Love Finds Its Time - Chapter 41

Morning came with the ring of a phone alarm. Shi Qingqiu had no idea what happened last night, only that in her sleep she had somehow draped her hand across Wen Qinghan’s body. She snapped fully awake, drowsiness vanishing in an instant. Meeting Wen Qinghan’s just-opened eyes, she pressed her lips together. Her hand started to retreat, but her fingertip brushed across Wen Qinghan’s wrist.

Shi Qingqiu blinked, froze for a moment, then recalled something. She gently took hold of Wen Qinghan’s hand and pulled it closer to inspect. After a while, her lips curved faintly. “Two days of medicine, and it’s finally gone down.” The bruises on the back of Wen Qinghan’s hand were already fading. Whether it still hurt or not, she couldn’t tell.

Placing the hand between them, Shi Qingqiu let her fingertips trace lightly across the back. “Qinghan, does it still hurt? Before we leave later, I’ll put on the medicine once more. That should do it…” 

The latter half sounded almost like she was talking to herself, and Wen Qinghan couldn’t help the trace of a smile in her eyes. She parted her lips, her voice low and husky from sleep, tinged with drowsiness. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. But if you’re going to apply the medicine again, remember to blow it dry.”

Shi Qingqiu didn’t know whether to laugh or scold, but her lips still curved upward as she muttered, “Once we’re outside, there’ll be sunlight. It’ll dry. I don’t need to blow on it, alright?”

“Outside we’ll get straight into the car. It won’t dry properly at all. What then? Should I blow on it myself in the car? Or will you do it for me?” Wen Qinghan looked at her steadily, expression calm, reasoning airtight—just short of quoting sources.

Suddenly, Shi Qingqiu really didn’t feel like talking to her anymore. She had always known Wen Qinghan was eloquent, but this trip had made her experience it on a whole new level. She couldn’t help but flick Wen Qinghan’s wrist with her fingertip, then got up while urging, “If you want me to blow your medicine dry, then hurry and get dressed. Otherwise we’ll waste time and keep everyone waiting.”

Wen Qinghan also sat up. “Alright. I’ll call Yizhi. You go wash up first.”

***

When Jian Yizhi received Wen Qinghan’s call, she was waiting downstairs to head out for the barbecue with Fu Anran. 

“How’s the firm been lately?” Wen Qinghan asked. “And that junior of yours?”

“All fine. The only bad part is your old clients keep asking me when you’re coming back.” Jian Yizhi rested one hand on the steering wheel, teasing, “Looks like they can’t live without you.” She caught faint rustling noises, like someone getting up. 

Then Wen Qinghan let out a quiet laugh. “Right back at you. When you were away, I got the same treatment. Especially from that Miss Zhang who filed for divorce. You know…”

“Enough, enough. I can’t afford to offend you, alright?” Jian Yizhi cut her off, exasperated. That was ages ago. Wen Qinghan, the type to say little all day, stored grudges carefully in her mind. After a pause, she asked, “So… how are things with you two? When are you coming back?”

Wen Qinghan was silent for a moment. “Nothing’s going on. A few more days, and we’ll head back.”

With a smile in her voice, Jian Yizhi replied, “Then I’ll wish you luck. Bring back good news, our newlywed Lawyer Wen.” 

On the other end, Wen Qinghan said nothing and hung up. Jian Yizhi only chuckled, shaking her head, but her gaze gradually cooled.

Whether for Wen Qinghan’s sake or her own, that person had best never appear again.

The place where she and Wen Qinghan were most alike was this: she too had nearly become a flower growing in a shadowed corner, unseen by the sun, with no path forward. She had been lucky—unlike Wen Qinghan, she hadn’t chosen that road. So she could understand, but never truly experience it.

Leaning back in her seat, Jian Yizhi let her memories drift all the way back to freshman year. At that time, though she wasn’t close with Wen Qinghan yet, they often discussed topics together, sometimes even sharing personal things. Back then, Jian Yizhi, though more mature than most of her peers, was unguarded around those she trusted. She hid her quiet longing, but in casual conversation she once mentioned to Wen Qinghan how she had seen Qi Yue and Shi Qingqiu being close. She even recounted, in an offhand tone, how Qi Yue would always make milk for Shi Qingqiu, looking so thoughtful.

Later, such things became a tacit agreement between her and Wen Qinghan, never to be spoken of again. She hid it well. Until she discovered Wen Qinghan’s secret, the latter had never noticed even a flicker of her feelings. 

She had once liked Qi Yue. That truth lay buried deep in her past. She had never planned to persist, never intended to risk everything, nor to change anything. She simply let that fleeting moment of emotion drift away. Now, that person remained only as an imprint in her memories.

Knock, knock. The car window was rapped. 

Jian Yizhi came back to herself and looked up, finding Fu Anran smiling at her. After greeting her, Fu Anran walked around to the passenger side and got in. “Senior, what were you daydreaming about? I’ve been standing by your car window for a while,” she asked casually while buckling her seatbelt.

“Nothing. Just thinking about the past.” Jian Yizhi’s tone was gentle, her earlier mood slowly dissipating. “Sit tight. Let’s go.” The elders had already set off ahead. Jian Yizhi and Fu Anran followed.

A few days earlier, they had reserved a barbecue spot in a park. After an hour’s drive, they arrived to find both fathers already starting the fire in the grill. The mothers were unpacking the ingredients, defrosting and skewering what hadn’t been finished the night before.

Rolling up her sleeves, Jian Yizhi joined Fu Anran in the preparations. It had been a long time since she’d eaten barbecue. Counting from college to now, only a handful of times. Precisely because there hadn’t been many, she still remembered vividly the first time, after military training, when the class had gone out together. That night, she had lost in a drinking game. Concerned classmates urged her to stop and eat something. Then Qi Yue appeared with a skewer of meatballs, her radiant smile flashing before Jian Yizhi’s tipsy eyes. 

“Yizhi, stop drinking. Eat something. If you don’t, there won’t be any left for you…”

The distant voice faded, drowned by the chatter of parents and the faint tang of smoke in the air. Her gaze clearing, Jian Yizhi stabbed the last meatball onto a skewer. The sharp tip pierced through and pricked her thumb.

“Senior, do you like these?” Fu Anran, noticing she had strung several skewers of meatballs, began copying her. 

Still working, Jian Yizhi smiled. “I suppose I do. Roasted, they taste just as good as in hotpot.”

“I’ll try grilling some, then. But if it turns out bad, you can’t blame me.” Fu Anran grinned.

Blinking at her, Jian Yizhi chuckled. “What, I can’t even criticize you if it tastes awful?”

Picking out seasonings, Fu Anran asked while tapping glass jars with her finger, “What flavor do you like? Sweet… salty… or spicy?”

“Salty, and a little spicy.”

“Got it.” She gathered salt sauce, chili powder, and cumin, her brows curved in a smile. “Just wait a bit.” Taking some baby bok choy, meatballs, and beef skewers, she headed to the grill.

Not far away, Jian Yushan nudged Fu Shujing, eyes flicking toward the two young women. Excitedly, she whispered, “Shujing, look…”

“Shh…” Exchanging a glance, the two mothers returned to their own conversation.

From this angle, Jian Yizhi could see Fu Anran’s profile clearly. The girl’s quiet smile rested on her lips, long hair cascading down her back, serene and lovely. It seemed she’d been trying to cheer her up since yesterday. Jian Yizhi watched her for a long while. In the drifting smoke, a figure from memory overlapped with Fu Anran’s form. A brief daze, then reality returned.

Why was she remembering so much today? She lowered her head with a smile, pinching her fingers as if to scatter away old regrets. Taking a plate, she walked toward Fu Anran. The girl gathered her grilled skewers and turned—only to see Jian Yizhi behind her. Warmly, she said, “Put them here. I’ll take them to my dad and Uncle.”

“Alright. The baby bok choy is lightly spiced, for Uncle. Don’t let it get mixed with the others.” She arranged the skewers carefully, keeping one meatball skewer aside. Lifting it toward Jian Yizhi, her voice softened. “Senior, try it. See if it’s good.”

Her cheeks were flushed from the grill’s heat, her eyes carrying a trace of shyness, a trace of hope. She only wanted Jian Yizhi to taste it, yet because of the unspoken ambiguity between them, there was a girlish tension to it. With Jian Yizhi, she still wasn’t at ease enough to act naturally.

Amused, Jian Yizhi arched a brow, brushing back a strand of hair as she leaned down to bite off a meatball. “Well? Is it good?”

Fu Anran’s smile bloomed. Jian Yizhi paused mid-chew, eyes narrowing slightly. Fu Anran and Qi Yue were completely different. When Qi Yue looked at her, her smile held only simple warmth. But Fu Anran’s eyes carried more—more feeling, more unspoken things. How had she just seen a shadow of Qi Yue in her? Perhaps too much had happened recently. She’d spent more time with Fu Anran, and the girl had yet to grow into her future self, so illusions were easier to form.

“Tasty.” Jian Yizhi smiled with her eyes. “Next time, you can make it saltier. My taste’s heavy.”

Fu Anran laughed. “So you’re saying you’ve got heavy tastes?”

“You could put it that way.” She raised her brows. “I’ll take these to Dad and Uncle, then make some tea.”

“Alright, I’ll grill some more.”

***

At the park’s rental office, fetching hot water for tea, Jian Yizhi unexpectedly ran into the very “Miss Zhang” Wen Qinghan had mentioned that morning. She had intended to ignore her, but the woman spotted her first.

A rather sultry beauty, Miss Zhang had once hired Wen Qinghan as her lawyer. They hadn’t been close, but she had always shown a strong fondness for Jian Yizhi, saying she was more charming—polite yet approachable, unlike Wen Qinghan’s aloofness.

“Well, if it isn’t Lawyer Jian. Long time no see.” Tossing her chocolate-brown curls, Miss Zhang smiled as she approached.

No avoiding it now. With the teapot in her hands, Jian Yizhi smiled back politely. “Yes, it has been.”

She eyed the teapot. “What’s this? Out here barbecuing today?”

“Mhm. With my parents. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time with them.”

Miss Zhang stepped closer, reaching out playfully to lift a strand of Jian Yizhi’s hair. “So filial. But aren’t you going to ask who I came with? Or why I’m here?”

The cloying perfume made Jian Yizhi’s smile waver. She edged back a step, her voice soft. “Naturally, you must be with family or friends.”

She had never liked hints like these, especially from someone she barely knew. But life in society wasn’t always smooth. Someday, she might even need the help of someone she disliked. Who could say?

“Exactly. I’ve said goodbye to the past, so I’m here celebrating with friends.” Miss Zhang’s tone was wistful, but then she smiled alluringly. “Lawyer Jian, why not come sit with us? I’ll introduce you.”

Shaking her head, Jian Yizhi lifted the teapot. “Another time. I want to be with my parents today.”

“No problem. We’ll meet again.” Fingertips sliding down her hair, Miss Zhang added softly, “I’ve always admired filial daughters. How could I bear to be upset with you?”

Just then, Fu Anran’s voice carried over, light and clear. “Senior, come here…” 

The clean, tender tone pulled Jian Yizhi’s attention—and Miss Zhang’s as well. Her gaze shifted to the girl walking toward them, a smile curling at her lips. “Ah, so that’s your type. Why didn’t you say so? If I’d known, I might’ve tried dressing like that. Who knows, I might’ve won already.”

Tightening her grip on the teapot, Jian Yizhi let her smile vanish, leaving only the faintest curve of her lips. “No. She’s just a new colleague at the firm. Excuse me.” She gave a slight nod, then stepped forward and caught Fu Anran by the wrist, leading her away.

“Senior, what’s wrong…” Fu Anran’s cheeks flushed, but she followed obediently. Only then did Jian Yizhi realize what she had done. Instinctively, she hadn’t wanted Miss Zhang to notice Fu Anran, didn’t want the girl’s purity to catch that woman’s eye.

“It’s nothing. I just need to roll up my sleeves. Can you hold this teapot for me?” With that excuse, her gentle smile returned.

Taking the pot, Fu Anran said, “Alright. Oh—your mom and mine were looking for you just now. That’s why I came.”

Watching Jian Yizhi’s serene face, the questions stirring in Fu Anran’s heart were once again pressed down. Silently, she walked at her side.