Gloves - Chapter 32

“Zhuoxi, why are you ignoring me?” Xu Yuer, wearing her cute pajamas that she brought over, pouted and jumped onto Shang Zhuoxi’s back. She hugged Shang Zhuoxi’s head from behind and shook it. Shang Zhuoxi was caught off guard by this sudden action and almost lost her balance. Instinctively, she reached back and hooked her hand around the crook of Xu Yuer’s knee, afraid that she might fall. Her neck felt constricted, making it difficult for her to breathe, and drops of water from Xu Yuer’s hair dripped onto her face.

“Yu’er, can you please get down?” Shang Zhuoxi felt uncomfortable.

“No, I want to punish you by having you carry me. How could you ignore me when I called you?” Xu Yuer continued to playfully tease her, and to be honest, Shang Zhuoxi was starting to feel annoyed by Xu Yuer’s constant clinginess. But she had never expressed her true feelings to Xu Yuer, always going along with her playful behavior. This time, she continued to indulge Xu Yuer’s whims, not wanting to resist anymore. She was scared and tired of arguing.

“Okay, as long as it makes you happy. But I haven’t finished preparing the medicine yet. Can you please stay on my back for only 5 minutes and then come down?” Shang Zhuoxi always used a soothing tone with Xu Yuer, indulging her until she felt numb herself.

“Are you not tired of dealing with all those bottles and potions every day, Zhuoxi?” Xu Yuer’s dislike for this version of Shang Zhuoxi was growing. When she first allowed Xu Yuer to come to her house, Xu Yuer thought they would have more time to spend together. But instead, Shang Zhuoxi would only come out to exchange a few words before retreating back to that suffocating room upstairs. Xu Yuer found it troublesome to be with Shang Zhuoxi because there were so many things to be mindful of. They had to wear special gloves and slippers in the house, avoid touching certain things, and follow a strict schedule. But despite all this, Xu Yuer was willing to comply.

“I’m not tired,” Shang Zhuoxi chuckled bitterly. How could Xu Yuer understand?

Xu Yuer, annoyed, got off Shang Zhuoxi’s back and walked up to her, raising her head in question. “Do you even like me?”

Upon hearing this question, Shang Zhuoxi furrowed her brows. She didn’t dislike the girl in front of her, but whatever little fondness she had before had now vanished. How could she claim to like her?

She locked her gaze with Xu Yuer’s eyes, capturing her attention, and spoke sincerely, “I like you.” Saying those two words was both simple and convenient. Even if it went against her true feelings, if it could make Xu Yuer happy, then what harm was there? Shang Zhuoxi knew Xu Yuer well. As expected, the stubborn girl finally felt reassured and let Shang Zhuoxi go upstairs.

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Everything inside the window remained frozen in place, both during the suffocating daytime and the eerily silent nights. Shang Zhuoxi stood silently in front of the empty house, the place where An Chujie used to live, a home that held the scent she liked. But it was no longer a home, just a dull still life painting.

Shang Zhuoxi mocked herself. She didn’t even have a key to the house she bought. In order to convince An Chujie to stay, Shang Zhuoxi had lied, saying it was a house her father left for her. But An Chujie still left. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like the woman didn’t want her anymore. Shang Zhuoxi had her own pride. Even if An Chujie was gone, she couldn’t allow herself to live in pain like an abandoned person. So she agreed to Xu Yuer’s request, at least making it appear as if she grew tired of the other person and moved on, rather than admitting that she herself was the one longing for An Chujie. But the result was that Shang Zhuoxi missed that person even more. She would often come here to see if An Chujie had returned, or stand in the spot where she used to be and imagine what she looked like. However, the terrifying monster called emptiness did not retreat because of this. Instead, it ruthlessly invaded her, growing stronger with each attack.

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“Lu~ don’t you find it strange?” Tu Yi was sprawled on Yang Yiluo’s lap, tilting their head to look at the thick black book that completely covered Yang Yiluo’s face. The book not only blocked their line of sight but also seemed to muffle the sound.

“Yang Yiluo! Can’t you hear me?!” Tu Yi used their claw to pinch the person beneath them.

“Ouch!” Yang Yiluo slammed the thick book onto Tu Yi’s face.

“You want to die?!” Tu Yi angrily pulled the book off their face and jumped up from the couch, pointing at Yang Yiluo in frustration.

“Where did you come from?” Yang Yiluo was startled by the sudden outburst.

“What’s wrong with what you’re looking at? Yang Yiluo, you’re so engrossed in reading the Bible!” Tu Yi grabbed the book, flipped through it, and looked at the cover with disdain.

“None of your business,” Yang Yiluo snatched the Bible away and gave Tu Yi a cold look.

“Hmph! Everything has changed, everything! You’ve been ignoring me because of Lawyer Nian recently. Yang Yiluo, you unfaithful person. Have you forgotten who accompanied you in madness, hangovers, and drunken rants? Do you know how hard it is for me? I finally made a friend, Lily, at the hospital, and she actually told me today that she’s seeing someone. What’s worse is that she didn’t even tell me if it’s a man or a woman!” Tu Yi pointed their finger haphazardly backwards.

“My poor little thing, you haven’t come to the hospital anymore. The most heartbreaking thing is Director Shang. She used to walk past our duty room and occasionally come in to check on us. But now, she doesn’t even glance this way. I’ve been late for three days in a row and the Queen doesn’t even notice. In the past, she would have found me and educated me. Oh, Meowjie is gone too. My two months of hyaluronic acid are nowhere to be found. Oh, by the way, what I was just about to tell you is, don’t you find it strange? Don’t you think there’s some connection between all of this?” Tu Yi’s expression was as enigmatic as their thoughts, and they looked particularly nervous, as if discussing something extremely suspenseful.

“Strange? Connection?” Yang Yiluo’s thoughts were finally led astray by Tu Yi’s words:

“Meowjie, my poor little thing, that Queen Shang? No way!”

Tu Yi and Yang Yiluo stared at each other wide-eyed, nodding quickly. Yang Yiluo suddenly realized something, and the dreaded moment had finally arrived. She couldn’t imagine the terrifying consequences if these two women were to cross paths. Queen Shang didn’t understand Qi Ruan’s personality at all.

Yang Yiluo quickly called Qi Ruan.

“What’s up?” Qi Ruan was quite familiar with this “traffic jam” situation and decided to turn off the car engine before answering the call.

“Meowjie~ I thought you were going there alone, but… how did you end up bringing President Shang’s woman along? This…” You’ve really gone too far with this.

“Yiluo, let me tell you, firstly, she’s not that woman named Shang, and secondly, I didn’t bring her along. I came here with her. I must say, you’re quite well-informed. Damn, this traffic jam is driving me crazy!” Qi Ruan helplessly slammed her hand on the steering wheel and leaned out of the window to check the road ahead. The long line of cars in front of her was making her anxious.

“But I saw it with my own eyes. It was her, Meowjie. Why did you have to mess with her? You could have provoked anyone else, but you had to go for the hospital director…”

“Enough, Yang Yiluo. I can’t explain it to you right now. I’m going to her company to pick her up. That’s it.” Qi Ruan didn’t want to hear anything about Shang Zhuoxi. It had been months, and people still reminded her of An Chujie’s affiliation, even her closest friend. She lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, wishing she could finish it in one breath.

As Qi Ruan lit her third cigarette, the long line of cars finally started moving slowly. She extinguished the spark with her fingers out of habit and quickly drove towards rlm.

“Have you been waiting for a long time?” Qi Ruan asked with concern.

“No, I haven’t been waiting long,” An Chujie smiled and shook her head. Even if she had to wait for a long time, she wouldn’t complain. She had no reason to complain about someone who took care of her so well.

“Are you hungry? Let’s go eat,” Qi Ruan said, reaching out to hold An Chujie’s hand and leading her towards the parking lot. It was the first time she considered such a simple action as something bold.

Instinctively, An Chujie pulled her hand away. Qi Ruan looked back, puzzled, and An Chujie awkwardly smiled and linked her arm with Qi Ruan.

“Why are you smiling like that? Let’s go,” Qi Ruan put her empty hand in her pocket and casually swung the car keys with the other hand.

“Okay,” An Chujie smiled and followed along as if nothing had happened.

As the car slowed down until the pointer on the speedometer returned to zero, the two exchanged a helpless glance. Qi Ruan made a decision that unless there were special circumstances, she would never drive herself and put herself through the trouble again.

The crowd jostled and pushed, and this time, Qi Ruan decisively held onto An Chujie’s hand. She was afraid of losing An Chujie, even though she herself was not familiar with the place. The previous An Chujie loved lively environments, but after falling in love with Shang Zhuoxi, she learned to be quiet for her and gradually adapted to it, eventually even enjoying the tranquility. Gradually, she became less fond of crowds and the surging waves of people. An Chujie furrowed her brows, feeling both afraid and repulsed. But just when she was feeling anxious, a warm hand firmly held hers, and warmth spread through her palm, gradually dispelling her unease. Qi Ruan turned back and smiled at her, showing no intention of letting go of her hand. It was as if she was saying, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to hold you.” In this situation, An Chujie could only surrender her hand to her.

The feeling of holding hands with Qi Ruan was wonderful. Her hands were not as broad and slightly rough as Yi Heng’s hands playing musical instruments. Instead, they were naturally warm and soft. In that moment, An Chujie thought of Shang Zhuoxi. She had never seen what her fingers looked like beneath her gloves. Were they as warm and slender as Qi Ruan’s, or as pale and icy cold as Shang Zhuoxi herself?