Su Yiyi appeared so outwardly harmonious, yet how could she resort to such underhanded tactics?
Thankfully, she currently harbored no ill intentions towards her. If anything truly transpired, it would surely not escape Qing Xinxue’s notice.
A major problem would undoubtedly arise then.
“Little Xue, be careful of Su Yiyi from now on.”
“She did something bad to Sister Cheng, didn’t she? Sister Cheng, you don’t even have low blood sugar, do you?”
“Little Xue…”
“If Sister Cheng allows, I can… make her…”
“Stop! Don’t scare me like that!”
Lan Yucheng was genuinely terrified by the sharp knife Qing Xinxue had produced from seemingly nowhere.
At that moment, she became even more certain: if anything truly happened between her and Su Yiyi, Qing Xinxue would absolutely detect it instantly, and then ‘knife’ Su Yiyi.
“You come with me to buy it.”
“Okay!”
****
Inside the store, Lan Yucheng mentally cataloged items she might need later.
Suddenly, her gaze inexplicably fixed upon a box of “strawberry-flavored” finger cots.
‘Hiss… finger cots? Strawberry-flavored?’
Of course, she had no idea what these finger cots were, but… Qing Xinxue knew.
Following Lan Yucheng’s gaze, Qing Xinxue hesitated before asking, “Sister Cheng, do you want to buy this to use with someone else?”
“Why would I use it with someone else?”
Lan Yucheng countered. She had brought Qing Xinxue along to buy things, wasn’t it precisely for them?
“Then… then it’s for… for me to use!?”
Qing Xinxue inevitably stammered.
“Yes, if you want it, then I’ll buy it for you.”
Lan Yucheng stepped forward and picked up one box. Feeling it might not be enough, she proceeded to grab two more.
“Th-this… so many?”
“Is it a lot?”
“N-not… not much. Then… then Sister Cheng, remember to be gentle…”
“?”
Lan Yucheng was utterly bewildered, completely unable to comprehend what Qing Xinxue was saying.
‘Isn’t it for you to use?’
Later, at the checkout counter, Lan Yucheng’s heart jolted at the price. ‘Why is it so expensive?’
Nevertheless, she bought them. After all, she had already promised them to Qing Xinxue.
****
On the way home from the store, Qing Xinxue kept her head down, her cheeks burning as if on fire.
She clutched the plastic bag tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Her mind was a chaotic mess, filled with blush-inducing images and conjectures.
‘Sister Cheng… is she really going to use that with me? And strawberry-flavored… Moreover, she bought three boxes at once…’
A whirlwind of immense shame, secret anticipation, and deep unease churned within her.
She secretly glanced up at Lan Yucheng, who walked ahead, appearing perfectly composed, even with a hint of ‘mission accomplished’ ease. This only deepened Qing Xinxue’s confusion.
Upon returning home, Lan Yucheng neatly put away the other items. Seeing Qing Xinxue still frozen at the doorway like an ostrich, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve been acting strange since we left. What exactly is this thing for? And why was it so expensive?”
She asked purely out of curiosity and concern for her wallet.
“Eh?”
Qing Xinxue abruptly looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
‘Sister Cheng… doesn’t know what this is? Then why did she buy it? And three boxes? And said it was for me to use?’
In an instant, immense disappointment and even deeper shame overwhelmed her.
‘It turns out… I was just overthinking things again. Sister Cheng doesn’t know what that is at all; perhaps she just liked the packaging, or thought it was some kind of candy or skincare product?’
Seeing Qing Xinxue’s face suddenly turn pale and her eyes instantly well up with tears, Lan Yucheng’s heart skipped a beat.
‘What did I say wrong again? Is this thing… not good?’
“Little Xue? What’s wrong with you? Is this thing… problematic?”
She tried to keep her voice gentle.
Qing Xinxue bit down hard on her lower lip, but the tears still streamed down. She looked at Lan Yucheng’s clear eyes, filled with pure confusion, and a reckless impulse surged within her.
‘Anyway… anyway, I’m already embarrassed enough.’
She took a deep breath, and with a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, trembling, she almost whispered an explanation: “Th-that… that is… is… for couples or wives… to… to do very intimate things… used… to… protect… and… and increase pleasure…”
Each word felt squeezed from between her teeth, making her ears burn. After speaking, she immediately lowered her head, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
“…”
Lan Yucheng was utterly petrified on the spot.
‘Intimate… things… protect… pleasure… strawberry-flavored…’
Several keywords exploded in her mind, piecing together a truth that left her dumbfounded. She hadn’t bought ordinary daily necessities at all, but… condoms?!’
‘No wonder Qing Xinxue reacted that way! No wonder the amount at checkout was so high! No wonder she asked if I was going to use it with someone else!’
An immense sense of awkwardness and absurdity instantly swept over Lan Yucheng. She had caused such a huge misunderstanding! But then, a chill crawled up her spine.
She saw the disappointment, shame, and despair in Qing Xinxue’s eyes.
Her unintentional actions had undoubtedly delivered a heavy blow to Qing Xinxue’s fragile sense of security that had just been established “under the rules.”
Qing Xinxue had mistakenly believed Lan Yucheng harbored ‘those kinds’ of intentions, only to discover it was a ridiculous misunderstanding. This was more hurtful than a direct rejection.
‘I can’t let this happen!’
In a flash of lightning, Lan Yucheng’s strategic instinct once again overrode everything. ‘Stabilize her! I must stabilize her immediately! Otherwise, the newly established balance will instantly collapse, and who knows what Qing Xinxue might do in an emotional breakdown.’
Thus, just a second before Qing Xinxue’s tears could truly burst forth, Lan Yucheng stepped forward, reached out, and gently took the plastic bag that Qing Xinxue had been clutching tightly.
Qing Xinxue stared at her, stunned.
Lan Yucheng lowered her head to look at the contents of the bag, a flicker of understanding, an ‘I see,’ appearing on her face. Then she looked up at Qing Xinxue again, her gaze complex, yet entirely devoid of the mockery, disgust, or embarrassment Qing Xinxue had expected.
She sighed softly, her tone deliberately conveying a mix of helplessness and a touch of indulgence: “So… it was this.”
She paused, her gaze lingering on Qing Xinxue’s flushed cheeks and shimmering teary eyes, her voice softening further. “I truly didn’t know what this was. But…”
She deliberately drew out her words, watching Qing Xinxue hold her breath in紧张.
“Since they’ve been bought,” Lan Yucheng casually placed the bag on a nearby cabinet, her movements unhurried. Then she looked back at Qing Xinxue, her eyes holding a clear, almost promising calm, “And I promised to buy them for you.”
She took a small step forward, closing the distance between them. Her voice was soft, yet it clearly reached Qing Xinxue’s ears: “Then keep them.”
“Perhaps… they’ll come in handy later?”
This sentence, like a clap of thunder, detonated in Qing Xinxue’s heart once more, but with an entirely different nature.
She abruptly looked up, her pupils dilating with shock and disbelief.
‘What does Sister Cheng mean? She… she didn’t know, did she? Why… why then…’
Lan Yucheng offered no explanation. Instead, she simply raised a hand and gently wiped away the tear streaks on Qing Xinxue’s cheek with her fingertips, her touch softer than any time before.
“Don’t cry.”
She said, “I told you, I bought them for you. So, how to use them, when to use them… the decision is yours.”
She subtly returned the initiative to Qing Xinxue, in an extremely delicate manner. This both soothed Qing Xinxue’s recently frustrated emotions and pushed that dangerous ‘intimacy’ into an uncertain future, leaving herself ample room for maneuver.
Qing Xinxue was utterly bewildered. Her mind went blank, only Sister Cheng’s words—”keep them,” “they’ll come in handy later,” and “the decision is yours”—echoing repeatedly.
Anger, shame, and disappointment were shattered by this sudden, ambiguously ‘permissive’ statement, replaced by an even stronger, almost dizzying throb of emotion and… a humble ecstasy.
‘Sister Cheng… didn’t deny it! She even… tacitly allowed for that possibility!’
Seeing the light rekindle in Qing Xinxue’s eyes, mixed with immense confusion and dependence, Lan Yucheng knew she had once again narrowly controlled the situation.
“Then… tonight, can we?”