After the Breakup, the Crazy Movie Queen Clings to Me Every Day (GL) - Chapter 15

“The specimen room was filled with the fresh scent of plants. The little golden koi seemed to have woken up, and it swam about with joyful energy.”

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“You have to remember to send it,” Lan Jingli said, her voice a rare, playful whine. Then she grew serious for a moment. “But I wouldn’t ever really get mad at you anyway, Sister.”

“Is that because you think too highly of me?”

“But Sister, you are so good.”

“Then you must promise never to be mad at me.”

“Okay.”

“And you must always wear this necklace.”

“I will. I’ll never take it off.”

The night breeze drifted into the room, ruffling the stray hairs on Lan Jingli’s forehead. Tan You rested her hand on her chin, finding the scene utterly pleasing. She beckoned for Lan Jingli to come closer.

The girl’s face was small, her hair soft and fluffy, like a docile little animal. In the moonlight, it seemed as if dark flowers were blooming in her eyes, with the moonlight as their pistils.

“Sister, two days ago I saw your aunt at our company teaching vocal lessons,” Lan Jingli said, remembering the strong impressions Tan Lu and Xie Lan had made.

Tan You toyed with a small silver dagger, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to reveal the tiny, scarlet mole on her earlobe.

“My aunt was supposed to take over the Tan family, but her heart wasn’t in it. She insisted on becoming a teacher, and that’s how she met Xie Lan.”

As she said this, a faint, teasing glint entered the woman’s eyes.

“I thought it was like in the TV dramas, where people in rich families fight to the death to inherit the business.”

“Different people have different passions.”

Lan Jingli nodded in perfect understanding. “It’s amazing to have your own passion. I’m this old and I still don’t know what I want.”

Her only ambition had been to see what was “out there,” to escape being forever trapped in her secluded, narrow mountain village.

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” Tan You said with a smile, ruffling Lan Jingli’s hair. “Li-Li, you have a beautiful voice.”

The sudden praise made Lan Jingli blush. Naturally, she asked, “What about you, Sister? What’s your passion?”

Tan You’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked up at Lan Jingli with a gaze completely unlike her usual self. It was a fleeting moment of cold scrutiny and unreadable depth, secretive and full of doubt.

Lan Jingli waited for a moment, but all she saw was Tan You cleanly and precisely slicing a leaf, offering no answer.

Her spirits sank. She realized she had crossed a line, that the openness Tan You showed her was only to a very limited degree.

After a long while, Tan You’s voice returned to its soft, gentle tone, a kind of condescending kindness. “Go feed Li-Li some fish food. Not too much, he needs to watch his weight.”

“Li-Li?” Lan Jingli’s eyes widened, pointing at the tiny fish. “You named him Li-Li?”

“A koi named Li-Li. It’s quite normal.”

Lan Jingli couldn’t argue with that. She took the fish food, sprinkling a little into the tank and watching for a long time as the koi puffed out its cheeks and devoured it.

“What, are you mad at me?”

A warm, curvaceous body pressed against her from behind. A delicate scent lingered by Lan Jingli’s ear, and the next moment, her already-reddened ear was pinched and twisted repeatedly.

“No, I’m not mad.”

“Haven’t we seen each other in a while?”

“Not really,” Lan Jingli thought about it. Their contact was indeed pitifully rare; they only saw each other at their fixed Saturday time.

Well, Tan You was very busy with work and often had to travel.

“You don’t miss me at all?”

The woman seemed to have no expression, with no trace of sober awareness in her eyes. The sound of her voice asking the question was too beautiful, her breath was hot, and it carried a sigh that felt like a surrender, brushing against the very core of Lan Jingli’s heart.

What’s wrong with Sister? Lan Jingli had always thought Tan You was mature and calm, composed and elegant, and wouldn’t ask a question like this.

She felt like the woman was making it hard for her to breathe—or maybe it was the only thing she could do.

Tan You hugged Lan Jingli from behind, pulling her close and then letting go, her body’s burning, craving hunger crying out and leading the way.

The marks she had deliberately left on the girl’s skin were still there, but they had faded a great deal.

A sign that a certain sacred claim was receding.

“Li-Li, don’t move.” Tan You picked up a purple-tipped calligraphy brush from the table, dipped it in ink, and on a whim, drew a small black fish behind Lan Jingli’s ear.

“Sister?”

Tan You kissed the corner of her lips with a tender, gentle warmth. “Take good care of it. I’ll wash it off for you tomorrow.”

The air was so thin she felt she needed oxygen to survive. Lan Jingli was just about to turn and hug the woman when she heard Tan You’s phone vibrate.

“Sister, would you ever want to get married?” Lan Jingli had accidentally caught a glimpse of the word “marriage” on the phone screen.

“You want to get married?”

To avoid Tan You misunderstanding, she shook her head and waved her hands frantically. “No, no, I just wanted to ask you. I’m still young, it won’t be that fast for me.”

Seeing through Lan Jingli’s thoughts, Tan You uncharacteristically wanted to tease her. “You’re beating around the bush. Do you actually want to marry me?”

“When I get married, I want to give every guest a small pudding,” Lan Jingli said, half-jokingly, half-probing. “So… would you want to marry me, Sister?”