This Time, She Confesses First - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ke Qingyun’s sleep quality had always been excellent, but she surprisingly suffered from insomnia that night, tossing and turning in bed. In her mind, she kept replaying the moment when she tied the apron for Jing Huan: the younger woman’s subconscious flinch, her panicked expression, and later, her inability to look directly into Ke Qingyun’s eyes.

Although the young woman claimed she wasn’t afraid of her, her body language was too obvious—it wasn’t just the nervousness of facing a superior.

It was…

“Sister, I like you.”

Was it because of that?

Ke Qingyun gently let out a breath, shook her head, and turned over, forcing herself to close her eyes and sleep. In her dream, she returned to the scene of her first meeting with Jing Huan.

It was one of the most anxious periods of her life: her thesis, defense, whether to go abroad. All the uncertainties about the future had plunged Ke Qingyun into a phase of confusion. To give herself time to calmly think, she found a part-time tutoring job off-campus.

“Sister, who are you looking for?”

A head squeezed out from the door crack, wearing a high ponytail. Jing Huan grinned at her, her smile like the bright sun in spring. Her eyes were big and bright. When she stared at someone, she was like a lively young deer hidden deep in the jungle, full of spirit and vitality.

In that instant, a black curtain was suddenly ripped open, and the long-parched sapling inside frantically reached through the opening, soaking up the sunlight and rain, growing wildly.

In the years since graduation, Ke Qingyun’s life had revolved entirely around work, leaving her little time to recall the past. Perhaps because she was dreaming, some nearly faded memories suddenly became clear.

The scene shifted rapidly.

“I’m sorry.”

As the words fell, those bright, spirited eyes instantly lost their luster: shock, sadness, grievance, multiple emotions mixed together. The young woman pouted, slowly drooping her head.

I was so mean back then. No wonder she doesn’t want to get close to me now.

Seventeen-year-old Jing Huan.

Twenty-four-year-old Jing Huan.

Their faces switched back and forth in her dream, entwined all night, leaving Ke Qingyun awake and guilty for the entire night.

In the morning, when Jing Huan brought Ke Qingyun coffee, she noticed the deep dark circles around her eyes and her visible fatigue. “Ms. Ke, your coffee.”

“Okay, just put it there.” Ke Qingyun looked up from her pile of documents, noticing the scrutinizing look in Jing Huan’s eyes. “Is there something on my face?”

Jing Huan felt awkward and quickly looked away, “Your dark circles are really heavy.”

“Oh, you mean that,” Ke Qingyun suddenly realized, yawned, and said, “I was too heartbroken to sleep last night.”

Jing Huan paused, “What?”

Ke Qingyun smiled and glanced at Jing Huan, “Heartbroken over those few dishes.”

“…” Jing Huan lowered her head, “Then I’ll pay you back.”

Ke Qingyun didn’t stand on ceremony, “Okay, if we finish work early tonight, come with me to the mall to look for some bowls and plates that catch my eye.”

Jing Huan didn’t reply immediately, wondering if this counted as part of her job. Then she heard Ke Qingyun say, “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. No need to force yourself. This is outside of work, and you can decide for yourself.”

Although she said that, Jing Huan still followed Ke Qingyun to the mall to buy dishes after work that evening. After all, she was the one who broke the bowl and plate.

“Ms. Ke, what kind of bowl do you like?” There were too many styles on the shelf, and Jing Huan felt dizzy just looking at them.

Ke Qingyun picked one up to examine, hinting at an unspoken meaning, “Something shatterproof.”

“Then you might need to buy an iron bowl,” Jing Huan pointed seriously to the shelf nearby.

Ke Qingyun looked up at her, “Are you serious?”

Jing Huan held her ground, “If you like it.”

“I don’t,” Ke Qingyun answered very simply.

For some reason, seeing Ke Qingyun say she didn’t like it so seriously made Jing Huan want to laugh, but she couldn’t laugh at her boss’s face, so she lowered her head and tried hard to hold it in.

Ke Qingyun selected two bowls and put them in the cart. She casually pushed the cart away, reminding Jing Huan, “If you want to laugh, go ahead and laugh. It’s not working hours right now, so there’s no salary deduction.”

Jing Huan shook her head, her expression back to normal, “I wasn’t trying to laugh.”

Liar.

After choosing the dishes, Ke Qingyun turned to Jing Huan, “Do you need to buy anything?”

“No.”

Ke Qingyun, “Then let’s go check out.”

At the checkout, Ke Qingyun didn’t rush to pay. After Jing Huan paid, she smiled politely, “Thank you for the bowls and plates you gave me.”

Jing Huan corrected her, “It’s compensation, not a gift.”

Ke Qingyun, “I chose a double set.”

It was compensation, but it was also a gift.

Jing Huan pursed her lips and remained silent. Ke Qingyun glanced at her, decided to stop pushing, and amended her statement, “Alright, they’re compensation. Not a gift.”

It takes patience to coax a child, but knowing when to yield and when to stand firm is the real skill.

Ke Qingyun used to enjoy teasing her, and Jing Huan was long used to it. She didn’t object. The two talked about some work-related things on the way and soon arrived at the residential area.

“Did you find a suitable place to live?” Ke Qingyun suddenly asked before they got out of the car.

Jing Huan paused slightly and replied truthfully, “Not yet.”

Ke Qingyun nodded, pondered for a moment, and looked up, “I’ll reduce the rent by another two hundred. Are you renting?”

“No,” Jing Huan looked away and said.

Ke Qingyun stared at Jing Huan for a while, then suddenly laughed, “Alright, I understand.”

Still angry.

Unable to find suitable rental listings on the rental app, Jing Huan posted a request for housing on the school’s confession wall, just to try her luck. She hadn’t held much hope, as her workplace was quite remote. Unexpectedly, she received a WeChat friend request after work that evening.

“Student, add me. I’m looking for a roommate.”

Jing Huan was overjoyed and quickly accepted, “Hello, are you looking for a roommate?”

The person was probably busy.

Fearing that the apartment might slip away, Jing Huan didn’t dare to stop, quickly exchanging pleasantries: “Sorry, I just saw the message after work. Do you also work in the High-Tech Zone? This place is quite remote. I didn’t expect to find an alumni to co-rent with.”

“I’m so lucky.”

“Hello, may I ask how many bedrooms and living rooms the house has, and are there any other roommates?”

“Can I see some pictures?”

“Also, which residential complex is the house in?”

After vigorously highlighting her sincerity about renting, Jing Huan finally put down her phone, waiting for the other party’s reply.

Five minutes later, her phone vibrated.

Jing Huan quickly picked it up to read, “Student, no one is competing with you, don’t rush.”

“It’s a three-bedroom, two-living room place. I live alone, and the rent is a bit high, so I want to find a roommate to split the cost. Also, I’m a woman.”

Jing Huan thought the other person was quite humorous and smiled, “I’m a girl too.”

“I’m still at work and don’t have photos on hand. How about this: I’m off tomorrow. If you want to rent, you can come and see the place.”

“Oh right, the house is in Millennium City.”

It was in the same complex as Ke Qingyun! Jing Huan was secretly thrilled and quickly replied, “Great! I’m off tomorrow too. Is 3 PM okay?”

“Yes, I’m Si Yao.”

“Jing Huan.”

With a rare day off, Jing Huan slept until after 1 PM. She woke up, ordered takeout, and seeing that it was almost time, she headed out to the agreed meeting spot.

The other person arrived even earlier. Jing Huan saw a tall figure from afar, sitting at the entrance of the coffee shop, waving at her, “Over here.”

Jing Huan walked over with a smile and greeted her, “You came so early.”

“I just arrived too,” Si Yao picked up the canvas bag at her feet, “Let’s go.”

Jing Huan followed behind, secretly observing the roommate she was about to share an apartment with. She was a little curious, “How did you recognize me?”

“You have photos on your moments/timeline.”

Jing Huan’s face flushed a little. She used to love showing off and posting selfies, but after adding Ke Qingyun’s WeChat for work, she stopped posting to avoid embarrassment if Ke Qingyun saw them.

“You are so good-looking,” Si Yao suddenly turned around and said to Jing Huan.

Jing Huan knew she had some beauty, but facing such a direct compliment, she still felt a bit shy and quickly said politely, “You are good-looking too.”

“Nonsense,” Si Yao curled her lips and mocked herself, “I’ve never seen a beauty with single eyelids and a flat nose. Don’t comfort me, I know what I look like.”

Jing Huan was both awkward and amused, wondering how someone could talk about themselves like that. “Everyone has different aesthetics. Anyway, I don’t think you’re ugly.”

Si Yao looked at her, “I don’t think I’m ugly either.”

“…”

“Just not that beautiful, at most.”

Jing Huan admitted defeat, “Alright, I can’t argue with you.”

Si Yao smiled and asked, “What do you do for work?”

“Assistant.”

Si Yao, “I’m a doctor. I often work night shifts, so sometimes you might be living alone. Are you scared?”

“Not scared,” Jing Huan looked up, exclaiming, “You’re a doctor! That’s amazing. Do you do surgery?”

Si Yao nodded, “Yes. And you’re an assistant to a CEO?”

“Something like that.”

The two chatted the whole way. Jing Huan was amused by the other party’s conversation several times. Si Yao was a head taller than Jing Huan, looked cool, and had a dry sense of humor. If she became her roommate, life would surely be interesting, Jing Huan couldn’t help but look forward to it.

The apartment was on the sixth floor. An oil painting was placed next to the entrance, looking very artistic. The interior was well-renovated and spotlessly clean. Si Yao gave Jing Huan a tour, explaining, “I live in the master bedroom, which has its own bathroom, so you can use the outside bathroom alone.”

Jing Huan remembered it was a three-bedroom apartment, “Are you not looking for other roommates?”

“No,” Si Yao said, “I’ll use the remaining room for storage, so you choose one you like.”

Jing Huan chose the room with better natural light, “When can I move in?”

“Anytime,” Si Yao poured Jing Huan a cup of hot water, “I rent the whole apartment from the landlord for 3,800 yuan a month. You can give me 1,000 yuan a month, and we’ll split the water, electricity, and property management fees. How does that sound?”

Jing Huan calculated in her mind. At most, it would be 1,500 yuan a month. This apartment was bigger than the one she was renting before, the environment was better, and the rent was 300 yuan cheaper. This was undoubtedly a windfall.

“What’s wrong? Is it too expensive? You can pay one month’s rent and one month’s deposit. We’re alumni, so I’m not worried about you not paying on time,” Si Yao said.

Jing Huan didn’t have much money in her pocket, so she naturally didn’t dare to say the word ‘cheap.’ She quickly shook her head, “No, thank you so much.”

“No problem, thank you for helping me split the rent.”

Jing Huan was so grateful for such a good roommate that she didn’t know what to say, so she brought up her cooking skills again, “I can cook. I can cook for you when I’m off.”

Si Yao said with pleasant surprise, “Wow, that would be wonderful!” but her expression didn’t change much.

Jing Huan was already used to her dry humor and smiled without saying anything.

“When are you moving in? If I’m off that day, I can help you move,” Si Yao offered.

Jing Huan was so thankful she didn’t know what to say, “I’m moving at the end of the month.”

Si Yao took out her phone and checked the calendar, “Oh, sorry, I’m on duty that day.”

“…”

To get Si Yao’s help with moving, Jing Huan moved out of her old apartment a week early. On the day of the move, the landlord even came by to watch, constantly making passive-aggressive remarks, “I told you I’d mediate for you. That girl promised not to bring friends back anymore. Why are you so stubborn, young lady? My house is so good, where are you going to rent next?”

Jing Huan was tired and out of breath from packing and couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. She wiped her forehead with her hand, “Since the house is so good, hurry up and rent it to someone else.”

The landlord snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and retreated to the doorway to watch Jing Huan pack, “You didn’t stay until the end of the month, but I’m only refunding you three months’ rent, as you said. Otherwise, it’s hard for us to calculate. How can we calculate by the day, right?”

“I know. Just refund me three months,” Jing Huan said.

Seeing Jing Huan being so meek and not arguing, the landlord didn’t make things difficult, only instructing, “Help me clean the room before you leave, or it won’t be easy to rent out again. It will affect my next—”

“Auntie, excuse me.” Si Yao, carrying two suitcases, politely interrupted the landlord.

The landlord’s face turned pale with anger, “I’m only five or six years older than you. Why are you calling me Auntie? Call me Sister.”

“Oh, you’re a Sister,” Si Yao smiled. “You talk so much, I thought you were an older Auntie.”

The landlord’s face cycled between shades of green and white. Her eyes widened, too furious to speak. Jing Huan lowered her head slightly, nearly suffering internal injuries from suppressing her laughter.

This roommate is really sharp-tongued.

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