She Said: A Passionate Kiss [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 36
“Dot Dot, come here.” Gu Pingwan sat on the sofa, teasing the dog with her hand.
Qiang Huai came over with a plate of freshly washed fruit. As she looked at the scene before her, she felt an illusion—as if the two of them had already lived together for a long time, like an old couple where one returns home to find the other already preparing dinner.
“Have some fruit,” Qiang Huai placed the washed strawberries and blueberries on the coffee table. “Are you working tomorrow?”
Tomorrow was the weekend—she wasn’t sure if Gu Pingwan had to work overtime.
“No, I have the day off,” Gu Pingwan replied. Since she had just been petting the dog, Qiang Huai thoughtfully handed her two alcohol wipes to clean her hands.
Gu Pingwan picked up a strawberry—it was bigger than half her palm.
“Hiss, it’s a bit sour,” she said, her eyes squinting into a line.
Qiang Huai’s gaze moved to Gu Pingwan’s lips, stained with strawberry juice. She subconsciously swallowed. “Really? Let me try.”
Gu Pingwan instinctively raised her hand to offer the strawberry, and Qiang Huai leaned in and took a light bite from the one in Gu Pingwan’s hand.
“Mm, it is a little sour,” Qiang Huai agreed, her full lips accidentally brushing against Gu Pingwan’s fingers.
Gu Pingwan was slightly dazed. She could still feel the warmth of Qiang Huai’s lips on her fingertips. She tried to lighten the ambiguous mood, laughing, “Haha, told you.”
Qiang Huai picked up another strawberry, took a bite, and added, “Still, the one in your hand is sweeter.”
“Give it to me then, you eat the sweet ones,” Qiang Huai reached for the half-eaten strawberry from Gu Pingwan. “I like sour things, no need to waste it.”
Gu Pingwan thought about it and realized it made sense.
And just like that, every time Gu Pingwan encountered a sour one, she handed it over to Qiang Huai. They played with the dog until late into the night. Even though Qiang Huai offered for her to stay, Gu Pingwan insisted on returning to her dorm at the research institute, so Qiang Huai personally accompanied her and had the driver take them there.
Outside the dormitory building, Gu Pingwan thought of the tree Qiang Huai had gifted her. “Wanna go take a look at that hydrangea tree with me?”
“Sure.” Qiang Huai asked the driver to wait outside and followed Gu Pingwan inside after registering at the gate.
Many rooms in the research institute were still lit late at night.
“Do you guys usually work this late?” Qiang Huai had read online that researchers often worked long hours, but she had never seen it firsthand.
And Gu Pingwan never complained during their conversations either.
“It’s common. Our lab is split into several teams. When people are discussing research, pulling all-nighters is normal,” Gu Pingwan said simply, without delving into the details of her work. Qiang Huai sensibly didn’t ask further.
“Did you take the liver supplements I gave you?” Qiang Huai remembered how worried she had been about Gu Pingwan’s late nights, and she had specifically bought her some liver-supporting pills.
Gu Pingwan clamped her lips shut, looking a little embarrassed.
“If you don’t take them next time, I’ll have to punish you,” Qiang Huai said, gently poking Gu Pingwan’s nose like scolding a child.
“Okay,” Gu Pingwan nodded obediently.
They took a small path out back and soon arrived in the rear garden. The hydrangea tree was glowing under the streetlamp. Its green leaves looked like they’d been coated with wax.
“It looks pretty healthy,” Qiang Huai said. She had only seen it upon delivery and never saw it planted in the ground.
Gu Pingwan touched the trunk with her hand. “I hope when it blooms, you’ll be by my side.”
As soon as she said that, she froze a bit—maybe that was too forward.
But Qiang Huai really appreciated it. “When it blooms, I’ll definitely be here to admire the flowers with you.”
…
Ji Zheping and Qin Feng had just finished overtime and were walking out of the office building when they saw Gu Pingwan—and then the woman standing next to her.