Is Self-Redemption Really That Hard? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

Lu Wuqi instinctively lifted her head, and the moment she looked across the street, she caught sight of Lan Xu standing in front of the milk tea shop—her figure slipping right into view, into her eyes.

“Xuxu?” Lu Wuqi called out, raising a hand to wave at her.

Lan Xu waved back, then pointed toward the nearby crosswalk, gesturing for her to come over.

Lu Wuqi made an OK sign and, ignoring the harsh midday sun, jogged straight across the street. She crossed the pedestrian lane just as the light turned green and ran up to Lan Xu’s side.

“Xuxu, were you waiting for me on purpose?” Lu Wuqi asked, slightly out of breath. Before she could even steady herself, Lan Xu had already shoved a cup of freshly squeezed juice—still clinking with ice cubes—into her hand.

“I wasn’t waiting for you,” Lan Xu said evenly, tugging on Lu Wuqi’s sleeve and leading her into the milk tea shop. “I just came over for a drink.”

“I was going to grab some milk tea and leave. I didn’t expect to see someone standing in the middle of the street zoning out. Meeting you was pure coincidence.” She made sure to emphasize the word coincidence.

Lu Wuqi glanced down at the juice in her hand. If she really came here alone just for milk tea, why’d she buy two drinks?

“Well, what a coincidence then,” Lu Wuqi said with a knowing smile. Lack of dating experience didn’t mean lack of emotional intelligence—she wasn’t dumb enough to expose her girlfriend’s obvious excuse.

“Xuxu, you saw my message, right? Why don’t we go home and have lunch together?” she said casually, inserting her straw and taking a slow sip, her tone full of trust.

Lan Xu hesitated. Truth be told, she’d only come out to quietly confirm whether Lu Wuqi was lying to her. Judging by the current situation, Lu Wuqi seemed to be telling the truth—mission accomplished.

“No need. I’ve already eaten. You should head home,” Lan Xu declined politely. She was an adult now; she couldn’t just show up empty-handed to freeload a meal!

Lu Wuqi bit at her straw, determined to make up for the mistake she’d made that morning. “Xuxu, do you have any plans this afternoon?”

“Not really. Why?” Lan Xu looked at her, catching a faint scent from Lu Wuqi—something soft and fresh.

She couldn’t tell if it was the smell of body wash or laundry detergent, but either way, it was pleasant.

“Well, since you’re free, why don’t you come home with me? You’ve already eaten, so you can just wait for me to finish, and then we can take a nap together,” Lu Wuqi said sincerely. “It’s too hot outside right now anyway. I’m planning to go to the internet café after three.”

Take a nap together?

Lan Xu raised an eyebrow. It had been more than a month since they’d last napped together. The thought made her just a little tempted.

“No thanks. Since I’ve already eaten, I shouldn’t go to your house,” she said with deliberate restraint. “It’d feel weird just sitting there watching you and your parents eat.”

“Then just wait in my room?” Lu Wuqi suggested helpfully. “You can read the reflection I wrote. By the time you’re done, I’ll be finished eating.”

Lan Xu: “…”

Idiot. Couldn’t she tell what she actually meant?

If she said she’d feel awkward watching them eat, wasn’t that a cue for Lu Wuqi to invite her to join—not to let her sit hungry in the bedroom waiting?

“No, it’s fine. You go ahead. I’ll come find you later,” Lan Xu said flatly.

Forget it. It wasn’t the first time she’d realized her girlfriend was a little dense. She chose her herself—if she’s a bit of an idiot, so be it. She’d endure.

She could always grab a quick bite nearby before heading to Lu Wuqi’s place.

Lu Wuqi chewed on her straw again. Realizing that Lan Xu’s awkwardness came from her reluctance to say things directly, she suddenly understood.

“Xuxu, let’s go back together. My mom made marinated beef—it’s really good. Even if you’ve already eaten, you can still have a little,” Lu Wuqi said warmly. She downed the rest of her juice in one go, freeing her hand to gently grasp Lan Xu’s.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

With a light tug, she pulled the hesitant Lan Xu to her feet.

“Fine,” Lan Xu finally relented with a small sigh, putting on a helpless look. “I’ll just have a little bit of Auntie’s beef noodles, just to taste.”

After all, she didn’t eat much, and with the weather so hot, her appetite wasn’t great anyway. Half a bowl would probably be more than enough to fill her up.

Half a bowl? Not a chance.

The moment mother Lu saw Lan Xu, her smile brightened instantly. When she noticed that Lan Xu had even brought a watermelon with her, her enthusiasm shot through the roof.

She hurried to switch on the air conditioner and set it to a comfortable twenty-four degrees, completely ignoring Lan Xu’s polite insistence that she only wanted a little bit of noodles.

Taking out a large bowl, she used her chopsticks to scoop up a generous heap of noodles, then added two heaping spoonfuls of braised beef and poured in steaming broth made from slow-simmered beef bones—until the bowl was practically overflowing.

“Auntie, this—this is way too much. I can’t finish it,” Lan Xu stammered, swallowing nervously.

She hadn’t eaten lunch yet, sure—but this bowl was almost as big as her face!

“It’s fine. Just leave the noodles if you can’t finish them—what matters is you’ve had enough to eat.”

Mother Lu smiled as she spoke, ladling another heaping bowl and handing it to Lu Wuqi.

Lu Wuqi accepted it, glanced between her bowl and her mother’s, and swallowed back the words If you can’t finish yours, I’ll help you eat it.

There was no helping it—her mom clearly doted on her too much. A full bowl of beef noodles like this was already pushing her limit!

“Lu Wuqi?” Lan Xu, unable to resist Mother Lu’s enthusiastic hospitality, nudged her under the table with her knee. “You okay with that?”

When it came to build, Lu Wuqi was about ten centimeters taller than Lan Xu. Both looked lean, but where Lan Xu’s slenderness came from her frame, Lu Wuqi’s came from toned muscle.

Weight-wise, Lu Wuqi had at least ten kilos on Lan Xu, and naturally, her appetite was bigger too—she could eat one and a half times as much as Lan Xu on any given day.

Back at school, they’d shared food countless times, though eight out of ten times it was Lan Xu giving her something.

So, when Lan Xu asked, “You okay with that?” Lu Wuqi instantly understood what she meant.

She rubbed her slightly flattened stomach, picked up a big clump of noodles, blew on it once, and took a large bite.

“I’m okay,” she said, cheeks puffed out, “but not for much longer.”

Lan Xu, watching out of the corner of her eye to see that Mother Lu was busy fussing in the kitchen and not paying attention to the table, quickly scooped two big spoonfuls of beef from her own bowl into Lu Wuqi’s, restoring her lunch to its original volume.

“Still okay?” she asked quietly.

“Nope.” Lu Wuqi swallowed down her mouthful. The noodles and chunks of beef filled every corner of her stomach—she really couldn’t manage another bite.

“Alright, then just eat slowly. Don’t finish before me,” Lan Xu instructed softly. She inhaled the aroma of broth and beef, picked up her chopsticks, and set to work.

“I’m so full. I think I need to walk it off, or I won’t be able to nap comfortably.” Lan Xu groaned, pacing in slow circles around Lu Wuqi’s bed.

The noodles might’ve been a lot, but they were delicious, and she’d stubbornly finished them all—plus half a bowl of broth.

Lu Wuqi sat in a chair, letting out a small sigh. “Xuxu, if you can’t finish your food next time, just leave it. Forcing yourself to eat is bad for your stomach.”

“I can’t do that. If I didn’t finish, Auntie might think I didn’t like her cooking.” Lan Xu rubbed her slightly rounded belly. “Lu Wuqi, does it look like I have a belly now that I’m full?”

“No, your waist still looks the same—just as slim as before.” Lu Wuqi replied without hesitation.

“Really? You’re not lying to make me feel better, right?” Lan Xu muttered, but her tone carried a trace of satisfaction.

Since both of them had eaten too much, by the time they lay down to nap, it was already past one o’clock.

“You’re heading to the internet café at three?” Lan Xu asked, opening her phone to set an alarm. “Should I set it for 2:50?”

“No need. Let’s just sleep until we wake up naturally.” Lu Wuqi shifted to get comfortable. “It’s fine if I go a bit later. There are plenty of part-time tasks on the forum, and most don’t have time limits.”

“Then I won’t set it.” Lan Xu immediately deleted the alarm, set her phone down, and yawned.

“Eat, then sleep, you sound like some kind of animal,” she murmured, rubbing the tears from the corners of her eyes as drowsiness crept in.

“Humans are animals too,” Lu Wuqi said softly, already closing her eyes. “Eating and sleeping is perfectly normal.”

She’d made over six hundred yuan that morning—but that had cost her every bit of focus and energy she had. Mental work could be exhausting too.

When the person beside her stopped talking, Lan Xu quietly turned to the side and waved a hand in front of Lu Wuqi’s face.

No reaction. Asleep already? Not even three minutes after lying down?

Lan Xu blinked a few times, realizing it was no use fighting her own sleepiness. She turned back, lay flat like Lu Wuqi, and closed her eyes, waiting for dreams to come.

Tired. Sleep first. Whatever comes next, can wait until we wake up.