Chapter 37: First Confession
After arranging a place for her parents to stay, Qin Mo quickly found an excuse to leave.
She was scared her parents would ask about the divorce. Of course, they wouldn’t force her to talk, but now even a small mention of it made her feel sad.
She left the hotel in a mess. Away from her parents, Qin Mo could finally drop her mask and show her wounds.
She walked to the corner, raised her hand to call a taxi, but then suddenly realized she didn’t even know where to go.
She gave a small bitter laugh and shook her head. The taxi driver saw she wasn’t getting in, stepped on the gas, and drove off.
Qin Mo turned around, lowered her head, and walked along the pedestrian street.
“Ms. Qin?”
A familiar voice came suddenly. Qin Mo looked up and saw it was Shen Jin.
“Wh-why are you here?”
Shen Jin was still wearing the same outfit she wore to “receive” her parents, only with a casual blazer on top.
She looked neat and confident. Then she gave Qin Mo a gentle smile. “I happened to pass by.”
“…”
It sounded like a lame excuse, but when Qin Mo looked up slightly at the tall, slim woman before her, she suddenly felt there was something noble about her.
Shen Jin usually dressed very casually, but now that she was in something a bit formal, that air of elegance around her couldn’t be hidden at all.
Qin Mo froze for a moment. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt that way, only that it was strange.
Maybe she was just thinking too much.
Shen Jin gently held her hand.
“Ms. Qin, you don’t know where to go, do you?” She seemed to see right through Qin Mo’s heart.
“Then come with me. Let your parents rest well for now. We’ll pick them up for dinner tonight.”
“Uh…”
Why did that sound like her parents were the in-laws or something? Qin Mo frowned a little, but Shen Jin had already waved to stop a taxi.
“Let’s go.”
She pushed Qin Mo gently into the car, sat beside her, and happily told the driver, “To Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street.”
“…”
It was around one fifteen in the afternoon. People were full and sleepy, so the street wasn’t very crowded.
Shen Jin led Qin Mo out of the taxi. Instead of heading for the shops, she went straight toward a small Western-style building by the river, designed like those from the Republic era.
The first floor seemed to be a snack shop. Shen Jin took Qin Mo through the passage next door and rode the elevator up to the second floor.
“Shen-Shen Jin,” Qin Mo said in confusion, “where are you taking me?”
a“You’ll know when we get there.”
When the elevator doors opened, the second floor’s layout had quite a Republican-era style*. A long narrow hallway, white walls, and wooden doors faced each other, four rooms in total.
*1912-1949, adoption and merging of western and traditional style - qipao for women and western style suit for men became popular in this era
Shen Jin first swiped open the reinforced glass security door, then entered a password to unlock one of the doors on the left, inviting Qin Mo inside.
The room was very clean and tidy, with wooden floors, spotless. A large projection screen hung on the wall, facing a light gray sofa and tatami mat.
The other small pieces of furniture looked cozy, leaving Qin Mo a bit dazed.
“This-this place is?”
“A private theater.”
Shen Jin opened the wooden cabinet at the side, took out a brand-new pair of slippers, and gently placed them before Qin Mo.
“Change your shoes.”
As she spoke, she also changed into her slippers, then went in to pull the thick blackout curtains closed.
The room instantly turned dark like night. Shen Jin turned on a soft floor lamp and powered up the projector.
“Ms. Qin, what kind of movie do you like to watch?”
“Uh…”
Qin Mo seemed a little uneasy, brushed her hair aside, and answered, “Whatever you want.”
Shen Jin smiled, pulled out a disc from the drawer.
She placed the now somewhat old-fashioned CD into the player and started it.
There were also drinks in the room. Shen Jin told Qin Mo to sit first, then she opened the mini bar and took out a bottle of brandy.
She poured a little. Holding the glass, Shen Jin came back, only to see Qin Mo staring blankly at the screen.
The movie Shen Jin picked was the famous and “old-fashioned,” “Titanic”.
“What’s wrong?”
Shen Jin put the glass on the small round table beside the sofa tatami and asked, “You don’t like it?”
“No.” Qin Mo shook her head. “It’s just that I… never mind.”
Seeing her hesitate to speak, Shen Jin thought for a moment, then suddenly paused the movie.
“Qin Mo,” she looked at her seriously, for once a little solemn, “are you unhappy?”
“Uh…”
Qin Mo instinctively avoided her gaze. “I-I’m not unhappy. I’m okay… Mm?”
Shen Jin suddenly reached out and gently touched Qin Mo’s cheek, making her look at her.
“Qin Mo,”
Her voice was calm, carrying a soft kind of strength. “I’m not just your mistress.”
Her deep eyes locked on Qin Mo’s as she leaned a little closer. “You can talk to me.”
“…”
The room was quiet, the light soft.
In such a private and peaceful space, it was easy to want to pour everything out.
Besides, Shen Jin’s sincere eyes made Qin Mo waver.
They no longer felt like strangers.
“I…”
Qin Mo thought for a long time before lowering her eyes and said softly, “I’m divorced.”
Shen Jin didn’t rush her and just waited quietly.
“We dated for three years and were married for three years.”
Qin Mo paused and took a deep breath. “Our first date was watching the re-release of Titanic.”
“Mm,” Shen Jin’s voice grew gentler. “Then—what’s the reason?”
Qin Mo stayed quiet for a long time before she spoke softly. “He cheated.”
“The other person was younger, and…”
She hesitated, but in the end, didn’t say that the mistress was also more ‘healthy,’ because she herself was frigid.
“Anyway, that’s it. We divorced.”
Qin Mo took another breath. She felt the corner of her eyes getting wet.
“I only dated him in college, when I was in grad school.”
“I was stupid back then. My dormmates were always breaking up and getting back together, dating all kinds of people. Only me… I seemed especially stupid.”
She gave a self-mocking smile and quietly wiped her eyes.
“Shen Jin, you don’t know. Others date to feel sweetness with someone. Only someone as stupid and old-fashioned as me, I dated with marriage in mind.”
“People said I was too stubborn, but I just didn’t want drama, or to waste too much effort chasing love. I just wanted something steady, something I could cherish.”
“At that time, my ex-husband had already graduated for a while. He looked motivated and treated me with care.”
“He had a house and a car. His conditions were pretty good. At least, from a marriage point of view, he was above average.”
“I studied public relations. After getting my master’s, I started working at a company. It was just the beginning. I had lots of social events to attend. I thought since my ex was older and had been in society for a few years, he’d be more mature, that he could understand and accept that I might not have much time for the family at first.”
Back then, Zhang Minsheng’s surface act was flawless. At least, it was enough to fool someone as straightforward and inexperienced in love as Qin Mo.
And Qin Mo’s thoughts were very simple. She didn’t care about the house or the car. She cared that Zhang Minsheng seemed like a mature man, someone who could understand her work in public relations and tolerate her often having to entertain clients.
Who would have thought, the maturity and tolerance he showed were all for one goal: to sleep with a pretty virgin.
For that goal, he kept up the act for three years.
“It’s okay now.”
Shen Jin quietly listened to Qin Mo’s story. When she finished, she leaned in and gently kissed Qin Mo’s forehead.
“To me, giving you up was his biggest loss.”
“Shen Jin…”
Qin Mo’s eyes suddenly grew misty.
Perhaps it was because she had shared so much about the situation at the time, but Qin Mo inexplicably wanted to rely on her, to be comforted by her.
She had really been bottling it up in her heart for a long time.
"Good girl, Qin Mo, it's okay now."
Shen Jin cupped the tear-streaked face of the little kitten, her lips gently brushing against Qin Mo's with utmost tenderness, kissing her.
Soft, tentative touches, lips meeting and parting, Shen Jin patiently waited until Qin Mo gradually parted her lips slightly, allowing Shen Jin to carefully slip her tongue inside.
"Mm."
A soft, wet tongue suddenly entered her mouth, and Qin Mo, unaccustomed, furrowed her brow slightly but was soon swept away by the lingering sensation.
Her eyes grew hazy, her vision blurring. In a half-dazed state, Qin Mo didn't even notice when Shen Jin had carried her to the wide, low sofa.
"Good girl."
Shen Jin coaxed her like one would a wounded kitten, taking a sip of brandy and passing it to Qin Mo.
The sweet liquor seeped from the corner of their lips, trickling down to her neck.
"Mm."
Shen Jin teased her little kitten with the tip of her tongue, and only when the taste of the brandy faded from their lips did she move to lick Qin Mo's neck.
A tingling sensation spread instantly, and Qin Mo, feeling restless, tilted her head and murmured, "Jin~"
Shen Jin's heart melted, and she moved to lick her earlobe, slowly teasing her little kitten.
One by one, Shen Jin removed Qin Mo's clothes, pressing the naked beauty beneath her, lifting her arms and interlocking their fingers.
Qin Mo's tearful eyes were hazy, half-closed, as if caught between dream and wakefulness.
Shen Jin slid her body between Qin Mo's legs, using her waist and abdomen to rub against Qin Mo's dark pubic hair.
She will make her happy, not just physically.
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