Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Drying

Then go ahead and date, it’s not too early

——

Meeting Qin Han’s suspicious gaze, Zhang Yuqing tugged at the corners of his mouth helplessly and beckoned to her, “Come here.”

“What for?” Qin Han reluctantly took half a step forward.

“Stand here and watch.”

Zhang Yuqing casually hooked a black mask, which he had worn before, around his index finger and leaned against the black iron railing.

He called out a price to someone downstairs and then nonchalantly instructed, “When you get home, remove the plastic wrap and clean it. Try to use baby body wash, just like before.”

“Qing-ge, am I still not allowed to eat lamb skewers? What about hot springs?”

A woman stepped out of the shop downstairs.

She wore a loose black T-shirt, and her forearm was wrapped in plastic wrap.

Qin Han rarely encountered such a strikingly beautiful woman. She had thick makeup on, and her dense eyelashes looked like a layer of raven feathers.

So when she said “do,” she meant getting a tattoo.

Qin Han blinked in realization.

The woman downstairs was a customer, yet Zhang Yuqing didn’t show even a hint of the usual “customer is king” attitude. His tone remained indifferent. “What do you think?”

The woman scoffed, scanning a QR code with her phone.

After making the payment, she pointed at Zhang Yuqing with her phone and grumbled, “Qing-ge, you’re the best tattoo artist in this area, or else I wouldn’t bother coming to you. You’re way too cold—totally lacking warmth.”

The person who was accused of being cold showed no reaction, still maintaining his laid-back demeanor.

Qin Han stood beside Zhang Yuqing, watching his side profile.

Without the mask, his face appeared even more striking—bold and confident. Even without speaking, he exuded an air of arrogance and charisma.

The woman downstairs looked up and noticed Qin Han, appearing surprised. “Oh, your little sister is here today?”

Zhang Yuqing glanced at Qin Han. “She’s not my sister.”

“Ohh, then is she your little girlfriend?”

The woman casually climbed two steps up the staircase, waved at Qin Han, then chuckled to herself. “Qing-ge, your little girlfriend looks really young.”

Zhang Yuqing replied, “She’s underage.”

Even someone as slow as Qin Han could tell that Zhang Yuqing was emphasizing to the tattooed woman that she was underage—and not his girlfriend.

But the woman took two seconds to process it before smirking, “Wow, that makes you a real beast.”

Zhang Yuqing seemed unwilling to argue and simply gestured toward the door with his chin. “Go.”

“Fine, fine, I won’t bother you two. Bye, little beauty.” The woman blew a kiss toward Qin Han before leaving.

Once she was gone, the room fell quiet again.

Zhang Yuqing didn’t seem to care about the guarded look Qin Han had given him earlier. Instead, he fetched slippers and a hairdryer for her before heading downstairs.

Qin Han picked up the hairdryer and noticed that he had even found her a brand-new pair of women’s socks.

She dried her shoes in the storage room and put on the fresh socks before hesitantly stepping into the small downstairs hall.

Zhang Yuqing was sitting with a wooden drawing board on his lap, sketching something with a pencil.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a glow on his hands, making his fingertips look almost translucent, like jade.

Inside the slippers, Qin Han’s toes twitched slightly. Feeling a little awkward, she hesitantly spoke, “Thank you… for the socks. I’ll return them to you.”

“No need.”

In the sunlight, Zhang Yuqing turned his head slightly. His eyes carried a hint of teasing amusement as he tapped the drawing board with his pencil. “Tell me—am I a good person?”

Qin Han nodded firmly. “Yes!”

Zhang Yuqing smiled, satisfied.

Earlier, while upstairs, Qin Han had secretly looked up “Pilates reformer” on her phone. That seemingly “18+” bed really was, as Zhang Yuqing said, a piece of legitimate exercise equipment.

She realized that her previous wary attitude toward him had been quite impolite.

Wanting to apologize but feeling too awkward to say it outright, Qin Han tried to change the subject by acknowledging the Pilates equipment. “That Pilates bed upstairs… is it yours?”

“No, it was left behind by the previous tenant. I never moved it.”

“Oh.”

Over the past two days, Zhang Yuqing had helped her multiple times, yet she had nothing suitable to give him in return.

While searching about Pilates equipment earlier, she had also checked for nearby food delivery options. Unfortunately, there weren’t any bubble tea or cold drink shops around—only one barbecue place that offered takeout.

But sending a bunch of grilled skewers as thanks would be ridiculous.

Right now, she was so broke that even The Little Prince had more assets than she did.

At least he had a baobab tree and a rose. She only had a slightly ugly but endearing cactus.

——”The Little Prince” refers to the character from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince”. 

If she had known this earlier, she would have bought an extra, prettier plant from the old lady earlier—then at least both the old lady and Zhang Yuqing would benefit.

Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner?

“Then… here, take this cactus.”

Qin Han’s voice was weak as she said it, sounding like a student caught off guard by a teacher’s sudden question. She knew her gift was pitiful, and her voice got smaller and smaller.

Zhang Yuqing could tell that she wouldn’t feel at ease unless she left something behind.

Amused, he twirled his pencil. “Not giving it away because you think it’s ugly?”

Qin Han’s eyes widened in protest, almost stomping her foot in frustration. “Of course not! I just—”

“I know. Thanks. This little cactus is actually quite pleasing to the eye.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Just then, Qin Han’s phone rang from inside her bag.

She took it out. It was an unknown number. Politely, she answered, “Hello? Who is this?”

In the quiet room, the voice on the phone sounded extra loud.

“Qin Han, Qin Han! It’s me, Xu Weiran!”

“…How did you get my number?”

“Huge Kexuan gave it to me. Ah, I even dialed the wrong number earlier—accidentally called 176xxx12300 and got cursed at. Yours is 176xxx00123, right? So easy to remember, but I still messed it up.”

Though Xu Weiran was complaining, his tone was cheerful. “Where are you? I’ll come pick you up. Let’s hang out this afternoon.”

Before coming to Yaonan Alley, Qin Han had actually planned to get desserts with Hu Keyuan.

Was Xu Weiran tagging along again?

“Where’s Keyuan?”

“I’ll pick you up first, then we’ll get her together. Where are you?”

“Yaonan Alley.”

Xu Weiran seemed to be giving the address to his driver, then he spoke again, “Got it. Wait for me—I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Mm.”

“Oh, Qin Han! Do you want bubble tea?”

“No, thanks.”

“Fresh juice? With ice?”

“Really, no need. Thanks.”

“Alright then, see you soon.”

“Mm.”

Qin Han hung up the phone and looked up, meeting Zhang Yuqing’s gaze.

This guy had been teasing her just now, but now he had put away his drawing board, propped it against his leg, and rested his chin on it.

He put on a serious, almost parental expression and asked, “Puppy love?”

Qin Han was confused. “Huh?”

Zhang Yuqing asked, “What grade are you in? Are you even fifteen?”

Qin Han had still been caught up in “Who’s in love? Me? How did that happen?” when she suddenly heard him asking about her grade. Instantly, she was unhappy.

She was at least 165 cm tall!

“I’ve already graduated high school!”

“Ah, then go ahead and date. It’s not too early.”

Qin Han’s ears burned a little. Instead of arguing that he was meddling too much, she instinctively explained, “I’m not. Xu Weiran is just a friend of a friend.”

Zhang Yuqing smirked slightly but said nothing.

A friend of a friend?

And yet he’s more attentive to you than to your actual friend, huh, little girl?

Qin Han sat by the table, waiting for Xu Weiran, when she accidentally saw a pile of tattoo design sketches on the table. The topmost design was for the vibrant woman who had just left.

The design depicted a woman in an elegant, traditional Chinese style—beautiful, with long, flowing hair and a complex, ornate ancient outfit.

At first, Qin Han thought it was a character from a comic, but then she noticed a photograph tucked beneath the sketch.

She picked it up and was momentarily stunned.

The photograph showed a woman dressed in traditional clothing—the kind you’d get in a studio photoshoot. However, the photo seemed quite old. The resolution wasn’t very high, but the woman in it was undeniably beautiful.

The tattoo design was actually based on a real person’s photograph.

There was a note written on the back of the picture.

“Design request: This is a photo of my mom when she was alive. Make me a beautiful full-sleeve tattoo with it. I’ve been working late shifts and walking alone at night—I want my mom to be with me, to give me courage.”

Qin Han was shocked and held the photo for a few seconds, speechless.

She had always thought tattoos were meaningless, even bad—something only delinquents or gangsters would get.

But the reason behind this woman’s tattoo…

“Her mom…”

Hearing her murmur, Zhang Yuqing glanced over and saw the photo in her hand.

He got up, walked to Qin Han, leaned an arm against the table, and reached across to take the picture back. He placed it neatly under the sketch again. “She passed away years ago. A car accident.”

Qin Han pursed her lips and said nothing.

She was the kind of girl who had lived a smooth, privileged life.

A happy family, a well-behaved personality, good grades—she had never even been scolded by a teacher before. She had never experienced real hardship.

Before yesterday, the most embarrassing moment in her life was standing in the rain under someone else’s window, imitating a pig’s oink.

Hearing about someone else’s tragedy for the first time, she couldn’t help but feel affected, her mood sinking.

Zhang Yuqing glanced at her. The little girl looked utterly dejected, staring at the photo in silence.

“Oh no.”

“Huh?” Qin Han looked up, confused.

Zhang Yuqing tapped the table and pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

With a playful smile, he said, “This is a client’s personal story—it’s confidential. Keep it a secret, okay?”

Qin Han, distracted by the sudden shift, quickly nodded and solemnly promised, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Zhang Yuqing’s tattoo studio didn’t have air conditioning, only an old, slow-moving fan lazily sweeping the air.

Maybe the weather was too stifling—even the breeze felt warm.

Outside, a sleek black Mercedes-Benz pulled up. A boy leaned out of the car window. “Qin Han!”

Hearing her name, Qin Han turned around and saw Xu Weiran grinning and waving at her.

Time to go.

She changed out of the slippers, neatly setting them aside. Her white sneakers had dried, but the mesh still had mud stains, making them look a little dirty.

She hopped on one foot, tugging the last shoe on, then grabbed her phone. “Zhang Yuqing, I’m leaving now.”

“Take care. Not seeing you off.”

Qin Han glanced down at her ankle. The edge of her shoe revealed a peek of pink socks. Her voice grew softer. “… Thanks for the socks.”

“Qin Han, come on! We’re picking up Hu Keyuan.” Xu Weiran leaned into the doorway, calling her.

Qin Han gave Zhang Yuqing a final wave before stepping outside.

As she walked past him, Xu Weiran suddenly turned back and looked at Zhang Yuqing.

Zhang Yuqing lounged in his chair lazily. Noticing Xu Weiran’s unfriendly expression, he smirked slightly.

Little brat.