This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
That night, Wen Ruoxian slept very well, though it was because she was utterly exhausted, and she slept until dawn.
Before the weekend arrived, she and Song Qingluo both went to the beauty salon, where they had a full range of facial and body treatments. From their hair to their toes, they were taken care of to be shiny and hydrated, and then they went for a massage to relax.
"You're not very busy lately? You even canceled the afternoon meeting. I often come alone, so I'm used to it anyway…" Song Qingluo lay on the small bed, comfortably tilting her head.
A restless hand reached out to touch Wen Ruoxian's hair.
Wen Ruoxian also lay there, feeling even more comfortable from the touch. "I just want to be with you. Besides, for things we both participate in, we should naturally do them together."
"You didn't do these things for anyone else; they just happened to fit your usual rhythm of life and happened to include me."
Song Qingluo grinned and stayed silent.
The phone rang. She picked it up and said to the numbers on the screen, "The bags still sell well; at least I can recoup a bit."
She cleared out most of her closet, sold two-thirds of the items, and got over a million, which filled the gap in her card.
Items that retain value are not entirely consumables.
"How's it going with Auntie?" Wen Ruoxian was still worried, even though Song Qingluo had already given her a clear explanation.
Song Qingluo made an "OK" gesture. "The rush was because a large amount of cash was needed within a few days. There was no choice but to borrow. She's coordinated everything in the past couple of days and is paying it back now. I don't need my part anymore. Even my own mother said something about borrowing or not; all my pocket money was given by her…"
"But this matter made me reflect a bit."
Wen Ruoxian raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Although I studied music because I liked it, I can't always 'do charity.' I must collect the money that’s due in the future. Also, spending needs to be controlled; relying too much on credit cards isn't good. Save more, and having cash on hand means more freedom."
Song Qingluo nodded vigorously and said seriously, "I need to learn to save money from my wife."
As she spoke, she pouted and made a kissing gesture.
Wen Ruoxian's face flushed.
The two female technicians glanced at them in surprise, one after the other.
….
The Green Shang Mansion had a total of five buildings, each with a maximum of forty-nine floors, with one household per floor.
Song Qingluo lived on the 30th floor of Building A, while Cheng Suran lived on the 42nd floor of Building C. Between their homes were an entire building, a large garden, and the community clubhouse. It wasn't too far, but it was close enough to require taking the sightseeing car.
"After being so mysterious for so long, I can finally get to see the real face today, hmph."
The two had just gotten off the sightseeing car and were waiting in front of Building C for Cheng Suran.
The afternoon sun cast a light and sprightly shadow of Song Qingluo, who linked arms with Wen Ruoxian, her chin held high.
Wen Ruoxian smiled without speaking.
"That expression of yours... there’s something fishy about it," Song Qingluo noticed her face was intriguing.
"Hmm? There’s nothing."
"You've seen Cheng Suran's girlfriend. Describe her to me first."
She had asked this more than once, and Wen Ruoxian had answered more than once: the other person was too low-key and disliked having information about her revealed. Thus, the so-called "Cheng Suran's girlfriend" was shrouded in mystery.
But now, with only a few minutes before the meeting, it would be helpful to get some advance information to prepare psychologically—
She had a feeling the other person was a big shot.
"Maybe my Mom knows her?" she continued speculating.
Wen Ruoxian glanced at the building entrance and said, "She's tall, has good taste, used to be a model, and now works in the fashion industry."
"And?"
"You’ll find out soon enough."
"Even at the doorstep, you still want to keep it a secret?" Song Qingluo grumbled, frowning in thought.
A former model? Fashion industry?
These two key points made her think of her best friend's idol.
"It couldn’t be Jiang Yu, could it?"
She said this casually, and Wen Ruoxian's body tensed. At that moment, the building door opened, and Cheng Suran came out from the lobby. "Ruoxian, Qingluo."
She was dressed in simple home clothes and wearing cute white bunny slippers. As soon as she stepped outside, she shivered from the cold.
"Come in, come in."
Song Qingluo pushed aside her thoughts and followed Wen Ruoxian into the building.
The group took the elevator upstairs.
"Yesterday, I had the aunt clean the game room. Besides mahjong, there are other board games you can play. Oh, right, I..." Cheng Suran wanted to say that Wen Ruoxian didn’t know how to play mahjong, but before she could finish, her subconscious felt she shouldn’t say that.
So she changed her tone and asked, "Let me check first, you both can play mahjong, right?"
"I’m an experienced mahjong player," Song Qingluo confidently nodded and looked at Wen Ruoxian.
Wen Ruoxian honestly said, "I’m a beginner. I know the rules and have played a few times with clients."
Cheng Suran didn’t show her surprise and responded with a smile, "That’s great. Coco especially likes playing mahjong. That’s why we set up the game room at home. But she can never find enough people to play with. So, you’ll need to come over and play often."
"Sure."
The elevator reached the 42nd floor.
The front door was open, and two pairs of slippers were placed on the doormat. Song Qingluo held her breath, feeling inexplicably nervous, and eagerly peered inside.
The whole place looked like an art studio.
Where was the mysterious girlfriend?
She put on the slippers and, holding Wen Ruoxian's hand, walked inside. A tall, slender woman carrying a fruit platter came out of the kitchen. Seeing them, she smiled slightly.
"Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Jiang Yu," Cheng Suran said as she linked arms with her.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Jiang Yu nodded, her gaze resting on Song Qingluo's face for a couple of seconds before moving to Wen Ruoxian, her eyes playfully darting between the two.
Wen Ruoxian's lips moved, and she turned to look at Song Qingluo—
She thought Qingluo should introduce herself.
Song Qingluo showed no reaction.
Her eyes seemed glued to Jiang Yu, and she stood there like a wax statue.
She was stunned.
What had been a casual joke at the doorstep had now become a reality right before her eyes. Everything felt like a dream, and she almost thought that the next moment she would open her eyes to find herself still in her bedroom.
"Jiang Yu?"
This face, so familiar to the public, was sharp and unapproachable, showing an air of coldness. But now, as she smiled, it was warm and sincere.
Seemingly friendly and approachable, yet always maintaining a distance.
Song Qingluo, who was 1.7 meters tall and considered herself quite tall, still had to slightly lift her eyes to meet Jiang Yu's gaze.
"You two..." She looked back and forth between Jiang Yu and Cheng Suran. "Really?"
Jiang Yu put down the fruit platter, wrapped her arm around Cheng Suran's shoulder, and smiled. "Yes, it's been two years."
For Song Qingluo, celebrities were not distant or unreachable. She had been in contact with them frequently from a young age, and they were a part of her life. The entertainment industry had all sorts of news, and compared to the shocking scandals, same-sex relationships were quite normal and no longer surprising.
The fashion industry was the same.
No wonder there had been so much secrecy before; such a status indeed made it inconvenient to reveal casually, unless, like now, they were considered "insiders."
Song Qingluo extended her hand. "Hello, I’m Song Qingluo, Wen Ruoxian's wife."
She also hugged the person beside her.
“Wife?" Jiang Yu shook her hand and turned to Cheng Suran with a smile. "That's very cute."
"Haha..."
"Please, have a seat."
The four of them sat down, and Song Qingluo's eyes never left Jiang Yu. Perhaps because her best friend often praised her, she had a good impression of Jiang Yu and couldn’t help but act familiar.
"Can I call you Yu-jie?"
Jiang Yu replied warmly, "Of course, feel free to call me that."
"My best friend is a die-hard fan of yours. She started following you in middle school, and it's been over ten years. She hasn’t missed a single show and attends every event. Now, she's a senior VIP of your brand 'ETERNO.' If she knew about today, she’d probably be so excited she wouldn’t be able to sleep."
"What's your best friend's name? I should have some impression of a senior VIP."
"Shi Chuning."
"Ah, so it's her?"
Cheng Suran looked puzzled. "Do you know each other?"
"She's the wild fan ‘Shishi’ on Weibo. She’s always at my quarterly new product exhibitions and I've seen her at events, but we don’t have a personal relationship," Jiang Yu recalled.
Cheng Suran then realized, "So she’s the one who took many candid photos of you."
“Mm."
"Exactly!" Song Qingluo said with excitement. "I have to tell Chuchu when I get back that I visited her idol's home today."
Jiang Yu joked, "Won’t you get silenced for saying that?"
As they chatted, the atmosphere gradually became cheerful. Although it was Song Qingluo’s first time meeting Jiang Yu in person and she hadn’t fully removed her filter, it didn’t stop her from quickly becoming familiar with Jiang Yu.
Her good impression of Jiang Yu came from her best friend's recommendation.
Jiang Yu was low-key and humble, without the messy scandals that many celebrities had. She didn’t engage in hype or marketing; she focused on her career and let her achievements speak for themselves.
Jiang Yu loved her modeling career just as much as Song Qingluo loved her music career.
But comparisons were inevitable.
Looking at Jiang Yu, Song Qingluo subconsciously examined herself. For some reason, an odd feeling crept into her mind, as if she feared being outdone—whether it was in terms of financial status, social standing, achievements, or family background. In every aspect, she was on par with Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu was excellent, but so was she.
Whatever Jiang Yu could give Cheng Suran, she could give Wen Ruoxian too, maybe even more.
Realizing these thoughts, she found herself a bit childish. Life was about two people, so why was there a need to compare? The more she compared, the more she cared, and the more she cared, the less confidence she had.
Song Qingluo quickly adjusted her mindset.
"Yu-jie, I heard you're really good at mahjong. How about a match?"
"Sure."
"Look at me, I was so caught up in chatting that I almost forgot today’s 'main event.'"
The four of them stood up one after another, following Jiang Yu through the spacious living room to a room with a balcony on the north side. In the center of the room was a mahjong table with four armchairs around it. Nearby, there was a mini bar, creating a very cozy and relaxing family game room.
"It's really hard to gather four people," Jiang Yu sighed, powering up the mahjong table.
Cheng Suran chuckled while watching Song Qingluo.
Song Qingluo rubbed her hands together. "From today onwards, the era of it being difficult will become history." She glanced at Jiang Yu, her eyes narrowing with laughter. "As long as Yu-jie wants to play, I'm always ready to accompany you."
Wen Ruoxian watched her every move, feeling a faint bitterness. The previously calm emotions inside her were now stirred like a pool of stagnant water.
"Come over whenever you're free; it's not far anyway," Jiang Yu smiled, liking her adorableness.
"Mhm, mhm."
The mahjong table began its work, and the shuffled tiles were placed in front of them.
Cheng Suran placed some prepared sticky notes beside the table. "The loser has to stick a note on their forehead. By dinner time, whoever has the most notes will be the turtle king."
Suddenly, Song Qingluo remembered Wen Ruoxian and said, "Oh, Ruoxian is a beginner. She hasn’t played much, so don't be too—"
Before she could finish the word "harsh," Wen Ruoxian calmly interrupted, "No need to go easy on me, just play normally."
Without looking at Song Qingluo, she reached out to draw her tiles after speaking.
Song Qingluo immediately felt something was off, but she couldn’t tell what it was. Focused entirely on facing off against Jiang Yu, she didn’t think too much about it and enthusiastically started drawing her tiles.
Maybe it was bad luck, but her hand was awful, and she lost the first round.
Cheng Suran laughed loudly and stuck a note on her forehead. Song Qingluo, feeling annoyed, glanced up at the note, puffed out her cheeks, and blew at it. The thin note flew up into the air and then landed back on her face.
“Hmph, let’s go again.”
As it turned out, Cheng Suran laughed too early.
In the second round, she lost even worse than Song Qingluo.
And in the third round, she lost again.
"God above, I swear, I didn’t mean to laugh at Qingluo. Spare me, please spare me," Cheng Suran clasped her hands together, pleading with the air.
In the fourth round, Song Qingluo lost. In the fifth round, Cheng Suran lost. The two of them were taking turns like they were running the show, competing to lose. By the sixth round, finally, it was Jiang Yu’s turn to have a note stuck to her forehead.
Only Wen Ruoxian remained spotless.
"Ruoxian, you’re actually the hidden master, aren’t you? What newbie? Out of six rounds, you’ve won four! Qingluo wanted us to go easy on you, but look at this—who’s letting who win?" Cheng Suran cried, facing her with three white notes stuck to her.
Wen Ruoxian innocently spread her hands, "You know, I didn’t know how to play mahjong before. I only learned in the last two years. We’re usually so busy with work that there’s no time to play. Maybe I’m just a bit luckier today."
"I believe in Ruoxian," Jiang Yu nodded seriously.
"I just observed for a bit. She hardly handles the tiles, focusing only on her own hand without looking at the table—typical behavior of a mahjong newbie. She really is lucky. You could say it’s the mystery of mahjong."
She paused, then smiled gently. "But I can also tell that Ruoxian is getting the hang of the techniques. In that last round, she calculated the tiles. She’s improving quickly from being unfamiliar to skilled."
Wen Ruoxian was surprised.
Just as she was about to admit Jiang Yu was spot-on, sudden applause came from beside her—
Song Qingluo clapped her hands, looking at Jiang Yu with admiration. "Now this is a true master, not only reading the tiles but reading people too."
Wen Ruoxian’s smile stiffened slightly, a trace of melancholy appearing in her eyes.
"Practice makes perfect," Jiang Yu replied humbly.
"Let’s go again, let’s go again."
The sun sank beneath the horizon amidst the sound of mahjong tiles clattering.
After playing the entire afternoon, Cheng Suran lost the most. Her forehead was covered with so many white slips that it looked like a fringe of silver bangs. Song Qingluo came in second, losing and sighing in frustration. Jiang Yu and Wen Ruoxian tied, with only a few slips sparsely stuck to their foreheads, making them look quite amusing.
The four of them, with slips stuck to their foreheads, took a group photo together.
The auntie prepared a sumptuous dinner, with ingredients specially bought the day before, catering to Wen Ruoxian and Song Qingluo’s favorite tastes.
At the dining table, Song Qingluo and Jiang Yu were deep in conversation.
Cheng Suran chimed in occasionally, while Wen Ruoxian only smiled, eating quietly as she listened to their chatter.
The still waters stirred within.
….
It was inconvenient to stay longer, so after dinner, the two of them headed home.
As soon as they entered the door, Song Qingluo eagerly kicked off her shoes and pulled out her phone, ready to post on her Moments. She carefully looked at the group photo and realized that only three of them were laughing happily—
“Hahaha, Ruoxian, you look like such an old-fashioned person again. You need to smile when taking photos!” She tugged on Wen Ruoxian’s arm and handed her the phone.
Wen Ruoxian glanced at it, but didn’t respond. She only said, “You seemed to have a great time talking with Jiang Yu today.”
“And the mahjong...” Song Qingluo started to say, but her words got stuck. She stared at her in a daze.
“Ruoxian?”
“I’m a little jealous.”
