Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Number

A little too much for thanks

——

Qin Han slid into Xu Weiran’s car, the overly cold air conditioning making her gently rub her arms.  

As she closed the car door, she glanced back toward the shop. Zhang Yuqing was still sitting in the same chair, his head drooping as he continued sketching his drafts.  

Qin Han’s finger, which had been resting on the window button, retracted into her palm. She had originally planned to wave goodbye to Zhang Yuqing once more, but seeing his indifference, it seemed as though her coming or going made no difference to him at all.  

A strange sensation suddenly washed over Qin Han. It felt like she had never even entered Zhang Yuqing’s tattoo shop at all.  

Thinking that, she lowered her head and saw the pink socks peeking out from the white sneakers she was wearing.  

Oh, she had been there, after all.  

After all, she was still wearing the socks he gave her.  

But why would Zhang Yuqing have women’s socks?  

Was it for a girlfriend?  

When she looked out the window again, the narrow Yaonan Alley had already become a blurred shadow, the sunlight making it appear like a mirage at the edge of the city.  

Xu Weiran, who didn’t know where he had pulled a bunch of snacks from, twisted around in his seat. “Qin Han, Qin Han, do you want this? This chocolate is really good. It has a soft filling inside.”  

Qin Han shook her head.  

“If you’re worried about getting fat, there’s something else. How about some nuts?”  

“No thanks.”  

“I’m not saying you’re fat. You’re actually pretty thin. No need for dieting.”  

Xu Weiran scratched his hair and stretched his arm over from the passenger seat, pulling out snack after snack, piling them up in the back seat. “Here, this one too. This jelly is really good. My sister always eats these. The white peach flavor, and also the strawberry one.”  

Qin Han waved her hand, smiling politely. “I really don’t want any. We’re going for dessert later, and if I eat these now, I won’t have room for it.”  

“Oh, okay. Then don’t eat. I heard that dessert shop is really good. Save some space for the desserts.”  

Xu Weiran fell silent for less than half a minute before turning his head again. “Hey Qin Han, we’ve been high school classmates for three years. Why don’t we add each other on WeChat? I don’t even have your WeChat.”  

Qin Han, obedient as always, didn’t bring her phone to school during those three years. Even though most people secretly brought theirs, she never once took hers into the classroom. Her parents had always bought her a new phone each year, but she barely ever used it.  

The only friends on her WeChat were her family and Hu Keyuan.  

In her logic, she wasn’t very close to Xu Weiran. He was a friend of Hu Keyuan’s.  

So, she honestly answered, “Don’t we already have the class group chat? Keyuan also has my WeChat. She can help you find me.”  

“Oh.”  

Xu Weiran, who was about to find his own QR code, stopped, turned back, and leaned against his seat. He didn’t speak for the rest of the ride.  

The car rolled into the neighborhood where Hu Keyuan lived. Perhaps because of the intense heat, there wasn’t anyone around, and Qin Han immediately spotted Hu Keyuan waiting downstairs.  

She wore a white dress, holding a parasol, with a bright smile on her face, waving in the direction of the car.  

Xu Weiran didn’t lean out of the car with the same enthusiasm as when he was picking Qin Han up. Only Qin Han lowered the window and waved back. “Keyuan.”  

For a brief moment, Qin Han sensed an unnatural stiffness in Hu Keyuan’s face.  

This kind of sensitivity wasn’t typical for her. In fact, she doubted it was just the glare from the sun that made her see things wrong.  

But it wasn’t an illusion.  

That stiffness—what kind of emotion was she hiding? Qin Han couldn’t guess, but she was sure it wasn’t happiness at seeing her best friend.  

Hu Keyuan didn’t look happy when she saw her.  

Hu Keyuan opened the car door, pushing the snacks on the backseat aside, and smiled as usual. “Wow, who brought all these snacks?”  

Qin Han was particularly sensitive today, or perhaps it was because she had stepped out of her comfort zone.  

She had never thought before that there was a need to be sensitive when with family or friends, and she’d never realized that words needed to be carefully considered.  

But today, she swallowed her words.  

Her instinct told her that whether she said “Xu Weiran bought these” or “Xu Weiran left these here,” it would only make the atmosphere in the car even more awkward.  

But Xu Weiran, clearly more oblivious than Qin Han, didn’t turn around as he lay in his seat, responding to Hu Keyuan’s question. “They’re for Qin Han. She doesn’t want them. If you want them, just eat them.”  

Hu Keyuan fell silent for two seconds. “I don’t like them.”  

No one spoke after that. The air conditioning made it cold, and Qin Han suddenly found herself missing the time she spent in Zhang Yuqing’s shop.  

Zhang Yuqing’s shop, named “Oxygen,” didn’t even have air conditioning, yet on a sweltering summer day, it somehow felt comfortable.  

The snacks sat in the backseat until the car turned onto the street where they were heading. Suddenly, Hu Keyuan spoke up. “Qin Han, why aren’t you eating the snacks Xu Weiran gave you?”  

Qin Han felt a sudden wave of exhaustion and patiently explained again, “Didn’t we come here for dessert? If I eat the snacks, I won’t be able to eat dessert.”  

“Xu Weiran, Qin Han doesn’t like your snacks. Just take them away.”  

At that moment, Hu Keyuan’s voice felt more irritating than ever. More so than when the homeroom teacher occupied the PE class or when the principal went on and on during a ceremony.  

It was truly frustrating.  

Qin Han took a deep breath to suppress her irritation.  

The car stopped in front of the dessert shop. The three of them got out. The sign for the shop was cute, each letter round and soft.  

Qin Han had originally been eager to try the mille-feuille cake, but now she wasn’t looking forward to it anymore.  

The sunlight was scorching her arms, and she walked into the shop first, not because she couldn’t stand the heat, but because she wanted to escape the strange atmosphere created by both Hu Keyuan and Xu Weiran.  

As soon as she entered, she let out a sigh of relief and went to grab the dessert menu.  

When Qin Han wasn’t around, Hu Keyuan tugged at Xu Weiran’s sleeve and softly asked, “Xu Weiran, why aren’t you happy?”  

Xu Weiran, not particularly tall but still 178 cm, slumped over the table with a defeated posture. “I asked Qin Han for her WeChat.”  

“She didn’t give it to you?”  

“She said I should talk to you if I want to find her. Ugh, she wouldn’t even give me her WeChat.”  

Hu Keyuan sighed in relief. “That’s just how she is. If you want to get in touch with Qin Han, just ask me. I’ll help you set it up.”  

There was a pot of complimentary iced lemon water on the table. Xu Weiran sat up straight after a moment of silence, picked up the glass teapot, and poured Hu Keyuan a glass of lemon water. He leaned closer. “Hey, Hu Keyuan.”  

Hu Keyuan’s cheeks turned slightly red as she softly replied, “Mm?”  

“You and Qin Han are best friends, right? Why don’t you talk to her for me? Maybe she’ll add me on WeChat?”  

Hu Keyuan bit her lip and didn’t answer him.  

The dessert shop’s interior was decorated in bright yellow tones, like falling into a vat of cheese, with the air filled with the sweet scent of fruit and cream.  

Qin Han returned with the dessert menu, and before she even reached their table, she immediately sensed the suffocating atmosphere.  

Her family never argued, and she had never seen others argue either. Once, at school, there had been a fight among the boys, and she happened to see it when she came out of the restroom. She was bewildered.  

How could things get so bad that they resorted to fighting?  

Her eyes fell on the dessert menu, where there was a pink strawberry mille-feuille and crepes filled with mango chunks. Qin Han wasn’t in the mood to pick anything. Instead, a voice inside her whispered, This might be the last time I ever go out with Hu Keyuan.

Qin Han wasn’t the type of person to be sharp or confrontational. She gently placed the menu on the table, trying to ease the tension. “So, what should we try today?”  

Suddenly, her phone rang with another unknown number. She stood up. “You guys order first. I’ll take this call.”  

Xu Weiran immediately picked up the dessert menu and looked at her. “What do you want? I’ll order for you.”  

“Keyuan knows what I like. She can order for me.”  

Qin Han wasn’t sure why she said that all of sudden. It felt as though, in this sweet-scented dessert shop in June, she had somehow grown up.

She walked aside to answer the call. “Hello, who is this?”

“Zhang Yuqing.”

There were many customers in the dessert shop, and cheerful pop music was playing. Qin Han pressed the phone tightly to her ear, and Zhang Yuqing’s voice slid clearly into her ear. She wasn’t sure if it was the cool air conditioning, but Qin Han suddenly shrunk her neck, as though her ear and shoulder were tense.

How did Zhang Yuqing know her number? She’d never mentioned it to him!

Perhaps her silence was too obvious, because Zhang Yuqing suddenly laughed, his voice reaching her ears through the phone. “I have a pretty good memory. I’m a good person.”

His laugh made Qin Han remember. She had once received a call from Xu Weiran at Zhang Yuqing’s shop, and Xu Weiran had loudly said her phone number, mentioning that Zhang Yuqing had once dialed the wrong number.

Maybe Zhang Yuqing had heard it.

But why was he calling now?

“Is there something you need?”

She didn’t mean to sound impatient, but it probably came across that way. Qin Han wasn’t very good with words.

Actually, at this moment, she was really grateful that Zhang Yuqing had called. It gave her an excuse to briefly escape the suffocating atmosphere.

Zhang Yuqing suddenly said, “Little girl, you’re being too polite.”

“Huh?”

“A little too much for thanks, huh?”

Qin Han was a bit dazed by what he said. She wanted to ask “Huh?” again, but then thought that asking it twice would sound dumb.

She paused for a moment before replying, “Wasn’t it just the little cactus?”

“A bag.”

Qin Han suddenly remembered that when she had gone to Yaonan Alley, she had been carrying a bag. But when she left, she had only taken her phone. “I forgot to take it, I’m really sorry.”

Then, she suddenly realized something else. Where had she put those dirty socks she had changed out of???

She felt embarrassed. She had been wearing white socks, but they had gotten dirty from the mud, and they were still wet.

She had probably left them carelessly in the storage room on the second floor. What if Zhang Yuqing had seen them already?

So embarrassing.

Zhang Yuqing laughed again, that same teasing laugh.

He said, “So, the socks were a gift for me?”

“No!”

Zhang Yuqing continued laughing. “Well then, come over and get them when you’re free.”