Chapter 124: With Her Own Mouth
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo stood there without speaking, but she also didn’t leave right away.
Since Ruan Yesheng brought this up, she also felt a little curious. She put the pajamas over her arm, then turned around and asked Xi Mo, “When you were taking a shower, did you…”
When she asked, her face got a bit hot, and she tried to hide it.
But before she finished asking, Xi Mo quickly answered, “No, I also washed with my eyes closed.”
Ruan Yesheng froze for a second. She was a little surprised, but at the same time, not really.
This surprise didn’t come from Xi Mo washing with her eyes closed before switching back. She actually felt that this was just how Xi Mo acted. Xi Mo always respected other people’s privacy, and followed rules. Sometimes she even followed them too strictly.
What she didn’t expect was how fast Xi Mo answered her, like she was scared of being misunderstood and really wanted to explain right away.
Ruan Yesheng felt a little mixed inside. She couldn’t tell what she was feeling now.
But one thing she was sure of—she really liked how Xi Mo acted so anxious right now. Did this mean Xi Mo really cared a lot about her feelings?
“Then did your shower gel also fall down while you were showering?” Ruan Yesheng hooked her lips and asked the second question.
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng smiled while fiddling 1with the bottles and jars she was going to use during her bath later.
“I’ll go take a shower now.” Xi Mo seemed like she couldn’t say anything more, walked over and opened the hospital room door.
“Are you coming back later?” Ruan Yesheng quickly stopped her hands, looked at her back, and asked.
“I’m not coming back. It’s already late. After I shower, I’ll go to bed.” Xi Mo’s steps paused for a second, then she slowly said, “You should rest early.”
“Okay.” Ruan Yesheng smiled, but she felt a little down inside.
She wanted to see Xi Mo all the time, but how was that possible?
The two of them switched bodies because of some strange chance, and then filmed a drama together, so of course they got to spend a lot of time together.
But now that they had switched back, and the filming of Sui Ting had ended, looking at their recovery, it seemed like she and Xi Mo would be discharged soon. In a few days, she had to go shoot a variety show. After that, the next time she could see Xi Mo would probably be when Gu Ru’s movie started filming.
The time in between wasn’t very long, but it also wasn’t short. How was she supposed to get through it?
Even though Xi Mo was still here, she already started to feel sad about saying goodbye. After spending these months together, the hope in her heart had grown to a peak. The more she hoped, the harder it was to be satisfied.
Xi Mo walked to the door, then turned back and gave her one last look, before quietly closing the door.
Ruan Yesheng watched her leave, until the door completely hid Xi Mo’s figure. She couldn’t see her anymore.
This was already enough. She shouldn’t be greedy anymore.
Ruan Yesheng told herself in her heart.
After that, she sent a message to Shen Qingbie, telling her she just finished being busy, needed to take a shower first, and would sleep after that. She reminded Shen Qingbie to sleep early too. But Shen Qingbie didn’t reply to her.
She then put her phone aside and went into the bathroom.
....
Shen Qingbie was sitting in the hotel room earlier, letting Yu An blow her hair. The hot air made her sleepy bit by bit.
Plus, Yu An was really good at doing scalp massage. While blowing, she would lightly pinch her scalp, sometimes even help press her temples. Shen Qingbie just felt comfortable all over, like every pore on her body was opened by Yu An.
This scalp massage skill was something Yu An specially went to learn for Shen Qingbie.
One time, Shen Qingbie caught a cold while filming, and she kept having headaches during that time. The more her head hurt, the lazier she became. After washing her hair, she didn’t even want to dry it. After filming, she was too tired. Her hair was still wet, and she leaned on the bed head, napping. Often, her body would just tilt and she would fall asleep like that.
Yu An found out about this bad habit when she came to see her. She could only help her blow-dry her hair, and at the same time, searched online to carefully read a tutorial about scalp massage. While blowing her hair, she massaged her to relieve the pain.
Later, Shen Qingbie got better, but Yu An still kept doing this.
She used to be the best gold-medal manager in the company, also a shareholder. Many newcomers in the company only hoped that Sister Yu An would look at them more and share some resources.
But when it came to Shen Qingbie, she always acted like a hard-working assistant.
No, sometimes it could even be said—like a nanny.
After all, Shen Qingbie really made her worry too much. She just couldn’t help but care about Shen Qingbie, afraid that Shen Qingbie would make mistakes, and also afraid that Shen Qingbie couldn’t take good care of herself.
After drying her hair, Yu An went to take a shower. Shen Qingbie had nothing to do at that time. She waited and waited but didn’t get any message from Ruan Yesheng like she said she would. So she put on a facial mask, and leaned lazily on the bed, half lying inside the quilt.
Then she actually fell asleep. So Shen Qingbie didn’t see the message Ruan Yesheng sent before going into the bathroom at all.
She didn’t know how long she slept. Shen Qingbie was half-asleep, and heard someone calling her softly next to her: “Qingqing.”
That person was gently rubbing her face too.
Shen Qingbie suddenly remembered she was wearing a facial mask. How could someone be wiping her face? Isn’t that just messing around? Her facial mask was about to be rubbed apart. She got anxious and quickly opened her eyes, and grabbed that person’s wrist.
She had learned karate, and her strength wasn’t small. That person couldn’t move for a second.
Shen Qingbie looked carefully and found out the one wiping her face was Yu An. She quickly let go of her strength and smiled at Yu An: “You scared me to death. I thought someone was trying to mess with my facial mask.”
Yu An was holding a warm soft towel in her hand and gave her a sideways glance: “Who would mess with a facial mask? How come you don’t worry about someone messing with you, but worry about a facial mask instead?”
Shen Qingbie didn’t think about anything, smiling like an innocent little lamb: “I’m not worried at all. It’s just you and me in this room. Would I still be worried you’d mess with me?”
Yu An: “…”
She had complicated feelings all of a sudden. She didn’t know if it was good or bad that Shen Qingbie trusted her so much and had no guard against her.
“A’Yu, we’re like family, aren’t we?” Shen Qingbie reached out and patted Yu An’s shoulder, her smile especially bright.
Yu An: “…”
She didn’t want to be like family with her.
But how could this pretty fool understand?
Shen Qingbie also used her hand to rub her cheek. She knew it was Yu An who helped her take off the facial mask, and also helped her wipe off the sticky liquid left on her face. She said, “I was doing a face mask. Why did you take it off?”
Yu An showed her the time on her phone: “Look how long you’ve been sleeping. I came out after taking a shower and saw you sleeping with the facial mask still on. The time is way past. How could I not take it off?”
Only then did Shen Qingbie realize.
Oh no, facial mask moisture has a proper time limit. If it’s on for too long, it can affect the skin’s breathing. It won’t help the skin and might even hurt it.
She got anxious and quickly moved her face close to Yu An, saying, “Help me take a good look. Has my flawless skin been affected?”
She didn’t care about anything. Her nose tip was almost touching Yu An’s nose tip. When she spoke, her mouth had the clean smell from just brushing her teeth. It was pink strawberry flavor.
Yu An: “…”
Actually, this wasn’t Shen Qingbie being full of herself. She was just telling the truth.
Shen Qingbie didn’t think too much. She thought she looked good because she really looked good.
She thought her skin was good because it really was.
Since it’s so good, why hide it and not let her speak the truth? She wasn’t lying.
Her skin was really that good. Even the saying “so soft it could break with a breath” wasn’t too much. Delicate, white like moonlight, clear and pure, it was the kind of soft skin that made people want to take a bite. A lot of high-end skincare brands liked to ask her to be their ambassador, including some luxury brands.
"Stop daydreaming. It's just been a short while. How could it affect anything?" Yu An moved her eyes away from her face.
She squeezed the towel that had touched Shen Qingbie’s face, paused for a second, and then said, “Pretty.”
Shen Qingbie grinned from ear to ear. A’Yu praised her! She was over the moon. She looked at Yu An’s delicate face and said, “A’Yu, you're really pretty too.”
Yu An’s eyes softened, her cheeks turned slightly red, and she turned her face away.
“You know back when I had to choose, both you and Sister Zhan threw me olive branches. But do you know why I picked you to be my manager?” Shen Qingbie said.
Ning Zhanhong and Yu An were the company’s two top managers. Two such amazing managers wanting the same artist—it had never happened before in the company.
It showed just how good Shen Qingbie’s potential was, how much the company valued her. She was the talk of the town back then. Most people had to wait for the company to assign a manager. They didn’t get to choose. But Shen Qingbie had the right to pick her own.
“No idea.” Yu An was curious now and asked, “Why?”
“Because you look just as good as me.” Shen Qingbie laughed cheekily.
Yu An: “…”
She didn’t know why, but hearing that reason made her a bit happy, but also a bit annoyed.
“So shallow.” Yu An rolled her eyes at her, but her tone was full of fondness. “Thank you very much.”
"How can that be shallow! Looks are super important. Lots of my fans are into me just because of my looks. Isn't beauty also a kind of skill? It's not something others can get even if they want to." Shen Qingbie talked about her looks without even a tiny bit of shame. Her small mouth kept chattering: "A’Yu, when I saw you back then, I thought you could totally debut. Way better than the others in the company. But I know your personality, you don't really like to be in the spotlight. Later, when I acted in more shows, I felt it’s better you didn’t debut. Celebrities have to act in front of cameras, act during interviews, even when posting on Weibo they have to fake it and play a role. It’s too tiring. You work behind the scenes, and you make more than the stars under you. You count money ‘til your hands cramp, and you don’t even need to suffer through all that. You can be beautiful behind the scenes. It really fits you."
"My hands don’t cramp." Yu An cut her off, annoyed. "My hands are perfectly fine."
"Okay, okay, no cramping." Shen Qingbie’s eyes fell on Yu An’s slim fingers, long like green onions, and she mumbled, "I was just talking about your hand. Why are you getting mad?"
"I'm not mad," Yu An said.
She just felt a bit weird and annoyed for no reason.
"Good, not mad then." Shen Qingbie, thick-skinned as ever, scooted a little closer and said, "We're pretty sisters, after all."
Yu An: "…"
…Who wants to be sisters with her?
"A’Yu, sisters shouldn't keep secrets. I have to tell you something today." Shen Qingbie looked serious and said, "Ruanruan, I mean Ruan Yesheng, she's also my good sister. We've known each other a long time. But you're always so cautious, worried my friends might be unreliable and telling me to be careful, so I didn’t dare tell you I was friends with Ruanruan. But I promise you, Ruanruan is really nice. She's not like others. You even met her before on the Sui Ting set. You're good at reading people—I'm sure you can tell, her character is great, and she's super kind to me too."
This time, Yu An didn’t look surprised. She said calmly, "I already noticed before. You and her are really close. You even pretended in front of me."
"You knew?!" Shen Qingbie got super excited, then jumped forward and hugged Yu An. "A’Yu, you’re amazing! I knew it! You're so smart—how could I possibly fool you? I was just worrying about how to tell you the truth!"
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Yu An was hugged and instantly froze up.
Shen Qingbie didn’t notice anything strange about Yu An and said, “Even though Ruanruan and I are close like sisters too, don’t worry, A’Yu, I’m still closest to you. You’re number one. Ruanruan can only be second. That’s just how it is.”
Yu An was almost suffocating in her warm hug. It wasn’t that Shen Qingbie hugged her too tightly, but more like her own chest felt hot, and she couldn’t breathe right.
“A’Yu, I swear, you’re the only one I’ve ever kissed on the cheek.” Shen Qingbie’s eyes sparkled. “See how close we are? We’re the closest sisters.”
Yu An: “…”
…Who wants to be close with her?
“I need to tell you a second thing too,” Shen Qingbie added.
“There’s more?” Yu An quietly tried to steady her breathing.
“Xi Mo is my idol.” Shen Qingbie looked at Yu An carefully.
Yu An: “...”
Shen Qingbie asked, “Did you already guess that too?”
Yu An: “…”
…That, she really didn’t see coming.
When she watched the wrap party livestream before, she could tell Shen Qingbie was crazily giving gifts to Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng. But she thought Shen Qingbie was mostly giving them to her friend Ruan Yesheng. Since Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo were close, Shen Qingbie just gave some to Xi Mo too, to make Ruan Yesheng happy.
She didn’t expect Xi Mo to be Shen Qingbie’s idol?
If the fans found out about this, wouldn’t the whole world go crazy?
Yu An gave a soft cough. She put on a face like she had everything under control and said, “Yeah, I guessed it already. It wasn’t hard. Last time you even gave her gifts.”
This time Shen Qingbie got super excited. She leaned in and gave Yu An a kiss on the cheek and said happily, “I knew you’d guess it! You’re the smartest!”
Yu An: “…”
Her face suddenly got super hot, red like a steamed crab. She quickly let go of Shen Qingbie and stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingbie asked.
Yu An felt her whole body getting hot. She just wished she could go take another shower. She said, “Don’t go kissing people all the time. Don’t make that a habit.”
“I didn’t kiss anyone else,” Shen Qingbie looked aggrieved. “I only kissed you. You don’t like it?”
Yu An heard her say the word “like,” and her heart felt like it was going to burst. But she knew Shen Qingbie too well. The “like” Shen Qingbie talked about wasn’t the same “like” she hoped for.
“…I like it.” The towel in Yu An’s hand had already gone cold. She forced herself to say, “I mean, it’s okay to kiss me. But don’t kiss other people, got it? The entertainment world is a deep pool. If you act too close with people, first you’ll easily get tricked, and second, the media might twist the story and blow it up.”
“I know, I know.” Shen Qingbie nodded again and again. “You’ve said that like eight hundred times.”
Yu An sighed. She felt like even saying it eighty thousand times still wouldn’t be enough. Shen Qingbie was too simple-minded. How could she feel at ease?
“But it’s fine if you like it.” Shen Qingbie sat on the bed, smiling with full happiness. “I like it too.”
Yu An felt that her smile right now was burning too bright. She wanted to look at her more, but was scared that her eyes would get burned.
“The thing about Xi Mo being your idol, besides me, who else knows?” Yu An kept worrying.
“Besides you, only Ruanruan.” Shen Qingbie got a little sad. “I want Xi Mo to know, but she would probably get scared, right? My fans and her fans fight like cats and dogs every day. It's good enough that she doesn’t try to avoid me.”
"Xi Mo is very well-mannered. She won’t deliberately avoid you. Last time on the Sui Ting set, she was also very polite to you. But if she finds out, of course she will be surprised." Yu An’s face sank. "But the media and the fans must not find out. Or else it will blow up. Those fans who used to speak up for you might unfollow you in huge numbers. Remember, keep it a secret."
"I understand." Shen Qingbie nodded, feeling wronged. "I'll hide it in my heart."
Yu An couldn’t stand seeing her so upset. She walked over and rubbed her head, saying, "Some likes don’t need to be shouted out loud. Even if the world doesn’t know, you can still keep liking your idol."
"Thank you, A’Yu," Shen Qingbie said, touched. "I was thinking, maybe you’d think it’s not right for me to see Xi Mo as my idol."
"If it were someone else, I might need to think about it," Yu An said, giving Xi Mo a pretty high rating. "But Xi Mo is okay."
"A’Yu, you really have good taste!" Shen Qingbie shook Yu An’s shoulder. She couldn’t hide how happy she was.
What could be better than nervously telling A’Yu the truth about her friend and her idol, and hearing A’Yu say both of them were people worth trusting?
….
Time passed. Ruan Yesheng finished her shower, picked up her phone, and looked at it again. Yan Mu had sent her a few more messages, but Shen Qingbie still hadn’t replied.
Did Shen Qingbie fall asleep? That didn’t seem like her style.
Ruan Yesheng casually replied to Yan Mu, telling him she was going to rest. Then she sat on the edge of the bed, but her mind just wouldn’t settle down.
Xi Mo should be done showering by now, right?
Ruan Yesheng pretended to be calm and waited for quite a while, but still didn’t get any message from Xi Mo.
She paced inside the hospital room, walking back and forth. She wanted to go check on Xi Mo, but she couldn’t think of a proper reason. And she was even more afraid to disturb Xi Mo’s rest.
Today has been a scary day. Xi Mo’s body had just recovered from the allergy. She must really need some quiet time to rest.
Ruan Yesheng held herself back and decided not to bother Xi Mo.
She lifted the blanket and was about to lie down, when suddenly the door was knocked on gently.
Ruan Yesheng walked over and opened the door. Her face froze at once, and her feet stopped moving.
Xi Mo was standing right outside the door, staring at her.
She was stunned for a while. Then Ruan Yesheng snapped out of it like waking from a dream. She was surprised and happy and said, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come back? Why are you here now?”
Xi Mo looked kind of uneasy. After a long while, she spoke softly, “Ruan Yesheng, I remembered I didn’t say good night to you yet, so I came over.”
Ruan Yesheng was completely stunned.
That sentence pulled her back into old memories.
Before, on the college campus, in the hotel hallway during filming, she had said the same thing to Xi Mo. She said she hadn’t heard her say good night yet, and she wouldn’t leave until she did.
Those good nights were ones Ruan Yesheng begged for, even throwing away her pride to ask.
But now, Xi Mo came over on her own, just to say it.
It wasn’t something she had to beg for anymore.
Instead, it was a murmur of those two words that Xi Mo wanted to personally say to her.
Author’s Note:
Solar System’s Straight Girl: “You’re my closest sister.”
Galaxy's Straight Girl: “Who’s your closest sister?”
Universe's Straight Girl: “Good night.”
Earth Lesbian: “Happy.”
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