Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – Collar

He couldn’t refuse this heartfelt gift

——

At two in the morning, Zhang Yuqing drank a full glass of ice water and called to Beibei, “Beibei, come on. Let’s go upstairs to sleep.”

His voice was hoarse, and even the ice water couldn’t soothe it.

Beibei, who had been sleeping under the table by the window, heard the voice and groggily got up. He followed Zhang Yuqing’s footsteps, tail wagging as they climbed the stairs together.

That afternoon’s customer had nearly both legs covered in tattoos, designs that Zhang Yuqing had stayed up all night to create.

At the customer’s request, the patterns were based on the third volume of the Classic of Mountains and Seas—specifically, the content from the third section of the northern mountains.

These were mythological tales from the Taihang Mountains to Wangwu Mountain, including the story of Jingwei filling the sea.

In the design, Zhang Yuqing had drawn a white bird with fiery red tail feathers and six legs.

The customer was very satisfied and texted back, “Qing-ge, I love this Ben bird. It’s exactly like I imagined in my dreams. You’re really amazing.”

Zhang Yuqing liked working with customers who understood his vision. He’d been tattooing straight through until midnight, applying the Ben bird and Mountain Return designs to the customer’s legs without taking a single sip of water.

Only after finishing did he finally feel a hint of exhaustion.

Over the weekend, Li Nan had come over with a bag full of snacks, which he’d left piled on the first-floor table.

Zhang Yuqing didn’t even look at what was inside. He grabbed a bag at random, took it upstairs, and Beibei followed behind him, tail wagging.

Li Nan’s family had cut off his allowance, so he’d asked Zhang Yuqing for help. Through Zhang Yuqing’s connections, he’d found two part-time jobs.

Li Nan must have bought all this to show his gratitude.

Zhang Yuqing hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner. He ripped open the chip bag and tossed two pieces in his mouth, but suddenly found himself thinking of Qin Han.

When the girl first came to Yaonan Alley, she’d been just like this—always so polite and formal.

She’d buy piles of things, until she couldn’t carry any more.

Seeing Qin Han lugging all those bags back then, he’d always thought she’d been kicked out of her home and was coming to stay with him.

Zhang Yuqing chewed the chips, frowned slightly, and held up the bag to look at it.

They actually make chocolate-flavored chips now?

So sweet. Only little girls would like these.

Zhang Yuqing set the chips aside, no longer in the mood to eat. He grabbed some clean clothes and went to take a shower instead.

By September, Qin Han and Li Nan had both returned to school, and Dandan had gone back to her studies as well. Zhang Yuqing’s shop now felt much quieter.

After bathing, Zhang Yuqing sat on the edge of his bed, recalling Qin Han’s words before she started school, “Zhang Yuqing, I’ll visit you often even after I go back.”

At the time, the girl had been wearing a serious expression, her small face tense as she stared unblinkingly, utterly earnest.

And the result?

Zhang Yuqing wiped his hair with a towel and clicked his tongue softly. Even on weekends, she hadn’t shown up at all.

Not only that, but there was also a senior calling her.

And yes, she’d gotten her hair permed.

It was already past 3 AM, yet he remained lying in bed, flipping through photos on his phone.

Familiar scenes from Beijing Normal University scrolled by until Zhang Yuqing’s finger paused, freezing the last image.

The picture showed the famous night market street outside the university, crowded with students and vendors.

Amidst the bustling crowd, a young girl crouched at a stall, her gaze meeting the camera lens with innocent clarity. Her wavy hair cascaded down her back like seaweed.

From this angle, her delicate chin appeared even more petite.

Zhang Yuqing glanced at it twice, his eyebrows lifting slightly.

Oh, she even put on lipstick.

That morning, Qin Han had no classes and had gone to the library early to secure a seat with her textbooks.

The library at Beijing Normal University was notoriously difficult to find a seat in. With everyone so diligent, arriving even slightly late meant having to return to the dormitory for self-study.

But Qin Han had her own small laziness. If she stayed in the dormitory to study, she might end up sprawled on the bed reading leisure books at any moment.

Qin Han hadn’t checked her phone all morning. Only after finding a seat in the library did she notice two unread WeChat messages.

They were from Zhang Yuqing.

The timestamps showed 3 AM?

Why wasn’t he asleep at this hour?

Did he need to contact her urgently?

Both messages were quite garbled:

[ Relaxing vacation love oh developed ui ]

[ Just finished u’s style and i’s strength ]

They sounded like drunken ramblings.

Qin Han put away her books, ran out of the library, and called Zhang Yuqing.

The phone rang several times before being answered. Zhang Yuqing’s voice, thick with sleep, came through the receiver, “Hm?”

Qin Han stood at the library entrance, surrounded by the constant flow of people. She had initially feared she wouldn’t hear clearly, pressing her phone firmly against her ear.

Now Zhang Yuqing’s voice seemed to carry its own vibration, making Qin Han’s ears burn instantly.

“Y-you sent me a message at midnight yesterday. Did you need something?”

Zhang Yuqing might have just recognized her voice. After a moment of shuffling sounds, his clear voice came through, “Oh, it’s you, little girl. What did you say earlier?”

“I said, you sent a message at midnight yesterday. Did you need something?”

The morning breeze tangled Qin Han’s loose hair. She freed a hand to smooth it down. “I couldn’t make sense of the message you sent.”

“Hold on a second?”

There was a pause from Zhang Yuqing’s end. After a moment, he chuckled, “That must’ve been Beibei. I didn’t lock my screen last night, and it likes to sleep on my phone.”

“Oh.”

Finding the situation amusing, Zhang Yuqing commented on the messages, “What kind of nonsense was that? It sounds like some weirdo text.”

Under normal circumstances, Qin Han wouldn’t have given this matter much thought.

But just days earlier, she’d experienced the embarrassment of accidentally sending Zhang Yuqing a barrage of emojis.

She remembered that the mistake had occurred because her phone screen had been lingering on their conversation window.

Having woken up too early that morning, Qin Han hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, leaving her brain prone to short circuits.

She suddenly asked, “Did you leave the screen on our chat window?”

The moment the words left her lips, Qin Han felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her.

Why had she asked such a question?! It made it seem like she was desperate to prove Zhang Yuqing would check their chat history!

After two seconds of silence, Zhang Yuqing’s voice came through the phone, open and honest, “Yeah, I had to see how our little girl got so fancy after starting university. Even wearing lipstick now, huh?”

“I’m not fancy at all!” Qin Han denied immediately.

Zhang Yuqing chuckled, “It’s natural for girls to care about their appearance.”

Qin Han was about to argue when he added, sounding like an old man, “But remember, studies come first.”

After hanging up, Qin Han suddenly found herself missing Yaonan Alley and Zhang Yuqing deeply.

She counted on her fingers—only three days until the weekend. With no school events this weekend, she could finally visit Yaonan Alley.

If her mother was feeling well, she might even go for two days.

This thought gave Qin Han extra motivation to study.

During the day, she spent her time either in the library or attending classes.

In the evenings, she learned crafting from her roommates and made a small collar for Beibei.

Before she knew it, the weekend had arrived. Qin Han packed her things, ready to go home.

Out of the six roommates, four were from the capital and would be returning home for the weekend.

Xie Ying and Sun Ziyi, whose families lived in other provinces, bid farewell to Qin Han and the others while applying face masks. “See you the night after tomorrow! Don’t forget to bring some good snacks!”

While everyone else left the dormitory without issue, Qin Han was pulled back.

Qin Han looked confused. “What’s wrong, Yingying?”

“Little Qin Han, are you going on a date this weekend?”

Qin Han’s face flushed. “It’s not a date.”

“Then you’re meeting that person you like, right?”

Qin Han nodded.

Xie Ying slapped her thigh. “You’re going like that?!”

Qin Han didn’t think there was anything wrong with her, but she knew that when it came to maturity, Xie Ying was the undisputed champion of their dormitory.

Compared to Xie Ying, she felt like a kindergartner who had just graduated from the senior class.

Humbly seeking advice, Qin Han asked, “So, how should I approach this?”

“Does your crush have any photos? Show me what he looks like so I can give you proper guidance.”

Qin Han pondered for a moment, then pulled out her phone. She found the video Luo Shijin had recorded of Zhang Yuqing feeding Beibei watermelon and showed it to Xie Ying and Sun Ziyi.

Xie Ying took one glance and gasped, “Holy mother of God! Take it away! That’s way too handsome! One more look and I’ll be bursting with lust!”

Sun Ziyi fared slightly better—she preferred chubby boys—but still took a long moment to recover her composure.

She patted Qin Han’s shoulder. “Darling, you need to act fast. If you don’t snag this kind of heartthrob, someone else will snatch him up.”

Qin Han put away her phone, utterly bewildered. “What do you mean by ‘act fast’?”

Xie Ying: “……”

Sun Ziyi: “……”

In the end, Qin Han found herself pinned down in a chair by Xie Ying and Liu Ziyi, her hair curled and face lightly made up.

After a series of adventures, Qin Han arrived at Yaonan Alley just as noon approached.

Zhang Yuqing and the others had known Qin Han was coming back. Li Nan was present too, and Luo Shijin had already ordered barbecue from the back street, along with a fruit platter placed on the table by the window.

When Qin Han rushed into Zhang Yuqing’s shop, she felt a sense of warmth even greater than returning home. She excitedly removed her backpack and exclaimed, “I’m back!”

The words were somewhat inappropriate.

After all, this was Zhang Yuqing’s shop, not a place where she should speak with the familiarity of a family member.

But no one minded. Luo Shijin waved his cleaver. “Today’s melon is a Hami melon! I picked it all morning—guaranteed sweet!”

Li Nan, who was straightening his long hair, said, “Qin Han, your hairstyle looks great! I love it!”

Zhang Yuqing poured a glass of water for Qin Han. She took it and drank a sip.

Before she could even swallow, she began unzipping her large backpack and pulling out items for everyone.

A mini massager for Zhang Yuqing’s grandmother.

A history book for Grandpa Liu.

A fruit knife for Luo Shijin.

False eyelashes for Li Nan.

A teddy bear plushie was for Dandan.

Zhang Yuqing leaned quietly against the table. The little girl, just like when she first came to Yaonan Alley, pulled out quite a few items in one go.

Finally, Qin Han’s eyes sparkled as she kept her hands hidden in her backpack.

She looked at Zhang Yuqing with a mysterious smile. “Zhang Yuqing, guess what else I brought?”

Zhang Yuqing smiled. “What is it?”

Qin Han took out a collar she had personally made for Beibei. “Look!”

The little girl held a black braided cord in her hand, adorned with several sparkling crystal pendants and small copper bells.

It resembled a traditional Tibetan bracelet.

Zhang Yuqing’s wrist was bare, as he never wore watches.

As a tattoo artist, too many accessories could get in the way during work.

But the little girl said excitedly, “I made this myself.”

Zhang Yuqing felt he couldn’t refuse this heartfelt gift.

After all, it was something she had made herself.

He reached out, smiling gently. “Thank you, li—”

Before he could finish, Qin Han suddenly crouched in front of Beibei. “I think Beibei will look great in this! Come on, Beibei, let me put it on you!”