Beautiful Woman, You Have Another Express Delivery! (GL) - Chapter 9

Liu Shuhan ultimately failed to reach Cheng Qiuyi’s house within two minutes. The elevator mercilessly closed its doors the second before she could squeeze in. With no other option, Liu Shuhan had to sprint up the stairs all the way. Cheng Qiuyi lived on the eighteenth floor. When Liu Shuhan finally arrived, she was panting like a dog, sweat streaming from her forehead down to her neck. She wished she could crawl on all fours to Cheng Qiuyi.

Cheng Qiuyi had opened the door early, waiting for Liu Shuhan. Today, she wore a long dress, her black hair flowing over her shoulders, looking like an immortal figure stepping out of a painting. She had a perpetually stern, unapproachable expression, but she smiled the moment she saw Liu Shuhan’s gasping figure at the stairwell.

Liu Shuhan, whose vision was filled with golden stars from climbing eighteen flights of stairs, shuffled to Cheng Qiuyi’s doorway. She propped herself up on one knee to catch her breath, and with her other hand, tremblingly presented the express package. “Be-Be-Beauty… you… you have a… package…” The oxygen supply for her breathing was almost depleted; saying these few words nearly took her life.

Cheng Qiuyi casually placed the box on the shoe rack, staring at the top of Liu Shuhan’s head. “Three minutes and forty-five seconds.”

“Sister, it’s not easy for us common folk to make a living. Could you please not complain about me? I’m sorry, is that okay?” Liu Shuhan recovered slightly and grabbed the corner of Cheng Qiuyi’s skirt to beg for mercy.

Liu Shuhan was already shorter than Cheng Qiuyi, and Cheng Qiuyi’s doorway threshold was high, so she had to crane her neck to look up at Cheng Qiuyi, looking pitiful.

Cheng Qiuyi also looked down at Liu Shuhan, but her attention was drawn to Liu Shuhan’s neckline. Liu Shuhan was wearing a wide-neck T-shirt today. From Cheng Qiuyi’s angle, the view inside was faintly visible. Cheng Qiuyi subtly leaned forward, wanting to see more, but then frowned unhappily. Liu Shuhan ran around so many places delivering packages all day; what if she met someone who had designs on her just like Cheng Qiuyi did?

“Don’t wear clothes with such a low neckline during work hours in the future.”

“Huh?” Liu Shuhan looked down, following Cheng Qiuyi’s gaze, and quickly pulled her collar back up. She laughed awkwardly, “I was in a rush and didn’t pay attention.”

She realized Cheng Qiuyi had changed the subject and quickly continued, “That’s not the point! Qiuyi, I was wrong this time. Please, please don’t complain about me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry…”

“Where were you wrong?”

“I shouldn’t have asked the customer to come downstairs to pick up the package when I knew they were home. I shouldn’t have failed to call the customer to communicate beforehand…”

Liu Shuhan listed several of her crimes in one breath. After speaking, she nervously swallowed, awaiting Cheng Qiuyi’s decision. She had run up eighteen floors and still hadn’t fully recovered. Her face was pale, and even her lips were bloodless.

Cheng Qiuyi sighed, took her wrist, and led her inside. “Go wash your face first. Your towel is hanging in the bathroom.”

Liu Shuhan was a little dumbfounded. What kind of routine was this? Wasn’t she angry just now?

Seeing her lack of reaction, Cheng Qiuyi simply took her into the bathroom, soaked the towel in warm water, and personally prepared to wipe her face. Only when the towel was brought close did Liu Shuhan snap back to reality. She turned her head away, dodging it. “I’ll do it myself.”

Cheng Qiuyi glanced at her and just handed over the towel.

“Shuhan, every single word I said last night, I meant it.”

Liu Shuhan paused the hand holding the towel to wipe her face, then continued as if nothing had happened. “Oh right, we didn’t get to see the movie last night, which is a real shame. That movie ticket was ridiculously expensive, such a waste…”

Cheng Qiuyi pulled the towel off her face, looked her squarely in the eyes, and said seriously, “Shuhan, how long are you planning to run away?”

Liu Shuhan panicked, her eyes darting everywhere. “Run away? What are you talking about, Qiuyi?”

Cheng Qiuyi couldn’t be bothered with her nonsense. She directly kissed the lips that had finally regained some color.

Liu Shuhan’s eyes widened, staring at Cheng Qiuyi’s suddenly magnified face, her mind blank.

Cheng Qiuyi was kissing her. It wasn’t a dream; it was a real, tangible sensation. Cheng Qiuyi’s lips were soft, like jelly. Liu Shuhan’s heart was pounding out of her chest. Driven by impulse, she stuck out her tongue and licked Cheng Qiuyi’s lips.

Cheng Qiuyi’s pupils contracted. She hooked Liu Shuhan’s lips, which were trying to escape after causing mischief, and deepened the kiss, pushing Liu Shuhan against the mirror behind her and probing the depths of Liu Shuhan’s mouth.

“Mmm—” Liu Shuhan suddenly grabbed Cheng Qiuyi’s shoulders and pushed her away with all her might. Cheng Qiuyi reluctantly released Liu Shuhan, asking with dissatisfaction, “What’s wrong?”

Liu Shuhan was sitting on the bathroom tiles, clutching the ceramic white sink, her face contorted in pain.

Cheng Qiuyi panicked. She crouched down, supporting Liu Shuhan. “Shuhan? Shuhan, what’s wrong?”

Liu Shuhan pressed her left calf and said with difficulty, “My leg… my leg cramped up…”

“…” Cheng Qiuyi lifted Liu Shuhan’s calf to stretch and rub it.

“Ah!” Liu Shuhan screamed in pain. “Cheng Qiuyi, be gentle! You’re killing me!” She was terrified of pain. Even a small scratch made her feel like she was dying. Cheng Qiuyi’s action felt like it almost took half her life.

Cheng Qiuyi found Liu Shuhan’s painful spot. Not only did she not let go, but she rubbed and pressed it vigorously. “You stood all day yesterday and forced yourself to come to work today. You deserve to be in pain.”

“How dare you say that! It’s all your fault… Ah! Be gentle!”

After a while of massaging, the spasms in Liu Shuhan’s calf lessened, and her cries quieted down. Cheng Qiuyi saw that it was mostly done, looked up, and asked, “Does it still hurt?” Liu Shuhan shook her head. Cheng Qiuyi helped her stand up, and she limped over to sit on the sofa.

The two sat side-by-side without speaking. After a long pause, Cheng Qiuyi finally broke the silence. “Shuhan, are you running away because you truly don’t like me and don’t want to accept me? If you say yes, I will leave immediately without another word and never bother you again.”

“No!” Liu Shuhan blurted out. “I… I just… How could you… Don’t you like men?”

“Who told you that?”

“Does anyone need to say it? You dated several boyfriends before. How could you…”

“How could I like women?” Cheng Qiuyi gave a bitter smile. “I thought it was impossible, too.”

“Shuhan, I thought it was impossible for me to fall for you. You’re so timid, and slow-witted, like a child. How could I possibly like you? But you infiltrated my life bit by bit, and by the time I realized it, it was too late.”

“I tried to forget you. I didn’t contact you for nine years. I hid far away from you, trying not to think about you or look at you… It didn’t work, Shuhan. I want to hold you, I want to kiss you, I want to be with you forever. Shuhan, I love you.”

Cheng Qiuyi said she loved her.

Liu Shuhan squeezed her own thigh hard, trembling from the pain. Only then was she sure she wasn’t dreaming.

It wasn’t a dream, not an illusion. Cheng Qiuyi said she loved her.

Liu Shuhan stared blankly at Cheng Qiuyi, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

“Don’t cry… Shuhan, please don’t cry. If you hate me, I’ll just leave, but please don’t cry…” Cheng Qiuyi frantically tried to wipe Liu Shuhan’s tears.

Liu Shuhan touched her face, which was wet with water. Only then did she realize she was crying. Liu Shuhan simply hugged Cheng Qiuyi’s waist, buried her head in her chest, and sobbed hysterically, crying and howling, “Cheng Qiuyi, you bastard! I’ve waited so many years, why didn’t you say so sooner! You bastard!”

“Yes, yes, yes, it’s all my fault… I’m a bastard, I’m not human…” Cheng Qiuyi accepted Liu Shuhan and comforted her, half-laughing, half-crying. Liu Shuhan pressing against her happened to pin down her long hair, causing Cheng Qiuyi to gasp in pain.

Liu Shuhan couldn’t stop crying. Her eyes were like a faucet that wouldn’t turn off. Soon, Cheng Qiuyi felt her entire front soaked and sticky against her skin. She patted Liu Shuhan’s head. “That’s enough, you can stop now.” Crying like this was going too far; what if she got dehydrated?

Liu Shuhan sat up, her eyes red, continuously whimpering, her shoulders still shaking, and her nose bright red. Cheng Qiuyi patted her back to help her regulate her breathing, and Liu Shuhan slowly calmed down.

Liu Shuhan’s ears were ringing from crying for so long, and her mind was buzzing. She didn’t speak, just held a cushion, looking utterly miserable, her face stained with tears. Cheng Qiuyi found her bewildered expression a little amusing. “What are you thinking about?”

Liu Shuhan turned her face and asked, unconvinced, “Cheng Qiuyi, about what just happened, why are you so practiced?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted it. Liu Shuhan, are you an idiot? Why would you ask such a mood-killing question now?

Cheng Qiuyi burst into laughter. This girl’s reaction time could probably circle the Earth several times. “Shuhan, how do you know if I’m practiced or not?”

Seeing Liu Shuhan’s pathetic face, Cheng Qiuyi couldn’t bear to tease her anymore. She wrapped her arms around Liu Shuhan’s neck, leaned against her, rubbed her head into Liu Shuhan’s neck hollow, and sighed contentedly. “Shuhan, would you believe me if I said that was the first time I’ve ever kissed anyone?”

Liu Shuhan wanted to say I believe you, but what came out was, “So what if it’s your first time? Whose isn’t a first time!”

Cheng Qiuyi chuckled aloud. “Shuhan, I’m so happy right now, truly. I’ve never been this happy in over twenty years.”

Liu Shuhan stroked Cheng Qiuyi’s hair, lowered her eyes, and let the corners of her mouth curl up. “Qiuyi.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for liking me.”

Liu Shuhan felt as if she had been walking on a dark, endless road for over a decade. After walking for so many years, that road suddenly brightened. Sunlight streamed down, shining directly into her heart. With the person she loved most by her side, everything suddenly became clear.

Cheng Qiuyi didn’t speak, closing her eyes with a smile. She pressed her ear to Liu Shuhan’s chest and could clearly hear her accelerated heartbeat. Liu Shuhan was a fool, but it was this fool who had supported her through those days close to breakdown. This fool’s look of affection was too transparent. The whole world knew she liked Cheng Qiuyi, yet she herself thought she was hiding it well.

Shuhan, thank you for your persistence.