A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 99

The water in the pool is mostly disinfected, which can irritate the skin. After Nan Xue went upstairs, she took her pajamas and went to the bathroom to rinse off.

A moment later, the sound of running water could be heard, and a faint, damp mist spread through the crack in the door, carrying a light fragrance of jasmine.

On a cool spring day, Aunt Zhang, worried about her catching a cold, had the chef make a bowl of ginger soup for her. In a small bowl was a mix of ginger, scallions, and brown sugar in a dark liquid, with a few strips of ginger and some scallions floating in it.

Aunt Zhang called downstairs to Shu Yubai, “Xiao Shu? Can you come help for a moment?”

Shu Yubai got up and went downstairs, “I’m coming.”

Aunt Zhang handed her the small porcelain bowl, “Give this ginger soup to her to warm up.”

Shu Yubai was taken aback, taking the bowl that was still warm at the bottom. The soup was steaming with white mist, and she asked, “Should I take it upstairs?”

Aunt Zhang smiled, “Xiao Nan doesn’t like the smell of scallions. If I gave it to her, she would refuse, so it has to be you.”

Hmm…?

Shu Yubai smiled helplessly, thinking, why is it that only she can do it?

“I’ll give it a try,” she said.

The sound of water stopped.

With a creak, the door handle was pressed down, and the bathroom door opened.

Nan Xue appeared in a warm, moist mist.

She looked like a flower blooming in the mist, white and clean, with her skin showing a bit of a blush from the hot water, and glistening droplets of water rolling down.

The girl licked her red lips with her tongue, her delicate fingers holding onto the towel wrapped around her. Her wet hair dripped one drop at a time, sliding down her collarbone and into the soft curves of her chest.

When she saw Shu Yubai, Nan Xue paused. Her dark eyes seemed to be moistened by the mist, looking charming and seductive.

She then turned around to start the exhaust fan and closed the door.

Shu Yubai’s gaze lingered for a moment on the exposed white skin before darting away like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water.

Her cheeks warmed slightly. She lowered her head, her long hair barely concealing her, unsure whether to stay or leave.

“You’re just… coming out like this?”

Shu Yubai cleared her throat softly and said, “Go back inside. It’s cold outside. I’ll bring you some clothes. Change inside and come out when you’re done.”

“No need.”

Nan Xue lifted a strand of wet hair, exposing her pale profile, and said, “It’s too damp inside. I want to change outside.”

“You might catch a cold.”

Shu Yubai quietly suggested, “It’s better to go inside.”

But Nan Xue looked at her with dark, glistening eyes and asked softly, “Why? Are you afraid to see… me like this?”

“Not at all.”

Shu Yubai hesitated for a moment and said, “Not really.”

She wondered if Nan Xue was doing this intentionally or if she genuinely didn’t see the need for modesty.

If it was intentional… why was she doing this?

Shu Yubai frowned and turned to sit at her desk, not looking back.

It seemed as if they had a tacit understanding. As before, Nan Xue undressed and changed clothes behind her, with the faint rustling sounds indicating her movements.

The towel dried her body, followed by the sound of sliding doors.

She seemed to be searching for something, possibly underwear, then closed the door again.

More rustling sounds followed.

Nan Xue put on her pajamas, tying the waistband with a bow.

She said, “All done.”

In the center of the room was a large oval rug with a small, bulging sofa on top. Nan Xue, wearing slippers, walked slowly with her delicate white legs.

By the desk, Shu Yubai was quietly writing something with a pen, her long hair cascading smoothly, carefully focused on her task.

Nan Xue walked over and sat in the chair next to Shu Yubai, glancing down at the bowl of ginger soup. Her brows slightly furrowed.

Shu Yubai knew that Nan Xue usually wasn’t picky about food, but scallions were an exception. She disliked their taste and would pick them out with chopsticks whenever they appeared in her food.

Shu Yubai: “Have some…?”

She cleared her throat lightly and explained, “Aunt Zhang made it after a long time. It helps to ward off the cold.”

“No.”

Nan Xue shook her head and said, “Why is there scallion in the ginger soup?”

Shu Yubai was momentarily speechless. After a while, summoning some courage, she lifted the ginger soup and said gently, “I’ll feed you.”

Nan Xue was taken aback, and the spoon was already at her lips.

Warm and with a gentle touch.

“Here.”

Shu Yubai’s gaze remained softly on her.

Nan Xue, almost instinctively, parted her lips.

Nan Xue took a sip, and Shu Yubai continued to feed her. As she did, she casually mentioned, “In a few days, are you free?”

Nan Xue looked at her.

Outside the window, the afternoon forest swayed gently with the wind, producing a faint rustling sound. Shu Yubai felt a thin layer of sweat on her fingertips, her heartbeat quickened slightly. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Perhaps she’s still single? Perhaps…

In that moment, many hopes and dreams surged up.

Shu Yubai fed her another spoonful of soup and said, “It’s just that talking about these things from books isn’t enough.”

Shu Yubai lowered her eyelashes and tentatively asked, “Next time, would you like to go to the art museum together? I’ll show you the actual pieces, how about it?”

Nan Xue: “Go to the art museum?”

Shu Yubai: “Yes.”

Nan Xue: “But just looking might not reveal much.”

She added, “I have something on this weekend.”

She then glanced at her phone’s schedule, seeming to really have no time.

Shu Yubai: “…”

After a long pause, she tightened her cold fingertips and said in a low voice, “I see.”

In the past, when they were deeply in love, Nan Xue would make time to be with her even after working late into the night.

Later, she understood—having time meant having time for you.

And not having time simply meant unwillingness.

Shu Yubai gazed at the distant mountains, feeling a mix of complex emotions, half yearning, half sorrow. The mountains in the distance, with their layers of color, seemed hazy and indistinct.

The ginger soup was finished.

Nan Xue had really finished it. Shu Yubai set the small bowl down and considered her thoughts.

Nan Xue suddenly asked without context, “If I don’t want to go to the art museum, how about going somewhere else?”

Shu Yubai’s eyes lit up. She immediately nodded:

“Sure, wherever you want to go.”

She looked up to meet a pair of eyes with a faint, elusive smile.

Shu Yubai: “…”

She lowered her head, cleared her throat softly, and her ears turned slightly red.

••••

At the end of the month, an auction was held in the city.

Shu Yubai sent her painting of white roses to be auctioned. On that day, she and Shi Chu went to the auction venue.

“It’s so loud, a bit noisy.”

Shi Chu covered her ears.

The venue was a spacious, predominantly gray space. To the left in the center was a brown wooden podium with a microphone on it, where the host stood to announce each bidding increment. To the right was a large screen.

The screen projected images of the works being auctioned and a blue background with white text showing the current bid prices in various currencies.

Below the stage, a white barrier fenced off the bidders, who were craning their necks to watch the heated auction.

After about half an hour, it was time for Shu Yubai’s painting.

The image of the white roses was projected on the big screen, with a small line of text showing the artist and dimensions. The starting price was listed in a column on the left. As soon as the time began, the bidding started.

“Fifteen thousand, starting price.”

“Bid increased. Eighteen thousand.”

“Bid increased twice. Twenty-one thousand.”

••••

The bidding continued with people holding phones to make higher offers and murmuring discussions: “How much is this painting worth?”

“Is there anyone knowledgeable here to take a look?”

“Is fifty thousand worth it?”

“What’s the highest?”

Shu Yubai and Shi Chu stood in the back row, holding hands and nervously listening to others discuss her painting.

The bids kept increasing.

After some time, the final price was set.

The four-by-four-foot painting sold for one million one hundred thousand.

The final bidder was a woman.

She stood up, glanced back as if recognizing Shu Yubai, and gave a slight, knowing smile.

••••

You Fu sat quietly on a lounger on the terrace, holding a black cigarette between her slender fingers. The cigarette burned slowly, and her expression was blurred in the hazy smoke, not clearly visible.

On a small round table beside her was a glass of cocktail. You Fu had just finished a painting and was resting, her mind wandering as she thought about how the past few years had passed.

Many things had become unclear.

Seeing Qian Qian for a moment, countless fragments of old times rushed back, leaving her feeling both joy and melancholy.

You Fu opened the WeChat of the newly added contact, whose name was exactly the same as the real name—Qian Qian, with no pretense.

She saw that this person often posted travel photos, flying around the world and living quite freely.

This was the umpteenth time she had checked in recent days.

Perhaps “old friends” were just different?

She gazed absentmindedly at the distant mountains, with their green branches stirring in the wind, waves of green rolling, and the ever-changing light and shadow of the world. Yet, You Fu suddenly began to reminisce about some times.

She suddenly recalled a long time ago, when she sat beside her and asked, “Why are you named Qian Qian?”

Qian Qian said, “I have my mother’s surname, Qian, so I’m called Qian Qian.”

Qian Qian wasn’t a nickname.

She had said it with great seriousness.

You Fu had laughed at the time and said, “Is there really a surname Qian?”

Yet she quickly remembered her name.

You Fu touched the screen with her fingertips, blinking her eyelashes.

She sent a greeting: [hi.]

The message was sent.

Qian Qian did not reply.

Another message popped up.

Shu Yubai had sent her: [Senior Sister, I asked, and Qian Qian and Nan Xue are not together.]

You Fu thought, oh?

Then maybe she should give it a try.

She looked at her profile picture, remembering a tender and beautiful back.

She waited for a while longer.

The person replied to her, with the same brief message.

Qian Qian: [hi.]

••••

The next day.

Shu Yubai did not receive any messages from Nan Xue all day.

In fact, since they exchanged contact information, Nan Xue had occasionally sent a few messages, asking about the artwork, how to appreciate it, but those were the only questions; nothing beyond that.

Since the day Shu Yubai invited her out, Nan Xue had not sent a single proactive message.

Had she figured out Shu Yubai’s intentions and was therefore subtly avoiding her?

Another weekend.

It was time to go to Nan Xue’s house again for their lesson.

“Got a cold from swimming yesterday.”

As soon as she opened the door, Aunt Zhang explained helplessly.

— So that’s the reason.

That’s why she hadn’t replied to messages?

Shu Yubai quietly went upstairs and entered the room.

Nan Xue was lying in bed.

The cold daylight outside illuminated her face, and her ebony-like hair was spread out. Her lips were full and rosy, like a drop of bright red bl00d on snow, striking and beautiful.

Shu Yubai’s gaze slid from Nan Xue’s closed, curled lashes down to her lips.

How long had it been since they last kissed?

A yearning, difficult to describe, spread from her heart.

Nan Xue’s lashes were only slightly closed.

She seemed to see a very familiar person in her dazed state.

The bed shifted slightly as a woman sat by the bedside. She turned to her side, her soft gaze falling down, and in her dazed state, Nan Xue felt a warm palm gently touch her forehead.

Nan Xue vaguely saw her leaning over.

She wore a white, loose T-shirt, with the neckline open. Nan Xue saw a very familiar ring hanging around her neck, lying in the soft and gentle embrace, with the faint gleam of the diamond.

For some reason, her heart had a slight flutter.

The next second, Shu Yubai bent down and pressed her red lips to Nan Xue’s forehead.

Nan Xue’s lashes trembled suddenly.

Her fingertips curled up.