The Sun and the Moon

Hearing this, Zhang Xue was utterly dumbfounded. She blinked several times, completely stripped of speech. The rest of the colleagues around the table were equally shell-shocked. After all, Yu Qingkong had always projected the absolute aura of someone who proudly declared: “I don’t need a partner, I am my own soulmate, and my career comes first.” In the past, whenever the topic of romance arose, Yu Qingkong would either look entirely checked out or treat the discussion as an incredibly boring waste of time. No one could have predicted that she would suddenly drop such a jaw-dropping romantic declaration today. It was practically like the sun rising from the west!

Meanwhile, Lin Wanzhao was absolutely thrilled. A bright, radiant smile broke across her features. She sipped her drink while subtly peeking at Yu Qingkong through her lashes, feeling exactly like a little bear that had happily fallen into a giant jar of honey.

“You haven’t been possessed by an evil spirit, have you?” Zhang Xue asked under her breath, shooting a highly suspicious look in Yu Qingkong’s direction.

Yu Qingkong merely chuckled, leaning back as she locked eyes with her: “Just assume I’m possessed, then.”

Right on cue, another colleague deftly steered the conversation toward a completely different topic, finally bringing that particular interrogation to a merciful close.

The team dinner stretched on for a leisurely two hours. As the gathering finally began to wind down and people prepared to leave, Yu Qingkong’s phone buzzed with a sharp vibration in her pocket.

She pulled it out to check. It was a WeChat message from Lin Wanzhao:

Lin Wanzhao: “Are you coming over to my place later? Tomorrow is Saturday, so we don’t have to work.”

Yu Qingkong lifted her eyes from the screen to look across the table. Lin Wanzhao was currently biting her straw in a playful, restless manner, her gaze flickering over to her with eyes that were soft, bright, and brimming with unspoken anticipation.

A subtle, knowing smile tugged at the corner of Yu Qingkong’s mouth. She typed a single word back:

Yu Qingkong: “Okay.”

In the blink of an eye, the dinner officially concluded.

After waving goodbye to her colleagues, Yu Qingkong walked over to her car and opened the driver’s side door. She glanced over at Lin Wanzhao’s car parked a short distance away, slid into her seat, and smoothly started the ignition. The moment Lin Wanzhao’s car pulled out of the restaurant lot, Yu Qingkong pulled out right behind her, tailing her closely through the city traffic.

Half an hour later, their cars finally rolled into the underground parking garage of Lin Wanzhao’s residential complex. Before Yu Qingkong could even unbuckle her seatbelt after parking, Lin Wanzhao had already hopped out of her own vehicle, scurried over to Yu Qingkong’s side, and tapped eagerly on the driver’s window.

Yu Qingkong unclipped her seatbelt, opened the door, and stepped out onto the concrete floor, standing directly in front of her eager girlfriend.

“How have these past few days been?” Yu Qingkong asked softly. She reached out to take the heavy suitcase from Lin Wanzhao’s hand, gripping the handle and rolling it effortlessly to her side.

“Mmm…” Lin Wanzhao paused, pretending to weigh her answer seriously before shaking her head. “Not great at all. I couldn’t eat properly, and I barely slept a wink.”

“Why? Did the business meetings not go smoothly?” Yu Qingkong’s brows knitted in immediate concern. “Or are you feeling under the weather? Did you catch a cold from the freezing wind back on Valentine’s night?”

“No, it’s nothing like that…” Lin Wanzhao murmured, her lips curving into a sweet, slightly mischievous smile.

“Then what is it?” Yu Qingkong was thoroughly bewildered.

“I couldn’t eat because you weren’t by my side to keep me company, and I couldn’t sleep because the absolute moment I closed my eyes, my entire brain was completely filled with you,” Lin Wanzhao stated, her gaze intense and entirely sincere.

Hearing this, a massive wave of relief washed over Yu Qingkong, and she burst into a bright laugh: “Well, now that I’m standing right beside you, are you happy?”

“Yes, completely happy,” Lin Wanzhao nodded emphatically.

“Then I’ll cook something incredible for you tomorrow. What do you feel like eating?” Yu Qingkong naturally reached down to lace her fingers through Lin Wanzhao’s, leading her toward the residential elevators.

“Yay! Honestly, I have no idea what I want to eat. You’re my official caretaker anyway, and literally everything you make tastes phenomenal. I’ll leave the decision entirely up to you—whatever you cook, I’ll happily eat!” As she chattered away, Lin Wanzhao looped her arm securely through Yu Qingkong’s, resting her head comfortably against her shoulder.

“Alright, I’ll put some serious thought into it and whip up a highly nutritious and extravagant feast,” Yu Qingkong promised.

“Nice! Haha,” Lin Wanzhao pressed the elevator call button, her heart practically soaring with pure joy.

The moment Lin Wanzhao unlocked her front door and pushed it open, Qiuqiu came bursting out from the living room, letting out a series of enthusiastic meows. Because Lin Wanzhao frequently had to travel for business, she usually had to arrange for a pet sitter to look after the cat. Fortunately, Qiuqiu never seemed to hold a grudge about her absences; instead, the feline always seemed to grow even more clingy whenever she returned. Seeing her pet, Lin Wanzhao immediately crouched down, gently scratching Qiuqiu beneath her tiny chin.

“You’ve finally managed to completely win Qiuqiu over?” Yu Qingkong noted with a smile, closing the front door behind them as she watched the pair. “She seems to genuinely adore you now.”

“Of course,” Lin Wanzhao beamed. “It’s wonderful. The cat has completely warmed up to me, and my human has completely warmed up to me too. Both of you belong strictly to me now.”

Yu Qingkong chuckled softly, her voice incredibly tender: “Yes, we’re entirely yours.”

“Let me warn you in advance—if you ever dare to run away from me in the future, I will absolutely never let you off the hook. Even if you flee to the absolute ends of the earth, you won’t escape my relentless, terrifying pursuit,” Lin Wanzhao threatened playfully. She stood up, reaching out a finger to gently hook Yu Qingkong’s chin, her eyebrows arching in a mock-serious challenge.

Yu Qingkong stood perfectly still, her deep eyes locked onto her face. She reached up to wrap her hand around Lin Wanzhao’s fingers, gently pulling them down as she softly caressed the smooth skin of her fingertips. Lowering her head, she let out a low, confident laugh: “You are never going to get the chance to hunt me down.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…?” Lin Wanzhao blinked.

“Because I have absolutely zero intention of ever running away,” Yu Qingkong replied, lifting her gaze to lock onto her eyes.

Lin Wanzhao’s lips curved into a beautiful arc: “I was talking about the future—just in case, you know? A what-if scenario.”

“There is no ‘what-if’ when it comes to us,” Yu Qingkong stated with absolute seriousness.

Hearing this, Lin Wanzhao’s heart did a violent flip. She ducked her head slightly to conceal her blushing face, whispering: “Look at you, being so smooth with your words…”

“Thank you for the compliment. But I’m not being smooth—I’m simply speaking exactly what’s on my mind,” Yu Qingkong said, releasing her hold on the suitcase handle.

“Haha,” Lin Wanzhao quickly smoothed back her hair to compose herself. “Hey, do you want to eat some fruit?”

“Sure.”

“Awesome. Hold on a second, I’ll go slice some up,” Lin Wanzhao said, spinning around to head into the kitchen. Qiuqiu promptly trotted right after her like a little shadow.

Yu Qingkong watched her retreating figure for a beat, a soft smile playing on her lips. She set the suitcase safely against the wall and followed her into the kitchen.

Stepping through the doorway, Yu Qingkong leaned against the counter, her eyes sweeping over the interior of the kitchen. She noticed one shelf neatly stocked with various fruits, while several other shelves were completely packed with an extensive assortment of instant ramen noodles. There were countless brands and flavors neatly lined up, making the kitchen resemble a miniature convenience store.

“Why on earth did you buy so much instant ramen?” Yu Qingkong pointed toward the massive stash.

“I hoarded them right before the Lunar New Year,” Lin Wanzhao explained, turning around to face her with an defensive shrug. “But I’m forbidden from eating them now anyway.”

Yu Qingkong burst into laughter, stepping forward until she was right in front of her. She reached out, her hands resting comfortably on Lin Wanzhao’s slender waist, and pulled her a fraction closer: “Good to know you have some self-awareness.”

Lin Wanzhao’s eyebrows flew up at the sudden intimacy. She turned back toward the counter, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink as she retrieved a container of cherry tomatoes from the fridge. She moved over to the sink, turning on the tap to wash them.

Yu Qingkong let out a quiet chuckle, reluctantly releasing her grip on her waist and straightening up. Lin Wanzhao, her face still burning beautifully, kept her back turned as she meticulously rinsed the cherry tomatoes and arranged them neatly onto a porcelain plate.

Leaning casually against the counter, Yu Qingkong tilted her head slightly, completely captivated by Lin Wanzhao’s every movement. Her gaze drifted from the elegant profile of her face, to the way she lightly bit her lower lip, to her delicate earlobes, and down the porcelain curve of her neck. From there, her eyes traced down the stunning line of her waist, her perfectly straight legs, and down to her slender, delicate ankles. She shifted her posture slightly but never once broke her gaze. Meanwhile, Qiuqiu trotted over, wrinkled her nose to sniff at the cherry tomatoes, gave her paw a thorough lick, and promptly scurried out of the kitchen.

A moment later, Lin Wanzhao thoroughly drained the water from the fruit, picked up the plate, and turned around: “Let’s go to the living room. We can watch some TV and munch on these.”

Yu Qingkong nodded with a soft, radiant smile, walking alongside her into the living room, where they settled down onto the plush sofa.

After setting the fruit down on the coffee table, Lin Wanzhao pulled out a tissue to dry her hands. She grabbed the remote control and clicked the television on. A dry financial news channel instantly flashed onto the screen; Lin Wanzhao wrinkled her nose in distaste and promptly flipped the channel. She landed on a random drama series—she hadn’t heard of it before, but it seemed like decent background noise to pass the time.

She picked up a cherry tomato, popping it into her mouth before speaking up: “Oh, by the way, Keke’s birthday is next week. You’re coming with me to her party.”

“Me?” Yu Qingkong pointed a finger at herself in surprise.

“Of course. Aren’t you my official plus-one?” Lin Wanzhao countered smoothly.

Hearing the words ‘plus-one,’ Yu Qingkong’s eyes danced with pure amusement. She nodded firmly: “Yes. I am absolutely your plus-one.”

Lin Wanzhao let out a delighted laugh, her eyes remaining fixed on Yu Qingkong’s face.

Yu Qingkong arched an eyebrow playfully: “Why do you keep staring at me like that?”

“There’s something I’ve been dying to do for a while now,” Lin Wanzhao murmured, gently twirling a small fruit fork between her fingers.

“Oh?” Yu Qingkong looked up at her.

“Move your hand out of the way.” Lin Wanzhao reached over, gently moving Yu Qingkong’s hand off her knee and setting it aside.

Yu Qingkong glanced down at her displaced hand, then looked back up at her, thoroughly intrigued.

Without a word of warning, Lin Wanzhao kicked off her slippers, scrambled onto the sofa, and gracefully laid right down, resting her head comfortably directly on Yu Qingkong’s lap.

Yu Qingkong froze for a fraction of a second, staring down at the girl in her lap. A moment later, an incredibly soft, tender smile broke across her lips.

“What are you laughing at?” Lin Wanzhao huffed, looking up at her with mock annoyance.

“This was the big thing you were dying to do?” Yu Qingkong asked.

“Exactly,” Lin Wanzhao shot her a playful glare. “Is a girl not allowed to lie on her girlfriend’s lap while watching television? They do it in romance dramas literally all the time.”

Perched on the edge of the coffee table, Qiuqiu stared at the two humans for a long moment, let out a massive, dramatic yawn, and curled up to go to sleep.

“I never said you weren’t allowed. Of course you can—you can lie here for as long as you want.” Yu Qingkong couldn’t suppress her smile. She looked down into Lin Wanzhao’s sparkling eyes, feeling as though she could stare into them for an eternity and never get tired of it.

Lin Wanzhao’s lips curved into a thoroughly satisfied pout. She reached up, taking Yu Qingkong’s free hand and wrapping it securely around her waist. Then she held out an open palm: “Come on, feed me a few cherry tomatoes.”

Yu Qingkong laughed softly. She leaned over, extending her long arm to grab a handful of tomatoes from the plate, and carefully placed them into Lin Wanzhao’s open hand.

Lin Wanzhao accepted them happily, split her attention between the television screen and popping the sweet fruit into her mouth.

Truth be told, every single time Yu Qingkong watched those soft red lips part slightly to eat, she found the sight utterly intoxicating. After staring down at her for a while longer, Yu Qingkong forced her eyes back toward the television screen. She had absolutely zero clue what the plot of the drama was about, but the content of the show was entirely irrelevant. As long as she was sitting here like this with Lin Wanzhao, it was more than enough.

After a few minutes, Lin Wanzhao tilted her head back slightly, looking up at Yu Qingkong: “Hey, Qingkong… tonight at the team dinner, when you said all those things about spoiling your partner… were you completely serious?”

“Do I look like the type of person who tells lies?” Yu Qingkong pulled her gaze away from the television, looking deep into her eyes.

“That’s wonderful then,” Lin Wanzhao smiled softly, her voice dropping to a gentle whisper. “But don’t worry, I won’t actually become ruined or impossible to handle. At most, I’ll just become incredibly clingy because I love getting your attention. But… if I get too clingy, are you going to get tired of me?”

“How could I ever get tired of you?” Yu Qingkong murmured, tightening her arm around her waist to pull her firmly against her chest.

“As long as you promise…” Lin Wanzhao trailed off, staring up at her quietly. After a long beat, she suddenly shifted her posture, throwing both arms tightly around Yu Qingkong’s neck as she buried her face into her shoulder, letting out a deep breath. “Yu Qingkong, I really, really like you so much. I like you so much I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

Hearing the raw emotion in her voice, Yu Qingkong looked down at the girl cradled in her embrace. A tender smile graced her lips as she reached up, gently cradling the back of Lin Wanzhao’s head and softly running her fingers through her silky hair: “You silly girl…”

“Then let me be silly, I completely accept it,” Lin Wanzhao smiled into her shoulder, tightening her embrace even further. She closed her eyes, deeply inhaling the scent of Yu Qingkong’s skin—it was an incredibly gentle, clean, and profoundly comforting aroma. “Managing to find someone who makes you completely willing to act silly is a remarkably rare and beautiful thing.”

Yu Qingkong nodded silently in agreement, letting out a long, content breath of her own.

Suddenly, Lin Wanzhao opened her eyes, pulling back slightly: “Hey, reach over and grab my phone for me, will you?”

Yu Qingkong extended her arm to retrieve the device from the side table, handing it over: “Is there an urgent work matter you need to handle?”

“No…” Lin Wanzhao shook her head. She quickly unlocked her screen and opened her personal QQ app. With practiced agility, she tapped on her profile settings and promptly swapped her avatar for an adorable graphic of a crescent moon.

Next, Lin Wanzhao clicked into her chat window with Yu Qingkong and hit send, transferring an image over. The picture was a whimsical cartoon illustration of a smiling sun with two bright, cheerful eyes—it was incredibly cute.

Once the message was sent, Lin Wanzhao set her phone aside and turned back to Yu Qingkong: “Now, hand me your phone too.”

Yu Qingkong pulled her device from her pocket and placed it into Lin Wanzhao’s outstretched hand, looking at her with an amused, puzzled expression.

“Unlock it,” Lin Wanzhao commanded smoothly.

Yu Qingkong nodded, pressing her thumb against the scanner. The fingerprint verification cleared instantly, and the home screen popped into view. Her application layout was exceptionally neat and organized, but the background was the standard, default system wallpaper—an incredibly basic and unbothered choice.

“Am I allowed to log into your QQ?” Lin Wanzhao asked, looking up for permission.

“Of course you can,” Yu Qingkong agreed with a nod. “I don’t have any scandalous secrets hidden in there anyway.”

Lin Wanzhao giggled happily, clicking into the application. She opened her own chat window, saved the cartoon sun illustration she had just sent over, and set it as Yu Qingkong’s new profile picture. She proudly turned the screen around, flashing it in front of Yu Qingkong’s face: “Does it look good?”

“Matching couple avatars?” Yu Qingkong laughed.

“Yes!” Lin Wanzhao reclaimed the phone, staring at the side-by-side icons. “I spent ages searching the internet to find a pair this adorable.”

“It’s cute. Exceptionally cute,” Yu Qingkong agreed warmly.

Lin Wanzhao continued to swipe through the settings. Her finger accidentally brushed against the side of the screen, inadvertently opening Yu Qingkong’s main contact list. She noticed that the directory was meticulously organized into exactly four distinct custom groups: Family, Friends, Classmates, and The Only One.

The Family folder contained fifteen people, Friends had seven, Classmates had a whopping 189 entries, while the group labeled The Only One contained a solitary contact. In an instant, Lin Wanzhao’s curiosity was fiercely piqued.

“What’s this group called ‘The Only One’…?” Lin Wanzhao lifted her face, her eyes locked onto Yu Qingkong’s.

“Click it open and see for yourself,” Yu Qingkong replied, tilting her head with a mysterious smile.

Lin Wanzhao bit her lip lightly, tapping the folder open. Her own contact card popped onto the screen. However, her standard name had been entirely replaced—the custom contact alias read: “Girlfriend.”

In that split second, Lin Wanzhao gripped the phone tightly, staring at her name inside that exclusive folder over and over again. She lifted her head, her face glowing: “It’s me!”

“Yes, it’s you,” Yu Qingkong chuckled.

“I’m your absolute only one?!” The pure, unadulterated joy in Lin Wanzhao’s eyes threatened to spill over.

“Who else could it possibly be?” Yu Qingkong countered.

“Ahhh!” Lin Wanzhao’s fingers flew wildly across the screen, her absolute euphoria completely uncontrollable. “I want to scream. I literally need to scream right now!”

Watching her ecstatic reaction, Yu Qingkong shook her head with an affectionate laugh: “Is it really that thrilling?”

“Absolutely!” Lin Wanzhao threw both arms back around Yu Qingkong’s neck, clinging to her fiercely. “You just declared that I am your absolute only one, how could I not be thrilled?!”

Gazing down at her, Yu Qingkong suddenly realized that confessing her feelings to Lin Wanzhao was, without a doubt, the single most meaningful decision she had made in years.

“Hold on, I need to change your nickname on my phone right now too,” Lin Wanzhao declared. She grabbed her own device, logged into her app, and pulled up her contact list.

“Out of pure curiosity… what was my original nickname on your phone?” Yu Qingkong asked suddenly.

“I am absolutely not telling you…” Lin Wanzhao squealed, instantly slamming the phone screen flat against her chest to shield it from view.

“Fine, I won’t look then.” Yu Qingkong chuckled, turning her head back toward the television.

Seeing that her partner was safely distracted, Lin Wanzhao carefully lifted her phone, opening the specific contact group where Yu Qingkong’s profile resided.

Right at that exact moment, Yu Qingkong’s eyes darted back over, catching a crystal-clear glimpse of the screen. She froze for a fraction of a second, reading the custom folder name aloud, emphasis on every single word: “Epic-Level Blockhead…?”

“…” Lin Wanzhao froze entirely, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“Care to give me an explanation for that?” Yu Qingkong arched an eyebrow.

“Well…” Lin Wanzhao cleared her throat nervously. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, swiftly renaming the contact to ‘My Little Princess’ before looking up defensively. “You were a total blockhead before! Did I say anything factually incorrect?”

Yu Qingkong stared at her, let out a light cough to clear her throat, and deftly grabbed a handful of cherry tomatoes, holding them out to her lips: “Here, just eat your fruit.”

“See? You know I’m entirely right!” Lin Wanzhao laughed victoriously, tossing her phone onto the cushions.

Yu Qingkong let out a long, amused sigh.

“Thinking about it, I really owe Keke a massive debt of gratitude,” Lin Wanzhao murmured. She untwisted herself from her arms, picked up a plump cherry tomato from her hand, and held it right against Yu Qingkong’s lips. “Open up, eat one.”

Yu Qingkong bit down on the tomato, swallowing it before looking up: “Why do you say that?”

“Because if she hadn’t fiercely encouraged me to stop being a coward and aggressively pursue you, the two of us might still be stuck acting like ‘just friends’ right now,” Lin Wanzhao explained.

“How exactly did she encourage you?” Yu Qingkong pressed, thoroughly intrigued.

Lin Wanzhao stiffened. A delicate pink hue crept up her neck and completely flooded her earlobes. She shot Yu Qingkong a fierce glare: “I am absolutely not telling you that either.”

Yu Qingkong crossed her arms, staring up at the ceiling as her mind analyzed the clues: “Seduction…?”

Hearing the word, Lin Wanzhao’s entire face erupted into a blazing crimson. She fiercely snapped her head away: “Stop talking about it!”

“I knew it,” Yu Qingkong stroked her chin thoughtfully. “So arranging that photography session at her private villa was entirely her brainchild too, wasn’t it? And furthermore…”

“I told you to stop talking!” Lin Wanzhao squealed, lunging forward to clamp her hand firmly over Yu Qingkong’s mouth.

Yu Qingkong stayed perfectly still, staring into her eyes as she took in the gorgeous, deep crimson flush covering her girlfriend’s face. She gently pulled Lin Wanzhao’s hand down from her lips, her voice dripping with amusement: “Then I truly need to give her a massive thank-you. I’ll make sure to pick out an exceptionally spectacular birthday gift for her.”

“You…” Lin Wanzhao glared at her, popping another cherry tomato into her own mouth. “I’m ignoring you now.”

Yu Qingkong couldn’t stop laughing. Her calculations had been entirely spot-on.

“What are you laughing at? Speaking of that villa… on our very first day there, a certain someone…” Lin Wanzhao bit her lower lip, her voice dropping to a soft, teasing whisper. “Looked incredibly flustered and sensitive… it made a person completely fall in love with the sight…”

Vividly recalling that specific scene and the intense reactions Yu Qingkong had displayed back then, Lin Wanzhao lightly bit her lip once more. She suddenly found herself missing that visual desperately, craving to see Yu Qingkong unravel beneath her touch like that again. It truly made a person’s blood run hot just thinking about it.

“Oh?” Yu Qingkong’s gaze darkened, her eyes locked squarely onto Lin Wanzhao’s.

“Seriously, just thinking about it…” Lin Wanzhao laughed softly. She reached out a slender finger, gently tracing the line of Yu Qingkong’s chin as her eyes turned heavy and heavy with implicit meaning. “It feels incredibly… thrilling.”

“Is that so?” Yu Qingkong captured her wandering hand, lowering her head to press a soft, lingering kiss against her knuckles. “Thrifting?”

“Mm…” As the warm breath brushed against the sensitive skin of her fingers, Lin Wanzhao felt her pulse quicken drastically. A deep flush rushed right back to the roots of her ears.

“It definitely is thrilling,” Yu Qingkong murmured. Her grip on Lin Wanzhao’s waist tightened significantly as she leaned down, slowly bridging the remaining distance between their faces.

Enveloped entirely by Yu Qingkong’s powerful presence, Lin Wanzhao felt her cheeks burning hot. She placed her free hand against Yu Qingkong’s shoulder, offering a weak resistance: “Hey…”

“Hmm?”

“Do you… want to eat another tomato? They taste really sweet,” Lin Wanzhao stammered, holding a tomato up to her lips. She was completely unaware that her own voice had turned incredibly breathless and strained.

“I don’t want the fruit,” Yu Qingkong murmured. She leaned in to press a tender kiss against Lin Wanzhao’s temple, her eyes dropping to track the curve of her lips as her voice sank into a low, smoky rasp. “How could a piece of fruit ever taste half as delicious as you?”