It was certainly true that some people were hard to please.
That person was Yu Lingshan.
One moment, she was complaining that Xu Shi was being noisy, telling her she wasn’t allowed to move, talk, or play with her phone once she was in bed—she might as well have told her not to breathe. The next, when Xu Shi offered to leave, she wouldn’t let her. Instead, she told her to get pajamas from the closet, change into them, and “I’ll give you five minutes to come back and hold me.”
How could Xu Shi dare to disobey? It was as if Yu Lingshan was really timing her with a stopwatch. She changed her clothes at lightning speed and returned to the bed.
Before she had even settled down, Yu Lingshan rolled over and snuggled into her arms.
“I’m so sleepy,” Yu Lingshan said.
Xu Shi stroked her hair. “Go to sleep, then.”
Yu Lingshan: “You disturbed me for ten minutes.”
Xu Shi smiled. “So what should I do?”
Yu Lingshan: “Find a way to do something that makes me happy for ten minutes.” She added gravely, “I hold grudges.”
Xu Shi agreed with a “Okay,” and said softly to Yu Lingshan, “Go to sleep.”
Yu Lingshan was truly exhausted. Not long after Xu Shi held her, she drifted off, her chin buried motionlessly in Xu Shi’s shoulder.
Later, Xu Shi tried to sleep as well, but the rule that she could never fall asleep with Yu Lingshan beside her still held true. She closed her eyes for over ten minutes but didn’t feel the slightest bit drowsy.
So she gave up on sleeping.
Xu Shi opened her eyes and suddenly realized that her arm, pinned beneath Yu Lingshan, was getting numb.
She moved it slightly at first. Seeing no reaction from Yu Lingshan, she started to pull her arm out a little.
The process felt like some extreme sport for Xu Shi, moving inch by inch, testing to see where the limit was.
Unexpectedly, the limit arrived in less than ten seconds.
Before Xu Shi could even pull her arm halfway out, Yu Lingshan stirred.
She burrowed deeper into Xu Shi’s side and let out a dissatisfied “hng” through her nose.
Xu Shi pressed her lips together.
“Are you uncomfortable?” Yu Lingshan asked, her voice muffled.
Xu Shi answered honestly, “My arm is numb.”
Yu Lingshan made that sound again, then wrapped her arms around Xu Shi’s neck.
But what she said was, “You should go out.”
Xu Shi was confused. “Huh?”
Yu Lingshan: “When you lie here, I just want to hold you like this. If I hold you, your arm will definitely go numb. It’s an unsolvable problem.” After saying that, she repeated, “You should go out.”
Xu Shi looked at this person clinging to her entire body and had no idea how she was supposed to “go out.”
But it didn’t take long for Yu Lingshan to solve the problem herself.
As if it were a final, world-ending embrace, Yu Lingshan’s arms tightened forcefully before she pushed Xu Shi away.
“Wait for me to wake up naturally. Don’t come back in.”
Xu Shi: “Oh.”
And just like that, Xu Shi was kicked out. After the door closed, Xu Shi looked down at herself wearing Yu Lingshan’s pajamas and smiled at the empty air.
Some of the groceries Xu Shi had bought today needed to be prepped in advance. Having spent some time in Yu Lingshan’s room, the timing was now perfect.
Although Yu Lingshan didn’t cook, her kitchen was fully equipped and neatly organized. It was clear which area was for what. However, more than half of the items were brand new, still in their packaging. There hadn’t been this much stuff the last time she was here.
Xu Shi couldn’t help but suspect that Yu Lingshan had prepared all this on the fly after deciding to let her cook yesterday.
That was so Yu Lingshan.
It was still early, so Xu Shi took her time with her tasks.
As she was mincing garlic, the phone in her pocket buzzed. It was a message from Weiwei.
She got straight to the point: 【How are things with you two?】
Xu Shi wiped her hands. 【Same as always.】
Weiwei: 【What’s ‘same as always’?】
Weiwei: 【It’s the weekend, aren’t you going on a date?】
Xu Shi: 【I’m at her place.】
Xu Shi: 【She’s sleeping in her room, and I’m about to cook.】
Weiwei: 【???】
Weiwei: 【This is ‘same as always’?!】
Weiwei: 【Or have you two been like this for a long time?】
Xu Shi: 【I guess it’s same as always.】
Xu Shi: 【Last week she cooked for me, this week I’m cooking for her.】
Weiwei: 【Damn it.】
Xu Shi: 【Hahahahahaha, what’s wrong?】
Weiwei: 【You two are moving faster than us!】
Weiwei: 【I haven’t even been to my girlfriend’s place yet. I haven’t even eaten a meal she’s cooked.】
Weiwei: 【And you, my god.】
Weiwei: 【Is this how you straight girls date?】
Then she asked: 【Don’t tell me you’ve even made love?】
Weiwei: 【No way, no way, no way.】
Xu Shi: 【No, not that.】
Weiwei: 【But you’re already at her house.】
Weiwei: 【Are you planning to?】
Weiwei: 【Not staying the night?】
Weiwei: 【Not sleeping together?】
Weiwei: 【Not losing a little self-control?】
Weiwei: 【Hmm? Hmm?】
When it came to topics like this, Weiwei typed faster than anyone, sending a flurry of messages in quick succession.
Xu Shi: 【…】
Xu Shi: 【Not yet.】
Xu Shi: 【I went in to lie with her for a bit just now, but my arm got too numb, so she told me to come out.】
Weiwei: 【???】
Weiwei: 【Let me do a reading comprehension check.】
Weiwei: 【Arm got numb… so you were cuddling while you slept?】
Xu Shi: 【Yeah.】
Weiwei: 【Just sleeping?】
Xu Shi: 【Yeah.】
Weiwei: 【Oh my god, don’t tell me Yu Lingshan is actually straight.】
Weiwei’s words hit Xu Shi like a sudden epiphany.
No, that can’t be, right?
If she really was…
Goosebumps rose on Xu Shi’s skin.
Xu Shi: 【What if she is straight?】
Weiwei: 【…You’re actually considering this?】
Weiwei: 【If she’s really straight, I’ll chop my head off for you.】
Weiwei had just sent that message when she immediately retracted it.
Weiwei: 【No, that’s a bit too absolute.】
Weiwei: 【If she’s really straight, I’ll wash my hair while doing a handstand.】
Xu Shi: 【Would a straight girl kiss someone else?】
Weiwei: 【???】
Weiwei: 【Sister, are you the straight one or am I?】
Weiwei: 【You’re asking me?】
Xu Shi: 【A straight girl like me wouldn’t.】
Weiwei: 【Hahahahahaha.】
Weiwei: 【Then what’s the deal with you and Yu Lingshan?】
Xu Shi: 【I’m gay in front of her.】
Xu Shi: 【Custom-made.】
Weiwei: 【…Fuck.】
Weiwei: 【You’re actually saying things like that now???】
Weiwei: 【Yu Lingshan has really trained you well.】
Reading that, Xu Shi suddenly chuckled to herself. This was just the tip of the iceberg of Yu Lingshan’s training.
Weiwei: 【Also.】
Weiwei: 【We’re all adults.】
Weiwei: 【Prepare yourself a little. I think you two are getting close.】
Xu Shi: 【Not yet.】
Weiwei: 【Take it from someone with experience.】
Weiwei: 【Don’t let the feelings get there and then not know where to start.】
Weiwei: 【It’s very awkward.】
Xu Shi laughed at Weiwei’s deadpan humor.
But she didn’t tell Weiwei that she had already looked it up. She’d done it during one of her sleepless nights.
She had looked up everything. Her brain knew what to do.
Yu Lingshan emerged while Xu Shi was watching TV on the sofa. By then, Xu Shi had already prepped all the ingredients and had been watching a variety show for quite a while.
When Yu Lingshan came out of her room, they both instinctively looked at the clock on the wall: 12:34 PM.
Perhaps afraid of the cold in the air-conditioned room, Yu Lingshan had thrown on a thin jacket. It was only when she fully emerged that Xu Shi noticed she wasn’t wearing a dress today, but a camisole and long pants.
She wasn’t wearing slippers either, walking over barefoot.
She rounded the sofa, placed one foot on the rug, and rested her other knee on the couch.
Then she sat right down on Xu Shi’s lap.
Yu Lingshan draped her hands over Xu Shi’s shoulders. Her jacket wasn’t on properly, hanging precariously off one shoulder. Her hair was messy as she tilted her head to look at Xu Shi.
She had just brushed her teeth, and Xu Shi immediately caught the scent of mint on her.
Yu Lingshan didn’t speak, and neither did Xu Shi. The only sound in the room was the television.
It wasn’t loud, the volume so low you couldn’t understand what they were saying unless you listened closely.
Of course, no one was listening closely.
Xu Shi reached her hand behind Yu Lingshan’s back and gently smoothed her slightly messy hair.
After just a couple of strokes, Yu Lingshan leaned in.
Xu Shi stopped tidying her hair and wrapped her arms around Yu Lingshan’s waist instead.
Yu Lingshan tilted her head even more, her objective clear as her gaze landed directly on Xu Shi’s lips.
Slowly, she drew closer, and closer still.
Just as their lips were about to touch, Yu Lingshan stopped.
Yu Lingshan didn’t move, so Xu Shi did. The hand on Yu Lingshan’s waist tightened slightly, pulling her closer as she leaned in toward her mouth.
But for every inch Xu Shi advanced, Yu Lingshan retreated an inch.
After a few attempts, Xu Shi raised her eyebrows and met Yu Lingshan’s gaze.
“Mm~” Yu Lingshan touched Xu Shi’s earlobe. “What are you supposed to say to me?”
Xu Shi didn’t understand at first. “What?”
Yu Lingshan squeezed her earlobe firmly, her lips pressing together in a tight line.
Yu Lingshan: “If you want to kiss me, what are you supposed to say seriously?”
Xu Shi’s eyes curved. “That I miss you.”
Yu Lingshan smiled. She asked, “Do you miss me?”
As she blinked, Xu Shi said in the clearest voice of her life, “I missed you.”
The moment the words fell, Yu Lingshan’s lips touched hers, and the next second, she pushed Xu Shi down onto the sofa.
It was a forceful push, and Xu Shi couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt.
Then she closed her eyes.
Yu Lingshan’s kisses were always gentle. She lifted Xu Shi’s hands, pressing them against the sofa and intertwining their fingers, and also kissed the inside of her arm.
Xu Shi felt breathless, her heart pounding wildly. She held onto Yu Lingshan, her thoughts a complete mess.
Finally, Yu Lingshan kissed Xu Shi’s ear. The ticklish sensation made Xu Shi flinch involuntarily, which in turn seemed to make Yu Lingshan go limp.
She collapsed onto Xu Shi’s body, breathing shallowly, and murmured, “So hungry.”
Xu Shi started to laugh. “I’ll go make lunch.”
Yu Lingshan: “I want to eat right now.”
Xu Shi said, “Right now equals twenty minutes.”
Yu Lingshan was amused and laughed. She patted Xu Shi’s head and got off the sofa, pointing at the clock on the wall. “Alright, I’ll give you twenty minutes.”
Xu Shi straightened her clothes and got up from the sofa as well. But instead of heading straight to the kitchen, she asked Yu Lingshan, “What if I finish in under twenty minutes?”
Yu Lingshan’s eyes slowly widened. “Well now, Xiao Zhi, you want to play this game with me?”
Xu Shi smiled, pressing her lips together. “Are you in?”
Of course, Yu Lingshan was. “I’m in.”
She thought for a moment. “Okay, if you don’t finish in twenty minutes, you have to stay and sleep with me tonight.”
Xu Shi nodded, agreeing.
“But I haven’t thought of my side yet.”
Yu Lingshan: “You don’t have anything you want me to do?”
Xu Shi instantly felt the murderous intent in that question.
She had plenty of things she wanted Yu Lingshan to do.
How could she say it?
So Xu Shi thought of something simple. “If I do it, you have to kiss me.”
Yu Lingshan gave her a “that’s it?” look. “Boring.”
But the next second, Yu Lingshan started laughing. “Why are you still blushing, Xiao Zhi?”
Xu Shi cupped her face. “Haha.”
Yu Lingshan chuckled. “We’ve kissed, if not a thousand times, then at least a hundred, right?”
Xu Shi continued to blush. “Not that many.”
Yu Lingshan pinched Xu Shi’s cheek. “What are we going to do if you’re this shy?”
Great. Xu Shi’s face was getting redder and redder.
Yu Lingshan was enjoying herself. “Go on, I’m really hungry. And two minutes have already passed.”
Xu Shi: “Okay.”
Xu Shi was quite confident in her cooking skills, especially since she had already prepped all the ingredients and the rice and soup were already on the stove.
So, in less than twenty minutes, she had indeed filled the table with dishes.
Yu Lingshan didn’t seem angry about losing, simply dismissing it with a short, “Stupid Xiao Zhi doesn’t want to stay and sleep with me.”
She must have been truly hungry. For the first ten minutes at the table, Yu Lingshan just ate, not saying a word.
Only when the feeling of an empty stomach subsided did Yu Lingshan deign to acknowledge Xu Shi.
“Why don’t you ask me how your cooking is?” Yu Lingshan said.
Xu Shi played along. “Is it to your liking?”
Yu Lingshan gave Xu Shi a thumbs-up. “Amazing.” She added, “This fish, though, is a bit overcooked. I like it tender.”
Xu Shi nodded. “Okay.”
Yu Lingshan picked up her chopsticks. “Alright, no more comments. That’s all.”
Xu Shi immediately burst out laughing. Yu Lingshan truly held a grudge. She had learned from Xu Shi’s lack of action and praise from last week.
Xu Shi nodded again and again, drawing out her words. “I will definitely improve. I guarantee that every meal from now on will satisfy Teacher Yu.”
Yu Lingshan picked up her chopsticks and pretended to pick up something from the air in front of Xu Shi.
After the meal, they cleaned up the kitchen together. Then Yu Lingshan pulled Xu Shi in to do her makeup, saying there was something like a tea party in the afternoon.
“I’ll take you to have some fun,” Yu Lingshan said, applying blush to Xu Shi’s cheeks. “And to show your face. You’ll be in contact with some of these people in the future.”
Xu Shi: “Okay.”
Yu Lingshan: “Later, if you hear some outrageous things, just listen and let it go. Don’t believe everything.”
Xu Shi was puzzled. “Hmm? What kind of things?”
Yu Lingshan smiled. “Bragging, making empty promises, painting grand pictures, crying poor… it’s a mix of truth and lies. Don’t be envious and don’t feel pity. Just hear it and move on.”
Xu Shi nodded. “Okay.”
“Xiao Qing will be there too. She’s in charge of taking photos,” Yu Lingshan asked. “Do you remember Xiao Qing?”
Xu Shi: “I remember. Weiwei’s ex-boyfriend’s… uh, anyway, it’s her.”
Yu Lingshan smiled and applied the last touch of lipstick. “Our Xiao Zhi is so pretty.”
Yu Lingshan timed their departure perfectly. She was driving today, and once she put on her sunglasses, she looked like she didn’t care about anyone.
Before long, they picked up Xiao Qing at an intersection.
Xiao Qing first reached for the passenger door, but seeing someone inside, she walked to the back and got in from the rear seat.
“I thought you were alone,” Xiao Qing said as soon as she got in. “Hi.”
Xu Shi looked back and smiled at her. “Hello.”
When Xiao Qing saw Xu Shi’s face, she was suddenly stunned. “You! Who was it again… Xu Shi! You’re Xu Shi!”
Xu Shi smiled. “It’s me. Long time no see.”
Xiao Qing cursed under her breath, “Holy shit, Yu Lingshan!”
Yu Lingshan shrugged.
Xiao Qing grinned. “Nice, nice.”
Xu Shi smiled at Xiao Qing again, then her attention was drawn to a bag next to her.
“A cat?” Xu Shi turned around.
Xiao Qing: “Yeah, cute, right?”
Xu Shi reached out a hand. “Adorable.”
To give Xu Shi a better look, Xiao Qing pushed the bag forward a little.
From the front, Yu Lingshan asked, “Whose cat is that? Why did you bring a cat?”
Xiao Qing sounded helpless. “I didn’t bring it. It’s Jingjing’s cat.”
It was a white cat with a few gray patches on its ears and nose. As Xu Shi looked down at it, she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen this cat somewhere before.
“She said a client wanted to see her cat,” Xiao Qing continued. “She insisted I bring it to her. Stop by her shop in a bit, I’ll drop it off.”
Xiao Qing’s voice gradually faded in Xu Shi’s ears. She suddenly remembered why the cat looked so familiar.
At the same time, Yu Lingshan slammed on the brakes. “Jingjing’s cat?”
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