Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 23
“Ah… I see… Then I wish you two the best.” Shen Xinghe finished her meal without really tasting anything. Her heart felt hollow, as if she’d just missed something incredibly important.
After returning to the dorm, Xie Jing met Zhou Yan’s probing gaze and honestly recounted how Shen Xinghe had wanted to invite her to join the photography club.
After hearing everything, Zhou Yan asked, “Are you and Shen Xinghe really not possible anymore?”
“No.” Xie Jing turned to look at Qin Ning and said firmly, “From now on, Shen Xinghe and I are just friends.”
Zhou Yan squinted at her. “Seriously, Xie Jing? Then why are you staring at Qin Ning like that while saying it? What, you think Qin Ning would care if you dated Shen Xinghe?”
Her eyes flicked between the two of them, growing increasingly suspicious.
Why did it feel like Xie Jing was sneaking around like a husband cheating behind his wife’s back? Even if she and Qin Ning were close, this level of nervousness was overkill.
“Of course not,” Xie Jing deflected quickly, guilt creeping into her tone. “Let’s play some games.”
Zhou Yan wasn’t in the mood to play, so only Qin Ning logged on.
Xie Jing had been busy lately and hadn’t touched her computer in a while. She felt a bit rusty.
After losing two consecutive rounds, she decisively gave up on ranked matches and opened another game.
It was called World of Zhuxian, a newly launched MMORPG that had just entered open beta. Xie Jing had been itching to try it.
Qin Ning also registered a new account. After becoming friends in-game, they started leveling together.
During a monster battle, Xie Jing got careless and was bitten by a giant centipede, her health bar plummeting instantly.
Qin Ning: “Come here.”
Xie Jing didn’t even bother trying to exit combat. Her low-health character scampered over, and with a wave of Qin Ning’s hand, her health bar filled up instantly. Another wave wiped out all the special mobs she had aggroed.
“Love you~” Xie Jing quickly typed in private chat: I hereby declare you the most badass, invincible, universe-dominating dual-classed Queen of Lingxi!
“…” Qin Ning, now stuck with a title longer than the Queen of England’s, replied dryly: Thanks for the praise, girlfriend.
They looked calm and serious on the outside, but their private chat was exploding. Zhou Yan, who had been watching a drama, suddenly poked her head out of bed.
“Are you two arguing with someone in the toxic LOL server or something? Feels like you’re about to smash your keyboards.”
Both Xie Jing and Qin Ning froze mid-typing. Only then did they realize—they were gaming, not chatting. And gaming didn’t require this much typing.
Oops. Xie Jing made a mental note to buy a silent keyboard soon.
“We’re not arguing with anyone. Watch your show,” Xie Jing replied, then consciously slowed down her typing.
Zhou Yan nodded. “Okay.”
Later, when she got up to use the bathroom, curiosity got the better of her and she peeked at their screens. But Xie Jing’s mouse sensitivity was set too high—after a few moments, Zhou Yan got motion sickness and had to leave.
“I’m definitely too old for games like this,” she muttered while pulling out her phone to watch Haikyuu instead. Watching anime while lying down was more her speed.
After she left, Xie Jing finally relaxed and made her character spin in circles around Qin Ning’s.
Qin Ning did a double jump, her ID bouncing on the screen.
Their IDs were “Star” and “Moon”—a couple’s set, meant to symbolize eternal guardianship of one another.
【Xie Jing: “Feels like we’re sneaky teens secretly dating behind our parents’ backs.”】
【Qin Ning: “Should I dye my hair blond then?”】
【Xie Jing: “No need to go that far…”】
A minute later, Qin Ning sent a Jian Wang 3 meme to Xie Jing on WeChat—featuring a stylish character on a skateboard, wearing flashy gear, with a caption that said: Oi, Old Zhou, tell your daughter to come raid.
“Pfft…” Xie Jing burst out laughing, almost choking on her lollipop.
Qin Ning’s deadpan humor with her memes was too good.
After fooling around for a bit, they got back to leveling. World of Zhuxian was a subscription game—42 yuan per month—so they weren’t in a rush.
Xie Jing stopped at level 28, yawned, and logged off. She then headed to the balcony to wash up.
Qin Ning soon followed.
The dorm had heating, so they were both lightly dressed. Qin Ning wore a white silk nightgown cinched at the waist, highlighting her long legs and perfect figure.
Xie Jing looked down at her own coral fleece bunny pajamas and keenly felt the difference between women.
No, this wouldn’t do. She was an adult now—she needed to grow up.
She decided she’d buy a silk nightgown too, soon.
After brushing her teeth, Xie Jing splashed water on her face. When she turned around, Qin Ning was standing right behind her. On impulse, she rose on tiptoe and gave Qin Ning a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Good night~”
A faint scent of tea lingered around Qin Ning’s nose. Xie Jing’s lips, cool and soft from brushing her teeth, barely touched her skin before pulling away.
Qin Ning stood there stunned for two seconds.
Just as she was about to pull her back for more, a nearly cracking voice shrieked:
“What are you two doing?!”
Zhou Yan’s off-key voice sent a jolt through both of them.
Xie Jing thought: Oh no, I slipped up.
Qin Ning: …
“I knew something was off with you two! Spill it—when did you get together?” Zhou Yan demanded seriously. “Confess, and I’ll go easy. Resist, and it’ll be worse.”
One minute later, all four roommates sat in a circle facing each other.
Xie Jing was about to speak to ease the tension when Qin Ning beat her to it.
“As you saw, Xie Jing and I are together,” she said calmly.
Zhou Yan took a deep breath. “Since when?”
Qin Ning: “Since her birthday.”
Zhou Yan: “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Qin Ning: “We were afraid you’d be… overwhelmed.”
So, they knew this would shock her, yet still kept it secret?
Zhou Yan clutched her chest. “And what about Shen Xinghe?”
Qin Ning: “Xie Jing mistook her for me—she thought she was the one from the game.”
Xie Jing finally jumped in: “Right. The one I liked all along was actually Qin Ning.”
Zhou Yan squinted at her. “So where are you two at now?”
Qin Ning: “Kissing.”
Xie Jing: “Kissing.”
Their honest answers made Zhou Yan feel slightly better.
She turned to look at Chen Yuan, silently urging her to ask her questions.
Chen Yuan blinked behind thick glasses and finally said, “Wow… what a coincidence. You’re both into girls?”
Qin Ning: “…Yes.”
Xie Jing: “Exactly!”
“Well, you two are really made for each other. I… I wish you the best,” Chen Yuan said sincerely. “You’re so brave.”
Qin Ning: “Thanks.”
Zhou Yan: “…”
That night, under the soft moonlight, Zhou Yan’s previously perfect worldview took a massive hit.
She couldn’t understand how Qin Ning could like girls.
She looked at Xie Jing, wondering… could this be contagious?
And just like that, Xie Jing and Qin Ning officially came out in dorm 211—and even successfully dated within the dorm.
But even after going public, they became more discreet. After that night, Xie Jing never kissed Qin Ning in the dorm again. It wasn’t until the eve of winter break, as they were about to part ways, that Qin Ning dragged her into a dark stairwell and made up for all the missed kisses.
They kissed for a full half hour.
“My lips are swollen,” Xie Jing murmured, pulling back.
“Sorry, I got carried away,” Qin Ning apologized instantly.
Xie Jing mumbled, “It’s not like we won’t see each other again…”
Qin Ning: “But you’re flying back to Jiangcheng tomorrow.”
Xie Jing raised an eyebrow. “You’re not?”
Qin Ning didn’t answer, only stared at her with deep eyes.
Seeing her strange expression, Xie Jing hesitated. “You’re… not going back?”
Qin Ning: “No.”
“Why?”
“I moved to Jinghai after middle school.”
“So, you went to high school there?” Xie Jing suddenly understood. “No wonder I didn’t recognize the school you mentioned before.”
“Yeah,” Qin Ning said. “So, we’ll have to be apart for a while.”
Xie Jing shrugged. “No big deal. Winter break is short—we’ll see each other again soon.”
“You really think so?” Qin Ning narrowed her eyes.
“Of course! I’ll just stay in and game—it’ll go by in a flash.” Xie Jing even checked the academic calendar: just over a month off.
The next second, Qin Ning snatched her phone away—and shut her up with a kiss before she could say another word about time flying or short goodbyes.
The next morning, after her last exam, Xie Jing left for the airport. Qin Ning saw her off, and before boarding, they gave each other one last kiss on the cheek.
“I’m not washing this side of my face all break,” Xie Jing said solemnly.
Qin Ning: “…”
Yeah, right.
Her little girlfriend loved making grand declarations just to make her laugh.
“Take care,” Qin Ning said.
“You too!”
Xie Jing’s parents picked her up at the airport, and the family spent a few lovely days together eating and having fun. After that, Xie Jing returned to her usual routine: gaming at home.
At first, she had a blast. She even maxed out her Zhuxian character. But as the days passed, her excitement faded. The game just wasn’t the same without Qin Ning.
Without her, even gaming felt dull.
And Qin Ning hadn’t messaged her in days.
Unable to resist, Xie Jing opened their chat and sent her a sticker.
【Xie Jing: “Qin Ning, I miss you. A lot.”】
【Xie Jing: “Don’t you miss me? Why haven’t you messaged me these past few days?”】
【Xie Jing: “Girlfriend, please pay attention to me.”】
【Xie Jing: “I’m sorry I was so into gaming the other day and didn’t talk to you. I know I messed up. Can you forgive me?”】
She lay on her bed clutching her phone, eyes glued to the screen, afraid to miss Qin Ning’s reply.
But no matter how long she waited, the message never came.
She thought about calling her but was afraid of disturbing her. So, she waited.
And waited… until she fell asleep.
When she woke up, she grabbed her phone in a rush—still no reply.
Had something happened to Qin Ning?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, her phone suddenly lit up and began to ring.