A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 71

The plane took off.

Shu Yubai glanced out the window.

In the distance, the horizon gradually receded, buildings and people shrank, becoming very distant. Outside the window, there were water-laden clouds, a white expanse, obscuring visibility, with only a slight vibration detectable.

She closed her eyes in a haze of thoughts.

She even had a dream.

In the dream, Nan Xue was talking to someone else, very animatedly. Shu Yubai stood behind her, saying, “Look at me, turn around and look!” But Nan Xue seemed unable to hear her, ignoring her completely.

The dream ended.

Shu Yubai: “…”

When they deplaned, Nan Xue was in front of her, her pale, slender fingers gently adjusting her scarf, a small bag slung over her shoulder. She reached out to take Shu Yubai’s hand.

Shu Yubai hesitated but was still pulled along as they disembarked. They retrieved their luggage, got a taxi, and returned to their familiar city.

In the car, Nan Xue was once again busy replying to someone’s message.

Her head was down, eyes focused on the chat box.

She seemed very busy.

Shu Yubai, unable to wait for Nan Xue’s explanation, finally couldn’t help but glance at her and ask, trying to sound casual, “Who were you chatting with just now?”

“Hmm?”

Nan Xue lifted her eyes from the phone screen, her lips curling slightly. “With my assistant, arranging work matters.”

Afraid Shu Yubai wouldn’t believe her, she leaned closer, resting her chin on Shu Yubai’s shoulder, and showed her the chat log. “Sister, you can look through it.”

Shu Yubai, feeling a bit embarrassed, glanced quickly, coughed lightly, and said, “Hmm… anyone else?”

“Do you want to see more?”

Nan Xue looked at her.

Shu Yubai’s long black hair was loose, her cheeks slightly red, her expression somewhat odd, as if trying to hide something.

“Who else?”

She coughed lightly and asked.

Nan Xue instantly understood the source of Shu Yubai’s earlier emotions and couldn’t help but laugh. She exited the chat window and showed Shu Yubai the latest chat logs.

The contact names were clearly work-related.

Nan Xue had nothing to hide from her, fearing Shu Yubai might overthink, she opened each chat for her to see.

“This is my dad’s secretary.”

“This is Xiao Chen from the finance department.”

“This is…”

Nan Xue paused subtly, “Lin Lan.”

Their earlier conversation was entirely about Lin Lan advising her on how to pursue girls. Suddenly, she felt a bit embarrassed. Should she show it to Shu Yubai?

Maybe not…

She glanced up and saw Shu Yubai sitting quietly, seemingly waiting for her to open the chat.

“Sister, you don’t trust Lin Lan?”

Nan Xue felt incredulous.

…Fine, let her see then.

Nan Xue’s ears turned slightly red.

“You can look.”

She buried her face in Shu Yubai’s shoulder.

Shu Yubai flipped through the phone. The last few messages were Lin Lan advising her not to rush and to follow Shu Yubai’s pace; further back, there were some strange dating tips.

—All about how to pursue her.

Nan Xue’s head was buried in her shoulder, her dark, cool hair brushing Shu Yubai’s lips, her slim, jade-like jaw resting sharply against her shoulder.

As Shu Yubai read, she leaned down and gently kissed Nan Xue’s cheek, her red lips barely touching her fair skin.

She handed the phone back to Nan Xue. “Alright.”

After Shu Yubai returned the phone, Nan Xue suddenly asked:

“Sister, can I see yours?”

Shu Yubai: “…”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, her slender fingers retrieving her phone from her bag and handing it over. “The password is your birthday.”

She closed her eyes, recalling:

There shouldn’t be any secrets in her phone, right?

Nan Xue checked and found a folder in the photo gallery named “Xue.” Her heart skipped a beat as she opened it, finding many, many photos, all of her.

From when she was young.

And as she grew older.

The two of them were very close, their hair tousled, their eyes carrying a bit of coyness; later, there were photos in black and white school uniforms.

There were also photos from when they played in the garden as very young children. Neither of the two girls had grown up yet. Shu Yubai was holding Nan Xue by the shoulder, looking at the camera, with a flower in her hand.

Her eyes were smiling, very gently.

••••

Nan Xue’s eyes felt a bit warm for some reason. She gazed at Shu Yubai, moving closer to give her a light kiss on the cheek.

“What’s wrong? Hmm?”

Shu Yubai looked at her.

“Nothing.”

The girl whispered softly in her ear, “I just like you so much.”

••••

When they got out of the taxi, the driver sneaked several glances at them through the rearview mirror.

These two girls… could they be…

He kept looking.

Friends, maybe.

But the two of them were completely immersed in their own world. The surrounding scenery and people seemed to blur automatically, with the falling snow, the old street corners, and the people hurrying by with umbrellas.

All of it was just a backdrop.

Shu Yubai and Nan Xue returned to Ying Ran’s small courtyard.

It was getting dark.

The courtyard lights came on, illuminating the snow on the road, making it sparkle. The restaurant to the north also lit up. On this cold night, the lights made the snow on the road glisten. The restaurant door opened, and Ying Ran and his assistant came out, their hands in their sleeves.

Shu Yubai and Nan Xue were dragging their suitcases inside just as they met them.

“You’re back?”

Ying Ran went to help Nan Xue with her suitcase. “Hurry up, haven’t eaten yet?”

“No.”

The group headed to the small courtyard. Ying Ran dragged Nan Xue’s suitcase, opened the door, and put it inside, asking, “Where’s your senior brother?”

“He should be here soon. He didn’t take the same taxi as us.”

Ying Ran hummed in acknowledgment and then turned to Nan Xue. “Your father contacted me a few days ago. He wants you to go to the company tomorrow; he has something to discuss with you.”

Father?

Nan Xue lowered her eyes, feeling a bit worried.

When she left, she didn’t tell her father, only arranged her work in advance and informed her assistant that she had some personal matters to attend to before leaving.

Her father didn’t know what was going on.

But if he wanted to talk, why didn’t Nan Mingzhu call her when she was in Japan?

“Okay.”

Nan Xue nodded. “I’ll go to the company later.”

The rooms were still the same two. After settling in, they began to busy themselves.

In the evening, Shu Yubai continued working on her unfinished painting, while Nan Xue went to the company.

There were still about five days until the competition results were announced. Shu Yubai didn’t worry too much about it. She gathered her thoughts and continued refining the rough sketch of the girl on her canvas.

Under the lamp, there was a faint misty shadow.

The lines were sharp, depicting the girl’s slim silhouette, her eyes, falling black hair, slender waist, and long legs, leaving a faint outline on the paper, revealing a bit of her ethereal, indifferent temperament.

••••

Shu Yubai was painting when the door creaked open.

Ying Ran’s assistant quietly placed a cup of hot tea on her desk.

“Sister Yubai, take a break. You’ve just gotten back, and you’re already working so hard?”

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly froze.

Earlier outside, it was too dark to see clearly;

Now, inside the room, she noticed the slender fingers of Shu Yubai holding the porcelain cup.

On her left ring finger was a silver diamond ring.

The diamond was finely cut, quite large, and under the faint light, it reflected a cold, dazzling brilliance on her fair finger.

She exclaimed, “Sister Yubai, you got married?”

“When did that happen?”

“How come there was no wedding, and I didn’t know anything about it!”

Shu Yubai was slightly startled and instinctively hid her hand under the table, the long tablecloth concealing the diamond’s gleam.

“I’m just wearing it for fun.”

Shu Yubai lowered her head and coughed lightly. “I saw it while shopping and thought it looked nice, so I bought it. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Oh…”

She nodded, not thinking much of it: That makes sense. How could she get married in just three days? It turns out she saw a pretty ring for sale and bought it to wear for fun.

Besides, she had previously felt that something was going on between her and Nan Xue.

Married? That would be something.

After Ying Ran’s assistant left, Shu Yubai looked at the exquisite ring under the lamp, took it off her finger with a light sigh, and hung it on her chest alongside her jade pendant.

—It’s not the right time to go public.

It had to be kept secret.

••••

When Nan Xue returned, it was already dark outside. The courtyard was filled with the gentle sound of footsteps, the noise of boots stepping on the crushed snow.

Shu Yubai immediately got up and opened the door.

In the night, a tall girl in the distance was draped in a chill, her down jacket covered in snowflakes, not knowing how long she had walked.

“Didn’t bring an umbrella?”

Shu Yubai noticed that the outside of Nan Xue’s down jacket was a bit wet, the result of melted snow.

“Yeah, I gave the umbrella to the driver.”

Nan Xue said softly. As she lowered her head, she suddenly noticed Shu Yubai’s left ring finger.

Her slender white finger was bare.

Where was the ring?

“Sister.”

Nan Xue suddenly paused, a bit stiff. She raised her eyes and asked hesitantly, “Where’s the ring I gave you?”

Shu Yubai was stunned for a moment. She lowered her head and pulled out a red string from around her neck. The items hanging on it were a bit crowded: a jade pendant and a small silver diamond ring.

“Here.”

She said.

Nan Xue gently cupped it in her palm.

The diamond ring, warmed by being close to her chest, was warm.

“Keep it low-key.”

Shu Yubai looked at her and said softly, “Don’t draw too much attention.”

“Like this?”

Nan Xue lowered her head, her breath forming white mist that dispersed into the night.

For a moment, Shu Yubai saw a trace of sadness and disappointment in her eyes.

“Now isn’t the right time.”

Shu Yubai gently hugged her, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “Later, when we’re both more mature and stable, okay?”

“Why does it have to be so complicated?”

Nan Xue lightly frowned. “Is there anything wrong with us being together? Why do we have to hide?”

Shu Yubai looked at her and tentatively asked, “Does your father… support us?”

Nan Xue: “…”

She had just gone to the company to see her father. Her father only asked a few work-related questions without suspecting anything else—though he did look slightly suspicious when he noticed the ring on her hand and asked, “Where did the ring come from?”

Nan Xue replied, “I bought it myself.”

Then she watched her father’s expression.

“Where did you buy it? It looks nice,” Nan Mingzhu said casually while sipping hot water from a cup.

It was clear that he never even considered that Nan Xue might be in a relationship.

Especially not with Shu Yubai.

So she didn’t know where to start.

Shu Yubai said, “It’s okay.”

She lowered her head and gently kissed Nan Xue’s forehead, speaking softly, “Just being with you is enough.”

—Even if it’s never made public.

She was willing.

At that moment, the sky was cold, with small, light snowflakes gently falling onto the white fur trim of Nan Xue’s hat. Her breath formed a light white mist that quickly dispersed.

Nan Xue’s hands were numb from the cold. Walking through the freezing weather, the tall branches of the sycamore tree in the yard were covered in snow. The sky had a cold, pale white hue, creating a clear and ethereal atmosphere.

“Sister, should we get a marriage certificate?”

Nan Xue suddenly asked.

Shu Yubai was startled and couldn’t help but laugh. “Get a marriage certificate? Where would you do that?”

“We can do it abroad, right?”

Nan Xue began to seriously consider it, her expression showing deep contemplation.

Shu Yubai gently shook her head. “There’s no need. It’s just a formal thing.”

“…”

Nan Xue quietly pondered again.

Her earlobes turned red again. Shu Yubai couldn’t help but pinch them lightly, holding her hand as she asked, “Why did you suddenly think of that?”

“I want to give you a sense of security.”

Nan Xue looked at her.

Her eyes were beautiful, clear and bright, reflecting the scattered light of the snow on the ground, pure and serene.

Shu Yubai’s heart tightened.

A sense of security.

A subtle emotion flashed in her eyes, her heart filled and overwhelmed by an unfamiliar feeling.

She leaned in. Nan Xue’s cheek was framed by the white hood of her down jacket, her dark hair brushing her jawline, her lips slightly moist, and her clear black eyes focused intently on her.

The two looked at each other.

It was very cold. She saw her eyes under the hood.

Shu Yubai leaned in for a secret kiss.

Their soft lips met, warm and unbelievably tender. The instant they touched, a shiver ran through her. She kissed slowly, her soft lips gently enveloping Nan Xue’s, then gradually extending her tongue to touch a bit of moistness.

Nan Xue lowered her head, her hand around Shu Yubai’s waist tightening slightly, her breath quickening.

After a long kiss, they heard footsteps in the distance. Nan Xue let go, her lips glistening slightly. She licked her lips, her ears a bit flushed, and asked tentatively, “Tonight… can I sleep with you?”