BSG - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Shen Wenxin was admiring Yun Youqing's home. It felt a bit novel because of the decor style. The interior design of Yun Youqing's place was very interesting. A pure, creamy white served as the base, while the furniture predominantly featured bright, warm colors—neither monotonous nor jarring, yet magically cohesive, not the slightest bit cluttered. Instead, it was warm and amusing. Just like Yun Youqing herself. Always vibrant and colorful, always wonderfully diverse.

But she didn't see Yun Youqing's collectibles shelf.

Yun Youqing poured Shen Wenxin a glass of warm water. This was Shen Wenxin's first time inside her home, and on the very day of her return. She felt a tiny bit of joy. "Here."

"Thanks." Shen Wenxin took the glass, warmth transferring to her palm. She asked, "Where's that shelf of yours with all the little trinkets?"

"Oh, in the study. I moved it there." Yun Youqing turned around. "Come on, I'll show you."

The pristine white continued all the way to the study door. Upon opening it, greenery suddenly became more prominent. The color scheme in the room was also very simple—the most basic wood tones. Placing a large wooden shelf here didn't feel out of place at all. Shen Wenxin looked on appreciatively. "The study is beautiful, too. Our great painter really knows how to use color."

"Of course~" Yun Youqing was quite proud. She didn't like monotonous styles. This was her own place anyway; she didn't care what others thought, so she used all sorts of colors to decorate it and could seamlessly connect different areas. The style of the art studio was different, too—super willful, haphazard, and chaotic.

Shen Wenxin smiled. The great painter was unconventional, very interesting. She followed Yun Youqing to the collectibles shelf. The shelf, relocated to the study, had glass coverings for each layer. All sorts of little trinkets were arranged behind the pristine glass, positioned according to Yun Youqing's whims. Some were gathered for a barbecue; some sat together reading; others chased the moon. A lively little world. And very cute, just like the person who created it.

Shen Wenxin spoke. "Yun Youqing is really impressive."

Yun Youqing felt a bit smug, then looked at Shen Wenxin, her eyes sparkling with barely concealed mirth. "But why did you come over at this hour?"

"This hour?" Shen Wenxin glanced at her watch. "Just past eight. Not too late, is it?"

Yun Youqing smiled. "You just got back. A long journey. I thought you'd want to rest properly."

"I rested," Shen Wenxin said. "Slept the whole afternoon at home. That's enough."

Yun Youqing nodded in understanding, then asked, "So why did you think to come? Couldn't you have given me the gifts another day?"

Shen Wenxin said, "You like these things, don't you?" Her finger, holding the water glass, pointed at the shelf. "I thought seeing these little trinkets as soon as possible would make you happy."

Yun Youqing's heart grew even happier. —Shen Wenxin actually wanted to make me happy! She suppressed the smile tugging at her lips and said haughtily, "What, is my happiness that important?"

Shen Wenxin asked back, "Is it not?"

Yun Youqing followed her lead and asked with a smile, "Is it important?"

Shen Wenxin ended the question game. "It's important."

Yun Youqing couldn't hold back her smile any longer; she beamed openly. Happy. So happy. Because she was also important in Shen Wenxin's heart. "I didn't expect you to buy me gifts. You were thinking of me even in Paris?" The first sentence was true; the second was a joke. But she just wanted to make this joke. What if? What if Shen Wenxin responded—

"I did."

Shen Wenxin's voice landed in her ear. In that instant, her heart seemed to skip a beat, then raced faster and faster. Thump-thump, thump-thump—so fast it felt like it would jump right out, leap before Shen Wenxin, and show her how happy that single sentence made her. So when she was thinking of her, Shen Wenxin was also thinking of her...

"But you weren't thinking of me." Shen Wenxin stated.

Yun Youqing: "?" She immediately retorted, "That's slander!" There wasn't a single day she hadn't thought about this straight girl!

Shen Wenxin raised an eyebrow when she saw this, staring at her intently. "You were thinking of me?"

Yun Youqing nodded emphatically. "Mm!"

Shen Wenxin abruptly shifted the topic. "Then why didn't you chat with me?"

Yun Youqing froze. "What?"

Shen Wenxin repeated, word for word. "Yun Youqing. Why didn't you chat with me?"

Yun Youqing: "... " Her mood instantly became very nuanced. There was happiness and surprise. "So you noticed."

"?"

"I actually thought you wouldn't notice I hadn't been chatting with you."

"... " Shen Wenxin poked her forehead, both amused and exasperated. "I'm not an idiot."

Yun Youqing said, "If I don't seek you out, you won't seek me out?"

Shen Wenxin suddenly understood. "So you were angry about this."

Yun Youqing didn't catch on. "What?"

Shen Wenxin: "You weren't talking to me because I wasn't proactively chatting with you, and you got angry."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'll change in the future." Friendship indeed couldn't rely on just one person's initiative. She had gotten used to Yun Youqing taking the lead, always waiting for her to reach out. It was only natural for Yun Youqing to be unhappy after a while. It was right for Yun Youqing to be angry. Fortunately, she had bought a gift to appease her.

Yun Youqing looked completely bewildered. "?" Why was she suddenly apologizing to her? She didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend. "What and what? What are you talking about?"

Shen Wenxin also sensed something was off and frowned. "You weren't angry with me?"

Yun Youqing also frowned. "Why would I be angry with you?"

Shen Wenxin's frown deepened. "Then why haven't you been chatting with me for so long?"

Yun Youqing finally understood. "Ah~ So that's what you meant."

Shen Wenxin: "Hmm? Was it not about that?"

Yun Youqing raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Originally, no. But now it can be."

Shen Wenxin finally realized she'd misunderstood the whole time. She took a step closer to Yun Youqing, a half-smile on her face. "If it wasn't for that reason, then why?"

Yun Youqing said matter-of-factly, "To let go of you!"

"?!"

"I'm always the one reaching out to you. Everything I do, I think of you. This will only make me fall deeper and deeper, and in the end, gain nothing. You and I probably wouldn't even be able to stay friends." Yun Youqing looked at Shen Wenxin earnestly. "I really like you. Be it romantic or platonic. So, I want us to last. That means I need my heart to calm down; it can't always be thinking of you."

Shen Wenxin couldn't help but say, "But by distancing yourself from me this way, won't our friendship also gradually drift apart?"

Yun Youqing naturally understood that, too. She didn't want that outcome either, which was why she was more conflicted and torn than anyone. "Then, then if I don't seek you out, you can seek me out. If you seek me out, I can still go out with you, eat with you, as a friend!"

Shen Wenxin lowered her eyes and chuckled softly. "So it can work that way."

Yun Youqing then patted Shen Wenxin's shoulder. "But don't worry. I'm currently implementing Plan B. If it succeeds, we won't need to do this."

"What plan?"

"Finding someone else to date!"

"?"

Yun Youqing's expression was radiant. "If I like someone else, then I won't like you anymore. Then we can be friends with complete peace of mind!"

Shen Wenxin raised an eyebrow. "So Liu Zhao is this candidate?"

Yun Youqing nodded. "She's so pretty, and she speaks so nicely. There's no harm in trying to cultivate some feelings with her. If we can't, then I'll just consider it making a friend and move on to someone else. Plenty of pretty older sisters in the world!"

Shen Wenxin suddenly didn't know what to say. "I thought..." She stopped herself, then changed tack. "Very well." Another one. "Highly feasible." And a final one. "You go for it."

This really piqued Yun Youqing's curiosity. "What did you think?"

Shen Wenxin didn't hide it. "I thought you were angry with me, deliberately giving me the cold shoulder to go make new friends at the party."

Yun Youqing blinked blankly. "?" She snapped back to reality, shocked. "Shen Wenxin, how could you think so badly of me!"

Shen Wenxin also found herself ridiculous at this moment and laughed despite herself. "I'm sorry."

Yun Youqing didn't let her off. "A 'sorry' is all?"

Shen Wenxin humbly admitted her mistake. "Then what would Miss Yun like me to do?"

Yun Youqing thought for a moment and came up with something. "Punish you to buy me little gifts every time you go on a business trip from now on."

Hearing this, Shen Wenxin smiled and raised her eyes to look at Yun Youqing. "Alright." In that instant when those peach-blossom eyes glanced over, they shimmered with autumn waves. Her slightly upturned lips made this face radiate a bright beauty. Yun Youqing suddenly lost her voice, her heart surging. "... " So annoying. Why do you have to smile so beautifully! Yun Youqing averted her gaze.

But in this wonderful moment, the scene she had witnessed last night surfaced in her mind. So, does Wenxin know that her stepmom is with her sworn enemy? Should I ask? Should I tell her?

Shen Wenxin was looking at Yun Youqing's collection, even smiling when she saw something interesting. The moment Yun Youqing saw that smile, she dropped the thought of speaking. Previously, she had mentioned to Shen Wenxin that she knew the Lu family, Lu Yunshu, was the Shen family's rival. Shen Wenxin hadn't denied it back then; their relationship was probably still bad. Forget it. Better not say anything yet. Shen Wenxin just got back from a business trip; I should spare her the aggravation. Let Shen Wenxin be happy and cheerful for a while first.

Shen Wenxin now proactively sought out Yun Youqing. As Yun Youqing had said, she couldn't seek out Shen Wenxin, but Shen Wenxin could seek out her. They still had to be friends.

Around three in the afternoon, she asked Yun Youqing out for dinner that evening. She even had a restaurant in mind. But she was refused.

[Yun Youqing]: I can't make it.

"?" Didn't she say she could seek her out? How come she was refusing? [Shen Wenxin]: Why?

[Yun Youqing]: Because someone already invited me first. I can't stand them up.

Shen Wenxin inexplicably asked an extra question. [Who did you make plans with?] After sending this message, a name surfaced in her mind. It couldn't be... And Yun Youqing's answer arrived, too: —Liu Zhao. [Liu Zhao.]

Shen Wenxin: "... " She suddenly felt a bit unhappy again.

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