I Don't Want to Have Little Mushrooms with You - Chapter 5
For the next few days, Song Tai didn’t meet with Qu Fengyue.
At work, the two merely pretended to be ordinary colleagues, exchanging only a single sentence during a chance encounter in the break room at lunch.
When Qu Fengyue took the initiative to message her, Song Tai responded with nothing more than lukewarm replies.
Partly, it was out of pettiness—after the unpleasant experience that night, these days of coldness served as a warning.
Partly, it was because the project kept her busy, and with her focus on work, Qu Fengyue simply didn’t hold that much importance.
Friday.
Since she was planning to go to Miaotan with Song Xuehe over the weekend, Song Tai gave her direct supervisor a heads-up in advance before submitting her leave request in the system.
With unfinished work on her plate and the upcoming leave, she decided to take her laptop home to wrap things up.
On her way out, while waiting for the elevator, she ran into her boss and greeted her first.
Her boss, in her forties, had short hair and dressed casually, wearing a comfortable-looking round-neck sweater that made her appear youthful and energetic.
When she saw Song Tai, she asked tactfully, “Caicai, do you need me to approve a few extra days for your leave?”
Truth be told, Song Tai had only just taken a few days off not long ago because of Qu Fengling’s car accident.
This time, she hadn’t explicitly mentioned that the leave was for Miaotan, only vaguely citing family matters.
Naturally, her boss assumed it was still related to Qu Fengling’s accident.
As she spoke, her gaze held a touch of sympathy and concern.
She had seen Qu Fengling pick Song Tai up from work many times.
Both were strikingly good-looking, standing together like a perfect match—not overly clingy, but their chemistry was undeniable. Holding hands, they exuded a sense of stability.
From an outsider’s perspective, the young couple seemed to have an incredibly strong relationship.
Who would’ve thought Qu Fengling would meet with such an accident?
Song Tai shook her head and declined, “Three days will be enough.”
Her boss didn’t press further, only adding, “If you need more—” She cut herself off mid-sentence, her eyes widening slightly as she looked past Song Tai in surprise. “Xiao Feng?”
Song Tai turned and met a pair of familiar puppy-dog eyes.
Qu Fengyue had somehow appeared beside them—or more accurately, beside Song Tai.
Qu Fengyue stole a glance at her before looking away. “Hello, boss.”
“Perfect timing, the elevator’s about to arrive. Let’s ride together,” her boss said, stopping her with a teasing smile. “Most interns avoid me when they see me, but you’re different.”
She then asked Qu Fengyue a few questions about how she was adjusting to work lately.
Instinctively, Qu Fengyue glanced at Song Tai for reassurance, blinking a little nervously, but she answered every question dutifully, her tension around the boss written all over her face.
After all, she was barely out of college.
Song Tai took half a step back, avoiding her gaze, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.
Just then, the elevator arrived.
Still a bit flustered from the boss’s questions, Qu Fengyue ended up standing right next to Song Tai.
The elevator doors closed.
Suddenly, under the cover of her backpack, Qu Fengyue reached out and took her hand.
Song Tai was startled and instinctively looked at her.
At that moment, the boss turned toward them, her gaze lingering on the unusually close distance between the two, pausing for a few seconds in hesitation.
Song Tai’s heart sank, and she wanted even more to shake off Qu Fengyue’s grip.
Then, the boss suddenly chuckled, as if everything made sense now. “I remember when you first joined the company, Caicai was the one who showed you around, right? No wonder you two are so close.”
“That’s good, Caicai is now a little senior too.”
Song Tai forced a faint smile.
The elevator descended floor by floor, and the boss turned to Song Tai again, continuing the unfinished conversation: “Caicai, if you need to take a few more days off, just let me know in advance.”
“It was so sudden. No one could have predicted such an accident.” The boss hesitated for a few seconds, his voice lowering with a sigh as he patted her shoulder in comfort.
“Try to move on soon.”
Song Tai lowered her lashes and said nothing, her mind clearly elsewhere.
The boss obviously thought Song Tai was still drowning in grief.
Little did he know, Song Tai wasn’t thinking about Qu Fengling at all. Instead, the vivid warmth of another person’s fingers intertwined with hers, palms pressed together, was impossible to ignore.
Her wife had just passed away in a car accident, yet here she was, secretly holding hands with another girl right in front of someone who knew the truth.
A furtive thrill shot up her spine, leaving her momentarily speechless, her palms damp with a nervous sweat.
She instinctively glanced at Qu Fengyue.
Qu Fengyue’s eyes held a deliberately mischievous glint as she winked at her.
But in the next second, the mischief vanished, replaced by a hint of pleading. Under the cover of her bag, she gently swayed their joined hands in a coaxing gesture.
Song Tai suddenly snapped back to reality and tried to pull away. Qu Fengyue only tightened her grip.
The elevator arrived, and the boss stepped out first.
In an instant, only the two of them remained.
Neither moved for a moment, and the elevator doors slowly closed again, sealing them in a confined space where each other’s breaths were audible.
Song Tai lifted her gaze, staring quietly at Qu Fengyue. “Let go.”
Qu Fengyue immediately sensed her tone and released her—only to grab her hand again, whispering an explanation: “I didn’t mean to. I was just too nervous.”
Song Tai thought, Qu Fengyue wasn’t nearly as nervous as she claimed. She could tell the girl’s actions were deliberate.
Her patience wearing thin, her voice turned sharp with irritation: “I said, let go.”
Qu Fengyue flinched and instantly released her, biting her lip as her voice dropped in dismay. “I’m sorry. Did I mess up again?”
“But I missed you so much.”
“We haven’t talked in days, and you didn’t reply to my messages today.”
“I was afraid you’d just walk away, so I grabbed your hand without thinking.”
“I’ll control myself next time. I won’t let anyone notice. I’ll keep it secret at work—I remember everything you said.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you. Please don’t be angry.”
After cautiously stringing together this long apology, Qu Fengyue tugged lightly at her sleeve, her eyes reddening as she hung her head like a scolded child, waiting for reprimand.
Even though she was the one who’d caused the situation, her submissive, remorseful words made it hard to stay angry.
Song Tai studied her for a few seconds. “Alright, enough of this.”
She disliked such irrational, self-abasing behavior.
But then again, wasn’t Qu Fengyue’s pliant, easy-to-handle nature exactly why she’d started this affair in the first place?
And hadn’t she been the one deliberately giving her the cold shoulder these past few days?
After a brief hesitation, Song Tai relented. “I’ll send you my address later. You can come over tonight.”
Qu Fengyue immediately looked up, eyes still red but now bright with joy. “Really?”
Song Tai gave her a reassuring smile. “Let go, someone might take the elevator soon.”
Qu Fengyue immediately released her sleeve obediently, compliant as ever, and returned the smile.
She looked just like a puppy wagging its tail happily at her.
…
Since tomorrow was the weekend and she’d be going to Miao Tan with Song Xuehe, Song Tai was eager to finish her work. As soon as she got home, she opened her laptop to continue the tasks from the afternoon.
Only after wrapping up most of it, with just the final touches left, did she finally have time to pick up her phone.
That’s when she noticed several missed calls from the property management, asking if she’d had any visitors today.
She’d completely forgotten—without her permission, Qu Fengyue would’ve been stopped at the gate. She hadn’t registered her as a guest in advance.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she closed her laptop and sent Qu Fengyue a message asking where she was. Just as she stood up and opened the door, the elevator arrived at her floor with a soft ding.
Inside were two people.
Song Tai froze for a moment.
Qu Fengyue was overjoyed to see her coming to greet her, her emotions plain on her face. She immediately rushed out of the elevator to her side. “Sister.”
If not for the other person present, she probably would’ve hugged Song Tai right then and there.
Not a trace of displeasure over Song Tai’s earlier oversight.
Song Tai subtly glanced at the other person in the elevator.
A familiar face—pale greenish-brown eyes, dark bluish-black hair, dimples on her cheeks.
They’d met just once a few nights ago.
Noticing Song Tai’s lingering gaze, Qu Fengyue volunteered an explanation. “I ran into her at the security desk. She said she’s your neighbor and brought me up together.”
Song Tai nodded to show she understood.
Just as she was about to look away, the owner of those ash-brown eyes blinked at her and shook her head with a resigned expression.
As if scolding her for being too cold toward her lover.
Before she could look back, Qu Fengyue—whether intentionally or not—blocked her view, taking her hand and calling softly, “Sister.”
Her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl.
Song Tai turned back to her with a faint smile. “Didn’t have dinner?”
Qu Fengyue’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she shook her head.
She’d been so excited about Song Tai saying she could come over that she’d forgotten to eat.
“Come in first.” Song Tai averted her gaze, ushering her inside before closing the door.
Along with the unblinking stare that had been fixed on her face.
“You know the address—just order takeout.”
She couldn’t cook. Before, it had always been Qu Fengyue who handled meals while she took care of the dishes.
On paper, the division of chores seemed fair. But with a dishwasher at home, all she had to do was rinse the plates and load them in—hardly any effort at all.
Qu Fengyue gave a quiet “Mm,” hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, “Have you eaten?”
Song Tai replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’m not hungry yet.”
Qu Fengyue volunteered eagerly, “Then I can cook.”
She immediately searched Song Tai’s expression, cautious hope in her eyes, afraid she’d refuse. “It’s decent. Want to try?”
Her gaze seemed to plead, Say yes, say yes.
With work still unfinished, Song Tai’s mind wasn’t on her. She answered indifferently, “Go ahead, then.”
Luckily, there were still some ingredients in the fridge. Qu Fengyue, as if granted a royal decree, cheerfully hurried into the kitchen.
Song Tai returned to the living room to wrap up her work.
The furnishings in the house were all chosen together by her and Qu Fengling before their marriage.
The sofa was wider than usual, with a large, soft, and comfortable cashmere rug spread beneath it.
Song Tai preferred working in the living room rather than the study—the study was Qu Fengling’s space.
About half an hour later, after finishing up her work, Song Tai closed her laptop, looked up, and glanced toward the kitchen.
Qu Fengyue hadn’t finished cooking yet. Through the transparent glass door, she could see her busy figure moving around the kitchen. She was wearing the apron Qu Fengling had once used, tied around her waist to keep her clothes clean.
Song Tai froze for a moment, staring at Qu Fengyue.
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt their silhouettes were eerily similar.
The feeling was… too strange.
Song Tai couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Was it just her delusion?
But when she looked again, the sensation had vanished.
At that moment, Qu Fengyue peeked out from the kitchen doorway and called to her, “Sister, can you help me carry this out?”
Since her work was already done, Song Tai hummed in agreement and stood up to assist.
Qu Fengyue’s cooking skills were surprisingly good.
Though Song Tai had initially said she wasn’t hungry, once the three dishes were placed on the table and the fragrant steam wafted up, her appetite returned.
At the dining table, the two sat across from each other.
Qu Fengyue watched her eagerly.
Song Tai picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded in approval. “It’s delicious.”
Most importantly, the taste was completely different from Qu Fengling’s cooking.
Only then did Qu Fengyue exhale in relief, smiling as she picked up her own chopsticks. “I live alone, so I cook often.”
After dinner, the two sat on the sofa and projected a movie to watch.
A few minutes in, Song Tai suddenly felt thirsty—an inexplicable dryness rising from her throat, morphing into a restless, overwhelming thirst.
She had been feeling like this a lot lately.
Uncomfortable, she touched her throat lightly and was about to get up for a glass of water when Qu Fengyue, as if anticipating it, handed her a cup of warm water.
After taking a sip, her lips moistened, and she felt much better.
The movie continued playing, scattered lines drifting into her ears, but her attention was only half-heartedly on the screen.
Qu Fengyue suddenly called out, “Sister.”
Song Tai hummed softly and turned to look at her.
Qu Fengyue seemed nervous, gazing at her with wide eyes, her focus lingering on Song Tai’s damp lips before blurting out, “I’ve already rinsed my mouth.”
Before Song Tai could respond—
“Sister.” Qu Fengyue tentatively leaned in, gripping her wrist, slowly closing the distance until her warm, moist breath brushed against Song Tai’s lips. “I didn’t do well last time.”
Then she abruptly captured her lips in a kiss.
……
At some point, Qu Fengyue had knelt onto the rug.
The air conditioner hummed silently, maintaining a comfortable temperature, yet sweat still beaded on their skin.
Song Tai bit her lip, her breathing trembling with restraint as she arched her neck back. Pleasure sent waves of white noise crashing through her mind, her fingers clenching tightly around a nearby pillow.
Her legs rested over Qu Fengyue’s shoulders as she reclined against the sofa, her waist held firmly in place.
From this angle, she could only see the top of Qu Fengyue’s head—
Burying herself between Song Tai’s thighs, pressing in with each movement, her nose brushing against sensitive skin as she kissed and tasted her.
And in the places Song Tai couldn’t see—
A cluster of damp, silky white hyphae, like a serpent’s tongue, crept languidly up her ankle, winding delicately around her skin, their tips grazing lightly before gradually climbing higher.
Attempting to move upward, delving deeper…
But the movement abruptly stopped at her knees.
It couldn’t go any further. Though it longed to press on, it would be discovered.
The mycelium coiled slyly around her knees for a moment, reluctant, before withdrawing.
……
Song Tai remained completely unaware, her mind blank. She wanted to cry.