Xu Shi didn’t know how she managed to hang up the phone. She just felt a bit dazed, and there was a tightness in her chest.
What was the last thing Yu Lingshan had said to her?
“Will you miss me?”
But before she could answer, Yu Lingshan’s call was interrupted. She had said she had something else to do.
Xu Shi waited for a few seconds, but Yu Lingshan didn’t call back. She gave herself the excuse that Yu Lingshan was too busy to bother with her and hung up.
“Will you miss me?”
“Do you know why I want you to come?”
“If only Xiao Zhi were by my side.”
…
Xu Shi rested her forehead in her hands as a thought flashed through her mind.
Could Yu Lingshan really be gay?
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
What was she even thinking…
Then again, even if Yu Lingshan really were gay, it had absolutely nothing to do with her. There was no need for her to make pointless guesses.
No, no, definitely not.
You’re overthinking it. You wish. Who do you think you are? Hilarious.
Xu Shi thought of Weiwei again.
Yes, Weiwei was like this too. She was affectionate, said sweet things, and would say “I miss you, Xiao Shi” when they hadn’t seen each other for many days. She would also say “I love you, Xiao Shi” when encouraging her.
It was the same, the same principle.
She was straight, Weiwei was straight, so Yu Lingshan was too.
That’s right.
On the way back, Xu Shi kept an eye on her phone. She had even prepared her excuse for what to say if Yu Lingshan asked why she’d hung up without waiting.
But the truth was, her phone never rang again.
See? Just as I said. You’re not that important after all.
Because she had told her mom her flight time in advance, the aroma of a home-cooked meal greeted her as soon as she walked through the door.
Her mom helped her pull her luggage inside and, while Xu Shi went to wash up, dished out the soup and rice.
After sitting down, Xu Shi took two bites before telling her mom about entering the competition.
Her mom was surprised. “The Qingjie Cup?”
Xu Shi nodded with a smile. “Mhm.”
Her mom smiled. “I remember you always wanted to participate in this competition in college. It’s that one, right?”
“It is,” Xu Shi said.
Her mom was puzzled. “Why did you decide to enter now? Didn’t you say you didn’t like design anymore? Something about it not being suitable for you.”
Xu Shi bit her chopsticks.
Back then, to cover one lie, she had told countless others. Plus, she had been truly disheartened at the time and had developed a short-lived aversion to her major. Although her mom had her doubts, she couldn’t find any holes in the story.
Later, when Xu Shi found a job, the matter was dropped.
It was a long story, so Xu Shi decided not to tell it.
She explained briefly that she had met some very impressive teachers this time, who had encouraged her to compete and provided her with the opportunity, so she had simply gone for it.
Her mom had always been supportive of every decision Xu Shi made, and as Xu Shi shared the news, her mom could see the happiness on her face.
Her mom smiled, propping her head on her hand. “I always said you had a talent for this. I found it strange when you said you didn’t like it anymore, but you were so certain, I couldn’t say much.” Her mom nodded. “This is great. I still prefer you as a designer. Look how well it suits your temperament.”
Xu Shi smiled. “Not yet. I’m just participating in a competition.”
Her mom placed a piece of meat in Xu Shi’s bowl. “Is it just a competition? Don’t I know you? Look how happy you are right now. Are you planning to return to the design industry?”
Xu Shi was indeed very happy; she had been happy the entire way home.
But she remained reserved. “We’ll see.”
“I never asked you,” her mom said, looking at Xu Shi. “Did something happen back then? You seemed to be in a very bad state, and I didn’t dare to ask too much.”
Before Xu Shi could speak, her mom continued, “Was it something at school…”
“Um.”
Xu Shi didn’t want to continue this conversation with her mom and quickly interjected.
Her mom fell silent as expected, waiting with her eyes for what Xu Shi would say next.
Xu Shi hadn’t thought of what to talk about next. Her mind went blank for a few seconds, and then she suddenly blurted out, “Mom, do you know about homosexuality?”
As the words left her mouth, the air instantly fell silent.
Xu Shi’s mind was filled with question marks.
What did she just say???
Xu Shi was stunned. The feeling was no less intense than when she had asked Yu Lingshan if she was gay.
“Homosexuality?” Her mom’s smile gradually faded.
Xu Shi let out an awkward “ah” and looked down, stirring her soup with her spoon, not daring to look at her mom.
Her mom swallowed, glancing first at Xu Shi’s empty bowl, then at her face.
“It’s, it’s just…”
What saved Xu Shi was a message from Weiwei. The loud WeChat notification sound cut Xu Shi off mid-sentence.
The content didn’t matter, but after reading it, Xu Shi immediately stood up.
“I’m full.” Xu Shi waved her phone. “Something suddenly came up.”
Her mom, a bit bewildered, said, “Oh.” Seeing Xu Shi about to clear her bowl, she waved a hand. “Leave it. Go take care of your business.”
“Okay,” Xu Shi said.
Xu Shi left with quick steps. Anyone could see how flustered she was.
Her mom, of course, saw it too. She pressed her hand on the table, watching her daughter’s retreating back, her brow furrowed tightly.
Homosexuality?
On the way back to her room, Xu Shi berated herself three more times.
Of all things to talk about, why homosexuality? What is wrong with you, Xu Shi?
Xu Shi’s heart was pounding. It felt as if she had opened a Pandora’s box.
She took out her phone, intending to see the long string of messages Weiwei had sent, but before she could open WeChat, a call came in.
It was an unfamiliar number. Xu Shi answered it.
“Hello, Miss Xu.”
“Hello.”
“This is Blue Star Ice Cream. I’ve arrived at the entrance to your residential complex. Could you tell me which building it is?”
Xu Shi was confused. “Blue Star?”
The young man on the other end said, “Yes, Blue Star.”
“I didn’t order anything,” Xu Shi said.
The young man laughed. “Perhaps a friend ordered it for you.”
Xu Shi said, “Oh,” then asked, “But don’t you guys not do delivery?”
The young man replied, “Your friend is one of our VVIPs.”
“Which friend?”
The young man chuckled. “Ice cream shouldn’t be left out for too long. Miss Xu, would you mind telling me your address?”
Only then did Xu Shi give him her building and apartment number.
Five minutes later, she signed for the ice cream from the delivery guy and carried a large bag inside.
And in the five minutes she had been waiting, her mind had rapidly searched for that so-called VVIP friend.
Her first thought was actually Yu Lingshan, but the idea was immediately dismissed as soon as it appeared. Then she thought of Heard.
However, she didn’t ask right away. Instead, she mentally ran through a list of possible friends again, and finally, finally, she came back to Yu Lingshan.
And then dismissed it again.
There were seven tubs of ice cream in total, one of each flavor. Xu Shi took out the vanilla one and set it aside, then put all the rest in the freezer.
She opened Ding Dong Dong and asked Heard: Miss, did you send me something?
Heard: What?
Yan Wuwu: Never mind, never mind.
Xu Shi switched her phone to WeChat, opened her chat with Yu Lingshan, and hesitantly typed, deleted, and retyped before sending a seemingly probing message: Teacher Yu, do you know my home address?
Teacher Yu replied instantly: If you “Teacher Yu” me one more time, I’ll tear your mouth off.
Xu Shi burst out laughing.
A voice, and even an image, formed in Xu Shi’s mind. It was as if Yu Lingshan on the other end had been holding it in for a long time and had finally let it out.
Yu Lingshan was clearly angry, but why was it so funny?
She retracted the message and sent a new one: Do you know my home address?
To her surprise, Yu Lingshan called her directly. Xu Shi, filled with apprehension, quickly answered.
The first words out of her mouth were, “Teacher Yu.”
Only then did she remember that Yu Lingshan had just gotten angry about that very thing. She quickly corrected herself, “No, not Teacher Yu. Um, uh, hehe.”
Yu Lingshan: “What are you laughing at?”
Xu Shi didn’t dare to speak, but she really wanted to laugh.
Yu Lingshan: “Xiao Zhi, do you have a grudge against me?”
Xu Shi: “No.”
Yu Lingshan: “Is your day not complete unless you’ve annoyed me?”
Xu Shi said in a small voice, “I haven’t.” She added, “I wouldn’t dare.”
Yu Lingshan sighed. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Shi hesitated. “Um, tonight I…” She suddenly didn’t want to say it. She felt it probably had nothing to do with Yu Lingshan.
“Haha, it’s nothing.”
Yu Lingshan: “Spit it out.”
Xu Shi immediately said, “I received a big box of ice cream and wanted to ask if you bought it for me.”
Yu Lingshan seemed to chuckle. “What time did you get it?”
Xu Shi: “Just now.”
Yu Lingshan: “The specific time.”
Xu Shi: “About five minutes ago.”
Yu Lingshan: “How many people have you asked?”
Xu Shi said, “I’ve asked one person. You’re the second.”
Xu Shi, who was becoming familiar with Yu Lingshan’s temper, had a feeling that Yu Lingshan was about to get angry again after hearing that. She even guessed that Yu Lingshan’s next question would be, “Who did you ask first?” or “Why wasn’t I the first?”
But Yu Lingshan didn’t. Her tone sounded quite cheerful.
She asked Xu Shi, “Have you eaten any?”
Xu Shi looked down at the still-sealed ice cream in her hand. “Not yet.”
Yu Lingshan said, “Eat it, then. It’s hot, it’ll melt.”
Xu Shi raised an eyebrow. “So it really was you?”
Yu Lingshan: “No, it wasn’t.”
Xu Shi: “Hehe, thank you.”
Then she asked, “Why… did… you… buy… this… for… me?”
Yu Lingshan mimicked Xu Shi’s halting speech: “I… just… wanted… to… buy… it… for… you… can’t… I?”
Xu Shi immediately broke into a smile and muttered under her breath, “Why are you copying me?”
Xu Shi might not have realized that her mood had instantly lifted, but Yu Lingshan on the other end could feel it.
The most obvious sign of Xu Shi’s good mood was that she would joke around with Yu Lingshan.
It was bought with seven tubs of ice cream, after all. Not an easy feat.
A smile played on Xu Shi’s lips. Holding the phone with one hand, she tore open the lid of the ice cream with the other. She asked Yu Lingshan, “How did you know…”
Xu Shi paused mid-sentence, swallowing the words “that I like to eat this” and replacing them with: “about this ice cream shop.”
Yu Lingshan asked her, “Do you like it?”
Xu Shi’s eyes curved into crescents, and her voice became light and cheerful. “I do.”
Yu Lingshan laughed. “It’s a gift for a kid.”
Xu Shi bit down on her spoon.
Oh no. There she went again, reading too much into things.
“Thank you,” Xu Shi said, pretending not to understand. She quickly changed the subject. “When are you coming back to A-City?”
Yu Lingshan: “The day after tomorrow.”
Xu Shi murmured, “The day after tomorrow is Saturday.”
“Right,” Yu Lingshan said. “Landing at 11:26 AM.”
Xu Shi pressed her front teeth against the wooden spoon, thinking for a long while before asking, “Should I… pick you up?”
Yu Lingshan smiled. “Can you be the first person I see when I come out?”
Only then did Xu Shi realize that Yu Lingshan’s tone had, at some point, become gentle.
And unbeknownst to Xu Shi, a smile had been hanging on her lips the whole time. She poked the ice cream with her wooden spoon. “Then I’ll try to stand in the most obvious spot.”
Yu Lingshan: “I want a flower.”
Xu Shi: “I’ll buy it.”
Yu Lingshan laughed. “Just one is enough, but it has to be wrapped nicely.”
Xu Shi: “Okay.”
After hanging up, Xu Shi scooped a large spoonful into her mouth.
The ice cream was sweet and fragrant, melting quickly on her tongue.
But as the warmth returned to her mouth, Xu Shi seemed to gradually pull back from some kind of scene.
Wha-what was that?
Why are you getting so carried away?
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