Silent Testimony - Chapter 29

After one song finished, Cheng Yingqiu cheered: “Sister, let me queue up two more Cantonese songs for you; they sound absolutely wonderful.” She swiped the app interface, randomly adding three Cantonese songs. Li Hewei reached out to stop her: “Don’t just randomly queue them; there are some songs I don’t know how to sing.”

“Do you know Priscilla Chan’s ‘Thousand Thousand Feathers Song’?”

“I do.”

“What about ‘Walking Through Life’?”

“Why are they all old songs?”

Cheng Yingqiu raised an eyebrow: “Is that a problem? Tonight is a throwback; let’s sing classics in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.”

Li Hewei didn’t want to spoil the fun: “Alright, you be the host; I’ll follow your lead.”

“You think they’re all old songs? How about I queue up Miriam Yeung’s ‘Kiss Everywhere’?”

Kiss Everywhere? Li Hewei blurted out: “You’re crazy.”

“Ha? Sister, you can speak Cantonese too! I get it; chi sin means crazy or eccentric.” Cheng Yingqiu, who studied media, knows a bit about various dialects, and her language talent is strong. Once, after studying in Zhejiang for three months, she could speak fluent Wu Chinese and communicate seamlessly with the A-Shu (uncles) and A-Shen (aunties) in the old city areas.

Li Hewei admired her ability to liven up the atmosphere: “I was scolding you. What are you laughing at?”

“Chi sin is a neutral term. How is that scolding? Besides, what’s wrong with ‘Kiss Everywhere’? It’s just a bit more passionate.”

Tao Ling’s lips curved at the sisters’ interaction. However, in the next second, she saw the words “Gently Tell You” pop up on the screen, and her lips immediately pressed into a straight line.

Cheng Yingqiu handed the microphone over: “Tao Ling, here you go.”

“I like listening to it and think the song is sweet, but I can’t sing it…” Tao Ling held the microphone in her right hand, while her free left hand tightly gripped the sofa cushion, clearly nervous.

Li Hewei, sitting on her right, encouraged her gently: “There are no outsiders; just hum along casually.”

Qiu Wan quickly agreed: “That’s right, Little Tao, just sing with confidence.”

The melody started. Tao Ling, forced into the spotlight, stared at the TV. Even though she counted to herself, she entered the song too early.

“Let me…”

Li Hewei whispered: “It’s alright.”

Tao Ling took a deep breath and successfully caught the rhythm.

Let me gently tell you, the stars in the sky are waiting.

Cheng Yingqiu, the queen of compliments, clutched her chest: “Help, that’s so sweet.” Subconsciously, Li Hewei was sitting on the right, so she leaned over limply, but when she looked up, she saw Qiu Wan’s distinct jawline.

“I…” Cheng Yingqiu pulled away from Qiu Wan’s chest as if shocked by electricity, apologizing haltingly, “I-I’m so sorry, I thought you were my sister.”

Qiu Wan’s smile was warm: “It’s okay. You’re eight years younger than me, so you definitely should call me ‘sister’.”

“Mhm, Sister Qiu Wan.” Cheng Yingqiu chuckled in response. However, her heart was pounding wildly. What was that all about? Could she be nervous because she knew the other person also liked women? As she pondered, Li Hewei suddenly chimed in: “Yes, you can just call her by her name later. ‘Team Qiu’ and ‘Team Li’ sound too formal. Oh, and you can call me Hewei, or Da Wei (Big Wei), but don’t call me Xiao Wei.”

“Da Wei?” Cheng Yingqiu’s thoughts were jumping, and the momentary lapse in her behavior was long forgotten. She burst out laughing: “Mom and the others all call you Xiao Wei, so friends can’t?”

Li Hewei smiled meaningfully: “Cheng Yingqiu, you talk a bit too much.”

“Oh.”

“She’s right; my friends all call me Da Wei.” Over the years in Shenzhen, Li Hewei deliberately distanced herself from relatives who constantly pressured her into marriage due to the early death of her parents and her sexual orientation, only maintaining necessary contact during holidays. She has quite a few friends: two or three close confidantes, and five or six dining companions.

“Okay,” Qiu Wan agreed, then added, “Yingqiu can call me Sister Qiu, or Sister Qiu Qiu. Little Tao, you too.”

“Got it! Pay attention to the song now.”

When the song reached the climax, Cheng Yingqiu encouraged them to sing in chorus.

Don’t ask me how high the sun is, I will tell you how sincere I am. Don’t ask me how many stars there are, I will tell you many…

“Wow, that really is sweet! I thought you were the commanding type, but you’re a sweet girl,” Cheng Yingqiu applauded.

Li Hewei praised her wholeheartedly: “She can be cool or sweet; her style is varied, and she switches seamlessly.”

“Sister Wei,” Tao Ling was embarrassed by the praise, blushing, her voice soft and gentle.

Cheng Yingqiu took the microphone and handed it to Qiu Wan: “Team Qiu, it’s your turn.”

Qiu Wan pretended to be serious, which served as a reminder: “Huh? What did you call me?” She didn’t know Cheng Yingqiu’s sexual orientation; she just treated her as a younger sister and liked her lively and cheerful personality.

Her voice is unique, mature with a hint of heroic spirit. Now, her tone was gentle, and her ending sounds rose, adopting a different, more languid style. Who is she trying to charm? Cheng Yingqiu screamed internally, forcing a smile: “Sister Qiu.”

She’s not bad-looking either. Cheng Yingqiu quickly turned her head, grabbed the other microphone, and introduced: “Now, let’s welcome Police Officer Qiu Wan to sing ‘Yesterday Once More’.”

Qiu Wan leaned back against the sofa, completely relaxed and composed: “When I was young, I’d listen to the radio…”

Cheng Yingqiu involuntarily closed her eyes, feeling as if she were in an old wooden house. The indoor lights were warm, and Qiu Wan, with soft features, was holding a guitar and performing passionately by the fireplace.

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling, that they’re starting to sing, so fine…

She was so absorbed that when it was time to switch to her own song, she remained frozen in place.

“Yingqiu.” Li Hewei gently nudged her shoulder.

“Huh? Is it over?” Cheng Yingqiu was pulled back to reality.

Li Hewei said dismissively: “Don’t tell me you fell asleep? Qiu Wan sang so well.”

“Mhm, I’m a bit sleepy.” The moving melody of “Yesterday Once More” still echoed in her mind. Cheng Yingqiu was too lazy to explain.

Li Hewei collected the microphones and put them in the box: “It’s almost 9:10. If you’re sleepy, go take a shower and sleep. Qiu Wan, you should also head home early.”

“Alright.” She had learned from Tao Ling that Qiu Wan only slept five hours in the past two days; the Iron Lady reputation was well-deserved.

Qiu Wan put down the microphone and stood up: “Okay, I should go back and catch up on sleep. Let’s get together again on the weekend.”

“I’ll walk you downstairs.” Li Hewei offered as the host.

“No need. It takes me seven minutes to walk back, and I don’t want to trouble you with the cleanup.” Qiu Wan’s gaze fell on the dining table full of leftover food.

“We bought a dishwasher two days ago; we just have to load them in.”

“Seriously, no need. The weather is hot; it’s more comfortable in the air-conditioned room.”

After Qiu Wan politely declined multiple times, Li Hewei could only watch her enter the elevator. She then closed the security door and locked it. When she turned around, Tao Ling and Cheng Yingqiu had already carried the dishes into the kitchen. She quickly walked over and picked up the last bowl of soup.

“Sister Wei, give it to me. I’ll separate the meat and vegetables,” Tao Ling reached out to take it.

“I’ll do it. You go shower first.” Li Hewei snatched the chopsticks from her hand, squatted down, and picked out the spare ribs and vegetables to throw into the garbage can, pouring the remaining soup down the toilet. She turned back, but Tao Ling was still standing by the door.

“Why aren’t you going?”

“I told Yingqiu to go first.” Tao Ling reached out again.

“What for? I’m going to use the dishwasher.” Li Hewei lightly tapped her finger with the tip of the chopsticks, saying earnestly, “You were responsible for cooking. Leave these small chores to me.”

“Sister Wei…” Tao Ling didn’t call out the name but stared at her figure tinkering with the dishwasher. Her heart trembled unnaturally.

Her father believed that doing housework after work was her responsibility, and her mother would only silently help when she was free. Only this person in front of her constantly told her to rest and insisted on sharing all tasks.

“Why isn’t this thing moving? I followed the manual exactly.” Li Hewei poked the panel with her index finger and turned to ask her.

“You didn’t press the power switch.” Tao Ling snapped out of her daze, took two steps closer, bent down to turn on the switch on the side, and selected the energy-saving wash. The machine started with a faint sound.

Li Hewei laughed awkwardly: “I completely forgot about that.”

“It’s normal. I didn’t know how to use it the first time, either.” Tao Ling straightened up and pulled out a piece of kitchen paper to wipe the oil from the countertop: “Sister Wei, greens can’t be kept overnight, so let’s bring the diced chicken and soup to the office tomorrow.”

“Good.” Li Hewei opened the refrigerator door and frowned instantly upon seeing only one double-layered lunch box in the crisper drawer: “Where is yours?”

“I didn’t prepare much tonight,” Tao Ling threw the paper towel into the trash can by her feet and looked up: “I can eat at the cafeteria.”

Li Hewei’s tone was decisive: “We’ll share the food.”

Tao Ling didn’t understand: “What?”

Li Hewei turned to face her, emphasizing every word: “The dishes you stir-fried and the soup you simmered—I can’t enjoy them alone. We must share them.” At her somewhat overbearing words, Tao Ling stared at her as if mesmerized, unable to look away. In the next instant, Li Hewei, wearing her loungewear, turned away first, already walking away before leaving her final words: “Goodnight, I’m going to take a shower.”

In the dead of night, Li Hewei, having showered, leaned against a pillow, semi-reclining by the bed. She absolutely couldn’t stand Tao Ling’s soft, affectionate eyes gazing at her; more than five seconds, and she was guaranteed to surrender. Yet, this person always loved to stare at her. No wonder her friends often said that straight women are often reckless; now she was finally experiencing it.

But her friends also strongly warned her not to get involved with a straight woman. Shouldn’t I? Li Hewei scrolled through their increasingly frequent chat logs, sinking into thought.

[Sister Wei, I’ll help you get your meal first.] [Sister Wei, I’m going to change the dressing; take a look.] [Sister Wei, did you not sleep well last night?] [Sister Wei, too much sugar is bad. Maximum two White Rabbit candies a day.] [Sister Wei, if Zhou Lin has good behavior in prison, can her sentence be reduced?] …

Reporting everything, caring about everything.

As long as she wasn’t working, Li Hewei would respond to messages instantly. Do merely friends or sisters act like this? As she was lost in thought, Cheng Yingqiu sent a WeChat message.

[Sister, I put the cake card on your left bedside table. Did you see it?]

[Cake card?] Li Hewei turned to her side and found a pink card placed next to her.

[Yes, it’s your birthday on Saturday. Old Cheng gave me a cake card and told me to pick one out, but I figured you should choose what you like.]

[But I think I grabbed the wrong card. Is the one you have worth 300 or 200?]

Li Hewei reached for it, touching the card’s edge, but it slid off the table and slipped into the crack of the drawer. The drawer belonged to the original owner of the room, and Li Hewei only used the right bedside table for herself. She hesitated for a moment, gripped the drawer handle, and slowly pulled it open.

A half-stack of drawing paper came into view. The cake card lay quietly in the corner. Li Hewei pulled out the card, and her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the sketch on the drawing paper. The outline of the figure looked familiar. Taking a closer look, wasn’t this Tao Ling?