A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 95

In the evening, the sky turned a translucent blue-grey. The private dining restaurant, set on lush green grass, was surrounded by transparent glass windows. As the light dimmed, the faint gray shadows of trees fell inside, and only a few lamps illuminated the space.

In that moment, the room was eerily silent.

The waiter stood at the door, cautiously glancing over. With only five or six tables occupied, the quiet music made everyone speak softly.

Shu Yubai looked at her, gently placing her chopsticks on the white porcelain plate.

Click.

She hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly, “What… a coincidence.”

Nan Xue said nothing, giving her a brief glance.

Her skin was very pale, and a sliver of twilight through the transparent glass windows illuminated her eyes, reflecting a faint glimmer. After a moment, Nan Xue lowered her gaze and didn’t look at either of them, remaining silent.

“Check, please.”

Nan Xue glanced at them and walked to the counter to pay.

Shu Yubai stared blankly, slightly dazed.

Nan Xue stood at the counter, leaving behind a tall, slender figure with a slim waist and long legs, her black hair cascading over her shoulders. She seemed indifferent, not showing much concern about the earlier incident.

Yet, Shu Yubai sensed a subtle distance in the moment she turned her face away.

Is she… angry?

Perhaps because she had spent a lot of time with Nan Xue, Shu Yubai could always pick up on such subtle expressions.

She felt a sudden rush of anxiety.

Nan Xue paid and walked outside, quickly disappearing from view. Shu Yubai hurriedly stood up and said to You Fu, “Sorry, Senior Sister, the exhibition is fine.”

“I… have something to take care of. I’ll go ahead. Senior Sister, please take your time.”

You Fu glanced at her and then at Nan Xue in the distance, her gaze shifting between the two, remaining silent.

“Go ahead.”

She smiled in resignation.

Outside, a narrow white gravel path wound through dense bamboo forest, leading to a main road. A stone arch bridge crossed over a stream that flowed gently beneath it.

Nan Xue, tall and long-legged, walked with a graceful stride.

Shu Yubai followed her, trying to keep up while pondering many things: Was she really angry just now?

Why?

Because she saw her with You Fu…?

If she were indifferent, she probably wouldn’t be angry, but now… doesn’t this happen to mean she cares? Or maybe, Nan Xue thinks she’s too fickle, too inclined to flirt?

Shu Yubai frowned, shook her head, and was afraid she was overthinking, so she tried hard to push these thoughts out of her mind.

“Nan Xue.”

As she was about to approach her, Shu Yubai carefully lightened her steps.

She steadied her breath, though her cheeks were a bit red.

There was a fine sweat between the dark strands of her hair.

Nan Xue stopped, and after a while, turned to look at her.

A breeze lifted the short hair by her pale jawline; her red lips were silent as she waited quietly.

Shu Yubai hesitated, her heart grew tense. She hurriedly began to explain, “Uh, it’s just a meal. Senior Sister asked me about something related to the art exhibition. There’s nothing else…”

After finishing, she met Nan Xue’s beautiful, clean eyes, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.

What was she saying?!

So deliberate.

Shu Yubai was immediately embarrassed by her clumsiness with words—what she said was too obvious, like she was trying too hard to clear things up, to prove something to Nan Xue.

Nan Xue slightly raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of light flickering in her clear eyes, but it quickly seemed like an illusion.

Without saying anything, she turned and continued walking towards the main road.

The road surface was elevated, like a bridge, with railings on the sides.

Looking out from the railing, there was a small pond nearby, more accurately described as a small fish pond. There were many little fish swimming with their tails flicking, mostly green carp, their smooth gray backs visible.

On the edge of the pond, there were many decorative reeds. In early spring, white fluffy seeds gently floated, clustered in a well-organized manner.

Nan Xue leaned against the railing. A breeze blew, making her T-shirt cling to her body, outlining her slender waist. Her black hair fluttered backward in the wind, revealing her porcelain-white chin.

Her lips were very red, but there was a tenderness to her.

Shu Yubai looked at her, her long eyelashes fluttered. After a moment, she continued, “I just don’t want you to misunderstand.”

“I… am not that kind of person.”

Nan Xue: “Oh.”

She turned around: “Is that so?”

Nan Xue leaned against the railing, looking far into the horizon: “Not that kind of person? Then what kind of person?”

Shu Yubai was momentarily at a loss. What should she say?

Should she say, “I haven’t moved on yet”?

Or should she say, “I’m not someone who accepts others’ goodwill while still holding onto an ex”?

Shu Yubai mentally drafted her response, her heart beating rapidly. She tried for a long time but couldn’t find the words.

Suddenly, Nan Xue took Shu Yubai’s hand and leaned in close.

Shu Yubai: “!”

She widened her eyes.

The girl’s porcelain-white face was right in front of her, a faint, almost imperceptible cold fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose. Her full, delicate red lips seemed slightly moist, very fresh.

Shu Yubai’s throat moved slightly, and her heart raced.

Nan Xue lowered her head, almost touching her, face to face, with beautiful, clear eyes.

Nan Xue’s slender, cold-white fingers gently flipped up the collar of Shu Yubai’s shirt, deftly tucking in the flipped-up corner.

Her fingertips accidentally brushed Shu Yubai’s neck, cold, tracing up her warm chin.

A tingling sensation, like an electric shock.

She was very pale, a bit aloof.

But her red lips were striking.

“The collar’s crooked again.”

Nan Xue whispered in her ear.

Shu Yubai’s face flushed instantly.

A hint of her ear appeared from beneath her dark hair, turning pink.

The wind was strong, and Nan Xue’s shoulder-length dark hair was tousled. Amid the flying sand and stones, Nan Xue squinted at her.

Her thick lashes covered many of her emotions.

After a moment, a white Porsche Panamera stopped by the roadside.

Nan Xue turned, got into the car cleanly and decisively.

On the white gravel path in the woods, a figure appeared. Later, You Fu finally reached the intersection.

She watched everything from a distance, speechless. Shu Yubai, dressed in a thin but warm sweater, squatted down, holding her face in her hands, gazing blankly at the direction in which the car had left.

You Fu: “…”

That’s enough.

••••

In the evening, lights flickered outside the window.

On the coffee table was a fruit bowl with several cleaned fruits: apples, cherries, small oranges. Li Nian was busy in the kitchen; she had just successfully persuaded Shu Yubai’s “new friend” to stay for dinner and was preparing a lavish meal.

Shi Chu sat on the sofa with Shu Yubai, in silence.

After a while, the kitchen door was closed, and the sound of the range hood whirred.

“Is that it?”

After hearing Shu Yubai’s description, Shi Chu said, “She just helped you fix your collar—maybe she has obsessive-compulsive disorder?”

Shu Yubai realized that this person seemed to be reacting oppositely to her:

When she overthought things, Shi Chu would pour cold water on her;

But when Shu Yubai felt there was no chance with Nan Xue, Shi Chu would encourage her. (TN: Wahahaha… Speechless. A woman’s thoughts are really complicated 😂)

Shu Yubai: “…”

Shi Chu suddenly remembered something, her thoughts jumping topics. She took out her phone and opened a page: “Let me tell you…”

A white plush cat lay on her lap, its eyes like glass beads, very beautiful, with a fluffy tail gently moving. Shi Chu kept petting it.

“Your photo was posted again.”

Shi Chu couldn’t help but laugh: “Not bad, you’ve become a mascot.”

Shu Yubai’s photo had been posted on the school’s official WeChat account, promoting the school’s anniversary open day. Her photo was used as a background image for a poster, attracting people to visit the school.

There were many comments below.

“Such an appearance!”

“This is Teacher Shu, right? Really beautiful.”

“Goddess!”

“When will it be our turn to attend her class…”

A group of students lamented in unison.

Shi Chu jokingly suggested, “If you can’t get together with Nan Xue, you can always find another pretty girl, haha.”

Shu Yubai felt embarrassed and couldn’t look at them, her toes curling up.

She lowered her neck, and the tips of her ears visible among her hair were flushed red.

“Stop talking…”

She looked down and covered her face.

After the official WeChat post, Shu Yubai had really become the “mascot.” This week, there seemed to be even more people observing her during class.

There were also students peeking through the door.

“Room 107 is Teacher Shu’s class!”

“Really?”

“Let me take a look…”

The class bell hadn’t rung yet, and some people were hanging around by the door.

She wore a plain spring dress and stood at the podium, exuding an elegant and poised air. She remained calm and unperturbed despite the noise below. Her dark hair and pale skin, her oval face, seemed as delicate as willow leaves fluttered by a misty breeze, graceful and gentle.

“She paints really well too.”

“I heard she’ll be teaching traditional Chinese painting next semester—how fortunate.”

“Finally seeing her in person!”

“She’s really so beautiful!”

••••

Shu Yubai calmly inserted a USB drive into her computer.

Only she could feel how hot her face was, as if it was almost burning.

••••

After a week of continuous classes, the weekend arrived.

Indeed, one’s mindset can be trained. In the past, she would have been nervous standing on the podium in front of so many people; now, with more people watching, she felt more at ease even when preparing to give a lesson to Nan Xue.

Previously, she and Nan Xue had agreed that every weekend she would give her extra lessons in preparation for the dinner. Specifically, she would cover a brief art history and how to distinguish the authenticity of paintings and antiques.

As Shu Yubai packed books into her bag and left the house, she happened to be at a traffic light and sent a message:

[It’s time for class.]

After sending it, she held her phone and waited quietly.

For the first time, she eagerly anticipated someone’s message.

Time seemed to stretch indefinitely.

After an unknown amount of time, her phone dinged. Nan Xue finally replied: [I’m at home. Do you remember the way?]

*Ding*

Nan Xue had sent her location.

Shu Yubai didn’t look at it—she certainly remembered the way, familiar to the point she could navigate it with her eyes closed.

She drove through a grove of white sycamore trees. It seemed a sprinkling truck had passed by; the asphalt was slightly damp, and countless light and shadow flickered rapidly outside the quiet window, flowing and changing.

The car stopped at the entrance.

It had been three years since she last came here.

Shu Yubai got out of the car, and the camera at the entrance turned toward her.

After a moment, she heard a woman’s faint cough from afar. The woman, somewhat elderly, walked slowly over through the gate.

It was Aunt Zhang.

Nan Xue’s father had passed away, but Aunt Zhang was still here. She stood at the door and smiled warmly when she saw Shu Yubai.

“Welcome.”

She opened the door.

The two slowly walked along the path through the lawn.

“Have you been well these years?”

Shu Yubai asked Aunt Zhang.

“Her father passed away—leaving only Xiao Nan, which is quite pitiful.”

Aunt Zhang sighed softly.

The house was the same as before: white walls and dark tiles, with many bamboo clusters planted along the walls. It remained just as it was when her father left.

A deep sorrow suddenly rose in Shu Yubai’s heart.

It was only after a loved one’s death that she realized, somewhat belatedly, that life has an end.

Meetings and separations are all about fate.

They reached the end of the path. Aunt Zhang twisted the door handle, and the door opened, revealing a dimly lit room with a wall lamp. Aunt Zhang bent down, opened the shoe cabinet, and handed her a pair of slippers.

“Thank you.”

Shu Yubai quickly reached out to take them but noticed a detail.

She froze slightly, her pupils contracting.

There was an extra pair of women’s slippers in the shoe cabinet, small-sized, pink, with cute little rabbits. Whose could they be?

Not Nan Xue’s.

She was tall, wore larger-sized shoes, and usually didn’t wear such overly pink items; it certainly wasn’t Aunt Zhang’s, as she had already changed into her own shoes. So, who could it belong to?

Shu Yubai looked at Aunt Zhang, her cheeks warming. For a moment, she really wanted to ask if Nan Xue had brought anyone home in recent years.

Her heart raced.

Her lips moved silently a few times but couldn’t form the question.

“Xiao Nan is upstairs, on the third floor.”

Aunt Zhang smiled slightly: “I’ll go cut some fruit for you.”

Shu Yubai thanked her.

She climbed the stairs step by step, the wooden steps creaking slightly. Looking up, she saw her at the bedroom door. Shu Yubai paused instinctively, her steps stopping.

Nan Xue was leaning against the doorframe, her delicate white hand supporting the frame. She wore a loosely draped white crossover robe, looking very relaxed, calm, and indifferent.

A few water droplets rolled down her black hair, sliding down her collar.