MQSP - Chapter 52
Chapter 52
When Lin Yuqing reached the bedroom door, she heard the little one's voice inside, laughing and talking as if on the phone. She pushed the door open quietly and saw the little one lying on her stomach on the bed, her fair feet dangling over the edge, swinging gently from time to time. She seemed to be in a good mood.
"You, you're always like this. If I don't call you, you never think to call me. Do you even think about your mother anymore?"
"Mmm~ Mother~" The little one, knowing she was in the wrong, put on a cute, pleading voice, but the person on the other end wasn't letting it go.
"You promised to call me at least once a week. Count on your fingers, how long has it been since you last called me?"
"Umm…"
"Not enough fingers? Then add your toes."
"Ah~ Mother~ I was wrong~"
"Turn on the video and let me see you. Have you gained or lost weight?"
"Ah, uh, Mother, the lights are already out in the dorm. Um… how about another day?"
"You, sigh."
"Is your auntie treating you well? If she bullies you, you tell me, and I'll deal with her."
"Heh, okay. Auntie is great to me, and so is Auntie Lin. They take very good care of me."
"Mm, are your studies busy? Are you tired?"
"Not busy, not tired. I'm getting along well with my classmates, so don't you worry about me~ You have class tomorrow, right? You should get some rest."
"You're the best at brushing me off."
"Hehe~"
"Alright, then you get some rest too."
"Okay, Mother, take care of yourself. I'll come back to see you next month when I have a break~"
"I'll take your word for it this time. Hang up."
"Good night, Mother."
"Mm, good night."
After hanging up, Baiye let out a long sigh. When her mother had asked for a video call just now, she had been terrified. She still had gauze taped to her head; she couldn't let her see that.
"Is this how you usually fool me, too?" Lin Yuqing walked over and tickled the sole of the little one's fair foot.
Baiye shot up with a start, turning over to sit up. She saw Auntie Lin with her arms crossed, studying her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Uh… Heh, Auntie Lin~"
"None of that. Don't give me that cheeky grin. Fess up."
"Huh? Fess up to what?"
"The last time you called me, how many of your words were actually true?"
"Uh… last time…" Baiye thought back. The last time she called Auntie Lin was probably by the small lake at school. What had she said then…?
"Don't remember? Then let me remind you. You said you missed me, very, very much."
"That's true!" Baiye nodded emphatically. "Auntie Lin has such a good memory!"
"Cut it out. You also said you were doing well at school, getting along with your classmates, and that I didn't need to worry."
"Did I… say that?" Baiye scratched her head. "Oh dear, I don't really remember, hehe."
"Ouch, ouch, I remember now, I remember now!" As Auntie Lin grabbed both her ears and tugged them like she was pulling up a radish, the little one decisively surrendered.
"Have I not set any rules for you? Do you not know you're not allowed to lie to me?" Lin Yuqing released her.
The little one immediately clapped her hands over her ears, looking at her with a wronged expression. "I didn't want you to worry… You're so busy, you have your own work to do…"
"Don't change the subject. Whether I worry or not is my business. Not telling me anything is your fault."
"Mmph, then I know I was wrong. It won't happen again." She immediately made an obedient promise.
"If you're wrong, you have to be punished."
"Huh?" The little one froze for a second, then quickly put her hands behind her back to cover her bottom. "No! I'm still an injured person, you can't do this to me!"
Hearing this, Lin Yuqing sat cross-legged in front of her. "Keep your hands behind you. Don't move them."
"Eh?" In that moment of confusion, an unbearable itch erupted from her abdomen. "Aiya! Ouch, Auntie Lin—Auntie Lin, I won't do it again! Spare me!!"
Lin Yuqing was single-mindedly poking her ticklish spot. Mmm, soft and squishy, it felt really nice.
Baiye was poked until she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, rolling back and forth on the bed, unable to escape Auntie Lin's demonic claws.
"Lin… Auntie Lin… I can't… I've got a stitch…"
Only then did Lin Yuqing stop, lying on her side next to her and rubbing her back to help her catch her breath.
"Auntie Lin… is so mean…" Baiye said, her eyes closed in enjoyment, not forgetting to complain about a certain villain.
"Tsk!" Lin Yuqing raised an eyebrow and, with a lift of her hand, gave her little bottom a light but firm pat. "Don't call me mean again."
Baiye panted for a moment. "But, a mean Auntie Lin is very cute." She blinked.
That playful little look made Lin Yuqing surrender. "Alright, let's change your bandages, then it's time for bed."
"Mm."
She skillfully changed the dressing on the wounds on the little one's palm and arm, re-bandaging them. The wound on her forehead would have to wait a few days to get the stitches removed at the hospital, so Lin Yuqing didn't dare touch it. Once everything was taken care of, she went to Baiye's room to get the thin blanket she liked to use. It was a light, soft fleece blanket, very comfortable to the touch. Then she turned the air conditioner up to a suitable temperature.
The two of them snuggled under the blanket, their bodies pressed close together.
"Good night, Auntie Lin." Baiye closed her eyes, seemingly casually hooking her arm around Lin Yuqing's.
"Mm." Lin Yuqing let her hold on, not moving.
They both closed their eyes, waiting for sleep to come.
"Xiao Ye?" After a long while, Lin Yuqing suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
"They said you're a lesbian. Why didn't you refute it?" Lin Yuqing was puzzled. She had been thinking about this question for a while. At the very least, she should have clarified, right? If she didn't react at all, wouldn't that just make people believe it even more?
"Mmm…" Baiye didn't respond, just hummed softly and turned her head, nuzzling against Lin Yuqing's shoulder to find a comfortable spot.
Did she fall asleep?
Lin Yuqing frowned and turned her head to look. The little one's breathing was steady; she was sleeping soundly.
She pursed her lips helplessly. That was way too fast.
A long time later, sensing that the person beside her was breathing steadily, Baiye secretly opened her eyes for a peek and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Why didn't I refute it?
I couldn't. Because what they said is true. I do like women.
Looking up at Auntie Lin's face, so close, Baiye gently leaned in and stole a kiss. See, you taught me this. If you want to kiss, just kiss, don't hesitate. You can't blame me~
When she woke up in the morning, she felt herself nestled in that long-missed warm embrace. The little one kept her eyes lazily shut, refusing to open them. She even took advantage of pretending to be asleep to snuggle and squirm in Auntie Lin's arms, acting spoiled.
Lin Yuqing had long been woken up by her squirming, but holding that warm, soft little body was just too comfortable. She let her fuss in her arms, one hand tucked under her neck and wrapped around her back, gently patting her waist.
"Did you sneak a kiss again last night?" Noticing the unconscious upward tilt of the little one's lips, she realized she was faking sleep and immediately called her out.
Hearing this, Baiye felt a pang of guilt but kept her eyes closed and remained silent, determined to feign sleep. At the same time, she was wondering, Strange, she was clearly asleep then, how could she know I kissed her? And last time, too, how did she find out?
"Still pretending, are you?" she said, pinching the little one's nose.
"Mmph, Auntie Lin, you're so mean…" With her nose pinched, her voice came out high and thin.
Lin Yuqing tapped her on the forehead. "I just told you yesterday not to call me mean again. Such a bad memory?"
"Mmph, I remember, I remember."
"But Auntie Lin, how did you know I stole a kiss?" Baiye was very curious.
Lin Yuqing looked smug. "Your little tricks are nothing to me."
"Huh?"
However, it seemed Auntie Lin had no intention of telling her, and even wore a slightly proud expression.
"Auntie Lin! Tell me!"
"Figure it out yourself. Time to get up." Lin Yuqing stretched and rubbed her arm, which had gone numb from the little one using it as a pillow. Seeing this, Baiye immediately started diligently massaging her arm for her.
Lin Yuqing didn't have much work these past two days. After the awards ceremony, she was in a lull waiting for a new script, so she basically stayed home with the little one every day. As the little one's injuries healed day by day, Lin Yuqing noticed something very strange. The girl seemed to be bathing more and more, with increasing frequency.
Before, it was once every evening. Recently, she started bathing once in the morning as well, and sometimes she'd even take another one after lunch. Bathing three times a day, wasn't she afraid of getting waterlogged!
Lin Yuqing thought it over and over. The only thing that could make her bathe so frequently was probably that time she was drugged by Xue Yuexian. She must feel that Xue Yuexian had touched her body and couldn't get over it.
She remembered what Fang Yi had said last time—that she was very sensitive and insecure. This incident must have left a shadow in her heart. Although Lin Yuqing had been trying all sorts of ways to tease her and play with her these past few days, and she seemed to be laughing and joking like usual, whenever she was spacing out alone, she would subconsciously rub her neck. She'd be a bit reserved when Lin Yuqing saw her, but if no one was watching, she'd probably rub a layer of skin off.
That day, right after lunch, the little one helped Xia Xiaozi clear the dishes. As soon as they finished, she started running upstairs.
Lin Yuqing had been sitting on the sofa, watching her specifically. Seeing her about to go upstairs, she said, "Stop."
"Eh, Auntie Lin, what's wrong?"
"What are you rushing off to do?"
"Go back to my room… to rest…" She unconsciously tugged at her collar.
"Come here." Lin Yuqing beckoned.
"Hm?" She walked over obediently.
Lin Yuqing grabbed her arm and sniffed. "You bathed again this morning?"
"Ah… I woke up… and was a little sweaty… so…"
"You've learned to lie with a straight face now?" Lin Yuqing's eyes widened.
"I… I just felt a little unclean and wanted to wash up…" Baiye immediately backed down.
"That's no way to bathe. Three times a day, why don't you just move into the bathroom?"
"Mmm…"
Lin Yuqing sighed and pulled her down to sit.
"Auntie Lin, is there something you want to tell me?" Baiye saw her hesitating and quickly asked.
Lin Yuqing nodded. She had been thinking about this for a long time—whether to tell Xiao Ye about her parentage. Telling her might resolve the knot in her heart, but she was also afraid Baiye would dig into the cause of their deaths. Besides, even if she didn't tell her, the others would surely not be able to hold it in, especially Jiang Boyan. Right now, she was the only one without a legitimate reason to see Xiao Ye, and she was dying of anxiety.
She should tell her. After all, she was Xinran's daughter. She couldn't let her live her whole life in the dark.
"Is it because Xue Yuexian touched your body that you feel uncomfortable and always want to bathe?"
"Auntie Lin, we agreed not to talk about this." Baiye's expression turned serious, and she clearly frowned with disgust upon hearing that name.
Lin Yuqing smiled. "If the person who touched you that day had been Xia Xiaozi, would you be this repulsed?"
"Huh?" Baiye was a bit stunned. She glanced back at her aunt, who was engrossed in her housework. "Auntie watched me grow up. Although she's probably seen me naked countless times, if she did something that intimate, I think I'd still feel very awkward."
"Would you be so disgusted that you'd bathe several times a day?"
"Mmm… probably not."
"Then you have even less reason to be so disgusted by Xue Yuexian."
"Huh?" Baiye was confused.
"Because you're related by blood."
"??? What?" Baiye looked completely dumbfounded, so shocked she almost jumped off the sofa. Me and her… are related by blood!?? How could I be related to such a shameless person!
"Auntie Lin, what are you talking about? How could I possibly be related to her?"
"She is your mother's cousin. You are close relatives, very close. She is also one of the few relatives you have left in this world, a real relative."
"My mom… my mother?"
"Yes, but not Xia Nan. Your biological mother."
Baiye's eyes went wide. "My… my biological mother?"
"Do you remember on set, when Ji Ming said there was someone she admired most, because that person dared to defy the world and marry a woman?"
Baiye thought for a moment and nodded. "I remember. She said she was a famous actress who fell in love with her costume designer, but it was only reported after they both passed away."
Lin Yuqing nodded. When that incident came to light back then, countless versions of the story had already emerged. What Ji Ming had heard was just a version beautified by the executioners; after all, no one would admit to having driven two living people to their deaths. You couldn't even find the real story online, not even the names Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan.
Baiye's heart pounded in her chest. She stared straight at Lin Yuqing, a faint sense of anticipation mixed with fear in her heart.
"That actress was named Gu Xinran, and the costume designer was Bai Yilan. They are your mothers. You're different from others. You don't have a father in name, but you have two mothers."
"I…" Baiye was stunned. I… have… two mothers?
My… my mothers… they could actually get married? And they gave birth to me!?
"How… how did they do it??"
"Just as you believe, Xinran also believed that love is a beautiful emotion that shouldn't be hindered by anything, not even gender. In the beginning, she shamelessly pursued Yilan, but in that era, a same-sex relationship was absolutely forbidden."
"But she still…"
"That's your mother. If she believed something was worth it, she would do it without hesitation. She didn't want to leave any regrets in her life. For her, living every day without the person she loved was unbearable torment."
"Then my mom… uh, my other mother, did she like her too?"
"She did, but she didn't dare show it. Your personality is a bit like Yilan's, reserved and quiet, but she was even more cautious. At first, she didn't dare cross that line, but in the end, she succumbed to love."
"But they… died?" Baiye remembered what Ji Ming had told her about their ending.
"Yes." Lin Yuqing's eyes lowered as she nodded silently.
"How did they die?"
Lin Yuqing took a deep breath. "Yilan… committed suicide due to depression. Xinran couldn't move on after Yilan's death, so she followed her." Lin Yuqing was telling the truth, but she had omitted the cause of Bai Yilan's depression, not telling Baiye directly.
"Then what about me? Where was I?"
"After your two mothers secretly married, they tried IVF. They used an egg from Xinran and sperm from a man, completed the fertilization process in vitro, and implanted it into Yilan's body, successfully conceiving you. After you were born, Yilan took you to live in seclusion in a remote little town. Xinran was busy with work, but she would go back to see you and your mother every week."
"You were very young then. Before Xinran committed suicide, she entrusted you to someone else's care, but that person didn't treat you well. They even abused you to fight for the inheritance. You were too young at the time, and you suffered immense physical and psychological trauma, so you subconsciously forgot about these things. The scar on your forehead was caused by that person."
Hearing this, Baiye raised a hand to touch her forehead. She had a vague memory of the scar. She remembered being locked in a dark room, often beaten and scolded. One time, she hit the corner of a bed while struggling, leaving the scar.
Baiye tried to connect everything Lin Yuqing had said. Her mind was a chaotic mess. She closed her eyes and tried hard to remember, but it only brought on a headache.
"If you can't remember, don't force it." Lin Yuqing patted her. "You just need to know that your two mothers, they loved you very much, very, very much. That's enough."
Baiye covered her eyes and patted her own head in frustration. "But I can't even remember what they look like. I really want to know what they looked like…"
Hearing this, Lin Yuqing got up and went upstairs. A short while later, she came back down with a photograph in her hand.
Baiye took the photo and was stunned when she saw the people in it. It was a group photo, and although the people looked much younger, she recognized several of them!
There was Teacher Lu, Auntie Fang, Auntie Lin, and Director Su! That Xue Yuexian was there too, along with another beautiful auntie she didn't recognize.
The two people in the very center—the woman on the left had her arm around the neck of the woman on the right, kissing her on the cheek. Only half of her profile was visible, but her features were exquisite, and she had a dimple. The woman on the right had her head slightly lowered, one hand stroking her long, straight black hair, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a serene yet somewhat shy smile.
"This is…"
"The one on the left is Xinran, the one on the right is Yilan. This was taken to commemorate the moment Xinran finally won her over. Everyone in this picture helped out a lot." Lin Yuqing also turned her head to look, her eyes filled with memories.
"These people…"
"Are all your mothers' best friends."
"And your friends too?"
"But they seem a little hostile towards you?"
"It was all a misunderstanding, we've cleared it up. They all know you and want to meet you. Can I take you to see them another day?"
Baiye nodded, her eyes fixed on the two people in the center of the photo, almost unable to look away.
Her mother Xinran, though only showing half her face, had a smile that looked so content.
Her mother Yilan looked like someone who was easily shy. Auntie Lin said she was quiet and reserved, so she must have been a gentle woman. Though it was just a faint smile, she looked so happy, so enviably happy.
They must have loved each other deeply, as much as life itself. When one left, the other was unwilling to live on. But, how could her mother Yilan bear to leave the person she loved so deeply? What on earth did she go through to become so desperate that she lost the courage to live?
Seeing her engrossed in the photo, Lin Yuqing snatched it from her hand.
"Auntie Lin, can I have this photo…?"
"No. This is the only one I have, and I have to treasure it. I'm not giving it to you."
"Don't be so stingy…" Baiye pouted, looking reluctantly at the photo in Lin Yuqing's hand.
Lin Yuqing felt a headache coming on. Seeing the little one's reddened eyes, she suddenly regretted telling her all this. How could she not have considered that the little one would miss them?
The little one was silent for a moment, then sniffled. "If only they were still here. I really want… I really want to meet them…"
Lin Yuqing frowned and pulled the little one into her arms. "I told you this because I hope you can let go of your grudge against Xue Yuexian and stop making yourself so neurotic. Even if they're not here, you still have Xia Nan, you have me, you have your auntie, and all these aunties who care about you. Don't just focus on mourning them and miss out on the people you should cherish right now, hmm?"
"They would also want you to live every day happily and fulfilled, not dwelling on a hazy past."
"There, there, don't cry. Dry your own tears. Be strong."
"Mm…"
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