Cross the Boundary GL - Chapter 17

Leisurely, the protagonist Li Chu is Browse the web when she stumbles upon the official website for Yangxin, the company where her new acquaintance, Qin Song, works. Intrigued, she clicks through and finds Qin Song’s professional profile. Among the stern, black-haired employees in suits, Qin Song stands out with her pink hair, tattoos, and flashy appearance, looking more like a celebrity than a corporate manager.

Li Chu compares the phone number listed on the website to the one she has for Qin Song and notices they’re different. She realizes the number on the site is a work number, while the one she has—with its all-black profile picture and no posts—is clearly a personal one. The shared interest in tattoos makes her feel an unexpected connection to Qin Song.

Just then, her friend Lin Zhiyan calls. Lin Zhiyan has been doing some digging and reveals that Qin Song is the daughter of the famous real estate mogul, Qin Zhen. Her parents are divorced, and her mother remarried a well-known mall owner, Zheng Chengfeng. However, Qin Song seems to have no relationship with her stepfather and hasn’t been in contact with them since college. This raises questions for Li Chu about why someone from such a prominent family would be working at Yangxin, a private company, seemingly “hiding” her background.

Lin Zhiyan adds another interesting tidbit: Chen Ran, one of Yangxin’s shareholders, is a childhood friend of Zheng Chengfeng. This connection deepens the mystery of Qin Song’s position at the company. Li Chu and Lin Zhiyan speculate about why Qin Song would give up her privileged life, but they can’t come to a definitive conclusion. Li Chu goes to bed, pondering Qin Song’s cold, lifeless eyes and the complexities of her life.

Meanwhile, Qin Song, who is on vacation, is working from home. Her planning team sends her a link to her company profile, asking her to approve the updated information. She’s usually hands-off with these things, but a cute rabbit emoji from the team reminds her of Li Chu. This prompts her to click the link, and she’s surprised to see that Li Chu has been a visitor on her page for two consecutive days.

A notification on the website asks if she wants to engage with the user. On a whim, she opens a chatbox and types, “What do you want to know?”

Li Chu, startled, goes offline for a moment before replying, “Are you the real person or a customer service rep?”

Qin Song, playing along, responds, “Not the real person.”

The two continue to chat, with Li Chu expressing her curiosity about the “very powerful” and “mysterious” person in the profile photo. She praises Qin Song’s team, mistakenly believing that her leadership is what makes the team so strong. Qin Song, amused and slightly bothered by this unexpected interaction, finds herself getting emotionally flustered. Li Chu, realizing she’s been talking to a website representative, apologizes and asks them not to tell Qin Song about her curiosity.

After the chat, Qin Song closes the site. In the afternoon, she goes to kiss.me, Li Chu’s shop. Li Chu, caught completely off guard, drops the earrings she’s making. With a guilty look on her face, she scrambles to pick up her things and asks Qin Song if she’s there for a touch-up or to finish her leg tattoo.

Qin Song, with a hint of a smile, says she’s there to get her conch pierced. Li Chu, still flustered, accidentally knocks over a chair and spills her supplies. As she nervously cleans up, Qin Song watches her with an air of amusement. When Li Chu goes to disinfect Qin Song’s ear, she accidentally spills too much alcohol on her shoulder.

The atmosphere becomes tense and charged. Li Chu tries to use the piercing gun but can’t get the angle right. As she leans in closer, her breath lands on Qin Song’s ear, making it feel hot and tingly. Li Chu’s mind goes blank, and she decides to take a break.

At that moment, Qin Song slowly raises her left hand, which is more heavily tattooed than her right. Her fingers gently grasp Li Chu’s wrist, then move up to cover her hand, which is still holding the piercing gun. The size and warmth of Qin Song’s hand are both surprising and reassuring.

“Hold it steady,” Qin Song says, pressing down on the switch with Li Chu’s finger. The piercing gun is now caught between both of their fingers. Qin Song helps guide her to the right spot. Li Chu leans forward, bracing her free hand on Qin Song’s knee.

“On the count of three, we’ll press together.”

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