BSG - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

After getting home, Yun Youqing excitedly called Tao Fangran. "Fangran, Fangran, Fangran!"

"What, what, what?" Tao Fangran finished the parallel structure, then asked, "What happened? You sound really happy."

"Hehe." Yun Youqing couldn't help but giggle twice more. "Wenxin proactively let me hold her hand today~"

Tao Fangran: "?" Tao Fangran: "That's it?" Still Tao Fangran: "Wake up. Straight girls are like that. It doesn't matter to them, sister holding sister's hand."

"It's more than that!" Yun Youqing said. "I asked if we could interlace our fingers, and she actually said yes, instead of telling me not to push my luck! Before, whenever I pushed my luck, she would definitely stop me!"

Tao Fangran raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" As someone who didn't want to see her friend fall into a straight-girl trap, she still chose to pour a basin of cold water on Yun Youqing. "Could it be that she's just gotten used to you doing this and doesn't care anymore?"

"But she also said she wanted to see me today."

"Huh???" Tao Fangran instantly sat up straight.

Yun Youqing repeated, "She said she wanted to see me." Shen Wenxin had never proactively said such a thing to her before. It was precisely because of this sentence that she felt everything that happened during tonight's walk held an unusual significance. That significance... could it be a signal that Shen Wenxin's heart was fluttering? Could she also have feelings for me?

Tao Fangran's voice came through the phone, carrying the same confusion as hers. "Wow. What does Shen Wenxin mean by that? Is she flirting with you?"

Yun Youqing: "I don't know." A little expectantly, she asked, "Do you think she might... like me a bit, too?"

Tao Fangran also said, "Don't know."

"Straight girls—mysterious and unfathomable. When the straight girl is Shen Wenxin, it's even more mysterious and unfathomable."

Yun Youqing understood this logic, too. But she was still happy. Happy about Shen Wenxin's honesty, about the warmth in her palm, about everything that happened tonight. The hand warmer Shen Wenxin gave her was still radiating heat. She'd forgotten to return it, and Shen Wenxin hadn't asked for it back. She clutched it tightly, turning her head to look out the window, her gaze drifting further and further, like a ship sailing away. The destination her heart yearned for was the place where Shen Wenxin was. So, will you like me?

---

Shen Wenxin was also pondering this question. She leaned silently against the floor-to-ceiling window, her gaze stretching into the distance. As if looking at the stars in the sky, or perhaps looking toward where a certain person was.

A moment later, her eyes slowly fell onto the bright screen in her hand. The interface was frozen on Yun Youqing's chat window. Their conversation and her own impatience were clearly visible. And that contact name. A clear, unique contact name. She had never written such a contact name for anyone else. Other people's contact names were either birthdays or company names—uniform and unremarkable. Only Yun Youqing was different. Only Yun Youqing was always different.

Yun Youqing was always getting closer, and she was always indulging her. Whenever Yun Youqing looked pitiful, she couldn't bring herself to say harsh words. Knowing perfectly well that Yun Youqing liked her, she still couldn't ever completely reject her. She even gave her a special contact name. She even thought of her while on a business trip. She even disliked another person because Yun Youqing might fall for them.

These incidents, one by one, clearly laid before her eyes. Shen Wenxin increasingly felt that something was truly wrong with her. She even felt relieved that Yun Youqing was still close to her. Shen Wenxin's frown deepened. Is this what it means to like someone? Do I like her?

"What are you thinking about?" Jin Hanshuang's voice suddenly landed by her ear. Snapping out of it, she realized Jin Hanshuang had already come to her side. "You rushed out in a hurry, and now you're back, staring into the distance, lost in thought. What's going on?" Jin Hanshuang looked worried. "Another worry?"

Shen Wenxin looked at the familiar face before her. She opened her mouth and said very honestly, "The same thing."

Jin Hanshuang immediately understood. She smiled, crossing her arms, her tone very gentle. "You just went to see her?"

Shen Wenxin nodded. She pressed her lips together, then spoke again, asking a question she'd been wondering about for a while. "Xiao Ma, what is... liking someone?"

Jin Hanshuang was first taken aback, then smiled faintly. "The moment you ask me this question, it's already liking."

Shen Wenxin's eyes narrowed slightly, her expression bewildered.

Jin Hanshuang said with a smile, "Liking is caring. It's curiosity. It's saying one thing and meaning another. It's finding the other person cute. It's unconsciously giving them special treatment. And it's also disliking every single person who might potentially develop into a romantic partner with them."

After hearing this, Shen Wenxin suddenly realized that she could match every single one of those points. How could every single one so perfectly align with her current state of mind? She found it both wondrous and amusing, and couldn't help but laugh. "It's like you're pointing right at me." It seemed she really did like Yun Youqing. Yun Youqing, who's cute when she smiles and cute when she doesn't.

Jin Hanshuang didn't look surprised at all. It was completely within her expectations. She also smiled. "It makes Xiao Ma very happy that you can be so honest." Then she added, "But before that, you should first confirm whether you're actually bent now."

Shen Wenxin: "?" Shen Wenxin: "There's a nuance to this?"

Jin Hanshuang nodded. "Yes. Because some people are just momentarily curious. If they were truly asked to date someone of the same sex, they couldn't accept it. Wouldn't that just wrong the other party again?"

Shen Wenxin raised an eyebrow. Being a bit more rigorous was also good. Yun Youqing had been hurt too deeply by her ex; she couldn't let Yun Youqing get hurt again because of her own rashness. "How do I confirm?"

"Do you want to kiss her?" Jin Hanshuang was very direct.

Shen Wenxin paused. "If she wanted to take things further with you, the kind that requires turning off the lights, could you accept that?" Jin Hanshuang was super direct.

"... " Shen Wenxin inexplicably laughed. "That direct?"

Jin Hanshuang smiled calmly and laid her palm over Shen Wenxin's heart. "There's nothing to it. Love and desire are intertwined. Facing your desires for your partner is nothing to be ashamed of."

Partner... Shen Wenxin felt this title was still too soon to apply to her and Yun Youqing. After all, she still didn't know the answers to those questions right now.

Jin Hanshuang didn't hear her answer and understood her need for rigor. That was good; it meant being responsible toward both sides. She raised her hand and gently stroked her daughter's face. Her eyes were gentle, and her tone was gentle, like a spring breeze. "Wenxin, no matter the outcome, Xiao Ma congratulates you on gaining a new experience in your life." The ethereal feeling of liking, the wavering emotions, being swayed by another person's joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, a mind that overthinks, a heart that feels sour and astringent—these were all wondrous things in the world. It wasn't a bad thing if one's life lacked this experience, nor was it a bad thing to have it. "Of course, Xiao Ma hopes both of you end up with a good result. That you can both be happy and blessed, perfectly complete."

Jin Hanshuang sent a wave of auspicious words. Shen Wenxin's eyes curved. "I understand. Thank you, Xiao Ma."

---

Shen Wenxin had taken all of Jin Hanshuang's words to heart. Not only that, but she was also searching her memories for relevant fragments that could answer these questions. Do I want to kiss Youqing? Do I have... those feelings for her? In the end, there was absolutely no result. She simply couldn't remember ever having any improper thoughts about Yun Youqing. Or rather, she had never thought about it. If she truly had such thoughts, how could she not remember? How could she not have noticed something was off?

She sat in her office pondering, frowning deeply as she pondered.

Just then, Jiang Rumeng sent her a message. [Jiang Rumeng]: Sent you some wine. Remember to sign for it.

Shen Wenxin was used to this. Jiang Rumeng indeed liked wine—liked collecting it, and liked gifting it to friends around her. She'd received it several times before. Almost simultaneously, there was a knock on Shen Wenxin's office door. "Come in." Her secretary walked in, carrying a box. "President Shen, a delivery from Miss Jiang."

Shen Wenxin: "... " Both in A City and she does delivery. "Put it on the table. Thanks for the effort."

The secretary left. Since she was free anyway, Shen Wenxin opened the delivery directly. The moment she saw the exquisitely packaged red wine inside, what popped into her mind was Yun Youqing's face. The Yun Youqing who once patted her chest and guaranteed she'd take good care of her if she ever got drunk. Her slender fingers gently traced the round bottle. An idea took root. Good things should be shared with the one you like. Why not use this chance to seek out Yun Youqing? Did she have to wait until Liu Zhao invited Yun Youqing out and then sit there regretting it?

Thinking of Liu Zhao, her long fingers hastily brushed past the bottle. In the blink of an eye, the phone was already in her hand. She opened WeChat. No. What was the point of slow text messages at a time like this? She exited, opened her contacts, found Yun Youqing's number, and dialed.

A few seconds later, a familiar female voice came through the receiver. "Hello? Why are you suddenly calling?"

"Inviting you out," Shen Wenxin was completely direct. "To fulfill an agreement."

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

Shen Wenxin leaned against her desk, a smile on her lips, and gently helped her jog her memory. "Someone once promised me they would also take good care of me if I got drunk."

"Oh!" Yun Youqing remembered. "Oh, oh!" The next second, she was confused. "But you don't sound drunk at all?" Then, more confusion. "Why are you drinking in broad daylight? No work today? Something on your mind?" A barrage of questions. Shen Wenxin couldn't even get a word in. But she didn't find it annoying. She listened patiently, smiling, waiting until Yun Youqing finished before speaking. "I haven't been drinking. I wanted to invite you to drink." She looked back at the wine Jiang Rumeng had sent. "A friend sent two bottles of nice wine. Want to taste them together tonight? Or do you already have plans?"

"Nope! This person's schedule is very free today," Yun Youqing's voice was light and cheerful. "At your place?"

Shen Wenxin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Mm. My place."

"What time?"

"Say, eight o'clock."

"Okay~ See you tonight."

"See you tonight."

The call ended. Shen Wenxin placed her hand on the delivery box, feeling immensely relieved. Thank goodness Liu Zhao hadn't beaten her to it this time.

Yun Youqing watched her screen go dark. The dark screen reflected her own image, vaguely showing the upward arch of her happy brows. —She's been seeking me out a bit frequently lately, hmm.

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