Chapter 50
She instinctively turned to look and saw Gu Yuetong.
Gu Yuetong’s face was stern, her arms crossed as she stared at Li Yi. Li Yi trembled and took half a step back. “I didn’t hear anything—”
Gu Yuetong’s face was ashen. “Eavesdropping on a conversation between a supervisor and a colleague. Five hundred yuan deducted from your salary.”
Five hundred yuan was a small matter, but she couldn’t let the crime of eavesdropping be pinned on her. Just as Li Yi was about to argue, Qi Baizi also appeared, standing behind Gu Yuetong, holding the French dictionary she had seen in Qi Baizi’s room that afternoon.
“Why are you here?” Qi Baizi looked puzzled. “Did you need me for something?”
Li Yi’s face lit up with a look of sudden realization. “Ah, so you two were studying French?”
“Um… I was just checking to see if you needed anything, nothing else…”
Gu Yuetong’s face remained cold, while Qi Baizi simply said “oh,” her expression softening slightly. “It’s fine, thank you.”
Both of them looked at Gu Yuetong. Gu Yuetong snorted coldly through her nose. “Don’t let it happen again.”
Li Yi quickly thanked them. “Then I won’t disturb you.” With that, she scurried downstairs.
The bedroom door was closed again. Inside, the two of them looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Quick reaction, not bad,” Gu Yuetong said, crossing her arms and looking at Qi Baizi with a slight raise of her eyebrow. “It seems Classmate Xiao Bai has really grown up.”
Qi Baizi casually placed the dictionary on the bed and turned around. “Not as good as President Gu’s tutelage.”
Gu Yuetong let out a soft laugh. She found Qi Baizi more and more interesting, and she genuinely didn’t want her to leave.
“…President Gu?”
“Don’t move.”
Qi Baizi froze, staring at her girlfriend who had suddenly sat on top of her, a wave of nervousness rising in her heart.
Seeing her unnatural expression, Gu Yuetong asked considerately, “You don’t want to? You can say so.”
“It’s not that.” Qi Baizi’s throat moved, and she said in a low voice, “The door isn’t locked…”
“No one would dare to come in.” Although she said this, Gu Yuetong still subconsciously glanced towards the door.
But her moment of distraction gave Qi Baizi an opening. She pushed herself up with one hand, flipped over, and gained the upper hand. By the time Gu Yuetong realized what was happening, Qi Baizi had already buried her head in the crook of her neck.
Her breath grew hot. Qi Baizi felt an unprecedented itch inside her, a tingling numbness that spread from her spine down to the space between her legs.
Gu Yuetong, however, seemed quite experienced, as if they shared one body. Her fingertips accurately traced that sensitive nerve, slowly stroking downwards.
The moment her fingers reached her waistband, Gu Yuetong stopped and whispered in her ear, “Do you know how?”
“A little…”
Qi Baizi wasn’t lying. She really did know a little, something she had learned from a certain app.
Unlike learning French, which was driven by a psychological desire, this was something she had learned unintentionally while scrolling through her phone in bed a couple of days ago.
She had originally wanted to learn some dating tips, but was forced into a locked car with no way out.
Adult romance was decisive, straightforward, and exciting.
Upstairs, the temperature was rising rapidly. Downstairs, things were just as chaotic.
After Li Yi told Auntie Qin about her thrilling “eavesdropping” adventure, she received Auntie Qin’s comfort. Knowing the girl had been wronged, Auntie Qin let her choose a dish she wanted to eat. Li Yi’s choice: sweet and sour pork.
There happened to be black pork loin in the fridge, but it had been bought for making boiled pork slices.
Gu Yuetong’s diet had always been light, if not entirely plain, and she rarely ate fried food. Auntie Qin had little experience, so she downloaded a tutorial for sweet and sour pork online.
She followed the steps one by one until it was time to heat the oil. But the moment the starch-coated pork slices hit the pan, the oil splattered everywhere with a crackling sound.
Li Yi heard something was wrong and rushed into the kitchen to the rescue, pointing out the problem directly: “The starch is too thin.” She sounded as experienced as a professional chef.
The unprofessional chef stood by, and another was lying upstairs.
Sweat dripped from her forehead. Qi Baizi charged ahead recklessly, while Gu Yuetong’s eyes were glazed over, but they never quite reached the summit.
After a lot of effort, although Gu Yuetong comforted her several times, Qi Baizi felt a deep sense of inferiority.
Her aunt needing money for surgery hadn’t made her feel inferior, and her cousin taking Gu Yuetong’s money without permission had only made her feel slightly disrespected. But now, the twitching and soreness in her biceps made her acutely aware of her own shortcomings—so she had to make up for those shortcomings.
Having learned her lesson, Qi Baizi furiously ate two bowls of rice at dinner and polished off the remaining, somewhat failed, sweet and sour pork.
Li Yi stared in disbelief. Qi Baizi was known in their dorm for eating like a bird; usually, an apple and a banana were enough to fill her up. What was wrong with her today?
Auntie Qin also gave Gu Yuetong a questioning look. Gu Yuetong coughed lightly, unable to answer. She couldn’t very well say the girl was exhausted from her first carnal experience, so she could only help by pushing the plate closer to Qi Baizi.
“Eat slowly, no one’s going to fight you for it.”
“Thank you, President Gu.” Qi Baizi swallowed a whole piece of braised pork in one bite.
The other three looked at each other, speechless.
Amidst the curiosity, a flicker of joy crossed Auntie Qin’s face. She ate everything. The girl is really giving me face.
After dinner, Auntie Qin went upstairs to help Gu Yuetong pack her change of clothes for the camping trip tomorrow. Qi Baizi, on the other hand, walked out of the Old Fortress to feel the summer evening breeze by the fountain after the typhoon.
Gu Yuetong and Li Yi went over some new materials from Lawyer Duan’s side. After a brief work session, Gu Yuetong went out to find Qi Baizi.
Gu Yuetong had no objection to a post-dinner stroll, but she should also be mindful of the time. Also, the wind outside was still strong, and it wouldn’t be good if she caught a cold from being out too long.
With a hint of worry, Gu Yuetong discreetly pulled up the collar of her high-necked shirt and finally found Qi Baizi on the lawn of the green space behind the Old Fortress, doing… Horse Stance Training.
The sweat on her forehead had already been dried by the wind. It seemed she had been squatting there for a long time.
Gu Yuetong advised her with concern, “It’s getting cool. Let’s go back.”
But Qi Baizi firmly refused. “There are still thirty seconds left in this set.”
Gu Yuetong noticed her phone on the grass, counting down.
“How many sets have you done?”
“Five sets,” Qi Baizi replied through gritted teeth. “And five sets of push-ups, ten reps each.”
Gu Yuetong: …
“Building up your strength doesn’t have to happen all at once. You need to do it gradually,” Gu Yuetong said, her brows furrowed with concern. “Besides, your injury hasn’t healed yet. The doctor said no strenuous exercise.”
Just as she finished speaking, the thirty seconds were up. The phone’s timer went off. Qi Baizi straightened her trembling legs and squeezed out a smile. “This isn’t strenuous. Not as intense as what we were doing earlier.”
Gu Yuetong wanted to argue, but then she realized what she said was also true, so she simply fell silent.
After a quick wipe of their sweat, the two of them walked back inside side-by-side.
Qi Baizi said, “Is Auntie Qin done packing? I’ll go to your room to shower later.”
Gu Yuetong paused and asked, “Why?”
Qi Baizi replied, “I’ve thought about it. The experience I gave you just now was indeed average. I think one of the reasons might be that the mattress in my room is too firm. So, let’s try again.”
Her tone was sincere, but Gu Yuetong was once again at a loss for words, hesitating for a long time without saying anything.
The two rested for a bit, watched a gossip variety show with Li Yi, and said their goodnights.
The next morning, Gu Yuetong unusually took a nap after breakfast.
Auntie Qin remembered Gu Yuetong’s drowsy look at breakfast and asked Qi Baizi worriedly as she was clearing the dishes, “Is Yuetong sick?”
Qi Baizi helped pass her the chopsticks and lied without batting an eye, “President Gu was teaching me French last night, so we went to bed a little late.”
Auntie Qin nodded in understanding. “I see.” She couldn’t help but add, “You need to make sure you get enough rest.”
Qi Baizi helped tidy up a bit, then went upstairs under the pretext of changing her clothes. Last night, in Gu Yuetong’s room, Gu Yuetong had actually managed to reach the peak. Qi Baizi was exceptionally excited and gave it to her three times. In the end, Gu Yuetong’s knees were weak when she was taking a shower, and she kept slipping. She, on the other hand, had tried all sorts of things and felt refreshed afterwards.
At breakfast, Qi Baizi had to knock several times to wake Gu Yuetong up. Although she knew what was going on, Qi Baizi was still a little worried. After changing into clothes suitable for going out, she opened the door to Gu Yuetong’s room.
She deliberately didn’t knock, knowing Gu Yuetong was still asleep. After locking the door from the inside, she sat on the edge of Gu Yuetong’s bed. The bedsheets from the night before were on the floor, and the window was open a crack, letting in a cool breeze. Gu Yuetong was hugging the covers, her thick, dark hair covering her face, sleeping soundly.
Qi Baizi gently brushed her hair aside. Seeing her porcelain-white profile, she couldn’t resist placing a traceless kiss on the corner of her lips.
After her conversation with Li Yi yesterday, she finally understood how she looked from someone else’s perspective. If even Li Yi and Zheng Xiaoxiao thought she needed help, then what about Gu Yuetong?
Perhaps in Gu Yuetong’s eyes, the ten thousand yuan she gave to Qi Wu was truly just a trivial bit of help. Not giving the money in front of Qi Baizi showed that she had already considered her pride.
After comforting herself several times, Qi Baizi had thought it through. She mustered the courage to find Gu Yuetong to clear things up and apologize, but unexpectedly, Gu Yuetong found her first.
Gu Yuetong had seriously reflected on her actions and, for the first time, expressed her own thoughts—no matter what, she wanted her.
For Qi Baizi, that was enough.
A secret relationship was fine, pretending not to know each other in front of others was fine. At least at home, in this bedroom, they were lovers.
The air could bear witness for them.
After sitting quietly for a moment, the 7:30 alarm went off again. Gu Yuetong slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing Qi Baizi sitting by the bed, she smiled.
Qi Baizi leaned in and kissed her without a word, not with passion, but a kiss that was both brief and long.
***
Li Yi was driving, with Auntie Qin in the passenger seat. In the back, Qi Baizi and Gu Yuetong sat on the left and right.
The trunk was filled with luggage, camping supplies, and snacks that Li Yi had gone out to buy early in the morning.
The mountain road after the highway was long and winding, like a ribbon. Qi Baizi rarely left the urban area of Jingzhou City, and this was her first time visiting this area. She pressed her face against the window, looking out.
Auntie Qin was listening to music, occasionally chatting with the two in the back. “This is Xiao Bai’s first time here. Yuetong, have you been here before?”
“No,” Gu Yuetong replied faintly. She looked at Qi Baizi’s profile and lowered her gaze slightly. “I’ve never taken this road before.”
“This road seems to be newly built,” Li Yi said. “Before, we probably had to take another road. That road was hard to drive on. Zheng Xiaoxiao and I took it during the holidays.”
“Oh right, you and Xiao Bai went to the same university,” Auntie Qin said, turning halfway around. “Xiao Bai, what did you do during your school days? I saw on the news that college students’ extracurricular activities are quite rigid these days, and none of them pass their physical fitness tests. Zhou Qin was overweight when she was in college, a whole size bigger than she is now.”
“Me?” Qi Baizi turned her gaze back at the question and answered seriously, “I was also very rigid. Besides classes, I just worked part-time. Very boring.”
Those were difficult days. Li Yi knew some of the inside story and, afraid that Qi Baizi would get sad recalling it, changed the subject to Gu Yuetong. “What about you, President Gu? I heard you went to university abroad, and in an arts major. Was it much more interesting?”
Gu Yuetong paused for half a second, then nodded at the rearview mirror. “It was alright.”
“The art scene there is very rich. Besides classes, students can participate in various exhibitions organized by the school, and they can also hold impromptu competitions. The activities were indeed more varied.”
Auntie Qin snorted, sounding a bit indignant. “Yuetong was one of the top students in her major, very famous. If it weren’t for your Chairman, Yuetong might be an internationally renowned painter now.”
“Just like her classmates, holding exhibitions everywhere, having auctions, living a carefree life.”
Gu Yuetong frowned. “Auntie Qin.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t say any more.” Afraid of annoying Gu Yuetong, Auntie Qin waved her hand and closed her mouth.
Beside her, however, Qi Baizi felt a strange sense of annoyance. It was because this reminded her of someone else, another of Gu Yuetong’s classmates, and also Gu Yuetong’s ex-girlfriend—Wang Lin.