A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 46

Boom.

Nan Xue hurriedly squeezed the brake lever, her long legs bracing against the ground to steady herself, narrowly avoiding a fall. In winter, some parts of the road were icy and slippery, making it easy to fall if not careful. The fact that Nan Xue crashed directly into the stone post indicated that she wasn’t paying attention while riding.

“What were you thinking?”

Shu Yubai looked at her and smiled, then stopped and pointed at a crescent moon over the lake shore. “Look, the winter moon.”

So, the reason she had turned back and smiled was because she saw the moon, not because of anything else.

Nan Xue felt a bit disappointed and turned to look.

Indeed, against the deep indigo sky, there was a crescent moon. It was a half moon, looking like a swollen orange, but pale and cold. Viewed through the sycamore tree branches, it was quite picturesque.

“It’s really beautiful,” Nan Xue said, her eyes reflecting the moonlight.

Shu Yubai glanced at her. “Let’s continue. We’re almost there.”

The two continued riding. At this time, there were few pedestrians, and the cinema tickets were for a movie at the top floor of a mall by the lake, just a few minutes’ drive away.

As they approached the mall, the crowd grew denser, making it difficult to ride. They parked the bikes by the roadside and walked the rest of the way.

Nan Xue walked beside Shu Yubai. Usually quiet, Nan Xue wasn’t as talkative as other more outgoing girls. Although Shu Yubai didn’t look at her, she sensed Nan Xue’s gaze occasionally falling on her, then quickly shifting away.

“Look ahead.”

Nan Xue tugged at her sleeve.

Ahead, two young girls were walking hand in hand. One had short hair with green tips, wearing a black T-shirt and down jacket. The other, with pink-tinted hair and slightly taller, had a smiling face.

That smile was very sweet, not like a typical friend’s. Nan Xue had a feeling they might be in a romantic relationship.

As if to confirm her suspicion, the taller girl leaned in and kissed the side of the shorter girl’s face.

The two held hands and walked away into the night, leaving only their silhouettes behind.

Shu Yubai watched with a slight daze, a hint of envy in her eyes, but it quickly faded.

“Are they a couple?” Nan Xue asked.

“Perhaps,” Shu Yubai replied, slightly dazed.

A soft touch on her fingertips sent a tingling sensation through her, like an electric current.

Shu Yubai suddenly looked up and met Nan Xue’s dark, soft eyes.

“Can I hold your hand?”

If this were any other time, holding hands would be natural and have no special meaning, but now, it seemed to carry a hint of ambiguity.

Shu Yubai’s long lashes fluttered.

She didn’t answer.

Nan Xue stood beside her, a faint cold scent wafting over. She tentatively took Shu Yubai’s hand, gently holding it in her palm. Nan Xue’s hand was slender and cold, but soft.

Shu Yubai looked at her.

Her black hair lightly covered her chin, with a noticeable blush on her white earlobes.

“Are you very warm?”

Shu Yubai looked at her. “Your ears are so red.”

Nan Xue asked, “Are they… really?”

The mall entrance was just ahead, with bright light streaming from the glass display cabinets, visible from a distance.

So soon?

Nan Xue checked the time. The silver hands of her watch pointed to eight o’clock.

The movie started at 8:40.

After walking for a while and entering the mall, it felt a bit warm. Shu Yubai gently withdrew her hand. “I’m sweating.”

There was a thin layer of sweat on their palms, unclear whether it was Nan Xue’s or hers. Nan Xue still wanted to find an excuse to hold her hand, but Shu Yubai had already tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and continued walking ahead.

Nan Xue watched her for a moment and quickly caught up.

Now, with the crowd increasing, the elevator was very crowded. Shu Yubai was pushed into a corner by the flow of people. Nan Xue stood beside her, slightly turned, shielding her from those still pushing in.

“It’s a bit warm,” Shu Yubai said, unzipping her down jacket and opening it.

Nan Xue glanced down quickly.

Smooth lips, a warm neck, and a snow-white chest forming a beautiful curve that the slightly wide neckline of the dress cannot hide. The deep neckline does not obscure the view.

Nan Xue moved a bit closer, blocking some of the lingering gazes in the elevator.

“What are you doing?”

Shu Yubai was puzzled.

Nan Xue lowered her head and whispered in her ear, “Sister, your dress has a low neckline.”

Shu Yubai: “……”

She looked down and zipped up her down jacket.

They were very close now, and Nan Xue could almost smell the faint, warm fragrance from Shu Yubai. Shu Yubai’s gaze was lowered, not looking at her but rather at the transparent elevator and the mall below. Her long lashes were elegantly curved.

Shu Yubai slightly held her breath.

Nan Xue seemed to be watching her.

Her cheeks felt a bit warm.

A slight lift of her gaze revealed Shu Yubai’s jade-like chin, delicate and slightly translucent. Her red lips were small and full.

With eyes slightly lowered, Nan Xue glanced sideways, not directly at her.

*Ding.*

The elevator arrived.

The two went up to the fifth floor. Shu Yubai went to collect the tickets. There were many people at the ticket machine, so she waited in line, scanned the code, and collected the tickets. She held them and glanced at the last row.

The movie was about to start.

Nan Xue, carrying popcorn and two cups of soda, walked over to her with long strides.

“Shall we go?”

Shu Yubai handed her a ticket.

They went toward the entrance. The ticket checker glanced at them, then looked up with a slight smile and a strange expression in her eyes.

“Please go in.”

She made a gesture.

Shu Yubai didn’t quite understand the meaning of the smile. The two walked in. The theater was dark, and an advertisement was playing on the screen. There were a few minutes before the movie started. They followed their tickets to the last row.

Shu Yubai looked down.

The two consecutive tickets happened to be in the couple’s seats.

After the movie started, which seemed to be a romance film and quite tragic, people around them were crying loudly, using tissues to wipe their tears. Nan Xue sat beside Shu Yubai, watching intently. Shu Yubai sighed softly, “So tragic. The female lead has both a car accident and amnesia.”

Nan Xue: “Hmm.”

She was confused inside: Who is the female lead?

She tried to follow the plot but had not been paying attention, only thinking about Shu Yubai.

“Sister, it’s so cold.”

Nan Xue said softly, “My hand is so cold. Can you warm it up?”

Shu Yubai knew she was underdressed. She reached out and gently held her hand. After a while, she turned her head. “Your hand… isn’t cold.”

Nan Xue: “……”

Nan Xue: “Then use this hand.”

She extended her other hand. Shu Yubai gently held it, her warm palm touching Nan Xue’s soft, cold fingers. Nan Xue even felt the thin calluses on her fingertips, slightly hardened.

In the darkness, Nan Xue looked sideways. Shu Yubai’s face was indistinct in the darkness, illuminated intermittently by the screen’s glow, her long hair, smooth forehead, and jade-like nose tip.

Her lashes were long and beautiful, gently fluttering.

Nan Xue’s fingers moved slightly, intertwining with Shu Yubai’s.

Shu Yubai looked back at her silently.

In the couple’s seats, there was no barrier between them. They were so close that their thighs lightly touched, offering a warm, soft feeling.

In the darkness, every little movement seemed amplified, like sparks spreading.

“Sister.”

“Hmm?”

Shu Yubai looked at her.

Nan Xue, for a moment, wanted to kiss her.

But the next second, someone tapped her shoulder. It was a couple who had arrived late. They sat down and leaned over to Nan Xue, asking softly, “Hello, we arrived late. What’s the movie about so far?”

“Could you give us a summary?”

Nan Xue: “……”

She hesitated and looked back at Shu Yubai.

Had she watched it? Or rather, was Shu Yubai more focused on the movie, or was she, like Nan Xue, thinking about things and people beyond the film… like the person beside her?

Nan Xue quietly looked at her, her eyes reflecting a hint of expectation.

Shu Yubai, with her face hidden by her long hair, thought for a moment and softly said, “It’s about a girl who, after a car accident, loses her memory and forgets that she broke up with her lover, thinking they still deeply love each other.”

“And then?”

“That’s all for now. That’s the current plot.”

Shu Yubai looked at the couple, speaking in a soft, orderly manner.

Nan Xue’s fingertips turned white, and her eyes showed a fleeting moment of disappointment.