Chapter 7: Bathroom Reconciliation

The stairs in her house were only a few dozen steps, but they felt incredibly long right now.

Liu Ya knew why. She gripped the railing and let out a deep sigh. After standing there in a daze for a moment, she continued downstairs.

She stopped outside the bathroom. Liu Ya stared at the pink bra in her hand, lost in thought.

‘This is a bra, right? Ah… Sister Qiqi wears this now? Well, it makes sense, considering she’s not small down there…’

She placed the underwear on the rack. Just as she was about to undress, she glanced back at the bra. After thinking it over, she picked it up again and examined it carefully.

‘It’s pretty cute… We used to be the same size… Auntie said there was no change, but it’s changed so much!’

‘Then why haven’t I changed at all… I’m still wearing that tight undershirt from middle school…’

Liu Ya sighed softly, took off her clothes, and tossed them into the basket. She turned her head and noticed the neatly folded pile of clothes below.

Liu Ya stared for a while, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. She looked toward the bathroom. Seeing no movement inside, she turned back, swallowed, and picked up the jacket.

‘What kind of clothes are these? Aren’t foreign school uniforms supposed to look good? This is so tacky, I can’t even look at it…’

As she complained, she flipped the jacket over and noticed the school emblem on the left chest.

‘…Isn’t this Sister Qiqi’s middle school name? Is this her middle school uniform?’

‘Seriously… It smells like sweat…’

Liu Ya stared blankly at the clothes in her hand, her breathing growing heavier. She panted softly.

‘But… there’s also a hint of lemon blossom scent… Did she spray perfume?’

After confirming once more that there was no sound from the bathroom, she pressed her face directly into the damp clothes. Biting the rough fabric gently, she inhaled deeply.

‘It smells so familiar…’

“Ah-choo!”

A sudden sneeze from the bathroom snapped Liu Ya back to reality.

Startled, Liu Ya threw the clothes back into the basket. She shook her head violently, not stopping until she felt dizzy. Then she took deep breaths.

‘What… what am I doing? Seriously… Can’t I have some self-respect, Liu Ya? Don’t act like some unsatisfied nympho! She’s the one who made me sad for so long!’

‘Even if Auntie said what she said earlier, that doesn’t mean the past can be erased! Right! I can’t soften up… and I shouldn’t!’

‘In the end, it’s still Sister Qiqi’s fault! I haven’t forgiven her yet…’

Liu Ya quickly regained her composure, putting on a stern face. Just as she was about to pull open the door, she looked down at her own flat chest. She pursed her lips, turned around, grabbed a towel to wrap around herself, and then opened the door to step inside…

“Ah?”

The bathroom door was suddenly pulled open, startling Yaqi, who was in the tub. She quickly covered herself…

Liu Ya said nothing. She entered and closed the door behind her. Turning around, she walked straight to the edge of the tub. She stood there with her hips slightly shifted, arms crossed, looking down at Yaqi with a cold expression.

“Um… Liu Ya?”

“…”

“Are you still angry…?” Yaqi asked weakly.

“Tang Yaqi.”

“Ah! What… what is it…”

Being addressed by her full name in the bathroom was a first. Yaqi looked up at her in a daze…

“Am I some kind of pervert?”

“Huh? No…”

“Then why are you covering yourself? It’s not like you haven’t seen everything before!”

“No… it’s just…”

“Take your hands away! It’s making me uncomfortable…”

“…Okay.”

Yaqi obediently lowered her hands, placing them on the floor. Her face was bright red as she silently turned her head aside, almost burying her face in the water…

But the sight before her made Liu Ya stare in a daze. At this moment, Yaqi could be described as a stunning work of art.

Her flushed cheeks, her lively eyes, her rosy lips, all accentuated by the rising steam, gave off a hazy charm.

Her shy, half-covered pose was like a flexible snake, perfectly showcasing the beauty of a woman’s curves. Her wet hair hung freely over her shoulders, adding the finishing touch of temptation to this artistic scene.

Liu Ya stood motionless by the tub, hands on her hips. She appeared calm, but her mind had already drifted away. She gazed unblinkingly at the miracle before her, staring at the ripples on the water’s surface as they surged between snowy peaks…

“Liu… Liu Ya…”

“Huh?”

Liu Ya snapped back to reality, her face as red as a ripe apple. Yaqi was also blushing deeply, looking at her with embarrassment and pitifulness…

“What… what is it? Why are you calling me?”

“Aren’t you going to wash?”

“I… of course I’m going to wash! I’ll wash right now!”

“Then maybe I should step out first? You can wash, and I’ll wash after.”

Liu Ya paused, a hint of fear in her voice.

“What’s wrong… Don’t you want to see me?”

“Huh? No, no…”

“Then let’s wash together. Aunt Zhao will think I kicked you out.”

“Okay…”

Just as Liu Ya was about to untie her towel, she glanced at Yaqi and noticed her staring intently, cheeks red…

“What are you looking at? Turn around…”

“Ah! Okay…”

Yaqi quickly turned her head away. Seeing this, Liu Ya’s face also reddened…

She untied the towel and tossed it aside, then slowly stepped into the tub, sitting down across from Yaqi. She stretched out her legs, flicking her feet back and forth, stirring ripples…

‘Was Sister Qiqi just shy… because she saw my body? Does a body like mine make her shy too?’

The warm water lapped against her chest. Liu Ya’s heart pounded, and a glimmer of hope rose within her…

Seeing Yaqi staring blankly at the water, Liu Ya pretended to stretch her leg, aiming to touch Yaqi’s foot. But just as her toes were about to make contact, Yaqi quickly pulled her leg back, shifting her body slightly to the side, sitting cross-legged.

Liu Ya looked at the folded white legs, feeling a pang of disappointment. She opened her mouth slightly, furrowing her brows. But then she bit her lip and spoke with some irritation:

“What are you doing? Am I some kind of ghost? Why won’t you even look at me?”

“No…”

“What haven’t you seen of me before? Acting like this now is really uncomfortable…”

“Sorry…”

Hearing this, Yaqi turned back. She looked up at Liu Ya with a bitter smile, then lowered her head again, her eyes filled with deep desolation.

At that moment, Liu Ya also clearly saw the wealth she had always longed for, and she glanced at it unhappily.

“Hmph… They’re pretty big…”

“Huh? Um…”

Realizing what Liu Ya was referring to, Yaqi’s face grew even redder. But afraid of making Liu Ya angry, she didn’t dare to cover herself. Instead, she brought her arms together and curled her legs, trying to hide the embarrassing parts.

But that only deepened the curve, stirring an inexplicable restlessness in Liu Ya’s heart. She didn’t know what to say.

After a moment of silence, they both spoke at once:

“Liu Ya…”

“Um…”

Liu Ya coughed and turned her head away, speaking softly:

“You go first…”

“Oh… well… it’s just… Liu Ya, I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“For many things… the past, and what happened at school today… I was really happy to see you today! But it seems like I just caused you trouble.”

‘School? Oh… Ha. Didn’t expect Sister Qiqi to be still so naive.’

Seeing Yaqi’s guilty expression, Liu Ya’s stern face softened a bit, but she still didn’t let up verbally:

“Hmph! You think a single apology can wipe away everything from before? You’re dreaming.”

“No, no! How could I think that…”

“I may not fully understand, but I can roughly grasp what my sudden departure meant to you, Liu Ya.”

“Because… I’ve been thinking about you all these years too. I was wrong! I’m really sorry!”

With that, Yaqi bowed her head deeply.

“…Anyone can say sorry.”

“I… I know…”

They fell into silence again. Yaqi kept glancing at Liu Ya, her hands trembling, her heart aching. But she forced herself to speak:

“It’s… it’s okay, Liu Ya. I’ll talk to Uncle Liu about staying in the dormitory. Don’t be angry. I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Huh?”

Liu Ya’s eyes widened in shock. Then a wave of inexplicable anger surged up, and she muttered through clenched teeth:

“I… what do you mean by that? You’re leaving again?”

“But… didn’t you say you didn’t want to see me, Liu Ya?”

“That was…”

‘…I didn’t expect Sister Yaqi to remember what I said during the day. Seriously! Why couldn’t I control myself then?’

‘I finally got this chance, and is it going to slip away just because of me? No… no way!’

“…”

“Liu… Liu Ya?”

Liu Ya lowered her head silently. Just as Yaqi was getting confused, a tear drop fell “plop” onto the water. Suddenly, Liu Ya looked up, her eyes blazing with anger as she cried out:

“Why do you listen to everything I say? If I had told you not to go abroad back then, would you have listened?”

“I…”

“You… you’re running away! Tang Yaqi, I hate you!”

“No, Liu Ya! No… I just wanted to… I…”

Yaqi’s eyes also reddened. She couldn’t hold on any longer and burst into tears, closing her eyes.

“Wah… I just didn’t want to make you angry… I know I was wrong… but I don’t know what to do… I know it’s all my fault! But what can I do now…”

“Why do I keep making mistakes?”

Yaqi lowered her head and sobbed loudly. Seeing her like this, Liu Ya couldn’t stop her own tears. She felt a fire burning inside her, scorching her heart.

Liu Ya stepped forward and grabbed Yaqi by the shoulders, shaking her as she cried:

“You… you can’t cry! And you can’t leave!”

“Wah…”

Yaqi’s crying grew louder; she didn’t hear what Liu Ya said. The sound was heartbreaking.

But that heartbreaking sound gradually sobered Liu Ya from her anger.

‘I… why am I like this again? Why do I lose my temper so easily? What am I doing?’

Liu Ya let go, her hands trembling. She sat back down, clenched her fists, and shouted:

“Stop crying!”

Yaqi was startled. She slowly opened her eyes, looking at Liu Ya with tears.

“Wah… Liu Ya…”

Seeing that Yaqi could finally listen, Liu Ya struggled to control her trembling throat and calm down. But even so, she had no idea what to say. She let her heart speak freely:

“I… I won’t allow you to suddenly disappear like that again! You said you don’t know what to do, right?”

“Then… just treat me like before!”

“…Wah… Like… before?”

In Yaqi’s mind, memories of the past with Liu Ya flashed. She also recalled what Auntie had said earlier: ‘Liu Ya is still the same as before. Just treat her like you used to.’

Yaqi rubbed her eyes, seeing Liu Ya already crying like a mess. She slowly calmed down, sniffled, and asked weakly:

“…Is that… really okay?”

“Of… of course it’s not that simple. You have to treat me better than before.”

“Mm… okay!”

“And! Whatever I say from now on, you have to listen! No arguing with me!”

“Mm-hmm! As long as you don’t hate me, I’ll listen to everything!”

“Hmph!”

Liu Ya wiped her tears, stepped out of the tub, and brought over a small plastic stool from the corner. She sat down facing the wall under the showerhead.

“Liu Ya?”

“I’m tired… Wash my hair for me. And make bubbles.”

“Ah… okay!”

Yaqi quickly got out of the tub. Liu Ya waited quietly. The slight coolness cooled her hot temper, and she let out a sigh.

At that moment, Liu Ya also recalled what she had just said.

‘My mind is completely blank… I really just said whatever came to mind… So embarrassing.’

‘But at least it turned out okay. I managed to salvage it in time.’

‘I’m sorry, Sister Qiqi, for losing my temper at you. Please don’t be mad at me… I’m sorry…’

Liu Ya sighed regretfully. Yaqi came behind Liu Ya and slowly crouched down. From behind, she leaned over to grab the shampoo under the showerhead.

Liu Ya jolted. A soft sensation touched her arm, and the corner of her eye caught the swaying evil thing suddenly appearing beside her face. Her face instantly turned red.

“You!”

“Ah? What’s wrong?”

“Move… move a bit farther. It’s too cramped.”

“Oh… okay.”

Yaqi stepped back a few paces. But the movement made other things jiggle as well.

Liu Ya pressed her lips tightly, trying hard not to succumb to the evil forces! But it was very difficult! In the end, she secretly glanced sideways.

“Is this okay?”

Yaqi looked at the shampoo bottle in her hand, then shook it in front of Liu Ya.

“Mm… it’s fine.”

Yaqi crouched down, put the bottle on the floor, pumped some shampoo into her palm, and rubbed it together. She turned, lifted Liu Ya’s wet, glossy long hair, and gently massaged it.

Feeling the slight tug on her hair, a smile slowly crept onto Liu Ya’s face.

‘Sister Qiqi is washing pretty seriously… speaking of which, she was always good to me. She would let me have my way since we were kids, and she protected me when I was bullied.’

‘Seriously… I just said I wouldn’t be nice to her, and then I act like this right after… So useless.’

Despite her reluctance, the familiar warmth of happiness prevailed. Liu Ya closed her eyes, enjoying a service she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

“Uh…”

“Did I pull your hair?”

“Mm… a little.”

“…”

Yaqi pursed her lips and slowly stopped her hands. Liu Ya said nothing, just waited quietly.

The scene was very quiet. The sound of water droplets falling from her hair onto the floor was crystal clear.

“Liu Ya…”

Yaqi broke the silence first.

“What is it?”

“Can… can I tell you what’s on my mind?”

“…Go ahead.”

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