Act with Impunity – Chapter 51

Ah Xu has already come out.

These few words were completely foreign to Tan Xingwei.

So, the one who was surprised now wasn’t just Tan Yinqing, who had discovered Tan Xingwei’s ignorance, but also the ignorant Tan Xingwei herself.

“She came out? When?” Tan Xingwei asked.

Tan Yinqing thought for a moment. “When was it? I only remember her saying that her parents know she likes girls.”

Tan Xingwei raised her eyebrows.

Tan Yinqing leaned closer to Tan Xingwei. “You’re not going to be angry with Su Xu over this, are you?”

Tan Xingwei was puzzled again. “Huh? What’s there to be angry about?”

“Good, as long as you’re not,” Tan Yinqing smiled. “I thought you’d be angry with her for not even telling you this.”

“She just didn’t tell me, it’s not like she deliberately hid it from me,” Tan Xingwei was very understanding. “Besides, this happened a long time ago.”

Tan Yinqing let out an “oho.” “Very sensible, little sister.”

Tan Xingwei made a “tch” sound. “What, do I look like I get angry easily?”

Tan Yinqing said, “Who was it that blocked someone just because they didn’t show up for a date?”

Tan Xingwei: “…”

Tan Xingwei: “That was also a long time ago.”

“Alright, alright, as long as you’re not angry,” Tan Yinqing smiled. “If you two fight because of me, my sin would be great, and I’d feel very guilty.”

Tan Xingwei nodded. “Understood. It seems this is something worth getting angry about. I’ll go start a fight right now.”

Tan Yinqing: “…How did I become part of your role-playing again?”

Tan Xingwei raised an eyebrow at Tan Yinqing. “Thanks, sis.”

After saying that, she sent Su Xu a message: 【You came out to your family?】

On Su Xu’s end, the “typing” indicator appeared. After a while, she sent back two words: 【I’ve told them】

Tan Xingwei: 【How am I only just finding out】

The moment that message shot over, Tan Xingwei’s phone rang.

Looking at the four words “Big Sister Baby” on the screen, Tan Xingwei very deliberately showed the phone to Tan Yinqing. “Is someone about to come coax me?”

Tan Yinqing looked disgusted. “Go away, go away.”

Tan Xingwei was very smug. “I’m going to take the call now.”

Tan Yinqing: “Get lost, get lost.”

Tan Xingwei was still too embarrassed to be all lovey-dovey in front of Tan Yinqing, so she quickly slipped on her slippers, went back to her room, closed the door, turned on the light, answered the phone, and plopped down on her chair.

“Hello there,” Tan Xingwei’s voice was sweet.

Su Xu chuckled on the other end. “You’re not angry.”

Tan Xingwei immediately said, “Oh.”

Her brain had forgotten what this call was about.

“I am angry,” Tan Xingwei’s tone took a sharp downturn.

This made Su Xu laugh even more, and she even started to act along. “Baby, don’t be angry. It’s my fault.”

Tan Xingwei huffed. “What did you do wrong?”

Su Xu: “I shouldn’t have kept it from you. I shouldn’t have let you find out about this from someone else.”

Tan Xingwei let out a long “oh.” “So that’s the angle,” she hummed. “That is indeed quite infuriating.”

Su Xu: “Really?”

Tan Xingwei couldn’t help but laugh. “Why do you seem rather excited that I’m angry?”

Su Xu’s tone was gentle. “Do I?”

Tan Xingwei exaggerated a little. “You totally do.”

Su Xu: “Tan Yinqing said you have a big temper at home, but I’ve never felt it.”

Tan Xingwei said, “That’s because they’re unreasonable.” She praised one while putting down the other. “You’re very reasonable.”

Su Xu said, “It’s you who gives in to me.”

Tan Xingwei: “I give in to you?”

This was a novel way of putting it. Setting aside the fact that they hadn’t fought yet, Tan Xingwei felt that even if they did, with her foul temper, it would definitely be Su Xu giving in to her.

“It’s you who gives in to me, right?” Tan Xingwei said.

Su Xu insisted, “You give in to me.”

Tan Xingwei asked, “Why do you say that?”

Su Xu was silent for a moment before speaking again. “You’re not impetuous with me. You know when to back down, you’re not aggressive, and you have a strong sense of boundaries.”

Tan Xingwei subconsciously wanted to ask, am I really like that? But on second thought, it seemed she was.

Tan Xingwei let out a “wow.” “Sounds like I’m pretty great.”

Su Xu laughed. “Are you only just realizing that?”

“What can I do? It’s because I like you too much,” Tan Xingwei started acting, whimpering softly. “I’m afraid that if I act this way or that, you’ll think I’m being unreasonable and won’t want me anymore. What would I do then?”

Su Xu was amused again. “How could I not want you? I want you the most.”

Tan Xingwei immediately switched her tone again. “That’s true. You like me a lot.”

Su Xu was once again amused by Tan Xingwei’s sudden change in style. “Yes, yes.”

“It’s because you’re you,” Tan Xingwei finally got serious. “Big Sister Ah Xu, I feel very secure around you.”

“Tan Xingxing,” Su Xu called out from her end.

Tan Xingwei: “Here.”

Su Xu: “You can be very touching sometimes.”

Tan Xingwei hummed with a little pride. “I’m pretty good at this relationship thing, aren’t I?”

It was so humorous that Su Xu on the other end burst out laughing.

“Yes, yes,” Su Xu’s voice was thick with laughter. “I’ve been so hooked by my baby sister that I don’t even know who I am anymore. It’s too sweet.”

Tan Xingwei huffed even more. “You love me to death, don’t you?”

Su Xu: “To death.”

“So,” Tan Xingwei brought the topic back to the main point, “when did you come out?”

Su Xu smiled. “Not long after the college entrance exams, I think.”

Tan Xingwei was surprised. “Wow, that early? How did you end up coming out?”

Su Xu’s memories drifted to the past. “My parents used to be very strict with me. They always hoped I would follow the path they planned for me, especially after my younger sister passed away. They watched me very closely.”

After so many years, this was the first time Tan Xingwei had heard Su Xu talk about her sister.

Tan Xingwei hummed very softly.

Su Xu seemed to notice Tan Xingwei’s slight unease and said, “It’s okay, we can talk about it.”

Tan Xingwei: “Okay.”

Su Xu continued, “Back then, I was still a student. My life was just school and home. Their discipline over me was generally about small things, no major conflicts. After the college entrance exams, because the vacation was long and I was going to university, their restrictions on me gradually increased.” She paused here for a moment. “The conflict arose because of a classmate’s birthday. I had already told them that day that I would be home late, but when it got late and passed the ten o’clock curfew they had set for me, they started calling me a lot. In the end, they took it upon themselves to come and pick me up.” Su Xu paused for half a second. “I was furious.”

While Su Xu was getting angry on her end, Tan Xingwei, listening on hers, suddenly laughed.

She immediately covered her mouth.

Su Xu, of course, noticed. “Hm? I’m being angry.”

Tan Xingwei uncovered her mouth. “Imagining it, you’re so cute.”

Su Xu laughed too, but also said, “I was really angry back then. I was still young, you know. I threw a tantrum when I got back.”

Tan Xingwei let out a “wow.” “You throw tantrums too?”

Su Xu: “Of course.”

Tan Xingwei: “And then?”

Su Xu thought for a moment. “I said a lot. I aired all my pent-up dissatisfaction. We went back and forth, and in a fit of anger, I also told them that I liked girls.”

Tan Xingwei let out another “wow.” “And then?” She thought for a moment. “Did they think you were just being defiant and talking nonsense?”

“Perhaps. They didn’t believe it at first,” Su Xu said. “So for the next few years, whenever a similar topic came up, I would reinforce it for them.”

Tan Xingwei asked, “So do they believe it now?”

Su Xu said, “I don’t know.”

Su Xu added, “They should believe it once I bring you home.”

Su Xu then said, “Will you go?”

Now Tan Xingwei could ask the question Tan Yinqing wanted her to ask. “In what capacity?”

Su Xu: “Girlfriend.”

Tan Xingwei said, “I’ll go!”

---

Without Su Xu by her side, Tan Xingwei’s days were incredibly boring. She watched uninteresting dramas, watched uninteresting movies, took uninteresting walks, did uninteresting yoga, and in the middle of the night, half-asleep, she would reach out for someone who wasn’t there and wake herself up.

Fortunately, this kind of life didn’t last long. After staying at home for a few days, she went to City A.

Su Xu’s flight was a bit earlier than Tan Xingwei’s, so the moment her plane landed and she could get a signal, Tan Xingwei received a message from Su Xu.

Big Sister Baby: 【We’re meeting soon, baby】

Big Sister Baby: 【Baby baby baby】

Big Sister Baby: 【Twenty minutes until you arrive】

Big Sister Baby: 【I’ll be waiting for you downstairs, okay?】

Ever since Su Xu found out that Tan Xingwei liked these kinds of clingy, sweet words, she would send them to Tan Xingwei from time to time.

It was very effective. Tan Xingwei, whose butt ached from over an hour of boring travel, immediately beamed with joy.

Tan Xingwei: 【I’m coming!】

Tan Xingwei: 【Wait for me, Big Sister!】

Su Xu: 【Waiting for you!】

After getting off the plane and walking with the crowd for a bit, Tan Xingwei spotted Su Xu downstairs right away.

She was wearing a light gray slip dress, looking strikingly beautiful.

Under Su Xu’s gaze, Tan Xingwei’s pace gradually quickened.

“A new dress,” Tan Xingwei said as she reached her, linking her arm with Su Xu’s. “I haven’t seen this one before.”

Su Xu said, “Is it nice?”

Tan Xingwei: “It’s very nice, drop-dead gorgeous. It suits you so well.”

Su Xu: “Dressing up for the one who appreciates me. I just bought it this morning.”

“Wow,” Tan Xingwei was instantly charmed into a happy puddle, her laughter sounding downright silly. “Hehe, okay, okay.”

Su Xu already had her luggage in hand, but Tan Xingwei’s hadn’t arrived yet. While they were waiting, Su Xu glanced behind Tan Xingwei and asked her, “Is that your neighbor?”

Tan Xingwei was about to follow Su Xu’s gaze, but hearing the question, she didn’t need to look. “Yes.”

Su Xu asked, “Where was he sitting on the plane?”

One could tell immediately that Tan Yinqing had told Su Xu about this, but Tan Xingwei didn’t mind. “Pretty far back, I think. I didn’t notice.”

Su Xu smiled. “Your sister said you have a knack for rejecting people.”

Tan Xingwei: “It’s alright.”

Su Xu asked again, “Are there any other pursuers?”

Tan Xingwei said, “No.”

Su Xu let out an understanding, “Ah…”

Tan Xingwei smiled. “What’s wrong?”

Su Xu: “Nothing.”

Tan Xingwei tilted her head to look at Su Xu. “Would you get jealous if I had pursuers?”

Su Xu: “I would.”

This was also new, especially since Su Xu’s expression was particularly serious when she said it. Tan Xingwei’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Su Xu: “Mhm.”

Tan Xingwei: “You’re not lying to me?”

Su Xu chuckled. “Why would I lie to you?”

Tan Xingwei: “To make me happy.”

“This would make you happy?” Su Xu said first, but quickly answered herself, “Actually, it would.”

Tan Xingwei’s happiness was very obvious. She nuzzled against Su Xu. “No one’s pursuing me, no one. Don’t worry, Big Sister.”

Su Xu: “Really?”

Tan Xingwei affirmed, “Really.”

Su Xu nodded.

Tan Xingwei smiled. “What’s the matter? You don’t look like you believe me.”

Su Xu: “I believe you, I do.”

Tan Xingwei thought for a moment. “How about this, if you ever find out,” Tan Xingwei whispered in Su Xu’s ear, “you can just ruthlessly @#% me.”

Su Xu slowly turned her head to look at Tan Xingwei.

Tan Xingwei slowly turned her head to avoid Su Xu’s gaze.

Who? Who was talking?

No one was talking.

Wow, the lights in the airport are so bright.

“You’re really something else now, Tan Xingxing,” the words slipped from Su Xu’s lips.

Tan Xingwei still didn’t look at Su Xu, muttering, “I’ve been corrupted.”

Su Xu: “You have been corrupted.”

Tan Xingwei’s luggage came out soon, and the two of them pulled it and got into a car.

---

After working for a few months, Tan Xingwei had acquired the distinct air of a working adult. It was only as her return to school approached and the roommate group chat became lively that she gradually started to feel like a student again.

Of the four roommates, all but Tan Xingwei were from the same province. They had arrived at school a bit earlier than her. After Tan Xingwei and Su Xu dropped their luggage off at the hotel, they brought the things they needed for school and returned to the dorm.

When she entered, they were cracking sunflower seeds and chatting. Seeing Tan Xingwei arrive, they were overjoyed.

“You’re here!” the closest roommate called out first.

Tan Xingwei: “I could hear your laughter from a mile away.”

Another roommate: “We were just saying, didn’t you arrive at the airport a while ago?”

Tan Xingwei said, “I went to the hotel first.”

Before the roommates could ask why she went to a hotel, Tan Xingwei stepped aside, and Su Xu walked in from behind her.

“My big sister,” Tan Xingwei said.

The roommates all “wow”-ed, calling out one after another, “Hello, Big Sister! Hello, Big Sister!”

They also said, “Xingxing, your sister is so beautiful! Your family has great genes, you’re all so pretty.”

And, “Your sister doesn’t look like you at all.”

And, “Whoa, does your family specialize in producing cool, mature women?”

Tan Xingwei chuckled. “Is it possible that she’s not my biological sister?”

The roommate said “oh,” then looked confused. “Huh? Didn’t you just say she was your sister?”

Tan Xingwei: “She’s older than me.”

No big deal. The next second, the older sister lifted up the snacks and drinks she had brought for the roommates. The roommates immediately shrieked and joined in, “Ahhh, good sister, good sister!”

Everyone swarmed over to get snacks, and at the same time, being very hospitable, they gave Su Xu the best armchair in the dorm, which no one was allowed to take.

As they ate and chatted, the topic turned to Tan Xingwei. One of them started by asking, “Xingxing, have you been dating someone recently?”

Tan Xingwei had always kept her sexual orientation under wraps, so upon hearing this question, she naturally dodged it first. “Why do you ask?”

Another roommate: “You’ve been posting a lot on your Moments lately.”

Yet another roommate: “You look like you’re sweetly bubbling over.”

Tan Xingwei raised an eyebrow. “Is it that obvious?”

The three of them said in unison, “Super obvious!”

A roommate added, “It’s very much not your style.”

Tan Xingwei smiled. “Perhaps.”

“Perhaps?” Gossiping like this was always invigorating. The roommate’s voice grew louder as she immediately caught the key part of the sentence. “What do you mean? Are you still in the ambiguous stage?”

The other two: “Ooh?”

Tan Xingwei glanced at Su Xu.

The roommate immediately caught the look. “What? Does Big Sister know them too?”

Another roommate followed up, “Do we know them?”

A roommate asked again, “Are they from our school? Or someone you met at work recently?”

Tan Xingwei’s eyebrow twitched. Why did this scenario feel so familiar?

“You guys,” she decided to say it this way, “should count as knowing them, I guess.”

The three roommates immediately got excited. “We know them? Who is it, who is it?”

Tan Xingwei turned her head and met Su Xu’s gaze again. Su Xu was smiling faintly, clearly finding the scenario familiar as well.

But Tan Xingwei was not Su Xu. She was very confident right now. She even designed a little game. “Take a guess.”

Just as Tan Xingwei had hoped, the three roommates looked at each other, their minds looking completely blank, with no leads at all.

Ha, unlike that one night, when those three big sisters could guess a new person every second.

Tan Xingwei thus shot Su Xu a smug little “see?” look.

Su Xu, of course, knew what Tan Xingwei meant. She even tried to dodge, picking up her water to avoid Tan Xingwei’s gaze and taking a sip.

What’s more, a roommate even said, “I really can’t think of anyone. You’re so cold to all your pursuers.”

Tan Xingwei didn’t think much of this comment, but Su Xu put her water cup down.

“Every pursuer?” Su Xu sat up a little straighter and said, “Details.”

Only then did Tan Xingwei suddenly realize.

This was bad.