BSG - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Late October. One afternoon past five, Yun Youqing received a large parcel from her mother overseas. Inside were the winter sets her mother knitted for her—styles updated every autumn. She already had a whole closet full of her mother's love.
Yun Youqing put on the red gloves and scarf, took a selfie, and sent it to her mother, Yun Chunlan.
[Looks good, right~ But you're traveling, why are you still knitting these for me? Can't you play more seriously, Ms. Yun?]
Ms. Yun first said: [Looks good.] Then defended herself: [I am playing seriously. I only knit when I have nothing else to do. It's called managing time wisely.]
Yun Youqing sent her two applauding stickers.
[Yun Chunlan]: No more talking. We're going to eat now.
[Yun Chunlan]: Have you eaten yet?
[Yun Youqing]: Going to eat soon.
Yun Chunlan couldn't help but start her loving nagging. She reminded her daughter to eat more, to keep warm, and to make more soup to nourish her body. Her child's hands and feet always got cold when winter came, which tugged at her heartstrings.
Wearing the gloves her mother knitted, Yun Youqing typed to her mom: [Got it, got it~ I'll definitely take good care of myself. I still need to earn lots of money to send you traveling all over the world. Let me know if you run short on cash.]
[How could I run short? You just sent me money not long ago.]
[That's good, then.]
[Go eat already.]
[Alright, alright, alright, I'm going now.]
Only then did Yun Chunlan let go of her phone and go eat with her friends.
Yun Youqing sat on the carpet and continued rummaging through the box her mother sent. Inside weren't just winter sets, but also many cute little knickknacks, like ceramic animals. Every item was carefully wrapped and had traveled thousands of miles to reach her hands. She happily took them out one by one to look at, wiped them off, and then placed them on the living room shelves, adding new companions to the collection already there.
After arranging them, she admired the display. The antique-wood-colored shelf took up an entire wall. All kinds of little trinkets had settled there as neighbors, looking lively and adorable. Yun Youqing nodded in satisfaction, utterly delighted. She took out her phone and snapped a photo. First, she sent it to her mom, showing off their joint mother-daughter achievement. Then to Tao Fangran, but Tao Fangran was in the middle of a tour and wouldn't see it for a while. Finally, to Shen Wenxin. It was the perfect opportunity to strike up a chat!
[Ta-da! My collection babies. Cute, right?]
Two minutes later, Shen Wenxin replied: [So many?] Followed by: [Still not full.] The bottom two rows of the shelf were still empty.
[Yun Youqing]: Waiting for my mom to hunt down some new ones for me. They'll fill this shelf one day, for sure.
[Yun Youqing]: Wanna go for hot pot together?
[Shen Wenxin]: Such a stiff topic transition?
[Yun Youqing]: Yes. A forced invitation.
[Shen Wenxin]: Fine. I'll accept this forced invitation, then.
[Shen Wenxin]: What time?
[Yun Youqing]: Now.
Shen Wenxin sent an "OK" hand gesture sticker. Yun Youqing immediately went to change clothes. Wearing the red scarf her mother sent, she hummed one of Tao Fangran's songs happily and headed out the door.
Shen Wenxin parked her car and walked toward the hot pot restaurant. The fiery red, eye-catching sign and decor came into view. Because of the cold, the chairs usually provided for waiting customers had been moved inside. A staff member stood at the door, maintaining order and calling numbers—a scene of lively harmony.
Shen Wenxin spotted Yun Youqing at a glance.
Yun Youqing wore a long white coat, a red knitted scarf tied around her neck. She stood at the entrance, looking down at the ground, both hands tucked in her coat pockets. Her white boots tapped on the steps, and her body swayed gently with the motion. Her long, smooth black hair cascaded down, half her face hidden behind the red scarf. Her skin was fair, even her ear tips were pale—an image of bright, fresh beauty.
Shen Wenxin suddenly thought: Red suits her very well, too. Though it was rare to see her so quiet.
Shen Wenxin opened her mouth, about to call out to her, but saw Yun Youqing move her head as if sensing something, and look her way. She saw her eyes light up astonishingly, her brow relax, joy spilling out. And then she saw her inexplicably do a half-spin.
Shen Wenxin: "?"
Yun Youqing finished her spin and walked straight toward her. Stopping right in front of her, she said, "Hello, miss. Can I ask you for directions?"
"To where?"
"To the road to your heart."
"..." Shen Wenxin paused, then laughed involuntarily. After she finished laughing, she said, "So cheesy."
Yun Youqing crossed her arms smugly. "You smiled. So the cheese was worth it."
Seeing her like this, Shen Wenxin found it even funnier. She asked, "What was that spin just now about?"
"Pretending I'm a passerby who turned around and suddenly ran into you."
"?"
"Then, struck by your beauty."
"?"
"Then, bravely pursuing love."
"..."
Shen Wenxin raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and asked with keen interest, "And then?"
"Hmm..." Yun Youqing scratched her chin, her black-and-white eyes darting about. "And then rejected by you... devastated, leaving A City for good, coming back three years later as a returned white moonlight to seek revenge?"
Shen Wenxin just kept looking at her, waiting to see what else she could make up.
Yun Youqing stepped forward, linking arms with her, giggling. "Can't make it up anymore." These were all openings for video ads or audio dramas she'd stumbled upon while scrolling on her phone. As for what happened next, she didn't know. Not interested, had never clicked in to find out.
Shen Wenxin didn't resist Yun Youqing's sudden closeness. The two walked arm-in-arm into the bustling hot pot restaurant.
Shen Wenxin asked, "Did you get a number?"
Like a magician, Yun Youqing pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. It read: A099. "Here!"
Almost simultaneously, the restaurant's PA system announced loudly: "Customer A099, please proceed to table 13 for your meal."
Yun Youqing's eyes curved. "President Shen, perfect timing."
Shen Wenxin returned the smile.
The dual-flavored broth was bubbling vigorously, and all the dishes had arrived. They put in the meatballs first, followed by the shrimp. Shen Wenxin watched as Yun Youqing peeled the shrimp and skewered them into a row, then bit down on two at once, her cheeks puffing out.
She just watched Yun Youqing chew and chew, her cheeks moving rhythmically. She suddenly thought of a certain animal that someone particularly liked and chuckled softly to herself. Then, her gaze inadvertently met Yun Youqing's, which had drifted her way.
Yun Youqing's chewing paused. Her eyes swept over the table, then looked at the shrimp in her own bowl. Wordlessly, she reached out to take a cooked shrimp from the serving plate, silently peeled it, and silently placed it into Shen Wenxin's bowl, gesturing with her eyes: Eat.
But Shen Wenxin smiled and transferred the shrimp back to Yun Youqing's bowl. "If you like it, eat more. No need to peel them for me."
Yun Youqing blinked, chewed and swallowed the food in her mouth, then finally spoke. "Then why were you staring at me?"
"I find the way you eat very..." Shen Wenxin paused, swapping out the word 'cute.' "...interesting."
Yun Youqing was puzzled. "It's not our first time eating together, is it?"
Shen Wenxin said, "But this is the first time you're eating so freely and comfortably."
Yun Youqing instantly understood, covering her mouth in slight embarrassment. "Ah, I eat all my favorite foods this way. I was pretending to be elegant earlier to leave a good impression on you."
Shen Wenxin said, "This is much better now." She added, "I like you like this." Yun Youqing was just more adorable when she was herself. The more at ease she was, the more adorable.
"That—"
"Not that kind of like."
Yun Youqing narrowed her eyes. "Hmph, you even can pre-empt me now."
Shen Wenxin elegantly sipped her tea, smiling. "Pardon me."
Yun Youqing also picked up her teacup and took a sip. What a pity, she pre-empted me! What a pity, why can't it be that kind of like! "No matter," she said. "My like for you is that kind of like."
Shen Wenxin: "...That's not exactly encouragement for you to comfort yourself like that..."
They finished eating. Time to go. Shen Wenxin paid the bill before Yun Youqing could. Holding her coat and scarf, Yun Youqing watched her take the receipt from the cashier.
"Let's go," Shen Wenxin casually tucked the receipt into her bag.
Yun Youqing said, "Next time, it's my treat."
Shen Wenxin didn't refuse. "Okay."
They put their coats back on before heading out. As she walked, Yun Youqing bowed her head to wrap her scarf around her neck.
Suddenly, a voice came from beside her. "Careful." She instinctively looked up as someone grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. The next second, she bumped into a warm embrace. Looking up, she met those peach-blossom eyes. The raucous sounds of children running past her ears disappeared like a gust of wind. She didn't look back to see what the two kids looked like.
At this moment, her eyes were filled entirely with the person before her. Shen Wenxin's elegant brows. Shen Wenxin's eyes, shimmering with autumnal light. And those red, soft lips.
So sudden... so close...
Then, her forehead was tapped very lightly, and Shen Wenxin's pleasant voice landed in her world. "What are you spacing out for now?"
Yun Youqing snapped back to reality. Shen Wenxin's hands had already moved to her scarf, slowly and methodically helping her arrange it, then casually fixing her coat collar. Her expression remained unchanged throughout, as if this were an ordinary, everyday act like eating.
But after her hands withdrew, Yun Youqing had become mute. "... "
"I have other matters, so I'll be going now," Shen Wenxin said.
"Mm..." Yun Youqing answered softly.
The distance between them widened again, as if stretching very far. Shen Wenxin started walking toward her parked car. Yun Youqing stood rooted to the spot, unable to control the urge to watch her retreating figure. She saw her stop after a few steps, then turn back to look at her, as if remembering something she'd forgotten to say.
"Oh, right," Shen Wenxin spoke. "Red suits you very well. Very beautiful."
Shen Wenxin left. Truly left this time.
Yun Youqing was hit with the immobilizing spell again. It was a long while before she slowly hid the lower half of her face in the thick scarf. Her cascading black hair gently concealed her reddening ear tips. Hidden along with them was the ceaseless pounding of her heart.
"..." The scene just now felt like it was seared into her heart. Just thinking about it made it burn. Made her uncontrollably tangled, depressed, unwilling. Why can't her feelings for me be that kind of like!
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