Hedgehog's Belly - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Yan Yu was momentarily stunned; being a young girl at heart, her earlobes instantly turned a vivid crimson. The moment Luo Mu set down her wine glass, Yan Yu quickly gathered the glass and the bottle, her mouth repeating a constant refrain: “Muzi-jie, enough is enough.”

“Don’t learn to talk like your sister.”

Luo Mu let out a laugh, gazing at Yan Yu’s facial features. There was indeed a certain resemblance to Yan Qingzhu. Yet, if they were thrown into a crowd, it would still be difficult to recognize them as sisters based on their faces alone.

Luo Mu’s fingertips tapped on the tabletop, her smile gradually freezing.

What exactly did Yan Qingzhu mean when she said she felt she owed Yan Yu?

“Muzi-jie, even you are siding with her.” Yan Yu’s eyes lowered, looking as aggrieved as a neglected cat wrapping itself in soft fur to shield itself from the wind and rain of the outside world.

Luo Mu found this peculiar. Though her face was flushed under the influence of alcohol and her eyes were misty with drink, her consciousness remained very clear.

She asked plainly: “Do you think I’m siding with her?”

Yan Yu assumed she was drunk and—like her elder sister—would remember nothing after a night’s sleep. At this moment, Yan Yu put the red wine bottle away. The warm lamps made every corner look clear, but they cast dark shadows in Yan Yu’s eyes.

“No one doesn’t side with her,” Yan Yu muttered in a low voice, yet Luo Mu heard it very clearly. The slight emotional shift was indeed difficult for most to detect. “And people only remember her.”

The temperament of a child, Luo Mu joked to herself.

“Muzi-jie.” Yan Yu looked toward Luo Mu and sat calmly beside her. Though she still had the appearance of an adolescent girl, her delicate gaze was filled with helplessness. “Sister is too dazzling.”

Too dazzling—to the point that she had to work incredibly hard just to stand on equal footing with her sister, just to avoid being her sister’s shadow.

Luo Mu smiled, hearing the resentment in her words. This wine had a powerful kick; in a daze, it was difficult for her eyes to focus. “Do you know what is more despairing than resentment?”

Yan Yu tilted her head to gaze at her, and in Yan Yu’s eyes, Luo Mu saw the seventeen-year-old version of herself.

The summer wind of seventeen was scorching. That year, leaning against the hallway railing, the rosy sunset of her student days spilled into her eyes as she secretly hoped she would become someone who could not be defined.

Luo Mu murmured: “It’s powerlessness.”

In the end, she discovered that the disparity between people isn’t something that can be bridged by effort alone. It’s longing for a father’s gaze, only to see him take the hand of another child. It’s knowing that without the help of heaven’s will, she would eventually die under a torrential rain, with people’s gazes devouring her last shred of dignity.

“Muzi-jie, isn’t it a bit too cruel to say such things to a seventeen-year-old?” Yan Yu joked afterward, simply wanting to stop the atmosphere from sinking.

“That’s why I’m telling you to walk your future path slowly.” Luo Mu’s gaze was hazy yet lingering. She then closed her eyes to steady herself. “Some things are perhaps not as bad as you think.”

Yan Yu was dazed for a while. She looked up and saw the group photo with her sister placed on the shelf. Choosing firmly to follow her sister when she was little was a choice she had never regretted. At this moment, Yan Yu felt that if she hesitated for even a second, she would be admitting to her own bitterness and shallowness.

Yan Yu smiled self-deprecatingly: “Let’s hope so.”

What would the future path be like?

Who knows.

After Yan Qingzhu returned, she reminded Yan Yu in a low voice to rest early. Only after her younger sister left did Luo Mu unmask her forced bravado without restraint. Tilting her head, she teased: “What, did one phone call leave Miss Yan so worried?”

Yan Qingzhu turned off all the ceiling lights in the living room, leaving only a single feather floor lamp—quiet and gentle. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights were brilliant, but that kind of brightness never belonged to them.

When Yan Qingzhu turned around, the large living room was dim and silent. Only a faint, warm yellow light fell on Luo Mu’s face, outlining her silhouette. An indescribable peace of mind began to sprout and spread in a soft place. Yan Qingzhu knew her lover was waiting for her answer.

“Muzi-jie.”

Yan Qingzhu walked toward Luo Mu and carefully leaned her head against her shoulder. The scent of bitter orange leaf and agarwood blended together, with a lingering fragrance of jasmine inadvertently surfacing. Yan Qingzhu called her name in a low voice, full of exhaustion.

“Mm.” Luo Mu was groggy and rubbed her head with her hand. “If you’re tired, you can rest for a bit.”

“In the future, will we be happy?” Yan Qingzhu paused. From an angle Luo Mu couldn’t see, her eyes were somewhat moist.

Yan Qingzhu spoke these words with great difficulty.

Though Luo Mu didn’t know why she was in low spirits, she still nodded: “Mm.”

“Then will Yan Yu be happy?”

“Mm.”

Yan Qingzhu let out a slight laugh. She stood up and slowly moved closer to Luo Mu, their faces reflected in each other’s eyes. The solitary warm light made Luo Mu’s pupils appear even more compassionate and bright in the night, as clear as a lingering daydream. Yan Qingzhu had dreamed of this countless times.

Yan Qingzhu brought her face close, her short breaths burning in the air. Her heart beat so urgently that even her eyes were trembling.

Yan Qingzhu’s lips quivered: “Can I kiss you?”

Luo Mu smiled faintly: “Mm.”

“Can’t you say anything besides ‘mm’?” Yan Qingzhu’s lips turned up slightly as she teased.

Just as she was about to pull away, Yan Qingzhu instantly felt a tugging force on her collar. Inadvertently, their lips touched. The sudden softness made Yan Qingzhu’s mind go blank for an instant. The girl before her—the culprit—though appearing dazed, wore a triumphant smile.

It was like a butterfly’s wings flapping against the softest part of her heart, and the person in front of her happened to give up all resistance.

Yan Qingzhu took the initiative; between their lips and teeth, it was moist and fervent. The intense sense of pressure made it difficult for Luo Mu to breathe, yet the near-suffocating love truly made her surrender.

Her nails left faint red marks on the skin of Yan Qingzhu’s neck. The slight burning sensation was like a spark fanning a flame, turning all reason into ash at this moment.

Luo Mu’s arms were draped over Yan Qingzhu’s shoulders again as she kissed her lover—hotter than alcohol and more cautious than alcohol. The lingering fragrance of red wine made Yan Qingzhu lose her power of discernment; she could no longer tell if Luo Mu was drunk, or if she was drunk herself.

The faint light and reason, the endless darkness and grogginess, were at this moment twisted and tangled together.

“Yan. Qing. Zhu.” Luo Mu whispered in her ear, pronouncing each word clearly—a sweet, soul-bewitching poison.

“I love you.”

Those three words were like a long-awaited answer finally being revealed before Yan Qingzhu on a quiet night.

From seventeen to twenty, Yan Qingzhu had waited for three years.

But the young Yan Qingzhu hated waiting the most. she didn’t understand delayed gratification at all; if it was delayed, the final result wasn’t necessarily what one wished for.

Yet Yan Qingzhu knew well that she had suffered no small amount; one more scar like this didn’t matter.

Yan Qingzhu buried her head in Luo Mu’s embrace, her fingers intertwined with her lover’s. Closing her eyes, she calmly felt her lover’s heartbeat. It was like a precious treasure gripped tightly in her hand. “If I can hear you say this again, even if I have to wait another five or six years, it would be worth it.”

“Are you really not afraid?” Luo Mu found it interesting and teased her.

“I’m not afraid.” Yan Qingzhu nuzzled into her embrace like a spoiled cat waiting to be comforted.

“Then I’ll disappear tomorrow,” Luo Mu said with no pressure, yet her heart winced inadvertently.

She might find it very difficult to accompany her for a long time.

“No.” Yan Qingzhu still had the temperament of a child and then acted shamelessly: “I’m afraid.”

Luo Mu watched this fool’s “face-changing” style of pleading and couldn’t help but laugh. In the quiet living room, decorated only by a single beam of warm light, everything became hazy and ambiguous. Luo Mu placed a kiss on Yan Qingzhu’s forehead—simple and brief.

Outside the window, a sudden torrential rain began at some point, as if to swallow the city. Inside, the light was hazy, planting a seed of sweet bitterness in the softest part of the heart.

A delicate embrace was already a luxury for the current Luo Mu.

One shouldn’t be too greedy.

Luo Mu didn’t know how long she held her before she felt a bit of a headache from the alcohol, though her mind was still clear. Yan Qingzhu draped a blanket from beside the sofa over Luo Mu and asked in a low voice: “Do you want something to eat?”

Luo Mu was groggy but not sleepy, so she nodded. Yan Qingzhu smiled faintly, stood up, and took a small piece of cake from the freezer.

Luo Mu looked up; it was a matcha-flavored mousse decorated simply with dark chocolate—it truly looked appetizing. But Luo Mu was still stubborn; though her heart was moved, she supported her chin with one hand and acted nonchalantly: “It’s two in the morning; will eating this really not make me fat?”

“Ye Nanqiao’s aunt newly developed this; it’s sugar-free.” Yan Qingzhu used the side of a fork to cut a small piece and handed it to Luo Mu: “Try it?”

Luo Mu was curious. Catching sight of the logo on the packaging, she suddenly recalled Qin Jiahui mentioning this brand back in high school.

“A-Zhi Jia?”

Yan Qingzhu nodded and explained: “The headquarters is in Chujiang; the taste might be slightly different.”

Luo Mu’s standards for desserts weren’t high. She put the small piece in her mouth; the tea fragrance was rich. It felt like touching a hint of warmth before it immediately melted and spread.

As expected, expensive things are expensive for a reason.

Luo Mu slowly gazed at the person before her. The hazy warm light swayed with a halo, reflecting the bridge of Yan Qingzhu’s nose as it met her brow bone, casting a beautiful signature upon her profile.

Just like the appearance of the girl under the sunset as they returned home together years ago.

At that time, the sunset and her heartbeat resonated at the same frequency.

“What are you thinking about?” Yan Qingzhu used her fingertip to wipe away a remnant from the corner of Luo Mu’s mouth.

“I’m wondering why everyone else calls you ‘A-Qing’?” Luo Mu answered with a different question, feeding Yan Qingzhu a bite of mousse with the fork.

Yan Qingzhu naturally saw through her little thoughts but didn’t point it out directly.

She followed Luo Mu’s lead to tease her: “Try calling me by the last character.”

Luo Mu’s hand holding the fork paused. She raised her eyebrows to look at Yan Qingzhu and said cautiously: “A-Zhu—Zhu?”

Perhaps due to her accent or habits, Luo Mu immediately frowned, her expression looking increasingly awkward. Yan Qingzhu, however, secretly turned her face to the side and chuckled to herself.

Yan Qingzhu laughed until her shoulders trembled. Luo Mu realized she had been played. Perhaps it was the alcohol going to her head, as her face turned completely red with anger. She smeared some mousse cake on her fingertip, supported herself on the table with her other hand, and—while Yan Qingzhu wasn’t paying attention—quickly flicked it toward her face. Before Yan Qingzhu realized what was happening, she instinctively dodged backward.

Clang! A whole piece of matcha mousse fell.

Unfortunately, she had reached out into empty air. In a daze, Yan Qingzhu felt a ringing in her ears, only then realizing she had fallen onto the rug, with her lover in her arms.

“Are you okay?” Yan Qingzhu raised her head slightly to look at Luo Mu. Luo Mu was wrapped securely in her embrace, while Yan Qingzhu’s face and clothes were covered in cream stains from the mousse cake.

Luo Mu stared at her blankly. Seeing nothing was wrong, Yan Qingzhu finally let out a sigh of relief: “Good sister, you scared me to death.”

In the next second, Luo Mu lowered her head to kiss the girl lying beneath her vision. Light and shadow interlaced here as she licked the remnants from Yan Qingzhu’s neck. Her nose inadvertently brushed against her skin; every place it passed felt like a feather trembling in her heart, occupying her reason and swallowing her words.

A searing atmosphere diffused through the air, with only ripples of light before their eyes.

But when Yan Qingzhu let down all her defenses, Luo Mu gazed at her slowly. Her gaze trembled slightly, and her fingertip rubbed against the corner of Yan Qingzhu’s lips.

As heavy and solemn as a presiding judge: “Yan Qingzhu, are you still unwilling to answer my question?”