Chapter 79: On The Way To You
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Wen Ruoxian knew that her jealousy was quite ridiculous.
It was their first meeting, and Jiang Yu’s status was so prominent. Adding to that was the relationship as close friends, so it was hard not to be enthusiastic.
She could bottle up her emotions, but she had already tasted the bitterness of not speaking her mind, even if it was over something small. She cared about Qingluo, more than she had imagined.
“Was it because I was too enthusiastic toward Jiang Yu?” Song Qingluo put down her phone.
Wen Ruoxian hesitated and nodded. “Maybe....”
"I don't know what's wrong with me. It's clearly normal communication between you two, but I just can't stop myself from caring. Is this possessiveness? If it is, I don't want to become like this."
Helplessness showed in her eyes.
Song Qingluo silently looked at her for a while.
It was like tasting a cocktail with a rich and complex flavor—there was surprise, guilt, confusion, and an even stronger affection.
"It's not possessiveness, it's love."
"But the books say love should be about tolerance and freedom, not control, possession, or pettiness," Wen Ruoxian said seriously, her conflicted expression showing that she was struggling with herself.
Song Qingluo hugged her. "Books are books, you are you. The people who write books don’t understand you, but I do. If I say it's love, then it's love. Do you care more about me or the books? Do you care about my feelings as a living person or the dead words on those pages?"
"You."
Wen Ruoxian said without hesitation.
"I haven't felt any control, possession, or pettiness at all. On the contrary, from the moment we met to being together, you've always been restrained, mindful of boundaries and principles. Sometimes wonder if there will ever be a day when you lose control because of me, lose your composure. I even... wonder what you’d be like if you went crazy."
"Does that make me dirty?"
Song Qingluo held Wen Ruoxian's earlobe between her lips, teasing it ambiguously.
Wen Ruoxian trembled from the sensitivity, a muffled groan escaping her throat. Hearing the words "go crazy," she knew she had once again been lured in by the little fox, making her heart itch.
"If you don’t behave, I really will go crazy," she forced the words out.
"How crazy?"
"..."
“Huh?" Song Qingluo feigned innocence as she looked at her.
Wen Ruoxian didn’t dare to meet her eyes, pushing Song Qingluo away. "There are still a few pages of the manuscript I haven’t finished reading. I’ll head to the study first."
With that, she quickly fled.
"What? It's the weekend today! Hey! Wen Ruoxian!" Song Qingluo shouted from behind.
….
The study had been carefully renovated by Song Qingluo, perfectly replicating the way Wen Ruoxian used to have it. She sat down, set a half-hour timer for herself, and continued reading the remaining manuscript. Even though work was busy, she had to make time to be with her girlfriend.
When the alarm went off, she was only halfway through the last page.
A knock came from outside.
The door opened, and Song Qingluo first poked her head in, then one foot, slowly leaning her body until she fully stepped into the study.
"Ruoxian, are you done with work?"
She was wearing a two-piece camisole, her waistline forming a graceful curve as she twisted.
Wen Ruoxian’s eyes froze. "Mm... no, almost."
Song Qingluo walked around the desk and came to her side, watching as Wen Ruoxian’s gaze followed her footsteps, her head lifting higher and higher, like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
"Then I'll wait for you here."
She lifted Wen Ruoxian's arm and wrapped it around her waist, and sat on her lap, while her other hand circled around her neck.
She whispered close to her ear, "Will this distract you?"
Wen Ruoxian, wearing glasses on the bridge of her nose, felt a bit dizzy from being so close to Song Qingluo. She had to lean back, but her arms held her tighter. "No, it won't."
Song Qingluo chuckled and bent forward, resting on her shoulder. "You can keep reading."
"Mm..."
Wen Ruoxian responded softly, but her hand holding the manuscript trembled slightly. She held her breath, forcing her gaze back to the page, reconnecting the broken letters in her mind.
She had barely read two lines when the person in her arms shifted, and adjusted her position.
Song Qingluo was kissing her hair.
Warm breaths traveled from her scalp to her ear, swirling into her ear canal, with her lips following closely, landing on her temples, and then her jaw...
Wen Ruoxian struggled to suppress her shivers, remaining as still as a mountain.
She knew what this girl was trying to do.
After finishing the remaining lines, Wen Ruoxian was about to take off her glasses when Song Qingluo’s hand already reached up to her face. “Let me.”
Her raised hand was then lowered.
“I’ve always found the way you look with glasses very tempting as if you're saying to me, ‘Come here.’ So, the act of taking off your glasses feels even more like...” Song Qingluo murmured, her fingertips gently pulling the frame outward.
She glanced at Wen Ruoxian’s collar.
The last word were left unspoken, replaced by action.
“Seductive?” Wen Ruoxian completed the sentence.
Song Qingluo leaned in and kissed her lips. “That’s what you said.”
“You want to hear it from my mouth.”
Caught.
Song Qingluo hid a mischievous smile as she placed the glasses on the desk. “Chuchu is a crazy fan of Jiang Yu, always praising her in my ear. So, seeing Jiang Yu just gave me a feeling of success on her behalf, like admiring an idol.”
Wen Ruoxian was taken aback.
Why was she still trying to explain?
“I’ve seen plenty of celebrities. Most of them are terrible, overly pretentious, and dramatic. But Jiang Yu is quite low-key and down-to-earth. She loves her career just like I love mine, so of course, I hold her in higher regard.”
“And it’s your fault too. We were at the door and still wouldn’t tell me. Even when I guessed correctly, you wouldn’t admit it. A little jealousy is just a small punishment for you.”
She snorted lightly, looking unconcerned.
Wen Ruoxian didn’t want to expose her, but seeing her arrogant attitude and wanting to tease her, she smiled and said, “I just got a little jealous, and someone explained so much. It seems like you’re quite flustered.”
Song Qingluo indeed softened. “I won’t be overly enthusiastic with other women in the future.”
Wen Ruoxian accepted happily. “Okay.”
She opened her computer and reached for her glasses. “I need to send an email. I have a meeting in the capital the day after tomorrow, and there are some procedures…”
Song Qingluo grabbed the glasses and tossed them onto the sofa.
“?”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“Today’s tasks should be finished today. It will only take two minutes, very quick,” Wen Ruoxian coaxed her.
Knowing she couldn’t get the glasses back, she pushed the computer screen forward and leaned slightly. Fortunately, her myopia wasn’t too severe, so she could still see clearly.
Song Qingluo then picked up the mouse and threw it onto the sofa as well.
“...”
“I'm messing with you, what about it?"
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Wen Ruoxian deliberately made a stern face, staring at her in silence.
"President Wen, you look so fierce now," Song Qingluo said, tugging at her shoulder strap and letting it fall, then cupping Wen Ruoxian’s face. "With the way you look, it’s like you could…Um me.”
"What about me?"
There was a word she didn’t catch clearly.
Song Qingluo whispered in her ear, "A new word I learned recently, supermarket*."
*in English
"Supermarket?"
"Mm."
"How does me looking fierce, relate to a supermarket?"
"Repeat it a few more times."
Wen Ruoxian tried to mentally repeat it twice, then connected it with what Song Qingluo had said earlier—
Supermarket*?
She looks very fierce as if she can...
Suddenly, Wen Ruoxian recalled that this was a homophone. At this moment, the meaning was the homophone in the translated Chinese.
*supermarket, in Chinese 超市 (Chāoshì) is also used as a pun of 草死 (Cǎo sǐ) - fuck to death. Mostly used by thirsty netizens when they see sexy photos/videos of celebs or anyone on SNS to get away with censorship - ‘supermarket me’ (in English)
This brat!
So rude.
Today, she must clean her up.
"Learning to be bad, not learning to be good." Wen Ruoxian glared at her in annoyance.
Song Qingluo twisted her waist as she stood up, spun around, and with one hand, swiftly pulled open the desk drawer.
Inside were several colorful paper boxes.
It was obvious who had put them there without even asking.
Wen Ruoxian withdrew her gaze, stood up in silence, and forced Song Qingluo to step back and sit on the desk. She held her knees to the sides of her waist and kissed her face.
"I might as well show you how fierce I am and make my reputation real."
"Mm?"
After tonight, Song Qingluo thoroughly remembered not to bother Wen Ruoxian while she was working.
Otherwise, she would be dealt with very severely.
….
On the last day of the old year, it snowed in Jiangcheng.
Small snowflakes flew through the sky, falling on the ground, rooftops, and bushes, accumulating into a thin layer that melted before it could cover a large area.
Snow was rare and precious here.
In the end, Wen Ruoxian decided to return home for the Spring Festival this year. She and Song Qingluo parted at the high-speed train station, neither wanting to let go. Several times, Wen Ruoxian tried to get off the train, but Song Qingluo pulled her back, insisting on a kiss before she would let her leave.
"Here too," Song Qingluo said, pointing to her forehead.
"I’ve kissed there."
"I don’t care. I want it."
Wen Ruoxian smiled helplessly, leaned over to kiss her forehead, and then looked at her watch. "The train leaves in half an hour. I reasonably suspect you're deliberately stalling to make me miss this train and stay behind."
"That’s not impossible," Song Qingluo huffed.
Despite her deep reluctance, she still saw Wen Ruoxian into the station and watched her rush up the escalator through the gate.
From this moment on, time seemed to slow down.
Wen Ruoxian's hometown was in the neighboring province, and the high-speed train took less than two hours between the cities. Perhaps because she hadn't returned for so long, stepping onto her familiar land again stirred up deep nostalgia.
Her father came to pick her up. He greeted her with a cheerful smile, but his eyes, peeking behind her, were hard to hide.
He didn't ask, so she didn't bring it up.
Along the way, they talked about family matters, such as the second aunt’s daughter going to an Ivy League school in the second half of the year, the younger uncle’s son graduating with a master’s degree and planning to pursue a PhD, and a student of her mother winning a small but significant literary award. Another student had published a paper that was well-regarded in the academic community...
When it came to studying, their family had a strong gene pool.
Upon arriving home, the aroma of braised meat filled the air. The New Year’s Eve dinner was usually prepared from the morning, with a large round table set in the dining room and neatly arranged side dishes on the kitchen counter, both meat and vegetables evenly distributed, waiting for the chef to start cooking.
For major holidays, they always hired a chef to come and prepare and cook the meals, and afterward, hired someone to clean up.
The couple didn’t have to busy themselves in the kitchen.
The large living room was connected to an open study. Her mother was writing couplets, one hand behind her back, the other steady with a brush. The dark black ink danced on the red paper, forming beautiful regular script characters.
The old professor from the Chinese department was renowned for her calligraphy.
When she wrote, she must not be disturbed. Wen Ruoxian stayed silent, standing aside and watching her complete the couplets. While observing, she pondered whether her parents would ask her something or try to persuade her later.
Unexpectedly, after finishing the couplets, her mother looked up and simply smiled, saying, "You’re back."
Just like her father, her gaze lingered on what was behind Wen Ruoxian without any concealment.
She didn’t ask, so she didn’t bring it up.
At five o'clock, the chef arrived on time to start cooking. Wen Ruoxian and her father went to the door to stick up the couplets, one on the courtyard gate and one on the main door. The thick, sticky paste was best for this, as it had been every year.
Six dishes and one soup made up the New Year’s Eve dinner for the three-person family. There was no preaching from her parents; the dinner table was filled with warmth and joy. However, Wen Ruoxian felt a constant tension. Whether the topic was brought up or not, it seemed like she could never return to the state she had before graduating from university.
The room she had lived in for over a decade was her true "home," but the neat and familiar arrangement did not add to her sense of intimacy. Instead, it felt too small, unable to accommodate her.
She had grown up.
How could a grown bird still cling to the nest?
Wen Ruoxian stayed at home for two nights. During the first two days of the new year, she visited relatives. With a small family and most of her generation being only children and not pursuing early marriages, the only younger family member was her three-year-old niece, the darling of the entire family.
The bustle was as lively as in previous years.
It was hard to put down the phone.
In just ten minutes without checking WeChat, there were many messages.
Qingluo sent her photos, sharing her daily life. This year, due to internal conflicts in the upper echelons, they did not go on vacation and spent the holiday with her best friend and her daughter.
[I miss you so much…]
[It’s only been two days, but it feels like two years have passed. Why has time slowed down?]
[With my mom, my best friend, and my godmother around, why do I still feel lonely, as if no matter how many people are here, it’s never enough? There’s always something missing.]
[I want to set off fireworks with you.]
Wen Ruoxian was originally scheduled to return to Jiangcheng on the morning of the fourth day of the new year. After seeing Song Qingluo’s messages, she started to consider leaving early.
She missed her so much.
Even with her parents, cousins, and a whole extended family around, she still felt lonely.
No matter how many people were there, it always felt like something was missing.
Was this considered being a love fool?
Since going to England to see Qingluo, they had never been apart for more than two days.
If she indulged in her passion now, what would happen in the future? Qingluo would be performing around the world, flying from place to place. She couldn’t follow her every time, so it was better to get used to it sooner.
Thinking this, she pushed the thought aside. That night, lying in bed, she video-called Song Qingluo and comforted her for a while. They talked until midnight before going to sleep.
The next morning, Wen Ruoxian was groggily awakened by the vibration of her phone. It was nine-thirty, and it was Song Qingluo calling.
“Qingluo?”
“I’m off the highway. Give me your address.”
From the other end of the phone, the navigation voice broadcast was in the cartoonish tone that Song Qingluo liked—she was driving.
Wen Ruoxian suddenly sat up. “Where are you?”
“On the way to you.”
