A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 103

[Teacher Shu, one of the papers you submitted last time got accepted!]

[On ‘Art Observation,’ now there are just two more needed. Keep going!]

[When will you treat us to a meal?]

Shu Yubai, carrying a bag and holding textbooks and a stack of homework papers, walked under the dense tree shade at the intersection.

On a spring day, there were many students coming and going under the tree shade. It was lunchtime, and a song played from a speaker hidden among the tree branches, with a clear female voice singing slowly.

The message was from Shi Chu.

The art college teachers wanted to advance their titles, but it wasn’t enough to just paint; they needed to publish in core journals, with at least three papers. Shu Yubai hadn’t been aware of this before and had only written a few papers when graduating, focusing more on practice, that is, painting.

Now, she was just two papers short of the three required.

She barely met the minimum requirement.

Shu Yubai glanced at the chat window, smiled, and replied with a voice message:

[Sure, when do you want to? What do you want to eat?]

Then she put her phone back in her bag.

In the early spring, the wind blew away the clouds, leaving a clear, blue sky like a translucent mineral.

She wore a sleeveless chiffon long dress with light-colored bellflower prints, the heavy fabric swaying as she walked, revealing a section of her white, smooth calf.

Students by the roadside recognized her and greeted her with bright eyes: “Teacher Shu!”

“Hello, Teacher—” a group of students extended their voices.

“Oh, Teacher can’t remember you—don’t be embarrassed, hurry and go!”

Shu Yubai was startled for a moment, then looked over and smiled gently:

“Who says I don’t remember?”

The group of young students were stunned, then shyly huddled together and ran off.

Youth is wonderful.

Shu Yubai lowered her head, smiling as she reminisced.

Outside the light gray building, a flourishing tree was in bloom. It was hard to tell whether it was peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, or pear blossoms, as not a single leaf was visible.

Dense clusters of small white flowers adorned the branches, like mist, carrying a faint fragrance.

Shu Yubai’s car was parked under the tree, covered with a layer of fallen petals. As the wind blew, the petals gently drifted down.

So beautiful.

She marveled and couldn’t resist taking a photo.

After taking the picture, she sent it to Shi Chu, saying: [Look, the flowers are all in bloom.]

She got into her car, and soon after, Shi Chu replied.

But it was just a [?]

Shu Yubai: […?]

She stared at it, and suddenly, her heart skipped a beat: she sent it to the wrong person!

She had sent it to Nan Xue!

Shu Yubai’s fingertips were cold, and her back was covered in sweat. She wondered if Nan Xue might think she was deliberately trying to flirt.

The car was stuffy, and the temperature was rising. Before long, Shu Yubai felt her cheeks burning. However, Nan Xue did not reply further beyond the question mark.

She took a deep breath and reversed the car, heading out.

Forget it, let her think what she wants.

While waiting at a traffic light, the screen lit up again.

Shu Yubai’s heart skipped a beat. Without looking at the screen, she imagined many ambiguous possibilities, wondering if it was a reply from Nan Xue.

Nan Xue sent a message:

[The flowers are blooming. How about taking a walk by the lake tonight?]

Shu Yubai looked quietly at the screen, her fingertips curling slightly, and replied: [Okay.]

••••

Last time, Shu Yubai had promised to take her to an art museum to see other people’s works, but Nan Xue didn’t seem very interested. Shu Yubai was a bit uncertain about where to go this time.

She was driving on the road.

At night, the concert hall lit up with dazzling lights. She wondered if she should go listen to someone’s performance. She checked online and found a violin solo performance, but the time was tight, and she wouldn’t make it since she didn’t have a ticket.

She decided to go for a walk by the lake instead.

Shu Yubai arrived half an hour early, wearing light makeup. She adjusted the mirror in front of the car and checked her appearance. It looked refined enough; would Nan Xue like it? She felt a bit nervous as she parked in the designated space by the lake.

She opened the car door, stepping out in her light brown high heels.

The next moment, she encountered a pair of clear black-and-white eyes.

Nan Xue: “…”

Shu Yubai: “…”

The two of them locked eyes. The small white Porsche was parked next to Nan Xue’s car. It looked like she had just gotten out as well, wearing a slightly loose coat and dressed lightly.

Nan Xue’s cold, slender shoulders were exposed, and she wore a short skirt. Her hair was pinned behind her ear, and the sparkle of her ear studs seemed slightly uneasy.

“Ahem.”

Shu Yubai stood there and said softly, “What a coincidence, did you also get the time wrong?”

Nan Xue’s ears were slightly red, but she wasn’t lying: “No, I’m used to coming half an hour early.”

Neither of them spoke for a while.

The air became inexplicably ambiguous, and Shu Yubai’s self-soothing mutterings were instantly ineffective. She stood still, nervous.

Was this considered a… date?

It was too obvious.

After a while, Nan Xue finally said, “Shall we go for a walk?”

“Sure.”

Shu Yubai relaxed a bit and gently asked, “Are you feeling better now? Is your head still dizzy?”

“No more dizziness.”

Nan Xue walked beside her and said softly, “The fever has gone down.”

“That’s good.”

Shu Yubai’s heart raced, and a thought came to her: why not take this chance to ask? Had Nan Xue been with anyone else in the past three years? Was she still single?

“Did no one take care of you when you were sick?”

Shu Yubai looked down and asked casually, “Besides Aunt Zhang… who else?”

Three years had passed, and Shu Yubai didn’t feel much regret about leaving. Many choices were the only suitable ones at the time, and she would still make the same choices if given another chance.

But she knew that the consequences were hers to bear.

For instance, Nan Xue had gone through many things and met many people. Did she meet someone who made her heart flutter?

“Besides Aunt Zhang, there was another person… but she didn’t take care of me much.”

Nan Xue lowered her head and couldn’t help but smile. “She’s not like you.”

Who was “she”?

Was it Qian Qian?

Shu Yubai’s fingertips turned white as she struggled to suppress a feeling akin to jealousy.

At night, the weather was a bit warmer. The peach blossoms by the lake were in full bloom, and willow branches gently swayed in the evening breeze. Many tourists strolled under the dim lights, and soft music played from somewhere, soothing and gentle.

“Let’s sit for a while.”

Nan Xue tugged at her sleeve.

Under the willow tree, there were benches facing the lake. Under the countless lights, the lake rippled gently with the evening breeze, shimmering with light.

The two of them sat side by side under the tree.

Opportunities for a date were rare, and this kind of tentative approach was new to Shu Yubai. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her heart racing a bit, and casually asked, “How many exes have you had?”

Nan Xue glanced at her and asked, “And you?”

Shu Yubai was taken aback and thought: if Nan Xue had been in relationships while she had remained single, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

Shu Yubai kept her head down and said nothing.

Nan Xue, on the other hand, suddenly became angry, thinking, why aren’t you speaking? Have you been in relationships?

She remained silent and didn’t look at Shu Yubai. Her dark hair was lifted by the night wind, revealing her cool chin. She stared at the distant night scene, her eyes very faint.

But her fingertips were tightly clenched.

Nan Xue’s phone rang, and Shu Yubai glanced at it. It was Qian Qian.

The next second, Nan Xue lowered her gaze, and with a quick swipe of her pale fingers, she ended the call.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

Shu Yubai looked at her and asked, “Was it her?”

Nan Xue didn’t reply, softly saying, “You haven’t answered the question from earlier.”

Shu Yubai looked down and turned her gaze away. She leaned back on the bench and said casually, “I’ve had a few—two or three, I guess.”

Nan Xue’s fingers tightened, but her face remained calm.

How far did it go?

Had they kissed? Or had they tried everything?

Nan Xue lowered her eyelashes, feeling a pang of heartache.

Yet she managed a faint smile, turned to her, and asked, “What are their names? Are you still with them?”

“Names?”

Shu Yubai smiled at her and said, “Come a bit closer, and I’ll tell you.”

Nan Xue’s fingertips turned white with a strange sense of competitiveness. She lifted a strand of black hair and lowered her eyelashes, waiting for her to speak.

“I’m just kidding.”

Shu Yubai whispered into her ear.

Her warm breath delivered each word slowly.

Shu Yubai looked down and said, “No, I’ve never been in a relationship.”

Her eyes were red.

She had been crying.

A tear fell and hit the ground. She said, “If you want me to find someone else, I will—I’m not unwanted.”

The next moment, Shu Yubai’s eyes widened as she was gently embraced.

A faint gardenia scent spread, very light and subtle, drifting away with the wind.

The girl looked down, her dark hair falling and covering her porcelain chin.

Her red lips touched Shu Yubai’s forehead, very lightly.

She kissed her forehead.

It was a fleeting touch.