TNSFC – Chapter 55

“Shanxue, what are you doing out here? Are you done with your work?”

Que Yining looked up, her expression calm as she looked at Gu Shanxue, as if nothing had just happened.

Gu Shanxue lowered her gaze and replied, “Yes, I wanted to ask what you’d like for dinner. There should be plenty of ingredients in the fridge?”

“Anything is fine, I’m not picky. Just make whatever you like.”

Gu Shanxue nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

Que Yining watched her back, then lowered her head and unlocked her phone.

The air was as quiet as ever, but the mood was far from what it had been just moments ago.

It was like a greatly inflated bubble had been pricked, making only a faint sound before vanishing into thin air.

They both ignored that sound.

Que Yining wasn’t actually sure if Gu Shanxue had heard. In that drawn-out moment, after the initial daze, Que Yining had considered confessing then and there.

But Que Yining still said nothing, or rather, she was waiting for Gu Shanxue to speak first.

If Gu Shanxue had just now, instead of continuing her own words, asked about the sentence Qiao Yuchu had said on her phone, which was almost finished playing, Que Yining would have answered her.

—Yes, you didn’t mishear, that’s right, expressing love, I like you.

But Gu Shanxue didn’t.

Que Yining was glad she hadn’t asked, because she was afraid of being rejected.

Que Yining was someone very afraid of loss, so she had an almost self-centered desire for control, unwilling for her plans to go awry, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

Today was almost a disaster. Que Yining hadn’t planned to confess like this, even though the other person might already know some of her feelings.

Que Yining quickly assessed the current situation, thinking it might be for the best. If Gu Shanxue also knew, she could gradually encroach on her boundaries and space, as long as Gu Shanxue didn’t explicitly reject her.

Que Yining looked at her phone, her plan formed, and started replying to Qiao Yuchu’s messages.

After Qiao Yuchu found out she hadn’t confessed and had almost messed up, Qiao Yuchu sent a string of apologetic emojis.

Que Yining bantered with her for a few sentences and then planned to go to the kitchen to help Gu Shanxue.

“No need, I can manage on my own. You go and have fun.”

The sound of rushing water washing the fruits and vegetables clean also washed away the emotion in Gu Shanxue’s words.

Gu Shanxue didn’t want Que Yining in the kitchen, lest Que Yining notice her absentmindedness.

Que Yining was ushered out of the kitchen and had to go play with the cat in the living room.

They had Western food for dinner, and the atmosphere was somewhat subdued.

After dinner, Gu Shanxue cleared the plates, wiped the water droplets from her hands, and picked up her car keys.

“I need to go out for a short meeting. Can I give you a ride home on the way?”

“Okay.”

Que Yining had a smile on her face, but her heart felt a little heavy.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the other person’s polite rejection, hence the desire to see her off immediately.

Perhaps she would even mentally redefine their relationship, wanting to gradually distance herself. Que Yining wasn’t a pessimistic person; she was just used to preparing for the worst in everything.

This was the quietest atmosphere ever when Gu Shanxue drove Que Yining home; the car was unprecedentedly silent.

Que Yining fiddled with the hem of her clothes, thinking it shouldn’t be like this.

She felt her emotions were too obvious. No matter what, she should have pretended nothing was wrong and said something interesting as usual, but she couldn’t muster the energy, thinking that since they both understood, there was no need to act anymore.

On one hand, she wondered if it was over, if the other person had politely rejected her. On the other hand, she thought this was just the beginning, not the end.

But regardless of which it was, she didn’t plan to give up.

So she started a conversation, talking about Wang Ruiyuan’s company.

She didn’t notice that Gu Shanxue, who had been tense, relaxed after she started speaking.

The atmosphere seemed to ease up again, just like usual.

But it was still different.

They continued their “good morning” and “good night” messages, but in reality, due to their busy schedules, for nine consecutive days, Que Yining couldn’t even find time to invite Gu Shanxue for a cup of coffee because Gu Shanxue was too busy.

Que Yining was very frustrated. Coincidentally, Bian Ji’an organized a drinking gathering and invited her, so Que Yining went.

The usual place. There weren’t many people inside; to be precise, just Que Yining, Bian Ji’an, and Qiao Yuchu.

“Just the three of us? What kind of drinking is this? There’s no atmosphere!”

Qiao Yuchu slumped onto the sofa, looking rather dejected.

“The atmosphere is perfect! I called you out to drink away my sorrows with me. I don’t want too many people. Xiao Qiao, you can drink, so drink up.”

Bian Ji’an opened seven or eight bottles of alcohol, with the passionate intention of not going home until drunk.

“Damn it, are you crazy? You called me out for breakup drinks, and I just broke up too!”

Qiao Yuchu and Bian Ji’an hugged each other and cried their eyes out.

Que Yining silently poured herself a drink and sighed softly.

She felt like she was on the verge of a breakup.

Miss Gu hadn’t seen her for nine days, two hours, and eighteen minutes. She wanted to find out her whereabouts to create a chance encounter, but she had no opportunity because Gu Shanxue was on a business trip, and Que Yining didn’t know where she had gone.

Que Yining took a sip of alcohol, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Bian Ji’an and Qiao Yuchu were chugging from bottles, pouring out their heartbreak to each other.

“The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. I hate waiting the most. Why does it have to be like this? Who the hell knows what I’ll become in the future? What if I turn into an ordinary, out-of-shape middle-aged woman? What’s the use of her coming back to find me then? I won’t even be me anymore.”

Qiao Yuchu cursed, but her eyes were misty.

“You’re still better off. I’m worse, okay? I got cheated on! Saying they’re soulmates, saying we’re not compatible, I fucking puke.”

Bian Ji’an looked heartbroken, feeling like horses were running on his head.

“No way, I’m shocked. What kind of person did you find? Cheating and then coming up with such a pretentious reason? Why don’t they just say they’re a match made in heaven? Even the male and female leads in idol dramas don’t have that kind of fate. Soulmates? Do they even have souls?”

Qiao Yuchu expressed genuine disgust. She hated it most when people who fell for someone else tried to sugarcoat it with beautiful words. That time when Gu Qianqian stole her boyfriend, the guy also felt a “soul connection” with Gu Qianqian, but wasn’t he later cast aside by Gu Qianqian too?

Suddenly hearing “male and female leads,” Que Yining felt reminded of something.

She had almost forgotten that this was a book, Gu Shanxue was the female lead, and this book had a male lead.

Although she always remembered Fu Wenjing, she always mentally separated him from Gu Shanxue.

Who would like to constantly think that the person they like is actually someone else’s official pairing? Que Yining hadn’t really been afraid before that Gu Shanxue would end up with Fu Wenjing, but now she was a little unsure.

Que Yining couldn’t be bothered with her sorrowful drink anymore and took out her phone to message Gu Shanxue.

The other person didn’t reply; she was probably busy.

“Yining, stop playing with your phone, drink with us! Cheers to that scummy couple!”

Bian Ji’an placed the drink in front of Que Yining. Que Yining stared at her phone, waiting for a message, drinking desultorily.

Bian Ji’an and the others drank, sang, and danced, a live version of wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.

Three hours later, Que Yining still hadn’t received a reply.

It was so late; even if it was a meeting, it should have ended. No matter how busy, she should be able to find a moment to reply to her.

Frustrated, Que Yining poured herself a glass of alcohol, tilted her head back, and downed it in one gulp.

The three of them drank until they were dazed. Que Yining called Zhang Shiyu to pick them up and collapsed into the car, barely conscious.

At one in the morning, Gu Shanxue, who had just gotten off the plane and returned home travel-worn, looked at Que Yining’s unanswered messages and felt a little worried.

She entered the room without turning on the lights and sat on the edge of the bed, her mind heavy with thoughts.

She felt something soft against her back. Startled, Gu Shanxue turned on the light, then looked, half amused and half exasperated, at Que Yining, who was wrapped in the blanket, her face flushed red from sleep.

She looked like she had drunk too much. Her cheeks were flushed, a few strands of hair stuck to her face, and her mouth was slightly open as she breathed, looking rather cute.

She always appeared before her in an unexpected way when Gu Shanxue was thinking about her.

---

If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.