Gloves - Chapter 36

Resolving a woman’s issue is never enough in just five minutes. Qi Ruan asked An Chujie to go home on her own.

Upon returning home, An Chujie’s first priority was to take a shower. Somehow, taking a shower seemed to wash away a part of one’s troubles.

After showering, An Chujie changed into comfortable pajamas and curled up on the couch to read a book. Texts like “Music and Philosophy” were always so dry, but in An Chujie’s eyes, those words had a multidimensional depth because she knew how to contemplate. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

An Chujie opened the door and saw Qi Ruan’s rarely seen cold expression. Then, she noticed his hand, stained red with blood. The other sleeve of his white wool coat was also covered in haphazard bloodstains, revealing that he had hastily wiped away the fresh red marks.

“What happened to you?” An Chujie asked anxiously, pulling Qi Ruan inside while rushing to grab the first aid kit from her room.

After wiping Qi Ruan’s hand clean, An Chujie discovered deep bite marks on her wrist. The freshly cleaned wound began to slowly seep dark red droplets of blood.

“Does it hurt?” An Chujie squatted in front of Qi Ruan, looking up at her. Qi Ruan lazily leaned back on the couch, gazing at An Chujie without saying a word. Since she had returned, she hadn’t uttered a single word.

An Chujie bandaged Qi Ruan’s wrist:
“If it hurts, just let me know,” An Chujie said, lowering her head to continue tending to Qi Ruan’s wound. Her movements were gentle, the cotton swab soaked in medicine felt cool, but her fingertips brought a warm touch.

Due to the angle, Qi Ruan could directly see the alluring curves concealed beneath the silk pajamas. She reached out and brushed An Chujie’s stray hair away from her ear, as it hindered her from fully appreciating the woman squatting in front of her. She loved seeing An Chujie in such a serious manner. Perhaps, she had fallen for this woman the moment her slender fingers touched the piano keys. It was the first time An Chujie had shown such dedication towards her. Qi Ruan suddenly felt incredibly lucky to have such a beautiful woman kneeling beside her, tenderly tending to her wounds.

When An Chujie’s hand touched her ear, she suddenly stopped her movements and looked at Qi Ruan. The atmosphere in the room instantly became somewhat strange.

“I’m not in pain. I’m sorry for scaring you today,” Qi Ruan finally spoke, her eyes filled with self-blame.

“It’s okay,” An Chujie finished wrapping the last layer of gauze, stood up, and sat next to Qi Ruan. She glanced at her and then got up to fetch a bottle of wine and two stemmed glasses.

“It’s a 1985 vintage Lafite Rothschild. The one that British guy gave me last time,” An Chujie said as she handed one of the glasses to Qi Ruan. She then sat on the adjacent couch. Qi Ruan took a small sip, raised an eyebrow, and nodded in approval. Not bad. Her mood gradually improved.

“Qi Ruan, I’m not a fool. I can see what you’ve been doing,” An Chujie said, raising her glass as a gesture. She took a small sip, the smooth liquid flowing down her throat. Then, An Chujie lazily leaned back on the couch and continued:

“I’m afraid I can’t give you what you want,” she said, tilting her head, waiting for Qi Ruan’s reaction.

An Chujie’s hair cascaded like gentle waves over her shoulders, her eyes devoid of any softness. One hand held the wine glass, while the other lightly cradled her attractive chin. Her slender legs were crossed. Qi Ruan stared at her, recalling her attitude towards that crazy woman earlier today. Unconsciously, the once obedient and somewhat timid girl had become fearless. Qi Ruan ran her hand through her own short hair, feeling a bit confused. But this version of An Chujie, she couldn’t resist. Qi Ruan walked over, propping herself up on the sides of the couch with her elbows, enclosing An Chujie within her range, and brought her face closer.

“You don’t have to do anything, An. I’ll make you give it to me,” Qi Ruan said, her lips curving upwards as she pressed herself forward. Her lips were met by the icy touch of An Chujie’s fingers, just as her phone rang at that moment. An Chujie reached for her phone, but her gaze never left Qi Ruan’s face.

“…”
“Alright, I’ll be right there,” An Chujie ended the call and pushed Qi Ruan away, standing up.

“You’re going out?” Qi Ruan realized.

“Mm,” An Chujie replied shortly, devoid of any emotion, as she walked towards the room.

“An beautiful, are you this busy?” Qi Ruan muttered, following behind her, slightly dissatisfied.

“What about you?” An Chujie watched Qi Ruan with some caution.

“Me?” Qi Ruan pointed at herself. “What about me?~”

“You go out, I’ll change clothes,” An Chujie sighed.

“…We’re both women, I have what you have. What’s there to be afraid of?” Qi Ruan expressed her own frustration.

“Just go out,” An Chujie became serious.

“Alright, alright,” Qi Ruan responded eagerly. Just as she stepped out, the door came crashing towards her.

“Director Qi has a wide market, so why hang around with me? Take your time to consider,” An Chujie said as she put on her coat, then started touching up her makeup in front of the mirror. It seemed like her lipstick had faded a bit.

Qi Ruan laughed. For her, there was nothing to consider. The more challenging the situation, the more interested she became.

“Take your car keys,” An Chujie flicked something hanging from her index finger.

“Why?” Qi Ruan took them.

“I have work, you go home,” An Chujie stood at the doorway, wearing her high heels, and looked back at Qi Ruan, gesturing for her to hurry up.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say~”

An Chujie was already tall, and with the addition of high heels, combined with her temperament, her figure seemed like that of an aloof queen.

The reason An Chujie suddenly became so cold was twofold. On one hand, she didn’t want to hold Qi Ruan back. Qi Ruan was a smart and ambitious woman, with excellent qualities in every aspect. An Chujie could even imagine how free and proud Qi Ruan must have been before they met. She had discussed this issue with Qi Ruan before, but her tone back then wasn’t as firm as it was today. However, it seemed like Qi Ruan wasn’t particularly concerned about her thoughts. On the other hand, An Chujie had indeed gotten herself into some unnecessary trouble recently because of Qi Ruan.

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

“……”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen them together lately,”

“People like Director Shang, I can’t even imagine her being in a relationship with someone else,”

“How could that be? It’s been a while since Xu Meiren resigned, so it’s really awkward. Maybe both of them are just too busy?”

“…”

“Who has time to chat at work?” Xu Yuer walked past the nurse’s station, her face cold. The nurses immediately dispersed upon hearing her voice.

Why wouldn’t Xu Yuer want to resign? Who would want to see someone they hate every day? But she had no choice. Since Shang Zhuoxi played with her feelings without mercy, wasting her time, Xu Yuer detested inequality. So she decided to make Shang Zhuoxi taste the bitterness she had experienced. After all, she was still receiving Shang Zhuoxi’s money by staying in the hospital. Plus, knowing one’s enemy is crucial in any battle, so why not take advantage of it?

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

Day after day, after countless boring experiments, the bottle of potion in Shang Zhuoxi’s hands finally began to have a positive chemical reaction on the bone tissue. She remained still, glued to the microscope, afraid to miss even the slightest detail. Holding her breath, Shang Zhuoxi witnessed the scattered bone cells start to divide, and it felt like she was standing at the edge of a terrifying cliff.

The broken walls on the cliffside began to grow new rocks incessantly. They thickened and lengthened, spreading forward until they completely merged with the opposite cliff. In that moment, Shang Zhuoxi felt the blood in her body start to flow faster. She quickly grabbed a pen and began recording everything on paper.

For six years, Shang Zhuoxi had been unable to conduct experiments in the university research institute like a normal professor, collaborating with other experts. She always found herself alone, spending long hours in the cold laboratory, trying to accomplish the work of at least three people. In pursuit of her goal, Shang Zhuoxi had sacrificed so much, even neglecting the time she could have spent with her father.

Once she returned home, Shang Zhuoxi started organizing all her data and records. These would be her weapons, a fierce retaliation against those who had framed her father. She still vividly remembered that scene from a few years ago—the police car and the private car passing each other, disappearing from the center of the frame simultaneously.

She recalled the man named An Minli, the cunning look in his eyes, the lines at the corners of his eyes like sharp little knives, and that face she wished she could tear apart—a smirk that hid deeper intentions. And her own father, handcuffed with cold shackles, getting into the merciless police car.

Shang Zhuoxi went to Kyoto to reopen the old case. She wanted to clear her father’s name, to free him from that dark place two years earlier, and to make those who harmed him taste the bitterness of a life without seeing the light of day. With these thoughts in her heart, Shang Zhuoxi pulled up her mask and tightened her grip on her bag.

A woman wearing a red coat walked towards Shang Zhuoxi. As she passed by her, the woman lowered her head and quickly brushed past her. Instinctively, Shang Zhuoxi grabbed onto the hurriedly passing hand. The woman turned back in surprise, her red lips slightly parted. She wore sunglasses, making it difficult for Shang Zhuoxi to see her face clearly.

“Hey, Karly, what are you doing? I’m over here!” A fair-skinned man not far away shouted at the woman in broken Chinese. The woman waved her hand towards the man and then turned back to Shang Zhuoxi, her face filled with complaints, as she broke free from Shang Zhuoxi’s grasp.

“Oh, sorry,” Shang Zhuoxi immediately let go of her hand upon hearing her name, feeling relieved from the restraint. The woman hurriedly ran towards the white man, the sound of her high heels fading away with each click-clack. Shang Zhuoxi sniffed the air and caught a pleasant unfamiliar scent. She shook her head, realizing that she must have mistaken the person. It was just a resemblance in the nose and mouth.

She wouldn’t wear such high heels. She had been warned before because her left foot had suffered a severe injury, making it unsuitable for wearing high heels. She wouldn’t wear such bright lipstick either. She always had a fresh and clean look. Her hair was naturally soft and black, not the cold, dyed teal color…

“Karly, why didn’t your assistant come with you?” The white man naturally mistook Shang Zhuoxi for her assistant.

“Hello, Mr. Douglas. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to inform you. Karly came over early this morning. I’m An Chujie,” An Chujie reached out her hand and smiled composedly in her Western-style dress.

“Is that so?” Mr. Douglas looked at her with disbelief. “I’m really sorry. Lee told me to come and pick her up at this time. Chujie, are you alone? No assistant?”

“Um,” An Chujie nodded and followed Mr. Douglas through the security check. She had never thought she needed an assistant, especially…

An Chujie leaned back in her seat, took off her sunglasses, and her eyes were hollow. Ever since she saw that figure, her heartbeat had been disrupted. And when those white gloves grabbed her wrist, An Chujie’s heart skipped a beat. Shang Zhuoxi’s pupils, as seen through the sunglasses, were amber-colored. They stared at her with confusion, but couldn’t quite focus on her. Fortunately, Mr. Douglas called her away, or else Shang Zhuoxi might have recognized her in just another second. Even though she wore a mask, her iconic blonde hair and blue eyes quickly drew An Chujie’s attention from the crowd.

It had been almost two years. Why did An Chujie still feel uneasy when she saw Shang Zhuoxi? What was she doing in Kyoto? How long would she stay here? Would she ever meet her in this city again?

…

An Chujie remained calm on the surface, but her heart was filled with mixed emotions.