The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Flaw

Fang Daiyu had been up since 4:00 AM to catch her flight, so she slept soundly deep into the afternoon. When Lin Xian woke up and saw her sleeping so peacefully, she tried to quietly slide her arm out from Daiyu’s firm grasp. Daiyu let out a low murmur in her sleep, refusing to let go. Left with no choice, Lin Xian stayed in bed and picked up the novel from the nightstand to read.

While they slept, Lin Jian also turned lazy, burrowing into her blankets and playing on her phone. She started gossiping with her childhood friend, Lailai: “Guess what? My sister brought her girlfriend home.”

Only her mother officially knew about Lin Xian’s coming out. However, Lin Jian was sharp; from her mother’s repeated trips to Beijing and the arguments she overheard on the phone, she had known for a long time that her sister liked girls. This didn’t bother her. On the contrary, perhaps influenced by the internet culture of the 2000s, Lin Jian had discovered “Yuri” and “BL” subcultures on her own back in elementary school.

She even had her own secret male and female idol ships that her parents knew nothing about. Since she couldn’t gossip with outsiders, she could only share this with her best friend.

Lin Jian waited, but despite the explosive news, Lailai didn’t respond for a long time, which was a huge disappointment.

Lin Jian finished two episodes of Himouto! Umaru-chan and one of Demon Slayer. The winter bed was warm, and she was almost nodding off when her phone finally pinged: “Big news! Your sister is for real?”

Lin Jian perked up: “My sister’s girlfriend looks like the ‘cool and aloof’ type, totally my aesthetic. Honestly, I think I’m becoming a shipper of my sister and her girlfriend!”

Lailai was currently at her mother’s shop helping organize stock. She had finally managed to sneak away to the warehouse to chat feverishly with her friend: “OMG, do you have a photo? Is she prettier than your sister?”

Lin Jian bit her finger as she typed: “They aren’t the same type, but she’s definitely the kind of ‘big sister’ you’ll never forget after one look. She looks like she walked out of a manga. And her voice is so lovely. Ugh, how is my sister so lucky? Is Beijing just crawling with beautiful girls?”

Lailai’s focus was different: “Sounds too good to be true. Are you just imagining it, Jianjian? Are you sure they’re together?”

“Positive! I picked up the phone when she called, and she called my sister ‘wifey.’ Plus, I saw them hugging when I went downstairs, and my sister’s face turned beet red. You don’t know my sister—she wouldn’t act like that with just a regular friend.”

“Also,” Lin Jian added the finishing blow, “our house has so many guest rooms, yet she’s sleeping in my sister’s room for their nap. It’s been three and a half hours and they haven’t come out. My sister usually only naps for thirty minutes.”

Lailai bolted from the warehouse, knocking a cup off the counter in her haste. Her mother yelled, “Where are you going?”

Lailai’s voice drifted back: “Jianjian called me! She has a homework question she can’t solve!”

Although Lailai’s mother didn’t believe the clumsy lie, she let it go. Since they were going to Lin Jian’s place, it was fine—they were kids who grew up under her nose.

Lailai and Lin Jian were best friends for a reason. Their mothers were neighbors, both divorced, both single parents, and even their shops were side-by-side.

As Lailai stepped outside, she ran straight into someone—Lin Jian’s mother, Lin Fangyun. Lailai tumbled into her arms. Like her own mother, Lin Fangyun immediately asked, “Lailai, why the rush? Where are you going?”

Lailai lowered her head and kept up the lie: “Going to see Jianjian. She said she has a homework question she can’t solve.”

“That girl!” Lin Fangyun sighed, thinking of her daughter’s academic habits. “Helping each other is fine, but no copying.”

Lailai stood at attention and saluted: “Don’t worry, Auntie! Absolutely not!”

Lin Fangyun handed Lailai a small safety helmet. “Hop on the back of my scooter. I’m heading home anyway. I haven’t been back in a few days.”

In her hesitation, a thought suddenly struck Lailai. She desperately wanted to text Lin Jian: Does your mom know your sister’s girlfriend is at your house?

But under Lin Fangyun’s watchful eye, a cowardly Lailai resigned herself to her fate, put on the helmet, and sat on the back of the e-bike. As the wind blew past, she was in no mood for scenery. Her voice trembling with panic, she finally ventured: “Auntie, you can just drop me at the door and go back, right? The shop must be so busy.”

Lin Fangyun’s voice came through the wind: “Are you embarrassed, Lailai? Auntie is just stopping by to pick up some things. Besides, Xianxian is finally home; I should spend time with her. The new part-timer at the shop is quite good, so I can finally relax. I was thinking of going back to cook something nice for her.”

Lailai closed her eyes in resignation, crying internally: Xianxian, I’m so sorry! It was your mom’s own idea to go home!

As the scooter sped along, Lailai’s mind raced. As one of Lin Xian’s long-time followers, she felt a sudden surge of protective instinct. She tested the waters: “Auntie, if Sister Xianxian started dating, would you be happy?”

Lin Xian dating? Lin Fangyun’s expression shifted as she remembered Lin Xian’s coming out years ago. However, she remained composed. “Of course I’d be happy. Dating leads to marriage, and marriage leads to children. Your sister is graduating soon. I’d love to hold a cute little grandchild.”

She spoke with deliberate emphasis on marriage and children, then wondered why she was being so defensive with a child.

In Lailai’s mind, alarm bells were screaming. Disaster. Her aunt wanted a son-in-law and a grandchild; she could already foresee the tragedy.

But with the courage of youth, Lailai braved another question: “Auntie, do you know what ‘homosexuality’ is?”

Screech—!

The brakes slammed on, the tires leaving a long streak on the pavement.

Lin Fangyun was now suspicious. She looked into Lailai’s eyes with a scrutinizing gaze. “Lailai, who taught you that word?”

Lailai felt a chill down her spine and her tongue tripped over itself: “I… I… no one taught me!” Lailai gulped and, in a moment of panic, spoke her truth: “Auntie, you don’t discriminate against gay people, do you? What era is this? It’s normal for us to know about these things.”

The more she spoke, the bolder she got. “Take me and Jianjian, for example. We believe that in the future, we just need to find the right soulmate. It doesn’t matter if they are a man or a woman, as long as we love them!”

“Is that so?” Lin Fangyun’s heart sank. She wondered what was wrong with kids these days. Even Jianjian had thoughts like this? At least Lailai said “man or woman,” which didn’t completely shut the door, otherwise she might have fainted right there.

Lailai nodded earnestly. “Yes! Auntie, you might not understand, but for some people, it’s just how they are born. For others, it’s because they met a specific soul that changed them. Love itself isn’t wrong. Think about it—if your daughter fell in love with a girl, would you really want to tear her to pieces?”

Lin Fangyun patted Lailai’s hair. “Of course not. Both Xianxian and Jianjian are the apples of my eye.”

The scooter restarted, but a stray tear escaped from the corner of Lin Fangyun’s eye.

What choice did she have if her daughter liked girls? She had complained about her fate and even threatened Lin Xian with death in the past. But seeing Lin Xian lose her appetite, waste away, and sink into a dazed depression, Lin Fangyun had suddenly let go.

Compared to death or losing her child, no other difficulty in the world could break her.

However, Lailai’s questions had poked at her deepest anxieties. When she first learned Lin Xian liked girls, she felt disgusted and humiliated. On sleepless nights, she even wondered why she hadn’t just smothered her at birth. If she had, she wouldn’t have such a “revolting” daughter.

Later, she found everything Lin Xian did irritating. But she was helpless because Lin Xian was her daughter, the one she had raised alone. In the many nights after her divorce, the thought of her daughters was the only thing that kept her from being lonely.

One year, two years, three years… time flowed on. Looking back, she had survived the hardest days. But Lin Fangyun knew the most difficult battle was still ahead. Even after years of mental preparation, she couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t collapse the moment Lin Xian actually brought a girl home.

…

Lin Jian didn’t expect Lailai to arrive so quickly. She ran downstairs, shouting, “Coming, coming! I’m telling you, Lailai, they’re still in the room together, hehehe!”

Lin Jian swung the door open, and her smile froze.

Lailai stood there, waving awkwardly. “Hi, Jianjian. Auntie said she was coming home too, so she gave me a lift.”

Lin Jian gave a panicked, hollow laugh: “Mom!”

Lin Fangyun’s face was unreadable. “What did you mean, ‘they’re still in the room’?”

Lin Fangyun immediately stepped into the house. She didn’t need to guess who else was in that room besides Lin Jian.

Lin Jian grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mom, what are you doing? I was talking about my sister!”

“What about your sister?” Lin Fangyun’s intuition told her something was wrong. Lailai’s talk on the road plus Lin Jian’s evasiveness—it was too suspicious.

Lin Jian had to tell the truth. “My sister’s friend came from Beijing to visit her. She came straight here from the airport. I was just saying… she was tired from the flight, so she hasn’t come out of the room yet.”

Hearing it was a “friend,” Lin Fangyun calmed down immediately. She sat in the living room, silent for a long time. Eventually, she asked: “Lin Jian, tell me. What kind of person is this friend of your sister’s?”

To take care of Lin Xian, Lin Fangyun had been to Beijing several times. She knew almost all of Lin Xian’s friends, male and female. She wanted to know who this was.

Lin Jian was now as well-behaved as a rabbit, mostly because she was terrified her sister would blame her for their mother’s sudden return.

Lin Jian: “She’s a very beautiful girl.” Lin Fangyun herself was beautiful and loved fashion; she wouldn’t have married Lin Xian’s father otherwise if he hadn’t been handsome. To her, beauty was a primary metric. This influence had left both her daughters a bit “shallow” when it came to looks.

“Beautiful” was just an adjective, but Lin Fangyun couldn’t think of anyone among Lin Xian’s friends who would make her little “face-con” daughter use that word.

“Is she very pretty?” Lin Fangyun imagined the sexy, glamorous actresses on TV.

Lin Jian nodded. “Extraordinarily pretty. Like a fairy. Mom, you know how you love Liu Yifei? Well, this sister’s name is ‘Daiyu,’ and her vibe is just… so elegant.” She even brought up her mother’s favorite actress, hoping to soften her.

The more Lin Fangyun heard, the more her heart churned. It’s over. It’s all over. She knew her daughter’s heart. She didn’t even need to see the person; just seeing how her younger daughter was completely smitten was enough to know that if this “beautiful friend” wasn’t already Lin Xian’s partner, she was definitely the one Lin Xian was pining for.

Finally, she asked weakly: “Tell me… where is this sister sleeping?”

“She’s napping with Sis. Mom, Lailai and I nap together all the time. Best friends do that, right, Lailai?”

Receiving the signal, Lailai chimed in: “Yes, Auntie! We girls love