Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 37

Before the words even fell, Xu Luzhi’s gaze snapped over, accompanied by a cold smile.

She had been holding a bottle of mineral water and drinking from it, but now, under the unconscious force of her grip, the bottle was slightly crushed, causing the water inside to surge and spill over the mouth of the bottle.

A small puddle formed on the floor, which Xu Luzhi wiped away with the tip of her foot.

The woman in front of her remained oblivious, still smiling charmingly, “Shall we go eat, Weiwei?”

Xu Luwei replied softly, “Okay,” and glanced back at Xu Luzhi.

Xu Luzhi obediently stood up, straightened her long dress, and looked up with a smile, “Okay.”

However, as Lin Qingyue turned away, her eyes darkened as she stared at her well-proportioned waist.

Sister is so good, captivating people with every gesture, not knowing how to restrain herself at all.

But in that moment, she understood what Xu Luwei meant.

Xu Luzhi clapped her hands and followed. Lin Qingyue asked, “What do you all want to eat?”

It was a hot day, and no one had much appetite, so Xu Luwei finally decided they would go for Japanese food.

There was a large square near the house, bustling with people in the mall. Lin Qingyue took a number, only to hear the receptionist smile and say, “There are forty-three tables ahead of you. The estimated wait time is an hour and a half.”

Lin Qingyue: “…”

Seeing the waiting area by the door completely full, the free small snacks constantly being replenished, and nowhere even to sit down.

Xu Luzhi suddenly suggested, “I’m not hungry right now. Why don’t we go shopping first?”

She looked obedient, and her phone clearly displayed the list of essentials Xu Luwei had just prepared.

Xu Luwei frowned slightly, “That’s fine too. The supermarket is right next door, we can browse there.”

Thus, the group’s goal shifted to the supermarket. Not many people were there, and the air conditioning was pleasantly cool. Lin Qingyue walked in empty-handed, but Xu Luzhi immediately rushed to a shopping cart and cheerfully pushed one out.

With one foot resting on the crossbar underneath the cart and the other pushing off the ground, Xu Luzhi was momentarily airborne, her skirt fluttering, briefly experiencing the joy of a skateboard.

Then, just as she was about to collide with a display case, she stopped swiftly, striking a victory pose.

Facing Lin Qingyue’s surprised gaze, Xu Luzhi broke into a bright smile, looking utterly pure and harmless. Despite being seventeen or eighteen, she still retained a touch of playful childishness.

Xu Luwei smiled at her sister and explained, “Zhizhi has always loved playing like this since she was little.”

As a child, if she could fit in a shopping cart, she had to sit in it. As she got older and couldn’t fit anymore, she had to push the cart herself; she wouldn’t let anyone else help.

Lin Qingyue curved her lips, “That is quite interesting.”

The supermarket was large, and they wandered casually. Lin Qingyue was indifferent to many things, tossing anything that caught her eye into the cart, only to have Xu Luwei pick items out one by one, patiently explaining the cost-effectiveness.

Eventually, Lin Qingyue got annoyed and simply stayed silent, letting Xu Luwei pick everything from oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar to pots and pans, placing them all into the cart. Lin Qingyue only needed to pay.

Not having to worry about what to buy made shopping suddenly become tedious. Lin Qingyue drifted around a bit, seeing Xu Luzhi actively pushing the cart ahead, and felt a little bad.

So, just as Xu Luzhi was dutifully following her sister to select items, a hand suddenly appeared beside her.

Slender, fair, with a flawless, pale back, it looked like a work of art, the fingertips tipped with jet black nail polish, creating a stark contrast against the snow white skin a hand seemingly lifted from a comic strip.

Xu Luzhi’s heart skipped a beat, but she still pretended to look around in confusion.

The woman she constantly thought about stood casually beside her, one hand lightly resting on the shopping cart, her arm fair and lustrous, enveloped in a delicate fragrance.

Xu Luzhi hesitated and asked, “Sister, what are you doing…”

Lin Qingyue’s peach blossom eyes curved as she blinked, “Helping you push the cart.”

Xu Luzhi glanced at Xu Luwei, who was seriously selecting items up ahead, and understood instantly, whispering, “Are you bored?”

“Shh,” Lin Qingyue gently shook a finger in front of her, smiling mysteriously, “I’m afraid you’re working too hard.”

Xu Luzhi looked at the cart, which was full to the brim. It was heavy, but not too much, and most of the items were things Xu Luwei had picked out.

“Oh, Sister is bored,” Xu Luzhi exposed her without mercy.

Lin Qingyue retorted, “No, I’m not.”

After a few words, Xu Luwei had already walked further ahead on her own. Xu Luzhi felt a sudden urgency and started to push the cart forward.

Lin Qingyue moved her hand, shifting it from the crossbar to gently cover the younger girl’s hand, enveloping it, and said leisurely, “Let’s go.”

Xu Luzhi’s heart thumped wildly. She watched as Lin Qingyue casually pushed the cart along with her, their bodies close enough that she could feel Lin Qingyue’s slightly cool body temperature radiating warmth.

And Xu Luwei was still ahead, oblivious, bent over picking out items.

Xu Luzhi felt an inexplicable sense of having a secret affair. Even when the cart stopped moving, Lin Qingyue’s hand remained touching hers, the position unchanged.

Just a little closer, if she separated her fingers, it would become a finger-intertwined hold.

But even now, she could clearly feel the delicate smoothness and slight warmth of the other woman’s palm pressed intimately against hers.

It was just purely and innocently pushing a shopping cart.

Xu Luzhi glanced sideways at Lin Qingyue. The woman looked listless, as alluring as ever without realizing it, and even smiled at her, as if this were the most ordinary thing.

Her gaze shifted back to their touching hands, her feelings complex.

Well, two hands stacked on top of each other to push a cart is a normal thing, not ambiguous at all.

Watching Xu Luwei ahead from a distance that was neither too near nor too far, Xu Luzhi was inexplicably nervous, like a cat playing with a mouse.

She harbored a secret hope that Xu Luwei would turn around and see this moment, knowing that she wasn’t the only one initiating things Sister was flirting with her too; yet, she also hoped Xu Luwei wouldn’t see, allowing her to enjoy this secret pleasure alone.

It was as if thinking about something made it happen. While Xu Luzhi was lost in thought, Xu Luwei, as if anticipating something, turned and looked back.

Xu Luzhi tensed up and instinctively wanted to make a move, like a high school boy quickly pulling his hand away from a girl’s when the dean appears.

However, Lin Qingyue seemed oblivious, showing genuine interest in a plush toy on a nearby shelf, even applying slight pressure with her fingertips, almost grasping Xu Luzhi’s hand.

Xu Luzhi hesitated but ultimately did not move. When Xu Luwei’s gaze fell upon them, she smiled openly at her.

Unexpectedly, Xu Luwei said nothing. She simply turned her head away and looked back at the shelves, without any extra emotion in her eyes.

She didn’t seem to care that behind her, her friend and her sister were secretly getting close.

Xu Luzhi felt a sliver of relief, lowered her head, and smiled faintly, her long lashes brushing her lower eyelid, her expression hard to decipher.

They walked and stopped all the way. By the time they had almost finished buying everything, it was nearly time for their table number.

Xu Luzhi hadn’t been hungry originally, but perhaps the constant heart pounding excitement had exhausted her, because by the time they reached the exit, her stomach had gone flat.

She couldn’t wait to eat.

However, if she could shop this close to Lin Qingyue the entire time, she would be willing to be hungry forever.

Accompanied by the soft music in the supermarket, under the bright lights, they pushed the cart freely, adding everything they wanted to the rack, occasionally arguing over which flavor was better, and then angrily playing rock-paper-scissors.

Xu Luwei’s selection was a precise scientific calculation, while hidden beneath the large pile of goods were the small snacks they had secretly added to the cart the two of them.

They weren’t necessities, nor did they even serve to fill hunger, but the colorful little things were always very appealing.

Xu Luzhi flipped through one small item after another, a thawing spring river flowing in her heart, feeling an ineffable joy.

It felt like life only truly existed with these things.

As they reached the exit, Lin Qingyue’s attention was caught by a row of flower racks, vigorously displaying many easy to care for plants like succulents, Pothos, and Lucky Bamboo.

These were not on the list, and Xu Luwei only glanced up without offering any comment.

Lin Qingyue looked at them one by one from top to bottom, feeling slightly dazzled, before her gaze finally settled on a shelf full of small succulents.

The small succulents in tiny pots, of various species, all looked strange yet adorable.

She couldn’t help but extend a fingertip, wanting to touch the plump, juicy thick leaves, as if breaking one off would cause an abundance of juice to flow out.

Before Lin Qingyue’s hand could make contact, her wrist was firmly grasped. She looked down to see the younger girl.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qingyue asked, confused.

Xu Luzhi shook her head, her tone uncompromising, yet sounding like a spoiled plea, “No touching, Sister.”

Lin Qingyue found it amusing, “Why not?”

It was just a succulent, not a person, so touching it was forbidden?

Xu Luzhi pouted, unable to articulate a reason for a moment, but still insisted stubbornly, “Your room doesn’t need one anyway.”

“Who says it doesn’t? Wouldn’t having some plants be nice?” Lin Qingyue replied.

Seeing her sister deliberately opposing her, Xu Luzhi became anxious but couldn’t state the real reason. After facing off for a while, she resigned herself and stretched out her hand, “Rock, paper, scissors.”

They had used this method earlier when arguing over which flavor to get.

Now that there was no flavor dispute, did she still have to obey Zhizhi’s words this way?

Lin Qingyue propped her chin up, tilted her head, and smiled, “Come on.”

She tapped Xu Luzhi’s forehead with her fingertip, looking utterly indulgent, “You can’t beat me.”

She didn’t question at all why Xu Luzhi was being so possessive of her.

Xu Luwei watched the scene unfold from the side, not intervening in what was happening between the two.

Xu Luzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet her heart became tense again.

She looked at Lin Qingyue alertly and asked directly, “What are you choosing?”

Lin Qingyue blinked, “Scissors.”

“Then I’ll choose rock,” Xu Luzhi said.

Lin Qingyue’s expression was mysterious, while Xu Luzhi appeared completely innocent. Their gazes met and then darted away as they secretly competed in their minds.

Everyone knew the other was lying, but they couldn’t resist asking anyway.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” After a few seconds, the wager was finally revealed.

Lin Qingyue threw rock, and Xu Luzhi threw cloth.

Xu Luzhi grinned slyly, “I won, Sister!”

Lin Qingyue huffed a cold laugh, “Little liar.”

Xu Luzhi shook her head, “You tricked me first, Sister.” She leaned down and curtsied deeply, “My apologies for winning!”

After all this back and forth, the shopping cart was full of everything except the plants.

It was strange; when they hadn’t intended to buy plants, Lin Qingyue hadn’t cared, but after Xu Luzhi forcefully stopped her, Lin Qingyue kept thinking about how her home lacked plants.

She wasn’t even focused during the sushi meal and didn’t notice the sauce on her lips.

Xu Luwei went to the restroom. Xu Luzhi sighed helplessly and offered her a tissue, “Sister, wipe that.”

Lin Qingyue took the tissue and raised her hand to wipe the sauce away, then paused, thinking it over, and decided it still wasn’t right: “I still want plants.”

She looked a bit wronged, her eyes lowered, as if she had been bullied by Xu Luzhi, having to ask permission just to buy something.

Such an adorable, delicate sister Xu Luzhi immediately softened.

She secretly hooked her little finger around Lin Qingyue’s, coaxing her, “We will, okay, hmm?”

Lin Qingyue looked up with disbelief, scrutinizing her, “Really?”

Xu Luzhi raised her finger, her gaze sincere, “I promise.”

Lin Qingyue smiled widely, “Okay.”

Zhizhi always trusted her unconditionally, so she would also trust the little girl and keep her word.

After finishing the meal and transporting the large pile of groceries back to the house, there was another round of cleaning and arranging. This time, Xu Luzhi acted as a hands off manager. Before anyone noticed, she had climbed onto the bay window, sitting cross legged, her ruqun covering her lower body, looking perfectly demure.

The young girl’s lips were bright red, her neck fair, the ruqun was plum green, and a single hairpin was loosely placed in her hair impossibly beautiful, like an antique beauty set up as a decoration on the bay window.

Lin Qingyue glanced over casually, her eyes lighting up with an indescribable, unique astonishment, fresh and bright. Sunlight streamed through the glass window onto her, making her look like a little gardenia flower that had come to life.

She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Zhizhi is so beautiful.”

She had become too carried away, forgetting what she needed to guard against; she simply couldn’t resist praising her and feeling the urge to get closer.

Xu Luzhi waved her hand reservedly, a faint dimple appearing beside her cheek, unable to hide the joy in her heart.

Once everything was tidied up, Xu Luwei said her goodbyes, carrying a bag of snacks Lin Qingyue had given Xu Luzhi, and left first.

Xu Luzhi lingered, sitting on the bay window, refusing to leave. Only after being urged several times did she reluctantly stand up, waving obediently, “Goodbye, Sister!”

She then turned back, her round eyes fixed on Lin Qingyue, “Sister, can I come visit you to play?”

Before Lin Qingyue could reply, she nodded to herself, “Yes!”

Then she ran out with quick steps.

Lin Qingyue smiled wryly, watching them enter the elevator before closing the door.

The rented apartment was quite spacious, and living there alone made it feel a bit empty. Having some living things would certainly add some vitality.

Lin Qingyue mused, unconsciously walking to the bay window where the girl had just been sitting. Her gaze drifted unintentionally.

On the large bay window, the smiling Xu Luzhi was gone, replaced by a small flowerpot.

In the pot was a fresh gardenia, bearing three or five buds some half-opened, some still tightly closed.

Sunlight fell upon the snow white gardenia petals, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. The white flowers contrasted with the green leaves, instantly bringing life to the entire room.

Lin Qingyue leaned down, gently and slowly extending her hand. Her fingertip lightly touched the tender gardenia petal, as if afraid of disturbing the little spirit among the blossoms.

No wonder Xu Luzhi wouldn’t let her buy a succulent; she had this planned all along.

But why was it that even though she had been tricked, she felt indescribably happy?