Cross the Boundary GL - Chapter 49.1

After three years apart, Li Chu thought she could face Qin Song with grace and composure. But when Qin Song stood before her, with her dark hair and red lips, Li Chu felt frozen in place. The machine in her hand buzzed, but she couldn’t bring herself to lower it.

It wasn’t until a customer said something to her that Li Chu snapped back to reality. She turned her head and said, “You can have a seat.”

Qin Song was as fair-skinned as ever, with veins faintly visible beneath her translucent skin. But the sickly pallor was gone; she looked like a very beautiful and healthy person.

Li Chu had been on the move for three years, and her body had become much stronger. The frailty of the past was nowhere to be seen, and her complexion had improved. Li Chu was overjoyed, but the greater her joy, the more unreal it felt.

The door opened again, breaking the silence. Customers started pouring in, and Li Chu was busy. Unable to break away, she simply sat and greeted them, “Please wait a moment; I’ll be done here soon.”

She glanced at Qin Song, a little worried that the other woman would be impatient.

But the treatment had worked. Qin Song raised her eyes, scanned the new arrivals, then slowly lowered her gaze and chose to sit in a corner.

She didn’t stay long, getting up to tell Li Chu, “I’ll head back first.”

Li Chu felt a pang of anxiety. “Where are you going?”

Qin Song smiled, leaning in slightly. In her pupils, Li Chu saw her own “spineless” face reflected.

“I’m tired from the journey. I’m going to wash up. Call me when you’re done.”

Her tone was calm, and it softened her sharp features. Li Chu was a little unaccustomed to this version of Qin Song. She blinked. “Back to Cheng An?”

“Mm.” Qin Song picked up her bag and looked back before leaving. “Where else?”

So she returned to the apartment. Compared to three years ago, the place had a lot more stuff. Li Chu’s life had taken root here, and with it, the warmth of a lived-in space had sprouted.

She had sent countless postcards, half of which were hung in her shop and the other half on the white wall of her apartment. Qin Song ran her hands over them one by one, then walked to the balcony. Looking down, she saw that the lawn had been replaced by a soccer field.

A few elementary school students were playing soccer below, their joyous cheers rising and falling, mingling with the sunlight, and radiating a sense of warmth.

After her shower, Qin Song threw her clothes in the washing machine and then went to the living room to check the fridge. Inside, she found only a bottle of mineral water and a lipstick.

The lipstick she hadn’t taken with her three years ago—Li Chu had kept it.

Qin Song put on makeup with the lipstick. She had rarely worn makeup before, so when she appeared with it on, Li Chu barely recognized her.

“Didn’t you say to call you when I was done? Why did you come out first?” Li Chu was still working. She had already turned away a few walk-in customers and was about to finish with her scheduled appointments.

It’s a good thing no one wanted a large-scale tattoo today, Li Chu thought.

Qin Song’s hair hadn’t been intentionally dyed black; the pink was barely visible, with just a hint left at the tips. But it was beautiful, uniquely so.

“I wanted to see you. I came down as soon as I was done.”

Li Chu’s hand shook, almost messing up the tattoo pattern. She looked up at her customer, then at Qin Song. Qin Song stood with her arms crossed, looking perfectly at ease, as if she hadn’t just said those words.

How can she just say something like that in front of a stranger? Li Chu was incredulous. After finishing the final touches, she stood up and sniffed the other woman like a little dog.

She wanted to be sure this person was really Qin Song.

“Do you identify people by scent?” Qin Song found it amusing. She reached out and cupped the back of Li Chu’s neck, forcing her to look up. “Where did you learn that?”

The girl’s eyes were as clear as glass, her gentle gaze and the downward curve of her eyes creating an innocent expression. Aside from being taller, Li Chu hadn’t changed at all.

Qin Song lightly touched her forehead to Li Chu’s. Her body temperature was still so warm. Her fingers traced down Li Chu’s hair to her eyelids.

Li Chu instinctively closed her eyes, her lashes fluttering.

“It’s good to see you, Li Chu,” Qin Song said.

They had known each other for five years, and this was the first time Li Chu had heard her say her name. The gentle tone, slipping off her tongue, made Li Chu’s eyes snap open. The emotions accumulated over three years seemed to break free, spilling from the corners of her eyes. “I’m not alright.”

As the three words burst out, she choked up. “I’m very not alright, Qin Song. I have so much I want to say, but you’re standing here, right in front of me, and I find that all the resentment, anger, and sadness I’ve saved up don’t matter anymore…”

Qin Song watched her quietly.

“You’re a jerk…” Li Chu pushed her. Qin Song, caught off guard, stumbled slightly but quickly regained her balance.

“You abandoned me and disappeared without a word, but why… can’t I feel angry at all? I really hate how my heart won’t listen.”

The wind chime was moved by the wind, its clear sound a faint accompaniment. Qin Song took a half-step forward, her thumb wiping away the tears on Li Chu’s face.

“You’ve grown up,” she said softly. “I was still worried you would swallow your sadness and be just like before.”

“I’m not who I used to be, and you shouldn’t be who you used to be.”

The old Li Chu would silently endure all her grievances.

Qin Song didn’t want her to be like that.

Her finger, wet with tears, touched Li Chu’s cheek, then her lips. Qin Song paused, then her knuckles slid quietly into the corner of Li Chu’s mouth. Li Chu’s tongue was held between two slender fingers, and saliva unconsciously trickled out.

Qin Song wiped it away with her thumb.

The warmth receded, and the bodies that hadn’t touched in three years rubbed together, creating a constant, burning heat that seared every inch of their skin.

Li Chu’s hands clutched Qin Song’s shoulders, unconsciously reaching under her collar, trying to unbutton her shirt, one by one.

After unbuttoning just one, Qin Song held her hand.

“We’re in the shop.” Her kiss carried the salty taste of tears. Li Chu tasted her familiar tongue piercing, which rolled around her tongue like rock candy.

Li Chu was a complete mess, her chest rising and falling with each breath. The trembling was transmitted through her clothes, a rhythm against Qin Song’s body.

“Then why did you tease me?” Li Chu held on, her legs weak, her eyes crimson like a moonlit Epiphyllum flower.

Qin Song let out a soft laugh, trying and failing to hold it back. She turned her head, lowered it, and finally broke into a smile. “My fault.”

“…” Li Chu found Qin Song’s calm admission of her own fault strangely unfamiliar. But the woman was standing right there, so warm, so different from the cool strands of hair in her palm.

So Li Chu couldn’t help but reach out and touch her.

Qin Song gazed at her, indulging her, letting Li Chu’s hands wander all over her face.

Her fingers trembled, tracing from the corners of her eyes to the bridge of her nose, following the delicate curve downwards. This face hadn’t changed much; in fact, the past three years had made it more mature, etched with the marks of time.

Li Chu felt a scar on her jawline. It was completely healed, but she could tell it had been stitched.

“How did you get this injury?”

“Fell down a mountain. It took six stitches.”

Seeing Li Chu’s silent, reproachful look, Qin Song kissed her eyes again, pecking them lightly before letting go.

“My brother made a reservation. Let’s go home and get ready. We’re having dinner tonight.”

Li Chu pursed her lips. She didn’t think dinner was what was on Qin Song’s mind right now. At least… it wasn’t on hers.

Qin Song bent down to pick up the tools on the floor and put them into the toolbox. Li Chu quickly reached for it. “I’ll do it…”

She was still not used to this.

“You will?” Qin Song smiled.

“Yes, I will.” Li Chu felt a strange panic. She tripped on a wire as she walked away, but Qin Song quickly grabbed and steadied her.

“Be careful.”

This was all so new. Li Chu didn’t dare look up. She felt that the current Qin Song was like a clear spring. Her expression was still placid when she spoke, but it radiated a gentle warmth, not the sharp edge she had three years ago, even when she was smiling.

The sky was turning a hazy yellow, and the warm glow of lanterns shone through the glass door. Qin Song stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the counter, her gaze silently shifting.

“Don’t take any more appointments after today. Close the shop for renovations.” She scanned the room again. “Expand it to connect with the front. It’s too small.”

When Qin Zhao saw Qin Song for the first time, his eyes welled up. At the grand banquet, with the background full of blooming flowers, the brother and sister were at a loss for words.

“Brother.” Qin Song was the first to speak. This made Qin Zhao immediately raise a hand to cover his eyes.

Qin Fu, who was just over two years old, hugged her dad’s leg and asked Li Chu curiously, “Sister Chu, why is Daddy crying?”

The little girl was as cute and delicate as a dumpling. Qin Song was reminded of Yuan Yuan.

She crouched down and opened her hand. A few fruit candies were lying in her palm.

“Want some?”

Qin Fu didn’t know Qin Song. She wanted the candy but was too scared to take it. She also felt the woman’s aura was too strong and intimidating. She hugged Qin Zhao’s leg tightly. “Waaah, who is she? Hu Hu doesn’t know her, waaah…”

Li Chu: “…”

After all these years, Qin Song can still scare a child to tears.

Li Chu wanted to laugh, but she bit her lip to hold it in. She crouched down too and put her arm around Qin Fu. “Hu Hu, be good. This is your… aunt.”

“What’s ‘aunt’?”

“…It’s your daddy’s sister. Don’t you remember? Sister showed you a picture of her.”

The little girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, looked at Li Chu, then at Qin Song, as if she remembered something. “Is it the bubblegum hair sister!”

“Bubblegum?” Li Chu finally couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, the bubblegum hair sister. But you have to call her ‘aunt’.”

Qin Fu was very well-behaved. She immediately called Qin Song “aunt” obediently, then looked at the fruit candies with longing.

Qin Song poured all the candies into her hand, and one fell. She picked it up and unwrapped it. Qin Fu was about to open her mouth, but Qin Song turned her hand, and the glistening candy was placed in Li Chu’s mouth. It was lychee-flavored and exploded on her tongue.

Qin Fu was shocked. She burst into tears, “Waaah! Aunt didn’t feed me candy first! She fed Sister Chu!”

She had been pampered since she was little, even by Li Chu. But Qin Song’s sudden and unique appearance was too much. A child’s mind is simple. In her world, Qin Zhao was a strong, dependable man, but today he was crying uncontrollably.

And the candy incident. Qin Fu’s world came crashing down. It wasn’t until Li Yuerou came over and asked, confused, “What’s going on? Why are both father and daughter crying so sadly?”

Qin Fu threw herself into her arms, her face saying I’m going to have a tantrum now. “Mommy, Aunt didn’t feed me candy first! She fed Sister Chu first!”

Li Yuerou finally noticed Qin Song, who was crouching. She was speechless for a long time. She picked up Qin Fu and said, “Hu Hu, be good. Don’t be naughty.”

After she spoke, she smiled gently at Qin Song. “It’s good that you’re back. You must have suffered a lot out there. Everyone missed you very much.”

Qin Song looked up at her. “Sister-in-law.”

“Yes.” Li Yuerou’s eyes also welled up, but her smile was even brighter. “Don’t squat. Get up and sit down. Everyone will be here for dinner soon. Xiao Chu, why are you squatting too? A Zhao?”

Qin Zhao put down his hand. The grown man, a family man, was crying like a child, his voice changed. “It’s good that you’re back. In the years you were gone… so many things have been sorted out. Le Le, you chose to let go, but I won’t let you have suffered for nothing.”

Hearing this, Li Chu also felt her eyes get misty.

Only Qin Song smiled faintly. “Mm.”

She pulled Li Chu up, naturally threading her fingers through the girl’s, their hands intertwined. Qin Fu stopped crying and lay her head on Li Yuerou’s shoulder. “She’s holding hands with Sister Chu. It’s so embarrassing.”

Li Chu was the first to blush, and she tried to pull her hand away, but Qin Song held it even tighter.

“What are you afraid of?” Qin Song held her hand with calm confidence. “Let’s eat.”

Li Yuerou and Qin Zhao’s expressions were normal. They took Qin Fu to greet the guests. As they left, the little girl was still asking, “Mommy, why are Sister Chu and Aunt holding hands? Are they good friends?”

“They’re like Daddy and Mommy.”

“Huh?” Qin Fu couldn’t process this new information. “Daddy and Mommy are a boy and a girl. Sister Chu and Aunt are a girl and a girl.”

Li Yuerou was amused by her silly question. “What a boy and a girl can do, a girl and a girl can do too. Okay, Hu Hu, get ready to eat. There are big prawns tonight…”

After dinner, Qin Zhao and Qin Song went to the backyard alone. It was winter, so there were no fresh flowers, but everything was as it had been.

“Are you okay?” Qin Zhao asked.

“Mm.” Qin Song held a cigarette. The heat from the ember spread between the flower beds. Qin Zhao frowned. “Still smoking?”

“Hard to quit, but I smoke less now.”

The beginning was really tough. Qin Song could only smoke constantly, uncontrollably trying to use tobacco to suppress her wayward thoughts.

“And your body? Your illness… is that better too?”

Qin Song flicked a strand of hair from her lips and said, “It’s not completely recovered, but it’s close. It doesn’t affect me anymore.”

“That’s so good…” Qin Zhao took a deep breath, and after a long time, slowly let it out. “Qian Fang is staying in the West Wing. Do you want to go see her?”

Qin Song was a little surprised. “Why is she at the old house?”

“After Zheng Chengfeng’s downfall, she knelt at the door saying she wanted to repent. Our eldest uncle found it unseemly, so he just brought her in. Qin Zhao licked his dry lips, hesitating. “If you don’t want her here, I can arrange for her to live elsewhere so you won’t have to see each other.”

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