Flirting Under Favor (GL) - Chapter 21

Mu Fan took a deep breath, wiping the dampness from the corners of her eyes with her middle finger: “No.”

From the sound and tone, Wang Lin was certain Mu Fan had been crying. She couldn’t help but recall their first meeting in the snow. Mu Fan cried then because her mother was critically ill, and she was vulnerable and helpless. She also remembered a certain night when Mu Fan had a nightmare, curled up in her arms and wept uncontrollably, stripped of her usual bright smile and typical calm demeanor. She was like a weak, pitiful young animal.

Mu Fan cries too. She is just strong, but no matter how strong she is, her heart is soft and made of flesh and bl00d. Now, because of her, Mu Fan had shed tears again.

“I won’t cry anymore. Don’t you cry. I don’t want to make you cry.”

“Are you really not crying anymore?” Mu Fan asked.

“Really.”

Mu Fan switched the call to a video call, and Wang Lin accepted.

Seeing Wang Lin’s tear-stained, haggard face and swollen eyes firsthand, Mu Fan felt profound self-reproach, her heart aching again and again. She forced a smile to tease her: “Little Calico Cat.”

“Are you sitting on the floor? Get up quickly. It’s cold on the floor; be careful not to catch a cold,” Mu Fan said with concern, noticing the height of the door behind Wang Lin.

“Oh.” Wang Lin scrambled up from the floor and sat on the bed.

“You weren’t deliberately ignoring me?”

“No, of course not. I promise to say good morning and good night to you every day from now on, okay? Sometimes when I’m busy and can’t reply right away, can you be a little more patient? For example, today, I was in a meeting. When I saw you had called dozens of times, do you know how panicked and worried I was? Fortunately, the client saw my panic and let me step out to take your call first.”

Mu Fan finished speaking sincerely, the genuineness on her face impossible to fake. Wang Lin bit her lip, lowered her head, and said barely audibly: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so gained-and-lost [患得患失 – huàndé-huànshī – overly concerned about personal gains and losses] and make a fuss. You are so busy.”

Her compliant manner showed she was truly remorseful, yet how could Mu Fan genuinely blame her? Her heart softened further: “Silly girl. You weren’t making a fuss; I just failed to consider your feelings.”

“Am I very childish?” She lowered her eyes. “Like a little kid.”

“Mhm, a little.” Mu Fan pretended to ponder, then, the moment Wang Lin showed a slight look of panic, she quickly added, “But very cute.”

Wang Lin looked at the screen uncertainly, searching Mu Fan’s face for the truth in her words. Mu Fan simply smiled softly, a smile that assured her, calming her heart. She was completely convinced, and a look of joy returned to her face.

She laughed childishly: “You’ve been out for so long. You should go back and continue your meeting now, right?”

Mu Fan said, “No hurry. I’m relieved that you’re okay.”

“I’m all better now.” She grinned, showing that her mood was genuinely restored to peace. “You should go back quickly.” She smiled, her heart sweet.

Mu Fan felt relieved: “Then I’m going to hang up.”

“Mhm.” Wang Lin nodded. “Call me tonight if you have time.” She said, with a hint of a plea, “Please?”

Mu Fan said: “Okay.”

After hanging up the phone, Wang Lin stretched out on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and giggled foolishly, revealing two rows of bright, little teeth.

After dinner, she lay on the bed, eagerly waiting for Mu Fan’s call. After eight o’clock, the phone rang.

It was Mu Fan.

“Are you done with work?” Wang Lin asked as soon as she put the phone to her ear.

“No, but that doesn’t stop me from calling you,” Mu Fan said. The sound of rapid keyboard typing could be heard in the background. “I’m using an earphone, so I can talk to you while I work. Otherwise, by the time I’m done, you’d already be asleep.”

Wang Lin hadn’t expected Mu Fan to be this busy. She had originally wanted to play games with Mu Fan, but she wasn’t disappointed. Instead, she felt guilty for affecting Mu Fan’s work: “Am I not disturbing you?”

“No.”

“I’ll try to talk less then.”

“Won’t you get bored?”

“No. With the phone call, it’s like you’re right next to me, so I won’t be bored.”

“I’m only this busy for the first few days. It’ll ease up after that.”

“Mhm.”

“I’ll come back as soon as I finish the busy part.”

“Okay, you focus on your work. I’ll do my homework.” Wang Lin got off the bed, pulled out the homework she had been too lazy to do, and sat down at the desk.

Neither of them suggested hanging up. Wang Lin could hear Mu Fan typing, turning files, drinking water…

And Mu Fan could hear Wang Lin turning book pages, searching for things, and her occasional humming…

The two spoke in fits and starts, their soft voices gently permeating the air. By the time Wang Lin finished her homework, Mu Fan was still busy. Wang Lin said, “I’m going to sleep,” climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up.

She put her charging phone on her chest, said into the microphone: “Good night.” Then, satisfied, she closed her eyes, listening to the tiny, fragmented sounds coming from Mu Fan’s end. It felt as if Mu Fan was sleeping right beside her, and she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Hearing Wang Lin’s faint breathing and little sighs in her sleep, Mu Fan’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. Under the warm yellow light, her slender body remained motionless for a long time. Suddenly, she closed her laptop, resting her head on it, and closed her eyes.

A mess.

I went soft again.

She reached for her phone and ended the call.

/

Wang Lin slept well. When she woke up, she checked her phone. Mu Fan had sent her a good morning message about ten minutes earlier.

So early. Wang Lin thought about how Mu Fan had gone to bed late and was already up so early. Her heart ached for Mu Fan working so hard.

“Take care of yourself.”

Mu Fan usually didn’t reply quickly, and Wang Lin wasn’t anxious. She put down her phone, hopped out of bed, and prepared to welcome the new day.

During the morning class break, Mu Fan replied with a simple “Okay.” Wang Lin’s lips curled into a slight smile. Imagining a typically cool person like Mu Fan saying “Okay” in a soft, obedient way warmed her heart.

After her morning classes, since she had more classes in the afternoon, Wang Lin didn’t return to her accommodation for lunch. She ate at the cafeteria with a friend named Li Ruhuan, a skinny girl who wore glasses, was a severe internet addict, and obsessed with celebrity culture. Much of what came out of her mouth left Wang Lin utterly confused. She was also a non-residential student, which was why Wang Lin felt closer to her, often commuting together.

The two squeezed into the cafeteria, waited in their respective lines, and successfully got what they wanted to eat. Sitting down at a table, Wang Lin quietly began to eat with her chopsticks. Li Ruhuan was the opposite: one hand held her phone, the other held her chopsticks, her eyes fixed on the screen, occasionally letting out a kind of doting, “old auntie” smile.

Her chopsticks aimlessly poked at the food in her bowl, guiding food to her mouth by feel.

This state had been going on for several days. Wang Lin didn’t know what she was watching that had so engrossed her. She watched it in class, watched it during breaks, and barely talked to Wang Lin anymore. Finally, she couldn’t help but ask: “What are you looking at that you can’t stop even while eating?”

Li Ruhuan glanced at Wang Lin, put down her phone, quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of food into her mouth, then picked up her phone again, saying casually: “Novels.”

Wang Lin asked again: “What novel has you so mesmerized?”

Li Ruhuan looked up at Wang Lin, then stared back at her phone: “Lily novels.” Fearing Wang Lin wouldn’t know what a Lily novel was, she explained, “It’s novels about two women falling in love.” She quickly added a disclaimer: “I’m not gay, okay? I just enjoy it as an outsider.” After saying that, she rested her head on her hand and said longingly, “But seriously, it’s so sweet.”

Wang Lin bit her chopsticks: “Two women… can that work?”

“Two men can, so why can’t two women?” Li Ruhuan countered. Although society didn’t lack discussions about homosexuality, most of it centered on gay men, leaving lesbians marginalized. This annoyed Li Ruhuan, who had been a fan of fujoshi culture for years.

Wang Lin was silent, nodding as if she understood but didn’t. Yes, if two men can, two women naturally can too. But how would two women… She vaguely knew how gay men did things, but she was completely clueless about two women.

She shook her head, wondering why she was thinking such dirty thoughts.

Li Ruhuan’s eyes lit up seeing her expression. She was the type of person who couldn’t resist shipping two men together. Recently, she had fallen into the lily genre and hadn’t changed her ways. Wang Lin had a beautiful and adorable face, and Li Ruhuan couldn’t help but fantasize—the love story of two beautiful women. The groundhog in her heart screamed non-stop, Ah, I’m dead!

As someone close to Wang Lin, Li Ruhuan knew many boys pursued her, but Wang Lin hadn’t paid attention to any of them. Thinking of this, she put on a profound look. Could it be…

She looked at Wang Lin, increasingly unable to suppress the wicked excitement in her heart.

Wang Lin shivered, unnerved by the look in her eyes, which was like a hungry dog spotting food.

“Do you want to read it?” Li Ruhuan pushed the phone toward Wang Lin and began her sales pitch. “This one, this one,” she pointed to a book on the Jinjiang bookshelf, “Exploring the Empty Tomb [探虛陵 – Tàn Xū Líng]! It’s incredibly good!”

Looking at the books near her fingertip, Wang Lin’s mind wasn’t focused on the title or content of the book, but on its cover.

This art style is a little familiar.