Three Words

Just three simple words. No extra content. Yet when Lin Wanzhao saw them, she suddenly covered her mouth, freezing in place like a stone statue. Then she abruptly threw herself backward onto the bed, covering her face with both hands and rolling around again and again. She grabbed Qiuqiu, kissed it repeatedly, then pressed it into her arms and gave it a vigorous rub.

Qiuqiu narrowed its large round eyes and let out disgruntled huff huff sounds, strongly expressing its dissatisfaction—before suddenly swiping a paw at her.

Lin Wanzhao shrieked and released it at lightning speed. She lowered her head to look at the scratch on the back of her hand, where tiny beads of blood were forming, her brows twisting into a tight knot.

Qiuqiu shot her a disdainful glance, then leapt lightly onto a nearby small table and began licking its fur at an unhurried pace.

Lin Wanzhao quickly licked at her wound out of habit, then hurried to clean and disinfect it. Afterward, she returned to the bed, pulled a pillow into her arms, and giggled foolishly.

Although the back of her hand burned, every vessel in her heart was filled with wild joy. Compared to that, the sting meant nothing.

After going a little crazy on her own for a while, Lin Wanzhao suddenly kicked the pillow away and squatted in the center of the bed like a boss, gripping her phone and typing furiously.

“You’re this sleepy and still not going to bed… were you waiting for my reply?”

After a minute and a half, Yu Qingkong replied: “Yeah. You kept not replying and didn’t tell me whether you’d gotten back. I thought you’d been kidnapped by gangsters.”

Lin Wanzhao grinned foolishly for quite a while before typing again: “Yu Qingkong, were you worried about me?”

“Yes.”

The next second, Lin Wanzhao hugged her phone and kissed it several times before continuing to type: “I’m happy. Really…”

Soon, another message came from Yu Qingkong: “What did I tell you before?”

“What?” Lin Wanzhao froze.

“Don’t stay up so late at night anymore. Sleep earlier. I know your deep sleep duration beats mine by miles and you can stay up late every day and still look beautiful, but I’m still asking you to follow a regular routine. Thank you.”

The words sounded somewhat helpless, almost like a scolding, yet Lin Wanzhao tasted layer upon layer of sweetness in them. She felt like she’d been struck by Cupid himself, happiness bubbling all over her mind, and she broke into another foolish grin.

Knowing that Yu Qingkong carried certain shadows, Lin Wanzhao had always tried her best not to burden her. She stopped pressing, stopped asking, simply waited quietly for her to step out of that small world of her own accord. And now, her waiting had finally received a bit of response—how could she not be overjoyed?

“I’m going to sleep right now. I mean it—promise!”

Lin Wanzhao immediately lay down and pulled the blanket over herself, though her eyes remained glued to her phone screen.

“Okay, then sleep. I’m going to sleep too. So sleepy.” Yu Qingkong sent another message.

Lin Wanzhao felt a little reluctant to end the chat just like that, but she still obediently replied: “Okay, then you sleep. Good night.”

After typing it, she thought for a moment and edited it. In front of someone you like, it’s better to be a little cuter: “Okayyy, then hurry and sleep. Good night~”

“Good night.”

Lin Wanzhao turned over with her phone in hand and stared at the ceiling, letting out a satisfied sigh. Her heart was sweet, but her brain cells were unusually active—there was no way she could fall asleep.

It felt like she had returned to her school days, like a collector obsessed with gathering everything related to Yu Qingkong and secretly delighting in it alone.

The difference was that back then, Yu Qingkong hadn’t even known she existed. Everything had been a one-woman stage. But now, Yu Qingkong not only knew she existed, she worried about her, waited for her, cared about her.

Lin Wanzhao crossed her legs and swung them back and forth. After a while, she pulled out her enormous diary from under the bed and flipped through it page by page.

It was filled with countless little details about Yu Qingkong. Reading them now felt like reading a novel, and she was completely absorbed.

Soon after, she couldn’t resist opening Lu Keke’s chat window and began bombarding her with messages.

Finally, after being attacked by dozens of messages, Lu Keke replied: “Sis, congrats! Keep it up! But it’s already past two, almost three in the morning… I’ve already slept one round and I’m sleepy again. Why don’t you try sleeping too and meet her in your dreams?”

Lin Wanzhao replied: “I’m too excited. I can’t calm down. I can’t sleep…”

Lu Keke responded: “Sweetie, then go fill a bathtub with cold water and dunk your head in it.”

Lin Wanzhao burst out laughing. She knew Lu Keke was too sleepy to keep chatting, so she chuckled and wished her good night.

After that, Lin Wanzhao lay flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a smile. She took out her earphones, put them in, and listened to music.

*****************************

The next day.

It was only seven o’clock.

After squinting in bed for a while, she picked up her phone again, opened the WeChat chat history, curved her lips slightly, then got up to wash.

It had been another dreamless night, but she had slept fairly well. Yu Qingkong looked noticeably more spirited. Her mood these past two days had been strange—sometimes a little down, yet at other times carrying a faint but continuous sense of pleasure.

After getting dressed, Yu Qingkong picked up the skincare products Lin Wanzhao had given her and looked at them. After a moment’s thought, she opened the small cabinet beside the sink and took out a small bottle of foundation and a beautifully packaged lipstick.

They were gifts from others. She had never bought any herself and had only tried them once. Partly because she was somewhat confident in her bare face, partly because she was too lazy to learn makeup.

But now, for some inexplicable reason… she wanted to try.

She squeezed out some foundation and applied it to her face, only to realize she didn’t have a sponge or any tool to blend it, so she used her fingers.

It didn’t seem to change much, except making her face look a little whiter. She twisted open the lipstick and applied a light layer, pressing her lips together. That, at least, felt like a qualitative leap. Her complexion instantly looked brighter, and she appeared more energetic.

The weather was fairly decent—no longer so gloomy. There was even a bit of sunlight, though it was pale and without warmth. It didn’t matter. Her mood was good.

When Yu Qingkong arrived at the company and entered the building, her colleagues greeted her one after another: “Good morning, President Yu!”

She smiled and nodded in response.

After she walked away, whispers immediately broke out behind her:

“Did President Yu put on makeup today? Has the sun risen in the west?”
“Yeah, she looks like peach blossoms are blooming all over her face. Is she in love?”
“She looks unusual today… Don’t tell me she’s planning layoffs. I’m scared…”

Yu Qingkong didn’t hear any of it. She walked straight into her office, sat down, picked up a pair of scissors, and trimmed the withered leaves from a potted green plant on her desk. Snip. She exhaled softly, put the scissors back into the drawer, then turned on her computer and organized her PPT.

At eight fifty, she carried her laptop toward the meeting room for the weekly meeting.

Three minutes left. Lin Wanzhao should be arriving soon.

They hadn’t gone long without seeing each other, yet Yu Qingkong felt as if it had been ages. It was as though she missed her warmth—or perhaps simply missed her.

Soon, the sound of high heels tapping against the floor echoed from outside the meeting room. Clack, clack. Everyone inside immediately fell silent, leaving only the sound of keyboards and pages turning.

Lin Wanzhao’s steps were a little unsteady. She was forcing herself to stay alert—she had stayed up all night thinking wildly and hadn’t slept at all. Her mind was foggy.

But the thought that Yu Qingkong would be at the meeting made her steps feel lighter.

Not long after, she appeared at the door.

Yu Qingkong looked up. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, she frowned slightly.

When their gazes met, Lin Wanzhao tried her best to maintain her usual composure in front of everyone, but her heart felt as if it had been coated with honey. The corners of her lips couldn’t help lifting slightly.

The meeting proceeded with summaries of last week’s work and plans for the upcoming week. When it was Yu Qingkong’s turn to report, Lin Wanzhao looked at her directly.

Yu Qingkong spoke steadily and methodically, her tone calm. Every few sentences, she would glance at Lin Wanzhao.

Lin Wanzhao listened quietly, nodding from time to time, her lips curved in a faint smile. Yu Qingkong looked especially captivating when she was serious.

In truth, Lin Wanzhao had been looking forward to her speaking. That way, she could look at her openly without arousing suspicion. It wasn’t that she was afraid of people knowing she liked women—she never cared about that. She was only afraid that others might think Yu Qingkong was receiving special treatment because of her, that they might spread rumors and cause her trouble.

Time, however, passed quickly. Before she knew it, the meeting was over.

Everyone returned to their work.

Back in her office, Yu Qingkong thought about Lin Wanzhao’s poor condition and wanted to ask about it, but since it was work hours, she restrained herself and continued working.

At noon, after finishing her tasks, she went to the cafeteria with Zhang Xue.

While queuing for food, Zhang Xue said from behind, “President Lin looks really tired today.”

Yu Qingkong turned slightly. “Hm?”

“When I went to her office earlier, she looked listless. And there’s a cut on the back of her hand. Don’t tell me she fought with her boyfriend?”

Yu Qingkong placed a dish onto her tray. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

After they sat down, Yu Qingkong picked up her chopsticks, hesitated, then put them down and took out her phone.

“What’s going on today? You don’t seem to be in good spirits.”

There was no reply.

Only after she finished eating did a message arrive: “I accidentally fell asleep just now… too sleepy…”

“What happened? Did you eat lunch?”

“Not yet… too tired. Don’t want to go. Just want to sleep for a bit.”

Yu Qingkong let out a breath and typed: “That won’t do. What do you want to eat? I’ll bring it to you. Eat first, then sleep.”

“Really?!”

“Mm. There are still plenty of dishes in the cafeteria. If it’s too late, they’ll be gone.”

“Okay! I want meat. Any kind of meat! No vegetables!”

Yu Qingkong smiled helplessly. “Wait a moment.”

She returned to the counter. “Sir, I’d like to pack a meal to go.”

On the other side, Lin Wanzhao put her phone down and hurriedly grabbed a small mirror, fussing with her hair. Her makeup had worn off around her nose, there were red veins in her eyes, dark circles beneath them. She hurriedly took out tissues and powder, touching up at lightning speed.

Soon, Yu Qingkong knocked on the door. Knock knock.

“President Lin. It’s me, Yu Qingkong.”

“Come in!”

Yu Qingkong entered and closed the door behind her. Lin Wanzhao was hastily stuffing cosmetics into her bag.

Yu Qingkong said nothing, simply set the food down. “Three dishes and one soup. Stir-fried pork, pig ear slices, lettuce, and tofu vegetable soup.”

Lin Wanzhao’s heart was already sweet just watching her. She stood up to walk toward the coffee table—but after taking one step, her head spun and she staggered forward.

Yu Qingkong quickly stepped in front of her and held her arms. “Are you okay?”

Lin Wanzhao looked up at her, meeting those deep eyes, momentarily speechless.

“Why are you like this today?”

“Couldn’t sleep last night…”

“So you pulled an all-nighter?”

“Mm… you could say that. Insomnia.”

“Why?”

“Too excited. So excited I couldn’t sleep.”

Yu Qingkong released her. “Be careful not to overdo it next time. Go eat.”

“Oh…”

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“Did you know your shoelace is untied?”

Lin Wanzhao looked down. Before she could bend over, Yu Qingkong had already knelt on one knee in front of her.

Lin Wanzhao straightened slowly, watching her quietly.

Yu Qingkong pulled the lace and began tying it skillfully. “If you don’t tie it properly, it’s easy to fall.”

“I’m not good at tying knots.”

“I’ve noticed. You really can’t tie any kind of knot.”

After finishing one shoe, she untied and retied the other.

“All done.”

“So neat!”

Just then, Yu Qingkong noticed the long scratch on the back of Lin Wanzhao’s hand and suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“What happened here?”

“Qiuqiu scratched me. I hugged it too tightly and rubbed it.”

“Did you treat it?”

“I did! Washed it with soap and disinfected it. It wasn’t bleeding, and Qiuqiu’s healthy, so I didn’t bandage it.”

Yu Qingkong sighed softly. “I really don’t know how you managed to grow up safely.”

Before she could say more, there was another knock knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Lin Wanzhao asked drowsily.

“Your brother.”

Lin Wanzhao ran a hand through her hair. “Come in.”

A tall, well-built man walked in.

Yu Qingkong looked at Lin Wanzhao. “President Lin, I’ll head out first.”

Lin Wanzhao let out a breath. “Alright.”

After Yu Qingkong left, Qi Jianfeng sat down and looked at the closed door. “That woman just now… she’s the one, isn’t she?”

“She has a name. Yu Qingkong. Yu as in analogy, Qingkong as in clear skies.”

“So she’s the one you like?”

“Yes. Isn’t she especially good-looking?”

“Average. Too flat. Face seven out of ten. Temperament five. Overall score, five point six. Not higher.”

“What kind of taste is that? One hundred. Not a point less.”

“I’m just speaking from a male perspective.”

“Sorry, she doesn’t need male opinions.”

He paused, then asked, “Do you like her that much?”

“Yes.”

“How far have you two progressed? Does she like you?”

“She’ll definitely like me.”

“So nothing’s actually happened yet?”

“The character’s already been written. She waited for my reply until midnight last night.”

He was momentarily speechless.

After a pause, he asked, “What do her parents do? Do you really understand her character?”

“They run a farmhouse restaurant. And she’s amazing.”

“That’s it? No other background?”

“Why does she need background? I’m her biggest background.”

He frowned. “Do you think Mom and Dad will agree? Dad won’t allow you to be with someone not on your level. And Mom… she hates homosexuality.”

“How is she not on my level? And what does their agreement have to do with me? I’m a person first, their daughter second.”

He sighed. “There were so many people with good conditions chasing you. Why her?”

Lin Wanzhao looked out the window, smiling faintly. “Because she’s Yu Qingkong. I only like Yu Qingkong. Only she can make my world clear and bright.”

Qi Jianfeng was about to say more when he noticed the pig ear slices. His eyes lit up as he reached with his chopsticks.

Before he could grab one, Lin Wanzhao smacked his shoulder. Clatter. The chopsticks fell onto the coffee table.

“Lin Wanzhao, you—”

“Stop. Don’t touch my noble pig ears. She bought them for me. Only I get to eat them.”

Qi Jianfeng stared at her in disbelief, mouth agape, chopsticks scattered on the table.