Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

He Xinglan had just finished the check-in process for Yin Qiuman when Lin Yue’s call came through. Holding the room card, she was about to hand it over to Yin Qiuman.

Seeing the caller ID, He Xinglan stuffed the card into Yin Qiuman’s hand. “You go up first. I’ll be up as soon as I finish this call.” With that, she stepped aside.

“Lin Yue, you’re the death of me,” He Xinglan grumbled the moment she picked up. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that the room was given up by Song Zhiye?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Lin Yue spoke in a guilty tone. “Uh, well… I forgot back then.”

“So, where are you now… post-crematorium? Total battlefield?”

“Pretty much,” He Xinglan sighed, looking at the busy traffic outside the hotel. She felt that ever since Yin Qiuman arrived, her life had been set to fast-forward. Her brain was busier than the overworked office workers rushing past her on the street. One thing after another; she could barely keep up.

“What do you mean ‘pretty much’?” Lin Yue didn’t follow. “Don’t tell me your ‘White Moonlight’ and your ‘Ex-Ex-Girlfriend’ hit it off?”

He Xinglan: “…”

“Haha, your imagination is truly something,” He Xinglan replied with a deadpan sneer, though she secretly admired the creativity.

Lin Yue was quite proud of herself. “Gossip is all about the imagination, right? In this colorful world, how many interesting things come from pure speculation? So, He Xinglan, where do things stand with you and your White Moonlight?”

“Changing hotels, obviously,” He Xinglan thought that was self-evident.

Lin Yue: “Obviously. I guessed that. But I want to hear the spectacular process.”

The process…

“The process isn’t important anymore. What’s important is—how many exes do you think I should admit to having before it gets awkward?” He Xinglan had enjoyed her “playgirl” days, but now, she was in a total mess. Even though she had never actually crossed the line with any of those exes, she doubted even Lin Yue would believe that.

Lin Yue: “Did she ask you?”

“Not yet.”

“But I don’t want her to misunderstand and think I’m… that kind of promiscuous person.” That was what He Xinglan truly cared about.

Lin Yue asked, “Do you think you’re promiscuous?”

He Xinglan shook her head. “Definitely not.”

“But my past… it really was pretty ‘scummy,'” He Xinglan bit her lip, admitting a truth she couldn’t run from.

Lin Yue had to agree that He Xinglan’s habit of falling in love with everyone she saw was indeed a bit “scumbag-ish.” However, Lin Yue also knew He Xinglan wasn’t a real scumbag. If she were, why would all her exes be so obsessed with her? It’s said that exes can’t be friends, yet He Xinglan’s exes all wanted to be friends just to get a second chance at being her girlfriend.

She must have treated them incredibly well for them to act like that.

In Lin Yue’s view, the most important thing wasn’t how He Xinglan explained her past, but how she planned her future with the White Moonlight. However, as an outsider, Lin Yue felt she shouldn’t get involved. She’d stick to being a simple gossip-eater.

“I can’t help you with that one, babe. Think it through yourself,” Lin Yue said. “Anyway, I only called for the tea. Since there’s no more to sip, I wish you luck.” With a crisp click, Lin Yue hung up.

He Xinglan glared at her phone as if she were glaring at Lin Yue. Useless! What do I even have you for?!

Muttering curses under her breath, she tucked her phone away and turned to see Yin Qiuman still standing in the same spot. She quickly jogged over. “Why didn’t you go up?”

“Waiting for you.” Yin Qiuman’s answers were always painfully honest.

“Oh.” He Xinglan suddenly felt nervous. Yin Qiuman had mentioned earlier that they needed to “have a good talk.” Once they were in the room, it would begin—but she still hadn’t figured out how to account for her past.

He Xinglan kept her head down, pushing Yin Qiuman’s suitcase. Into the elevator, out of the elevator, all the way to the door—she didn’t dare look up. She swiped the card and they entered the room. Knowing she couldn’t hide any longer, He Xinglan was about to speak when Yin Qiuman interrupted her.

“He Xinglan, let’s do it.”

“What?” He Xinglan looked up in shock. She searched Yin Qiuman’s face to see if she was joking. Even though Yin Qiuman’s goal seemed to have always been this, this was the first time she had said it so bluntly and shamelessly.

“Yin Qiuman, are you…” Did Song Zhiye drive her completely crazy?

Yin Qiuman reached out and wrapped her arms around He Xinglan’s neck. As her breath drew closer, she explained that this wasn’t an impulsive remark.

“We started dating when we were eighteen, and we broke up after just one week. But I regretted it, He Xinglan. I’ve always regretted it. I regretted that, back then, I did nothing besides kiss you. That’s why I’ve never been able to forget you. But my biggest regret is that in the seven years since I let go of your hand, others got to have you before I did.”

“I have to admit, I’m jealous. Because you should have been mine—whether it was the eighteen-year-old you or the twenty-five-year-old you.”

“But what’s happened has happened. We can’t turn back time. It’s meaningless for me to dwell on it; it would only push you away. If you’re unhappy, I’m unhappy, and that’s not the result I want. So, I’ve decided not to care about the past. I don’t care how many ex-girlfriends you had or what happened between you—I won’t think about it anymore. I only want your ‘after.’ As long as your future is only me, that’s enough.”

“But I’m still unsatisfied. Because they have all touched you, but I haven’t. So now… I want you.” As Yin Qiuman finished speaking, she gave He Xinglan no time to react and blocked her lips with a kiss.

So overbearing! He Xinglan thought as her lips were sealed.

In that instant, her heart felt completely light. She no longer had to agonize over those life-or-death questions about her past.

Yin Qiuman’s kissing technique seemed… lacking. He Xinglan actually had the mental capacity to think: Is this considered harassment? After all, we haven’t even officially confirmed our relationship.

“Yin Qiuman~” A small sound escaped from the corner of He Xinglan’s lips.

Hearing her voice, Yin Qiuman stopped. She stared at He Xinglan with eyes full of desire. “Sorry… did I hurt you?”

Yin Qiuman knew her kissing skills weren’t great. After all, she had been single for years; she wasn’t “battle-hardened” like He Xinglan and lacked practice. “Xing-xing, if I… if I hurt you, you can teach me.”

The “Top Student” Yin was exceptionally eager to learn.

He Xinglan: “…”

With a red face, He Xinglan shook her head. “No, I just wanted to ask… what exactly is our relationship right now?”

Are they a couple? Yin Qiuman hadn’t confessed, and she hadn’t said yes. Was it just… a “friends with benefits” thing? Yin Qiuman had just said she regretted that their eighteen-year-old romance stopped at a shallow kiss.

Wait—was Yin Qiuman’s sudden boldness just about “getting what she couldn’t have” back then? He Xinglan’s brain suddenly sharpened.

“Are you… do you just want my body?” To make up for the past regret? Once the regret was fulfilled, would she discard her again, just like before?

“Yin Qiuman, I think you should calm down.” He Xinglan pushed for some distance. Yin Qiuman smelled so good—the fragrance always threatened to cloud her reason. He Xinglan didn’t like being confused, especially regarding feelings. Especially when it came to Yin Qiuman.

He Xinglan stepped back, leaving Yin Qiuman’s hands empty. A sense of loss, much like the day she broke up with He Xinglan at eighteen, suddenly hit her.

“No,” Yin Qiuman answered immediately. “If you don’t want to, I can wait.”

Yin Qiuman wasn’t a lust-driven person; it was only because the person was He Xinglan. She probably had no idea how massive her attraction was. It made Yin Qiuman want to be a “vulgar” person over and over again.

“He Xinglan, I truly want to get back together with you.”