Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

He Xinglan didn’t answer, but Xiao Hua didn’t need her to. She had already understood.

That’s why Yin Qiuman was staying at a hotel instead of her perfectly fine home.

Realizing the reason, Xiao Hua became even more excited.

She looked at He Xinglan with an exceptionally ambiguous gaze, “Did you… stay together last night?”

Xiao Hua’s words instantly darkened He Xinglan’s face.

“Are you blind?”

Xiao Hua remembered. He Xinglan had walked out of a different room.

“Oh, oh, oh, sorry, my apologies. People’s memory isn’t great when they get older.”

He Xinglan just felt a moment of relief when Xiao Hua continued:

“So, you slept with her and then left?”

He Xinglan: “…”

“Xiao~ Hua.”

He Xinglan stared at Xiao Hua, gritting her teeth. The look made Xiao Hua shiver, and all her curious thoughts immediately dissipated.

“Fine, I won’t ask. I just won’t ask.”

I didn’t expect this fellow, He Xinglan, to still be so difficult to deal with after so many years.

Xiao Hua dared not speak casually anymore. He Xinglan was also silent, and the strange atmosphere between the two lasted until Yin Qiuman opened her room door.

“He Xinglan.” Yin Qiuman’s voice, calling her name, was exceptionally cheerful.

Then it was Xiao Hua’s turn, “Xiao Hua, you’re still here.”

The tone sounded full of disdain.

Xiao Hua: “…I was just afraid you might still need me.”

Yin Qiuman glanced at He Xinglan. He Xinglan’s expression wasn’t good. Looking at Xiao Hua, although she couldn’t read her expression, she seemed to subconsciously avoid looking at He Xinglan. Remembering that the two were not on good terms back in high school, Yin Qiuman made a decisive choice.

“No need anymore, Xiao Hua. Thank you for bringing me clothes. I’ll treat you to dinner next time,” Yin Qiuman said.

Xiao Hua wasn’t insistent on staying. She was very tactful. However, she was surprised to catch a glimpse of disdain in Yin Qiuman’s eyes.

How long has He Xinglan been back? Did I lose favor this quickly?!

Xiao Hua cried silently in her heart but still offered a blessing to the pair.

“Okay, I’m off. Wish you guys 99.” (Forever)

He Xinglan watched Xiao Hua’s retreating back, her brow furrowed. Those last three words from Xiao Hua…

“Did you tell her?” He Xinglan looked at Yin Qiuman next to her.

“About what?”

He Xinglan moved her lips but ultimately didn’t speak. Perhaps I’m overthinking it.

The feeling Yin Qiuman gave her this time was indeed very different, but it shouldn’t be so drastically different that she had openly come out to her friends.

However, just as He Xinglan convinced herself, Yin Qiuman overturned her judgment.

“Oh, you mean whether I told Hua Hua about you and me? Yes, I did.”

When Yin Qiuman said this, He Xinglan even saw a hint of pride in her eyes.

Pride? What’s there to be proud of?!

Worry flashed in He Xinglan’s eyes.

This place was not like an open-minded metropolis. People in small county towns were very traditional. What if Xiao Hua spread the word about Yin Qiuman’s sexual orientation?

“Do you have Xiao Hua’s phone number? Give it to me,” He Xinglan immediately decided.

Yin Qiuman naturally had it, but she didn’t give it to her. Instead, she looked up and met He Xinglan’s eyes.

“He Xinglan, I’m not joking.”

He Xinglan: “What?”

“I truly want to be your girlfriend.”

“This time, I am completely ready.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“I’m no longer afraid.”

He Xinglan suddenly felt a pang of heartache. Looking at Yin Qiuman’s never-before-seen serious eyes, He Xinglan knew the dam of her doubt was slowly giving way.

“Is that so?” He Xinglan shifted her gaze. “Did the big scholar think of where to take me for lunch?”

She had pushed back her grandmother’s home-cooked meal for this.

Yin Qiuman pursed her lips, then beamed, “Of course, I thought of it. How about we go eat the Mala Tang we used to love?”

“The one behind the school’s back gate. It’s still open.”

The memory in He Xinglan’s mind flashed back to that place because of Yin Qiuman’s words.

By the time He Xinglan snapped out of it, Yin Qiuman had already led her into a taxi heading to that Mala Tang restaurant.

Frustration flashed in He Xinglan’s eyes. She looked out the window, muttering awkwardly, “Then let’s see if it still tastes the same.”

He Xinglan disliked reminiscing about the past and always avoided it.

Now, though, she felt a slightly impatient anticipation.

The taxi quickly reached the destination. Yin Qiuman paid and got out of the car with He Xinglan.

It had been several years since they last returned. Standing at the entrance of their former high school, He Xinglan was momentarily disoriented before figuring out her directions.

“Is that place still at the back gate? I remember it being this way.” He Xinglan said, starting to walk in the direction she remembered. The next second, Yin Qiuman took her hand.

“That side is temporarily blocked for road construction. We can cut straight through the school.” Yin Qiuman said, changing her grip to interlace her fingers with He Xinglan’s.

“Can we still enter the school?” He Xinglan answered hesitantly, her gaze fixed on their clasped hands.

Walking hand-in-hand with Yin Qiuman on campus was something the eighteen-year-old He Xinglan had longed for day and night, but the eighteen-year-old Yin Qiuman had refused.

During their secret, early relationship, Yin Qiuman was reluctant even to walk close to her, a typical sign of having a guilty conscience.

He Xinglan had been enthusiastic then, but after repeated rejections, she couldn’t bear to pressure Yin Qiuman.

So, what is this? A scene reconstruction?!

A trace of sarcasm flashed in He Xinglan’s lowered eyes. However, Yin Qiuman didn’t give her time to dwell on it. She led her directly to the school guard booth.

The school was already on winter break, so it was quiet, with only the security guard remaining.

The guard had changed; He Xinglan didn’t recognize him, but Yin Qiuman did.

“Uncle, it’s me.”

“My friend and I want to go to the back gate to eat Mala Tang. The left side is under construction, and the right side is too far to walk. Could you secretly open the gate for me? I’ll cut through the school.” Yin Qiuman quickly put on a sweet, obedient smile. Although she was a twenty-five-year-old adult, she still easily earned the trust and affection of older people.

“Is that you, Designer Yin? Sure, I’ll open the gate for you.”

Thus, Yin Qiuman entered their former high school without much effort.

“Designer Yin?” He Xinglan murmured the title.

“You are currently a…”

“Architectural Designer.” Yin Qiuman explained, “Our alma mater added a new teaching building two years ago, which was commissioned to our company. I am half in charge of the project.”

This was the first time He Xinglan heard Yin Qiuman talk about her work.

He Xinglan remembered that Yin Qiuman harbored this dream in high school. While other girls dreamed of becoming music teachers, celebrities, doctors, or painters, Yin Qiuman’s ambition was to be an architect.

“What…” He Xinglan licked her slightly dry lips before continuing, “What did you major in at university?”

“Architecture at Hanyang University.” Hearing He Xinglan’s desire to know about her, Yin Qiuman smilingly volunteered all the parts of her past that He Xinglan hadn’t been a part of.

Finally, Yin Qiuman asked, “What about you? What did you major in at university?”

Yin Qiuman wanted to ask if He Xinglan later went to the Aviation University because the eighteen-year-old He Xinglan’s dream was to be a female pilot.

But given He Xinglan’s academic performance back then… Yin Qiuman didn’t want to bring up a painful subject.

But would He Xinglan be willing to tell her?