Gloves - Chapter 18

After settling all the injured, Shang Zhuoxi finally returned to her office. It was already 4 a.m., and she was about to collapse onto the sofa for a rest when she turned around and noticed Xu Yuer following closely behind.

“Yu’er, don’t you want to take a break?” Shang Zhuoxi asked.

“Zhuoxi, haven’t I been good these past few hours?” Xu Yuer replied without a hint of complaint. In that moment, she resembled a child eagerly awaiting the reward from an adult.

“Hmm, Yu’er has been very good,” Shang Zhuoxi said, forcing a smile despite her exhaustion.

“How will Zhuoxi reward me then?” Xu Yuer asked, swaying her body with her hands behind her back.

“What do you want?” Shang Zhuoxi didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

“Accompany me to watch a movie tonight, if you’re not busy,” Xu Yuer suggested.

“Okay, if I’m not busy,” Shang Zhuoxi agreed.

“Zhuoxi is the best,” Xu Yuer yawned. She was tired too, but getting rewarded by Shang Zhuoxi would allow her to sleep peacefully. She collapsed onto Shang Zhuoxi’s sofa and closed her eyes, quickly falling into a deep slumber.

Shang Zhuoxi had no choice but to rest with her head on the table.

In the morning, An Chujie brought breakfast for Shang Zhuoxi as usual. Seeing Shang Zhuoxi slumped over the table, her heart tightened. It seemed like Shang Zhuoxi had been exhausted from yesterday. The girl on the sofa seemed to be the same one she saw sitting next to Shang Zhuoxi in the KTV. Why did she have to make herself uncomfortable by lying on the table?

Despite going to bed late, Shang Zhuoxi woke up early, and the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was An Chujie. The morning sunlight shone on An Chujie’s face. It had been a long time since the city had seen the sun, and An Chujie always looked so beautiful in the sunlight. Her watery eyes reflected the sunlight, making her gaze particularly bright. Her black hair appeared a lovely shade of wine red in the sunlight. An Chujie felt a bit embarrassed being stared at like that and awkwardly brushed her dark red waves aside. Little did she know that Shang Zhuoxi loved her current appearance.

“Uh… Zhuoxi, I brought… mmm~” Shang Zhuoxi pulled An Chujie towards her, reaching out to tilt her neck towards herself and kissed her without any hesitation. An Chujie was startled. There was still someone in the office! She tried to push away the person in the chair, but she couldn’t resist that person’s intoxicating tenderness. With breakfast in her hand, An Chujie was just getting into the moment when Shang Zhuoxi withdrew. An Chujie quickly stepped back into position, blushing as she handed over the food. She turned her head to check if the person on the sofa had seen what just happened.

“Go ahead and eat,” An Chujie said, serving Shang Zhuoxi a bowl of lean meat and century egg congee. She sat down across from her, as usual, ready to have breakfast together.

The aroma wafted to the person on the sofa, and Xu Yuer woke up, her gaze immediately drawn to the porridge on the table.

“I’m hungry, Zhuoxi,” Xu Yuer pouted, holding her stomach as she sat next to Shang Zhuoxi.

“Zhuoxi, feed me,” the person spoke as if completely unaware of An Chujie’s presence. Shang Zhuoxi heard this sudden request and her hand froze in mid-air for a few seconds. An Chujie also stopped in her tracks, placing the spoon she was about to bring to her mouth back down. She handed her portion of congee to Xu Yuer, knowing how intolerable Shang Zhuoxi found the idea of sharing utensils.

Xu Yuer, not in the best mood, took the piping hot congee and quickly gulped it down, enjoying the taste so much that she finished the rest of what was left in the thermos, not leaving a drop.

Shang Zhuoxi looked apologetically at An Chujie, but An Chujie didn’t appreciate that look. It made her feel like she was apologizing for her immature girlfriend’s behavior.

After finishing, Xu Yuer’s attitude towards An Chujie noticeably softened.

“Zhuoxi, where did your friend buy this delicious congee? Next time, I’ll buy it for you,” Xu Yuer said.

“Okay,” Shang Zhuoxi replied, feeling frustrated. It was An Chujie who made it herself, how could she possibly buy it? But she still said those words to appease her.

An Chujie packed up her things, politely said goodbye, and quietly closed the door as she left. Thankfully, she hadn’t eaten anything beforehand, otherwise she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to keep it down.

Shang Zhuoxi looked at the silent figure at the door. An Chujie wasn’t even the least bit angry?

—————————————————————————————————————————

An Chujie, who had been practicing the piano in the music room, didn’t hear any sound other than the music. When she heard the doorbell, she had no idea how much time had passed.

“Miss Pianist, are you trying to become the female version of Beethoven in the future? Are your ears not working? I’ve been pressing the doorbell for so long and you didn’t hear a thing?!” The woman with short hair looked displeased, her zipper pulled all the way up, the high collar still covering her chin.

“How did you know I was here?!” An Chujie’s face was filled with fear. How did Director Qi know where she lived? She didn’t take a taxi back last night precisely because she didn’t want her to know where she lived.

Director Qi took out her phone and pressed a few times, holding it up in front of An Chujie’s face.

“Beauty, looks like you forgot to turn off your GPS.”

“Huh?” An Chujie’s face was filled with astonishment. She suddenly remembered that she had indeed turned on the GPS. She quickly picked up her phone and turned off the location tracker, feeling remorseful.

“Either you come out, or I come into your house. It’s your choice,” the woman with short hair lazily leaned against the door frame. Although she didn’t have the imposing aura of Shang Zhuoxi, she still had a fierce momentum that was hard to resist.

An Chujie didn’t respond. She thought Director Qi was being very impolite towards her.

“Still angry, huh? Well, let’s not talk about work. We can at least be friends,” Director Qi reached out her hand. “An Chujie, my name is Qi Ruan.”

Becoming friends should be fine, so An Chujie reached out her hand. But the woman immediately pulled her closer.

“An, let me take you out for a stroll.”

“An?” It was the first time she had been called that, and it felt strange.

An Chujie reluctantly put on her shoes and stopped in front of Qi Ruan’s car. For some reason, she just didn’t want to get in Qi Ruan’s car. She had a feeling that if she got in, Qi Ruan would do something.

“Get in the car. Don’t want to get in my car that badly?” Qi Ruan teased, knowing that she would eventually end up in her bed. “Or are you planning to take a taxi by yourself?”

Well, that wouldn’t be a problem either. An Chujie actually hailed a taxi and went to the music exhibition hall that Qi Ruan had mentioned.

“Is this place newly built?” An Chujie asked, still catching a whiff of fresh paint. She was quite satisfied with the place Qi Ruan had chosen.

“Mhm, it was completed in the first half of the year,” Qi Ruan confirmed. An Chujie admired the array of exquisite items, such as the finely crafted pianos from the old days, classical instruments, and the ancient sheet music displayed on the walls.

Qi Ruan acted as her guide, explaining everything along the way.

…….

Qi Ruan noticed that An Chujie was quite simple-minded. If she engaged in activities she enjoyed and talked about things that interested her, An Chujie would respond with a sweet and captivating smile. The best part was that after leaving the exhibition hall, she was willing to get in Qi Ruan’s car!

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Qi Ruan asked based on her intuition, and An Chujie shook her head.

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

…An Chujie fell silent.

Suddenly, Qi Ruan realized how silly her question was. How could someone who had never been in a relationship or experienced heartbreak compose such powerful and emotional melodies? She might have touched a sore spot with that question. Qi Ruan restrained her mouth and curiosity, refraining from asking any further.

The night arrived early, and instead of directly taking An Chujie home, Qi Ruan brought her to the seaside.

There were hardly any people on the beach except for the two of them. The sea breeze tousled An Chujie’s long hair, and her knitted jacket swelled up in the wind. She was reminded of Shang Zhuoxi, who once held her tightly in the strong wind, wrapping her in a warm and comfortable coat, assuring her not to be afraid.

Now, An Chujie was left alone, with her arms crossed in front of her.

The blue-black sea blended seamlessly with the sky. Taking advantage of An Chujie’s momentary distraction, Qi Ruan swiftly swept her up into her arms, her arm wedged against An Chujie’s knees.

“Are you refusing to eat or something? You’re so lightweight,” Qi Ruan shouted, knowing that the sound would be carried away by the sea breeze.

“Put me down!” An Chujie yelled back.

“No way! Haha, I’m going to throw you into the sea!” Qi Ruan exclaimed, quickly running towards the crashing waves…

——————————————————The dividing line of memory————————————————

“I’m going to toss your little tail into the sea!” An Chujie was lifted high by Shang Zhuoxi and carried towards the crashing waves.

“No, don’t!” An Chujie took it seriously. She instinctively clung tightly to Shang Zhuoxi’s neck, burying her small face in the curve of her neck, watching Shang Zhuoxi’s footprints on the sandy beach, step by step.

“I’m going to throw you, 1, 2…”

An Chujie’s hands hung on Shang Zhuoxi’s neck as she quickly jumped in her embrace, her legs tightly wrapped around Shang Zhuoxi’s waist. Her face remained buried in the hollow of her collarbone, unable to look directly at the vast ocean behind them.

“…2, 3!” As soon as the count reached three, Shang Zhuoxi spun around and fell backward, her back facing the sea. In that instant, An Chujie thought she was really going to fall into the ocean. Her hands gripped Shang Zhuoxi’s shoulders tightly. The only image flashing through her mind was the way Shang Zhuoxi smiled at her.

As the tide receded, the sea water splashed onto Shang Zhuoxi’s face. Her deep blue eyes seemed even more radiant and captivating after being touched by the water. The setting sun resembled a yolk, casting a gentle glow in Shang Zhuoxi’s transparent irises.

“Fool, how could I bear to throw you away?” An Chujie moved and realized she was still alive. She reached out to touch Shang Zhuoxi’s face, confirming her presence. Suddenly, she found herself crying, leaning over Shang Zhuoxi’s body. As their positions shifted, Shang Zhuoxi’s hand propped up beside An Chujie, strands of wet hair dripping with seawater. She said, “I love you so much,” then bent down to deeply kiss the tear-stained face.

—————————————————————————————————————————

“Why are you spacing out?” Qi Ruan looked at the empty expression in An Chujie’s eyes and stopped in her tracks, setting An Chujie down.

“I thought this way you wouldn’t feel cold. Just wait for me,” Qi Ruan said, stepping away for a moment and returning with two bottles of alcohol. She opened one and handed it to An Chujie, saying, “Once you drink this, you won’t feel cold anymore.”

Alcohol truly is an uncontrollable thing. Qi Ruan went back and forth several times, eventually bringing back a large quantity. They each had a bottle, and they kept drinking until discarded jackets and empty beer bottles were scattered around them. The two of them lay on the beach, and whatever Qi Ruan asked, An Chujie answered honestly. An Chujie told her:

She fell in love with an outstanding doctor who loved her with all her might, without reservation. But that doctor wanted revenge for various reasons. Despite that, she still held the softest spot in her heart. She vowed to become just as exceptional as her. She wanted to perform on the most magnificent and dazzling stage, expressing all the words and feelings that were impossible to convey to her.

…

Turning everything into ruins or choosing a glorious ending, An Chujie would undoubtedly choose the latter. RLM was undoubtedly the best springboard for her. She wouldn’t consider other small companies, no matter how much Qi Ruan did. She wouldn’t compromise.