The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Longing

The wait for a reunion after a long separation is the most agonizing of all. Lin Xian hadn’t seen Fang Daiyu for nearly a month. Initially, upon returning home, she was immersed in the joy of seeing family and friends. But as the nights grew deep and the world went quiet, longing crawled over her like mites—messy and persistent—leaving her restless and unable to sleep.

The drive from the airport to her house took over twenty minutes. Within those twenty minutes, she and Lin Jian performed a “life-or-death rescue” on the house’s cleanliness. They had worried there wouldn’t be enough time, yet by the time they finished and collapsed onto the sofa, they found themselves bored with the anticipation. During the wait, both sisters changed their clothes; Lin Jian even tied her hair into two simple, cute braids.

“Sister, do I look pretty?” Lin Jian admired herself in the mirror. Lin Xian, meanwhile, paced anxiously, glancing out the window at every passing shadow, wondering if each one was Fang Daiyu.

She was afraid Daiyu was teasing her—that it was all just a beautiful hope that would come to nothing. She feared Daiyu would get lost. Ten more minutes, she thought. If she isn’t here in ten minutes, I’m going out to find her.

Lin Jian had originally intended to wait for the guest with a gossipy attitude, but her sister’s nervousness was contagious. “Sis, why isn’t she here yet? Should I call and nag her?” Immediately, Lin Xian swatted her head. “Nag her for what? If she wants to come, she’ll come. If you rush her and something happens on the road, then what?”

Lin Jian rubbed her head, looking resentful. Perhaps her resentment was powerful enough to summon people, because she suddenly thought she heard a knock.

Speak of the devil! Lin Jian’s eyes lit up. “Sis, she’s here.”

Lin Xian stood by the window; the alleyway was still empty. She snapped back at her sister, “Lying makes your nose grow, kid.”

Knock, knock, knock. A faint sound drifted up from downstairs. This time, even Lin Xian heard it. Lin Jian grabbed her sister’s arm. “See, I told you…” Before she could finish, Lin Xian was already flying down the stairs, stopping only at the door to check her reflection in her phone screen—all in one fluid motion.

Lin Jian watched from the second-floor corridor, her eyes nearly popping out. My goodness, did she take a love potion? What kind of little vixen is coming to seduce my sister? Lin Jian narrowed her eyes, grabbed a broom, and marched downstairs with an air of intimidation.

But when she got there, the broom clattered to the floor.

The “clang” startled the two women who were locked in a tight embrace. They pulled apart, and Lin Jian felt like… what was the phrase? The stick that breaks the lovebirds apart?

But how could she not think of them as lovebirds? Lin Jian looked up into Fang Daiyu’s eyes. As much of a “face-con” (someone obsessed with beauty) as her sister, Lin Jian immediately lost her train of thought. Her cheeks flushed red, and she felt a sudden wave of bashfulness. She secretly used her foot to hook the broom behind her back, unable to find words, only managing an awkward smile. “He… hello~”

Lin Xian was still immersed in the dreamlike embrace, that familiar fragrance making her lose herself.

Fang Daiyu naturally draped an arm over Lin Xian’s shoulder. When a beauty smiles, it feels like spring flowers blooming; the gentle ripples in her eyes spread throughout the room. Lin Jian dithered as the goddess-like sister asked, “Xianxian, aren’t you going to introduce me to your sister?”

Lin Jian suddenly remembered the voice from the phone. In her excitement, she blurted out a classic line from Dream of the Red Chamber: “Yes, yes! I’ve seen this sister before! Oh, Daiyu—you’re Sister Daiyu!”

“I am Daiyu. Does that make you little Baoyu?” Fang Daiyu saw the resemblance immediately; Lin Jian’s face and brows were carved from the same mold as Lin Xian’s. Loving the house means loving the crows on the roof; she found Lin Jian charming and closed the distance between them with a single joke.

Lin Jian’s face turned even redder. She pulled Lin Xian in front of her, hiding behind her sister and refusing to speak further.

Lin Jian was only in middle school. Despite being sisters, there was a significant age gap, and Lin Xian had always played a “mother-sister” role—sometimes a sibling, sometimes a friend, and often the primary caregiver.

Led by the two sisters, Fang Daiyu walked from the first floor to the second. The first floor held guest rooms and storage; the second was the living area. Upon entering the living room, Daiyu saw it was filled with large plants: Monstera, Pothos, Money Trees, Birds of Paradise… the whole room felt like a flower market, with succulents tucked into every corner. Sitting on the sofa felt like being in a forest, breathing fresh air that instantly improved one’s mood.

However, the living room was vast. While the sun was slanting outside, making it look warm, the interior—unlike the heated North—carried a trace of damp chill.

Daiyu noticed Lin Xian was only wearing a shirt and thin jeans. Her gaze filled with concern. “Why are you wearing so little? Aren’t you the one most afraid of the cold?”

Lin Jian was quick-witted; she immediately dragged out the foot warmer.

Seeing the heater she had bought for Lin Xian, Daiyu asked, “Is it useful?”

Lin Jian, thinking the guest was doubting the machine, explained: “Don’t look at how clunky it is; it’s great! You can even lie inside it. That way, my sister can work while staying warm.”

Clunky? Daiyu frowned. She hadn’t considered that aspect. “I’ll replace it with a better one next time!”

This sister really looks down on our heater! Lin Jian thought. She’s so rich she wants to throw money at us. She let out a small “tsk,” unable to resist one last defense of the gift: “No need! This was a gift from Sister Pangpang. It’s not polite to replace a gift from someone else.”

Lin Xian tried to stop her, but it was too late. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. She had lied about the heater’s origin to hide Daiyu’s identity from her family, and now she was paying for it.

As soon as Lin Jian finished, the air in the room turned icy. After a long pause, Fang Daiyu looked at Lin Xian and smiled thinly. “Sister Pangpang? Your high school friend?”

“Wow!” Lin Jian chirped. “You and my sister must be really close to know even that!”

Daiyu gave Lin Xian a meaningful look. Lin Xian wished she could bury herself in the floor. “Yes… our relationship is beyond what most people can imagine!”

Daiyu didn’t expose the lie, but her long fingers entwined with Lin Xian’s. Lin Xian couldn’t escape as those hands—half in anger, half in play—squeezed her fingers hard. It hurt enough that Lin Xian bit her lip.

Softly, she seemed to hear Daiyu whisper: “Disobedient.”

…

Fang Daiyu settled into Lin Xian’s home.

She had accumulated over a month of vacation time at the company but had never used it. This was her first time taking a break. Her subordinate, Engineer Liu—a man ten years her senior—was shocked. “Director, are you really taking time off?”

Daiyu handed him the notice with a faint smile. “It’s in black and white. Would I lie?”

This was a rare event. Everyone in the Tech Department knew Director Fang was a workaholic. Usually, it was the employees crying for leave; they had never seen the Director rub her temples in exhaustion. To justify the trip to see Lin Xian and keep the staff’s morale balanced, Daiyu had clumsily feigned fatigue.

As she left, Engineer Liu sighed, “I guess even a person of iron has their breaking point. Luckily it’s the off-season. Young people… they don’t know their limits; they really should take better care of their health.”

Since Daiyu had taken a whole week off, it didn’t feel right for Lin Xian to make her stay in a hotel. Fortunately, with her grandmother in the countryside and her mother busy at the shop, Fang Daiyu moved into Lin Xian’s bedroom quite openly.

Lin Xian ordered takeout from the restaurant downstairs. A neighbor personally delivered the dishes on a tray. Lin Jian’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Grilled tofu in banana leaves! My favorite!” She rushed to the kitchen for spicy dipping sauce.

Lin Xian glared at her, and Lin Jian froze.

Lin Xian turned expectantly to Daiyu. “Sister, try this. This restaurant has been open for twenty years. They make the most authentic Yunnan food.”

The table was set with pineapple rice, braised beef, and a steaming pot of wild mushrooms with ham and tofu. Lin Xian immediately scooped some mushrooms for Daiyu. “Try this! They shouldn’t be in season, but it rained on the mountain two days ago, and someone found a batch.”

Lin Jian pouted. “Mom bought those to keep at the restaurant. If you eat her mushrooms early, she’ll kill you when she gets back.”

One look from Lin Xian silenced her. Daiyu smiled. “I’ll try them then. I’ve heard the wild mushrooms here are famous.”

“Of course!” Lin Jian helped herself to a large bowl. The local way was to cook them simply with scallions, oil, and soy sauce, but the “secret ingredient” was a fermented “Bone Crisp” paste, stir-fried with Xuanwei ham and the mushrooms.

One bite of wild mushrooms, and you’re as happy as an immortal. That was a local joke, though it often referred to people accidentally eating poisonous ones and ending up in the hospital.

Daiyu ate the common “Green-Head” mushrooms. The snowy-white stalks and green-patterned caps had a unique fragrance and softness. Combined with the savory ham and the spicy-numb flavor of the bone paste, the rich soup provided a double delight. Daiyu closed her eyes instinctively. It’s so different. Compared to cultivated mushrooms in Beijing, these were like an entirely different species.

Back in Beijing, Lin Xian often spoke of Dali—the festivals, the legends, the ethnic minorities. Daiyu had always found the sentiment sweet but somewhat hard to grasp. Now, she felt a step closer to understanding where Lin Xian’s innate passion came from. It was in the taxi driver, the neighborly auntie bringing food, and the fiery heat of the local cuisine.

After lunch, they retreated for a nap in the master bedroom on the third floor. It was a large room with an en-suite bathroom and a massive 2.2-meter-wide bed. “Do you really need such a big bed for one person?” Daiyu asked.

Lin Xian laughed. “My mom says it’s for her future ‘live-in son-in-law’.” Catching Daiyu’s knowing smile, Lin Xian realized she’d walked into a trap and stopped talking.

Before napping, Lin Xian explained the customs. In Dali, women often held a higher status in the family than men. This led to many “live-in sons-in-law” (shangmen nüxu), especially in families with two daughters. The eldest daughter would stay to inherit the estate and care for the elderly, making a reliable live-in husband the perfect choice.

“Did your mother plan to find a live-in husband for you, then?” Daiyu lay on her side, facing Lin Xian. They were only centimeters apart, their breaths entangling.

“Of course,” Lin Xian sighed. “Since I was very little, she said she couldn’t bear to see me marry out.”

Daiyu arched an eyebrow and pulled Lin Xian’s hand against her. “What do you think of me?”

“Think of you for what?” Lin Xian feigned ignorance.

Daiyu was direct. “As a live-in son-in-law. I’ll come to Dali, work hard, and just belong to your family.”

Lin Xian turned away, silent. Daiyu placed a hand on her shoulder and saw a shadow of sadness on her face. “Daiyu, you know my mother used to be against me being gay. Even though we’ve compromised over the years and she says she can accept me being with a girl, it might just be talk. She hasn’t seen me actually bring a girlfriend home; she doesn’t know the impact of it yet.”

Daiyu understood. Lin Xian wasn’t ready to come out to her family about them specifically.

“Are you worried about something, Xianxian?” Daiyu remembered Lin Xian saying that if she found the one she wanted to spend her life with, she’d let the whole world know.

“It’s not what I’m worried about, it’s you,” Lin Xian said seriously. “Since I came home, I’ve been thinking… why do I feel your love but still feel so insecure? I can’t even be sure you can give me a future.” She let out a breath. “Then I realized why.”

“To me, you are like a mysterious fog. I can’t see your identity clearly or guess your thoughts. I only know that when you’re with me, you follow my lead and make me happy. But once we’re apart, beyond a few messages, I realize I have no idea what you’re doing.”

Daiyu rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling and listening quietly. Lin Xian had never expressed this before.

“You’ve never told me your story, your family, your inner world—not even a hobby.” Lin Xian looked at the window, where the wind blew against the sheer curtains.

“And one more thing. I’ve always tried to be a ‘good girl,’ so I never mentioned the promises you made. You seem to have forgotten: you promised to take me to the Forbidden City, to Gubei Water Town, to see the sunset on the grasslands, the sunrise at Qinhuangdao… but you never did.”

“They kept piling up, and I thought you forgot. Daiyu, if you can’t keep a promise, please don’t say it and give me empty hope, okay?” Lin Xian turned back and buried herself in the covers, hugging Daiyu’s waist, needing to feel the physical reality of her.

“I’m so happy you came,” Lin Xian’s voice softened. “It shows you missed me, and that you were willing to leave work to be with me. I know how much you care about your work, so I’m moved.” Feeling the body in her arms stiffen, Lin Xian nuzzled against her chest.

With that, Daiyu’s presence pressed down on her.

Her voice was husky, filled with a mix of helplessness and reflection. “Xianxian… my upbringing was a bit unique. I’ve never loved anyone before, so I don’t know how to do it. Wait for me, okay?” She gently kissed Lin Xian’s lips. The air went still, save for the swaying shadows on the wall.