A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 12

“I just bought this. I heard that small dogs like this type of food, so I brought it for it to try… Sorry if I’m disturbing you.”

Xiao Yi stood on the first floor, holding a heavy bag of dog food. The package featured a brown teddy bear, identical to the one upstairs.

As she explained, she slightly raised her eyes and happened to meet a pair of clean, piercing eyes.

The gaze was complex and extremely cold, like shards of ice.

Nan Xue stood upstairs, her jet-black eyes glancing at her briefly before looking away. At home, she was casual and relaxed, wearing only a white cotton nightgown. The straight pant legs made her long legs look even longer, and her slim waist was accentuated. One button was undone, the neckline slightly open, revealing a glimpse of her collarbone and dazzlingly white skin.

With her dark hair, snowy complexion, and red lips, her appearance was indeed stunning, breathtakingly beautiful—no wonder Shu Yubai liked her.

Nan Xue said nothing, leaning over the railing from upstairs, her thin eyelids lowered, appearing quite indifferent.

Her dark eyes stared at Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi looked at the two and merely smiled.

She left the dog food downstairs, had a simple dinner, and then left.

After a while, Shu Yubai’s phone gently vibrated.

[She seems to have a bit of an interest in you.]

It was a message from Xiao Yi.

Nan Xue did not speak to Shu Yubai again for a long time after Xiao Yi left. She was exceptionally cold, like a child sulking. Seeing her upset, Shu Yubai was unsure how to handle it. Usually, she would indulge Nan Xue, actively showing affection, peeling fruit for her, and feeding it to her.

It had become a habit.

But this time, Shu Yubai did not act the same way.

She only smiled slightly and asked, “Are you unhappy?”

Nan Xue asked, “Did she ask you to go with her to her studio?”

Nan Xue was asking about the studio situation.

Shu Yubai walked over, sighed softly, sat beside her, and leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the chandelier on the ceiling for a while. She said, “Yes. You know, I… it’s hard to make a living just from selling paintings. Things are different now.”

Nan Xue felt the weight and warmth beside her. She slightly turned, lowering her head, a strand of hair falling down, and asked Shu Yubai, “Why does it have to be her?”

Shu Yubai looked into Nan Xue’s eyes and gently said, “It’s her studio. She has connections. She can help me sell my work.”

Nan Xue gazed at her eyes, which were dark and soft, as gentle as ever.

She couldn’t help but move a little closer.

Shu Yubai was wearing only a light camel-colored cashmere dress, soft and warm. Being so close, Nan Xue could feel her warmth and the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. Light and soft.

Hugging her would be very comfortable.

She took Shu Yubai’s hand, her cool fingertips and neatly trimmed white nails. Gently pinching Shu Yubai’s fingertips, she asked, “What does it feel like to be in a relationship with her?”

Nan Xue’s breath lightly brushed against her ear, warm and faint.

Shu Yubai glanced at her, “Are you very curious?”

Nan Xue paused and remained silent.

Shu Yubai’s fingertips were cold, and she felt a bead of sweat forming in her palm. After a deep breath and a long pause, she tried to maintain her composure and asked, “If you’re so curious, would you like to try being with a girl? Maybe you…”

She quietly watched Nan Xue, who, noticing her gaze, lifted her eyes.

Their gazes met briefly and then parted.

Nan Xue shook her head, “I’m not.”

It was almost the same answer as many years ago.

She was not.

She did not like girls.

Shu Yubai’s fingertips were icy, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

How self-deluded she had been.

“That’s good,” Shu Yubai said, pinching her soft fingertips and smiling. “This path isn’t easy. You’ve been single for so long, maybe you should listen to your father and settle down soon.”

Nan Xue glanced at her.

Shu Yubai thought for a moment and added, “I’ll be very busy from now on. Preparing for exhibitions, finding a mentor, and continuing treatment for my right hand. It’s like picking up old work again.”

“…”

“Yes, I have to return to Hangzhou.”

“What for?” Nan Xue asked.

“My teacher is there,” Shu Yubai said, half recalling and half sighing. “When I was studying, it was so easy to follow her lessons, but now that I’ve graduated, the tuition fees are…” She paused, not continuing.

Nan Xue gently asked, “Why not study with Ying Ran?”

Ying Ran was Nan Xue’s uncle.

He was a renowned calligrapher, painter, poet, and scholar, having served as the president of the National Academy of Painting, a doctoral supervisor at the Art Academy, and a vice president.

Art education is expensive, and if one wants to further their skills, finding a famous teacher is even more so. The cost of a week’s class could equal a month’s entire income.

With this additional familial connection, Nan Xue implied she wanted to help save on tuition fees.

Shu Yubai did not look at her, keeping her head down. After a long time, she said, “Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”

Her tone was casual, but Nan Xue could tell it carried a forced confidence. Shu Yubai seemed like a delicately crafted paper doll, beautiful, but the glamour and determination were merely a shell.

It was as fragile as paper, easily punctured to reveal a weak inner layer.

Nan Xue felt a pang of regret.

Shu Yubai had a strong sense of pride. When they were together, Shu Yubai never accepted her gifts, not even a necklace or a bracelet. Asking to buy her paintings felt like crossing a boundary.

It seemed more like an insult than assistance.

How could she forget?

••••

The night was cool as water.

In her memory, there was a group of children, their faces blurred.

It was between old residential buildings. The alleys were fragmented, with brown, crumbling walls and fragile tiles from the last century. Cheap vendors shouted on every corner, and a red sign read “Jili Convenience Store.” A few middle-aged men, barefoot, were gambling and drinking at the corner. A black dog lifted one leg to lean against a utility pole.

The sun was blazing.

All these details were clear, but the faces of the people were blurred.

Many children with unclear faces stood in front of her, their clothes dirty, holding a handful of small stones.

A sharp pain on her face.

She did not know which child started it, but with a contemptuous tone, one said, “You still use lip balm? You’re good at tempting people, just like your mother.”

Children’s malice was always undisguised, pure and direct.

More and more small stones were thrown at her.

Her forehead throbbed and bled.

Nan Xue paused, wiped the blood dripping from her forehead, and silently picked up a larger stone from the ground, hurling it back with force. She didn’t say a word, her lips tightly pressed.

“What are you doing?”

A very pleasant voice, with a soft tone, the gentle Wu dialect of Jiangnan.

The tone carried anger.

A car stopped at the entrance of the dilapidated alley. It had a sleek black body. The door was opened from the inside, and a girl, not much older than her, stepped out. Her soft tone, however, commanded authority over the group of aggressive children, like a judge.

“She’s hitting people!”

A group of children played the victim, pointing at the large stone: “She’s using such a big stone to hit us!”

The driver’s door opened, and a tall man got out. The girl was accompanied by an adult.

“What’s going on?”

The adult looked at the blood on Nan Xue’s forehead, frowning: “I see it’s you who’s throwing stones. So young and so bad—do you want to go to jail?”

The group of children became frightened.

The leader of the group took a step back, and the tall man pressed loudly, “Where are your parents? Call them over and have them pay for the medical expenses.”

The children were most afraid of their parents being called. Once they heard about having to pay for damages, they knew things wouldn’t end well. They’d get a scolding when they got home, so they immediately ran away, covering their heads and scrambling off.

“You little brats, I remember you!”

The driver of Shu Yubai shouted at the leading stone-thrower.

At that time, Nan Xue’s father had gone bankrupt. Her mother signed the divorce agreement and left Nan Xue, the little burden, with her father to find a new partner. Nan Xue’s father, now alone with her, moved into a small house with a monthly rent of less than a thousand. The house was in a slum, and the area was full of unscrupulous people. The local children were wild, and Nan Xue, who had always been indifferent and aloof, did not fit in with the local customs and was quickly ostracized by the local ringleaders.

Throwing stones was just a warning.

The adult world is complex.

After the bankruptcy, Nan Xue’s father’s former wealthy friends had long since avoided him.

There was, however, no change between Shu Yubai and Nan Xue.

The driver sighed while looking at Shu Yubai: Even though they lived far apart now, she insisted on visiting her former “good friend.”

The emotions among children are truly pure and inexplicable.

“What’s wrong?”

Shu Yubai frowned slightly, very concerned.

The girl had matured early; although she was only a year older than Nan Xue, she was half a head taller. Nan Xue lifted her gaze slightly, seeing her long eyelashes and soft, lake-like black pupils, her eyes tender.

Shu Yubai came over, bent down to make eye contact with her. Her clear eyes still held unchanged tenderness and concern, and her voice was very soft: “Does it hurt?”

“Do you want me to apply some medicine?”

Nan Xue didn’t speak, just shook her head. Her thick eyelashes covered her pupils, and her lips trembled.

“Then, can I blow on it to make it better?”

Shu Yubai’s eyes curved into a smile, her voice gentle and delicate, speaking softly.

Nan Xue had been holding it together before, but in that moment, she couldn’t keep it in any longer. Her nose tingled, and tears fell heavily.

Even her mother had never cared for her this much.

Shu Yubai gently embraced her. Nan Xue smelled her scent from her shoulder and hair, a faint, familiar fragrance, warm and comforting.

She nuzzled into Shu Yubai’s shoulder, burying her head deeper, and softly called her, “Sister.”

Shu Yubai looked down, “Hmm?”

••••

The sound of light footsteps.

Nan Xue walked barefoot on the wooden floor.

Outside the small window, snowflakes drifted one by one.

Shu Yubai lay on the bed, her soft black hair spread across the pillow. The pillow emitted a fresh scent of grass seeds. Whether it was moonlight or lamp light, it was translucent white, illuminating her nose and her jade-like chin. Her lips were soft, smooth, and tender red, as if filled with warm blood.

Nan Xue extended her finger and gently touched them.

The person beneath stirred slightly, her eyelashes fluttering faintly.

As if about to wake up.

Nan Xue looked at her and, for a moment, heard her own heartbeat.

Chaotic and disordered.