Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 23

After more than half an hour, Lin Qingyue slowly finished dressing and putting on makeup, lazily re-opening the door to welcome her guest.

The woman outside was leaning against the wall, waiting, showing no sign of being angry, as if she were already accustomed to Lin Qingyue’s temper.

Hearing the door move, Meng Fan turned around, smiled, and said familiarly, “Still so slow.”

Lin Qingyue spoke languidly, but impolitely, “What are you doing here?”

“Huh, you’re strange. You ran off secretly with Xu Luwei, and now you ask me what I’m doing here?” Meng Fan giggled, covering her chin playfully, “Of course, I’m here to see if anything happened between you and Xu Luwei?”

“That doesn’t seem to be any of Miss Meng’s business, does it?” Lin Qingyue leaned against the doorframe, her peach blossom eyes slightly lowered, looking as if she hadn’t fully woken up.

Even half-asleep, a beauty is still a beauty. Seeing her standing there so casually, her figure and appearance were captivatingly attractive, her eyes shimmering as if intentionally seducing someone.

Even after seeing Lin Qingyue countless times, Meng Fan was entranced for a few seconds. When she came to her senses, her hatred intensified until her teeth ached.

Why, after knowing each other for so long, wouldn’t Lin Qingyue confide even two or three words to her when something happened? She didn’t reply to her messages, and she still had to run over herself, only to be barred from even entering the room!

She says every day she’s not familiar with Xu Luwei, but as soon as trouble hits, she runs off with her! And she runs so far and for so long!

Recalling Lin Qingyue opening the door earlier wearing only a light gauze dress, her graceful figure faintly visible, Meng Fan’s eyes were fixed on her. But as soon as she realized it was her, she immediately closed the door, and when she came out again, she was so cold!

Meng Fan was so consumed by jealousy she thought her teeth would fall out. Opening the door so unguardedly, the other person must have been Xu Luwei, right? After all these days, how far have things progressed between them? Could it be that they already…?

Meng Fan took a deep breath, feeling it was hard to remain rational. No, not just irrational, but consumed by the flames of jealousy.

Where am I worse than Xu Luwei? Isn’t it just that she’s a bit more dignified, elegant, gentle, and beautiful? Can my allure not compare?

What’s so good about a pretentious good person that she can be compared to a friend of many years!

Meng Fan couldn’t help but want to question something, but she knew Lin Qingyue’s personality softness works, hardness doesn’t. No matter how angry she was, she had to suppress it and instead smiled gently, “Qingyue, I was just worried about you. Why didn’t you reply to my messages? It’s been almost a week, everyone was afraid something happened to you…”

Under the lowered tone, Lin Qingyue’s attitude indeed softened. She shook her head, “It’s nothing, I just didn’t feel like replying.”

Meng Fan pressed her advantage, gently persuading, “Then what are you going to do next? You can’t keep troubling Xu Luwei.”

Lin Qingyue inexplicably wanted to see Meng Fan stumble, so she smiled casually, “It’s fine to trouble her a little.”

“Yes, Xu Luwei is a good person, she certainly won’t mind,” Meng Fan agreed through gritted teeth.

Lin Qingyue caught the underlying meaning and corrected her nonchalantly, “It’s me she minds for, so of course she doesn’t mind.”

With no one else present, she spoke as if it were fact, which made Meng Fan gasp repeatedly, her high heel was so thin she almost fell.

Having known each other for so many years, Meng Fan had seen all sorts of men and women come and go around Lin Qingyue at most, it was light flirtation. There were hardly two people who could hold Lin Qingyue’s hand, let alone be in a relationship.

Everyone in their circle said Lin Qingyue was an untamable wild horse, and no one would ever see her in any deep relationship.

Yet, turning around, she willingly put on a bridle, and the owner of that horse was named Xu Luwei?

Despite her best efforts to restrain herself, Meng Fan’s expression was undeniably dramatic, shifting between pale and red, impossible to conceal.

After a long pause, she managed a dry laugh, “Haha, staying a few days is fine too.”

Lin Qingyue leisurely enjoyed the change in Meng Fan’s expression, finding it quite amusing. She and Meng Fan had known each other for several years and rarely saw the other so flustered.

However, today, she thought, she might finally get to see it.

Seeing that quite some time had passed, Lin Qingyue felt hungry. She stretched like a cat and smiled lazily, “Since I’m fine, you should go back now.”

When she asked someone to leave, she was never polite.

Meng Fan was unwilling to go, but she knew Lin Qingyue’s rule: if she spoke and you didn’t leave, you wouldn’t see her again.

But she had gone to great lengths to find this place, traveled a long distance from Weicheng, and waited for over half an hour. To leave empty-handed now was a joke!

If this got out, everyone would laugh at her.

A few seconds passed, and seeing Lin Qingyue about to close the door on her own, Meng Fan swiftly stepped forward and called out, “Wait a moment!”

Lin Qingyue’s tone carried a hint of impatience, “What is it?”

“Qingyue.” Meng Fan looked at her and suddenly called out very seriously.

The atmosphere instantly quieted. Anyone perceptive could sense she had something specific to say.

Lin Qingyue’s expression didn’t change, only humming through her nose to signal she heard.

Meng Fan didn’t mind her coldness. Without stopping to organize her words in her mind, what came out was unexpectedly fluent: “Qingyue, we’ve known each other for several years. We often ate together since college, and after graduation, I played the Pipa and you played the Guzheng. The few of us performed everywhere happily, didn’t we?”

Lin Qingyue’s eyes looked distant, as if caught in memory, and she replied lightly, “I suppose.”

Meng Fan spoke very emotionally, tears welling up, almost on the verge of crying, “I also found out, it was your father…”

“Don’t mention him!” Lin Qingyue cut her off, her expression colder than ever.

“Okay, I won’t mention him.” Meng Fan smiled through her tears and continued, “…If, Qingyue, if you can’t stay in Weicheng, I… I want to open a traditional music shop somewhere else. Will you come with me?”

“I will take care of you, tolerate your temper, I don’t mind your family, and I will always treat you well, Qingyue!” Meng Fan looked at Lin Qingyue earnestly and excitedly, awaiting an answer.

She held one hand over her chest, as if offering her heart to the other person to see.

Such a passionate declaration, no one would remain unmoved, yet after Meng Fan finished speaking, the atmosphere was eerily silent.

So silent it made one uneasy.

Time ticked by, and Lin Qingyue suddenly smiled, “Are you done?”

Meng Fan’s voice was faint, barely audible, “D-done.”

She knew there was little hope, but she stubbornly wanted to persist. What if, what if she succeeded?

After all these years of friendship, was it truly nothing in Lin Qingyue’s eyes?

Lin Qingyue’s attitude gave her a clear answer.

It was nothing.

Lin Qingyue opened her mouth lightly, her expression seemingly mixed with a trace of annoyance, “If you’re done, then please go back.”

Meng Fan stood there in disbelief, unwilling to give up, and asked, “Qingyue, we’ve known each other for so many years. Where am I not as good as Xu Luwei?”

Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow. Why was it about Xu Luwei again?

But who the person was didn’t matter; she just wanted to resolve the current issue, unconcerned about a temporary rumor with anyone.

“There is no place where you’re not as good,” Lin Qingyue smiled, her peach blossom eyes curving beautifully. “But I don’t like you.”

Sometimes a light word can be the most hurtful. Meng Fan knew Lin Qingyue certainly didn’t have those kinds of feelings for her, but hearing it clearly from her mouth still felt like a knife in her heart, a bloody pain.

She stumbled, nearly falling backward.

Just as Meng Fan was about to fall, a soft, small hand appeared exactly in time, steadying her.

Meng Fan subconsciously turned around. An elegant young woman came into view, with a beautiful face, long hair covering her neck, a white dress paired with a light green satchel, knee-high socks, and small black leather boots. The entire figure was like a half open gardenia, fresh and lovely, captivating at first sight.

What tightened her heart even more was that this girl’s face resembled Xu Luwei by five-tenths.

Connecting this with the gossip she had heard, she blurted out, “Are you Xu Luwei’s… younger sister?”

The young woman nodded and smiled sweetly at her, “Sister asked me to come find Sister Lin.”

The mutual confirmation left no room for doubt, proving that Lin Qingyue hadn’t just been speaking casually.

She really was involved with Xu Luwei!

Meng Fan’s lingering jiaoxìng – glimmer of hope illusion was completely shattered by the appearance of Xu Luzhi.

Her face instantly turned pale. She looked at Lin Qingyue as if she were a stranger and asked hoarsely, “Then… then you’re staying here? With Xu Luwei?”

Lin Qingyue selectively ignored the latter half of the sentence and leaned against the doorframe lazily, “Of course, I’m staying.”

Meng Fan’s face grew even paler. She could barely stand steady. She couldn’t say another word. She sniffled and hurriedly walked in the opposite direction, not looking back.

It seemed she no longer had the courage to look at Lin Qingyue again.

Lin Qingyue languidly watched her retreating figure disappear down the corridor, seemingly long accustomed to this scene, her emotions completely unmoved as she turned to Xu Luzhi, “Come in, little one.”

Xu Luzhi stood still, her tone calm, “Are you and my sister dating?”

Lin Qingyue tilted her head and gave a playful, cute smile, “What do you think?”

Xu Luzhi continued to ask, “You’re staying here?”

Lin Qingyue turned back into the room and lightly threw out, “Staying, yes.”

Xu Luzhi stared at the bright window inside the room, a wry smile on her face, unable to articulate the mix of feelings in her heart.

The good news was that the objective seemed achieved: Lin Qingyue really did stay in Lincheng.

The bad news was that Lin Qingyue had become her older sister’s “girlfriend.”

She promised herself that Xu Luwei herself definitely didn’t know about this.

But if Xu Luwei found out, would she be overjoyed and just go along with the misunderstanding?

The thought made Xu Luzhi feel like she should weep like the older sister who just ran away.

The hotel room door was wide open. The woman with the graceful figure slowly sat down on a chair and picked up a comb to brush her hair.

The daylight outside the floor to ceiling window streamed onto her, highlighting her dark hair, snowy skin, and ruby red lips a naturally born beauty.

Xu Luzhi stared, but stubbornly remained standing outside the door, refusing to enter.

This scene felt familiar. The memory of her combing Lin Qingyue’s hair was still vivid. The gentleness of that time now felt full of irony in her eyes.

Lin Qingyue seemed completely unaware of her gaze, casually gathering her hair with a hair claw, without turning around, “Why aren’t you coming in, little one?”

Xu Luzhi took a deep breath, strode into the room, stopped a few steps away from Lin Qingyue, and suddenly spoke, “Sister-in-law.”

Lin Qingyue didn’t hear clearly, “What?”

Xu Luzhi sneered, her voice carrying sarcasm, “I asked, should I call Sister ‘Sister-in-law’ now?”

Lin Qingyue paused slightly. The little girl seemed angry, her voice still sweet and clear, but the tone was stiff and distant.

“If you want to call me that, it’s not impossible,” Lin Qingyue’s eyes swirled with light, her tone flirtatious.

Her mood had been spoiled by Meng Fan’s sudden confession. Even though she appeared outwardly calm, Lin Qingyue’s mood was actually terrible.

The worse she felt, the more she wanted to play a joke on the world.

She knew it was a bad habit, but watching others get flustered was genuinely interesting.

Xu Luzhi was indeed stunned for a moment, then her expression changed, and she smiled openly, “Fine, then Sister-in-law, why don’t you come stay at our place?”

Ignoring the gunpowder in the girl’s words, Lin Qingyue focused on fixing her hair and replied lazily, “We’re not married yet. Men and women should not be too close.”

Xu Luzhi took a deep breath, feeling like she was about to explode with anger. Even though the room’s air conditioning was set very low, heat seemed to be rising from her back.

Emotions that had been suppressed for days suddenly burst out, looking for an outlet without restraint.

Xu Luzhi felt hot all over. Facing Lin Qingyue’s careless demeanor, she just wanted to step forward and forcefully pin her onto the table.

To bite her pomegranate-red lips until they bled, and then see if she could still speak so lightly.

It was truly ironic. Facing her own persistent rejection, yet it was fine for Lin Qingyue to be rumored as a girlfriend with her sister and she still claimed they weren’t close!

Not close meant they were dating, so since they were already so familiar, it was natural for something more to happen, right…

Xu Luzhi subtly ground her teeth, her innocent-looking eyes dark with unreadable thoughts. A thousand ideas flooded her mind, repeatedly verifying the possibility of realization.

She finally couldn’t help it and called out to Lin Qingyue, a little aggrievedly, “Sister…”

Like the whimper of a stray puppy in a downpour, her voice was soft and weak, striking Lin Qingyue’s heart and forcing her to look up at her.

Noticing that the sister’s gaze had shifted to her, Xu Luzhi inexplicably felt a wave of grievance, unable to name the reason. All the unexpressed longing transformed into broken beads, pouring out of her eyes uncontrollably.

After calling out “Sister” once, Xu Luzhi, beyond her own control, began to sob, weeping uncontrollably.

Lin Qingyue immediately became flustered.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen people cry. Meng Fan was teary eyed just moments ago while speaking, and she remained unmoved. There were also those who threatened to jump off buildings or rivers after confessing to her.

Lin Qingyue didn’t consider herself a soft hearted person in fact, she sometimes enjoyed the dark pleasure of seeing others suffer because of her.

But Xu Luzhi was crying in front of her.

The small figure stood there, dressed in a pure white dress with a light green satchel, as fresh and beautiful as a newly bloomed gardenia, with knee high socks worn properly clearly a good girl and a good student since childhood.

And her features hadn’t even fully matured, only possessing a girl’s innocent beauty. Her round eyes were now filled with tears, which fell down like water, endlessly.

She sobbed softly, constantly wiping her tears with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears came. Even her long eyelashes were beaded with droplets, trembling as her eyelids drooped, then falling with a pata sound.

A tear rolled down the curve of Xu Luzhi’s chin and splashed onto the floor with a small pata, like the girl’s heart shattering into pieces, making one want to gather them up for her.

Lin Qingyue tried hard to remain indifferent.

But Xu Luzhi was crying.

The usually well-behaved and gentle girl was crying so obediently softly sobbing, occasionally hiccupping, holding back her voice to avoid crying loudly, standing there looking wronged and timid.

Like a stray dog with nowhere to hide in a storm, one that she fed a piece of ham, wanted to follow her home, but was then rejected, and now stood there, wagging its tail non-stop.

But it didn’t dare to intrude.

It knew it was unwanted, but it was just wronged, just sad, only expressing itself, not needing to be acknowledged.

Lin Qingyue’s heart ached.