After Being Betrayed by Bai Yueguang, She Said She Wanted to Keep Me as a Mistress (Pure Yuri) - 06 Cliché

06 Cliché

In theory, Zhou Pinyue shouldn’t tangle with someone who hurt her before. It wasn’t too late to walk away. But this person offered too much.

If it was just money, she could refuse. She could cite “no free lunch.” What was the point of being fvck buddies? For physical pleasure, technology was better. For love, wasn’t that like ordering Sichuan food at a Cantonese restaurant?

That night ended. Exhaustion hit hard. Zhou Pinyue clarified her stance. She intended it as a one-night stand. 

“We shouldn’t meet again.”

But…

“For this fan festival, did you get a ticket?”

Cheng Yafei asked after a pause.

The 《Vynx》 fan festival had a lottery system for tickets. Zhou Pinyue’s luck was awful; she didn’t get one. The organizers, thoughtfully, allowed each winner to buy two tickets for friends.

At this, her sleepiness vanished.

“You got one?”

“Yeah, so I wondered if you wanted to go together. Did you get one?”

“…No.”

Why did that sting?

She hated seeing her enemy achieve what she couldn’t.

“Want to go together?”

Back home, light rain fell. Zhou Pinyue’s mood was gloomy. It was partly from lack of sleep—she had an early train after staying up late—but mostly because she regretted the agreed terms.

“It’s fine, I’ll cover you,” 

Cheng Yafei had said. 

“Consider it my apology. It’s not much.”

“But I don’t want that kind of favor. So let’s settle it once and for all…”

“I know this sounds punchable, but whether you repay me or not doesn’t matter much to me.”

Truly punchable.

“Commoners have dignity too,” 

Zhou Pinyue gritted her teeth. 

“Fine, make some demands. I’ll try to meet them.”

In the dark, a cheerful voice rang out. 

“Then let me keep you!” 

It started as a joke but turned serious. 

“I mean it. I’ll cover all your expenses. You just need to be with me, whatever the relationship. No other demands.”

Why so serious? Why now?

Such obsession sparked curiosity, even a desire for revenge.

But she wanted to negotiate.

“I have a job and don’t want to switch careers,” 

She said. Her voice was hoarse from dry throat. 

“But if it’s just one summer, that’s fine.”

They’d once planned what to do the summer after graduation. They’d made a serious list, now lost and forgotten.

“Really?”

“Yeah, two months.”

“Two months!” 

Cheng Yafei sounded thrilled. It was like she’d closed a million-dollar deal. She was leaning in stickily. 

“Can the note stay ‘girlfriend’?”

“Whatever.”

Just two months of entanglement—shouldn’t cause harm… right?

Later, telling a friend, she described herself, half-aware, as outwardly disdainful but secretly thrilled. “I just slipped and fell into her bed.” “It’s just some love-hate roleplay.” “No loss anyway. As long as she doesn’t ask for money, it’s just feelings getting played. And I’ve got plenty.” Her friend “tsk”-ed over the phone; she covered her face in defeat.

“You know the fan fest is annual, right? Not *that* rare,” 

Her friend said.

“Maybe I just want to get back at her.”

“Ugh, lesbian vengeance!”

“And we’re not in the same city. Two months will pass fast—”

Days later, seeing the sender’s name on a delivery at her door, she felt uneasy and opened Cheng Yafei’s chat.

[How’d you get my address?]

[Asked Lin Cheng~]

Right, last year’s class reunion. Lin Cheng, the deputy class leader, sent a class album. So she had her address.

Zhou Pinyue sighed, opened the package, and found fan festival tickets.

[Forgot to tell you, but you could’ve just asked me. Say it’s for tickets.]

[Wanted to surprise you~]

[This is a shock.]

Her usual instant replies slowed. After typing for ages, only one line came:

[Sorry, I didn’t mean harm.] 

With a formal period.

Zhou Pinyue glanced at it. She did not rush to reply. She was just sitting at the entrance. The package also had a key. It was likely for a smart lock. Cheng Yafei’s house had one.

So this was how it felt to be given a key.

Not as exciting as imagined. It was more awkward.

[Sorry, really sorry. You mad?]

[You gave me a key too.]

[Yeah, in case you come and I’m not home.]

[Got time for a call?]

[Yup.]

She picked up fast.

Why so humble?

After connecting, silence followed. Only faint breathing was in her ear.

Zhou Pinyue thought a bit. She started with, 

“My glutes hurt.”

“Huh? What?”

“The side of my butt.”

“I know glutes.”

“Maybe from keeping my legs open, got pressed.”

“…”

“By the way, where’s Benben?”

She remembered Cheng Yafei’s hyper black mutt. It was always running or jumping. It was named for its frenzy.

“She passed last year.”

“Oh, right, it’s been years.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been thinking about getting a kitten. It’s a bit empty living alone.”

“No dog?”

“Feels too sentimental. Like a replacement. Nah.”

Zhou Pinyue chuckled. 

“Fair.” 

Out of topics, she got to the point. 

“I’m not mad, just a bit moody.”

“Moody about what?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be moody.”

“Alright…”

Another awkward silence.

They really had nothing to talk about.

“Yeah, that’s it. Just saying I’m not mad. My tone’s flat, right? Okay, hanging up.”

“Wait, wait, wait.”

“Hm?”

“We’re girlfriends now. I’m gonna kiss you.”

Through the receiver, a loud smooch sounded. She could picture Cheng Yafei kissing the phone’s back.

“Phones have tons of germs.”

“Don’t care.”

“Alright, hanging up.”

What kind of revenge was this, Zhou Pinyue?

After hanging up, she covered her burning ears. She was pacing aimlessly. She locked eyes with a duo standee on her shelf.

Suddenly, she felt bad for the canon characters…

Her taste was enemies-to-lovers. But the “lovers” part was pure fanon; the source material was pure hate. If the characters knew someone in another universe shipped them with their enemy, they’d probably strangle the shipper too.

Behind the standee, narcissistically, was her own doujin artbook, “Kissing, Loving, Living.” It was just early kissing practice—nothing but the CP smooching in various poses and settings.

Imagination-poor as she was, she hadn’t thought of phone kisses.

Simple lip touches, shy first kisses, deep French kisses, prying open jaws, kissing eyes, noses, necks, underwater breath-sharing, kissing body parts… she drew them all. It was until they became dull, like Gestalt collapse. She should feel nothing for kisses. So why was her heart pounding?

It was very Cheng Yafei, not out of character.

Once, during PE, they were hiding in the shade. They locked eyes. She frowned, 

‘It’s hot, all sweaty, don’t come near.’ 

Against the sun, she saw a sweaty neck.

Cheng Yafei pouted, pulled a tissue, and kissed her through it.

She stared at that sly smile until hearing, 

‘Trash can’s there. It’s sweaty, toss the tissue.’ 

Embarrassed, she took it and obeyed.

What other kisses? Casual friend stuff—sharing bread, drinking from the same bottle. She was a bit germaphobic. She avoided even her own cup’s rim. But she deliberately touched her lips to Cheng Yafei’s bottle. They played the trendy Pocky game, nibbling toward the center, feeling nothing special.

What else? After their fallout, for months, she’d creepily kiss photos while masturbating. Was that “kissing”?

Such a cliché story.

I love you, I like you, heart flutters, eyes follow, writing love letters, holding hands, hugging, kissing, s3x, ending in marriage, epilogue with kids, regardless of orientation. A formulaic assembly line. She couldn’t believe the most popular narrative was so cheap. No plot needed, just slap on “goodbye, I love you” for fake depth. Who invented kissing anyway? Why was love expressed by pressing mouths together? To check food? To touch mucous membranes?

They were the same, weren’t they? More in love with the idea of love than each other, duped by cliché stories’ marketing, thinking “love” would color their dull lives. The partner didn’t matter—just whoever was there. So frivolous, ambiguous, inexplicable.

Realizing this, her heartbeat calmed. Zhou Pinyue looked at the duo standee, pushed it back, and covered it with solo ones.

Good thing she was smart enough to avoid falling into love-brained, easy-heart-flutter romance.