Chapter 8: A Slap of Truth

“Liu Ya… my parents are dead…”

“…Yeah. Old Liu told me.”

Yaqi forced a smile and looked down.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m too careless…”

“Because I always believed that if you’re good-hearted, things will turn out well. So I didn’t like to think too deeply about a lot of things. But in the end, I just kept making mistakes…”

“What mistakes? No one could have done anything about that car accident…”

“No… Actually, I had a vague feeling back then…”

“How could that be…”

Yaqi lowered her head weakly upon hearing this.

“Because I remembered later. On the morning of the accident, when Dad was taking me to school. I could faintly hear that the engine sounded different from usual, but I didn’t know much about cars, so I didn’t think much of it…”

“Looking back now… that must have been the cause. The car was probably already malfunctioning, and I noticed but didn’t say anything…”

“That… might not necessarily be the reason…”

“I don’t know… But it seems like everyone I care about gets hurt because of me… Mom and Dad, and you, Liu Ya…”

“…”

“If I had noticed and warned them, maybe none of this would have happened!”

“If I hadn’t been afraid and had told you directly that I was going abroad, I wouldn’t have hurt you for so long, Liu Ya… If…”

“…”

Liu Ya didn’t reply. She just listened quietly. Though she couldn’t see Yaqi’s face at the moment, she could feel the sadness in her heart through the slight tugging sensation from her hair…

Yaqi was silent for a while, then slowly spoke:

“Liu Ya… do you think I shouldn’t…”

Suddenly, Liu Ya spun around, and a crisp slap echoed through the bathroom.

Liu Ya stood up, staring fiercely at the stunned Yaqi, large teardrops rolling down from the corners of her eyes…

“Tang Yaqi! What were you about to say?”

“I…”

Liu Ya’s slap was hard, knocking Yaqi straight to the floor. Yaqi said nothing, just silently accepted it, covering her face with her hand…

“You… are you telling me all this just to say that? Then shut up! I don’t want to hear it!”

Liu Ya shouted, tears streaming uncontrollably…

“I’m also sad about Uncle and Auntie’s accident! But what does that have to do with you? Why do you have to take all the blame on yourself?”

“Why are you so arrogant? You’re not some saint, how could you have possibly known what would happen?”

Yaqi sat on the floor, silent, eyes tightly shut, crying without a sound…

“I thought you were going to say something… but you just said such irresponsible words… Were those promises you made to me just to cheer me up? You’ve disappointed me so much!”

Liu Ya clenched her fists, her hands trembling slightly, gritting her teeth and slowly lowering her head. She said quietly:

“When my mother left me, I never said anything like that.”

“Tang Yaqi. You’re even older than me, and you dare to say such things…”

Liu Ya raised her head, a pained expression on her face as she continued:

“No one can change the past. What matters is cherishing the present!”

“If you really think you were wrong, then you should live well, don’t make them sad. If you really feel sorry for me, then make it up with action! Not by saying things like this to me!”

“Got it!”

Yaqi slowly opened her eyes, choked up, and froze for a moment. She wiped her eyes with her hand, looked up at Liu Ya, bearing that burning gaze…

“Liu Ya, I…”

Before Yaqi could finish, Liu Ya turned around and plopped down onto the stool.

“My hair isn’t even washed yet… You’re not suggesting I go out like this, are you?”

“…I understand.”

Yaqi slapped her face hard with both hands, blinked vigorously, then crouched back down and lifted that long hair, starting to rub it…

“…Sorry.”

“Don’t ever say that again, got it!”

“Mm. I won’t. Thank you, Liu Ya.”

Looking at the pitch-black hair tangled between her fingers, Yaqi felt a sense of relief, and a slight smile rose on her face…

(My left cheek is still burning… but thanks to Liu Ya’s slap!)

(What was I thinking… Liu Ya has been through this pain too, yet I said those things in front of her, forcing her to tear open her own scars to teach me a lesson…)

(So pathetic… I can’t be like this anymore! Liu Ya is right, I have to make up for my own mistakes!)

Yaqi looked up, staring quietly at the swaying back of Liu Ya’s head, feeling a surge of emotion…

(Liu Ya… she’s really become so strong now…)

Thinking this, Yaqi couldn’t help but laugh out loud…

“What are you laughing at…”

“Ah, nothing. Just thinking that you’ve become really amazing!”

“Th-that’s because you said that, so I hit you…”

“Ahaha… I didn’t mean that. And… I think you hit pretty well, Liu Ya…”

“What do you mean? You have that kind of kink?”

“Huh? No, no.”

Yaqi shook her head repeatedly, then explained with some relief:

“Actually, since the accident, I’ve been in a daze the whole time.”

“I’ve been trying to overcome it, but it hasn’t helped…”

“I was terrified of living alone in the future. I couldn’t imagine how I would get through each day…”

“When I came back home and had nowhere to go, I was alone at the airport… Relatives and friends didn’t want me. At that moment, I really thought about just…”

As she spoke, Liu Ya shifted her body, startling Yaqi so much that she flinched and quickly covered her face…

“Don’t… don’t hit me… I’m just talking… I won’t think that way again!”

“Heh… I just moved a little, look how scared you are. But… was there really no one? Not even a word of concern?”

“…No.”

“But thanks to Uncle Liu. It was getting dark, and just when I thought I’d be sleeping on the street that night, Uncle Liu came to pick me up. And he said he searched the entire airport to find me.”

“I see. Old Liu can still be useful sometimes…”

“Mm.”

Yaqi nodded and smiled happily.

“When I saw you today, Liu Ya, I was so happy. It felt like there was hope for life again! But… when you cried and said you never wanted to see me again, I felt like my heart completely collapsed…”

“I… I didn’t mean that! I was just so angry with you that I said too much… You left without a word, and now you come back without a word…”

“Ah, I’m not blaming you, Liu Ya. After all, it was my fault. It’s just that I was thinking, like you said, you’ve been through this pain too, but you’re completely different from me…”

“…It’s not that different…”

“Mm… no, it is different. I feel like I’ve been running away, unable to live when things get hard, never thinking about how to make up for it.”

“But you, Liu Ya, you can face it bravely, think about how to solve the problem, and try hard to move on.”

“See? Now you can go out, and your grades are so good. Aren’t these the results of your efforts? But compared to me… haha… it’s really embarrassing…”

“…”

(No, Qiqige, that’s not true. I’m not as good as you say.)

(Didn’t I suffer too? The reason I could face all this is because someone was with me during my hardest times! So I won’t let you talk about yourself like that!)

“It’s not that bad…”

“It’s okay, I’ve figured it out!”

“Liu Ya, you’re very important to me! I’ll do my best to make up for my mistakes!”

Liu Ya was stunned, her eyes wide. Her previously uneasy face instantly flushed red. She pressed her legs together and bit her lip…

(No… not… huh? Is that how you say it? This is practically like a confession in a novel…)

But before she could get excited for long, her tense eyelids drooped, and she sighed deeply…

(Make up for it… But Qiqige, you don’t understand my feelings at all. How are you going to make up for it?)

Feeling the slight pull on her hair, Liu Ya clasped her hands together, buried them between her legs, turned her head slightly, and asked quietly:

“Then… Yaqi, will you stay with me?”

“Well… when I go to college, I’ll move into the dormitory. Sorry, Liu Ya, for causing you trouble this year…”

“…”

Upon hearing this, the last trace of redness on Liu Ya’s face gradually faded, and her body slowly slumped…

“Your hair is about to smoke from all the rubbing! When are you going to lather it up!”

“Ah, I forgot… Close your eyes, Liu Ya, I’ll rinse it for you.”

Liu Ya closed her eyes. Yaqi stood up, turned on the faucet to adjust the water temperature, picked up the showerhead, and crouched in front of Liu Ya.

She rinsed the foam off her hands, brushed the hair on Liu Ya’s forehead back, shielded her forehead with her hand, and carefully rinsed from the hairline backward. After cleaning the front, she moved behind and rinsed the back.

(Forget it… There’s plenty of time anyway. No need to rush. I have to plan carefully, not act impulsively and cause more trouble!)

“Done.”

Liu Ya shook her head, flinging the water from her bangs, splashing Yaqi’s face.

Yaqi smiled wryly, stood up, put the showerhead back, and picked up the body wash and loofah. Just as she was about to squeeze some out, she froze, glanced at Liu Ya beside her, and looked troubled…

“Liu Ya… this… maybe you should do it yourself…?”

“Huh? Why?”

Liu Ya looked displeased, not understanding. She turned to look at her, and saw Yaqi’s eyes unconsciously flicker downward before quickly looking away, her face red…

“Because… well…”

Seeing Yaqi so shy, Liu Ya’s eyes widened innocently, her little mouth pouted, and her heart pounded…

(Qiqige is shy… Is she embarrassed to touch my body? But what’s there to be embarrassed about this flat chest? It’s like a child’s…)

(But… she used to have no problem with it, but now she’s shy. Could it be that Qiqige might like me?)

(If that’s true…)

Thinking this, Liu Ya began to believe in the possibility. And precisely because she believed it, an action that she hadn’t thought much of before now felt somewhat impure…

Liu Ya stood still for a moment, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. She slowly turned back and said quietly:

“Wh-what’s wrong with it? We’ve bathed together before… Or… do you want to do something lewd to me…?”

“H-how could I!”

“Then hurry up…”

“Alright…”

(She’s right… It’s no big deal! We used to bathe together often, and it’s just washing her back.)

(Besides, Liu Ya hasn’t changed much. If she doesn’t mind, then I’m the one being weird!)

Yaqi smiled and let out a breath, then generously squeezed body wash onto the loofah and started rubbing.

Liu Ya, on the other hand, had lost her earlier composure. She sat up straight, feeling as if the stool under her was a hot iron, making her restless, and she kept breathing heavily.

“Here I go.”

“…Okay!”

“Mmm!”

As soon as the loofah touched her pure white back, a delicate moan slipped from Liu Ya’s lips. Realizing what she had done, she quickly clamped her mouth shut.

“Wh-what’s wrong…”

“N-nothing… The loofah was too cold, that’s all. It startled me.”

“Shall I rinse it with warm water?”

“N-no need. It’s fine.”

“Oh.”

Yaqi gently moved the loofah across Liu Ya’s back. After finishing the back, she moved to the side, took Liu Ya’s small hand, lifted her arm, and carefully lathered every spot, missing nothing.

But for Liu Ya, who wanted to enjoy it, none of this was comfortable.

Yaqi was gentle, her technique delicate. But in Liu Ya’s mind, now tainted by impure thoughts, every touch felt like torture. She couldn’t relax at all; instead, her body tensed up even more.

“All done, Liu Ya.”

“Ha…”

Seeing that it was finally over, Liu Ya let out a trembling sigh and collapsed onto the stool, thinking it was over. But then Yaqi crouched beside her and handed her the loofah. Liu Ya looked at it, puzzled.

“What?”

“Huh? I’m done lathering…”

“Uh…”

Liu Ya hesitated for a moment, then turned away, biting her lip lightly, her cheeks red as if about to bleed. A fierce inner struggle raged within her.

On one hand, Qiqige might be interested in her, so she should continue testing and verifying her guess. On the other hand, this testing method was like killing oneself to injure the enemy; she might break down before Qiqige did.

After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Ya gritted her teeth and made up her mind. She turned back and looked at Yaqi, saying quietly:

“The… the front isn’t done yet…”

“Oh, okay. Then turn toward me, and I’ll do it.”

“Huh?”

Yaqi didn’t hesitate at all. She turned to squeeze more body wash onto the loofah. Liu Ya, on the other hand, panicked completely, waving her hands in the air.

(Huh? N-no… wasn’t Qiqige shy? Is this right? She didn’t hesitate at all! Th-this…)

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Ah! N-nothing…”

“Shall I start?”

“O-okay…”

Liu Ya slowly turned toward her. She lowered her head, hands obediently resting on her legs, biting her lip tightly, the corners of her mouth trembling as if she might cry at any moment.

Yaqi didn’t pay much attention. She brought the loofah toward Liu Ya.

As the loofah got closer and closer, Liu Ya’s heart pounded wildly, reaching its peak! Just as it was about to touch her, Liu Ya closed her eyes and shouted:

“N-no need! I’ll do it myself…”

“Ah! You scared me… But Liu Ya, didn’t you say you wanted me to do it?”

“I… I can reach the front myself, can’t I?”

As she spoke, Liu Ya covered her body and turned aside.

“Oh… okay… Here you go.”

“Mm…”

Yaqi handed the loofah to her. Liu Ya, blushing, took it with trembling hands and began to scrub her body. Yaqi, feeling a bit disappointed, silently sighed and stood up, moving aside.

(Did I scrub too hard… Liu Ya seemed unhappy again… I wanted to do it well… Hmm…)

“I’ll… take care of the rest myself… You can soak a bit more.”

“Oh, okay…”

Yaqi obediently walked into the bath and sat down, hugging her knees, quietly watching Liu Ya…

“Liu Ya… are we… still the same as before?”

Liu Ya slowly stopped her movements and froze, falling into silence. Seeing this, Yaqi’s heart clenched, and she closed her eyes tightly.

“Mm.”

After a moment, Liu Ya replied softly. Her voice was very quiet, but Yaqi caught it keenly. She instantly relaxed, the weight lifting from her heart. She looked at Liu Ya happily, a warm smile spreading across her face…

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