A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 63

The sliding door was pushed open again.

“Not going to join me?”

Nan Xue stood by the door, her dark eyes glinting slightly as she seemed to invite Shu Yubai to join her.

“Can’t bathe together.”

Shu Yubai sat on the edge of the bed, turning her head away.

Her cheeks were flushed with warmth. She looked down, her cool, dark hair hiding the unusual redness, and said softly, “We’re grown-ups now. Bathing together?”

Nan Xue was drunk.

It’s said that people’s memories become confused when they’re drunk. Perhaps she was vaguely recalling childhood times.

Back then, Shu Yubai was young too but loved to take care of others. She especially enjoyed wiping Nan Xue’s face with a cloth and helping her with her hair.

Occasionally, when they were in high spirits, they would bathe together in each other’s bathtubs.

So, now that she was drunk, Nan Xue asked her to help wash her face.

She even expected to bathe together, as if it were natural.

But could childhood be the same as now?

Shu Yubai convinced herself to stay calm, thinking she shouldn’t argue with a drunk person. Acting on impulse might lead to complications the next day. She said, “You do it yourself. I’ve already finished my bath.”

Her hair was still damp, and she wore a white bathrobe, sitting by the bed. There were still water marks on her delicate ankles, and a faint scent lingered—indeed, she had already bathed.

Nan Xue looked at her for a moment and said, “Alright.”

She closed the door, and the sound of running water came from the shower. The faint scent of body wash mixed with the warm air, drifting in the air.

At night, the window reflected a deep night scene. Through the transparent glass, her own image leaned against the bed, floating in the night sky, semi-transparent. Shu Yubai sat there, listening to the water flow, as if a beautiful, youthful outline was sketched out by the dim, blurred currents.

••••

“Ah!”

A startled cry came from the bathroom.

The sound of something bumping into something, followed by the clatter of items falling and hitting the floor.

The water stopped.

A voice from the bathroom said, “Sister, I fell.”

Inside the bathroom, Nan Xue had knocked over a small tray on the glass shelf. Bottles of body wash and shampoo were scattered everywhere, and she sat on the floor, rubbing her knee.

There was a pile of foam on the floor, very slippery. She struggled to stand up, clutching the handle on the glass door.

Shu Yubai stood outside, anxious and wanting to push the door open, but imagining the scene inside made her face flush. She decided not to go in and asked with concern, “Where did you fall?”

“On my leg. My knee hurts.”

The voice from inside was still gentle.

“Wait a moment.”

Shu Yubai quickly changed her clothes and grabbed her bag. She heard the door close from inside, followed by silence.

Only the sound of the wind, blowing through the window cracks.

A whimpering sound.

Where did she go?

••••

Shu Yubai waited in the elevator. When it reached the ground floor, she walked out into the lobby, where the cold night air rushed in.

She wrapped her coat tighter. Across the street from the hotel was a pharmacy. She hesitated slightly before entering, wandering around under the bright lights, bewildered by the unfamiliar language on the boxes.

One box had a symbol that looked like it was for treating bruises. It was a small glass bottle—perhaps it’s a liniment?

Turning the box over, she saw the English translation on the back. Shu Yubai read it carefully, confirmed it, and then took it to the counter.

While paying, she caught sight of someone familiar in her peripheral vision, also holding a box of medicine, waiting in line. The woman had a ponytail, wore a mask, revealing only her eyes, and occasionally coughed lightly.

Shu Yubai stared for a moment, her heart skipping a beat.

Another acquaintance.

An acquaintance, but not someone she was close with.

In the past, this person used to always go against her, seemingly disliking her, but Shu Yubai had a gentle personality and didn’t like to cause trouble. After sensing the inexplicable hostility, she had always avoided her.

Now, she was here for the competition as well, right?

The person was focused on the symbols on the medicine box and didn’t notice her.

Shu Yubai hurriedly paid and tried to leave quickly, but the cashier at the pharmacy said something she couldn’t understand in Japanese. She had to ask in English, “Excuse me?”

The moment she spoke, both the cashier and the person in line behind her turned to look at her.

The first to speak was the person behind her.

“Shu Yubai?”

She asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be injured? Why are you here for the competition?”

This person was Bei Zhen, someone whose personality Shu Yubai could never understand. She was very competitive, liked to feel superior, enjoyed wielding power, and was very cliquish.

Her tone was rude from the start, but Shu Yubai didn’t want to argue and explained, “My hand is better, so I came.”

“Why didn’t you greet me when you saw me just now?”

Bei Zhen asked.

Greet her? Shu Yubai just wanted to leave quickly.

Bei Zhen’s personality was like this—she had a hard time accepting that others didn’t regard her highly. She was competitive and domineering, flaunting her background and appearance.

“Um…”

Shu Yubai wanted to say something, but the cashier, noticing their conversation and realizing Shu Yubai wasn’t a local, repeated the total in English.

Shu Yubai understood, looked down to search for her money, and heard Bei Zhen’s voice behind her, tinged with disdain: “You don’t even know this little bit of Japanese? Didn’t you learn any before coming?”

Shu Yubai: “…”

She handed over the yen she had exchanged, turned, and politely said, “I have things to do. Let’s talk later when I’m free.”

And then she left.

Clean and swift, just like before, she preferred to completely ignore her presence.

Bei Zhen stood behind her, glaring.

••••

Winter is so cold that a short trip outside makes one shiver. Here, it’s both cold and damp, which is even more unbearable. Shu Yubai entered the hotel, constantly rubbing her hands together. She used the room card to open the door, and with a beep, it unlocked.

Inside, the lighting was dim, with only two bedside wall lamps providing a faint, old glow. Nan Xue was curled up on the sofa, wearing a short white bathrobe that matched Shu Yubai’s but was shorter.

The TV was on, casting alternating light and dark in the room, but the sound was low and incomprehensible.

“Sister?”

Nan Xue, sitting in the soft sofa, turned to look at her.

The window was slightly open, letting in the cold wind that mixed with the warm, damp air inside, making Shu Yubai feel warm almost instantly.

Nan Xue was only wearing a loosely fastened bathrobe, with her hair still wet and shiny, droplets of water falling and leaving transparent wet streaks on her skin.

The bathrobe reached her thighs, and her smooth, white legs were beautiful, with a clean, delicate appearance. Her ankles were slim and elegant, and her feet were clean, with traces of water still clinging to them.

“Does it still hurt?”

Shu Yubai approached and glanced around, asking, “Why are you still watching TV? What are you watching?”

On the TV, a female actor’s bare back was exposed, and she was rolling around with another person. Shu Yubai: “…”

Not knowing what kind of chaos was playing on the TV, Shu Yubai chose not to look, focusing instead on Nan Xue’s knee. It had bruised quickly after the fall, appearing dark and purple.

“Is it here?”

Shu Yubai picked up the liniment oil, tore off the plastic wrap, opened the box, and took out the small glass bottle. She unscrewed the black cap and poured a little into her palm.

A slightly spicy, refreshing scent wafted up.

Her habit of taking care of people kicked in again. She gently applied the liniment to Nan Xue’s knee, massaging it lightly and asking, “Does this feel comfortable? Is it too heavy? Does it hurt?”

Nan Xue lowered her gaze and shook her head.

The room was warm and hot. Shu Yubai, slightly tired, had sweat on her body. She got up and sat next to Nan Xue, gently lifting her white, delicate leg and saying, “Lift it up and rest it here.”

Nan Xue looked at her and obediently lifted her leg, placing it gently on Shu Yubai’s thigh.

Shu Yubai looked down and massaged her leg.

The girl’s throat let out a low, soft sigh.

Shu Yubai looked up. “Does it hurt?”

“No.”

In that moment, the light illuminated Nan Xue’s eyes, and Shu Yubai’s heart raced.

She looked down, her snow-white earlobes turning an unusual shade of red.

In the brief, subtle eye contact, she noticed details she shouldn’t have.

Nan Xue was wearing only a thin bathrobe, with nothing underneath, and the wind made her outline more apparent.

Shu Yubai suspected that she wasn’t even wearing underwear.

Going commando?

The thought made her face flush quickly.

Her fingertips, applying the liniment, were a bit unsteady.

Under the thin fabric, the soft body radiated warmth and moist steam, delicate and alluring.

This… was excessive.

—But then again, it made sense.

When drunk, one might not remember to wear proper clothing.

She was at ease, but Shu Yubai found it difficult to handle.

Shu Yubai struggled to block out the recurring distracting thoughts and gently continued to massage her leg. The pungent smell of the liniment spread in the room. After a while, Shu Yubai instinctively glanced at the TV, relieved to see that the previous scene had ended and a normal plot was now playing.

“Sister, it’s enough.”

Nan Xue said softly.

“Where else does it hurt?”

Shu Yubai looked at her, still gently massaging.

“Here.”

Nan Xue pointed to her thigh and hip, saying, “I fell directly on the ground and bumped into it.”

Shu Yubai: “……”

She decided not to continue massaging. If she did, she feared she might not be able to control herself.

“Go to sleep.”

Shu Yubai glanced at her and said, “I have a match tomorrow. It’s already ten o’clock.”

“Can I sleep now?”

Nan Xue curled her little finger towards her, obediently climbing into bed and pulling back the soft, pure white blanket to get under it.

“Come on, sister.”

Nan Xue patted the space beside her.

She still had some wet droplets on her shoulder. In the bed, she propped herself up slightly, watching Shu Yubai turn off the TV, close the curtains, and climb into bed. Her body carried a warm, damp aura, and she moved a bit.

The blanket was warm and carried a faint fragrance from the girl.

“Go to sleep.”

Shu Yubai snuggled into the blanket, tucking the edges of the blanket securely, her long black hair spreading across the pillow.

She turned off the light and closed her eyes.

Surrounded by darkness, the distant lights filtered through the window panes and thin curtain, casting a faint glow. Shu Yubai sensed the girl beside her was restless, not sleeping, and moving lightly in the blanket like a little bunny.

“Sleep…”

Shu Yubai’s words caught in her throat.

A tingling sensation spread from her earlobe, like an electric current, making half of her body go limp. The girl leaned closer, kissing her ear, and whispered, “You’re so warm.”