The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Dolls

The arcade was a cacophony of sound, packed with teenagers. The air conditioning was working hard, but the atmosphere remained feverish—it was a paradise where everyone dialed their excitement to the maximum, eyes glowing as they indulged in artificial joy.

Lin Xian waited by the dance machine while Fang Daiyu went to exchange coins. A crowd had gathered around the machine, watching a girl in a Lolita dress dance in the center. Lin Xian watched with great interest.

When Fang Daiyu returned, Lin Xian couldn’t help but praise, “This sister is amazing.”

Fang Daiyu placed a small basket of game coins in Lin Xian’s hand. “Play whatever you want.” She glanced at the dancer and added, “She’ll be leaving in a bit.”

“I don’t believe it.” The girl still had a pile of coins and was dancing with high energy; why would she leave?

“Let’s make a bet.” Fang Daiyu tilted her chin, a hint of provocation in her eyes. The competitive streak in Lin Xian’s bones flared up. “Fine, a bet it is. What are the stakes?”

“One request. The loser must unconditionally grant the winner one request!” “Deal!”

On stage, the Lolita girl was dancing to Mayday’s “Lian Ai ING.” Lin Xian unconsciously started humming along. Fang Daiyu chuckled, making Lin Xian blush as she explained, “I’m tone-deaf! I just played too much QQ Dance in middle school, so I can’t help it.”

Fang Daiyu showed her dimples. “I played that too.”

As the song ended, the dancing girl checked her watch, walked to the counter to grab her bag, and left. Lin Xian pouted. “Did you cheat?”

Fang Daiyu laughed. “I don’t come here often, but she’s always here when I do, and she leaves right on the dot. What do you think?”

Lin Xian huffed. “A bet is a bet. Tell me, what’s your request?”

Fang Daiyu shook her head. “Keep it on credit. I haven’t decided yet.”

Fang Daiyu was like a fish in water at the arcade, mastering various games with ease. Lin Xian watched with excitement but grew discouraged after trailing behind Daiyu through several games. She finally flopped onto a claw machine. “I don’t want to play games anymore.”

Fang Daiyu smoothed her hair comfortingly. “It’s normal to be bad your first time.”

Lin Xian shook her head. “No.” It was embarrassing! Lin Xian used to be invincible at games, but in front of her girlfriend, she was a total noob with a combat power of negative five. How humiliating.

“Let’s catch dolls. Are you good at this?” Lin Xian looked at her with big, clear eyes. Fang Daiyu was too embarrassed to say she had never touched one.

“I’ll give it a try!”

Lin Xian happily crouched down to insert coins for her. She pointed to a Winnie the Pooh bear. “Can I have that one?”

Many couples were crowded around the machines. The boyfriends looked determined, while the girlfriends held piles of plushies, cheering them on. Lin Xian felt a surge of envy. She turned, grabbed Fang Daiyu’s arm, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a quick kiss on Daiyu’s forehead. “Good luck! Sister!”

Lin Xian pumped her fist, refusing to be outdone by the other girls! Hmph, I’m not a ‘single dog’ anymore. Being the one doing the sweet-talking feels great.

Fang Daiyu was stunned by the encouragement. Her gaze turned fierce, focused, and deadly serious. Even some nearby students gathered to watch. “She looks like a pro!” Lin Xian puffed out her chest with pride, wishing she could tape a sign to Daiyu’s back saying “She’s mine! She’s mine!”

The claw clamped onto the doll’s body. It was almost there. Everyone held their breath and clenched their fists. Thud. The doll dropped back down; the claw was empty.

A look of disappointment flashed in Fang Daiyu’s eyes. Lin Xian encouraged her, “Keep going, Sister! That was only the first try.” She quickly crouched to put in more coins. The girls watching whispered, “Yeah, the pretty sister will definitely get it next time!”

“Exactly!” Lin Xian was full of confidence. Fang Daiyu continued her intense battle.

The claw missed again. Lin Xian: “Third time’s the charm! You almost had it, I believe in you!” The girls nearby: “It’s normal, we’ve tried many times too. It’ll come out this time!”

…

In the blink of an eye, the basket of coins hit the bottom. Lin Xian finally realized that when Fang Daiyu said “give it a try,” she really meant “try.” This was worlds apart from her skill at the other games. Lin Xian felt the sting of the wasted money and couldn’t bear to look at the Pooh bear anymore. “Daiyu, the owner must have rigged it. Let’s go.”

Just then, the little girls who had been watching wandered back with their own prizes. They sighed regretfully. “Pretty sister, you still haven’t caught it?”

Lin Xian winked frantically at them. “Stop talking!” She had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Fang Daiyu stood up, maintaining her cool, indifferent facade. “Wait for me.” When she returned, she was carrying two baskets overflowing with coins. Standing behind her, Lin Xian began to wonder: Is the fairy… a bit stubborn?

By the time they left the arcade, it was past 4:00 PM. Lin Xian was cradling eight dolls of various sizes, looking at Fang Daiyu.

Congratulations were in order: after spending nearly a hundred coins, Fang Daiyu finally caught the Pooh bear. Once she found the rhythm (and mostly because she had so many coins), she managed to snag eight dolls, though it cost her four or five hundred yuan. Lin Xian was speechless. She felt her girlfriend might not be the most… frugal person.

Oh well, Lin Xian was a big spender herself, so she didn’t have much room to talk. But she had to say it: “Don’t waste so much money next time.”

“Is it a waste?” Fang Daiyu looked at their loot, feeling quite satisfied. Lin Xian nodded.

Fang Daiyu laughed and couldn’t help but ruffle her girlfriend’s hair. “I’m a Taurus, after all.”

The subway station was just ahead. Fang Daiyu was reluctant to say goodbye and wanted to keep Lin Xian for dinner, but she knew that after dinner, it would be late, and they would inevitably fall into that cycle of lingering together. She watched the girl’s back as she passed through security until she disappeared into the crowd.

The space beside her felt empty. Lost in a daze, Fang Daiyu suddenly remembered—the gift she bought for Lin Xian on her last business trip, and the umbrella Lin Xian left behind at the previous fan meeting… were all still at her place.

…

Two days passed in a flash, but Lin Xian felt like a lifetime of events had happened. Every frame was something she could pull out to secretly think about and smile at for hours.

After returning home, she bought food at a restaurant near the school gate and went back to the dorm to give the dolls to her roommates.

Only Lin Xue was there. Neither she nor Ji Dongmei were particularly close to Lin Xian. Ever since Lin Xian came out, it felt as though two rivers had separated them; only the girl from the Northeast remained as friendly as ever.

Lin Xian placed a Mickey Mouse on the Northeast girl’s bed. She hesitated, then took out two “Jump Frogs”—placing one on Ji Dongmei’s bed and handing the other to Lin Xue, who was reading. “My girlfriend caught these. She said they’re for you guys.”

During freshman year, the four of them had been close, celebrating birthdays together. Back then, they had promised to notify the whole dorm if anyone started dating.

Lin Xue looked awkward. The book in her hand accidentally slipped onto her lap. She whispered a small “Thank you, and… congratulations.”

Lin Xian gave a polite, distant smile. As she was about to close the door, Lin Xue suddenly looked up. “Xianxian, do you still go to the counseling office?”

Lin Xian’s footsteps paused. She nodded and walked out.

Inside the room, Lin Xue placed the doll on top of her bookshelf. For some reason, she remembered a birthday during their freshman year. Lin Xian had just bought a new outfit she hadn’t even worn yet and lent it to her to match her look. Later, seeing how much Lin Xue liked it, Lin Xian simply gave it to her.

Back then, Lin Xian was always smiling, fearless, full of energy and boldness. She used to love pulling Lin Xue into a hug and would often tell others: “Xue’er is a cutie, okay? We have the same last name, so we’re family. I’m protecting her; nobody’s allowed to bully her!”

The night Lin Xian came out, she and Ji Dongmei had whispered about how “disgusting” it was. Thinking about how Lin Xian used to hold her arm made her want to scrub herself clean. They purposefully avoided Lin Xian in the dorm. Once, Lin Xian invited her to the bathhouse: “It’s been a while since we scrubbed each other’s backs. Want to go?”

Lin Xian’s smile was beautiful—the kind that could draw even girls in. Lin Xue had felt a momentary pang of guilt, but it was quickly swallowed by fear and the need to distance herself. “I already asked Dongmei to go tonight,” she said, turning her head away.

“Oh, okay!” Lin Xian had replied with a smile, as if nothing was wrong. “Then I’ll go by myself!” Her voice was cheerful, showing no sign of sadness. But since then, Lin Xian had never invited her to bathe again, as if she knew it would make her uncomfortable.

A few months later, Lin Xian gradually stopped appearing in the dorm. Lin Xue later learned from the Northeast girl that Lin Xian had moved out. Then, in their sophomore year, Lin Xian lost weight rapidly. She looked like a different person—listless in class, dressing carelessly, her face haggard.

One day, Ji Dongmei pulled her into a corner of the corridor to gossip: “Have you heard? Lin Xian has depression.”

“Who said that?” Lin Xue asked, watching Ji Dongmei’s mouth nervously.

Ji Dongmei gestured wildly. “People saw her going in and out of the counseling office all the time. Then some news leaked from the counselor—Lin Xian has moderate depression. Her mom even came to Beijing to stay with her for months.”

…

Recalling the past, Lin Xue felt a complex swirl of emotions. She looked at the Jump Frog and eventually hid it in her wardrobe, away from the bookshelf.

…

Lin Xian returned to her rental apartment and lay flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. After a moment, she grabbed the Pooh bear and showered it with kisses, laughing loudly. She replayed the scenes from yesterday and today in her head, unable to stop smiling.

Especially the thought of Fang Daiyu seriously battling the claw machine. She covered her mouth and giggled. “Daiyu is too cute! She must have been so angry inside!”

Lin Xian picked up the small dolls on the bed to roleplay. She held up a small white bear: “What kind of broken claw machine is this? My Fairy Daiyu can’t conquer it? I’m so mad!”

Then she held up the Pooh bear: “Stupid Fang Daiyu, come and catch me, la la la!”

Her laughter drifted out of the bedroom, drawing Jingjing to the door. She knocked on the half-open door and teased, “Oho! Back from your date, I see.”

Lin Xian immediately hid her head under a plushie in embarrassment.

Jingjing sat on the edge of the bed. “Staying out all night! Tell me, where did you go to mess around? Was it a one-night stand or did you ‘buy a coke’ (B-Y-C/Make Love)?”

“Confess and be treated with leniency; resist and be treated with severity!”