【Moved this from another group, is it okay to post? A passerby ran into Sister and Keke at the airport. The source says they’re flying to Chunxi City. If I’m not mistaken, that’s Keke’s hometown, right?】
【???】
【They’re already taking her home for the New Year? They’re already meeting the parents?】
【Alright, no need to make a big deal. Didn’t she take her home once before? Although there was no solid proof, but… damn! There are photos this time?】
【They’re dressed so low-key and are so covered up, but even sunglasses and a mask can’t hide their beauty! Keke is even helping Sister with her suitcase! Sob, her girlfriend power is bursting!】
【Low-key? Haha, I saw a fashion blogger break it down. Their outfits are worth two million in total.】
【I’m shipping a real rich-woman couple [Striving]】
At this moment, Qi Ke and Song Yushi had just settled into their first-class seats on the flight to Chunxi City. Qi Ke took off her mask and jacket. “It’s so hot.”
She asked Song Yushi, “Aren’t you hot?”
Song Yushi unhurriedly removed her mask, revealing a pretty, expressionless face. Her words were cool. “It’s fine.”
Qi Ke stared at her, grinning.
Song Yushi gave her an indifferent glare. “What are you looking at?”
“We were spotted just now.”
“Yes, we were.”
“You grabbed me and ran. So cute.”
“…”
Song Yushi wanted to load a save and start over.
To prevent Qi Ke from teasing her about it again, Song Yushi simply put on an eye mask, going for ‘out of sight, out of mind.’
Her face was small, and the eye mask covered most of it. Her lips, bare of lipstick, were a tender pink. They looked a bit dry in the arid cabin, and she couldn’t resist licking them, leaving a moist sheen.
A cup was suddenly pressed to her lips, and Qi Ke’s voice sounded right by her ear. “Drink some water.”
Song Yushi didn’t move, taking a sip of water from her hand. “Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you.” Qi Ke handed the cup to the flight attendant, thanking her quietly, then her voice became clear again. “Ever since I came out, I…”
Song Yushi’s heart suddenly clenched.
Qi Ke had a lively personality, was a sweet-talker, and was on good terms with her family. Although she occasionally skipped going home for the New Year, she had never been forbidden from returning.
Spending the New Year alone… is very lonely.
Song Yushi knew this feeling all too well.
She opened her mouth to offer some comfort, only to hear Qi Ke finish her sentence: “…I haven’t received any New Year’s money for several years.”
Song Yushi: “…” Oh.
“It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough for me to buy a new house!”
“…”
“So I have to thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Song Yushi immediately replied, hoping it would make Qi Ke shut up.
And Qi Ke did fall silent for a moment.
The plane began to taxi down the runway. Outside the small window, the faint lights of the airport filtered in. Amid the tremendous roar, a sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over them.
Any moderately busy celebrity was a frequent flyer and should have long been accustomed to this feeling of weightlessness, but Song Yushi never had. She pressed her lips together tightly, but then someone took her hand.
Song Yushi froze for a second. Qi Ke patted the back of her hand. “It’s alright.”
The great lead singer had a voice kissed by God. When she spoke gently, it was like she was whispering sweet nothings, a murmur by one’s ear that could smooth over anything.
Only after the plane was flying smoothly did Qi Ke let go of Song Yushi’s hand.
Song Yushi pulled her eye mask down a little, blinking to adjust to the light. The image of Qi Ke beside her sharpened from a blur into focus, and she caught the lingering trace of gentleness in Qi Ke’s eyes.
Qi Ke hastily turned her head away, but her tone had returned to its usual casualness. “Not sleeping anymore?”
Song Yushi shook her head.
“Don’t say thank you.” Qi Ke rubbed her nose. She glanced around; there were few seats in first class to begin with, and she had bought out the rest to avoid being disturbed, so the entire cabin was occupied by just her and Song Yushi. She cleared her throat. “We dated, after all. We’ve said all the ‘I love yous,’ so let’s not be so formal.”
“Oh.” Qi Ke added, “You never said you loved me.”
Song Yushi: “…”
The eye mask was pulled back on. Out of sight, out of mind.
Qi Ke: “?” She was just telling the truth!! A true warrior dares to face the fact that her ex-girlfriend never told her “I love you”!!
The flight was two hours long, stretching from dusk into night. Outside the window, stars gradually began to twinkle in the sky.
Song Yushi had a dream. She dreamed of the first time she and Qi Ke spent the New Year together.
It was not long after their group had formed. They had just finished a tour and were on a short break to go home for the New Year. Song Yushi had no home to go to, and she didn’t want to spend the holiday with Ruan Xiangmeng, so she returned to the dorm.
New Year’s Eve was no different from any other night. Song Yushi turned on the Spring Festival Gala for background noise and made a bowl of instant noodles, planning to eat while watching the fireworks. But just as she lifted the first bite to her lips, the door swung open.
Qi Ke was dressed lightly, her high heels clicking crisply on the floor. She clearly hadn’t expected anyone to be in the dorm and stared wide-eyed at Song Yushi for a moment.
In that half-minute, Song Yushi came up with countless reasons for why she was spending the New Year here.
Then, Qi Ke didn’t ask.
The great Miss Qi had gone out to party on New Year’s Eve. When she got tired and couldn’t find a place to sleep, she simply returned to the dorm. The aroma of instant noodles triggered her cravings, and she said matter-of-factly, “Is there any more? I like the pickled cabbage and beef flavor.”
Song Yushi: “…In the kitchen drawer. Make it yourself.”
Qi Ke leaned against the shoe cabinet, looking troubled. “What should I do? Captain, I don’t know how.”
The captain was hungry and gave her verbal instructions. “Boil the water, put the noodles in, and add the seasoning once they’re soft. The eggs are in the cabinet, too. Go on.”
So Qi Ke went.
And then—something exploded in the kitchen. The chain reaction was a scream, the fuse blew, the Spring Festival Gala disappeared, and the lights went out.
In the darkness, Song Yushi’s chopsticks, which had been about to grab some noodles, picked up nothing but air. “…”
Qi Ke’s capacity for destruction was unprecedented.
Song Yushi patiently turned on her phone’s flashlight, just in time to illuminate Qi Ke as she ran out of the kitchen. The girl looked utterly wronged, pointing at the kitchen and complaining to her captain, “None of it would listen to me!”
Song Yushi watched her quietly, the corner of her eyebrow twitched, and she suddenly smiled.
Qi Ke: “…”
Her sense of grievance vanished instantly, replaced by countless pink bubbles rising in her heart, each one screaming: The captain’s smile is so, so, so beautiful!
The beautiful captain also had a good temper and shared her instant noodles with her by candlelight. She couldn’t help but ask, “I blew up the kitchen, and the fuse is blown. Aren’t you going to scold me?”
Song Yushi was very zen about it. “It’s the New Year. Let’s just forget it.”
Qi Ke: “…”
The two of them had a tacit understanding not to ask why the other hadn’t gone home for the New Year. After eating, they sat on the sofa and chatted. Having grown up in different environments, they didn’t have much in common, but Qi Ke was a talker and could always find some topic from far and wide that Song Yushi could engage with.
As midnight approached, it began to rain, a fine, continuous drizzle pattering against the window and blurring the streetscape outside.
Beside her, Qi Ke was quietly counting down. When she reached zero, she said, “Captain! Happy New Year.”
Song Yushi smiled. “Happy New Year.”
Qi Ke held out her hand. “Red envelope, please.”
Song Yushi: “…?”
That “Happy New Year” suddenly felt a bit heavy.
“Yushi? Wake up.”
Qi Ke’s voice pulled Song Yushi back from the distant memory. She was in a daze for a moment before slowly removing her eye mask.
Song Yushi rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Are we here?”
Her voice, husky from just waking up, seemed to scratch at one’s heart, making it tickle.
The plane had already stopped on the tarmac. A light rain was falling in Chunxi City, just as in her dream, pattering long and fine against the windowpane.
Qi Ke waved a hand in front of her face. “Awake?”
Song Yushi nodded.
Qi Ke’s tone suddenly turned serious. “I just turned on my phone and learned some bad news.”
“What?”
Song Yushi didn’t think much of it. It couldn’t be that Sister Fei was going crazy again.
Qi Ke: “My entire family has come to the airport to pick us up.”
Song Yushi: “…”
I’d rather have Sister Fei go crazy!!
Song Yushi took a deep breath. “I’m leaving first.”
Qi Ke: “? Where are you going?”
Song Yushi maintained her composure. “Don’t you have an apartment in the city? I’ll stay there.”
Qi Ke: “…Haven’t you met them all before? Except for my grandpa.”
Song Yushi hummed in agreement. “It’s too sudden.”
Song Yushi’s rare nervousness gave Qi Ke the distinct feeling that she was truly bringing someone home to meet the family. She took Song Yushi’s hand and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. They’re really nice.”
Song Yushi let her lead her out of the cabin, staring absently at the ground.
But I’m not that nice, she thought.
An ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her in-laws. No matter how reluctant Song Yushi was, she still had to face the wave of affection from the elders.
“Yushi has been to our house before, right? I knew something was up back then.” Qi Ke’s mother held Song Yushi’s hand. “Just for breakfast, and Keke’s eyes were glued to you the whole time.”
“Hehe, no wonder when I wanted to introduce Yushi to Keke’s cousin, Keke immediately objected, saying idols can’t date!” Qi Ke’s father adjusted his suit and shot a sideways glance at Qi Ke. “Can’t date anyone other than you, is that it?”
“Sister Yushi, I really love your portrayal of Lin Yao. Can you give me an autograph?” The youngest of the Qi family, still in elementary school, reverently offered a notebook and pen.
“Not bad. Just as pretty as our Keke,” Qi Ke’s grandfather summarized.
Song Yushi the whole time: “”
Qi Ke the whole time: “…” Please stop talking!
By the time Qi Ke and Song Yushi were finally alone in the room, it was nearly midnight.
The Qi family’s estate was far from the city, situated by the sea. In the room, one could hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, one after another, particularly clear in the sudden silence.
Song Yushi stood up. “I’m going to sleep in the guest room.”
Her wrist was grabbed.
“No, my mom will find out,” Qi Ke objected.
“How could she? Don’t you have many rooms on this floor?”
Qi Ke lived on the third floor, and it could be said that the entire floor belonged to her. It had a walk-in closet, a gym, a recording studio, and a study—everything except a guest room.
Song Yushi was speechless for a moment. “Do you not have any friends?”
Qi Ke, though not in the right, said with confidence, “I’m a germaphobe. I never let friends stay over.”
Song Yushi: “…”
Qi Ke added, “You’re the only one.”
Song Yushi fell silent for a moment, then turned around with a sigh of resignation. As she passed Qi Ke, a cool remark floated over. “I wasn’t your friend back then.”
“You were my girlfriend.”
I’m excited to share my two new translation that I’ll be regularly updating: Overt Flirts, Covert Crush and Boundless. The first 26 chapters of both novels are now available for you to enjoy!
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