Chapter 57: Two Rooms
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Wen Ruoxian turned her back to Song Qingluo, a slight smile on her lips, and a quiet joy bloomed in her heart.
Very childish.
But also very happy.
She turned around and politely asked, "Your friends don't mind?"
"No problem," Song Qingluo pulled her to sit down. "They are available anytime. Besides..." She suddenly leaned closer to Wen Ruoxian's face and gently breathed out, "Someone is jealous, so I have to coax her well."
"What jealous..." Wen Ruoxian leaned back.
"I just thought it was interesting and wanted to understand what young people like, so you wouldn’t call me 'old-fashioned' again."
"Tsk tsk, I said 'someone,' but I didn't say it was you. Why are you so quick to explain? Are you admitting it yourself?" Song Qingluo clung to her, her lips just a few centimeters from Wen Ruoxian's face.
Familiar schemes.
Wen Ruoxian didn't fall for it this time, looking at her seriously: "It's just you and me here. If it's not me, then are you talking about ghosts?"
Ghosts...
Song Qingluo thought of that horror video.
"Ah, bah, bah, bah, no talking about ghosts. You know I'm scared, yet you still try to frighten me, you old-fashioned..." She lunged into Wen Ruoxian's arms, punching her chest in mock anger.
Wen Ruoxian held her close: "Alright, I won't say it anymore."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Song Qingluo's phone screen, the game was still paused. Suddenly, she remembered something, "Wait, did you... leave the microphone on?"
Didn't that mean their conversation was heard by everyone?
Song Qingluo straightened up: "I turned it off. Of course, only I can listen to what you say to me."
"Oh..."
That was close.
"I told them I won't play anymore, so I'll play with you."
"Okay."
Wen Ruoxian held up her phone, waiting for her.
She quickly typed and sent a message, exited the game room, then switched to WeChat to send a long message, and re-entered the game.
She chose a casual mode.
"You play support, just follow me. When there's a fight, use your skills and then run, don't look back, don't worry about me."
"Okay."
Wen Ruoxian knew the game mechanics and some character skills, and she understood the basic operations. Strictly speaking, she wasn't a complete novice; she just wasn't passionate about it, didn't have time, and was too lazy to delve into it and practice.
People say, "In e-sports, being bad is a sin."
She worried her lack of skill would drag down Qingluo and feared Qingluo would be unhappy if she lost.
So, she played cautiously the whole time.
But Song Qingluo didn't mind.
It was rare for the old-fashioned to take the initiative, especially like today, willing to put down work to have her teach her how to play games. Qingluo understood clearly.
Clearly, she was insanely jealous but just stubbornly refused to show it.
Old-fashioned.
Might as well suffocate!
Thinking this in her heart, she gently advised, "Ruoxian, you stay inside, be careful of people hiding in the bushes outside, that way, if you're ambushed, you can still escape."
As she advised, she taught her the operations and awareness.
Unknowingly, the two of them leaned closer together.
Wen Ruoxian had good intuition; after one game, she got the hang of it. But Song Qingluo's rank was too high, and the matched teammates and opponents were equally skilled. She got beaten badly.
The teammates kept typing insults:
[The support is an idiot.]
[Why aren't you joining team fights and wandering around the jungle?]
Song Qingluo was furious. Seeing the opponent’s avatar indicating the earpiece was on, she opened the microphone without hesitation and snapped back, “You keep cursing? Clean your mouth, you little thing! Look at your negative stats, really amazing, huh? This is a casual mode, we play however we want. If you don’t like it, go to ranked and bray like a donkey!”
The teammate said nothing.
Then the avatar showed the earpiece was off.
Ha.
Song Qingluo sneered, “Coward, no real skill, just a yapper. How dare you curse my Ruo…” She choked on her words and turned to Wen Ruoxian.
Wen Ruoxian was staring at her in astonishment.
Their shoulders were touching, black and silver hair intertwined, lips almost touching, warm breaths on each other’s faces.
Song Qingluo kissed her lips and finished her sentence, “My Ruoxian.”
Wen Ruoxian quickly pulled away, “Alright, let’s not argue with people like that.”
“Oh.”
Time passed as they fought together until midnight.
Wen Ruoxian never thought a game could be this fun. Perhaps it wasn’t the game itself but the person playing with her that made it enjoyable. Even though her eyes were tired and her neck was sore, she still wanted to continue.
It was almost midnight when she remembered her unfinished work, feeling a bit regretful.
“Ruoxian…” Song Qingluo yawned, hugging her, “I’m so tired, let’s go to bed.”
Wen Ruoxian instinctively wrapped her arm around her shoulders, “You go ahead and sleep, I still have some things to do.”
“Tsk tsk.”
“?”
“Who would’ve thought, President Wen would leave work to play games until midnight? Is this the President Wen I know? The old-fashioned, prude one I’m familiar with?” Song Qingluo pinched her ear and leaned in for a kiss.
Wen Ruoxian shivered slightly, “Mm…”
She thought she was used to the kisses and hugs, but her body was still very sensitive like thousands of ants were crawling over her heart.
“Then I’m going to take over your big bed.”
Satisfied with having taken advantage, Song Qingluo wisely didn’t tease her further and happily returned to her room.
Wen Ruoxian sighed. She opened WeChat, found a game screenshot, and posted it to her Moments, reminding herself that today she had indeed gone too far, and she shouldn’t make it a habit. It also served as a commemoration of her rare out-of-character moment since childhood.
Just as she was about to lock her phone, someone liked the post.
It was Ranran.
She also left a comment: "Did your account get hacked?"
"..."
Soon after, she received a message from Cheng Suran:
[Ruoxian?]
[Is that really you?]
Wen Ruoxian replied with a laugh:
[Trying out young people's entertainment. Why are you so surprised?]
[Oh, I believe you. Very much.]
Cheng Suran sent a "deeply meaningful look" emoji.
Wen Ruoxian chuckled and replied with an embarrassed emoji. She stood up and walked to the study.
The computer was in sleep mode. She shook the mouse, put down her phone, and was about to focus when she noticed the lightly penciled circle on the calendar next to her desk...
June 30th.
Next week was Qingluo's birthday.
She hadn't prepared a gift yet and didn't know what to get. For a girl like Qingluo, who came from a well-off family, material things were not rare, and anything that money could buy wasn't special to her.
Choosing a gift became much more challenging.
…..
Miss Song had many friends, and with several days still left before her birthday, she had already received a basketful of gifts. Her friends were competing to host her birthday party, nearly arguing over whether to have a "cruise night party" or a "daylight party."
In the end, she decided to have both.
The weekend before her birthday, Song Qingluo was invited out by her best friends for a shopping trip.
“You've flaked on me a few times already, huh? If you bail again today, I'm definitely calling you out for ditching friends for your lover,” Shi Chuning complained over the phone
Song Qingluo was still lazing in bed. “Alright, alright, I promised you. I’ll keep my word. Just let me get up, one hour.”
“Hurry up.”
“Hm-mm.”
She rolled around under the covers, burying her face in Wen Ruoxian's pillow, inhaling the scent that belonged to her.
When Wen Ruoxian entered the room, she saw Song Qingluo squirming on the bed.
“Qingluo…”
“Hey!”
“Breakfast is ready. Get up and eat.”
“Ah, I'm held captive by the bed. You'll have to carry me,” Song Qingluo stretched out her arms toward her.
Wen Ruoxian smiled helplessly, bending down. Just as she was about to touch Song Qingluo, this girl suddenly sat up and wrapped her arms around Wen Ruoxian's neck, pressing her soft lips against hers.
Unable to support Song Qingluo's full weight, Wen Ruoxian fell onto the bed, holding Song Qingluo as they tumbled down.
“Mm…”
Their lips were warm and moist, and the breath they shared carried a hint of fragrance.
Wen Ruoxian hurriedly broke free, got up, and turned to draw the curtains. “Didn't you say you were going out with friends today? If you don't get up now, it'll be noon soon.”
“It's just past eight, you can't fool me,” Song Qingluo rolled out of bed and quickly caught up to hug her.
Wen Ruoxian had to plead, “Stop making trouble, Qingluo.”
“Okay.”
Song Qingluo released her without hesitation, humming a song as she left the bedroom.
Every time she teased Wen Ruoxian, she would first shamelessly kiss and hug her, then push her limits. If rejected, she would stop just in time, gaining the sweetness without being resented, leaving Wen Ruoxian's heart in turmoil.
Just like a cunning little fox.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast, Song Qingluo carefully applied light makeup and changed into a beautiful dress.
“Ruoxian, I'm leaving now.”
"Will you come back for dinner?" Wen Ruoxian looked at her, her heart suddenly racing, feeling a tickling sensation.
"It depends."
"Alright..."
As she was about to reach the door, Song Qingluo suddenly turned around and blew Wen Ruoxian a kiss. "I'll keep you company tomorrow. Muah."
Wen Ruoxian was startled and turned her face away.
After Song Qingluo left, she slowly turned back, looked at the living room door, and sighed, but couldn't help smiling. Since her "ancestor" wasn't home, she had the opportunity to clean the two south-facing rooms.
They were supposed to be cleaned every half month, but since Qingluo had moved in, sticking to her all the time, there was rarely a chance to open those two doors.
Today, she decided on a thorough cleaning.
Wen Ruoxian put on a long-sleeved apron, took out various cleaning tools, retrieved the key from the bottom of the wardrobe drawer, and first opened the study door, then the bedroom door.
She stood at the entrance for a moment.
The familiar layout, the familiar furnishings, and the bed that Ranran had slept on were neatly made. The old bed sheets and covers hadn't been changed in over a year; she couldn't bear to wash or air them. On the floor was the carpet that Ranran had stepped on, and in the closet were the pajamas she had worn.
On the nightstand was a photo of the two of them in an intimate pose.
But everything seemed like it was from another lifetime.
It felt as if the person who once lived here had been gone for a long time, and the air in the room was filled with the scent of dust.
Yet it was only last year.
How had it become so unfamiliar?
In her memories, she lay on this bed hugging the photo frame, crying as if it were something from the last century.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Wen Ruoxian was dazed for a moment, then woodenly walked into the room. She opened the window for ventilation, used the vacuum cleaner to remove the dust, cleaned with a flat mop, and took down the curtains...
….
“Ah, I think I left it at home.” Song Qingluo sat in Shi Chuning’s car. They had just left the neighborhood when she realized she had forgotten a credit card.
“I changed bags today, and the card is in the other one.”
Shi Chuning clicked her tongue twice. “Just use mine, it's not a big deal.”
“Turn around, I need to go back and get it.”
“Hey—”
“Today is the 'ETERNO' new product exhibition, and Jiang Yu is there. If I miss seeing my idol, you'd better watch out!”
“It’s fine, there’s still plenty of time.” Song Qingluo clasped her hands together.
Though she threatened to punish her, Shi Chuning still turned the car around. Two or three minutes later, they were back at the entrance of the Marina Bay neighborhood. Song Qingluo jumped out like a rabbit.
Upstairs, she opened the door.
The sound of running water came from the large bathroom.
“Ruoxian?” Song Qingluo called out softly, only to see Wen Ruoxian standing by the washing machine, stuffing large pieces of fabric inside, seemingly not hearing her and not looking up.
She was in a hurry to get the card and didn't pay much attention. She ran barefoot into the hallway.
The doors to the two south-facing rooms were wide open.
The bright early summer sunlight made her eyes light up.
Huh?
The two locked rooms...
[Yes, Ms. Cheng used to live here.]
[CEO Cheng has already moved out after getting married. Why do you keep her valuable belongings here?]
These words echoed in her ears.
Song Qingluo's thoughts shifted. Her steps towards the north bedroom abruptly changed direction, and she walked into the south bedroom.
This was the master bedroom of the entire apartment. It was spacious, well-lit, and had a small balcony. The large 1.8-meter double bed was neatly made as if someone lived there.
Where were the valuable belongings?
The photo frame on the bedside table caught her attention.
She picked it up and looked at it. It was a picture of Wen Ruoxian and Cheng Suran. The two had their arms around each other's shoulders, heads leaning together, smiling brightly, very intimate.
The bottom right corner of the photo indicates the date it was taken: 2024.5.11
Three years ago.
Flipping the photo over, there were some letters she couldn't understand. But soon, Song Qingluo recognized it as a line from a song—
"für dich"*
*for you
An old German love song.
A strange feeling grew in her heart.
She put down the photo frame and looked elsewhere. She saw two small metal figurines on the table at the foot of the bed, one gold and one silver.
They were "Lubao."
She had seen them in Wen Ruoxian's car.
But at that time, there was only the gold one in the car.
[You also like "Lubao"?]
[A friend gave it to me.]
[When someone says 'a friend', I usually assume it's a partner.]
[I don't have a partner.]
In the room that Cheng Suran had lived in, all the items probably belonged to Cheng Suran. There didn't seem to be anything particularly valuable. Why were they locked up? Wen Ruoxian didn't live here herself and didn't allow anyone else to enter...
Was she reminiscing about something?
She and Chuchu had known each other since they were in the womb, a friendship of over twenty years, but it wasn't to this extent.
The strange feeling grew stronger. Song Qingluo felt inexplicably uneasy as if she had touched something secret or entered a forbidden area.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Song Qingluo turned around and bumped into Wen Ruoxian.
“Qingluo? You…” Wen Ruoxian was startled, her eyes showed panic.
“Didn’t you go out?”
Song Qingluo replied calmly, “I forgot something, so I came back to get it.” She paused for a moment. “I called you just now, but you didn’t hear me. I saw the doors of these two rooms open, so I came in…”
Her gaze swept around the room.
“Are these all CEO Cheng’s ‘valuables’?”
Author's Note:
Wen-jiejie: My scalp is tingling.jpg
….
Red envelopes will be distributed in this chapter =3=
3D* has been quite busy recently and I may need to move. The next update time cannot be determined TT
*real life
….
