A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 3

“If you don’t come home tonight, how would she react?”

Shu Yubai thought about what the woman had just said and glanced at her phone. The recently ended call with Nan Xue still lingered on the screen. She stood at the street corner on an asphalt road covered in snow. It was cold, and the road was slippery.

One glance, then another.

Shu Yubai stared at the screen, waiting for a long time, her eyes starting to sting.

Nan Xue hadn’t contacted her again.

“She wouldn’t mind.”

Just going out on a date, what’s the big deal?

With her neck bowed and a strand of long hair covering the side of her face, Shu Yubai said in a casual tone, “Maybe one day, when I get married, she’ll even come to congratulate me.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sincerely, from the bottom of her heart.”

“I’ll go get the car.”

The woman gave her a sympathetic look and patted her shoulder.

Would she care if I went on a date and didn’t come home tonight?

Perhaps she had already fallen asleep.

Shu Yubai turned off her phone and put it into her coat pocket.

A car stopped, and the window of the driver’s seat slowly rolled down, revealing a woman’s face: “Let’s go.”

The woman’s name was Xiao Yi, who had been her roommate for a semester in university.

The time was short, so they didn’t get to know each other deeply. Apart from a few ambiguous confessions, joke-like small gifts, and flowers, there were no more intimate stories between them.

Shu Yubai hid her feelings deeply. In all these years of secretly loving Nan Xue, this was the first time she had heard the words “I like you” from someone of the same sex, so it left a deep impression on her.

Xiao Yi had a very peculiar and distinctive personality. Sometimes she was sharp and outspoken, and other times she was deeply hidden, appearing gentle and affectionate.

People like her had complicated thoughts.

Shu Yubai always kept her distance from her.

“We’re both from the south.”

Xiao Yi said while driving, “Your partner, where is she from?”

“Hangzhou.”

Shu Yubai replied.

“Hangzhou? Could it be Nan Xue?”

Xiao Yi casually asked, once again saying something surprising: “You mentioned that your cohabiting partner’s last name is Nan, and just now, when the man at the next table talked about her, you reacted strongly.”

Shu Yubai suddenly raised her eyes, her emotions only briefly showing.

Then she looked away to cover up.

“No,” she said softly.

Her thin eyelids, the corners of her eyes gently elongated, and her snow-white cheeks slightly flushed.

Xiao Yi looked at her, slightly lost in thought.

She suddenly recalled that day, seeing the cherry blossoms by West Lake in early spring.

It seemed that before, she had spoken softly like this, gentle, introverted, and easily shy.

“You have good taste; she’s a school beauty,” Xiao Yi smiled, “Quite a famous girl.”

“……”

Shu Yubai silently looked out the window.

Xiao Yi hummed and said, “Beautiful women have always come from Suzhou and Hangzhou. How did you meet her?”

Xiao Yi loosely held the steering wheel with both hands, driving while glancing lightly at the rearview mirror.

She happened to meet Shu Yubai’s eyes in the mirror.

The eyes in the mirror were very beautiful, with long, distinct eyelashes, and clear eyes like an autumn lake, gentle and quiet, clean as a whistle, shining with a certain transparent color.

Very beautiful.

It seemed like it was the first time she had seen such eyes.

The eye contact was fleeting.

Xiao Yi’s eyes curved slightly, “I’m just curious.”

“When we were very young.”

Shu Yubai glanced out the window at the clean and cold street, a few streetlights flashing by, illuminating her porcelain-like jaw.

“I’ve known her for a long time. Our parents were family friends and we lived close to each other, played together since childhood.”

——Family friends from many years ago.

Shu Yubai didn’t mention that she was very different now.

Poor, destitute, and without any way out.

That year, her father had an affair, completely.

Men love beautiful women.

After her mother gave birth to her, she aged day by day and was no longer good-looking. The mistress got pregnant, claiming to give him a son, so her father legitimized the young and beautiful mistress.

As for her mother, as the lawful wife, she was kicked out.

After the divorce, Shu Yubai followed her mother.

Her mother didn’t get much property from the divorce, but her spending habits didn’t change, still spending lavishly. Luxury goods were still commonplace, and household expenses were high.

The savings quickly ran out.

Destitute and impoverished.

Their destitute situation hadn’t improved much, even now.

She had long since severed her relationship with her father.

She had also become estranged from the Nan family.

Only Nan Xue remained the same, always staying with her.

Xiao Yi glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

The girl in the back seat had her head bowed, her long hair covering half her face, and her brows slightly furrowed. Her voice was very soft, echoing in the car, and for some reason, it seemed to carry a hint of sadness.

Sadness?

Perhaps it was just an illusion.

Xiao Yi suppressed the feeling of pity that arose within her. Holding the steering wheel, she made a turn to the right and said, “We’re almost there.” Then she turned her head slightly and asked, “Hasn’t your partner shown any concern?”

“……”

“You’re about to come home with me, and she isn’t worried at all?”

Shu Yubai lowered her head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed for a moment.

Xiao Yi joked with a smile, “Straight women are unreliable. Why not give it a try with me?”

Shu Yubai ignored her.

She couldn’t resist taking out her phone again, constantly checking if she had any missed calls.

There were none.

Her message list was completely empty; Nan Xue had indeed fallen asleep.

The two of them lounged on the sofa, chatting casually.

The conversation was pleasant. No matter how heavy and cold the snow was outside, it remained warm inside.

She warmed a cup of hot milk, handed it to Shu Yubai, and talked about her coming-out experience, laughing as she spoke.

“The first time I told my mom I was a lesbian, she didn’t believe me.”

“Didn’t believe you?”

“No, she couldn’t believe that women could love women. She thought I was just a child seeking attention.”

Shu Yubai smiled gently.

“The second time I told her, she understood and said, ‘As long as you get married, it’s fine. Get married, have children, and do whatever you want.'”

“Marry a man?”

“Yes. Ridiculous, isn’t it? So I refused.”

Shu Yubai’s eyes quietly watched her.

“The third time, I brought my first love to meet her.”

“Did it work that time?”

“Yes.”

Coming out for her first love?

That’s nice.

Shu Yubai couldn’t help but smile gently, then asked, “So, your relationship is good?”

“……”

Xiao Yi didn’t respond, just quietly looked at Shu Yubai.

“I meant, you and your first love.”

Shu Yubai thought she hadn’t heard clearly, so she repeated the question.

Xiao Yi raised her eyebrows, her gaze somewhat complicated.

Shu Yubai looked up, and in this silent, awkward, and quiet moment, she finally realized.

“It’s already over.”

Xiao Yi smiled, “It’s been over for a long time.”

Shu Yubai said nothing, and Xiao Yi, looking into her eyes with great focus, said, “The position of girlfriend has been vacant for many years now.”

The atmosphere inexplicably became somewhat ambiguous.

Two women who liked women, alone in a room, it felt as if something could happen at any moment.

After all, it was very late.

And both were single.

Shu Yubai couldn’t understand the meaning behind Xiao Yi’s “acting.”

Half-truths and half-lies are the most confusing.

She bid farewell to Xiao Yi and went home.

Almost as if she were fleeing.

When Shu Yubai arrived home, it was already past eleven at night.

In the stairwell, she heard faint noises; the snow outside had intensified, and the wind was strong, beating against the window.

The lights inside were on.

Light seeped through the door crack, bright spots visible.

Using that light, Shu Yubai looked at herself in the mirror on the door, gently tucking her long hair behind her ear. Having hurried home, her hair was all blown out of place, and snow had fallen on her makeup, smudging it a bit.

Once she had adjusted, she calmed her heartbeat slightly, grasped the key, and turned the lock.

Shu Yubai carefully and quietly entered.

Was Nan Xue asleep?

She was afraid of waking her, so she moved gently. The wooden stairs creaked softly, with a slight vibration.

The lights were on downstairs, and the bedroom light on the second floor was also on.

Shu Yubai quietly went upstairs; the door to the room was half-closed, and the light was dim.

She gently pushed the door open and saw a slim figure curled up under the blanket, head slightly bowed, slender fingers curled, sleeping soundly in a fetal position.

The northern house had heating, and the window glass was fogged up. Moonlight-like bright spots fell on the ground; on closer inspection, it was the snow water on the window.

The indoor temperature was high, and the blanket was thick. She seemed to be afraid of the heat, the off-white blanket pushed aside, one thin arm holding the blanket restlessly. Her thin shoulder was exposed, smooth as jade.

Her delicate collarbone led downward to soft, white curves like two small doves, hidden under her thin pajamas.

Her cheeks were as white as porcelain, looking fragile enough to break with a touch.

Shu Yubai bent over to look, and the person obediently had her eyes closed.

Her eyelashes lightly touched her cheeks, sleeping peacefully.

Shu Yubai walked quietly over and watched her for a while, unable to resist sitting on the edge of the bed.

She leaned closer, looking at Nan Xue’s cheeks.

Her skin was smooth and delicate, with a slight fuzz under the light, like the petals of a white rose, soft and clean, carrying a cold fragrance. Shu Yubai’s fingertips touched her skin, her heart trembling.

Usually, she was always a bit aloof and unpredictable, but sleeping, her lips were slightly curved like a cat’s.

Adorably obedient.

She looked at her lips.

Leaning closer.

An inch, and another inch.

Slowly, with a heart-pounding approach.

She really wanted to kiss her.