WRR – Chapter 4

Some people act aloof when they meet you, but secretly scroll through your photos in private.

This described Xu Shi perfectly.

It was one in the morning, but Xu Shi wasn’t the least bit sleepy. She had almost scrolled to the very bottom of Xiao Qing’s Weibo, and she had work tomorrow.

Xiao Qing really loved taking pictures of Yu Lingshan. Whether on Weibo or her Moments, traces of Yu Lingshan were everywhere.

Of course, she photographed many other people too, but it was as if Xu Shi had no eyes for anyone else.

The only light in the room came from the phone screen under her covers. The photo on the screen had a green and white palette. The woman in the picture wore a nearly black long dress, her body leaning slightly against a staircase, her gaze fixed on something off-camera.

Xu Shi zoomed in and out on the photo, then out and in again. Finally, she stared at Yu Lingshan’s face and unconsciously pursed her lips.

According to Xiao Qing’s caption, this photo of Yu Lingshan was taken at an event she attended.

After scrolling all night, and based on the design sketches on Yu Lingshan’s Weibo and the many red-carpet photos Xiao Qing often took of her, Xu Shi could roughly guess that Yu Lingshan was a jewelry designer.

Perhaps it was professional sensitivity, but the first time Xu Shi saw Yu Lingshan’s sketches, she had lingered on the page for a few extra seconds.

But not for long. Her hand wanted to zoom in for a better look, but her brain stopped the action, urging her not to look at anything of the sort anymore.

After that, she had started frantically looking at photos of Yu Lingshan on Xiao Qing’s Weibo.

And that brought her to the present moment.

She was now on the last photo of Yu Lingshan on Xiao Qing’s Weibo, but Xu Shi still wasn’t satisfied. It was the same person, just in different settings and different clothes, yet Xu Shi simply couldn’t get enough of looking at her.

Thankfully, Xiao Qing and Yu Lingshan had only known each other for two years, so there were only about a hundred photos. Otherwise, Xu Shi didn’t know how long she would have kept scrolling.

It wasn’t until she reached this very last photo that Xu Shi finally couldn’t resist hitting the save button. The moment the image downloaded to her phone, her body seemed to receive some kind of signal and instantly went limp.

And so, before she could even lock her phone, she fell asleep.

Not long after she drifted off, her clever brain delivered the person from the photograph, alive and well, into her dream.

Her brain constructed a beautiful palace for her in the dream. Yu Lingshan was the mistress of this palace, and she was Yu Lingshan’s guest. The understated magnificence suited Yu Lingshan perfectly, while Xu Shi sat awkwardly in a chair, unsure of what to do or say.

When Yu Lingshan poured her wine, she smiled. When Yu Lingshan offered her fruit, she smiled. Whatever Yu Lingshan did, she just smiled.

Finally, Yu Lingshan grew unhappy. She gave Xu Shi’s shoulder a push and suddenly burrowed into her arms.

Xu Shi let out a scream, so frightened it felt as if she would be jolted from the dream back into reality in the next second, but she remained in the dream.

The Yu Lingshan in her arms turned into a little fox, lying softly on her lap, smiling at Xu Shi with those eyes that tilted up at the corners.

Can foxes smile?

The next morning, the first thing Xu Shi did upon opening her eyes was to ask herself that question.

Then, still in a daze, she felt for the phone under her pillow, wanting to look up whether foxes could smile.

Funnily enough, when she unlocked her phone, the photo of Yu Lingshan lying on the sofa, smiling at the camera, came into view.

Xu Shi’s heart skipped a beat.

No need to check. Foxes can smile.

---

This was the last week of the month. With each passing day of work, Xu Shi felt the pressure mount, because she had a premonition that she wouldn’t be able to meet her sales quota again.

It had been three months already. Even her supervisor was subtly hinting that she should find another job, saying she wasn’t suited for this place, that her talents lay elsewhere, and that there was no need for her to be doing this kind of work.

Sure enough, during the morning meeting, when the supervisor was reporting the team members’ performance, she gave Xu Shi another meaningful look.

Xu Shi could do nothing but avoid her supervisor’s gaze. After enduring the rest of the meeting, she picked up her small notebook, sat at her desk, and repeated the same tasks on her computer.

Another day of being busy without knowing what she was busy with passed. She worked a little overtime, and by the time she went downstairs, the sky was already dark. Xu Shi replied to her mother’s message, telling her she had already eaten, then bought a random bun and some milk from a bakery on the street.

Then she went to a bar.

Stated like that, it sounded so natural and routine, as if she were a regular. But that wasn’t the case at all; this was her first time in a place like this.

So, the moment she stepped one foot inside, Xu Shi felt a pang of fear and wanted to pull her leg back out the very next second.

“Welcome, please come in!”

The doorman’s soaring enthusiasm immediately scattered Xu Shi’s impulse to retreat.

Well, I’m already here. Might as well go in and sit down.

Xu Shi smiled at the waiter and walked inside.

The inside of the bar was like a different world from the outside. The lively atmosphere hit her the moment she entered.

Singing, shouting, laughter—the sounds of this particular environment flooded Xu Shi’s ears all at once.

Walking a little further in, Xu Shi found a corner table and sat down.

After ordering a drink and putting her phone down, Xu Shi gradually began to feel a sense of regret, and awkwardness.

She didn’t know who had lied to her, telling her that going to a bar could help you relax, that you could speak your mind freely, say irresponsible things, cast off your troubles, and be surrounded by warmth and care.

Right now, looking at everything around her, Xu Shi only felt more lonely.

What was she supposed to do now…?

This was making her even more stressed…

Just as she was wondering what she should do to feel less out of place, Xu Shi’s sharp eyes spotted someone.

Afraid she was mistaken, Xu Shi looked again carefully before she was certain.

At her three o’clock, by the bar, chatting and laughing with the person next to her—who else could it be but Yu Lingshan?

Xu Shi subconsciously raised an eyebrow, and her body’s immediate reaction was to run.

That was the thought, but her eyes remained fixed on the other woman, watching her drink, watching her talk, watching her body sway gently and casually to the music from the stage.

Xu Shi found this person so strange. When she first saw her at the coffee shop, she thought her refined, artistic temperament was a perfect fit for the environment. Later, after seeing Xiao Qing’s photos, she sometimes found her elegant, sometimes mischievous, sometimes bewitching. And now, here in a bar, Xu Shi still felt she fit in perfectly. It was as if a casual clinking of glasses with someone could reveal a hint of her roguish air.

This is the right way to relax at a bar, Xu Shi thought. Unlike her, who had found a remote corner no one would ever come to, too timid to speak or even shift in her seat. When the waiter came to deliver her drink, she even twisted her body because he was blocking her view of Yu Lingshan, managing to hook the corner of the table and knock over the glass she had just set down.

With a clatter, Xu Shi’s gaze was forced back to her table.

“I’m so sorry,” the waiter apologized hurriedly.

Looking at the drink spilled all over the table, Xu Shi apologized back. “I’m sorry.”

The waiter wiped the table with a towel. “I’ll bring you another one.”

Xu Shi waved her hand. “No, it’s fine. Not much spilled. It’s okay, thank you.”

After the waiter left, Xu Shi subconsciously looked back in that direction, but…

Huh? Where did she go?

Xu Shi’s hand, holding a napkin, paused as her eyes immediately started searching.

It seemed to have been only a few seconds, but Yu Lingshan had suddenly appeared at another intersection and was walking over.

Yes, walking towards her.

Xu Shi’s hands instantly became clumsy. She pulled out another napkin before remembering she hadn’t used the one in her hand yet, so she pressed both of them onto the table.

No way, don’t come over here.

A moment later, the chair opposite her was pulled out.

“Hey little lady, are you alone?”

It wasn’t Yu Lingshan, but a strange man. Before Xu Shi could speak, Yu Lingshan was standing beside him.

“There are two of us.”

After Yu Lingshan spoke, the man looked up at her.

Yu Lingshan’s voice was low. “Aren’t you leaving?”

The man quickly vacated the seat. “My apologies.”

And so, Yu Lingshan sat down.

Xu Shi subconsciously swallowed and gave Yu Lingshan a small smile. “What a coincidence.”

Yu Lingshan didn’t say it was a coincidence, nor did she say anything at all. She just looked at Xu Shi, then at the drink on the table.

Xu Shi felt inexplicably nervous and quickly explained, “I-I didn’t drink it. It just got here, and I spilled half of it. I haven’t had a single sip.”

Yu Lingshan finally spoke. “Alone?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Yu Lingshan’s brow furrowed. “You came to drink by yourself?”

Xu Shi pursed her lips.

The person before her had changed in an instant, a complete departure from the cheerful woman who had been laughing and talking just moments ago. Her attitude was now interrogative, and Xu Shi immediately felt intimidated.

“I guess so,” Xu Shi said in a small voice.

With eyes that seemed to see right through people, Yu Lingshan asked Xu Shi directly, “What happened?”

Xu Shi feigned nonchalance. “Nothing, just came to hang out.”

Yu Lingshan nodded. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

Xu Shi paused.

Yu Lingshan slid the glass on the table slightly toward herself. “This drink isn’t for you. Don’t be fooled by the nice name, it’s too strong.” Yu Lingshan picked up her phone. “I’ll order one for you.”

Before Xu Shi could refuse, Yu Lingshan had already scanned the QR code to order.

The whole process took less than half a minute. After ordering, she put her phone down with a soft thud and looked up at Xu Shi again. Then she picked up the drink that wasn’t suitable for Xu Shi and took a sip herself.

Xu Shi couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Work isn’t going well,” Xu Shi confessed.

Yu Lingshan put down the glass. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t meet my sales quota,” Xu Shi said.

“And what happens?” Yu Lingshan asked.

“My pay gets docked.”

Yu Lingshan blinked. Her expression, whether it was sympathy or something else, was unknown, but her whole demeanor finally seemed gentler than before.

This time, the waiter was quick with the drink, bringing it over in less than a minute. As Xu Shi was feeling down, she immediately picked up the glass.

But before taking a drink, she glanced at Yu Lingshan. Seeing no objection, she tilted her head back and took a large gulp.

“Slow down,” Yu Lingshan said.

She had downed nearly half the glass in one go. The alcohol burned its way down her throat, and since she wasn’t used to it, Xu Shi frowned and shivered.

“So you came to a bar to cheer yourself up?” Yu Lingshan asked again.

Xu Shi put down her glass. “Yeah.”

“Who taught you that coming to a bar can cheer you up?” Yu Lingshan said, exasperated.

Xu Shi shook her head. “I don’t know, I forgot.”

“And you didn’t even ask someone to come with you?”

“I just wanted to come by myself,” Xu Shi said quietly.

“By yourself? With your two-beer tolerance?”

Xu Shi didn’t dare to speak.

Yu Lingshan also took a sip, then asked, “You said last time you work in promotion. Why did you go into promotion?” She thought for a moment. “Is it related to your major?”

Those few sentences, like the alcohol, pierced right through Xu Shi’s heart.

She shook her head. “It’s not.”

She seemed to know what Yu Lingshan was going to ask next, so she decided to confess everything.

“This job was easy to find. A job in my major isn’t. I can’t find one. They won’t let me find one, they’re blocking me,” Xu Shi said, drinking as she spoke. “Besides, with this job, sales are sales, and daily work is daily work. Whether you do well or not, you still get a base salary. It’s pretty good.”

After she finished, Xu Shi gave Yu Lingshan a smile. It was probably an ugly one, but she didn’t care.

Yu Lingshan didn’t return her smile. At this moment, she looked even more troubled than Xu Shi and was drinking more heavily.

Xu Shi continued to drink as well.

And drink.

Gradually, Xu Shi felt she shouldn’t have trusted Yu Lingshan, nor should she have trusted herself.

Before she even saw the bottom of her glass, Xu Shi had already started to lose track of what she was saying. She only felt that her mouth was running a mile a minute, chattering on and on without stopping.

She talked in the bar, and she was still talking after they left the bar. She talked the whole way, being led somewhere she didn’t know.

She thought she might have cried, too.

This was something Weiwei hadn’t told Yu Lingshan: she tended to cry when she drank too much.

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of a door closing that Xu Shi sobered up a little. “Where am I?”

The person in front of her said, “My place.”

Xu Shi frowned. “Your place?”

Then Xu Shi asked again, “You’re Yu Lingshan?”

Yu Lingshan held her by the wrist, her tone exasperated. “Yes.”

Yu Lingshan seemed to be trying to help Xu Shi inside, but Xu Shi stubbornly resisted.

She didn’t know why she was being difficult. It was as if she had suddenly become afraid upon realizing the person beside her was Yu Lingshan.

Yu Lingshan must have sensed her resistance. She turned to stand in front of her and said, “Can you be good, please?”

Xu Shi looked into Yu Lingshan’s eyes and retorted, “Can you be good?”

“Me?” Yu Lingshan asked, puzzled.

Just as she finished asking, Xu Shi suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulled, and spun them around, pinning Yu Lingshan against the door.

She didn’t control her strength, and Yu Lingshan’s head hit the door with a thud. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Xu Shi was completely indifferent to Yu Lingshan’s pain; she only cared about herself.

“Let me see your eyes,” Xu Shi said.

“What?”

Xu Shi suddenly leaned in, closing the distance until they were separated by an almost dangerous gap, and stared into Yu Lingshan’s eyes.

Yu Lingshan had been frowning, but at some point, her brow relaxed. She even gave Xu Shi a soft blink and a smile.

Xu Shi’s heart gave a slow, heavy thud.

After what felt like a long time, Xu Shi heard Yu Lingshan ask her, “Are my eyes pretty?”

Xu Shi didn’t answer, because her gaze had been drawn to Yu Lingshan’s mouth.

That thing had just moved, opening and closing.

Xu Shi leaned even closer. The lingering scent of alcohol hung in the air around them.

She heard Yu Lingshan ask again, “Are my lips pretty?”

This time, Xu Shi answered. “They are.”

“You’re so close,” Yu Lingshan asked again. “What are you trying to do?”

Xu Shi noticed that Yu Lingshan’s voice had become softer.

Very, very soft.

Xu Shi answered honestly, “Just wanted to look.”

Yu Lingshan suddenly reached out, hooking a hand in Xu Shi’s collar. Then, she tilted her head, lifted her chin, and moved closer to Xu Shi’s mouth.

Xu Shi lost the ability to retreat. In that instant, she could feel Yu Lingshan’s warm breath.

She also heard Yu Lingshan ask, “Do you know how to kiss?”

Xu Shi stared at Yu Lingshan’s lips. “No.”

Yu Lingshan said, “I’ll teach you.”