A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 41

“Guess?”

Shu Yubai said this and hung up the phone.

It was really cold.

Shu Yubai’s mother knew she had gone to the studio, but she couldn’t recall which studio or who was running it, so she couldn’t provide any details.

Nan Xue stood downstairs in their apartment complex, surrounded by a few kids running around and making a noise. She squatted down slowly, her fingers numb from the cold, curled up for a while, then stood up again.

She got into her car and drove to You Fu’s studio, but found no one there.

Someone else at the studio answered the door:

“Who are you looking for?”

“You Fu,” she said softly.

The person inside responded, “I’m her student. The teacher is out on some business.”

With that, the door was shut.

Nan Xue walked away.

At this time in the afternoon, there weren’t many people around. The slanting sunlight reflected off the winter snow, casting a faint golden glow.

For a moment, she began to regret.

She had dismissed the person she had hired to follow Shu Yubai.

Initially, she just didn’t want Shu Yubai’s privacy to be known by anyone other than herself. But now she realized that many things aren’t as easy to control as she thought.

She opened WeChat and sent a message to Shu Yubai from a secondary account:

[Sister, did you go out today?]

Shu Yubai replied quickly:

[No, I’m busy.]

[Image.]

[I’m painting. Let’s talk later.]

The image showed her painting desk, with rice paper, paints, brushes, and various scattered items. A gray felt mat beneath had faint ink stains.

She’s painting?

Nan Xue responded: [Okay, sister, you go ahead.]

It seemed she wasn’t with You Fu.

But where did she go?

••••

At Ying Ran’s studio, each day followed a repetitive schedule: wake up at seven, start painting, practice basic skills like sketching flowers, plants, and trees, then move on to creating small paintings.

Every day, Ying Ran would spend two hours reviewing her practice, giving guidance and pointing out areas for improvement.

Sometimes, when busy, she wouldn’t be able to rest until ten at night.

After a week of this routine, Xiao Yi contacted her.

Originally, she had planned to come here and had bought a ticket for Shu Yubai as well. However, since Shu Yubai’s confession failed and her departure plans were moved up, Xiao Yi came alone.

Xiao Yi returned Shu Yubai’s ticket and, after some time, came here with her girlfriend.

“How have you been lately?” Xiao Yi asked on the phone.

“Good,” Shu Yubai replied, sitting by the window and looking at a plum blossom covered in snow, sparse but strong, “better than before.”

“Oh?” Xiao Yi laughed lightly:

“Have you moved on?”

She meant Shu Yubai’s feelings for Nan Xue.

Shu Yubai smiled with lowered eyes, her fingers holding a strand of her long hair: “Yeah. Sort of.”

Xiao Yi chuckled gently: “Do you still like her?”

Like?

Shu Yubai was quiet for a moment, not speaking, with only the soft sound of her breathing on the line. Her gentle eyes were thoughtful, and after a long while, she said, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Hmm.”

Xiao Yi didn’t argue but said, “There’s one more thing. Could you help me with it?”

“What is it?”

Xiao Yi: “I have a friend, a girl, who asked me to find her a girlfriend. She’s been single for many years and wants to experience being in a relationship.”

A relationship?

Shu Yubai guessed what Xiao Yi was trying to do.

It was likely about arranging a blind date.

Xiao Yi arranging this for her was probably intended to help. She had once told Shu Yubai that a way to move on from an old relationship was to start a new one. Xiao Yi might think she was still sad and wanted her to meet new people to get over it faster.

But moving on and forgetting isn’t so easy.

Starting a new relationship before completely ending the old one would be irresponsible to both sides.

She felt a bit amused; if Xiao Yi had just mentioned introducing her to someone, she could easily refuse. But since Xiao Yi said “help,” refusing would be awkward.

Shu Yubai hesitated.

Xiao Yi said, “Just meet her for a meal.”

“…”

“She’s quite beautiful. Who knows, you might feel something.”

“No need.” Shu Yubai looked down: “I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“Not interested?”

Xiao Yi laughed: “Come on, at your age, saying you’re not interested is just an excuse. Why not give it a try and see what happens?”

“Nothing will happen.”

Shu Yubai said: “It’s just unnecessary.”

Xiao Yi: “She’s really attractive and a doctor. Her personality is also great, much better than the girl from your family. Besides, even if you don’t want to date, meeting her and talking about your hand would be beneficial.”

“…”

Another doctor?

The probability of encountering doctors had been unusually high these days.

Shu Yubai was silent for a moment and explained: “I just think that if I don’t plan to date, going out for a meal with someone would waste her time and energy, which doesn’t seem right.”

“Waste of time?”

Xiao Yi laughed: “She just wants to give it a try; it’s not necessarily about dating. She’s just fooling around, has never been in a relationship, and hasn’t even figured out her sexual orientation.”

“Oh.”

Since the other person also had a casual attitude, Shu Yubai felt less pressure. Her mind was fully on painting, and she only smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll have a meal with her.”

“When Are You Free?”

Xiao Yi said, “I’ll let her know and ask her to prepare.”

Shu Yubai checked her schedule for the week, which was almost fully booked, except for Saturday.

“Saturday?”

“Sure.”

••••

Friday evening.

Ying Ran was very busy. Staying in a heated room during such cold weather could make him forget things. He had been drawing and painting all week, and suddenly remembered that he had taken his niece’s friend as an apprentice.

It was a favor of moderate significance.

He sent a message to Nan Xue:

Ying Ran: [Oh, by the way.]

Ying Ran: [The friend of yours, Shu Yubai, is painting here with me.]

Ying Ran: [You should come over when you have time.]

To him, Nan Xue was just a child, and one with a bit of a debt. Her mother had failed to fulfill her responsibilities and had abandoned her when she was very young. As her uncle, he wanted to make up for her mother’s shortcomings.

The message was sent.

When Nan Xue saw the messages, it was Saturday, and after finishing work, she thought of Shu Yubai and quickly drove to her uncle’s place.

••••

The restaurant they agreed on was an authentic Hangzhou cuisine place. Shu Yubai called a taxi at Ying Ran’s gate, and after giving the destination, she absentmindedly looked out the window.

On Saturday, around eleven in the morning, there were few pedestrians on the road, and the tall plane trees’ branches pointed toward the sky.

The road was a bit slippery.

In the distance, she could see the gentle lake water blending with the clear blue sky.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar car following her. As she tried to get a better look, the driver suddenly called out, “Are you heading to that restaurant?”

Shu Yubai turned her head and came back to her senses: “Yes.”

When she looked out again, the car was already gone.

“Alright.”

The driver accelerated.

The car had a strong smell, and the driver was driving fast, frequently braking hard, which made Shu Yubai feel a bit car sick. She closed her eyes to rest and stopped looking out the window.

Her phone rang.

In her dazed state, Shu Yubai glanced at the screen—it was Nan Xue.

As she was about to answer, the taxi passed through an intersection, and while waiting for the traffic light, the driver braked suddenly. Shu Yubai’s body lurched forward, and her finger accidentally hit the screen, ending the call.

Shu Yubai: “…”

If it were something urgent, she would probably call back.

Shu Yubai closed her eyes again.

••••

The restaurant was by the lake and required a reservation. During lunch hour, there were many customers, and the tables and stone benches outside by the lake were all occupied. The restaurant’s entrance had a sound system intermittently announcing that customers could come in when their number was called.

When Shu Yubai arrived, Xiao Yi waved at her from the door: “Shall we go in?”

“You’ve already been seated?”

“Yes.”

“She’s here too?”

“Yes, she came with me.”

At a table by the window, a woman was sitting there.

She was turned sideways, resting her head on her hand, looking outside.

Shu Yubai stood by the snowy lakeside, wearing a simple lake-blue knit sweater, quite loose with a bit of white trim at the waist. Her long hair was loose, and she carried a small silver bag on her shoulder. The black trousers highlighted her leg lines beautifully.

What a coincidence.

She watched Shu Yubai enter, and after a moment of surprise, Shu Yubai recognized her and smiled: “What a coincidence.”

Xiao Yi asked, “Do you know each other?”

“Yes, we do.”

Shu Yubai took her seat.

The table for four was near the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the snowy lakeside, which was all white. The restaurant was lively, packed with people, and a hat-like lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow that made the woman’s features stand out clearly.

“This is the person I was telling you about,” Xiao Yi said.

Shu Yubai couldn’t help but smile.

The woman opposite her also smiled gently.

She had light brown, slightly curly hair that fell just below her chest. Her skin was very fair, almost like a mixed-race person, with bright, friendly eyes. Her thin red lips were slightly upturned.

What should have been an awkward dinner turned out to be instantly comfortable.

“Do you know each other?” Xiao Yi asked.

“Just met once a few days ago,” Shu Yubai said, “at a gallery.”

“Fate,” Xiao Yi said softly, looking at the woman opposite. “Her name is Tang Ruoyan.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” the woman said, holding up a cup of barley tea and taking a sip. “Could you note down my phone number?” She recited a string of digits and looked at Shu Yubai.

“Sure, I’ll write it down.”

Shu Yubai glanced down, lightly tapping the screen to record the phone number.

After saving the number, she returned to the main screen and saw another missed call.

There were many people and noise here, and since she had turned the phone volume down, it was hard to hear the phone ringing inside her bag in such a setting.

She checked the caller information.

It was Nan Xue.

She had called once already in the taxi, but Shu Yubai hadn’t answered.

This was the second call today.

Was there something urgent? Shu Yubai lightly tapped her finger to redial the number.

Beep, beep, beep.

At that moment, a familiar ringtone rang out. Shu Yubai instinctively looked for the source of the sound. To the left was the floor-to-ceiling window and the lakeside; to the right was another table.

The corridor was separated by a screen, so the left and right sides didn’t interfere with each other. She looked to the right and, through the intricate carvings, saw a pair of distinctly black-and-white eyes with a cold, sharp gaze.

T/N: If anyone wants to read the full English version of this book, feel free to message me here: https://www.instagram.com/aner0.8?igsh=MXBkOGdpeDlwa2I4cQ==.