The Soft Battle Beneath the Stars

Friday afternoon unfolded, a day imbued with the promise of hope.

For most students, and indeed some office workers, this hour heralded the arrival of the weekend holiday, though high schoolers were, unfortunately, exempt.

As the car drew near Ayahua Community, Bai Jingjing suddenly recalled something important. She spoke up, “Sister Luo, if it’s not too much trouble, you can just pull over up ahead.”

Luo Xuan, her hands still gripping the steering wheel, paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. “But we haven’t quite reached our destination yet,” she pointed out.

They were still a short distance from the community’s main entrance.

“Exactly, this spot is perfect; there’s no need to drive all the way to the entrance,” Bai Jingjing clarified, a brief hesitation preceding her emphatic addition, “In fact, please don’t go to the entrance at all.”

Though Luo Xuan had already brought the car to a halt, a deep sense of perplexity lingered on her face. “Why not?” she asked.

“Everyone in the community knows me,” Bai Jingjing explained simply. “If someone spots us, I’ll be interrogated endlessly.”

“Oh, I see…”

While the logic held a certain truth, Luo Xuan couldn’t shake the odd feeling that lingered.

After watching Bai Jingjing alight from the car, Luo Xuan pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to her best friend: [Delivered]. With that done, she drove away.

Ahead lay two days of life without Bai Jingjing.

****

At Ayahua Community, where passersby were a rare sight, Bai Jingjing approached, her vegetable basket swaying gently. She retrieved her phone and scanned the venue QR code (TL Note: A QR code required for entry to public places in China, used for contact tracing and health declarations.) at the main gate.

“Well, well, Jingjing’s back from school!” Grandpa Fan (TL Note: ‘Dàyé’ is an honorific term for an elder man, often a gatekeeper or senior community member.), the gatekeeper, emerged from his booth, pushing the gate open for her. “Did you even do some grocery shopping?”

“Yep, Grandpa. You just keep staying cool.”

‘You see, it was a good thing I had Luo Xuan stop a little further away. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to explain myself.’

****

Ayahua Community, Building 2, Unit 1.

Although she knew Bai Jingjing wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon, Xia Chu had already taken the initiative to tidy up after waking that morning. She washed her hair, changed her clothes, and even trimmed her nails.

The last item, however, had nothing to do with Bai Jingjing; her nails had simply grown too long, making typing on the keyboard uncomfortable.

Upon receiving Luo Xuan’s message, Xia Chu, though still perched motionlessly in her gaming chair, was, in fact, poised to spring up and open the door at a moment’s notice.

‘So why hadn’t the doorbell rung yet?’

The digital clock in the bottom right corner of her computer screen flickered a few times before, at last, a “ding-dong” echoed from the front door.

With a soft click, the door swung open, revealing Bai Jingjing standing at the threshold. Xia Chu gazed at her, face to face, struck by her enduring beauty. Her eyes, gentle as flowing water, possessed a calming aura that could soothe even the most restless heart.

Xia Chu felt a surge of emotion; it had been days since they last met. The previous encounter with Bai Jingjing felt like a distant memory.

Bai Jingjing, too, felt a touch of sentiment upon seeing Xia Chu standing before her.

‘Over these past five days, without my care, I wonder how Sister Xia Chu has been faring.’

‘Now, she looks quite well, her beautiful face pristine, and her “tuantuan” (TL Note: A playful, often affectionate, term for breasts, implying they are round and prominent.) is still as ample as ever.’

‘Excellent. I was actually worried she might have lost weight.’

“You…” Xia Chu struggled for a moment, words failing her, before finally managing to squeeze out, “You’re finally here. What took you so long?”

Bai Jingjing blinked innocently. “Late? Shall I come next Friday morning instead?”

‘That wouldn’t be entirely out of the question. I didn’t say no, after all.’

As Xia Chu mulled this over, just about to speak, Bai Jingjing interjected, “But isn’t Sister Xia Chu terribly busy on weekdays? If I were to arrive in the morning, wouldn’t I disrupt your work throughout the day?”

“…” Xia Chu’s lips parted slightly, but no words escaped her for a long moment.

‘She had indeed said as much initially.’

“Alright, alright, go ahead and sit down,” Bai Jingjing said, entering with her vegetable basket. “Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?”

Xia Chu discreetly peered into the vegetable basket. “Whatever you’re making, I’ll eat… Actually, I’m craving fish.”

She had spotted a large sea bass nestled within a plastic bag.

“No problem at all. Go enjoy yourself; I’ll be a moment.”

Xia Chu stood there, somewhat dazed, watching Bai Jingjing vanish into the kitchen. It was only after a prolonged moment that she belatedly processed what had just transpired.

“I’m not ‘playing’,” she muttered, “I have perfectly legitimate work to do.”

‘Gaming was merely a pastime for her leisure hours, and it just so happened that her leisure hours were rather abundant.’

The moment Bai Jingjing stepped through the door, she effortlessly took charge, first preparing dinner for Xia Chu. After tidying up the kitchen, her attention turned to the washing machine.

“Sister Xia Chu,” the young woman questioned, a hint of confusion in her voice, “Why are there only two jackets and a skirt in here? Where are your panties from this week?”

Xia Chu let out a soft huff. “Why on earth would I keep my soiled panties until now? I washed them myself!”

“Oh, I see.”

Bai Jingjing shook her head almost imperceptibly, thinking, ‘I clearly told her to just leave them for me. Who would have thought Sister Xia Chu would wash them herself?’

‘Could it be that she didn’t have enough panties to wear, which is why she rushed to wash them? Possibly. I should buy her a few new pairs tomorrow.’

Having arrived in the late afternoon, almost evening, Bai Jingjing found that by the time she had finished tending to all these tasks, the sky had already succumbed entirely to night.

Night fell, adorned with a scattering of twinkling stars.

“The sky is remarkably clear tonight,” Bai Jingjing announced upon returning from the balcony. “There isn’t a single cloud, and the stars are exceptionally bright. It’s a shame we can’t see them from indoors.”

Xia Chu, engrossed in her game, responded almost instinctively, “I can see them from my bedroom; all I have to do is draw back the curtains.”

A few seconds after the words left her lips, a sudden realization struck her: ‘Wait, what I just said… doesn’t that sound suspiciously like an invitation for ‘let’s go back to the room’?’

“Bai Jingjing, actually, what I meant was…”

“Alright, Sister Xia Chu,” Bai Jingjing interjected, offering no chance for clarification. “Let’s head inside.”

…

Indeed, the night sky was exceptionally brilliant, with countless stars studding the darkness, their collective glow even stealing the moon’s usual prominence.

With the lights extinguished, the bedroom was still faintly illuminated by the starlight. Xia Chu gently bit her lip, then slowly lay down.

‘It’s alright, no need to be nervous. I’m not the same as I once was; a mere hug definitely won’t make my ‘little tiger’ cry.’

‘It’s just “tuantuan,” it’s not like nobody else has them.’

‘It’s not like anyone else’s are this big!’

‘I’m certainly not the girlish type like Luo Xuan, easily suppressed by your “tuantuan,” Bai Jingjing.’

‘A direct confrontation!’

Regardless, the two girls found themselves nestled together beneath the covers, their embrace adding a rich, creamy scent of coconut milk to the room bathed in starlight.

Xia Chu focused her efforts, for while the sensation was undeniably comfortable, she had no intention of losing this ‘soft battle.’

‘Being pampered like a daughter in daily life was one thing, but at least beneath the covers, she had to defend her last shred of big sisterly dignity.’

During the days Bai Jingjing had been away, Xia Chu had engaged in some ‘research,’ acquiring bits and pieces of scattered knowledge.

‘For instance, in this kind of ‘nest brawl’ (TL Note: A playful term for intimate wrestling or snuggling between two people in bed.), the way to determine the victor was to see whose ‘little tiger’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term, ‘xiǎo nǎo fǔ,’ that phonetically resembles ‘little brain axe’ but is a euphemism for the clitoris, often implying arousal or sensitivity.) cried out first.’

‘The first to cry loses!’

Xia Chu calmly analyzed the situation. In the arena of ‘nest brawls,’ she and Bai Jingjing were, she concluded, the same type of combatant. While both possessed slender, long, and exquisitely smooth legs, their ultimate strength lay undeniably in their ‘tuantuan.’

‘The “tuantuan” was large and soft, brimming with elasticity and resilience. It could advance to suppress, retreat to block, serving as both offense and defense, utterly without flaw.’

Xia Chu poured her entire being into the effort, pressing and squeezing herself against Bai Jingjing, only to successfully… make her *own* ‘little tiger’ cry.

‘As for Bai Jingjing, surely, being suppressed like this, her ‘little tiger’ must have cried out ages ago.’

Xia Chu cautiously pulled back a corner of the quilt. In the faint starlight, she saw Bai Jingjing’s calm, adorable sleeping face.

‘Hmm?’

‘She was already asleep!’

****

Early to bed and early to rise, coupled with a disciplined routine, ensured Bai Jingjing enjoyed exceptional sleep quality. The moment her head hit the pillow and her eyes closed, she slept soundly until the break of dawn.

She had no recollection of what had transpired beneath the covers last night, only that she had felt remarkably comfortable and enjoyed an incredibly deep sleep.

Even her dreams had been soft and fragrant.

Sister Xia Chu, still deeply asleep beside her, remained undisturbed. Bai Jingjing shifted her legs beneath the quilt, and a subtle sense of unease settled upon her.

‘Sister Xia Chu needs to change her panties again.’

Speaking of panties, Bai Jingjing recalled her contemplation from the previous night and resolved to go out and purchase a few new pairs for Xia Chu.

‘Honestly, Sister Xia Chu, if you don’t have enough, you just need to say so. I’ll buy them for you.’

Bai Jingjing rose, completed her morning ablutions, dressed, and then descended the stairs to run her errands.

At that very moment, Xia Chu slowly stirred awake.

‘My big sisterly dignity wasn’t preserved. Woe is me, I don’t want to get out of bed and face anyone.’

Just then, her phone vibrated a few times. Xia Chu swiped open the screen and saw a new message:

[Hua Hao Yue Yuan: Xiao Chu, I’m at your community gate. I’ll be over to see you shortly.]

Xia Chu’s complexion instantly changed.

She had completely forgotten that this ‘Madam Xia’ (TL Note: A formal address for a married woman, usually implying a higher social status or a respectful way to refer to someone’s mother.) had sent a message last week, stating she would come to visit this week.

She hadn’t expected it to be today.

****

At that moment, by the entrance of Ayahua Community, a luxuriously dressed woman approached the gate and attempted to push it open.

It wouldn’t budge.

Frowning, she tried to find a way through the vehicle barrier beside it.

“Stop right there.”

A leisurely yet authoritative voice emanated from the gatehouse. Grandpa Fan straightened slightly, addressing her from his window. “What are you doing here?”

Grandpa Fan had stayed up late last night watching the Champions League match, so he was still quite alert.

“I’m here to see my daughter,” the noblewoman declared. “Open the gate immediately.”

“There’s a sign over there,” Grandpa Fan said slowly, unhurriedly. “Scan it. Register yourself.”

The woman paused, slightly taken aback. “Do I really need to scan a venue QR code just to enter a residential community?”

‘It’s not like this is a supermarket, a plaza, or some other public place.’

“If you don’t scan it, then you can just stand there.”

“…”

Between scanning the venue QR code, registering her name and purpose, and even presenting her travel code, nearly half an hour had elapsed by the time all the procedures were finally completed.