The Romance Extras Turned Out to Be a Yuri Story - Chapter 42

The dining hall was bustling, but the atmosphere at their table had dropped to freezing point.

Lin Luoluo looked earnest and serious, pulling her hands from the table and placing them on her lap. She was about to lift the corners of her mouth when a voice suddenly cut in from the side.

“Fang Duo, this is my private matter, you’ve crossed the line.”

Zhang Qiu’s tone was flat. She put down her chopsticks and looked at Fang Duo.

Fang Duo’s face tightened, and she apologized anxiously.

“I’m sorry, Senior.”

Zhang Qiu didn’t say anything more. She turned her head to Lin Luoluo, her tone gentle: “Are you full?”

Lin Luoluo nodded, a look of loss on her face.

“Then let’s go.”

Zhang Qiu stood up, and Lin Luoluo quietly followed.

Fang Duo watched them, confused about the current relationship between her senior and this rich girl.

She was sticking up for her senior, but the senior seemed to be favoring her love rival?

Fang Duo frowned.

What kind of spell had this rich girl cast on her senior? The senior had always been quite fond of her, and she never took to heart anything Fang Duo said.

Lin Luoluo was only close to her for Gu Beichen.

Now that she had the person, she would eventually part ways with the senior.

Then the senior would know how important she was.

Thinking this, Fang Duo’s brows smoothed out, and she slowly finished the food on her plate.

Lin Luoluo was led by Zhang Qiu. The midday sun was dazzling, falling on her long, curly hair, making her look incredibly forlorn.

She followed Zhang Qiu, her head down, listless.

Zhang Qiu looked out at the sports field and suddenly said, “Do you want to go see the little orange cat?”

Lin Luoluo looked up, her spirit lifting a little.

“Where do we look for it?”

“Its usual haunts are around the girls’ dormitory building and Teaching Block B. Let’s go look for it.”

Lin Luoluo then remembered: “I saw it last time after class. You should call it Big Orange—it’s been fed so much by everyone, it’s really fat.”

“Little Orange would be heartbroken if it knew you said that,” Zhang Qiu smiled, taking Lin Luoluo for a stroll around the campus.

It had been a long time since they had a moment like this.

This semester, the beginning of the school year felt like a battle, a complete mess. Now that everything was back on track, Zhang Qiu had less work on her hands, especially after delegating the Student Union matters.

Zhang Qiu glanced at Lin Luoluo, who was still a bit unhappy.

She knew it, but there was nothing she could do. Gu Beichen was a thorn stuck between them. This thorn couldn’t be talked about, yet it was long and thin, stuck between them.

Zhang Qiu actually wanted to know what Lin Luoluo was truly thinking.

She liked Gu Beichen, yet she was greedy for Zhang Qiu.

Or maybe she simply hadn’t figured out her own feelings yet.

Zhang Qiu felt a bit helpless.

She held Lin Luoluo’s hand, walking down the tree-lined avenue. As class had just ended, people were walking in twos and threes, and some were cycling.

Worried that Lin Luoluo might be brushed by a cyclist, Zhang Qiu switched places with her, letting Lin Luoluo walk on the inside and she on the outside.

Lin Luoluo kept her head down, lost in thought.

Zhang Qiu didn’t want to push her.

She gave her enough time and space.

Besides, what could she compare to Gu Beichen right now?

The only thing she had going for her was cheap tenderness.

But this tenderness was traceless when the wind blew and rippleless when the water flowed.

It was inevitable that Lin Luoluo might grow tired of it.

Zhang Qiu was deep in thought. The two slowly walked to Teaching Block B. They had just come from the girls’ dormitory building and hadn’t seen Little Orange, so they figured it must have run over here.

Just after class, some people weren’t in a hurry to go to the dining hall and were lingering on the large patch of grass in front of the teaching building, basking in the sun.

Zhang Qiu took Lin Luoluo on a detour and saw Little Orange, meowing and begging for food next to a few girls.

It really should be called Big Orange now; its plump belly looked like it was about to touch the ground.

Lin Luoluo couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “It’s taken very good care of itself.”

Seeing that the girls were clearly prepared, taking cat treats out of their bags to tease the cat, and Big Orange’s face was round from eating, letting out sounds of meow-woo, meow-woo in enjoyment, Zhang Qiu and Lin Luoluo watched from afar without disturbing them.

Zhang Qiu said, “I’ll take you to see the Cat Home.”

The cats on campus were still strays, but after negotiations between the Student Union and the Pet Love Club, the school allowed them to periodically place cat nests and feed the cats in various locations on campus. Moreover, these animals were very popular with students, and people often brought free food.

However, relying solely on the public Pet Love Club was clearly not sustainable for long. The president of the Pet Love Club was very capable and managed to find several major pet supply brands. They not only solved the problem of pet food but also received free sponsorship for charitable spaying and neutering.

All sterilized animals have a clipped ear to ensure the stable number of the campus cat population.

Zhang Qiu was behind all of this, including the series of Weibo promotions and short video follower accumulation she planned, which belonged to the school, the Pet Love Club, and the Student Union jointly. This maintained a source of funding and also prevented managers from committing fraud.

After seeing the well-managed Cat Home, Lin Luoluo’s mood recovered from playing with the animals.

She squatted down holding a cat treat, and a little two-month-old tabby cat pawed at her trousers.

Zhang Qiu checked the logbook for the Cat Home and walked over, smiling. “Quite a few new kittens have arrived recently. We’re preparing to find nearby people to adopt them. If anyone in your circle wants to adopt a cat, you can help spread the word. However, our adoption requirements are very strict; the person must meet the criteria.”

Lin Luoluo picked up the kitten and nodded.

There were also volunteer workers at the Cat Home, so the two played for a while and then left.

Zhang Qiu smiled and said, “When you come to my house, you’ll get to see Pipi.”

Lin Luoluo then remembered that Zhang Qiu had a dog at home.

“Pipi is very obedient, it’s just that the old lady spoils it a bit too much,” Zhang Qiu said, wanting to put a hand to her forehead at the thought of it. “But I made a diet plan for it before I left. My grandma should be following it, right?”

Zhang Qiu said uncertainly.

She and her grandmother lived in an old residential area. Their home was a standalone two-story house, built when her father was alive. That area used to be on the outskirts of the city, and the residents were all people from the same factory. They had close ties and were generally decent, but later, when the city expanded, their neighborhood couldn’t be torn down, and the old streets stood in the shadow of skyscrapers. All sorts of people came and went. After Zhang Qiu picked up Pipi, it took on the responsibility of guarding the house.

Her grandmother always felt Pipi worked too hard and would secretly feed it. Labradors are also gluttonous, and Pipi had quickly ballooned up like a balloon.

Zhang Qiu shared photos of Pipi with Lin Luoluo.

She is a very meticulous person, carefully sorting and saving Pipi’s photos from every year. Lin Luoluo saw Pipi’s growth from a young age.

Zhang Qiu shared Pipi’s amusing anecdotes.

“Pipi loves to eat too much; it’s overweight. I put it on a diet during the winter break, but I didn’t expect this silly dog, who would howl pitifully in front of me, to actually chew a hole in the bag of dog food I kept on the balcony and secretly steal food every day. After half a month of dieting, its weight didn’t drop but increased. I didn’t find out until I went to clean the balcony during the New Year when I saw that almost the entire bag of dog food had been emptied. It really made me mad.”

Zhang Qiu shook her head helplessly.

Though she said she was angry, her lips were curved into a smile, which also made Lin Luoluo smile, as if she could picture Pipi’s mischievous look.

Seeing Lin Luoluo’s brow relax, Zhang Qiu’s smile widened.

“Class is about to start, go on now.” She urged, walking Lin Luoluo to the entrance of the teaching building.

Lin Luoluo looked at Zhang Qiu’s dark, bright eyes and bit her lower lip, wanting to explain what Fang Duo had just said, but due to irresistible circumstances, she ultimately kept silent.

Without resolving her engagement with Gu Beichen, anything she said would be useless to Zhang Qiu.

Lin Luoluo finally lowered her eyes and smiled: “You’re on a break but still had to accompany me; that’s too much trouble for you, Jiejie (sister).”

In the end, she didn’t say anything.

A verbal promise was just empty talk; it was better to act than to speak.

Zhang Qiu raised her hand and gently stroked Lin Luoluo’s soft head. Lin Luoluo rubbed Zhang Qiu’s palm like Pipi, waved, and turned to say goodbye.

Zhang Qiu stood by the teaching building for a while. Hearing the class bell ring in a daze, she was startled to realize she had been standing there for a long time.

She wasn’t without disappointment regarding Lin Luoluo, but what more could she expect?

Their relationship was walking on thin ice.

Zhang Qiu clenched her fists, slowly letting out a breath after a long moment.

Perhaps there is no first-come, first-served in love, but there is in people. She had met Lin Luoluo too late. If they had met earlier, Zhang Qiu might not have agreed to Gu Beichen. Going back further, would Lin Luoluo have liked Gu Beichen?

Zhang Qiu didn’t know, but she was deeply disappointed at this moment.

She had understood her own heart, but she had also lost it.

In class, Lin Luoluo studied diligently.

But she would occasionally think of Zhang Qiu’s eyes; her expression was always very aloof, yet her eyes were like a deep, secluded pool.

Facing those eyes, Lin Luoluo couldn’t help but feel guilty.

She had been waiting for a response from Zhang Qiu but had forgotten that she needed to sort out her own private affairs before she could expect a response.

Otherwise, it would only cause harm to both of them.

Liking someone can be unreasonable, but love is not.

Love is bias, it is constantly feeling indebted.

She truly owed Zhang Qiu too much, far too much.

After class, Lin Luoluo received a message from Zhang Qiu.

【Do you still want to visit Grandma on Wednesday?】 She was confirming again.

Lin Luoluo stared at the message and thought for a long time, only finally deciding to refuse after getting into the car and returning home.

【Sorry, I suddenly received news that I have a temporary commitment on Wednesday. I will definitely go home with you next time.】

After sending the message, Zhang Qiu didn’t reply.

Had she sensed her lie?

Lin Luoluo’s face was pale as she got out of the car.

She looked distraught, and when she stepped into the house, she startled Lin Xiangdong.

“Did someone bully you at school today?” Lin Xiangdong chased after her, asking.

Lin Luoluo had no desire to speak and shook her head.

“Auntie made pigeon soup; do you want some?” Lin Xiangdong asked again.

Lin Luoluo still shook her head. She headed straight upstairs with her bag but was caught by her collar and pulled back by Lin Xiangdong.

“What exactly is wrong?” He looked down at her.

Lin Luoluo looked close to tears, her eyes and brows revealing a layer of grievance.

“Brother, don’t ask. It’s my fault,” she choked out. “No one bullied me; I just figured something out.”

Lin Xiangdong felt a headache coming on. The three things he feared most in the world were his dad’s serious face, his mother’s sudden unhappiness, and Lin Luoluo crying.

Lin Luoluo had rarely cried growing up, even though people said she was spoiled at home.

When she was just born, her crying was soft, like a kitten’s meow.

After she grew up, she cried even less often.

Even when she made a mistake, she would have a stubborn look on her face.

If told to stand in the corner, she would stand until the end of time; if told not to eat, she wouldn’t touch a drop of water.

Her personality was as stubborn as a rock, which was why the family felt she wouldn’t fit in with the general education system in their country.

Lin Xiangdong stroked Lin Luoluo’s head and said warmly: “If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask. But if you’re really in trouble, remember that your brother will always stand by you.”

Regardless of right or wrong, he only stood by his sister.

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