Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 37

Lin Ran didn’t know why Fu Linling was sad. Since her partner had made a rare request, what else could she do but agree?

The two lay in bed. The two dolls were still beside the pillows. Lin Ran subconsciously reached for a doll, accidentally touched Fu Linling’s arm, thought better of it, and then started holding her hand instead.

Fu Linling turned off the light.

Lin Ran knew she wasn’t asleep.

The sound of her breathing was far from the calm one of a person who had drifted off.

Thinking this, Lin Ran unconsciously started to feel nervous herself.

She stared up at the ceiling anxiously. After a long while, there was finally some movement beside her.

Fu Linling rolled over and reached out to put her arm around Lin Ran’s waist.

Lin Ran’s breath hitched. She sensed the other woman slowly moving closer until their bodies were pressed against each other.

Lin Ran swallowed, slightly turning her head, trying to make out Fu Linling’s silhouette in the dark.

But she couldn’t see anything. She could only feel the breathing getting closer. Fu Linling lowered her head slightly and rested it on Lin Ran’s shoulder.

Lin Ran suddenly understood her intention from this gesture and began to pat her other arm soothingly.

Fu Linling relaxed, kissed her on the cheek, and then, under Lin Ran’s rhythmic petting, embraced her and contentedly fell asleep.

Lin Ran hadn’t been sleepy at first, but lying quietly for so long, she started to feel drowsy too.

The next day, she woke up naturally at just past nine. It had been a long time since she had slept and woken up this early, and she felt quite energetic.

Seeing the breakfast in the living room, she quickly washed up and started eating.

Given that she woke up late every day, the breakfasts Fu Linling prepared were usually cold or easy to warm up. However, Lin Ran knew Fu Linling loved noodles. To accommodate her schedule, noodles or rice vermicelli were no longer served for breakfast.

Lin Ran thought for a moment and made a quiet resolution—she would try to fix her schedule.

She worked for a while, and when the time was right, she went to the cafeteria for lunch. However, she noticed that Feng Ming wasn’t sitting at their table. Instead, she was sitting with a few other people in the corner.

When Lin Ran called out to Feng Ming, Feng Ming waved to them but didn’t say a word to Fu Linling, intentionally avoiding her gaze.

Lin Ran looked at Feng Ming, then at Fu Linling. Both their expressions were subtly strange.

“Did you two fight yesterday?” Lin Ran asked in the car on the way back. “Was that why you were unhappy last night?”

Fu Linling didn’t answer.

“Was it serious?”

After a long pause, Fu Linling finally spoke: “I don’t know either.”

Lin Ran suddenly chuckled: “You two don’t seem like people who get angry easily. I guess you fight too. It was her birthday yesterday, why would you fight with her?”

Fu Linling sighed: “I didn’t want to.”

“Qingzi and I have fought several times too,” Lin Ran said.

“How did you two resolve it?” Fu Linling couldn’t help but be curious.

“We usually have heated arguments. After the fight, we cool down for a few days, and then one of us initiates a reconciliation, and the other immediately accepts. How about you two?”

“We’ve never fought.”

After getting home, Fu Linling took a nap. When she was about to leave for work, Lin Ran stopped her.

“This is a belated birthday gift for Feng Ming. Can you take it to her?” Lin Ran handed her a box of perfume.

“We agreed not to exchange gifts.”

“That’s between you two, not me.” Lin Ran poked her head. “This is a great chance to smooth things over. Are you going to take it to her?”

Fu Linling understood immediately and asked: “How much is this? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

“No need. I bought it on a whim while grouping orders. I won’t use it anyway. I searched for a long time, and this was the only suitable gift that hasn’t been opened,” Lin Ran said.

Fu Linling squeezed her hand: “Thank you.”

“No more being unhappy after you make up,” Lin Ran said.

“Mhm. And will you… still sleep with me?” Fu Linling asked, looking up.

“It depends on how you behave,” Lin Ran smiled proudly.

Fu Linling took the perfume to the hospital but couldn’t find an opportunity to see Feng Ming until after work, when she waited specifically outside her clinic door.

Feng Ming walked out and, seeing her, could not avoid her. She awkwardly greeted her: “Senior Sister.”

As everyone else dispersed, the two walked to a quiet corner. Fu Linling took the perfume out of her pocket: “This is a make-up gift from Ran Ran.”

Feng Ming was surprised as she took it: “She… doesn’t know?”

Fu Linling shook her head: “I didn’t tell her.”

“Thank you.” It was unclear if she was thanking her for the gift or for the secrecy.

Silence fell between them again.

After a long moment, Feng Ming finally said: “I was drunk last night, but what I said wasn’t just drunken talk. I’d been holding those feelings in for a long time, and it felt much better to finally say them.”

Fu Linling said earnestly: “I apologize. I never knew you felt that way. If I had realized sooner, I wouldn’t have caused you to misunderstand for so long. Did I do something in the past to give you the wrong idea?”

“No. It was just my one-sided admiration for you,” Feng Ming said.

Fu Linling was determined to clarify the situation and said slowly: “Feng Ming, I’m married. I like Ran Ran a lot.”

“I can see that. Lin Ran is indeed a good girl, and you two are well-matched. I admit, I initially had some prejudice against her. I thought she wasn’t good enough for you, and when I saw you two sleeping in separate rooms, I thought there were no feelings, which gave me a sliver of hope.” Feng Ming put the perfume in her bag, looked up, and smiled: “I was too self-absorbed, thinking that first-come, first-served would be the winner. Senior Sister, can we still be friends?”

“I’m glad you’ve come to terms with it. You will always be the junior colleague I admire the most.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Fu Linling thought for a moment and added: “There’s one more thing I want to clarify.”

“What is it?”

“Ran Ran was never the last one to arrive.”

Feng Ming was stunned: “?”

Just then, the phone rang. It was Lin Ran. Fu Linling answered.

“Let’s eat out tonight. Qingzi is coming too. We’ll be at the hospital to pick you up soon,” Lin Ran said.

“Okay.”

“Call Feng Ming too. The more, the merrier.”

Fu Linling looked at Feng Ming, who had naturally overheard. Feng Ming said into the phone: “I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“Of course not. I’m bringing a friend too. You can all meet each other. It’s good for you to have more friends since you’re working here alone,” Lin Ran said with a laugh.

Feng Ming couldn’t refuse her. She followed Fu Linling toward the main entrance, then whispered a quiet warning: “Senior Sister, keep what happened last night to yourself. Never let Lin Ran find out.”

“I understand.”

“Sigh. It’s just that it’s Lin Ran.” Feng Ming suddenly smiled. “If it were anyone else, I might not have given up so easily.”

The road ahead was a bit jammed. Lin Ran continuously tapped the steering wheel, unable to sit still.

“Look how anxious you are. You see your wife every day, it won’t hurt to wait a little longer,” Liang Qingbo teased.

Lin Ran coughed, reined in her anxious expression, and said seriously: “I’m only anxious because of the traffic. It’s annoying to be stuck.”

“Mhm, mhm. Keep talking. I’ll pretend to believe you,” Liang Qingbo nodded dismissively.

Lin Ran changed the topic: “It’s all your fault. You called me out for such a small thing that could have been settled on WeChat. You even made such a big fuss and called Dr. Fu.”

“Hiring people isn’t a small thing, is it?” Liang Qingbo laughed.

“I’m not in charge of operations. Just handle it yourself.”

“I wanted to have dinner with you anyway. It’s been a while since we sat down and had a good meal. Especially Dr. Fu. I really want to eat with her again. Let her pay tonight,” Liang Qingbo said.

Lin Ran suddenly looked at her: “You want to have dinner with Dr. Fu?”

“What kind of look is that? I would never covet your person!” Liang Qingbo immediately protested.

“That’s good. Let’s make sure we don’t have some melodramatic affair where you fall in love with my wife,” Lin Ran laughed.

“There’s no way. My ideal type is completely different. I don’t like someone as overly proper and completely unromantic as Dr. Fu,” Liang Qingbo said.

Lin Ran smiled without saying anything. She didn’t feel the need to broadcast how wonderful Dr. Fu was; it was enough that she knew it herself.

“How are things with you and Dr. Fu lately? Is the relationship progressing smoothly?” Liang Qingbo pried.

“Smoothly,” Lin Ran’s lips curved upward.

Lately, the two of them loved playing little games, constantly teasing each other and then retreating to a safe distance. It was the thrill of dating—ambiguous and exciting!

“That’s good. You stay at home all day, but Dr. Fu is meeting different people outside every day. Be careful of someone taking advantage of the situation,” Liang Qingbo warned.

Lin Ran nodded: “I feel like she’s very popular with young women.”

Like Wang Ke before, and the young girls who steal glances at Fu Linling on the street.

“She does have that appeal. She’s good-looking, seems dependable, and she’s tall as hell.” Liang Qingbo was genuinely envious. “If I were just a little taller, I’d have three thousand beauties pursuing me!”

Lin Ran burst out laughing: “Cut it out! You have the face of a playboy, yet you’re secretly suffering from the most innocent kind of unrequited crush. Three thousand beauties? Stop exaggerating.”

Liang Qingbo scoffed: “They are just common, ordinary women. They can’t catch my royal eye.”

The car slowly inched forward, finally reaching the hospital entrance. People were coming and going, but Lin Ran immediately spotted the unmistakable Fu Linling. Seeing Feng Ming standing beside her, Lin Ran felt relieved that they had reconciled.

The car stopped in front of them. Feng Ming consciously slipped into the back seat, saw someone getting out of the passenger seat, and assumed it was Lin Ran’s friend.

“It’s alright, Qingzi, you can sit up front,” Fu Linling said.

“I’ve been sitting for half the day. I have some awareness,” Liang Qingbo laughed, opening the rear door.

Feng Ming first saw half of a tattooed arm, and then saw the person sliding in sideways.

“Dr. Fu, hurry up. You can’t stop here for long,” Lin Ran waved to Fu Linling with a smile.

Fu Linling’s lips curved slightly. She smiled as she got in and asked: “Did you just come from the studio?”

“I did.” Lin Ran turned around and introduced the two friends in the back.

“Feng Ming, this is my friend Liang Qingbo. You can also call her Qingzi.” Lin Ran finished, then pointed to Feng Ming: “Qingzi, this is Dr. Feng, the one I just mentioned to you.”

“Oh, the other brilliant student, right? Hello.” Liang Qingbo smiled as she turned to Feng Ming, and her smile instantly faltered.

Feng Ming, clearly seeing her face, was completely stunned.

The features slowly merged with the woman who had bought her a drink last night.

…It was her!

Her mind instantly became a mess. She desperately wanted to jump out of the car!