I Don't Want to Have Little Mushrooms with You - Chapter 18

“Thud—thud—”

By the time the knocking sounded, Song Tai’s clothes were already in disarray from Qu Fengyue’s antics. Several buttons had been undone, and the fabric was crumpled.

She was forced into the couch, unable to move.

The skin around her wound had been sucked pale from the excessive force.

And another spot was now slightly swollen from the same treatment.

This round of knocking was more urgent than the last, rapid and insistent.

But it also came at just the right time to “rescue” Song Tai.

Qu Fengyue paused mid-kiss for a few seconds, giving Song Tai the chance to push her away, straighten her collar, and stand up.

She already had a good idea of who was at the door.

No doorbell, just knocking, and at this hour—aside from the neighbor across the hall, Song Tai couldn’t think of anyone else.

She didn’t want to answer, but she couldn’t shake Qu Fengyue off either.

The spot where she’d been bitten on her chest was probably a little swollen now, throbbing faintly. Irritated, she thought, Qu Fengyue really is like a dog sometimes. What kind of weird habit is this?

Making sure her collar looked presentable, Song Tai steadied her breathing and opened the door. Sure enough, a familiar woman stood there, her raven-black hair slightly longer than before, falling in soft, natural waves against her cheeks.

The woman blinked in surprise when she saw Song Tai, as if she’d already known there was someone else in the apartment.

Song Tai: “What do you want?”

“Nothing much. Just that my appliances are acting up, and the power’s out.”

“I already called, but it’s too late—the maintenance guy the property sent hasn’t arrived yet. It’s pitch black in there.”

What did that have to do with her?

Song Tai frowned, displeased, her tone sharp: “So?”

The woman didn’t seem to notice Song Tai’s hostility. Instead, she smiled, a faint dimple appearing on her cheek as she shrugged casually, trying to appear nonchalant.

Only then did Song Tai notice her unnaturally pale complexion, her unfocused gaze, her uneven breathing, and the way her fingers clenched, veins standing out on the back of her hand—as if she were enduring some kind of pain.

Despite her efforts to hide it, it was obvious.

After a pause, the woman’s hazel-brown eyes met hers as she said softly, “So… can I stay here for a bit?”

Song Tai was annoyed, but the sight of her discomfort gave her pause. Reluctantly, she muttered, “…Fine. Come in.”

Once inside, away from whatever had been bothering her, the woman’s expression noticeably improved. She introduced herself, “You can call me Qu Lingyue.”

Qu Lingyue?

Song Tai glanced up, accidentally meeting her gaze. The name sounded familiar—had she heard it somewhere before?

“Jiejie,” Qu Fengyue called from behind her, tugging at her hand, her voice small and sulky at being ignored.

Qu Lingyue took in the tension between them, her gaze lingering on Qu Fengyue’s flushed eyes before she smiled knowingly. “Sorry for interrupting.”

Her tone was sincere. “You can carry on—pretend I’m not here. I’ll leave soon.”

Song Tai: “…” What the hell.

Because of that remark, Song Tai sat stiffly on the couch, suddenly thirsty. She ordered Qu Fengyue to pour her a glass of water, pointedly not offering one to Qu Lingyue.

Qu Lingyue didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she just smiled at her, perfectly at ease, as if completely unbothered by the awkwardness.

The expression now was a far cry from the pale, pitiful yet stubborn look from earlier.

Song Tai: “…”

After waiting for a while, the repairman still hadn’t arrived.

Song Tai was growing impatient. She regretted letting Qu Lingyue in.

What did Qu Lingyue’s bad condition have to do with her?

“Big sis, go take a shower. I’ll keep her company,” Qu Fengyue offered proactively.

It was late, and Song Tai was indeed feeling a bit sleepy.

Besides, she didn’t particularly want to stay around Qu Lingyue either.

Song Tai nodded and stood up. A sudden flash of inspiration struck her—she finally remembered where she’d heard Qu Lingyue’s name before.

A few days ago, when she went to Miaotan, Song Xuehe had been reviewing a promotional plan for a new product series, which mentioned Qu Lingyue and her band.

What was it called again… the Umbrella Mushroom Band?

Song Tai thought uncertainly.

She casually picked up her phone and headed into the bathroom, doing a quick search. She discovered that Qu Lingyue was quite a famous drummer, and her band was also well-known, riding a wave of momentum. They had been very active over the past two years and were regulars at major music festivals.

Recently, they even seemed to be on tour.

But when it came to Qu Lingyue herself, what stood out more than the band were her scandalous affairs.

The most notorious incident was when she went through five girlfriends in a single month, none lasting more than a week, ending in a storm of drama.

Staring at her phone screen, Song Tai thought:

Her instincts had been spot-on. The way Qu Lingyue had looked at her during their first encounter in the elevator was unmistakably the gaze of a predator.

She was about to turn off her phone when her eyes caught a few automatically recommended songs in the search results. Just as she was about to close the app, she accidentally tapped on one.

Music began to play—a psychedelic rock track.

After listening for a while, she was surprised. It was actually quite good.

Compared to other bands Song Tai had heard, this one wasn’t ear-splittingly loud but had an inexplicably hypnotic allure, like sound waves dancing chaotically yet romantically across water—utterly captivating.

She picked up her phone to check the song’s details and found that the producer, composer, and lyricist were all Qu Lingyue.

Qu Lingyue was a drummer, a role that would typically be somewhat peripheral in other bands. But in the Umbrella Mushroom Band, she was the undisputed core.

Her striking grayish-brown eyes were iconic, and she was also the most popular member.

Though Qu Lingyue was tangled in messy scandals, in the face of undeniable talent, such legally harmless gossip not only seemed trivial but even lent her a unique charm, setting her apart.

This also explained why, after living here for three years with Qu Fengling, she had never once run into Qu Lingyue.

The band was quite popular, and popularity meant busyness.

Besides, Qu Lingyue didn’t seem like someone short on cash—she probably had more than one place to stay.

Song Tai’s hands were covered in water droplets, making it impossible to handle her phone. She left it aside as it automatically played through the Umbrella Mushroom Band’s songs one after another.

After listening to about five or six tracks, she dried herself off and suddenly realized she’d forgotten to bring her pajamas into the bathroom.

She called out to Qu Fengyue, but after a few seconds, there was no response—highly unusual.

Frowning, she called again.

Finally, a muffled voice asked which pajamas she wanted brought over.

“Just grab any one,” Song Tai replied casually, not sensing anything amiss.

A few seconds later, footsteps approached, and someone knocked on the door. Song Tai opened it to see a slender hand cautiously extending through the crack, holding out a gray lace-trimmed camisole nightgown for her.

Song Tai reached for it, intending to pull it inside, but the hand didn’t let go—instead, it even tugged back slightly.

Puzzled, she called out Qu Fengyue’s name.

“Shouldn’t Miss Song say thank you to me?”

A clear, amused voice slipped through the door and into her ears.

Song Tai froze.

That wasn’t Qu Fengyue’s voice—it was Qu Lingyue’s.