Drifting on a String - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Chen Piaopiao was counting in her head.

She had never experienced a moment like this. Instinctively, she wanted time to slow down—one second, two seconds, three seconds. Instinctively, she wanted her heartbeat to slow down—one beat, two beats, three beats.

So this was a feeling where even breathing felt like receiving a gift. Her barren heart had been given a handful of seeds. She didn't know what kind of fruit they would yield, but it made her start looking forward to autumn.

The roots of her eyelashes grew damp, gently soaking Tao Jin's silhouette into her pupils. A sourness rose in her throat and stung her nose.

Forcing the stinging sensation back down, she hugged Tao Jin.

She whispered in her ear, "I want to kiss you."

I want to make love to you. Should she tell her that, too?

Tao Jin wrapped an arm around her waist. The faint scent of cedarwood coiled around her neck, as if in an intimate caress. She kissed Chen Piaopiao's ear. "Let's stay at Plan B tonight."

"Okay."

The fine hairs behind their ears brushed against each other before they separated with restraint. Tao Jin sniffled, lowered her head to pick up her drawing paper, and prepared to finish her work.

Chen Piaopiao accompanied her by the side, silent and still. A few minutes later, Tao Jin asked Chen Piaopiao to help her by walking around on stage to mark positions, so she could visualize whether her stage design was suitable.

Chen Piaopiao did as she was told, walking onto the stage and standing on the right side. Through the dust motes suspended in the light, she looked at Tao Jin.

Tao Jin glanced at her, then lowered her head to draw again.

Her tall, slender body leaned against a desk. Even the "swish, swish" of her pencil strokes was casual and elegant.

Chen Piaopiao suddenly wondered what Tao Jin would be like when she was a little older. What kind of job would she have? Would her features become even more defined? Perhaps the fine hairs floating in the light were too much like the dust of time, making her inadvertently think of the future.

Her eyelashes lowered, Tao Jin thought of something and smiled faintly. It was like a flower blooming on a frosted surface, dazzling beyond words.

Chen Piaopiao's heart pounded fiercely. She couldn't help but call out, "Hey."

An echo reverberated through the empty lecture hall, as if her voice had come through a microphone.

"Hm?" Tao Jin looked up.

Chen Piaopiao blinked. "In this play of yours, does the female lead have to wear a wedding dress?"

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, the other day I saw her during rehearsal, she was walking like this," Chen Piaopiao lifted a non-existent skirt hem and took two steps, "so I was wondering if it was a wedding dress or a ball gown with a large skirt."

Tao Jin placed her drawing board on the desk behind her and smiled. "It's a wedding dress. But in the end, the female lead doesn't end up with anyone. She marries herself."

"At the end of the play, she walks to the center of the stage. Yes," Tao Jin pointed, guiding Chen Piaopiao to the center of the stage, "right here."

"And then, the curtain call."

Chen Piaopiao was a quick study. She performed a standard curtain call bow, befitting a leading lady in full costume.

Then she looked up and smiled, radiant and dazzling, utterly captivating.

Tao Jin stood below the stage, watching her with her arms crossed. A young girl's face was so enchanting under the stage lights. She needed no set, no makeup, no styling. Her snow-white skin was a magnificent gown, her cloud-like black hair was a pearl ornament, the shade of her blush was called shyness, and in her eyes was her lover.

"Director Tao," Chen Piaopiao brought it up a second time, "when can I be your leading lady?"

Tao Jin snapped back to reality. "Still so persistent?"

It wasn't like she was some great director.

"My acting is very good. I just fooled you, didn't I?" Chen Piaopiao stood on the stage and recommended herself with poise and confidence, just like she had at her audition when she first joined the club.

Tao Jin thought for a moment. "When you graduate, I'll direct a play for you."

An idea had already formed in her mind, just a moment ago.

Chen Piaopiao was delighted, but then she thought, "That's still more than three years away…"

"Do I have such a bleak future in the club? I can't even act in one of your plays?"

"You'll have to work hard for that in the club yourself," Tao Jin smiled. "What I just said was extra."

Alright, a bonus. Chen Piaopiao was satisfied. She sat on the edge of the stage, hopped down, and helped Tao Jin pack up their things to go home.

A promise made on the day of the first snow is sure to come true, right? That's what they always say on TV.

There was a strange phenomenon in university life. The days at the beginning of the semester always passed slowly. The bright sun was like a loafer, dawdling along, impossible to shoo away. But as finals approached, the calendar pages seemed to tear themselves off one per second.

Tao Jin and Chen Piaopiao didn't spend Christmas together because she was participating in the university theater festival.

As expected, her play was nominated with a high score. What was unexpected was that the Drama Club's play was not selected.

Qi Mian told Chen Piaopiao, "You should keep a low profile for a while."

The Vice President of the Drama Club couldn't stand Tao Jin. Since Chen Piaopiao was close with Tao Jin, she had to be careful he didn't start disliking her too.

Chen Piaopiao had two questions about this. First, who was the Vice President of the Drama Club?

And would his dislike cause any actual harm? It wasn't like he was Cyclops from the X-Men.

Second, Qi Mian clearly knew she liked Tao Jin, yet she still described the inseparable pair as just being "close."

She was truly, unimaginably straight.

Another piece of good news was that, through Chen Piaopiao's tireless efforts, her social media account finally surpassed two thousand followers. There was a price, however. Not having focused enough on her studies, Chen Piaopiao was now studying for makeup exams until she felt like throwing up.

The modern-day version of "tying one's hair to a beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl" took place during the all-nighters of exam week. The dormitory building was brightly lit, with desks and chairs moved into the hallways. The students, their faces scrunched up as they memorized texts, looked as if they had aged ten years. Their desks were piled with all sorts of buffs—the air thick with the combined smell of coffee and Red Bull, and even the scent of medicated oil boring into their brains. "Pass Every Exam" talismans hung from desk lamps, and even their computer desktops were performing rituals. The number of people fetching hot water or making phone calls had dwindled significantly.

Qi Mian, sporting dark circles under her eyes, pushed Chen Piaopiao's chair. "Let me pass."

Chen Piaopiao pulled her chair forward to make room.

"You have to say, 'You'll pass'," Qi Mian said grimly, leaning on her shoulder.

"You'll pass," Chen Piaopiao replied obligingly.

"My dear," Qi Mian patted her before heading to the restroom, "you'll pass too."

Since they were all at the same university, the difference in their IQs probably wasn't that great. But by comparison, Tao Jin had a real top-student vibe. This was evident in her ability to participate in a theater festival, handle exam week, and maintain a relaxed love life all at the same time.

While Chen Piaopiao was reviewing, she heard a knock on the door. Xiao Ma came in and handed her a cup of milk tea. "Your husband asked me to bring this for you."

There were other people in the dorm. Unsure if Chen Piaopiao was out, Xiao Ma thought she had come up with a brilliant cover.

She could even "tease" Chen Piaopiao a little.

As expected, the younger student's face turned pink. She took the drink with a voice as light as smoke. "Thank you."

"Husband?" After Xiao Ma left, An Ran swiveled around like an antenna, pulling out her earplugs.

Those earplugs were really poor quality, Chen Piaopiao thought, wondering what brand they were.

"A senior from their dorm, Tizi. Her surname is Gong," Chen Piaopiao said, poking the straw into her milk tea. "Sometimes they jokingly call her 'Lao Gong'."

So that was it.

The next day, An Ran went to class with her arm linked through Chen Piaopiao's. The time for this class had been changed, and as it happened, the previous class in that room was Tao Jin's. It must have run late, as a senior was at the lecturer's desk asking the professor for a copy of the lecture notes. An Ran and the others entered the classroom and sat in the back.

In the row ahead, several seniors from dorm 1105 finished filling out a form, handed it to the class monitor, and stood up to pack their things.

Tao Jin saw Chen Piaopiao first and winked at her from the side. Chen Piaopiao cupped her face and smiled, then lowered her head and twirled the pen in her hand. Neither of them said hello.

An Ran suddenly leaned over, pointed at Tizi, and whispered to Chen Piaopiao, "The Lao Gong who brought you milk tea, is that her?"

…

Her words landed perfectly in a lull in the noise, catching everyone's ear.

Tao Jin froze. Tizi froze too. Xiao Ma stopped packing her bag and stared suspiciously at Tizi.

"…" Tizi was speechless, chewing on air for a couple of seconds before turning to Chen Piaopiao. "What?"

Whose husband?

Chen Piaopiao shook her head, twirled her pen, lowered her head, and looked at her book.

Seeing that the situation was awkward, An Ran didn't dare say anything more and obediently took out her textbook.

As the seniors from 1105 left, the scent of cedarwood wafted past the edge of Chen Piaopiao's desk. A familiar left hand reached out, and an index finger tapped Chen Piaopiao's desk three times, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

I'll. Kill. You.

Morse code. Chen Piaopiao understood.

She watched the shadow Tao Jin left behind as she walked away, smiling as she propped her chin on her hand.

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