BSG - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Autumn deepened, and Yun Youqing's hands began to get cold—so cold that even the paintbrush was becoming a lazy afterthought lately. But her phone still had to be played with. Connecting with Shen Wenxin to nurture their bond was essential. That's just what making friends was like. Be proactive, chat often, and slowly you get familiar.
Yun Youqing and Shen Wenxin mainly relied on WeChat. Because Shen Wenxin wasn't idle; she couldn't just do nothing and go out every day.
[Yun Youqing]: Whatcha up to?
Shen Wenxin didn't reply. The chat interface remained silent. Yun Youqing waited a few minutes. Still no response. Not knowing what Shen Wenxin was doing, Yun Youqing didn't wait any longer, put down her phone, and went to do her own thing.
After 6 PM, Shen Wenxin finally replied. Two very concise words, with an explanation for the delayed response: [Was busy.]
Yun Youqing understood. She and Tao Fangran could also go for hours without replying to each other when they were swamped.
[Yun Youqing]: Still busy now?
[Shen Wenxin]: Getting ready to head home.
[Yun Youqing]: Oh, okay. Take care, sounds tiring!
[Shen Wenxin]: Mm.
And then, nothing more. Yun Youqing's fingertip hovered over the screen, uncertain. She wanted to keep chatting with Shen Wenxin, but was afraid it would be a bother. Forget it. I'll wait until Shen Wenxin is well-rested, then find her to chat again.
Night fell, the autumn air turning chilly. Around 9 PM, Shen Wenxin posted on her Moments.
Yun Youqing happened to be scrolling and saw it. It was just one picture—of Xiaoba.
Under the deep night sky, amidst the towering high-rises, the light was bright. At the edge of a greenbelt, a tiny white flower poked out. A fluffy tan dog was leaning in to sniff it. It was wearing a small, floral-patterned yellow harness, with a yellow leash clipped to its back. The leash was very long, stretching beyond the frame of the photo, held by some unseen hand.
—Why doesn't she take a picture of herself? Yun Youqing thought wistfully. She had noticed: Shen Wenxin really rarely took selfies. In Shen Wenxin's Moments, every photo featuring Shen Wenxin was practically from a third-person perspective, including the one she had misunderstood. What a pity. Yun Youqing lamented again. She casually liked the picture and left a comment: [Xiaoba is cute! Sister sends kisses!]
Shen Wenxin replied: [Why aren't you calling yourself Aunty anymore?]
She grinned and replied: [Calling myself Aunty would make it seem like we're from different generations.] Then, she opened Shen Wenxin's WeChat and feigned grievance: [Pretty older sister, why didn't you bring me along for the dog walk? I also want to walk a dog!]
She went out to walk the dog, and she replied to me, so Pretty Older Sister must have time to chat now!
A few minutes later, Pretty Older Sister replied: [This is my residential compound. Are you going to travel all the way over here?]
[Yun Youqing]: Yes, yes, yes.
[Yun Youqing]: Everything for the sake of walking a little dog!
Shen Wenxin called her out: [Is it really about walking the dog?]
[Yun Youqing]: Yep, yep, yep.
[Yun Youqing]: 【Adorable little squirrel sticker. jpg】
Seeing her reply, Shen Wenxin chuckled softly. Traveling all the way to her home—it was definitely about the person, not the dog.
[Shen Wenxin]: Is this how Little Squirrel is trying so hard not to like me?
Yun Youqing was momentarily stunned to be addressed that way by Shen Wenxin. It felt... quite cute. Snapping back, Yun Youqing typed with a grin: [This is how Little Squirrel is trying so hard to be your good friend.]
[Shen Wenxin]: None of my friends would travel all the way here just to walk a dog.
[Yun Youqing]: Ah? Is Xiaoba's charm really that poor?
[Shen Wenxin]: ?
What a skillful act of playing dumb. More exasperating was that she actually found it funny.
[Shen Wenxin]: Wake up, Yun Youqing.
[Yun Youqing]: I am very awake, Shen Wenxin.
[Yun Youqing]: You're the one not keeping your word. You clearly said I could do as I pleased, and now you're not acknowledging it!
[Shen Wenxin]: I do acknowledge it. I'm just afraid you won't be able to let go and end up hurt again.
[Yun Youqing]: Alright then, seeing as you're concerned about me, I'll forgive you for now.
[Yun Youqing]: Wait, why do you seem even more afraid of me getting hurt than I am?
Shen Wenxin always emphasized sobriety and avoiding getting hurt. Repeatedly, very earnestly.
Shen Wenxin didn't deny it. [A bit, perhaps.]
Yun Youqing was immediately intrigued. [Why?] She was the one insisting on liking her, the one who couldn't let go. Even if she got hurt, it was her own doing. Why did Shen Wenxin worry about her so much? Because they were friends?
[Shen Wenxin]: Because you look very pitiful when you're hurting.
Yun Youqing was taken aback. Hugging her phone, she blinked, and blinked again. But she couldn't recall. When did I look hurt... Oh~ I remember now. That night she first saw Xiaoba—she had briefly revealed her dejected side in front of Shen Wenxin because of that ex. It was probably then that Shen Wenxin felt sympathy for her, right?
No wonder. No wonder she kept telling me not to get hurt... I must have looked really miserable that day!
But at this moment, she felt a little happy. Even though she had been treated carelessly before, now someone very sincerely and tenderly hoped she wouldn't be hurt again. Her fondness for Shen Wenxin grew a bit more. Maybe romantic, maybe platonic. Either way, deeply touching.
[Yun Youqing]: Sob sob, our Wenxin is so kind.
[Yun Youqing]: If only you could like me, too, sob sob...
Heartless woman Shen Wenxin: [Then just keep sobbing, then.]
[Yun Youqing]: ?
[Yun Youqing]: Doesn't this count as animal abuse?
[Shen Wenxin]: ?
[Shen Wenxin]: What animal?
Yun Youqing cunningly quoted the earlier line "This is how Little Squirrel is trying so hard not to like me?" and helpfully extracted the keywords: [Little Squirrel.] Followed by a sticker she'd drawn earlier of a little squirrel standing tall and righteous. The little squirrel was cute. Shen Wenxin called her Little Squirrel. Therefore, Shen Wenxin was saying she was cute!
Shen Wenxin caught a whiff of something called "arrogance." She instantly felt like she'd shot herself in the foot, yet still smiled, both exasperated and amused. What little squirrel? Clearly a cunning human.
[Shen Wenxin]: Refined spirits don't count.
Playing along with the script Shen Wenxin provided, Yun Youqing immediately performed: [Why not! I just cultivated into a spirit; I haven't forgotten my roots!]
[Shen Wenxin]: So you admit you're a monster? Then I'm calling the police.
[Yun Youqing]: ?
[Yun Youqing]: So heartless.
[Yun Youqing]: Then take me away. Arrest the squirrel baby who loves her sister the most!
Shen Wenxin: "?" Just as she was about to type, How can you add so much drama?, Yun Youqing beat her to it with: [Hang on a sec.]
Shen Wenxin, holding her phone, once again: "?" Wait for what? Though utterly confused, Shen Wenxin very graciously waited for a moment. There was a bench nearby; she walked over with Xiaoba and sat down. She picked Xiaoba up, holding the leash tight so it wouldn't run off. Then, she sat there, stroking the dog with one hand and looking at her phone curiously with the other, just wanting to see what Yun Youqing was up to.
Soon, Yun Youqing returned. She sent her a picture. A freshly made little squirrel sticker. In the picture, the little squirrel had teary eyes, its big tail drooping sadly. Its two little paws were pressed together and extended forward, pitifully awaiting arrest.
[Yun Youqing]: Go ahead and arrest me. I won't resist!
Such a self-righteously sacrificial statement. Such a vivid sticker. Such a quirky person. Shen Wenxin actually laughed. She put Xiaoba down and typed to Yun Youqing: [Being able to draw is really convenient.]
[Yun Youqing]: Yessiree.
[Yun Youqing]: If you need, I can draw for you, too.
[Shen Wenxin]: Free of charge?
[Yun Youqing]: Costs money.
[Yun Youqing]: I'm very expensive too!
[Yun Youqing]: But free if you're my girlfriend.
Shen Wenxin raised an eyebrow. So she was waiting for this. [Sadly, I won't have that opportunity.]
[Yun Youqing]: Not sad, not sad. I'll gift you this opportunity. She sent a photo of an orange.
[Yun Youqing]: Ta-da! The Lucky Guess is here!
[Yun Youqing]: As long as Shen Wenxin correctly names this fruit, she can become Yun Youqing's girlfriend! Fair trade, no cheating!
Shen Wenxin didn't hesitate for a second. [Watermelon.]
Yun Youqing: "?" Fine. Fine, you, Shen Wenxin. Iron wall, aren't you!
[Yun Youqing]: Girlie, are you that afraid of falling for aunty?
[Shen Wenxin]: So greasy.
Undaunted, Yun Youqing leaned into the greasiness: [Girlie, aunty doesn't have much to give you. Take this grease home for cooking. If you run out, tell aunty. Aunty can produce more.] Three seconds later, Shen Wenxin: [Not chatting anymore.]
Yun Youqing froze, panicked, no longer fearless: [Why? Was I too greasy for you? Don't be like that, don't! I won't do it again!] She would wash her mouth with gold from this day forth, never speaking such slick words again!
This time, Shen Wenxin replied quickly, too: [I need to take Xiaoba home. Can't look at my phone while walking.] Yun Youqing instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
[Yun Youqing]: Then I'll dare to do it again.
As long as Shen Wenxin didn't say she detested it, she could keep it up forever!
Shen Wenxin typed with a smile: [Didn't you say calling yourself Aunty would put us in different generations?]
Yun Youqing was righteous: [That doesn't count when joking!]
Shen Wenxin couldn't help but laugh softly, shaking her head helplessly, and replied: [Can you really let go of me like this?]
Yun Youqing was still righteous: [Never mind that. I have my own rhythm! Anyway, you won't like me back, so can't I at least run my mouth?] She had already embraced despair. Shen Wenxin was an impenetrable wall, even less likely to be moved by a few slick words from her. Anyway, this affection led nowhere. Whether she let go or not, Shen Wenxin wouldn't like her. So why not relax a little? She would follow her heart, act without restraint, joke if she wanted to. Shen Wenxin wasn't averse to it anyway—it wasn't like Shen Wenxin would like her anyway!
Shen Wenxin raised an eyebrow, not replying further. Well, she's quite sober, actually. She put away her phone and led Xiaoba home. Then, do as you please. The shy super pervert has her own rhythm. It doesn't affect me anyway. It's not like I'll like her anyway.
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