Since getting together, their expressions of affection hadn’t been as fervent as before, at least compared to the night of their confession. Sweet nothings were fewer, and usually, when spoken, they were accompanied by reminiscences of their past crushes, tinged with a bit of heartache.
So, when Chi Shuo said those words, He Lindi’s eyes lit up. She reached out, took Chi Shuo’s hand, rubbed her thumb across the back of it, and smiled. “Me too.”
Chi Shuo’s lips curved upwards. “Let’s eat.”
He Lindi hummed in agreement, withdrawing her hand. “Miaoran messaged me too.”
“What did she say?”
He Lindi scrolled through her phone, her lips parting slightly. “She said I’m braver than before.”
“But…” Chi Shuo hesitated. “I thought you were already very brave when you were together.”
Chi Shuo was bringing up the past again, or perhaps not bringing it up, just mentioning it.
Actually, that’s what she had thought at the time. Back then, people didn’t understand LGBT issues well. He Lindi and Ding Miaoran being openly together, without any worry or fear, had surprised Chi Shuo.
“Really?” He Lindi thought back. “Not really.”
“Being able to openly express your feelings is already brave.”
“But there’s something I don’t understand.”
He Lindi put down her phone. “Ask away.”
“Maybe I’m petty and narrow-minded, but I don’t understand why you and Ding Miaoran are still so close after breaking up. You even took half a month off for her wedding.”
“Because…” He Lindi didn’t answer directly. “I’ll tell you back at the hotel.”
“Okay.”
The atmosphere shifted slightly because of Ding Miaoran. The feeling between them became a bit subtle, the return journey quieter than the way there.
Chi Shuo found a topic, looking at the step count on her phone. “I walked over twenty thousand steps today.”
“Me too, roughly.” He Lindi showed her the step count on her own phone. “My legs aren’t even mine anymore.”
“Mm.”
At 8:30 PM, they entered their hotel room. Chi Shuo sat down on the sofa, while He Lindi collapsed onto the bed.
The lights weren’t fully on; too bright, and they wouldn’t be comfortable. Chi Shuo closed her eyes, easing her body’s fatigue.
He Lindi’s face was buried in the blanket, her voice muffled. “Where are we going tomorrow?”
Their flight was at 4:30 PM; they’d have to leave for the airport around 2 PM.
Chi Shuo shook her head. “I don’t know.” She yawned. “I might just sleep until noon, have lunch, and then head to the airport.”
He Lindi rolled over, propping her head up with her right arm, looking at Chi Shuo a few meters away. “Is our Lu Cheng trip just going to end like this?”
Chi Shuo opened her eyes, looked at her—the light from the standing lamp beside her casting a soft glow on her face, adding a hazy quality to her expression. “Do you want to wake up early tomorrow and go out?”
He Lindi pondered seriously for a moment, then shook her head. “No, sleeping is more comfortable.” She beckoned Chi Shuo over. “Come here.”
Chi Shuo chuckled. “Want to whisper secrets?”
He Lindi’s eyes curved, and she nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
Chi Shuo pushed herself up, noticing she still had her bag slung over her shoulder. She took it off, placed it on the sofa, and then walked over to the bed, her steps slightly weary.
She didn’t sit down immediately, but stood there, looking down at He Lindi. She smiled slightly. “What do you want to say?”
He Lindi was already lying on the bed, looking up at Chi Shuo, who was partially blocking the light. She yawned. “Secrets have to be whispered from so far away?”
Chi Shuo slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, bending down so they were face-to-face, only a few centimeters apart.
She smoothed He Lindi’s hair, which had fallen to either side of her face. “How about now?”
“Still a bit far.” He Lindi reached up and wrapped her arms around Chi Shuo’s neck.
Chi Shuo leaned down further, her body practically on top of He Lindi’s. They were so close she could hear He Lindi’s breathing.
Their ears touched through their hair. He Lindi shifted slightly, chuckling softly. “Hear anything?”
“No.”
Chi Shuo turned her head slightly, her face now next to He Lindi’s. Her breathing became more natural in this position.
“I wanted to say…” He Lindi also turned her head slightly, kissing Chi Shuo before her expression turned serious. “I wanted to say, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you saying sorry?” Chi Shuo closed her eyes, her voice lacking energy.
“Because I lied to you.”
Chi Shuo hummed. “About Ding Miaoran?”
“Yes.” He Lindi hugged Chi Shuo tighter. “I’m apologizing.”
Chi Shuo didn’t reply. He Lindi continued, “I… I felt very guilty before, because I just got along well with her. If you’re talking about liking, it was more like friendship. Back then, I knew clearly I didn’t like boys. Whenever I interacted with them, I felt uncomfortable. Being with girls was much more relaxing.”
“I know how people see me—they say I have a good personality, that I’m a nice person. But only I know I’m actually a terrible person. My mom passed away when I was young, and my dad spoiled me. If it weren’t for my grandfather, I might have become a school bully.”
Chi Shuo patted her back. “Impossible.”
“How is it impossible?”
“Because Grandpa had the final say at home. I was afraid of him, so I had to act how he expected. If I made a mistake, I’d be confined and made to kneel. After a while, living under such pressure, I started to rebel.”
“So you started dating Ding Miaoran?”
“No, it was those fake boyfriends, the ones I asked to sign contracts with. I told you about that before.”
“Ding Miaoran was a good person. We were close. She was my only friend back then, so she helped me.”
He Lindi took a deep breath. “Whenever you asked me if I liked her before, I just gave a perfunctory ‘mm-hmm’. I was afraid that if I denied it, you’d think I was a…” She paused. “…a player.”
Chi Shuo patted her back again, this time in comfort. “No, I wouldn’t think that. Maybe I’d just think you weren’t serious about love.”
“Isn’t that still a player?” He Lindi looked up slightly.
“Whether someone’s a player or not depends on the other person. Since the other person didn’t feel hurt, wasn’t that ‘player’ title self-proclaimed?”
He Lindi’s eyes were already red. She turned her head away, avoiding Chi Shuo’s gaze. “So, do you understand now why I’m so close with Ding Miaoran?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Chi Shuo hugged her tighter. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
“From beginning to end, she was just my good friend.” She started calculating. “So, you’re actually the first person I’ve liked, and the only one so far.”
Chi Shuo released her and sat up, looking at He Lindi, whose eyelashes were already damp. She smiled. “So, you’re saying you want a second one? You don’t want me to be the only one anymore?”
“No.”
“I’m saying you should feel lucky.”
“And why didn’t you like me longer before? You turned around and liked Ding Miaoran, then later Shen Qu.”
“Didn’t I already tell you? Because liking you felt hopeless. My crush was doomed to fail.” Chi Shuo sighed softly. “If we keep talking like this, I’ll be as sleepy as last night. Do you still want to be on top?”
“…”
“Okay.”
“Want to shower together?”
Their Lu Cheng trip ended there. While checking in for their flight, He Lindi finally noticed something important.
She asked, “Teacher Chi, when did you change your ID photo?”
Chi Shuo had been “mocked” about her ID photo before. During the New Year holiday, when the police station reopened, she had gone to get it retaken. This time, she’d washed her hair before going.
Chi Shuo flipped over her ID card, showing He Lindi the date. “Secretly changed my ID photo without even telling me.”
Chi Shuo was about to reply when He Lindi’s phone rang. She didn’t hide it; Chi Shuo saw the caller ID: Dad.
It was He Wenkang.
Chi Shuo’s heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips, watching He Lindi answer the call.
“Dad, mm-hmm, boarding soon, will arrive around seven.”
“Will be careful, don’t worry.”
The call ended quickly. Chi Shuo blinked and heard He Lindi say, “My dad said not to worry, just focus on work.”
She took Chi Shuo’s hand. “He said Grandpa saw my Weibo post and was furious, but doesn’t have time to scold me right now.”
“…”
He Lindi smiled. “Just kidding. Grandpa is angry, but it seems like he’s calmed down. He hasn’t done anything else, so let’s not overthink it for now.”
At 6:50 PM, the plane landed at Yuncheng airport. They took a taxi to Chi Shuo’s place.
They had been tired on the way there, and they were tired on the way back. Waking up the next morning, it felt like they were still at the hotel in Lu Cheng. Chi Shuo took a few minutes to realize they were at her place. She woke He Lindi, who was still sleeping, and then they got ready and headed to work.
Both appeared at the office building at the same time. Because of the Weibo post, people who knew them looked at them with knowing smiles.
They ran into Fang Xiuxiu, who was waiting for the elevator. Seeing them together, her jaw dropped slightly. The next second, Chi Shuo heard her whisper, “You two, lock yourselves together!”
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