The Romance Extras Turned Out to Be a Yuri Story - Chapter 48

After finishing the meal, it was getting late. Lin Xiangdong needed to take Lin Luoluo home, and Lin Luoluo was very reluctant to leave.

Gu Beichen was in the corner taking a phone call, Dongfang Qing had already left earlier, and Mu Yunchun went to find Zhang Qiu. He noticed her eyes were still fixed on Lin Luoluo. Since Lin Xiangdong had called Lin Luoluo away, her gaze hadn’t shifted from the girl.

Mu Yunchun frowned, called out Zhang Qiu’s name, then relaxed: “You and Luoluo seem to get along well.”

Zhang Qiu replied: “We have similar temperaments.”

Mu Yunchun carefully considered these words, feeling that something had escaped his notice.

“Are you and I not compatible?” he asked with a faint smile.

Zhang Qiu moved her eyes away dismissively, then involuntarily let them drift back to Lin Luoluo. She wasn’t sure what Lin Luoluo was saying to Lin Xiangdong, who had his hands clasped together in a pleading gesture.

Watching them, Zhang Qiu couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl up, a smile coloring her usually cool face—a rare, beautiful sight. This ‘red plum blossom stained with snow’ spectacle made Mu Yunchun look at her closely.

“You seem to have changed recently,” Mu Yunchun said, standing beside Zhang Qiu and following her gaze.

Lin Xiangdong was standing with his hands on his hips, lecturing Lin Luoluo, telling her not to stay out late. Their parents were home, and her insisting on spending the night out would only get him scolded.

“No way. You’re a girl; I won’t feel safe with you staying out.”

“I’m not staying out, and it’s not at a stranger’s house, it’s at Zhang Qiu’s place. Good brother, please let me stay this one time! I want to talk to Zhang Qiu more. She only has these two days off, and soon she’ll be back at work and rushing to finish her thesis. We might not have time to see each other.”

Lin Luoluo pouted, grabbing Lin Xiangdong’s arm and shaking it.

Lin Xiangdong hesitated.

Zhang Qiu’s place should be fine, right? He might worry about others, but Zhang Qiu was certainly dependable.

Lin Xiangdong pondered, not rushing to give Lin Luoluo an answer.

Mu Yunchun’s gaze was sharp, looking at Lin Xiangdong, thinking about who exactly Zhang Qiu was watching: Lin Xiangdong or Lin Luoluo?

Who was making her so happy? Even when she was with Gu Beichen, her expression was always subdued, as if no one truly occupied her heart.

Mu Yunchun had seen people in love; they’re like peacocks trying to attract a mate, “displaying their feathers” in front of their beloved. Zhang Qiu didn’t realize it, but every time he saw her, she seemed more beautiful than before.

She used to not care much about her attire, but she was so good-looking that she’d look great even in a sack. However, today Mu Yunchun noticed that Zhang Qiu had gone to the restroom and even reapplied lipstick. She used to be the person who cared the least about her appearance. Mu Yunchun often felt frustrated about this because she was so indifferent to his handsome looks and personal achievements—nothing about him seemed to attract her. But when a girl starts caring about her appearance, what does it mean? It means she’s in love.

As a dating expert, Mu Yunchun was very perceptive. He was just confused about what exactly on Lin Xiangdong attracted Zhang Qiu. Did she only realize she liked Lin Xiangdong after breaking up with Gu Beichen?

Lin Xiangdong was indeed the most cheerful among them. Mu Yunchun’s spirits sank, but he still found it strange, especially when Lin Luoluo ran towards Zhang Qiu after getting Lin Xiangdong’s permission.

The two hugged tightly.

Lin Luoluo happily whispered into Zhang Qiu’s ear: “My stinky brother let me stay the night! We’ll go back tomorrow morning!”

Zhang Qiu bent down, her expression gentle, her red lips incredibly tempting in the darkness.

Mu Yunchun felt instinctively uneasy, though hugging was much more normal between girls than boys.

Zhang Qiu rubbed Lin Luoluo’s head.

“Running off with me just like that, aren’t you worried?”

Lin Luoluo looked up at her foolishly, her small face full of trust.

Zhang Qiu sighed internally, gripping her hand and saying, “That’s good, too.”

Unaware of Zhang Qiu’s internal struggle, Lin Luoluo was overjoyed, wagging her tail like a puppy, circling around Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Qiu picked up her things and slipped Lin Luoluo’s phone into her hand. Lin Luoluo followed her. Lin Xiangdong asked: “Should I drive you?”

Lin Luoluo waved him off: “My sister (Zhang Qiu) said she wants to show me around this area. You guys go ahead.”

“I have time, I’ll join you,” Mu Yunchun interjected. Gu Beichen, putting down his phone with a grim expression, walked over and said, “You’re coming with me.”

Mu Yunchun raised an eyebrow.

Gu Beichen said coldly: “The CEO of Cloud Tech ran off with the money. This news is probably going to break tomorrow.”

Mu Yunchun’s face showed clear panic. Lin Xiangdong also heard it. He paused, then his expression became serious: “I’ll go back with you. Lin Luoluo, send me your location before you go to sleep. Don’t let me find out you’ve gone to any sketchy places.”

Lin Luoluo rolled her eyes: “When have I ever gone to those places? You guys have something important, so you should go back. My sister (Zhang Qiu) is here!”

Lin Luoluo looped her arm through Zhang Qiu’s, looking blissful.

Lin Xiangdong nodded at Zhang Qiu: “Then we’ll head back. Dongfang Qing already paid the bill. He also brought some easy-to-digest food for the elderly. Remember to take it back for your grandmother to eat. We’re leaving now.”

With that, he grabbed Mu Yunchun’s arm and led him out.

Gu Beichen nodded at Zhang Qiu, his expression softening: “Let’s go out sometime.”

Zhang Qiu also nodded at him. This pair of ex-lovers was now so amicable it was as if their past had never happened.

Lin Luoluo, with her arm still linked in Zhang Qiu’s, glared at Gu Beichen. Gu Beichen noticed and glanced back at Lin Luoluo, giving her an impassive look.

Lin Luoluo mumbled, “Just like my dad.”

Zhang Qiu smiled at her, “They’re all gone, let’s go too.”

Lin Luoluo nodded happily, looking as excited as a primary school student before a spring field trip.

A waiter brought over the packed food. Zhang Qiu took it and held out her other hand to Lin Luoluo, who happily took it.

The city at night had a tranquility that didn’t belong to the day. The greenery on both sides of the street was neatly trimmed. A gentle breeze blew past, making a rustling sound. A few people strolled along the road. The two walked slowly back along the river.

Lin Luoluo then realized that the other side of the old street was the most bustling part of the city, with towering skyscrapers and neat park roads. The old street was like a place abandoned by time, quietly standing there, much like Zhang Qiu’s steady demeanor. She had a weighty, profound, pine-mist-like aura. Her nature was quiet, and though she didn’t possess the eloquence of others, her words were strangely reliable, unlike Lin Luoluo’s somewhat restless temperament, which seemed unable to settle down.

“What are you thinking about?” Zhang Qiu asked.

Lin Luoluo quieted down strangely, turned her head, and smiled at Zhang Qiu.

“I’m thinking about you.”

“Me?” Zhang Qiu’s lips curved slightly. “Am I not right here beside you?”

Lin Luoluo shook her head and secretly smiled, choosing not to tell her what she was thinking. She couldn’t bring herself to say the thoughts out loud, as it sounded too much like she was praising her.

There were stalls set up by the park. One ring-toss stall had a large crowd. Lin Luoluo got interested as she walked past and shook Zhang Qiu’s hand, asking to try a round.

Zhang Qiu rarely played these games because she thought they were a waste of money, but seeing Lin Luoluo’s excitement, she didn’t want to spoil the fun and paid for the rings.

She was always willing to indulge Lin Luoluo, wanting her to be happier, remember her kindness more, and stay by her side longer.

Thirty yuan for ten rings. Zhang Qiu held them and handed them to Lin Luoluo one by one to toss.

The grand prize was a white bear as tall as a person, displayed prominently by the stall owner.

On the ground were wide paper slips marking the prizes; the ring had to land perfectly inside without going over the edge.

Lin Luoluo took a deep breath. The first ring she tossed had too little force and dropped halfway. The next one grazed a paper slip. By the third one, she no longer cared about winning any prize, only wishing to ring something.

After tossing five rings, the area inside the rings was empty. Lin Luoluo looked at Zhang Qiu in frustration: “What do we do? We wasted the money.”

Zhang Qiu considered this, handed the remaining rings to her, and asked, “Can I try?”

Lin Luoluo nodded and took the items. Zhang Qiu squatted down and tentatively tried to roll a ring across the ground. It rolled too hard and went out of bounds. She asked the owner if rolling was allowed. The owner, seeing her poor technique, casually waved his hand and said yes.

Zhang Qiu tried two more, then suddenly stood up and asked Lin Luoluo what she wanted.

Of course, Lin Luoluo wanted the giant white bear, but she felt she shouldn’t dampen Zhang Qiu’s enthusiasm too much, so she reluctantly lowered her goal, “Let’s get a keychain. The dolls on top are cute, one for each of us.”

Zhang Qiu smiled when she heard Lin Luoluo’s little thoughts, curved her lips and nodded, then asked the owner for ten more rings. Lin Luoluo felt a pang.

“No more! Why do you need so many?”

She knew Zhang Qiu worked hard for her money and felt awkward about offering to pay herself, which might hurt Zhang Qiu’s pride.

Zhang Qiu shook her head at her and whispered, “Trust me.” Then she squatted down and began her performance.

She still had twelve rings. The first two were still wobbly, but the third ring suddenly rolled in a strange manner, stopped right next to a paper slip, dropped with a ba-da, and perfectly ringed the item inside.

Lin Luoluo screamed with joy.

Zhang Qiu remained calm and continued to aim. She was half-kneeling on the ground, in a standard batting posture, and then rolled the ring out. The ring went beyond the boundary of the paper slip but landed close to it, just missing.

Lin Luoluo jumped up and kept cheering for Zhang Qiu!

Zhang Qiu smiled at her, “Are you sure you only want the keychains?”

Lin Luoluo became bashful, “I wouldn’t mind the big white bear either.”

That adorable expression made Zhang Qiu almost laugh out loud. She held back her laughter, recalculated the trajectory, first won the keychain, then probed a few more times to estimate the power needed for the big white bear. Once she had the feel for it, she used the last five rings and won the big white bear.

Hugging her three prizes, Lin Luoluo’s face was flushed with excitement.

“How are you so amazing, Sister!”

“Sister is awesome!”

“Did you use to play this often, Sister?”

Zhang Qiu took the items from Lin Luoluo’s hands, leaving only the big white bear for her to hug. The adorable little person hugging the person-tall white bear, with only half her head visible under the bear, was extremely cute.

Zhang Qiu said slowly: “No, today is the first time.”

Lin Luoluo realized she had said the wrong thing again and said cautiously: “Then I’ll play with you every time in the future, okay?”

Zhang Qiu wasn’t really feeling sentimental; she wasn’t very interested in these things, but playing with Lin Luoluo made it strangely interesting.

She nodded and said okay. Lin Luoluo buried her excited face into the bear’s head and rubbed it, quietly saying, “Like it.”

“Hmm?” The street was too noisy, and Zhang Qiu didn’t hear clearly.

She looked at Lin Luoluo. Seeing a car speed by on the roadside, she reached out to pull Lin Luoluo’s arm to make her walk on the inner side.

Her hand grasped Lin Luoluo’s arm. Lin Luoluo’s face flushed.

“I like you.”

Support