Come Sit At My House - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Luo Qingmeng’s perception of her didn’t change: Qiu Shuxue was a very bad person, so bad that she could be happy and then suddenly fall apart.
In high school, Luo Qingmeng met a teacher who really admired her. She was a Chinese class representative for a year. At the time, her teacher said something she really liked: The beginning of man is stupid and evil.
A person cries when they are born, cries when they are dissatisfied, cries when they are unhappy, and cries for no reason. This is stupid and evil.
The role of a parent is to guide the baby out of this state.
Luo Qingmeng’s forehead pressed against Qiu Shuxue’s forehead. Qiu Shuxue said, “Kiss me.”
Luo Qingmeng cried as she kissed her.
Why was the mother being educated by the baby?
Maybe she was a useless mother.
It was almost 11:30 PM when Luo Qingmeng finally got to rest. She lay on her side, her arms wrapped around the back of Qiu Shuxue’s head, her eyes heavy with sleep.
Her eyes were swollen. She originally wanted to watch TV and reached for the remote, but she didn’t have any strength. Her fingers weakly rested on the back of Qiu Shuxue’s head.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep within a few moments.
Qiu Shuxue, however, was full of energy.
Her lips were wrapped around, and her teeth were gnawing.
Luo Qingmeng was half-asleep. In her heart, she said that Qiu Shuxue was not being obedient, but she also gently patted her head twice, as if she were coaxing her and saying, “Be a good girl, stop messing around. Go to sleep.”
It made her feel like she had really become a mother, and she even had the illusion of lactation in her dream.
Her hair was sweaty and stuck to her cheeks. Her throat was dry, and the sofa cover was damp.
And so, the next day came. Luo Qingmeng was woken up by her alarm clock. She couldn’t remember what time she fell asleep yesterday, but this was the first time she hadn’t slept until she woke up naturally.
She usually got up early and made her own food, but today, she probably wouldn’t be able to. Luo Qingmeng got dressed and then patted Qiu Shuxue. “Get up. It’s time for work.”
“Mhm, okay,” Qiu Shuxue also woke up in a daze.
Luo Qingmeng felt so uncomfortable that she went to the bathroom to quickly rinse off. Qiu Shuxue was still dawdling on the sofa, her feet on the floor, her eyelids fighting to stay open. Luo Qingmeng brushed her teeth and backed away, saying to Qiu Shuxue, “You should go back.”
Luo Qingmeng originally wanted to raise her voice, but when she saw her in a dazed state, she felt a little like laughing. Seeing that Qiu Shuxue didn’t move for a long time, she added, “Hey, my clothes won’t fit you anyway.”
Qiu Shuxue hummed and blinked her eyes. “I’m just tired.”
Luo Qingmeng urged her to go take a shower quickly, saying she would be awake after. She mumbled in her heart, Serves you right. I was sleeping yesterday, but you were still eating.
As she thought about it, her chest hurt.
When Qiu Shuxue went into the bathroom, she told her to remember to throw her clothes out. Qiu Shuxue draped her clothes over the glass partition.
Luo Qingmeng took the clothes down and put them in the washing machine with her own clothes. She washed her face, combed her hair, and finally applied some fragrant face cream, hooking a little lip oil with her finger and dabbing it on her lips with her nail.
She rolled her hair up, pushed it up from the back of her head, and clipped it with a shark clip, leaving a casual strand by her forehead.
It was a mature and elegant look.
She was ready before Qiu Shuxue came out. She went to her closet to get some clothes to wear and locked the door. She looked down at herself. She was a sorry sight.
But it didn’t hurt.
Maybe she had been well-maintained, because there were no marks on her body. She changed into a long, yellow dress. The temperature in early April was starting to rise, and it was perfect for wearing dresses. She smiled very gently as she wore it.
She came out of the room, and Qiu Shuxue had just finished her shower. Because she had no clothes to wear, Qiu Shuxue stood naked at the door. She winked at Luo Qingmeng playfully.
“…” Luo Qingmeng pursed her lips hard. How shameless.
But her body was so good.
Luo Qingmeng went back to the room and got a nightgown for her. Qiu Shuxue put it on. Luo Qingmeng told her to go back and change quickly so she wouldn’t be late for work.
Qiu Shuxue got dressed and went to the door. Luo Qingmeng called out to her and handed her the gift that was on the sofa. Qiu Shuxue nodded and said okay. Luo Qingmeng wondered, Why is she still so dazed?
She’s so stupid.
The washing machine had three minutes left. Luo Qingmeng remembered that there was some instant food in the fridge. She went into the kitchen to steam some buns and small steamed buns.
By the time she finished hanging the clothes, it was about time. She took chopsticks and prepared two servings. She went out to knock on the door next door, and Qiu Shuxue came out after changing.
Because it was rush hour, Luo Qingmeng took Qiu Shuxue’s car to the bookstore. The century egg with tofu was still in the car, but it had gone bad overnight.
Luo Qingmeng thought it was a shame and reminded herself to throw it away later. Qiu Shuxue said, “Let’s go eat again tonight. Maybe they’ll give us another one.”
Luo Qingmeng said, “Are you stupid? Eating out just for a freebie.”
“I just want to taste the food you set aside for me and the food you packed for me,” Qiu Shuxue said.
Luo Qingmeng had never met anyone as strange as Qiu Shuxue. She didn’t immediately complain and thought about it seriously. Qiu Shuxue probably didn’t want to eat leftovers. She just wanted to feel remembered.
She thought for a moment and said, “Your company doesn’t provide breakfast, does it?”
Qiu Shuxue hummed.
Luo Qingmeng placed the breakfast she had prepared on the center console. “Take it to the office to eat.”
She also found some milk and cookies in her bag. She usually prepared her own food the day before. If she didn’t have time, she would prepare cookies for lunch. She said, “Make your own milk to eat.”
During rush hour, the car was stuck in traffic for a while. Qiu Shuxue turned her head to look at her. “Mhm?”
“Eat when you’re hungry.”
“Okay.”
Her company provided breakfast for employees who worked overtime, but it was just bland noodles that tasted like nothing.
When Qiu Shuxue started driving again, her voice changed a little. “Sister, you’re so good. I just can’t help but want to be bad.”
Luo Qingmeng looked out the window. “You’re not a good kid either.”
She didn’t like it when Qiu Shuxue talked like this, as if Qiu Shuxue would leave her at any moment. She could feel that she didn’t hate Qiu Shuxue as much anymore. She would make excuses for her, thinking that she had no choice but to be a mistress, or maybe Qiu Shuxue already regretted it, but she was too embarrassed to say so.
This thing called attachment, when it gets tangled with habit, becomes complicated and difficult to break free from. The word “bad” was like a hint to her, saying, “I won’t like you that much.”
Luo Qingmeng lowered the car window. The wind blew in, gently brushing against her face. She narrowed her eyes comfortably. When they were almost at the bookstore, Qiu Shuxue said, “I’ll like you more and more.”
Luo Qingmeng was stunned.
It was as if she had eaten several cookies and steamed buns in one go.
In the past, Luo Qingmeng was just disdainful. She would let her words go in one ear and out the other. Now, her heart would fluctuate and go up and down.
She would think, Does Qiu Shuxue like her?
Luo Qingmeng wanted to rub her face to wake herself up, but her face was clean and beautiful, and she didn’t want to ruin her makeup, so she just patted her cheeks with the back of her hand.
She sorted out her emotions. When she got to the mall, she got out of the car and waved at Qiu Shuxue. Qiu Shuxue’s car drove away toward the company.
Luo Qingmeng walked slowly.
The book was right. A good physical connection between people could lead to two states: falling in love over time or growing to despise each other over time.
She worked all morning. At noon, Qiu Shuxue ordered takeout for her: pork chops, pasta, and some pastries she couldn’t name.
Luo Qingmeng didn’t resist anymore. As she ate, she thought that she had to wake up and sort out their relationship, just like she was sorting out her future. She used her phone to search on a browser: Is there something wrong with a person who likes to call someone “mommy”?
The answers that popped up were strange, basically saying that people with this condition were perverts, traditional psychological perverts.
She frowned and searched in another way: Is there something wrong with a person who likes to call a female friend “mom”?
The answer: It’s a popular internet trend.
Still not right.
Chen Xin came over to give her some tea. Her search history had already progressed to: When sleeping with a girlfriend, what is wrong with a person who likes to call her “mom”? How can it be treated? and What is wrong with a mistress who keeps calling the ex-wife “mom” in bed?
Chen Xin knew that looking at someone’s search history was rude, and she swore that she saw it by accident, but this was just too wild, wasn’t it?
This kind of plot wouldn’t even be in a novel.
A mistress sleeping with an ex-wife and calling the ex-wife “mom.”
Oh my god.
What the hell happened?
Luo Qingmeng is usually a very proper and shy person.
At 4 PM, the boss arrived and went directly to Luo Qingmeng. She talked to her about a lot of work-related matters. She gave Luo Qingmeng a number and told her to proactively ask the person out for dinner.
The person said they were a little busy and couldn’t make it today.
Luo Qingmeng felt a little scared but also relieved. She wasn’t good at socializing. The store manager comforted her and told her to take her time and prepare.
The store manager happened to be free and asked her out for dinner. Luo Qingmeng said, “I’m going to go look around Xingzhou Plaza today. How about we eat there?”
“That’s a bit far. I have to pick up my child,” the store manager said. “Let’s do it next time.”
Luo Qingmeng thought for a moment and said, “Then we can eat here, too. I’ll just go over there by myself.”
The store manager laughed. “You’re so good at handling people. You’re very considerate.”
Luo Qingmeng also laughed. She held her phone, hesitating for a long time. She clicked on her friend’s profile and sent a message: [Something came up today. I’m having dinner with the store manager.]
The store manager asked curiously, “Who is it? Why are you reporting to them?”
“It’s not a report. It’s just my sister.”
“You’re not friends yet?”
“…We had a fight,” Luo Qingmeng made up an excuse.
The store manager walked around the store and checked every corner. After making sure there were no problems, she said, “The fire department will be coming to inspect in the next few days. You all need to be more thorough in your checks.”
The store didn’t even have a water dispenser, so there wouldn’t be any problems. At most, the coffee shop next to it needed to be careful.
The bookstore wasn’t big, so the store manager felt bored staying there. She went to the cafe to sit for a while, then went out to see the recommended books Luo Qingmeng had written for today.
At first, Qiu Shuxue thought the boss was a store manager because she loved books, but Luo Qingmeng later realized that the boss was just very good at her job. She actually didn’t know much about a lot of the books.
It was lunchtime at the company. Qiu Shuxue took a book and went to the management floor. The secretary made her a cup of tea. She drank the tea while reading. After about ten minutes, a middle-aged man sat next to her.
“What are you reading?” The man tilted his head and looked at the book title. “Why are you reading this kind of book? Your parents used to make you read… Weren’t you unwilling to read it?”
Qiu Shuxue said, “I just didn’t want to read what they recommended.”
She closed the book and asked, “Are you interested in opening a bookstore?”
The man said, “The bookstore economy isn’t doing well. You could say that besides food and offline entertainment, physical stores have been replaced by the internet. If you want to create an online novel platform, it would be interesting to invest in the front-end, back-end, and traffic.”
Qiu Shuxue hummed in response. After a while, he said again, “You want to play with the physical economy?”
Qiu Shuxue continued to drink her coffee. The man said, “If you want to open a bookstore, that’s fine too.”
After she finished her coffee, Qiu Shuxue picked up the cup and said, “I’m going back to work.”
“Okay.”
Qiu Shuxue went back to the office downstairs. Her colleagues were all napping at their desks. Now that it was April, everyone was getting tired.
As soon as Qiu Shuxue sat down, Xiao Ninghe next to her tapped her desk and said, “What’s up? Why did you go see your uncle?”
“We just talked for a bit.”
“Oh, Li An came to find you.”
Qiu Shuxue said, “He came to the company today?”
“Yeah, everyone was so energetic. We were all dying of laughter. We all watched him, wanting to know if he was screwed up. The new interns all walked around him. He seems to have brought you a gift. Do you want to see?”
Qiu Shuxue looked at the drawer underneath. There was a small paper box with a label on it, saying it was an apology gift for her.
Qiu Shuxue didn’t even look at it and threw it away.
Xiao Ninghe said, “Tsk. He’s afraid of offending you.”
“What can he do if he offends me? The company can’t just fire him. They’d have to pay him a settlement.”
“You’re right. The labor law is there.”
Qiu Shuxue took a bag of cookies out of her drawer. She opened it and put one in her mouth. She handed one to Xiao Ninghe. “Want to try?”
Xiao Ninghe said, “No, I’m going to sleep.”
“Try it.” Qiu Shuxue still pushed it toward her.
Xiao Ninghe looked at her with suspicion. She had no choice but to take one. Qiu Shuxue’s eyes looked at her with anticipation. “Is it good?” After Xiao Ninghe nodded, she said, “My sister gave it to me.”
“Huh? Aren’t you an only child?”
Qiu Shuxue didn’t answer. She just smiled.
At 4 PM, Qiu Shuxue received a message from Luo Qingmeng. The bag of cookies was just finished. She held her phone, her brows furrowed. She typed on the keyboard and sent a message back, but Luo Qingmeng didn’t reply.
At 5 PM, Qiu Shuxue grabbed her bag and left work. As she was leaving, Xiao Ninghe pulled on her sleeve and looked at her wrist. “Why are you wearing this thing? A red string. This doesn’t look like something you would wear.”
Qiu Shuxue said, “My sister gave it to me.”
Xiao Ninghe heard the word “sister” for the second time from her mouth. She was very curious and could tell that the feeling of the word was different both times.
After Qiu Shuxue arrived at the bookstore, she looked inside. The cash register was empty. She waited outside for a while. Chen Xin saw her and whispered, “Sister Meng went out with the boss.”
Qiu Shuxue nodded. As she was about to leave, she asked again, “Is she coming back?”
“She’s off work. She doesn’t have a night shift for the next few days, so she’s free,” Chen Xin said.
Qiu Shuxue left. She held the steering wheel and waited for a long time before she started driving home. She checked the surveillance footage, but Luo Qingmeng hadn’t come back.
She waited for six hours.
Luo Qingmeng finally came back at 11 PM.
Luo Qingmeng deliberately walked quietly. After the hallway lights went out, she carefully fumbled in the dark to the door and entered the password. As soon as she pressed a number, the door next to her opened.
Qiu Shuxue stood at the door, her arms crossed, and said in a resentful tone, “You just left your baby home alone and went out to a private meeting?”
“Aren’t you afraid she’d be hungry?”
Luo Qingmeng’s eyes widened. She glanced at her in disbelief. What was Qiu Shuxue saying? Baby? What baby? A baby that was 25×12 = 300 months old? How shameless could she be?
“Don’t talk nonsense. How old are you? Don’t you feel ashamed?” Luo Qingmeng’s cheeks were flushed, and her chest hurt. She was not a mommy. Although some experts online always said that people her age were at the best age to have and raise children and that children who drank healthy br3ast milk would be smarter.
What was she thinking…
Qiu Shuxue walked over from her door. The door behind her automatically closed with a “door locked” sound. Luo Qingmeng immediately started entering the password. Qiu Shuxue stood behind her, sniffing her scent. It didn’t have the innocent scent from the morning. She tugged at her collar and sniffed the body fragrance hidden inside. She said, “I only call myself a baby in front of you, and only you would see me as a baby. It’s so shameful to say these things, so, so shameful. But, mommy, I’m so hungry. Can you make me something to eat?”
I’ve already blinded myself.
/She’ll probably find out that she’s not a mistress soon./