartment, and the air seemed to linger with the woman’s perfume—a fresh scent of soapberry, sunshine, and grass.
Lian Yabing walked to the coffee table, picked up the cold tea, and a scene suddenly flashed in her mind.
In the camping tent, one of her hands was pinned above her head, the other pressed to her side. The girl’s sweet, soft lips pressed against hers, wet, soft, spreading inward.
A tangle of you in me and me in you.
Lian Yabing’s breathing quickened involuntarily. She looked down at the teacup, a faint lipstick mark on the rim.
She swallowed, slowly raised the cup until it was level with her own lips, closed her eyes, and leaned in…
A ringing phone brought Lian Yabing back to her senses.
Staring at the two overlapping lipstick stains on the rim, Lian Yabing shuddered. She slammed the cup down and turned to grab her phone.
The call was from her mother.
Her mother was on the warpath. “What is wrong with you?” she demanded. “Auntie Hu called me! Her son said you lied to him, that you already have a girlfriend but went on a date with him anyway! Auntie Hu just gave me an earful! What is going on?! Since when do you have a girlfriend? Why didn’t I know? Or was this just an excuse to get out of the date? You could have at least told me! How am I supposed to face anyone now?!”
Lian Yabing pinched the bridge of her nose, her temples throbbing.
Her mother continued, “Why aren’t you saying anything? You think your wings have grown, is that it? After all I’ve done for you—”
Lian Yabing hung up the phone.
Her mother flew into a rage, and a barrage of furious, accusatory WeChat messages started pouring in.
Lian Yabing turned off her phone. Half an hour later, once she’d calmed down, she called home to apologize and explain. For some reason, despite having grown up reporting every detail of her life to her controlling mother, she omitted Li Lan’s involvement. She just said she’d been in a bad mood and didn’t want to be there, so she’d made up an excuse and asked a colleague who happened to be nearby to play along.
What was done was done, so there was no point in her mother yelling anymore. “I’ll go explain to Auntie Hu,” she said. “Her son was quite taken with you. Maybe he’ll agree to meet you again.”
“Mom…”
“It’s decided.”
Her mother hung up without another word.
Lian Yabing closed her eyes. Sinking onto the sofa, she opened WeChat Moments and typed out a new post: My mom is making me go on another blind date. I don’t want to go.
She was about to set the visibility to “Private,” but she hesitated. Her heart skipped a beat as she changed the setting to “Visible to Li Lan only.”
She threw out the cold tea, showered, and got into bed. She tried to clear her mind, but the post immediately came to the forefront of her thoughts. She opened WeChat, and just as she’d somehow expected, there was a new comment on her post.
Only one person could see this post, so the reply was undoubtedly from her.
Stephanie: 【Need me to put on another show?】
Lian Yabing: 【I told my mom I’m single.】
Stephanie: 【Ah, that’s a shame.】
Lian Yabing: 【Yeah.】
Stephanie: 【How about you lie and say you have to work overtime? I can cover for you.】
Lian Yabing: 【Are we friends?】
Stephanie: 【Of course.】
Lian Yabing didn’t reply to the comment. She hugged her phone, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, feeling her heart pounding in her chest.
Friday.
Lian Yabing first told her mom she had to work overtime tomorrow, then sent a message to Li Lan: “Are you free tomorrow?”
Li Lan sat behind her desk, smiling at the message.
【I am.】
Lian Yabing bit her lip: 【Let me treat you to dinner tomorrow, to thank you for helping me last week.】
She had already thanked her last week; this was just an excuse.
Adults don’t need to spell everything out.
【What time? I’ll pick you up?】
【Nine?】
【Okay.】
Lian Yabing sat at her desk, still in disbelief.
Was it that simple? She had just asked Li Lan out?
On Friday night, Lian Yabing specifically asked her best friend to go to the mall with her, and she bought a few new dresses.
“You haven’t bought new clothes in ages,” her friend teased as she watched her try on dresses. “Suddenly you want to go shopping. What’s the occasion? Got a situation?”
Lian Yabing, who would normally have retorted, said nothing, a flicker of discomfort on her face.
Her friend: “!!!”
Despite a thorough interrogation, Lian Yabing remained tight-lipped. She wasn’t even sure herself if she liked Li Lan, but she knew she loved the way it felt to be with her—it was comfortable, satisfying.
On the weekend, Li Lan arrived as promised.
When Lian Yabing emerged from the building, they met downstairs, and neither could hide the look of pleasant surprise in their eyes.
Lian Yabing rarely wore heels this high, so she walked with extra care. As she lifted the hem of her dress to get into the car, Li Lan held the door open, leaning close to her ear. “You look beautiful,” she murmured, her voice low and unconsciously intimate.
Lian Yabing’s heart soared. She bit her lower lip to contain her happy smile.
Li Lan was tall, dressed in casual trousers and a sea-blue blazer with three-quarter sleeves. Her hands on the steering wheel were elegant, with well-defined knuckles and long, strong fingers.
Lian Yabing glanced at her hands, then quickly looked away, only to find her gaze drawn back again. She unconsciously pressed her lips together, and when she parted them, they were moist.
She lowered her eyelids and clutched her purse tightly.
They got to the mall at nine-thirty, with plenty of time before lunch. Lian Yabing suggested they see a movie, a natural enough proposal. Li Lan didn’t call out the flimsy pretext and simply agreed.
Lian Yabing took out her phone, her head close to Li Lan’s, and asked, “What do you like to watch?”
Li Lan allowed her to lean in close, scrolling through the options on the phone screen with her before picking a movie.
The tip of her nose was just inches from Li Lan’s neck. She discreetly inhaled her scent before pulling back. “Okay, I’ll buy the tickets?”
“Mm.”
Li Lan had picked a thriller full of twists and turns, with a captivating plot. In terms of story, it was much better than the last movie they’d seen, but Lian Yabing couldn’t focus at all.
They’d bought their tickets late, so they ended up in the back row. It was quiet up there. Despite the clatter and bangs from the speakers, all Lian Yabing could hear was the sound of her own heart.
Li Lan’s hand reached over, took a piece of popcorn from the bucket Lian Yabing was holding, and put it in her mouth.
A few minutes later, she reached over again. Her lips were touched lightly—Lian Yabing’s hand was right there, a piece of golden popcorn held between her fingertips.
Li Lan met her eyes, her lips parting slightly as she leaned in and took it.
Lian Yabing’s gaze dropped, staring at the woman’s lips, and she unconsciously swallowed.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Lian Yabing sat up straight and took a subtle deep breath.
The movie ended, and the cleaning staff came in to clean up.
Lian Yabing tossed their empty popcorn bucket and cups into the trash can. They were the last ones to leave their row, with Li Lan walking ahead of her. On the stairs, Li Lan suddenly stumbled. Lian Yabing reacted instantly, reaching out to steady her. Since Lian Yabing was on a higher step and wearing heels, Li Lan, on the step below, fell right into her arms.
“What’s wrong?”
“A little low blood sugar.”
“Then rest for a moment.”
“Mm.”
Lian Yabing didn’t help her sit down, nor did she let go. Li Lan didn’t ask her to let go either.
The cleaning lady kept glancing over at them, but Lian Yabing was too shameless to care.
They stayed like that for several minutes, only moving when the audience for the next showing started to file in. Lian Yabing gave Li Lan a searching look, but Li Lan’s expression was perfectly composed, giving nothing away.
Lian Yabing’s heart was pounding, her mind in turmoil.
They had lunch, went shopping, and then had afternoon tea. They spent the whole day together. That evening, Lian Yabing invited Li Lan to dinner, but Li Lan had other plans, so she drove her home first.
On the following weekends, Lian Yabing found all sorts of excuses to ask Li Lan out—to amusement parks, museums, aquariums. If one ignored the fact that they hadn’t taken things further, it was no different from dating.
Lian Yabing was sure she liked her, but what about Li Lan? Did she like her back?
She used to like her, but did she still like her now? She hadn’t even recognized her as the person who had slapped her back then.
Li Lan was having dinner with Yu Qingtang. Yu Qingtang was now a writer, with a lot of freedom. She was even more beautiful than before, with a gentle temperament. Li Lan had been abroad for so many years and had lost contact with most of her classmates from Class 7 of their first year because of the incident with Lian Yabing. Only with Yu Qingtang did she exchange holiday greetings. Now that they were in the same city, it was even more convenient to stay in touch.
In the middle of the meal, both of their phones lit up one after another.
Yu Qingtang opened the message, her eyes smiling, and typed: 【Having dinner with Li Lan. Almost done.】
Cheng Zhanxi: 【I’ll come pick you up.】
Yu Qingtang replied with an “okay,” and when she looked up, she saw a familiar expression on Li Lan’s face—if you held up a mirror, you would see that their expressions were identical.
Yu Qingtang raised an eyebrow.
Li Lan was smart. Seeing her expression, she knew she wanted to gossip about her. She didn’t shy away from it and said, “Lian Yabing.”
Yu Qingtang laughed.
“Your Teacher Cheng and I made a bet on whether we’d be drinking at your wedding. Looks like I’m going to win, am I right?”
Li Lan raised her teacup to her, smiling without speaking.
Yu Qingtang didn’t press further. Anyway, if they really got together, she would definitely get to hear the gossip. She’d just have Cheng Zhanxi find out.
Li Lan stood at the door and watched Cheng Zhanxi carefully help Yu Qingtang into the passenger seat. Cheng Zhanxi gave her a nod and a smile before getting in the driver’s side and pulling away. In that moment, the slow, gentle current of her feelings suddenly became a fierce, untamable torrent. Li Lan looked down at her own hand, slowly clenching it into a fist before shoving it into her pocket.
It was time. She couldn’t wait any longer.
She was looking for the right moment, and as luck would have it, an opportunity fell right into her lap.
Her former classmates from Class 7, Yu Zhou and Xiang Tianyou, were getting engaged. Xiang Tianyou had unexpectedly gotten Li Lan’s contact information from Yu Qingtang and invited her to the engagement party.
Lian Yabing, of course, also received an invitation.
Before going to the engagement party, she didn’t know Li Lan was also going. In her memory, Li Lan never attended class reunions after going abroad, and no one had her contact information.
Dressed in a red qipao and holding Xiang Tianyou’s arm, Yu Zhou watched the “fateful encounter” unfolding a short distance away, a look of pure amusement on her face.
Why didn’t Lian Yabing know Li Lan was coming? Of course, it was because she and Xiang Tianyou had helped Li Lan keep it a secret.
Who would have thought that after all these years, another couple would come out of Class 7.
Yu Zhou looked up at her tall, handsome fiancé. Xiang Tianyou lowered his head and nuzzled her cheek with his nose.
“Ahem.”
A cough interrupted the affectionate couple. Cheng Zhanxi approached, hand in hand with Yu Qingtang, a teasing look in her eyes.
Yu Zhou’s face turned red with embarrassment, and she almost hid behind Xiang Tianyou.
Xiang Tianyou: “Teacher Yu, Teacher Cheng.”
Cheng Zhanxi handed them a gift. “May you have a long and happy life together.”
The new couple looked at each other, smiled, and accepted the gift together. “Thank you, Teachers.”
The two teachers nodded and found a place to sit. Yu Qingtang sipped her water, ready to watch the drama unfold.
“What are you doing here?” Lian Yabing’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing here?” Li Lan asked back.
“I’m attending my classmate’s engagement party.”
“Me too. Which one of them are you classmates with, middle school or elementary school?”
“High school.”
“High school or junior high?”
“First year of high school,” Lian Yabing ground out, furious.
Li Lan acted as if it were real, slowly widening her eyes. “We were classmates?!”
“…”
Lian Yabing’s previous imposing manner vanished instantly. She gave a dry laugh and said, “Yeah.”
“Sorry, I don’t remember,” Li Lan said apologetically. “I didn’t recognize you.”
What else could Lian Yabing say? If she didn’t recognize her, she didn’t recognize her. It wouldn’t stop her from pursuing Li Lan.
The former students of Class 7 were all seated at one table. Ten years had passed, and only a handful had shown up. Besides the two couples—Cheng and Yu, Lian and Li—there were three other classmates. The atmosphere was a bit lukewarm; they were friendly enough with Lian Yabing but seemed almost afraid to approach Li Lan.
Li Lan took the initiative to talk to them, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up.
When old classmates get together, reminiscing is inevitable. Yu Qingtang had only taught that one class, so her memory was the sharpest. She recalled how the math representative’s English had been terrible, and how the class president had tutored her, leading to Lian Yabing’s grades skyrocketing by the final exams.
As she listened, Lian Yabing shot a guilty look at Li Lan, who wore a mask of pure astonishment, as if to say, That happened? I did that?
Gradually, Lian Yabing felt something was wrong. Unless Li Lan had amnesia, how could she have no impression at all after Yu Qingtang had said so much? She clearly recognized the other classmates and even came to Yu Zhou’s engagement party. Why was it only her that she didn’t recognize?
The atmosphere at the banquet was good, and Lian Yabing had a few more drinks. Li Lan didn’t touch a drop of alcohol the entire time, as if preparing for something.
After the engagement party, Li Lan drove Lian Yabing home. After the car stopped, Lian Yabing realized it wasn’t her home.
“Where is this?”
“My place.” Li Lan leaned over and unbuckled her seatbelt.
Lian Yabing didn’t object and followed her up in the elevator.
Li Lan also rented an apartment, though its size and decor were incomparable to Lian Yabing’s studio. She stood outside the kitchen, watching Li Lan’s back as she rolled up her blazer sleeves and made her some tea to sober up.
Lian Yabing hadn’t drunk much, certainly not enough to be drunk. She was just pretending, going along with it.
Li Lan came out with the sobering tea. Lian Yabing was already back on the sofa. She took the bowl with both hands, took a sip of the slightly hot tea, and kept her head down, not looking at Li Lan.
“You recognized me a long time ago, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
She admitted it!
Lian Yabing’s heart nearly jumped into her throat. She took a sip of tea to compose herself. She didn’t know what to say, a secret joy bubbling up inside her that she tried to suppress behind a calm facade.
“You’ve always liked me?” From the past until now.
“No.”
Lian Yabing suddenly lifted her face.
Was she wrong?
Li Lan looked into her eyes and said seriously, “Not always. I fell for you again.”
Lian Yabing was slightly stunned, then immediately bit her lower lip hard, afraid of revealing her joyful surprise.
A more moving declaration of love than “I’ve always liked you” is probably “I keep falling for you again and again.”
When Li Lan returned to the country, she never thought she would meet Lian Yabing at her new company. A youthful love, especially one that ended the way her crush did, was really nothing to be nostalgic or persistent about.
To her, Lian Yabing was an old friend, a part of her past she could face calmly.
Pretending not to recognize her had just been a bit of mischief, a petty revenge for that slap all those years ago.
What surprised her was that upon meeting her again, she was still irresistibly attracted to her, hoping to see her every day, creating “accidental” encounters at the company. It developed to the point where she used market research as an excuse to ask her out on weekends, working desperately late and pulling all-nighters to free up every weekend to spend with her.
She had fallen for Lian Yabing again.
She would still pursue the one she loved, just like back then.
“Originally, I was going to wait until you couldn’t hold back and confessed to me…”
Lian Yabing said, “Then why did you change your mind?”
Li Lan beckoned to her. Lian Yabing, with the self-awareness of a girlfriend, sat down next to her. Li Lan lowered her head and gave her a kiss on the lips.
Lian Yabing’s lips tingled, her head spun, and an irrepressible smile spread across her face.
Li Lan kissed her again, her thumb stroking her chin, and said gently, “I wanted to do this to you sooner.”
Lian Yabing’s breathing quickened. She stared into her eyes, her gaze dropping to lock onto the woman’s red lips.
Li Lan leaned back slightly, meeting her gaze, deliberately teasing her. She whispered, “What do you want to do?”
“I want…” Lian Yabing’s throat moved as she swallowed.
Li Lan held her by the shoulders, insisting she say it clearly. “Want what?”
“Want to… kiss you…” The last two words were swallowed by their entwined lips and teeth.
Li Lan let her kiss her clumsily. Lian Yabing opened her mouth, but Li Lan restrained her impulse, holding her chin to make her look up.
“Why do you want to kiss me?”
“I like you.” Lian Yabing had finally figured it out completely.
Li Lan released her chin, wrapped an arm around her waist, turned, and pushed her down onto the sofa, kissing her forcefully.
Their hot breaths tangled.
Lian Yabing was kissed until she was dizzy and disoriented, but it felt wonderful, like lying on a cotton cloud in the sky.
The feeling in her dreams couldn’t compare to even a fraction of reality.
She murmured Li Lan’s name, “Stephanie…”
Li Lan almost lost her composure, but she could only blame herself. She corrected her, “Good girl, I have a name.”
“Li…”
Li Lan interrupted her, saying softly, “Call me baby…”
“Baby.”
“Mmm…”
Li Lan hadn’t originally planned to go to the final step so soon, but who knew that the seemingly conservative Lian Yabing, emboldened by alcohol, would insist on luring her into the bedroom.
A night of indulgence.
The next day was Sunday. Lian Yabing woke up in a strange bed, alone.
As she was gathering her memories, a figure in a white bathrobe appeared in the doorway, her back straight, tall and slender, the mole on the tip of her nose full of charm.
“You’re awake?”
Lian Yabing, like a shy little quail, shot back under the covers.
Li Lan pulled the covers off her. “So, you sleep with me and then pretend you don’t know me, hmm?”
Her face was cupped in Li Lan’s hands. She looked up at her and smiled. “Of course not. I was planning to sleep for a long time.”
“How long?”
“A lifetime.”
The End
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