Offense - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
But plans rarely go as expected. The next day, it wasn't until the sun was setting that Lian Wan finally got the order form and pushed open the door to the Convenience Store.
The bell hanging on the door chimed, causing the few customers lingering inside to glance over casually. Seeing it was just a woman covered in dust from head to toe, they turned back to what they were doing.
Someone recognized her and offered a brief, welcoming smile. Lian Wan, her face tense, nodded in acknowledgment as she walked past.
Behind the counter, Zhou Yanqian was eating dinner. Her bowl contained a clear, thin broth with only a few strands of noodles, looking like they could be finished in a single bite.
Lian Wan approached, dropped her truck keys on the counter to weigh down the order form, and pushed it forward with two fingers. "Here," she said. "Check if this is right."
Her tone was deliberately cold. Lian Wan herself couldn't say why she was putting on such a face, especially when they had gotten along so pleasantly yesterday.
Unexpectedly, the response to her words came later than she anticipated.
Lian Wan quietly lowered her head and glanced over.
The woman was dressed casually today, no longer in a revealing camisole or a form-fitting tube top. A loose, soft white T-shirt covered everything up, only serving to accentuate the slender white column of her neck. She looked younger than usual. Hearing Lian Wan speak, she propped her head up with one hand and lazily looked up. Her long lashes trembled lightly before she replied in a soft voice, "Alright."
Their eyes met. Lian Wan's fingers, which were about to pick up the keys, paused slightly. She averted her gaze and pushed the thin order form a little further across the counter.
Wanting to avoid disturbing Zhou Yanqian as she checked the order, or perhaps wanting to escape something, she withdrew her gaze. She walked a little to the side, leaning one hand on the counter and clutching her truck keys in the other, her eyes scanning the neatly arranged shelves aimlessly as she waited for the woman to go over the details.
Zhou Yanqian read it quickly, but she clearly didn't have much experience with handovers. It was Lian Wan who had to remind her, "Sign at the bottom."
A drawer was pulled open and shut. The tip of the pen landed on the paper with a very faint scratching sound.
The woman's fingers holding the pen were long and slender. Lian Wan stared, unable to shake the feeling that they might snap at any second.
But it was only for a few seconds. After she finished signing, Lian Wan watched as Zhou Yanqian prepared to hand the form back, and she let her wandering thoughts go, releasing a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
Zhou Yanqian looked up and passed the signed order form over.
The moment the paper was exchanged, both of their fingers pinched opposite ends of the form. Lian Wan's eyes were lowered, and just as she was about to use that instant to glance at the person opposite her, she felt the pressure on the paper increase. She couldn't pull it away.
The breath Lian Wan had just released caught in her throat again.
Afraid of tearing the fragile paper, she carefully eased her grip, tentatively trying to pull it back, but the other side remained firm.
The incandescent light was hot and bright, creating a sense of panic with nowhere to hide.
The two of them seemed to be in a stalemate, neither willing to back down. Lian Wan, slightly dazed and at a loss, looked up to see Zhou Yanqian tilting her head back, a smile curving her lips.
-And it was the first time she had ever seen someone smile like that.
It was different from the direct, aggressive beauty and allure from before. It was close yet distant, like flowers swaying on a wall in the lingering morning mist. She was just sitting there, smiling at you, yet you felt as if you had a thousand things you wanted to say to her.
The cold atmosphere Lian Wan had been deliberately creating since she walked in seemed to thaw because of that smile.
"You're late today," the woman said softly, her eyes fixed on her, a smile still lingering on her lips.
"There was a traffic jam this morning..." Lian Wan avoided her gaze and explained dryly. "The afternoon order was urgent, so I couldn't bring it over then either."
"Hm?" She felt Zhou Yanqian's gaze slowly sweep over her from top to bottom, finally resting on her face. "Is that all?"
"..."
"I waited for you all day," Zhou Yanqian said.
The order form was back in her hand now. Lian Wan clutched it, not knowing what to say.
There was a glass of water on the table. Zhou Yanqian held the side of the glass, twirling it childishly. "A bowl of tofu pudding, two popsicles, a small serving of rice noodles, three bags of potato chips, a bag of preserved plums, oh," she looked up, "and a few small buns, a couple of chocolates."
"I ate all that today just waiting for you, sitting around watching TV. My calorie count is through the roof." As Zhou Yanqian spoke, a helpless smile touched her lips again. "You didn't even send me a message. Aren't you going to apologize to me now? Kid."
The form of address made Lian Wan frown instinctively, but thinking about how the woman had waited for her all day, she lowered her eyes and apologized honestly. "I'm sorry-it won't happen again. The road collapsed this morning... The afternoon delivery was too rushed, the traffic was bad, and I almost couldn't get the truck out when I arrived. One thing after another caused a long delay."
After a moment's thought, she added, "Sometimes I can't check messages when I'm driving. If you need to ask me something, just call me directly."
"I see-" Zhou Yanqian laughed cheerfully and held out a hand, palm up, toward Lian Wan. "Alright. We'll let this go."
Seeing Lian Wan's expression soften, Zhou Yanqian cleared her throat and looked at her with a beaming smile. "Left hand."
"...What for?" Lian Wan slowly placed her hand in the other woman's palm.
"So obedient." Zhou Yanqian squeezed her wrist, smiling as she looked up, her tone once again familiar. "I've been wanting to ask since you came in, where did you go rolling around in the dirt today to get yourself so filthy?"
She had walked all this way, and her shoes were dirty. Her black T-shirt and black pants were all covered in dust, but her skin was strikingly pale, turning all the grime into a clean backdrop, like a blank space standing out in a traditional ink wash painting.
The woman's palm seemed to have a magical quality. Lian Wan let her hold her hand, remaining silent for a long while before answering, "...From unloading cargo."
At her words, the woman's voice softened comfortingly, almost as soft as her palm. "That must be tiring, right?"
"It's alright," Lian Wan said. "You get used to it."
Zhou Yanqian fell silent, just looking at her quietly. They looked at each other, and for some reason, Lian Wan was suddenly terrified of reading an emotion like pity or sympathy in her eyes. A sudden irritation grew in the silence, and she pulled her hand back. "I should go now. If there are no issues, I'll deliver the goods this weekend."
Zhou Yanqian tilted her head. She didn't try to make her stay, nor did she seem to mind her sudden cold tone. "Alright."
There was no music playing in the store. The only monotonous background sounds were footsteps and the bell on the door. Another customer came in, and the bell chimed. Lian Wan stood at the counter, silently folding the order form and clutching it in her hand with the truck keys.
"I hope the weekend comes quickly," Zhou Yanqian suddenly said in a low voice, almost as soon as the bell's chime faded.
Lian Wan lowered her eyes and looked at her.
"I want to see you working again." She rested her chin in her hand. "You must look so beautiful, just like the day we first met."
Lian Wan was suddenly at a loss for words.
She felt her heartbeat spin out of control at the compliment and, afraid Zhou Yanqian would notice something was wrong, she frantically averted her eyes.
But her scattered thoughts spread like weeds, growing into an uncontrollable mess: So Zhou Yanqian remembered their first meeting too. Not only did she remember, she missed it. Not only did she miss it, but she said so with such frankness, so brilliantly, that Lian Wan felt there was nowhere for her own baseness to hide. With her wildly beating heart, it felt as if all her late-night secrets were being shaken out one by one under the incandescent light, awaiting judgment.
Her fingertips trembled slightly. Her mouth was dry as she whispered, "...I'm leaving now."
She fled in a panic.
That night, Lian Wan couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Pingchuan Town had four distinct seasons, and summer fulfilled its duties diligently.
The summer nights were long. She woke up with her forehead and face drenched in sweat. The heat of a summer morning was a stifling heat. The warmth of the entire night, mixed with the damp morning fog, seemed to lock itself inside one's body. No amount of sweating could relieve it, creating a subtle sense of irritation.
Lian Wan was used to this irritation. Having sweated all night, the electric kettle was empty. She grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge by her bed and, while twisting it open, walked out of her room, planning to visit the air conditioner shop in town after work.
Logically, after several years of driving, she had saved up a decent sum of money and didn't need to live so frugally. But Lian Wan was accustomed to this life and had no intention of changing it, so the money had remained untouched. Saving money should have a purpose, but she had nothing she wanted to plan for herself.
An air conditioner, then. Lian Wan thought that perhaps she should have gotten one for herself long ago.
The mineral water was from Zhou Yanqian's store. Lian Wan only realized this after she twisted it open. The humid morning heat made her arms sting slightly. She took small sips of water, her gaze habitually falling on the empty balcony not far away.
There was a new pot of flowers on the balcony, and the outdoor unit of an air conditioner was humming loudly.
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