A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 19

The hot spring water was warm, with soft ripples creating a misty veil. A small light hidden in the bushes cast an orange glow on the cold snow. People in the hot spring made gentle movements, creating delicate, shimmering waves.

Reflections of moonlight, remnants of snow, and the silhouettes of two people close together.

Shu Yubai closed her eyes, immersed in the warm spring water, her memories mingling with the sensation. The water’s gentle ripples seemed to dissolve the boundaries of time and space. It felt as if she and Nan Xue had been together for many years, simply accompanying each other.

What was she hoping for?

Perhaps she should be content with this way of being together.

Nan Xue held her long hair as Shu Yubai tilted her neck slightly. The light illuminated her snow-white collarbone, which had a touch of warm red. Her soft, white chest rose and fell gently with her breath.

Water droplets trickled down her pale neck.

Her slightly protruding Adam’s apple, collarbone, and delicate chest were all carefully tended to by Nan Xue.

After a while, Nan Xue set down Shu Yubai’s wet hair and asked, “Is this okay?”

Nan Xue’s skill in tying ponytails was not very good. Shu Yubai felt some discomfort in her scalp and reached up to touch her hair, slightly frowning.

“Mm, it’s quite good.”

Shu Yubai smiled lightly in response.

Then she reached for her phone from the wooden partition by the edge of the hot spring and opened the front camera.

Her wet hair was tied in a high ponytail, slightly uneven. The hair at her temples was soaked, with droplets falling down. Surprisingly, it looked quite nice.

“Thank you,” she said casually.

Nan Xue leaned in to look, and both of them appeared in the frame.

Shu Yubai’s heart stirred slightly as her fingertip pressed the shutter, capturing the image with a click.

In the photo, the two girls were clean and wet, standing shoulder to shoulder in a slightly misty ambiance, with smiles at the corners of their lips, looking very intimate.

Nan Xue: “…”

Shu Yubai turned her head, her eyes seeming to twinkle with starlight.

Nan Xue glanced at her and leaned in to see. Shu Yubai was about to tap into the photo album when she suddenly stopped.

There were photos of Nan Xue in the album.

A lot of them.

Although they were friends, they respected each other’s privacy. Shu Yubai would never snoop through someone’s phone, and Nan Xue was the same.

So, Shu Yubai had never considered there would be any trouble with those photos.

“I’ll send them to you when we get back.”

Shu Yubai looked at her and extended her hand to put the phone back into the far-off small partition.

Suddenly, a notification sound.

Shu Yubai glanced at the screen. The note from many years ago appeared on the display.

– “Senior Sister”

••••

In the hot spring, a half-open wooden pavilion had accumulated a layer of snow. Warm white mist rose, and snow water melted and fell, drop by drop.

“She has a friend coming to join her,”

You Fu swiped to end the call and slowly walked to the edge of the hot spring to place her phone, then sank back into the water. Pouring water over her collarbone, she recalled, “I think her name is… Nan Xue.”

“Nan Xue, I know that name.”

The young woman next to her, with large, lively eyes, was You Fu’s cousin, You Li. They were close, sitting together and chatting softly, while the others played water games on the other side.

“I know her.”

You Li picked up a piece of herbal medicine from the water and examined it under the light, explaining disinterestedly, “She’s very pretty and has a lot of charm.”

“Is that so?”

You Fu poured water over herself.

“Her father is Nan Mingzhu.”

“Oh? I didn’t know,” You Fu raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. “I have some impression, but I’m not familiar.”

“Oh.”

You Li said, “You’re not familiar, but Shu Yubai is.”

You Fu closed her eyes.

The surrounding air was filled with the fragrance of herbs, and the water had a slight brown tint.

You Li watched her cousin, suppressing a smile, and seemed to find the situation amusing.

After a while, You Fu suddenly opened her eyes and asked, “Is she very beautiful?”

“Just realized?”

You Li laughed and nudged her shoulder, saying, “Are you anxious?”

••••

“Where are they?”

“They’re up ahead, not far.”

Shu Yubai reached for Nan Xue’s hand again. Nan Xue’s steps slowed slightly as she glanced at Shu Yubai, her eyes flickering with some emotion.

The pebble path was packed down by travelers, making it icy and slippery. In the snowy landscape, a warm stream had melted the snow on the mountainside, flowing gently.

Nan Xue asked, “Do you really want to go? Why did you agree when she asked you?”

Shu Yubai thought for a moment, lowering her head. A strand of wet hair clung to her cheek, and her expression softened as she said, “Senior Sister has been good to me in the past.”

Nan Xue glanced at her indifferently.

“So, do you want to go?”

Shu Yubai was momentarily stunned.

She looked up, but Nan Xue wasn’t looking at her; she was gazing at the tall, snow-covered cedar trees. A droplet of water from the hair tip slid down her collarbone, and there was a momentary distance in her eyes.

It was faint, just a moment.

Shu Yubai gently pinched Nan Xue’s little finger, her eyes crinkling into a smile as she said, “I just want to be with you.”

Nan Xue turned to look at her.

Shu Yubai’s dark eyes seemed to hold moonlight.

They were warm and sparkling.

In that moment, Nan Xue felt a strange sensation, her heart fluttering slightly, and she felt a bit uncomfortable.

She lowered her head and fell silent.

Despite the coldness of the snowy day, an unknown little bird chirped, and a clump of snow fell from the branches. A white bird with a red beak and a slender black tail flew away into the night sky.

Looking up, the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

The two of them, wearing hotel slippers, found the ground slippery. As they walked uphill, Nan Xue felt a tug, almost causing her to fall. Shu Yubai, not balancing well while admiring the scenery, ended up crashing onto the icy road.

Luckily, Nan Xue caught her; otherwise, the fall would have been worse.

Shu Yubai got up, rubbing her knee. Her delicate fingers still held something.

— A feather.

“Where did you find that?” Nan Xue asked with a light laugh.

The feather was from a bird’s tail, jet black, long, and soft, with fluffy white down.

“Maybe it fell from that bird earlier.”

Shu Yubai glanced at the night sky, finding it quite magical, as if there were some kind of fate involved. She cherished the feather as if it were precious.

She always had a peculiar childishness about her.

Nan Xue gave her a sidelong glance and chuckled.

••••

The hot spring is in the center.

The design here is somewhat retro, with a carved square pavilion overhead and a bright lamp. In the center is a small platform with a girl dressed as an ancient courtesan playing the pipa.

The travelers relax in the warm water, easing into it.

In the middle of the pool, there’s a striking woman.

Amid the white mist, she stands out immediately.

In the pool, she looks beautiful, her black hair damp and flowing over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled. Her red lips are dotted with water droplets as she reclines in the moonlit mist.

Her arms rest relaxed on the wooden platform behind her, her long legs lifted and lowered gently in the water.

Nan Xue also sees the woman in the center of the pool.

Shu Yubai points, “The one I told you about, You Fu.”

“Her?”

Nan Xue frowns, “Your senior sister?”

Shu Yubai smiles softly, “Yes. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

She observes Nan Xue’s expression carefully.

Nan Xue remains silent, stepping down the stone steps into the water, letting the warm spring soak her skirt, from her calves to her lower abdomen.

Shu Yubai follows behind, her fingertips slightly white.

She watches Nan Xue’s back.

As soon as they entered the hot spring, Nan Xue’s first glance was at You Fu.

And now, it seems she is still looking at her.

You Fu is wearing a tight black swimsuit, with a great figure and a mature demeanor. Her hair is short, with slightly curled ends.

Is this the type that someone Nan Xue’s age likes?

“Senior Sister.”

Shu Yubai calls out.

Seeing her approach, the girl next to You Fu nudges her waist.

“Hey. Shu Yubai is here.”

Only then does You Fu open her eyes, with droplets of water on her eyelashes. She glances at Nan Xue, her expression ambiguous.

“Who is she?”

“Nan Xue, my friend,” Shu Yubai introduces.

You Fu squints slightly, examining Nan Xue. Their gazes meet for a moment, the eye contact lingering a bit longer. Shu Yubai stands to the side, shivering slightly from the cold wind that blows heavily.

After a while, You Fu shifts her gaze away.

“Wait here. I’ll call the others over to join us.”

She goes off to find the other girls in the hot spring.

Shu Yubai and Nan Xue lean to the side, sinking into the water and soaking.

On the platform, the girl playing the pipa is draped in a thick white fur. She adjusts it gently, lowers her head, and starts playing. The pipa partially covers her face as she tunes it, her white fingers plucking the strings. The sound is beautiful, round, and clear, like pearls falling on a jade plate.

The autumn wind is clear, the autumn moon bright.

Fallen leaves gather and scatter again, cold crows perch and are startled.

When will we meet again? This night is difficult with embarrassment;

Enter my gate of longing, know my suffering of yearning. Longing for each other endlessly, a short longing is endless. If I had known it would bind the heart so, it would have been better never to have known each other.

••••

Better never to have known each other.

Perhaps because of the particularly cold snowy night, there is no dust in the mountains, only the babbling stream and the pipa’s sound, which is exceptionally clear, like a gentle tremor to the eardrum, softly telling a story.

A layer of gentle white mist envelops the hot spring.

Nan Xue’s black hair is soaked, her pale neck and cherry-like lips dotted with water droplets. She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them.

After a while, she suddenly asks:

“Is she your type?”

Shu Yubai is at a loss:

“Who?”

Nan Xue glances at You Fu, her delicate white arms resting on the wooden platform behind her. She says, “You Fu.”

Shu Yubai: “???”

Nan Xue, with her back to Shu Yubai and her eyes turned aside, speaks with a deliberately distant tone: “You were just staring at her the whole time.”