Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 51

Chapter 51 – The Stairway

Do you like him?

——

When the alarm clock woke Qin Han, the first thing she saw was the jacket hanging on the chair by the bed. Still half-asleep, she thought Zhang Yuqing was standing at the foot of the bed, which scared her so much she nearly fell off.

Only when she sat up quickly did she remember she had put it there herself last night.

After washing up, Qin Han got a call from Du Zhi asking about her thesis revisions.

“I still want to make some changes,” Qin Han said, holding the phone and hopping on one leg to pull on her jeans. “Oh, Dean Du, my dad mentioned he’d like to invite you to dinner. His company is organizing an educational program for the disabled. I think he sent you the proposal already. Do you have any free days this week?”

“That depends on you,” Du Zhi replied with a chuckle. “You’ll be accompanying him, won’t you? Married men always have that kind of consideration.”

Qin Han considered. “How about the weekend?”

“Ah, so you need our little Qin Han’s company? You’re pushing this dinner to the weekend just because of me?” Du Zhi teased, her voice light. “Little Teacher Qin, if I’m not mistaken, you haven’t officially started your teaching position yet. Apart from music classes on Monday and Friday, you don’t need to go to school at all, do you?”

“That’s true.”

“Then why not invite me today? I’m completely free.”

Qin Han sighed. “I can’t today, Dean Du.”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Qin Han wrinkled her nose. “I have to meet a guy my mom introduced me to today.”

“A blind date?”

Du Zhi burst out laughing over the phone. “Good luck, good luck.”

After hanging up, Qin Han changed her clothes and stared blankly at Zhang Yuqing’s jacket.

After some thought, she decided to deliver the jacket another day.

The medical master her mother introduced was very polite. That morning, Qin Han received his call. His voice sounded calm and steady, “Hello, is this Qin Han? I’m Gu Xun.”

Qin Han didn’t know what to say, so she just replied, “Hello.”

“Qin Han, here’s the thing. We originally planned to meet for dinner, but I want to visit an art exhibition this afternoon. It’s a medieval oil painting exhibition. Would you be interested?” Gu Xun smiled through the phone and asked politely, “If you’re willing, I can treat you to lunch first.”

Qin Han thought for a moment. Lunch only took an hour. After eating, she could visit the exhibition and then bid farewell.

Starting early meant finishing early, so she agreed.

They met at a café near the museum. Qin Han had nothing else to do, so she arrived early.

When she arrived, there was still half an hour before their meeting time. After finding a seat and putting down her things, Qin Han went to order coffee.

The beautiful woman making coffee seemed familiar to Qin Han. It wasn’t until she turned to stir the cream, revealing a floral tattoo peeking from her sleeve, that Qin Han recognized her.

This beauty was her first customer at Zhang Yuqing’s shop during her high school graduation year.

The memory stuck because she had shattered Qin Han’s preconceptions about tattoos.

Qin Han remembered the tattoo on the woman’s arm depicted her deceased mother’s portrait.

As the woman handed over the coffee, she suddenly said to Qin Han, “Little beauty, if you earn 500 points this month, you can exchange them for a keychain. Want to get one?”

Qin Han shook her head. “I don’t have any points. This is my first time here.”

The tattooed woman looked surprised. “First time? But you look so familiar! I thought you were a regular customer here. Ha ha!”

“Maybe because of this?” Qin Han pointed at the woman’s arm.

The tattooed woman froze for about 5 or 6 seconds before smacking her forehead. “Ah! I remember now! You’re Qing-ge’s little girlfriend!”

Qin Han hadn’t expected the woman to remember her after so many years. Feeling a bit embarrassed, her ears turned red. “I’m not—”

“Are you two married yet?”

The tattooed woman leaned in close, winking. “That beast Qing-ge dared to pursue underage girls. Now that you’re grown up, he must be dying to marry you, right?”

Qin Han’s face burned even hotter as she waved her hands frantically. “No, nothing like that.”

“Nothing?!” The tattooed beauty frowned, her expression puzzled. “How could there be nothing? Last year or the year before, I went back for another tattoo. He was drawing your portrait. So absorbed in his work he didn’t even notice me come in. When I called to him, he acted like I was bothering him. Tsk tsk tsk. Only someone as gentle and sweet as you could put up with that.”

Qin Han didn’t bother to clarify further. The thought of Zhang Yuqing drawing her portrait left her mind wandering even as she carried her coffee back to her table.

When she reached the table, she found a man sitting in the seat where she’d left her bag.

He looked only a few years older than her. When he saw her, he greeted her first. “Qin Han, hello. I’m Gu Xun.”

“Hello Gu Xun. How did you know it was me?” Qin Han set down her coffee and sat across from him.

Gu Xun smiled. “Your mother showed me your photo. I was going through a rough patch and happened to live near her bakery. I used to buy coffee and pastries there often.”

Qin Han nodded.

Gu Xun handed her his phone. “I picked out a few restaurants. Want to see which one you like?”

Qin Han shook her head politely. “Let’s just keep it simple.”

Gu Xun glanced at her and suddenly laughed. “Qin Han, you might as well write ‘Eat quickly and finish early’ on your forehead.”

“Do I look like I do?”

“You have someone you like, don’t you?” Gu Xun asked.

“How did you know?”

Gu Xun pointed to the coffee counter behind him. “I’ve been here a few minutes. I saw you chatting happily with the barista. Were you talking about a man? Your face is all flushed. Was it about someone you like? Or maybe a boyfriend you’re keeping secret from your mom?”

“Not exactly a boyfriend.”

Qin Han smiled warmly. “He’s someone I like. Sorry, I was planning to tell you after we finished eating.”

“It’s alright.”

Qin Han pushed the coffee she’d bought him across the table. “Let me treat you to lunch as an apology. Consider it my way of making up for it.”

“No need,” Gu Xun said with a smile. “I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend anyway. Your mom was just too hospitable. I thought I’d take you to an exhibit and explain things properly.”

Relieved that neither had romantic intentions, Qin Han let out a sigh of relief.

They’d already bought tickets for the exhibit, so Qin Han followed through with her plans. After lunch, they visited the oil painting exhibition together, though she insisted on splitting all costs evenly with Gu Xun.

The exhibit hall was quiet as Qin Han slowly read the description cards.

When she looked up again, she froze.

It was a medieval oil painting with somber, muted tones. The background blended browns and bronze hues, within which hung a sword.

The scabbard was carved with intricate patterns and inlaid with ancient gems. The sword protruded halfway from its sheath, revealing a gleaming, razor-sharp blade.

Qin Han paused before the painting. Gu Xun glanced at her. “Do you like this piece?”

She shook her head. “I saw this painting in a history book at the library once. Back then, I thought the sword looked just like him.”

Qin Han was the type of girl who couldn’t hide her feelings.

Despite Gu Xun being her potential matchmaker, every word she spoke seemed to revolve around Zhang Yuqing.

Gu Xun couldn’t suppress a genuine laugh. “To be honest, I recently went through a breakup. I keep thinking about my ex-girlfriend. This art exhibition isn’t even my taste—it’s hers.”

“Ah…”

Qin Han looked disappointed. “Why did you break up?”

As two people with troubled relationships conversed, they found themselves growing sympathetic toward each other.

Qin Han felt Gu Xun resembled her dormitory’s best friend. When she expressed this, Gu Xun chuckled heartily.

After leaving the exhibition, the two decided to have dinner together.

Qin Han ate heartily, having few male friends. She turned to Gu Xun with genuine humility, “What do you think? My mother went overboard. Do you think he’d blame me?”

“No. If he did, he wouldn’t have driven you home yesterday.”

“But…” Qin Han’s voice carried a note of concern. “Zhang Yuqing’s always been somewhat enigmatic. I feel like even if he resented me, he’d still take me home if he saw me caught in the rain.”

“That’s quite magnanimous. A worthy trait,” Gu Xun remarked with a smile.

“Exactly! He’s so composed and generous. I thought I’d grown mature these past two years, but I still feel uncertain around him.” Qin Han’s cheeks flushed crimson. “The café waitress said he drew my portrait. Do you think he’d create art out of resentment?”

Gu Xun rapped the table with a knuckle, adopting a mock-serious tone. “Qin Han, I’m fresh from a breakup. Could you spare me the lovey-dovey talk?”

Their conversation flowed naturally, drawing out the dinner hour.

When splitting the bill, Qin Han insisted on covering the extra 23 yuan.

Gu Xun offered, “Since I’m driving, I’ll take you home.”

Qin Han accepted without protest.

She found Gu Xun quite nice too. Even when she chattered away with her questions, he never dismissed her as childish or annoying.

But Gu Xun was also straightforward. “I’m just heartbroken right now. Being alone is unbearable. If I could get back with my girlfriend, I probably wouldn’t even answer your calls. But when you talk about your Zhang Yuqing, you sure do ramble on.”

When the car pulled up to Qin Han’s neighborhood entrance, she said, “Park here. My building is the one right at the gate.”

“Alright. Take care. See you next time.”

Qin Han jumped out, waving her small purse. “See you next time.”

As she approached the building entrance, Qin Han noticed a car parked outside. She paid it no mind.

Qin Han was in a good mood today. Gu Xun had assured her that based on his analysis, Zhang Yuqing definitely didn’t resent her and probably even harbored some fondness.

Humming a tune, she pressed the elevator button. While waiting, Qin Han felt the safety door to the right staircase shift slightly.

Before she could react, a strong hand dragged her into the safety passage.

“Ah—”

Qin Han jumped in fright. The motion-activated lights came on, revealing Zhang Yuqing standing before her.

“What are you doing here?”

Zhang Yuqing didn’t answer, simply gazing at her in silence.

His eyes, usually filled with warmth, now held only depth and weight.

Qin Han’s back pressed against the tiled wall, her wrist firmly gripped in his hand.

After a moment, the corridor lights extinguished themselves in the stillness, plunging the space into darkness.

The confined space made Qin Han acutely aware of Zhang Yuqing’s approach.

His warm breath brushed against her earlobe as he murmured, voice low and restrained, “Do you like him?”