Unexpected Extensions and Invitations

Xia Chu finished her dinner in a huff.

Even after wiping her small mouth clean, putting down her chopsticks, and settling back into her gaming chair, the older sister was still bristling with indignation.

“Sister Xia,” Bai Jingjing asked, a hint of worry in her voice, “Are you alright?”

Jingjing was a little concerned about her.

“I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be fine? I’m perfectly fine,” Xia Chu retorted, her gaze fixed on the computer screen, not even turning her head. “You just eat your dinner. Once you’re done and cleaned up, call Luo Xuan to pick you up!”

Go on, everyone just leave.

The older sister was truly furious.

She had merely been a little careless last night—unpracticed, unfamiliar with the situation; in short, there were many objective reasons that led to ‘an unfortunate outcome caused inadvertently by a mere embrace, necessitating a change of underwear the following morning.’

In any case, the older sister was utterly helpless, a victim even. Even if you stumbled upon it, you should have feigned ignorance.

Not only did you know, but you washed it with your own hands!

The kind of scrubbing and kneading with bare hands!

The older sister’s dignity lay shattered. She recalled her cold and aloof self from their first meeting yesterday morning, as if it had happened just yesterday.

Oh, it truly was yesterday.

“Oh, alright,” Bai Jingjing picked up her bowl, then pondered for a moment before asking, “So, will I still come next weekend?”

“What do you think?” Xia Chu finally turned to look at her, huffily spitting out a single word: “Come!”

Don’t even ask; asking only means more meals.

“Okay, okay, I’ll go clean up now,” Bai Jingjing said as she walked towards the kitchen, leaving a parting remark, “You should cool down.”

Overheating isn’t good for your health.

****

Not long after, Xia Chu, still seated in front of her computer, received a message from her best friend.

[Eylla: I’m at your residential complex’s entrance. Tell her to come down.]

Xia Chu’s delicate brows furrowed.

[Chuxia: You’re here so soon?]

[Eylla: ?]

[Eylla: My dear Miss Xia Chu, it’s already past seven. If I’m any slower, I’ll be driving late into the night.]

What, it was already past seven?

Xia Chu glanced at the bottom right corner of her screen, and indeed, it was almost half past seven.

“Bai Jingjing.”

She called out to the girl who had just emerged.

“Hmm?”

“Luo Xuan’s here, right at the complex entrance. She’s asking you to go down and meet her.”

Bai Jingjing picked up her small, already packed bag. “Then I’ll be going?”

“You go your way,” Xia Chu said, staring at the computer screen, letting out a cold snort. “Do you expect me to see you off?”

“No need, I’m leaving.”

Xia Chu did not turn around, but she could hear the sounds behind her: the departing footsteps of the girl, the click of the door closing. Beyond that, the sounds faded, but she knew the elevator was slowly opening its doors, carrying Bai Jingjing away.

‘Go on, leave. It’s not as if I can’t live without you. I lived alone for years before, and I managed perfectly fine.’

‘If you don’t cook for me, I can always order takeout… I can scrape by for a few days.’

‘Even if I concede ten thousand points, it’s only five days. Can’t I endure that?’

The older sister was brimming with self-confidence.

****

In the evening, few people could be seen wandering around the residential complex. Bai Jingjing walked all the way to the main gate, where Old Man Fan, the gatekeeper, greeted her.

“Jingjing, you’re going out so late?”

“Good evening, Old Man,” Bai Jingjing returned the greeting, then thought carefully and concocted a reason. “I’m heading back to school. It’s a boarding school, so I only come back on weekends.”

“I see. Then study hard.”

“Alright, Old Man.”

Stepping out of the complex, she indeed saw Luo Xuan’s car parked by the roadside.

“Good evening, Bai Jingjing,” Luo Xuan said with a smile. “How was it?”

Bai Jingjing settled into the passenger seat and closed the car door. “It was alright, quite good actually.”

‘It was rather relaxing, much easier than caring for a patient, both in terms of daily care and emotional support.’

‘It wasn’t difficult at all.’

“Hmm, I think so too,” Luo Xuan slowly started the car. “Xia Chu proactively requested an extension, which clearly indicates her satisfaction.”

During their chat, Luo Xuan had sensed her best friend’s reluctance to part. Although Xia Chu’s words were a bit awkward, Luo Xuan could tell she was very reluctant to let go of Bai Jingjing.

If not for only being available on weekends, Xia Chu might have directly extended it for a full ‘seven-day delight.’

Luo Xuan, who considered herself an expert on her best friend, calmly analyzed the situation: Xia Chu having such a thought could only be because—

Bai Jingjing’s cooking was simply too delicious.

Xia Chu herself said there was no ‘sese’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for ‘lewd’ or ‘sexual content’), and they even slept in separate rooms; it was merely about Bai Jingjing cooking and doing laundry for her.

Anyone could wash clothes, even a washing machine. The only thing that could truly showcase her exceptional qualities was her cooking.

It must have been truly splendid cooking.

“Actually, I’m quite surprised, because I also knew that she initially just wanted to appease me,” Luo Xuan remarked with a sigh. “So, I originally thought you and she would spend one weekend, and that would be the end of it.”

Bai Jingjing was slightly taken aback. “Appease?”

“That’s right. Xia Chu dislikes interacting with people, finding even simple daily conversations bothersome,” Luo Xuan explained. “She’s a sensitive soul.”

Bai Jingjing nodded in agreement. “Indeed, very sensitive, and not just internally.”

‘Needing to change underwear after just one hug and sleep—you tell me if that’s not sensitive.’

“Not just internally?” Luo Xuan looked at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Cough, nothing. Sister Luo, you should really watch the road.”

They were driving now.

The vehicle gradually merged onto the road. Bai Jingjing glanced at the darkening sky outside the window. “Sister Luo, thank you for driving me back so late, but you can just drop me off at the subway station. The dammed lake area is too far.”

‘If you drive all the way there and back, you’ll be getting home in the dead of night.’

“No, I’m not taking you back,” Luo Xuan hesitated for a moment. “Actually, I’m… taking you to my place.”

“…What?”

“You see, your place in the dammed lake area is too far,” Luo Xuan quickly concocted a reason. “Next weekend, I’ll have to pick you up again to go to Xia Chu’s house, and that’s too much trouble.”

‘In truth, it wasn’t quick at all; she had pondered it for two full days.’

Bai Jingjing blinked her eyes, a hint of bewilderment in them. She didn’t quite understand: wouldn’t having someone live directly in your home be more trouble than driving them once a week?

‘There’d be an extra person in the house, wouldn’t there?’

Luo Xuan drove beside her, her heart pounding.

It was fortunate her best friend had extended the ‘service,’ allowing her to find this excuse to keep Bai Jingjing at her own home.

Luo Xuan had never been so intimate with another girl before, let alone living together like a couple. The experience from the day before yesterday had also been wonderful for her.

Not just Xia Chu, she, too, was very reluctant to part.

“If it’s too much trouble, Sister Luo doesn’t need to pick me up,” Bai Jingjing honestly stated. “I’ve already memorized the route…”

“That won’t do. I was the one who brought you here, so I must ensure your safe arrival and departure.”

Luo Xuan’s earnest invitation was hard to refuse, and Bai Jingjing found it difficult to decline.

Staying at Luo Xuan’s house was considerably better than her tiny rented room in the suburbs.

Even the internet speed was notably faster.

“Alright, I’ll just impose for a few days,” Bai Jingjing said, then added, “But I can’t stay for free.”

Luo Xuan gripped the steering wheel, her heart pounding. “You can… compensate for the rent in other ways.”