A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 69

— I will never leave you.

Never?

Shu Yubai was slightly taken aback by these words, feeling as if her heart was filled with a warm emotion.

Young people often love to talk about forever.

How long had it been since she dared to think of this word?

She had once thought that Nan Xue might be her friend forever, but she had rarely imagined she could be her forever lover.

The words seemed magical, and Shu Yubai’s anxious heart gradually eased. She quietly leaned in, gently hugging Nan Xue, resting her head on her shoulder: “Really?”

“Mm.”

Nan Xue’s eyes were smiling: “The premise is that you can’t abandon me.”

Shu Yubai smiled gently.

She pressed her red lips to Nan Xue’s forehead, kissing her softly:

“Why would I abandon you? You’re so adorable.”

Nan Xue was momentarily stunned. After a while, her small red lips gently curled up into a smile.

Her fingertips curled up, her thick, curled eyelashes fluttered, and her snow-white cheeks flushed with a hint of red, showing a bit of shyness.

Shu Yubai actually… rarely praised her.

“Really?”

Nan Xue looked up, her dark eyes unexpectedly soft and youthful.

Shu Yubai tilted her chin: “Mm.”

Outside the window, the scene was still chilly. Shu Yubai gazed at her, a bit absent-minded.

Nan Xue’s snow-white complexion, when silent, seemed very aloof and distant, like ice or snow, hard to approach. Only her full, delicate red lips added a touch of brightness to her demeanor, preventing it from being overly distant.

Shu Yubai extended her fingertip and gently touched those red lips, the cool tip of her finger lightly brushing over them.

Nan Xue grasped her fingers, looking at her with a sense of contentment: “Sister, why do you like me?”

“No particular reason.”

Shu Yubai smiled.

She liked her from the first sight, wanting to be close, without any particular reason.

“No, there must be a reason.”

Nan Xue was certain, with a hint of subtle expectation in her eyes.

Shu Yubai was taken aback.

Well, it seemed she wanted her to say something nice.

Shu Yubai hugged her: “You’re beautiful, smart, and understanding. Is that enough?”

Her voice was very gentle.

And a bit indulgent.

Nan Xue kissed her fingertips, released her hand, and couldn’t help but smile.

She felt extremely gentle, as if she would never get angry. Nan Xue carefully recalled, and indeed, Shu Yubai had always been this way—her personality seemed like a warm, gentle water, soft and fluffy. Sometimes it made people want to protect her, and sometimes it gave a strong sense of security, making one want to snuggle in.

Shu Yubai didn’t look at her. After speaking, she looked down and saw the broken porcelain pieces on the floor, as well as a fallen plum blossom. The water from the vase had spilled everywhere, making a mess.

“How do we call for cleaning here?”

Shu Yubai was a bit worried: “With such a large area of broken porcelain, I’m afraid it might hurt you again.”

Nan Xue used the phone on the bedside to call the cleaning lady. The lady swept up the shattered vase and mopped the spilled water. Finally, she informed Nan Xue to remember to pay for the broken vase.

Her Japanese was quite good, and they communicated smoothly. Shu Yubai sat on the sofa, watching her slender figure.

Long legs, slender waist, black hair, and snow-white skin.

Aesthetically pleasing.

So beautiful.

Shu Yubai took a sip of hot tea.

Nan Xue glanced back and noticed Shu Yubai looking at her back. She couldn’t help but smile, feeling a bit shy.

She turned back, her movements a bit stiff.

Her delicate, pale pinky finger curled, with her snow-white earlobe hidden among her black hair, warm and captivating.

••••

The competition ended, and according to the committee’s earlier announcement, the official results would be published a week later.

The reason for the delay was that, based on the previous competition, the judges had significant differences in aesthetic direction, and some controversial works needed discussion and voting to reach a fair result.

“Let’s go.”

Shu Yubai packed her luggage, put it in the suitcase, and dragged it out of the room.

Nan Xue’s pinky finger hooked onto Shu Yubai’s.

They stood there waiting for the elevator, their reflections in the dark mirror. Nan Xue looked into the mirror, leaned in, and kissed Shu Yubai’s hair.

Soft, smooth, with a hint of post-rain osmanthus fragrance, cool yet slightly warm.

She was completely enchanted by this feeling.

She wanted to kiss everywhere she looked.

The hair… the forehead.

And further down.

Shu Yubai’s ears were burning red, her eyelashes fluttering non-stop.

Like a startled little animal.

Nan Xue, bewitched by this novel sensation, leaned down to find her lips.

Their breaths intertwined.

Warm, moist, with a faint fragrance.

Footsteps echoed in the hotel corridor.

Shu Yubai gently pushed her away, lowering her head, and laughed softly: “Someone’s coming.”

Nan Xue frowned slightly, glancing at the person with a hint of displeasure from being interrupted. But when Shu Yubai said that, she stopped, swinging the woman’s soft hand back and forth.

“What are you afraid of?”

Nan Xue looked at her: “Do you know this person?”

It was a dark-skinned man in black clothing, seemingly a traveler, hurrying along.

No idea which country he was from.

Shu Yubai glanced at him, then looked back at Nan Xue’s eyes, smiling and shaking her head.

“Don’t know him, so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Nan Xue stated logically.

As the man walked away, Nan Xue leaned in, her small red lips quickly kissing Shu Yubai’s smooth lips, leaving a slight wetness.

Then she swiftly pulled away.

The next second, the elevator door opened.

Inside were You Fu, Bei Zhen, and Senior Brother.

Shu Yubai: “…”

Everyone exchanged glances, Shu Yubai’s heart raced, her cheeks burning hot. She squeezed Nan Xue’s fingertip, giving her a quick glance.

Nan Xue remained relaxed, unconcerned.

Her lips gently curved upward.

You Fu reached out to hold the elevator door: “Come on in, why are you just standing there?”

No one inside had seen what just happened, nothing seemed off. They only noticed the two holding hands—completely normal, given their usual closeness.

Shu Yubai slightly relaxed her tense back, exhaled softly, and walked in with her pinky hooked by Nan Xue’s.

The elevator wasn’t spacious; besides them, there were foreigners.

“Quite a coincidence.”

You Fu smiled: “Everyone checking out?”

“Mm.”

They had all booked flights for today, and the latest checkout time was noon, so they happened to meet in the elevator.

It was a bit crowded inside. You Fu glanced down.

A tiny glint of diamond flashed briefly. She caught sight of it and saw, in the dim light, two hands hooked by their pinkies, each wearing a diamond ring on their ring fingers.

She looked up, seeing Nan Xue and Shu Yubai.

Standing side by side.

Nan Xue leaned in, whispering something in Shu Yubai’s ear, making her smile quickly. That smile was sweet, shy, and tender—something You Fu had never seen before.

You Fu raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking:

Are they together?

Before long, Senior Brother noticed their rings, You Fu saw them, and Bei Zhen did too.

Except for You Fu, the other two straight as can be young people didn’t think much of it, only finding it odd and wondering if it was some sort of best friend matching rings.

But why the ring finger? Wasn’t that a bit… too much?

Senior Brother shook his head, not thinking too deeply.

Bei Zhen stared for a while, recalling how Nan Xue had panicked and left after a joke, feeling a bit suspicious.

Could it be…

No way, right?

She herself had no inclination that way, so she assumed everyone else was straight and couldn’t think beyond that.

She only vaguely noted it.

Shu Yubai felt a bit embarrassed and uneasy from the occasional glances, but seeing Nan Xue’s calm expression, she also relaxed a lot.

Two girls walking on the street, no matter how intimate, wouldn’t raise many eyebrows, would it?

Girls tend to be that clingy with each other.

Especially her and Nan Xue.

Totally normal.

Shu Yubai’s lips curved into a smile.

On the asphalt road, pedestrians hurried by.

Shu Yubai waved her hand, and a taxi pulled over.

Dragging her luggage, Shu Yubai got into the car with Nan Xue.

They sat in the back seat, while Senior Brother sat in the front.

They had coincidentally come on the same flight as You Fu, but now, only Shu Yubai, Senior Brother, and Nan Xue were traveling together.

You Fu and Bei Zhen were on a different flight, leaving a few hours later.

They planned to explore the area a bit more and take in the sights before heading back. Meanwhile, Shu Yubai, Nan Xue, and Senior Brother took the taxi to leave first.

There was a light snow on the road, and the wipers gently swept it off, leaving a white layer on the car’s windshield.

This was the off-season for tourism, so the airport was sparsely populated. By the time Shu Yubai got out of the taxi and dragged her luggage inside, it was only an hour until boarding. Standing in the empty airport, the cold, white landscape outside the glass windows felt chilly and bleak.

“So cold,” Nan Xue whispered.

“Give me your hand,” Shu Yubai said.

Holding hands, they put their hands into Shu Yubai’s coat pocket together, while Shu Yubai dragged the suitcase with her other hand.

“Sister…” Nan Xue tilted her head, her dark eyes glimmering.

“Hmm?” Shu Yubai responded with a gentle nasal sound.

“Your pocket is so warm.”

“Isn’t it?” Shu Yubai lowered her head and smiled softly. It was a simple conversation, but it made her feel happy.

The next second, Nan Xue leaned in and asked, “Is your body warm too?”

The girl’s breath lightly brushed against her ear, bringing an unexpected tingling sensation. Her voice, though clear and cold like snow, had an enticing lilt at the end.

Shu Yubai’s body softened, trembling slightly. She couldn’t stand people whispering sweet nothings in her ear; her ears were sensitive, and her body reacted too easily.

She stepped back, glancing sideways at Nan Xue, then gave her a warning look, though her lips still held a smile.

Nan Xue leaned in and kissed her earlobe.

A brief warmth, accompanied by her breath.

Then she quickly pulled away.

Shu Yubai: “…”

She gently rubbed her reddened earlobe with her fingertips.

Teasing and then running away.

Too much.

Since confessing, this person seemed particularly bold, a bit wild. Shu Yubai found it amusing, a myriad of thoughts crossing her mind. She thought vaguely: If I keep spoiling her like this, what will happen?

She tugged on Nan Xue’s fingertip. “When there are people around, you can’t kiss me.”

“Why?” Nan Xue looked a bit hurt. “You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that.” Shu Yubai cleared her throat and leaned in. “Because… there are too many people.”

“So what if there are many people?” Nan Xue raised an eyebrow. “Sister, are you afraid an old lover will see?”

Shu Yubai whispered close to her earlobe, “No.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she looked at Nan Xue with soft eyes. “Because I can’t bring myself to kiss you back.”

Her voice was gentle, carrying a warm, faint fragrance, unhurried but with a unique presence, a feeling of tender strength. Nan Xue’s heart tightened for a moment.

Her body felt a bit numb.

A very unfamiliar feeling, Nan Xue was slightly stunned.

…It felt like she had been teased.