A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 101

Nan Xue had a cold, so Aunt Zhang tried various methods to treat her. After taking the medicine, Shu Yubai fed her fruit. Aunt Zhang went upstairs to prepare a basin of hot water with ginger slices and called for Nan Xue to soak her feet.

“Xiao Nan?”

Aunt Zhang called from upstairs, “Come, soak your feet in the hot water. It will make you sweat and help reduce the fever faster.”

Shu Yubai fed Nan Xue the last piece of kiwi. After finishing, Nan Xue looked regretfully at the small plate, which only had juice left, and then glanced at Shu Yubai, who was lowering her head to clean up the dishes. Seeing that Shu Yubai wasn’t looking at her, Nan Xue went upstairs alone.

Shu Yubai went to the kitchen to wash the plate and fruit knife, putting them away. When she returned, she saw her phone screen lit up on the coffee table—You Fu had sent her a message.

You Fu asked Shu Yubai:

[You and Nan Xue broke up three times?]

[Oh my.]

Shu Yubai was taken aback and replied, [Senior Sister, how did you know?]

You Fu: [Heard it from someone.]

Shu Yubai asked: [Who?]

You Fu replied: [Qian Qian.]

You Fu explained: [She was a classmate of mine.]

Shu Yubai said: [Oh.]

You Fu, puzzled, asked: [Why? Didn’t you like her a lot?]

Shu Yubai sighed softly and typed slowly on the screen: [It’s hard to explain.]

Shu Yubai continued: [At that time, her father was ill.]

Shu Yubai added: [I didn’t want to affect his mood.]

You Fu didn’t press further.

She probably guessed the context.

Shu Yubai leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes to rest, and countless fragmented images quickly flashed through her mind, like fleeting shadows. She couldn’t help but recall their second breakup.

That day, Nan Xue was still at the company, and Shu Yubai had returned home first.

In the early spring dusk, an old apartment building’s corridor, a middle-aged man with graying hair stood alone. When Shu Yubai came home, she paused, her steps subtly halting. The man, aged and frail, stood under a tall sycamore tree, looking as worn-out as the tree trunk.

Countless fallen leaves were lifted by the wind and then fell again.

Hearing the pause in footsteps, the man turned around—it was Nan Xue’s father.

He stood under the tree with his hands behind his back, wearing a gray jacket that showed signs of wear. He didn’t speak; his eyes showed weariness and something else.

A sense of lifelessness.

Shu Yubai, feeling unsettled, tightened her fingers slightly and approached, forcing a smile as she greeted him, “Uncle?”

Nan Xue’s father told her, “I’ve been diagnosed with cancer.”

Shu Yubai felt her legs give way, nearly collapsing. Her mind buzzed, unable to process it for a while. She doubted she heard correctly and asked again, “What did you say?”

Nan Xue’s father said, “Lung cancer.”

“Early stage. It might not be curable. Don’t tell Nan Xue yet.”

He sighed, his graying hair looking bleak in the dusk. Nan Xue’s father was aging and ill.

Shu Yubai looked at him in silence.

She had been distant from her own father since childhood, and after her parents’ divorce, she lacked experience in dealing with such situations. Shu Yubai felt a surge of sadness, her eyes welling up for a moment.

Her fingers curled inward, not knowing how to start.

No, he said it was early stage.

—It might not be fatal?

Nan Mingzhu sighed and said, “Be friends with Nan Xue, okay?”

“That’s my only wish.”

“If Nan Xue can return to a normal life like a regular girl, I’d be at ease.”

“She can’t keep this up.”

He sighed again and said, “I hope you two don’t continue. It’s too… abnormal. Woman with woman, what kind of relationship is that? Isn’t it better to be friends?”

Shu Yubai nodded quietly, “Okay.”

“I’ll… talk to her.”

Nan Mingzhu looked at her one last time in the twilight and then left.

Shu Yubai stood in place, watching him walk away.

She couldn’t recall the exact date or day of the week, but she watched the man’s graying hair slowly being worn away by the setting sun. She watched for a long time, and the scene kept replaying over and over.

It was as if she saw a life melting away with the sunset.

When Nan Xue came home, Shu Yubai was washing dishes in the cramped kitchen. Nan Xue gently embraced her from behind, blowing in her ear and affectionately calling her, “Sister.”

The short hair brushed lightly against Shu Yubai’s warm cheek. She turned around, her eyes smiling, as the sunset cast a soft light on her face through the dim window.

Her expression was blurred, hard to make out clearly.

In the silence, no one spoke.

Shu Yubai washed her hands under the faucet, turned back, hugged Nan Xue’s waist, and kissed her cheek, saying, “Nan Xue, let’s take a break from being together for a while, okay?”

Nan Xue was stunned and asked:

“Take a break?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re breaking up with me again?”

Shu Yubai panicked and gently explained, “No… It’s just being friends, not breaking up. It’s just that I won’t kiss you, and you can’t kiss me either.”

Nan Xue frowned, her clear eyes full of confusion: “What do you mean?”

“Just for a while, okay?”

Seeing Nan Xue didn’t respond, Shu Yubai whispered in her ear:

“It’s just a brief separation. We’ll still be together as friends, just like before.”

“Just a short while?”

Nan Xue looked at her quietly.

“Mm.”

“Isn’t there anything else that’s not allowed?”

Nan Xue asked again.

“No.”

Shu Yubai said, “At least for this period, let’s just be friends. After this time, you can come to me however you like.”

Nan Xue furrowed her brows and asked, “Why?”

Shu Yubai was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, “Do you miss your father?”

Nan Xue gazed at her quietly, her pupils dilating and then contracting. She was stunned for a moment, lowered her head, and a gentle breeze from the window lifted the ends of her porcelain-white hair.

It seemed she understood, and she asked, “Sister, are you afraid I’ll miss my father?”

Shu Yubai was taken aback and softly responded, “Yes.”

“Nan Xue.”

Shu Yubai looked at her seriously, her eyes as gentle as ever, but with a hint of sadness, which quickly disappeared.

She lowered her gaze and said, “Go back and see your father.”

Nan Xue nodded and said, “Okay.”

She embraced Shu Yubai from behind, kissed her forehead, and asked, “How long will we be apart?”

Shu Yubai was momentarily stunned and shook her head gently, “I don’t know.”

Nan Xue didn’t understand. Seeing that Shu Yubai seemed concerned about her figuring something out, she hugged her, smiled, and softly said, “Let’s think of it as a game to see who can endure longer.”

Nan Xue glanced at her and said lightly, “It will definitely be me.”

Shu Yubai just smiled without speaking.

Nan Xue finally went home.

Shu Yubai reminded her that if her father asked, she should say that they had broken up and were currently just friends. Nan Xue followed her advice.

They continued to meet weekly. Nan Xue occasionally asked her why her father was always coughing and had tried many remedies without success.

Shu Yubai could only smile and say that coughing from a cold was hard to treat.

Nan Xue believed her.

Aside from that, her own business had improved significantly.

It was no longer as bumpy.

Everything seemed to be getting better.

But unfortunately, the second “breakup” didn’t last long.

Because it was simply unbearable.

“Sister, can I kiss you for a moment?”

As they walked on a mountain path beside the house, Nan Xue hooked her fingers and gently asked.

Shu Yubai was silent.

She looked around, wordlessly pulled Nan Xue into a corner, and checked again to ensure no one was around.

In the narrow alley, they were close together, a crescent moon hung quietly in the sky, and the sound of unknown insects chirped from the deep grass. It was a quiet and gentle night, with light and delicate breathing.

The wind was light, brushing against their hair and feeling a bit ticklish.

Shu Yubai felt slightly uncomfortable for a moment, her cheeks warming. Half indulgent, half hopeful, she pointed to her cheek and said, “Didn’t you want to kiss me?”

“Go ahead, come on.”

She pointed to her cheek.

Only the cheek?

Nan Xue looked at her with dissatisfaction, then, as if resigning, gently kissed her cheek.

It was light and fragrant, like the soft petals of a jasmine flower, the fresh scent filling the air, and the delicate touch spread out where her soft lips had brushed.

It had only been a week.

A kiss made her feel somewhat soft.

Shu Yubai’s cheeks were slightly warm. She lowered her head, took a moment to gather herself, and said quietly, “I… also want to kiss you.”

“Okay.”

Nan Xue’s eyes brightened, and she quickly agreed.

Shu Yubai wrapped her arms around the girl’s neck, lifted her gaze, and kissed her face.

The sensation was as soft as flower petals, very delicate, with no imperfections, warm and soft, like a ball of sweet cotton candy. Shu Yubai’s tongue lightly tasted it.

The wet, soft touch felt like a small snake.

Nan Xue couldn’t resist any longer, hugged her, kissed her red lips, and began to kiss deeply.

A deep, entangled kiss.

Hot kisses.

They were pressed close together in the narrow alley and soon discarded their inhibitions. Nan Xue accompanied her back to their original “home,” entered the bedroom, and began kissing passionately once more. They lost track of time, and outside, it was silent and pitch dark.

When they finally got up from the bed, covered in sweat, they realized:

Their agreed second “separation” had ended without notice.

••••

Shu Yubai pulled back from her long thoughts.

She got up and climbed the wooden spiral staircase, step by step, to the third floor. Nan Xue’s bedroom door was open, and there was the sound of water. It seemed she was still soaking her feet in hot water.

Shu Yubai reached the bedroom door, where Nan Xue was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her white feet were resting on the edge of a small wooden basin, with water dripping down, and the hot water had turned them pink.

Nan Xue was searching around for a towel. Shu Yubai, worried she might catch a cold, hurriedly said, “Put your feet back in. I’ll get you a towel.”

Nan Xue put her feet back.

Shu Yubai took a dark towel from the windowsill, asked, “Is this the one?” Nan Xue nodded, so Shu Yubai walked over, sat at the edge of the bed, and said, “Lift your feet.”

— Is she going to wipe her feet?

Nan Xue was startled and, for some reason, her cheeks felt a bit warm.

She obediently lifted her feet. Shu Yubai wrapped the towel around them, gently pressed to absorb the water, and said, “The other one.”

Nan Xue complied.

Shu Yubai’s hands, through the towel, pressed gently one by one.

It didn’t take long to dry them.

Nan Xue remained silent, with the tips of her ears reddened.

Shu Yubai didn’t notice. She lifted the blanket and said, “Hurry, get inside and wrap up.”

Nan Xue: “…”

She rolled into the blanket, wrapped herself up, and left only her eyes visible, quietly watching Shu Yubai.

Shu Yubai, feeling her gaze, gradually became uncomfortable and started blushing slowly, saying, “Why are you looking at me?”

Nan Xue quietly asked, “Aren’t you annoyed with me?”

Shu Yubai: “What?”

She seemed confused, saying, “Why would I be annoyed with you?”

Nan Xue: “…”

She scrutinized Shu Yubai’s expression, afraid of missing any clues, but Shu Yubai’s expression remained one of confusion, as if she truly didn’t understand the question.

Why did she seem to completely forget?

Was it because too much time had passed, three years, and she couldn’t remember posting something when they broke up?

Or could it be that it really wasn’t her?

As this thought started to emerge, it quickly grew, wrapping around her heart like vines.

Something seemed to be slowly reviving.

Nan Xue moved in the blanket and said, “I’m so cold.”

She looked at Shu Yubai.

Shu Yubai blinked and asked, “Should I get you a cup of hot water?”

She turned and left the bedroom. After a short while, the sound of footsteps echoed from the stairs as she went upstairs. She returned with a white porcelain cup, gently placed it on the bedside table. Nan Xue glanced over and saw it was ginger tea again.

“Drink some.”

Shu Yubai said patiently.

Nan Xue frowned, reluctantly sat up, drank the ginger tea, and then lay back down.

“Still cold?”

Shu Yubai asked softly.

Nan Xue nodded and said, “Cold.”

She wasn’t lying; her feet were already frozen, seemingly unable to warm up.

It was getting late.

Shu Yubai glanced at the time, wondering if it was time for her to leave since Nan Xue was going to sleep.

Turning her gaze, she found Nan Xue quietly watching her from the blanket.

Her gaze was clear and unblinking.

Shu Yubai asked again, “Where is it cold?”

Nan Xue replied, “Below the calves, it’s all ice.”

Shu Yubai sat on the edge of the bed. She gently lifted a portion of the blanket, her warm fingers touching Nan Xue’s ankles, which were indeed very cold. The weather had turned cold, and without heating, Nan Xue’s feet were always icy.

“Let me warm you up, okay?”

Shu Yubai’s cheeks were slightly warm as she asked tentatively.

Nan Xue nodded.

She closed her eyes drowsily, but the next moment, she felt something warm and soft touch her feet, as if it had life and was very vibrant.

She suddenly fluttered her eyelashes open.

Shu Yubai was sitting at the head of the bed, placing Nan Xue’s feet into her clothes, gently pressing them against her soft, warm belly.