A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 110

Winter has passed, and the nights are growing longer.

Under the streetlights, vehicles rush by endlessly. The city lights have just come on, and people are swarming everywhere.

Nan Xue adjusted her cashmere coat draped over the back of a chair, putting it on, then closed the notebook on her desk with one hand while carrying a small bag on her shoulder with the other. She twisted the office door handle and opened it.

“Ms. Nan, are you heading home?”

“Yes.”

Nan Xue closed the door behind her, walked past a few rows of beige office desks, and made her way to the elevator.

As the glass doors closed behind her, the eyes of many followed.

Her demeanor was aloof and reserved. With her pale skin and tall figure, she was undeniably a standard beauty, but she had always been single. Not only single, but there were also no rumors about her. Many in the office were worried: “How can Ms. Nan be like this? Is she going to be single all her life?”

“Maybe it’s because her father passed away, and she hasn’t gotten over it. She doesn’t want to date.”

“She’s never dated before, either.”

“I think, at her age and still no boyfriend, she might end up being a lesbian.” (TN: What’s wrong with being a lesbian? Do you have a problem with it?!! 🤨)

••••

The murmurs spread.

Nan Xue was young and beautiful, making it hard for people to view her with the same reverence they might reserve for a superior. While they were professional at work, they were unreserved during breaks and loved to gossip.

“Ms. Nan has a partner!”

Her assistant announced quietly in the office after Nan Xue had left.

“Really? How can you tell?”

“She’s been in a great mood these days, like a spring breeze.”

“Yeah, did you see the ring on her desk?”

“A ring is nothing.”

The assistant chuckled: “I saw the strawberry on her neck.”

••••

How delightful!

Everyone in the office wondered what her partner was like.

And when they might get to attend a wedding.

••••

Nan Xue tugged at her thin coat as she walked through the fallen leaves toward home.

The lawn in the yard was being watered. In spring, peach blossoms bloomed densely on the branches. Under the dusk sky, a single flower mirrored the azure sky, its shadow casting on the white wall like a painting.

She opened the door and heard the sound of the kitchen exhaust fan and soft conversations. She pushed the door open and quietly observed.

“Don’t, she really dislikes scallions,” Shu Yubai explained softly.

“What about peanuts? She’s not picky, right?” Aunt Zhang asked.

“Peanuts are fine.”

••••

She was preparing noodle soup for Nan Xue.

Shu Yubai wore a beige camisole with a white knit cardigan draped over her shoulders. Her silky long hair was gathered to one side of her neck as she rinsed peeled peanuts under the water, her delicate fingers glistening with transparent water droplets.

The camisole was quite small, and when she looked down, it revealed a bit of skin. Inside, it was warm and full, but she didn’t seem to notice as she carefully rinsed the peanuts in the bowl.

The peanuts had been bought from a stall in a small park. The vendor said they were freshly dug from the soil, very tender, and still had some dirt on the shells, with a bit of soil sticking to the peeled peanuts.

They needed to be cleaned, or they might cause discomfort.

Nan Xue saw that she hadn’t noticed her quietly watching, so she couldn’t help but approach, wrapping her arms around Shu Yubai’s slim waist from behind. She rested her chin on Shu Yubai’s shoulder, tilted her head, and whispered in her ear, “Sister.”

Shu Yubai was indeed startled.

She turned around in surprise and looked into Nan Xue’s clear eyes, which held a hint of a subtle smile.

“Come outside for a moment.”

Nan Xue hooked Shu Yubai’s hand and pulled her out. Shu Yubai quickly rinsed her hands under the water, asked Aunt Zhang to follow the recipe for cooking, and then turned off the faucet and walked out.

Nan Xue mysteriously pulled a small object from her bag.

It was another velvet box.

A lead-gray box, which, when opened, revealed a delicate diamond ring. A square white diamond was set in the center, with tiny diamonds embedded around the edges, shimmering with numerous small lights.

“Do you think it’s pretty?”

Nan Xue looked at her with bright eyes.

Shu Yubai stared at the ring, her fingers gently pulling the ring from her neck and hanging it on her chest. It felt warm and hot.

“It’s pretty, but…”

“Isn’t there one here already?”

Shu Yubai looked at the small ring in her palm, confused.

This was the ring Nan Xue had given her when she first confessed.

She had kept it on her chest, unwilling to show it to others.

“This one is for marriage.”

Nan Xue held the small box, opening it to reveal the sparkling diamond.

“I’ve thought about it.”

Nan Xue spoke softly, “In a few days, shall we go get a marriage certificate?”

“Where do we go to get it?”

Shu Yubai’s eyes held a hint of surprised joy.

“Um.” Nan Xue shook her head and said, “I don’t know yet, it’s not decided.”

“I’ve thought about it for a long time.”

Nan Xue hugged her waist and said softly, “I want to marry you… just like a heterosexual couple. We can get a marriage certificate, go public, and not hide or conceal anything.”

Shu Yubai gazed at her absentmindedly, her eyes soft with a hint of tears. She kissed her lips and said with a gentle and incredulous tone, “… Thank you.”

“Sister, what is your expression?”

Nan Xue pecked her lips and, with lowered lashes, asked.

“I’m a bit moved. What should I do?”

Shu Yubai blinked, trying to dispel the sudden warmth and tears in her eyes.

Nan Xue looked at her with a smile, “Then you should make it up to me.”

“Make it up?”

“Mm.”

Nan Xue lowered her head and whispered in her ear, “Tonight, I’ll come to you.”

Her voice was very soft, and on this still-cool day, her words created a faint mist that lingered in the ear, making Shu Yubai’s fair ears flush red with the sudden warmth.

The noodle soup was served on the table soon after.

The soup base was topped with chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts, a splash of red oil, and a layer of chopped snow cabbage scattered across the surface.

The aroma was very inviting.

Aunt Zhang was resting nearby while the two of them slurped their noodles and chatted casually.

“Sister, do you want to have a wedding?”

“No, it’s too troublesome.”

“Okay.”

“Then let’s just get the certificate.”

“How about a trip?”

“A honeymoon?”

“Mm.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Mm.”

“Alright. Then… let’s set off after Qingming Festival.”

••••

In the spring of that year.

During the Qingming Festival, rain fell persistently.

They went to visit the graves.

The sky was gray and very cold.

Shu Yubai drove Nan Xue to the cemetery and parked the car.

During the plum rain season, a light misty rain fell over the cold cemetery in the Jiangnan region. In the suburban area, pear blossoms were in full bloom, and rainwater dripped onto the petals, making them damp.

As Shu Yubai got out of the car, her toes hesitated slightly. She looked at Nan Xue and cautiously asked, “Can I go?”

She asked very carefully.

The cemetery was where Nan Xue’s father was buried.

After their second “breakup,” Nan Xue’s father still noticed something was wrong and had a serious talk with Shu Yubai, expressing his concerns that they were still too immature and that he was not at ease with Nan Xue being with Shu Yubai.

He had always been opposed to it.

“You can come.”

Nan Xue looked at her and kissed her earlobe, saying, “My father… doesn’t oppose it.”

“Mm?”

Shu Yubai widened her eyes in surprise, “What did he say later?”

Nan Xue smiled with lowered lashes, her eyes full of melancholy and sadness.

“I’ll tell you later.”

She looked at the distant white flowering trees and then got out of the car.

Rain was falling in the cemetery.

The weather was a bit chilly.

They placed a bouquet of white daisies beside the tombstone.

Nan Xue held an umbrella and, finding it inconvenient, handed it to Shu Yubai. She knelt down in front of the wet tombstone and bowed three times.

Then it was Shu Yubai’s turn.

Nan Xue gently touched the tombstone with her fingertips, stared for a long while, and then turned to leave.

“Sister, why do we have to leave?”

Nan Xue held the umbrella, her black hair stirred by the cool wind, her chin pale and transparent.

Shu Yubai turned around, kissed her, and softly said, “Leaving… is for a better reunion.”

“Baby, I love you.”

“Always have, and it hasn’t changed.”

Shu Yubai kissed her forehead, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes gentle and serious.

Nan Xue was moved, gazing deeply at her, her eyes showing a hint of emotional response.

“Can you tell me now?”

Shu Yubai rubbed her head and looked up, asking, “What did Uncle say before he passed away?”

Her father was lying on the hospital bed.

The scene felt as if it was just yesterday.

Nan Xue gazed into the distance and slowly recalled:

He said, “Forget it.”

“My daughter, just be happy.” (TN: 🥹)

Then he tilted his head and passed away.

The car continued driving forward, and the gray glass windows seemed to show a series of silent black-and-white silent films.

They stopped by the lake and got out of the car.

Shu Yubai held a pencil, sketched Nan Xue, set the pencil down, and gently embraced her, kissing her forehead, nose, and lips. After returning, she carefully revised the sketch, outlining the delicate lines on the silk fabric.

The two of them, holding an umbrella and leaning against each other, signed:

“Memories of old rains on the blue tiles, a red umbrella in a familiar alley. When will you see Nan Xue, I and the plum blossoms will grow old together.”

— Spring of the Year of Yi Si, Jingzhe, inscribed by Yubai at the West Lake.