Chapter 37: A Night of Confessions

After eating and drinking their fill, the two went back to the room to sleep.

Lying in bed, Liu Ya faced the wall, clutching her stomach, silent. Yaqi, satisfied, lay flat on her back and let out a long sigh.

In the end, because Liu Ya had snatched Yaqi’s share, Aunt Zhao had intervened and taken out all of Liu Ya’s treasured chocolate and dried meat for Yaqi to enjoy.

Aunt Zhao had expected Liu Ya to complain, but seeing her face so red, she figured it would be a while before she recovered. She whispered to Yaqi to eat more.

Yaqi naturally agreed readily, declaring she would clear the plate.

But it was just talk. Seeing the packaging of the chocolate and dried meat, she knew they were expensive. When she opened them, everything was neatly arranged inside.

In the end, she only ate a few pieces, just a little snack.

After all, these were the treasures of Liu Ya, who used to sneak snacks every night as a child. It was best not to go too far.

The night was quiet. Maybe because she wasn’t hungry anymore, even the ticking of the clock didn’t seem noisy now.

Yaqi licked her lips, still able to taste the sweet fragrance of chocolate lingering in her mouth. She smiled, pulled the blanket closer to her face, and was about to sink into a chocolate-scented dream when she heard painful groans from beside her.

(Huh? Liu Ya?)

Yaqi turned her head and saw Liu Ya pulling the blanket toward herself, even taking some of Yaqi’s side, curled up like a ball, clutching her stomach.

(Liu Ya looks like… she probably ate too much… Hah! Serves her right for eating so much alone!)

Thinking this, Yaqi turned her head back and closed her eyes tightly.

“Mm…”

“Uh…”

“Mm…”

Yaqi tried hard to fall asleep, but the pitiful moans beside her, like a stray kitten, were really irritating.

She sighed helplessly, turned over, propped herself up, and nudged Liu Ya.

“Liu Ya, what’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“Mm… I’m fine.”

“Did you eat too much and get a stomachache?”

“…Yeah.”

“Really… Who told you to eat so much? You left me with nothing to eat…”

Even as Yaqi complained, her hand reached for Liu Ya’s stomach. Liu Ya had been rubbing it herself, so Yaqi’s hand could only cover hers. But soon, Liu Ya slowly relaxed, removed her hands, and silently turned over to lie flat, though her face still faced the wall.

“See? Does it feel better?”

“Mm… It does seem a bit better…”

Liu Ya’s voice had softened, but then it turned sharp again.

“But… I didn’t ask you to do this. You’re doing it willingly. It has nothing to do with me!”

“I… I just didn’t want you to suffer, okay? Then I won’t help you!”

Saying that, Yaqi let out a “Hmph” and was about to pull her hand back, but Liu Ya quickly grabbed it.

“You… Are you going back on your word? You promised me!”

“I…?! Ah… Fine, fine. I’m doing it willingly, okay? Just don’t let it hurt.”

“Mm…”

Liu Ya replied softly. Yaqi found it both infuriating and amusing, but she still gently rubbed Liu Ya’s stomach. Liu Ya’s hand then lightly covered Yaqi’s, grabbing it.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Yaqi… back at the table… what did you mean…”

“Huh? What?”

Yaqi was confused. But Liu Ya was so shy she could barely speak. Just thinking about the scene at the table made her heart race until she could hardly breathe. She mumbled with difficulty:

“Just… you… why did you eat directly from my mouth… I had already eaten it…”

“Hmph! You have the nerve to say that. If I hadn’t snatched it, there would have been none left. Aunt Zhao made it so delicious, and I only had one piece…”

“But! But… your mouth touched…”

Liu Ya’s voice got quieter and quieter, like a little mosquito.

“Huh? What?”

“I… I said… your lips touched…”

“Touched… what?”

“My… my lips…”

“Ah? Really?”

“Mm…”

Liu Ya nodded weakly.

“Oh… maybe it was an accident. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed. Haha.”

Yaqi laughed awkwardly. Liu Ya immediately turned her head, looking at her with a face full of grievance:

“How could you not notice? That… that was my first kiss!”

“Ah… ah? First… first kiss?”

“What else would it be?!”

Liu Ya struggled to sit up, staring at her with a mix of shyness and a little resentment. Seeing Liu Ya like this, Yaqi was momentarily stunned. Her face felt hot, but she quickly calmed down, sat up, and took a breath.

“First kiss is too much… It was just a little touch. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it…”

“But you touched me!”

“Then… I didn’t mean to… Sorry, sorry.”

Yaqi clasped her hands together and apologized repeatedly with a wry smile, her attitude sincere. But hearing this, Liu Ya’s excitement gradually turned into endless disappointment.

“Then… did you not feel anything?”

“Feel what?”

“…Never mind. It’s nothing!”

Liu Ya flopped back onto the bed, grabbed Yaqi’s hand, and placed it on her stomach.

“Keep rubbing.”

“Oh… okay.”

Yaqi was a bit confused but didn’t think much of it. She lay down, rubbed Liu Ya’s belly, and stared at her quietly. She couldn’t help but smile.

(Liu Ya really scared me. I thought it was something serious. It was just a little accidental touch, and she calls it her first kiss.)

(First kiss, of all things. Obviously, you only do that with someone you like. What would it mean for me and Liu Ya to do that? Hehe.)

(But… Liu Ya seemed really disgusted. Hmm… that hurts a bit. Does she hate me that much? It was just a tiny touch, I didn’t even feel it…)

(Oh well… I guess that’s to be expected. Liu Ya doesn’t like girls. If my most precious first kiss was given away so ambiguously, I’d be disgusted too.)

Thinking this, Yaqi spoke up:

“Hehe… Sorry, Liu Ya. I might have accidentally touched you. But it’s because you snatched the food. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine…”

“Hmm… Are you mad?”

“…No!”

Liu Ya wiggled like a beached fish, let out a “Hmph,” and buried her head to the side. Yaqi smiled awkwardly.

“Uh, hehe… Okay. I’ll be careful from now on. It won’t happen again!”

“But don’t worry. This doesn’t count as a first kiss. A first kiss is supposed to be with someone you like.”

“But… Yaqi, didn’t you say you like me?”

“Yeah, I like you. But it’s like a sister. It’s different, right?”

“…”

“Oh, I don’t really understand love between girls… But don’t worry, Liu Ya! I would never do that to you!”

“So there’s nothing to worry about, right? Hehe.”

Yaqi said seriously. Liu Ya fell into deep silence. Hearing Yaqi chuckle beside her, Liu Ya was so angry she wanted to pin her down and teach her a lesson.

After a long while, Liu Ya let out a heavy sigh and slowly spoke:

“Then… if, I mean if, I were a boy, would you like me? Like, romantically?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“Just… curious! Besides, it’s already this late. Let’s have a girl talk. I’ve always wanted to talk about this with you…”

“Oh… Okay! Let me think… Hmm… I can’t imagine it.”

“Why?”

“Well… because you suddenly said that out of nowhere… I can’t imagine it? And I feel like Liu Ya is Liu Ya. Even if you changed gender, you’d still be you.”

“Mm… Let me rephrase! What if… what if a girl really liked you, understood you, loved you, and wanted to be with you? Would you say yes?”

“Hmm… I don’t know.”

“Why again?”

Liu Ya dragged out her words, frustrated and annoyed.

“Is it because it’s a girl? You can’t accept it because of gender?”

“Hmm… Not really. It’s just… you said ‘like,’ but I can’t imagine it?”

“I think whether it’s like or love, it has to be mutual. But a girl liking me… I really can’t imagine it…”

Liu Ya frowned, turned her head unwillingly, and looked at her.

“Then how can you imagine it with boys?”

“Well… that’s how it is in all those TV dramas.”

“Oh, so whether you can imagine it depends entirely on TV dramas?”

“Well… I’ve never been in love either…”

Yaqi shyly lowered her head. Even in the dark, Liu Ya could see her face slowly turning red. She felt both speechless and angry.

(Huh? Wait…)

Liu Ya suddenly realized something. She was silent for a moment, then refocused on Yaqi’s little face.

“So… you mean, if a girl liked you, you wouldn’t find it disgusting? You just can’t imagine it?”

“Mm… I guess you could say that.”

“Oh… I see…”

Liu Ya breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

“Then what if I added a premise? That this girl really likes you, likes you so much she wants to do something bad with you. Would you agree?”

“Huh? Something bad? What do you mean?”

“Just… something bad! Like… the kind of thing between a man and a woman overseas… The S word. Three letters.”

“S word… Three letters… S!!!”

Yaqi sat up instantly, her face red to her ears. She grabbed the flesh on Liu Ya’s stomach, making Liu Ya twist in pain.

“Ow, ow! Don’t pinch me!”

“Ah! Sorry! But… Liu Ya, what are you talking about? How… how can two girls do that?”

Yaqi was so embarrassed she felt her cheeks could squeeze out water. She stared intently at Liu Ya, her voice a bit loud. Liu Ya was startled, sat up, and retorted stubbornly:

“Huh? How… how can you be so ignorant? How do guys do it then?”

“Guys…”

At that, Yaqi froze, her eyes going blank. She slowly lowered her head, clutching the blanket, mumbling to herself.

“Guys… aren’t they just…”

“Go on! Say it!”

“I… I don’t know! Don’t ask me!”

Yaqi shouted softly, closed her eyes tightly, covered her ears, and shook her head wildly.

Liu Ya watched for a moment, then grabbed her arms and pulled them away, staring at her intently. A mischievous smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

“Yaqi.”

“Wha… what?”

“Have you watched that kind of movie?”

“I!… No, I haven’t…”

Yaqi mumbled and looked away.

“Really?”

“No… No!”

Yaqi pouted awkwardly. But Liu Ya naturally didn’t believe her. After all, with such an adorable reaction, how could she have a clear conscience?

(I didn’t expect Sister Qiqi to be so naughty either! I found a good scoop! Hehe!)

“Hmph! Fine. Then why are you arguing?”

“Well… mainly because how can girls…”

“What about girls? We have hands and feet, and a mouth!”

“Mouth?!”

Yaqi’s brain instantly overloaded, seemingly emitting puffs of white smoke. She flopped her head onto the pillow, as if she had stopped breathing.

Liu Ya looked smug, used her hand to poke her curiously to check if she was still alive.

After a long time, Yaqi slightly turned her head and whispered:

“Liu… Liu Ya… Let’s stop talking about this… I really don’t know…”

Seeing Yaqi like this, Liu Ya smiled reassuringly. She propped herself up on the bed and swayed happily.

(It seems… it’s not completely hopeless! Sister Qiqi just can’t imagine it; it’s not a physiological or psychological rejection.)

(And Sister Qiqi isn’t as innocent as she seems! As long as I guide her properly in the future, we can accomplish great things! Hehe…)

“Hmph… Fine.”

“Mm… Th-Thank you… I’m really not cut out for this girl talk…”

“Hehe~”

Liu Ya stared at Yaqi for a while, unable to suppress her smile. She lay down facing the wall and snickered.

Yaqi buried her face in the pillow, occasionally letting out a whimper. The temperature of the whole room seemed to rise because of this innocent girl.

After a while, Yaqi recovered and thought of something. She turned to look at Liu Ya.

“Liu Ya~”

“Hm?”

“Is your stomach better?”

“Mm…”

(Huh? It… does seem better? Does Sister Qiqi’s hand have such a good effect?)

(But I should say…)

“It… still hurts a little…”

“Then I’ll rub it again for you.”

“Okay.”

Liu Ya turned over and lay flat, quietly enjoying it.

“Speaking of which, Yaqi, you seem to know a lot about Western food. Do you like it?”

“Yeah! Because I think Western food is very romantic~”

As she spoke, Yaqi’s voice became lively, dancing nimbly in the small room at night.

“You see, I put my heart into turning various ingredients into dishes. The customers who eat them will have happy, satisfied smiles on their faces. That feeling is great!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“For example… Oh, right. Just like the expression on Liu Ya’s face right now, hehe…!”

Yaqi looked mischievous and pinched the flesh on her stomach. Liu Ya immediately pressed down her smile and tried to keep a straight face.

“Who… who’s enjoying this! Don’t talk nonsense…”

“Huh? No? Don’t you feel good when I rub it?”

“Hmph… It’s just so-so.”

“Tch~”

Yaqi glanced at her discontentedly. Liu Ya quickly changed the subject:

“So… does that mean you want to be a chef in the future?”

“Yeah! I went abroad back then because my mom knew about my hobby and wanted me to study it…”

Yaqi’s voice got softer, and Liu Ya felt the hand on her stomach slow down. She realized she had said something wrong.

“Sorry, Yaqi…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just got a little emotional, haha.”

“And now I’m not alone anymore. I have you, Aunt Zhao, Uncle Liu. So many people around me! Nothing will happen to me!”

Liu Ya smiled slightly at that, but still looked at her uneasily out of the corner of her eye.

“Really? But you’ve been crying a lot these past two days…”

“Well… I mean, that’s how it is. But I still get sad… I don’t want Liu Ya to hate me, so I cried…”

“Heh, crybaby.”

“Hmph~ If you’re going to say that, you’re not much better! Do you remember when you were little, you were scared by a bug and cried, holding onto me and not letting go?”

“Well… you also secretly used Auntie’s makeup and looked like a ghost!”

“Hey, you! And also…”

The two bickered and pinched each other, exposing each other’s weaknesses, neither giving in.

The silent night was filled with the girls’ laughter.

“Haha… Then this weekend, take me out to play? I haven’t been back for so long, I don’t even know what the neighborhood looks like now!”

“Heh~ Sure! Then…”

Liu Ya was about to agree when she suddenly thought of something. She paused, looked at Yaqi’s expectant expression, and furrowed her brow slightly.

(Crap… If I remember correctly, the school should start exams around the 15th. Even though Qiq is a transfer student, they probably treat her the same.)

(But with her current state, even passing is doubtful! And the monthly exam results affect the class placement for senior year…)

(Forget it… For the sake of the future, I’ll let this slide…)

“Hm? Liu Ya, isn’t it good?”

“…No!” Liu Ya changed her tone and said seriously.

“Huh?”

Yaqi blinked in surprise. The atmosphere had been good just now; she didn’t expect Liu Ya to refuse. Liu Ya sat up and looked at her sternly.

“You’re not thinking about studying like this, but about playing? There’s an exam coming soon, you know?”

“Ah? No way…”

Yaqi also sat up quickly, her tone disappointed, looking at Liu Ya pitifully.

“So! This weekend, no going anywhere! I’ll tutor you at home!”

“Also, until the exam, you are not allowed to go out! If you fail this exam…”

“What… what then?”

Yaqi swallowed nervously and asked carefully.

“You… you’ll have to wait for me to spank your bottom!”

Liu Ya raised her hand and clenched her fist, her eyes sharp. She didn’t look like she was joking. Yaqi was so scared she quickly covered her bottom and whined pitifully.

“How can this be…”

Then she flopped her head onto the pillow and went silent.

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