A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 5

“Chatting with someone?”

Shu Yubai smiled, “So late, and not sleeping?”

The atmosphere grew subtly tense.

Their relationship was unique; some things had happened that couldn’t be ignored or forgotten. Shu Yubai had confessed to her, and even though they later reverted to being friends, that layer of their relationship could never be as simple as real friendship.

But to call it ambiguous was also inaccurate.

Nan Xue was quiet, then suddenly said, “Aren’t you too?”

Shu Yubai was stunned for a moment, then realized she was referring to her coming home late.

“It just so happened that I ran into a classmate and we talked for a bit,” she explained.

Shu Yubai was wearing a knitted long dress, beige in color, exuding a gentle aura. Her light makeup was still on, with a touch of pink at the corners of her eyes, making her look even more beautiful than usual.

It really looked like she had been on a date.

A date?

Nan Xue quietly observed her, her lips slightly pursed.

Shu Yubai turned, went to the balcony to get the clothes, and held the freshly taken-down towel, as if she was about to leave. She paused in her steps, but her posture seemed to be waiting for something.

She was waiting for her to say something.

After a while, Nan Xue just curled back into the blanket, softly saying, “Sleep, it’s almost midnight.”

She didn’t explain why she was chatting with someone so late at night, in such an ambiguous manner. But then, there really was nothing to explain. What were they to each other anyway? Just friends.

However, Shu Yubai was a bit surprised.

Nan Xue also had secrets from her.

Nan Xue didn’t mind her going on a date or coming home late.

Just as she shouldn’t pry into her private matters.

Some relationships, an inch closer, would be overstepping boundaries.

The night was silent.

Outside, it was cold, a dry cold unique to the north. Shu Yubai held the towel, feeling a bit dazed. The light outside was dim, but she could still see the black and white outline of the eaves.

The snow had fallen thick.

The clumsy, youthful confession seemed to have happened on such a night.

Young and naive.

That day, she tugged on Nan Xue’s sleeve and leaned in:

“Hey, do you have a crush on any boys?”

“No.”

She answered lightly, her tone indifferent, but her cheeks had a faint blush.

Back then, the girls who were close would often talk about such topics.

Shu Yubai probed with a question, got a satisfactory answer, and then took her hand.

Looking into her eyes, her heart raced.

Nan Xue wore a white down jacket, her small face hidden under the brim of her hat, her eyes bright. She looked a bit dazed, which made Shu Yubai’s heart flutter. She leaned in and quickly pecked her cheek, asking, “What about girls?”

Nan Xue said nothing, her red lips curving slightly.

Shu Yubai couldn’t resist pinching her waist: “Do you?”

Nan Xue stepped back a bit, chuckling softly: “Yes.”

Shu Yubai froze, holding her hand that was slightly sweaty: “Who is it?”

“You,” she said.

She had seen the term “wishful thinking” many times, but it was Nan Xue who taught her its meaning.

She had been so headstrong back then, not understanding that Nan Xue’s “like” had always meant friendship.

Shu Yubai sighed softly, wrapped the towel around herself, and left the bathroom in a mist.

The space here was small; they shared a closet.

Her pajamas were in Nan Xue’s room.

The night was deep, the lights off, and the moonlight outside the window faintly illuminated the room, outlining the shapes within.

Shu Yubai gently pushed open Nan Xue’s bedroom door.

Wrapped in a towel, she shivered slightly in the breeze. Despite the heating, there was still a chill in the air.

She glanced sideways.

Nan Xue was asleep, her breathing steady.

She slowly let go of the towel, letting it drop.

The water drops weren’t dried off, and in the moonlight, they traced lines on her skin, down her back, waist, and abdomen.

Nan Xue’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

She quietly looked over.

Behind the closet door stood Shu Yubai.

She was completely naked.

In one hand, she held her nightgown, patiently turning the collar. The closet door obscured her, revealing only her side profile.

The moonlight softly bathed her silhouette in a hazy glow. Water droplets trailed down her collarbone, past her ample breasts and slender waist, highlighting her mature and strikingly curvaceous figure.

Her back was smooth, her buttocks rounded.

The water droplets, made crystal clear by the moonlight, traced a path from her neck down to the small of her back.

Nan Xue caught a brief glimpse of her side profile before quickly averting her eyes.

When they were children, they bathed together, but back then, they hadn’t yet developed and were like boys.

Things were different now.

Nan Xue’s cheeks grew hot, but she kept her eyes fixed on the moon outside the window—nothing special to look at.

She glanced back at Shu Yubai.

But Shu Yubai had already put on her clothes.

Only her delicate ankles still glistened with drying water droplets.

••••

“Recently… let’s spend some time apart.”

Nan Xue, who had been sipping milk, paused, her movements momentarily stiff.

“Xiao Yi has an art studio with great conditions. I want to check it out,” Shu Yubai continued, not noticing Nan Xue’s expression. “I mentioned it to you before. It’s that college classmate I ran into.”

She seemed in good spirits.

Her tone was noticeably lighter.

Nan Xue slowly tore a piece of bread and said, “You really want to go?”

“Yeah.”

Shu Yubai nodded but didn’t look at Nan Xue. “We might not see each other often anymore.”

She took a stack of resignation papers from her bag, flipping through them as she explained, “I’m almost done with the resignation process.”

After a moment of silence, Nan Xue asked:

“Why?”

“Why what?” Shu Yubai organized the resignation papers, put them back in her bag, and took out lipstick to touch up her makeup in the mirror. “I’m leaving. See you tonight.”

Nan Xue suddenly stood up.

Shu Yubai’s long hair was lifted by the wind. For a moment, Nan Xue reached out, wanting to touch it, but then slowly lowered her hand.

That afternoon, Nan Xue had some free time and took a taxi to Shu Yubai’s company.

When she arrived, their department was in a meeting. The office was quiet and empty, with only the computers on the desks running, and thermos cups emitting steam.

Everyone was in the meeting room.

“Who are you looking for?”

A voice from the corner.

A bespectacled office worker with a round face and a kind demeanor.

“Shu Yubai.”

“Oh,” the person nodded and asked, “What’s your relationship?”

Nan Xue was momentarily taken aback, not knowing how to respond.

“Friend?” the person continued on their own. “Xiao Shu’s desk is over there. You can sit and wait; she’s in a meeting.”

“Thank you.”

Nan Xue walked over and noticed the flowers on Shu Yubai’s desk.

A large bouquet of roses, their fragrance strong.

Nan Xue looked around the rose wrapping paper and saw a small card.

The handwriting was careless yet elegant, with only two words:

—Love you.

Nan Xue paused, staring at the card, and softly asked, “Who sent the flowers?”

The round face in the corner smiled. “Her significant other.”

“A bouquet every day, showing off their love in the office. It’s hard not to know.”

There was a moment of silence, and the air seemed to freeze.

Nan Xue’s lips moved, and after a while, she finally asked:

“She’s in a relationship?”