A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 21

Shu Yubai finished playing her piece.

Nan Xue finally glanced at her, her eyes deep and holding emotions that Shu Yubai couldn’t quite understand.

Shu Yubai returned the pipa to the girl who had been playing it and submerged herself back into the hot spring, letting out a gentle sigh. The sound of applause and laughter filled the surroundings. Nan Xue looked at her and softly clapped as well.

In the quiet of the night, faint lights in the distance flickered like fireflies floating in the void. The sound of the spring water was sweet and ethereal, accompanied by the gentle laughter around, creating a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere.

Nan Xue was beside her, with a delicate strap tied around her snowy white neck. Her skin was extraordinarily clean, a drop of water glided down her pointed chin and fell into the hot spring. The night beyond grew hazy behind her, with snow-like moonlight highlighting her pure and beautiful presence. Her eyes were clear, seemingly untouched by any worldly dust.

Shu Yubai moved closer to her and asked, “Did you like it?”

Nan Xue looked at her, frowning slightly, and asked, “Did you play the song for Guan Jiu?”

Shu Yubai nodded, lowering her gaze to watch her reflection in the pool, swaying gently.

Nan Xue asked, “Was it for Xiao Yi or for You Fu?”

Shu Yubai shook her head and didn’t answer.

Nan Xue might have thought that Shu Yubai was being fickle, talking to Xiao Yi while thinking about You Fu.

Nan Xue looked at her, noticing her pale white cheeks with a hint of blush, her lips a bright red, and her brows slightly damp, neatly arched towards her temples. After a moment of observation, she averted her gaze.

Her temperament was naturally gentle and soft, and with the pipa, the music was easily breathtakingly beautiful.

Nan Xue had seen her play before.

But that time, it was just the two of them, in an empty classroom after school.

Shu Yubai looked at her and suddenly said, “It wasn’t played for Xiao Yi, nor for You Fu.”

Nan Xue looked over in surprise.

Their eyes met briefly before each turned away.

Under the blue twilight sky, with layers of mountains in varying depths, it looked like an ink wash painting. In the misty fog, light snow began to fall again.

Shu Yubai hugged her shoulders and sank back into the hot spring.

You Fu, on the opposite side, looked at her and said, “What piece was that? It was quite nice.”

She wore a swimsuit that accentuated her figure. Leaning slightly, she lifted a wet strand of hair from her ear and looked at Shu Yubai.

Shu Yubai lowered her head and smiled. “It’s a piece composed by an old teacher of mine. You haven’t heard it before.”

“Oh?”

You Fu raised an eyebrow, staring at Shu Yubai but did not ask further.

Her expression seemed momentarily disappointed.

Nan Xue watched them and asked, “Has she heard you play the pipa before?”

She sat on the stone steps, her long legs raised, with her snowy white reflection glowing in the clear water.

“Yes, she used to visit our dormitory often.”

She particularly liked to ask Shu Yubai to play the wooden pipa leaning against the bed, saying she enjoyed listening to it.

Shu Yubai recalled this with a hint of amusement.

Even though You Fu was clearly tone-deaf when singing, she liked listening to the pipa back then.

Shu Yubai had caught a bit of a chill earlier but felt better after soaking in the warm water, though she still coughed lightly.

Nan Xue glanced at her, frowned, walked to the edge of the hot spring, retrieved her phone from a nearby wooden cabinet, and tapped on it while lying by the shore. Shu Yubai was unsure what she was doing and glanced a few times but didn’t ask.

The group continued playing games, and Shu Yubai didn’t recognize the new faces.

After a while, Nan Xue put down her phone. A hotel staff member in rubber boots walked across the snow carrying a white tray with a small red ceramic pot.

Nan Xue waved to him. He approached and placed the pot on a small table nearby.

Nan Xue said, “Sister, it’s ginger tea.”

She held a white porcelain spoon.

Ginger tea is warming.

Everyone paused and looked at them. Shu Yubai felt both touched and awkward. Nan Xue only had one for her, leaving the others… As she pondered, she slowly moved through the water and said, “Thank you. Would you like to have some too?” Nan Xue nodded.

They drank the tea there for a while. After some time, someone asked, “Hey, who’s that little girl across from us?”

Shu Yubai came back to her senses and said, “That’s Nan Xue.”

She leaned in and whispered to the other person, “It’s your turn.”

Feather pointed to Nan Xue and a little girl.

Across from Nan Xue is a little girl, nine years old, who is both mischievous and adorable. She seems to find Nan Xue pretty and likes to stare at her.

Bringing a little girl to play this game was purely to prevent her from getting lost and to have her join in with the adults. They didn’t expect the little girl to ask any significant questions and just watched.

The little girl, feeling a bit shy, remained silent as she looked at Nan Xue.

“Truth or dare?”

You Li asked the little girl on her behalf.

Nan Xue thought for a moment and said, “Dare.”

Everyone started laughing.

Nan Xue’s appearance and demeanor were exceptionally outstanding. As soon as she entered, many people noticed her. On the surface, she seemed aloof and quiet, with a somewhat cold personality. Everyone guessed she was the type of high-maintenance beauty who might not be interested in this game, but to their surprise, she was so bold and straightforward when playing.

“Little cutie, do you have any ideas?”

You Li asked the little girl.

The little girl held her phone and smiled sweetly: “Sister, wait a minute, I’ll check it.”

The nine-year-old girl, who was in the fourth grade of elementary school, played with her phone quite often. You Li patted her on the back of her head and scolded her with a smile: “Still checking? What do you want to do to that beautiful girl?”

Nan Xue said nothing on the opposite side and raised her eyebrows slightly.

Then, the little girl slowly read out a line of words on the screen:

“Kiss the chest, neck, and earlobes of the sister next to you.”

There are two people next to Nan Xue.

You Li on the left, Shu Yubai on the right.

As soon as these words came out, the whole audience fell silent, looking at the nine-year-old girl.

You Fu frowned: “Change it.”

The little girl started to act coquettishly: “No no no! This is it.”

You Fu looked at the little girl with a threatening look in her eyes. The little girl shrank into a ball with her mouth pursed, as if she wanted to cry.

Everyone looked at it with amusement and said, “Then what about this? It’s nothing for two girls to kiss.”

There have been more excessive actions when playing games in the past, but this was just the neck and earlobes, not even a kiss, so it really wasn’t a big deal.

Everyone began to laugh, watching Nan Xue, wondering how she would react. Which one would she kiss, left or right?

You Li or Shu Yubai?

You Li?

But Shu Yu Bai is more beautiful…

You Li stood awkwardly, pointing at herself, and asked Nan Xue, “Beautiful lady, are you coming?”

Nan Xue: “…”

She turned and looked at Shu Yubai.

The two of them locked eyes. Nan Xue’s gaze slid down to Shu Yubai’s lips.

Two completely opposite thoughts clashed in her mind.

One said, no, you can’t, not with Shu Yubai. Choose You Li.

The other said, you have nothing with her, so why feel guilty?

But as she looked at Shu Yubai, a bold thought emerged.

— Isn’t this a chance you should seize?

Nan Xue glanced calmly at You Li and said, “Sorry, I’m not used to physical contact with unfamiliar people.”

Shu Yubai’s heart raced. She felt like she had been struck by a gift falling from the sky and was momentarily stunned.

Her face, however, remained calm, with only a slight curve at the corners of her lips.

“Shall we begin?”

Shu Yubai looked at her, held her hand, and tried to maintain her composure.

The warm spring water rippled gently. Amidst the hazy mist, she lowered her gaze, her dark hair slightly damp and hanging down to her collarbone, glistening with a cool sheen, as if blushing.

Nan Xue stared at her graceful profile, made more reserved by her lowered gaze, and for some reason, her heartbeat missed a beat.

“Come a bit closer.”

Shu Yubai gently pinched the tips of her fingers in the water.

Nan Xue’s black hair was half wet, strands draped over her collarbone, shimmering coldly. She looked at Shu Yubai with bright, clear eyes, her dark pupils fixed on her, seemingly a bit nervous.

Her petal-like lips were moist and glistening, with droplets of water lightly resting on them.

When they parted and closed, it was like a rose embracing snow.

A faint fragrance lingered on her white skin. With such close proximity, the light breaths brushed against her ear, slightly warm, with a soft flow gently touching her eardrum.

It was only a few minutes.

But it felt as long as a century.

The girl she liked was wrapping her neck, about to kiss her.

The scene seemed to freeze frame by frame.

Nan Xue’s blue swimsuit was wet, with delicate, white droplets of water rolling down her slim waist, and the skirt gently floating on the warm water.

Shu Yubai’s hands were gently around her waist, warm and careful.

Nan Xue’s long lashes lowered.

Shu Yubai leaned slightly on the edge of the hot spring, with droplets of water on her hair, her gaze soft and moist, looking submissive, as if vulnerable to any slight misstep. Her neck was beautifully shaped, with a slightly protruding collarbone and a soft, white chest, flowing with water, glistening.

Like a pear that could break with the slightest scratch.

Nan Xue moved closer, pressed against her, as if to prove that she had no unusual feelings. She raised her gaze, looking into Shu Yubai’s eyes.

Shu Yubai met her gaze, her heart fluttering.

In the dim light, their eyes were full of thrilling ambiguity.

Under her gaze, Shu Yubai trembled slightly, unsure of what she was nervous or expecting.

Their thighs lightly brushed against each other, a warm sensation penetrating down to the nerve endings. She felt the other person looking at her, holding her breath slightly, moving closer, her pale, slender hand resting on her shoulder, turning her face, and her soft lips inching closer with a slightly warm, hurried rhythm, gently brushing past her ear.

She kissed her ear lightly and then, seemingly unsatisfied, gently nibbled.

A warm current surged, causing a tingling sensation. Shu Yubai let out a soft sigh, her body going limp. She heard the soft breathing near her ear, light and almost illusionary.

Shu Yubai’s back was smooth and white. Nan Xue’s fingertips lightly traced over it, slightly slippery, with a certain force, giving an impression of subtle invasion.

It was like a game with strange rules.

Whoever hesitated first, became shy first, or backed away first, would lose.

Or rather, who would be the first to be moved.

As if to prove she had no special feelings for Shu Yubai, Nan Xue repeated the words exactly.

The surroundings blurred in her vision, time slowed down. Shu Yubai’s entire body became sensitive to her light breaths and almost imperceptible touches. The spring water steamed into a dense mist. Her lips, whether light or heavy, traced along her neck, pausing slightly at her collarbone, as if gently biting.

The warm breath was somewhat unsteady.