Cross the Boundary GL - Chapter 14

When Qin Song arrived home, she poured a drink over ice as usual. Her sleep depended on either medication or alcohol. However, tonight was different. Even after downing the entire bottle, she still couldn’t feel any drowsiness.

In the early hours of the morning, as the weather turned cooler, the balcony curtains swayed in the night breeze. Qin Song sat on the sofa, moonlight passing through her glass and making the liquid inside glow.

She picked up a cigarette from the table, her fingers gently twisting the slender mouthpiece. Soon, the cigarette broke in two, and the brown tobacco spilled all over the table, only to be quickly carried away by the wind.

The anesthetic for her wound had worn off, and a sharp, fine pain started to build from a mild ache to a throbbing sensation at her temple. Qin Song stared at the broken cigarette and reached out to touch it.

She was addicted to this feeling. In a state of hazy trance, she took a sip of her drink. She always ignored her doctor’s advice, but she had ingrained what Li Chu had said.

—There are many ways to be happy; it doesn’t have to be through pain.

In reality, Qin Song couldn’t find any other kind of happiness. She hated crowds, disliked tight, cramped spaces, and was disgusted by too much physical contact. When she bit down to counter Li Chu’s skepticism, it was to tell her that in the face of pain, everyone has a conditioned response.

If Li Chu embraced her, then she could kiss her.

The word “kiss” seemed sweet, but the agreement was crystal clear. She didn’t just derive emotional satisfaction from pain; this escape route was for her, and nothing else.

For Qin Song, doing anything else was nothing more than a piece of paper, a cold, contractual relationship.

She was a person who was extremely mindful of contractual integrity, which was a major reason for her rise to a senior position at Yangxin. No matter how difficult or complex a contract she signed was, she would fulfill it completely, never cutting corners.

So, she believed her unease about Lin Zhiyan stemmed from the fact that Li Chu had never mentioned this person’s existence.

Qin Song felt that Li Chu had violated their agreement.

Relationships are a matter of single-choice selection. To reach a consensus, one must exchange conditions.

The two of them had signed a mutually beneficial contract, but she had no agreement with Lin Zhiyan, yet Li Chu and Lin Zhiyan had countless interactions.

Qin Song slowly furrowed her brow. If her loss of control these past few days was because of Lin Zhiyan’s appearance, then Li Chu needed to compensate her.

Yes, compensation. She swallowed her drink, pleased with her choice of words.

Li Chu seemed to want her to overcome her pathological dependence on pain. The more she pushed away and acted cold, the more Li Chu seemed unbothered.

Lin Zhiyan’s appearance had muddled everything. A thought abruptly occurred to Qin Song: she wanted to see if the “other ways to be happy” that Li Chu spoke of could truly bring her joy.

Qin Song didn’t think they could. She was like driftwood, like a bird without feet, flying aimlessly with a feeling that she couldn’t stop.

How could Li Chu think she could change everything? Even though she had grown up in an orphanage, she had received the endless love of Director Hu, which had cultivated her current naive and ridiculous temperament.

Qin Song lit the last remaining cigarette, but only took one puff, watching it slowly shorten, like the turbulent emotions, before it was burned to ash.

A few days later, in the afternoon, Qin Song went to Kiss.me.

Her dark black car had been sent to the repair shop. She was driving another one today, but it was also a deep black.

Aside from her hair and tattoos, almost everything in Qin Song’s daily life lacked bright colors, a stubborn and monotonous bleakness.

It was very fitting for her personality.

Li Chu was squatting in front of the colorful light board, about to charge it. Qin Song honked the horn, and the girl turned her head.

From a distance, Li Chu blinked for a moment before standing up. She asked with a bit of confusion, “Qin Song…? What are you…?”

She stopped mid-sentence, mustering up the courage to walk closer. “Are you going out?”

Li Chu realized that she seemed to be sick too. Whenever she was around Qin Song, her heart would beat wildly. Even though the weather today was cooler and not hot, she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Qin Song unlocked the car, gesturing with her chin for the other person to get in.

“Go… go where?” Li Chu didn’t dare to move. “I still have to work.”

Qin Song leaned on the steering wheel, turning her face to the side and saying coldly, “I thought you didn’t want to work.”

Li Chu fell silent, biting her lip in frustration and arguing, “I’m not that frivolous.”

Qin Song’s lips curved upward slightly. “Get in the car.”

Li Chu found her smile to be ambiguous, tinged with sarcasm and mockery, and she refused to give in. “Where are we going?”

Qin Song didn’t want to answer. She turned and unbuckled her seatbelt. After getting out of the car, she walked unhurriedly to the storefront in her high heels.

There was a roll-up metal door in front of the shop, which was already raised high. She stood in front of it, hugging her arms and looking up.

After watching for a while, she lifted her hand, and the metal door slid down halfway with a clang. Then she turned around, hooked the colorful light board, and kicked it under the door with her high-heeled foot.

Li Chu stared blankly at her series of actions before finally reacting, “What are you doing? Where are we going?”

“To find a way,” Qin Song said, walking closer and looking down at her expressionlessly. “A way to be happy.”

Li Chu stood still, her mind swirling with the words she had spoken a few days ago, which now felt as fleeting as smoke.

So the car started, and Li Chu sat anxiously in the passenger seat, her hands tightly twisting the seatbelt across her chest, afraid that Qin Song would go crazy and crash into the greenery on the side of the road.

She felt like she was going crazy, too, pushed to the brink.

But Qin Song’s cold demeanor showed no signs of madness. She even slowed the car down. From Li Chu’s perspective, all she could see was the stark and ruthless jawline hidden behind her pink hair.

Li Chu took out her phone, her typing hand trembling unconsciously. “Sister Zhiyan, what should I do?!”

Lin Zhiyan replied quickly: “What’s wrong?”

“I’m in Qin Song’s car, and I don’t know where she’s taking me!”

“Oh… maybe you should check the navigation?”

Li Chu cautiously glanced at the phone hanging from the air vent and replied, “Misty Forest.”

Lin Zhiyan seemed to have looked it up, and after a moment, she replied, “Why go to such an out-of-the-way amusement park?”

It’s an amusement park… Li Chu thought about it but couldn’t seem to reconcile Qin Song’s face with the joyful sounds of an amusement park.

It was like dragging a flying goddess down to hell, making her look completely out of place.

Her phone vibrated again, and Lin Zhiyan sent another message: “Maybe she’s taking you out to have some fun because she thinks you’re young? Don’t worry so much, just have a good time.”

Li Chu thought to herself, “No way Qin Song is going to have fun,” and then suddenly remembered something. She lowered her head and typed.

“Sister Zhiyan, you should come too. I think she seems to really care about you; she even mentioned you when she got back.”

Lin Zhiyan sent a question mark, then said, “Really? Li Xiaochu, are you just scared?”

Li Chu immediately explained, “It’s true. We got into a car accident because she mentioned you.”

The other side fell silent again, and the note changed to “the other person is typing.” Li Chu bit her lip uneasily, not daring to look at the person driving, only staring at the trees rushing by outside the window.

Misty Forest was an old amusement park with outdated equipment and a remote location. It wasn’t as big as the new amusement parks in the city. The drive from Kiss.me took an hour and a half.

Throughout the drive, Qin Song didn’t say a word. The car was quiet except for the cold female voice of the GPS giving directions.

Once they got on the highway, Lin Zhiyan’s message came in: “I’m already in a taxi. Have you guys arrived yet?”

Li Chu was so nervous that her palms were sweating. She typed several words but kept making mistakes: “Not yet, about half an hour to go.”

“Perfect. It’ll take me about half an hour to get there too.”

After turning off her phone, Li Chu seriously pondered Qin Song’s purpose for going to the amusement park. Could she really… just want to play?

She didn’t believe Qin Song had that kind of leisure time. Qin Song couldn’t spare the energy for fun; she was always very focused on her own things.

As Li Chu kept guessing, the car stopped.

It was a weekend, so even though it was an old amusement park, there were still many adults and children coming to play. The line to get in stretched all the way to the roadside. Lin Zhiyan was standing to the right of a small door, hands behind her back, bending down to watch a balloon vendor hand a “Pleasant Goat” balloon to a little girl.

Qin Song was uncomfortable. She got out of the car and immediately lit a cigarette with her lighter. She hadn’t even taken two puffs when the girl beside her suddenly raised her hand and waved it vigorously.

She lifted her eyes, and Lin Zhiyan’s bright features gradually loomed closer. Her chestnut hair was tied in a ponytail, which bounced lively behind her.

“Li Xiaochu!” Lin Zhiyan took the last step by leaping forward, the sunlight following her movements all the way.

Qin Song let her hand with the cigarette drop to her side. She gave Li Chu a meaningful glance, and her ear studs made a fragmented sound as they moved.

Li Chu couldn’t quite understand that look. She secretly watched, unconsciously moving closer and closer to Lin Zhiyan.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Zhiyan was tying her shoelace. When she was suddenly approached, she looked up. “Are you cold?”

Li Chu shook her head hurriedly. She wasn’t cold; Qin Song was. Those stern eyes had turned into ice blades, almost ready to kill her on the spot.

She didn’t know what she had done wrong.

Qin Song truly hadn’t expected Li Chu to call Lin Zhiyan. The turbulent feelings she had just suppressed began to surge again, almost reaching a breaking point.

“Let’s go? I’ve bought the tickets!” Lin Zhiyan shook her hand. “Three tickets. It’ll get more crowded later, and it’ll be a pain to get in if we have to wait in line!”

Li Chu felt rescued and quickly ran away with Lin Zhiyan, her arm linked in hers.

Qin Song bit down hard on her tongue ring. The person was already gone, and there was no outlet for her feelings. She lowered her eyes and walked forward through the commotion.

If there were many ways to find happiness, Qin Song thought, an amusement park definitely wasn’t one of them.

After entering, besides the thrill rides, everything else had a long line. Lin Zhiyan grabbed the straps of her backpack in a dilemma. “Should we go on the roller coaster? It looks like there aren’t many people there.”

Li Chu was distracted, looking around and seeing Qin Song standing in the distance. Her coffee-colored trench coat was open, and many passersby were looking at her. She was a person who always made a grand entrance.

But her eyes were so black they showed no trace of light, like seawater that had drowned countless creatures, the kind that wouldn’t even ripple if a giant rock was thrown into it.

“Is there anything you want to play?” Lin Zhiyan asked Qin Song from across the street. “You came all this way; you should at least have some fun.”

The midday sun was a bit strong, and Qin Song’s facial features were barely discernible. Li Chu saw her raise her hand, her wrist bones hidden in the wide sleeves, with a network of veins and tattoos, slender and overly pale.

The direction she pointed was the haunted house. The entrance was eerily quiet; even with a loudspeaker promoting it, no one was interested.

Lin Zhiyan whispered, “I think she’s scarier than the ghosts.”

Li Chu agreed inwardly but didn’t show it on her face. “Not really. She’s a living person after all.”

So the three of them walked towards the haunted house. Qin Song was behind them, her head down and her hands in her pockets, oblivious to the noise around her.

As they passed the roller coaster line, a few trendy-looking guys were laughing and chatting.

Qin Song’s pink hair was too flashy. One of the guys saw her and bumped his friend with his shoulder. Immediately, a mocking, high-pitched laugh rang out, clear and piercing.

“Crazy girl, you actually came to an amusement park?”

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