Chapter 35: Unexpected Proximity

The atmosphere abruptly stiffened.

The few onlookers nearby had not dispersed, having witnessed the entire match.

Despite all three of them being girls, Qian Surou couldn’t shake the feeling that they were imagining a dramatic scenario of two girls vying for another.

This made Qian Surou feel somewhat uncomfortable, but then Jin Xiaoyue suddenly made a gurgling sound as she poured water down her throat.She continued until the mineral water bottle was completely empty.

“Drinking so quickly and hastily will make you uncomfortable. It’s not good for your body either.”

Almost immediately after speaking, Jin Xiaoyue began to cough. Qian Surou placed a hand on Jin Xiaoyue’s back, gently patting her to help alleviate the cough.

Her white T-shirt was completely soaked, clinging to her back like a thin film, allowing Qian Surou to feel the soft, delicate skin beneath. The sweat clinging to her palm exuded an indistinguishable fragrance.

Mid-cough, Jin Xiaoyue suddenly squeezed into Qian Surou’s arm, as if nothing were amiss, pressing the tip of her nose against Qian Surou’s neck, a mischievous expression blooming on her face, just as it had when they first met.

“I heard from her that all your dates are with women, right?”

Her fingertips, freshly wiped but still damp, tilted Qian Surou’s chin upwards.

“Can’t I be one of them?”

In the brief interval while Qian Surou’s thoughts struggled to form a reply, Jin Xiaoyue detached herself from the embrace without a hint of reluctance, turned, and donned a uniform-like blazer, her usual simple student leather bag slung over her left shoulder.

Her subsequent steps were marked by a lively spring as she moved to Qian Surou’s side.

Jin Xiaoyue knew, even without explicit confirmation. She knew Qian Surou was currently grappling with how to reject her proposal, for at such times, those beautifully defined eyebrows would subtly arch upwards, not in anger, but in pure distress, even tinged with guilt over her inability to comply.

“Though they were called ‘lovers,’ their relationships were essentially no different from friendships…”

Qian Surou stated that none of her past relationships had ever progressed beyond a hug.

Although not entirely satisfied with this revelation, Jin Xiaoyue did not continue to tease. “Can you keep me company?” she asked, then, without waiting for a reply, seized Qian Surou’s wrist and led her out of the tennis court.

Qian Surou gazed at those pale hands, thinking, ‘She’s just like an autocratic tyrant.’

‘And her petite stature too.’

***

Within the opulent, gilded corridor, Qian Surou struggled to orient herself, unsure of their precise location.

Holding hands, one girl pulling the other, their situation drew considerable attention until the elevator doors closed, shielding them from the glances of scattered passersby.

“I occasionally come here to relax.”

Jin Xiaoyue spoke nonchalantly. She took a foil-wrapped chocolate from her bag and offered it to Qian Surou, asking, “Want some?”

The answer was, of course, affirmative, as Jin Xiaoyue knew this was Qian Surou’s favorite kind, one she hadn’t bought since middle school.

‘Even when not by her side, I was never truly absent.’

‘Such a deep understanding is only natural,’ Jin Xiaoyue mused.

“Oh, how nostalgic!”

Qian Surou tore open the wrapper and placed the chocolate in her mouth. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t had it in so long, but the taste was even better than she remembered.

Qian Surou murmured to herself in pleasant surprise, though Jin Xiaoyue refrained from telling her that she had acquired the factory and upgraded the ingredients to premium quality.

“I remember it being a local brand with quite a history. Do you like it too?”

“I do.”

‘But not the chocolate itself.’

Suppressing the urge to embrace Qian Surou from behind, Jin Xiaoyue patiently waited for the elevator doors to open, this time slowing her pace.

The person she cherished was now walking willingly by her side; in a mere few minutes, their distance had subtly shifted.

Though a momentary impulse had led to their current situation, Jin Xiaoyue was determined not to rush things.

With measured, impassive steps, she grasped Qian Surou’s slightly hesitant hand in the deserted corridor, then swiped a card to open one of the doors.

Engaging in activities with a sense of ritual required intimacy to sustain them; otherwise, it would simply be a superficial formality between strangers.

Though she was reluctant to admit it, their current relationship was only marginally better than that of strangers. Moreover, some of Jin Xiaoyue’s actions had been undeniably offensive and aggressive.

The reason ‘her Xiao Qian’ hadn’t shown resistance was her lingering uncertainty about the boundaries of friendship.

Pursuing someone was like hunting; a rash move would only scare the prey away.

To date, Qian Surou had never been in a relationship; the term ‘puppy love’ was long past its expiration date for her.

Even with examples from friends around her and plots from shoujo manga, love remained an unfamiliar and rare concept to Qian Surou.

The failure of her first romantic inclination had made Qian Surou even more passive and reserved towards such feelings; initial expectations had cooled, giving way to neglect and indifference.

From the perspective of a minority group, the probability of encountering love without actively pursuing it approached zero.

Consequently, Jin Xiaoyue’s boundary-crossing behavior seemed to Qian Surou more like a teasing jab at her orientation.

Nowadays, few people still held discriminatory attitudes.

“This is my private lounge; just make yourself at home. Would you like something to drink?”

In front of Qian Surou, Jin Xiaoyue closed the lounge door. Judging by the faint ‘beep’ sound of the card being swiped from the inside, the door was likely double-locked, denying all outside service.

Just as Qian Surou felt a flicker of unease, Jin Xiaoyue nonchalantly walked towards the bar within the luxurious room, expertly retrieving a glass bottle – its contents, whether alcohol or a beverage, unknown – and shaking the liquid in a cocktail shaker.

The final concoction was poured into a transparent stemmed glass, revealing a delicate peach-pink hue.

Although Qian Surou had no intention of trying alcohol, she obediently took a seat, her curiosity piqued by the drink before her, whose color closely matched Jin Xiaoyue’s hair.

Another prepared mini beer glass held a tea-colored liquid.

Jin Xiaoyue pushed the glass towards Qian Surou, then pulled out her smartphone. Connecting to what seemed to be some internal system, a subdued light source in the room flickered on.

From the mini-speaker behind them, classical music automatically began to play—a gentle ballad.

Then, Jin Xiaoyue settled into the swivel chair directly opposite Qian Surou.

“You seem quite interested in it.”

‘The color was intentional.’

“Don’t be so wary. Although it’s categorized as alcohol, its proof is very low; you won’t get drunk even if you drink your fill. Are you perhaps worried I’ve added something strange?”

Hearing this, Qian Surou gave an embarrassed laugh.

She did indeed harbor such concerns, as Jin Xiaoyue’s every action was inscrutable. Despite having established a superficial friendship, Qian Surou knew absolutely nothing about her.

She felt a surge of frustration at her own timidity.

“I trust you.”

Uttering these words, and simultaneously forging a new bond of trust, Qian Surou unhesitatingly picked up the glass and slowly savored the drink.

A rich peach aroma permeated her nasal passages; its taste was indistinguishable from a mixed beverage, cool and pleasantly refreshing on her palate.

She had intended to inquire about the drink, but then noticed Jin Xiaoyue was consuming another, tea-colored beverage.

As it was poured down her throat, Qian Surou caught an extremely strong scent of alcohol, causing her to furrow her brows and wonder if Jin Xiaoyue was even eighteen.

‘Perhaps she has a rebellious streak,’ Qian Surou mused.

If Jin Xiaoyue were to get drunk, even leaving this room safely would become an issue.

A quick glance revealed that this private lounge rivaled a hotel’s presidential suite in luxury, and its facilities were even more comprehensive.

The claim of only visiting occasionally must have been true, for its spaciousness and immaculate cleanliness were indistinguishable from a hotel’s.

The overly elaborate furnishings appeared to have just emerged from a designer’s mind, untouched by the owner’s personal influence.

Qian Surou couldn’t find a single element that suggested personal character.

The very first step to understanding the other person was proving quite difficult.

Qian Surou began to ponder topics for conversation, but before she could even summon the excitement of making a new friend, she noticed Jin Xiaoyue’s face was flushed crimson.

Such rapid reddening hardly seemed characteristic of someone accustomed to alcohol. Rising for a closer look, she spotted a half-empty wine bottle on the shelf behind the bar.

It was a tea-colored wine, likely Port, a fortified wine with an alcohol content exceeding 20%. For someone not accustomed to drinking, even half a small glass would probably induce dizziness.

Considering the size of the mini beer glass, it was roughly 300 milliliters, enough to make even a seasoned drinker feel pleasantly tipsy.

‘Could she be in a bad mood?’

“—You guessed wrong. I’m actually overjoyed.”

Jin Xiaoyue grasped Qian Surou’s arm, her face breaking into a smile as she exhaled with a sound of profound relief. Tears, whether from the potent drink or simply a natural reaction, welled in the corners of her eyes.

“Port wine is sweet.”

Jin Xiaoyue’s flushed face seemed to say, ‘You guessed wrong, didn’t you? I know exactly what you’re thinking.’

Upon seeing Jin Xiaoyue’s lively smile, Qian Surou naturally relaxed as well.

‘Clear-headed and straightforward in speech.’

Feeling a touch of wonder at the magic of alcohol, Qian Surou found Jin Xiaoyue much easier to get along with in her current state.

“Mind reading?”

“Something like that—though I’d like to claim it is, ‘Xiao Qian,’ your thoughts are actually just too easy to guess.”

Jin Xiaoyue took a shallow breath, feeling the wine’s potency was a bit much, yet deliberately appearing more cheerful as she added:

“Oh, by the way, is it alright if I call you ‘Xiao Qian’? Although every character in your name seems easy to pronounce, I initially only knew your surname was Qian, so ‘Xiao Qian’ it was!”

‘Xiao Qian?’ Qian Surou mused inwardly. It was the first time anyone had called her that, yet it felt strangely familiar.

However, there was nothing odd about it; it was a common form of address, much like how a superior at a workplace might call younger employees ‘Xiao Zhang’ or ‘Xiao Li.’

‘Come to think of it, didn’t she herself call Ji Yushu ‘Xiao Ji’?’

While the tone was consultative, Jin Xiaoyue was already using the nickname.

“That’s fine.”

However, Qian Surou found herself struggling to come up with a nickname in return.

“But what should I call you? Xiaoxiao, or… I’ve got it! How about ‘Xiao Wan’?”

Jin Xiaoyue instantly seized Qian Surou’s hand, her expression one of delight and excitement. The character ‘xiao’ in her name literally meant ‘night,’ making the nickname perfectly fitting.

Although she didn’t particularly like this new name, her old name could no longer be used. ‘Names are mere designations, and her Xiao Qian is the one who chooses them.’

“I love it. Can you say it again?”

Qian Surou thought, ‘Wow, she really is quite drunk.’

“Xiao Wan… you’re holding my hand a little too tightly. My bones are going to break—it’s tight enough to get you thrown out of a handshake event.”

“Then perhaps you should remember this feeling while you can.”

Jin Xiaoyue shrugged her shoulders, saying:

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier, here…”