By the time they left the shop, Su Qingqing’s hands were full with three or four small bags, each containing delicate bras.
Ming Xue had originally planned to buy several more stylish ones—lace, sheer, semi-transparent—but for some reason, Su Qingqing had completely rejected the aesthetic joy one would expect from a girl. She had only chosen the most plain and tightly-wrapped styles.
“Sigh…” Ming Xue couldn't help but sigh. It seemed she had misjudged Su Qingqing. Apparently, Su Qingqing hadn’t stuck on those band-aids for the sake of some thrill. Maybe this girl, orphaned since childhood, really lacked the kind of knowledge girls should have about their own bodies.
Yet she had such a face—a face that seemed blessed by the heavens.
Ming Xue pressed her hand to her ample chest and muttered under her breath, “What a waste of good resources~”
“What’s a waste?” Su Qingqing asked in confusion, glancing back at her.
The sunlight spilled down in soft golden hues over her dark hair, gilding each strand like molten gold. Between that gold and black shimmered her porcelain-white face—so lovely it could stop hearts. Ming Xue had the illusion that, under this sunlight, she could even count the strands of Su Qingqing’s eyelashes.
But that flawless face still retained a strange, childish innocence. And that innocence, combined with her puzzled expression, sparked an overwhelming instinct to protect.
Unfair! Totally cheating!
Ming Xue visibly swallowed. Her expression grew a bit awkward as that earlier intrusive thought echoed again: Don’t tell me I really do like girls?
“I’m talking about you!” she snapped, shooting Su Qingqing a slightly jealous glare.
“What?” Su Qingqing tilted her head, her hair shifting lightly. She didn’t pry. If someone didn’t want to say something, she wouldn’t push. That might be a social flaw, but she didn’t mind.
“I’ll walk you back. I still have to meet other new students later. Ugh, I’m so tired.” Ming Xue smiled helplessly, pulling another tissue from her pouch and sticking it between her bangs and forehead, muttering in frustration.
As they walked back to the dorms, the two chatted about “girl body secrets.” When they arrived at the base of the building, Su Qingqing flashed her a sweet smile and turned to go inside.
Student dorms were magical places—warm in winter, cool in summer. Especially the girls’ dorms.
Su Qingqing’s previously cheerful face cooled just like the air inside the building. She weighed the bags in her hand, feeling an emotion somewhere between gratitude and unease. One thing she did know—she was going to have to work overtime.
The bras were fine, but the panties clearly weren’t cheap. And Ming Xue had even promised to buy her better ones in the future. For Su Qingqing, that was a burden—not just financial, but emotional.
Maybe she should take on a few more game orders.
At the thought of money, her expression froze, then twisted into regret. She grabbed her silky hair in frustration. “Crap. I forgot my two bottles of Coke! And I already paid for them!”
Guess she’d have to go back later—if the shopkeeper remembered.
Sighing to herself, Su Qingqing started up the stairs. But just as she reached the stairwell, the air seemed to drop another degree. A chill prickled over her skin—not physical, but mental. She lifted her foot… and couldn’t step onto the first stair.
She was… resisting.
She looked up, her brown eyes following the steady stream of people moving up and down the stairway.
“Excuse me, could you move a bit? Thank you!”
A man’s voice spoke politely from behind. Su Qingqing gave an apologetic smile and stepped aside. Then, from her chest pocket, she took out her phone and dialed that infamously expensive international number.
“Moshi moshi!”
As always, Pan’s voice was bright and cheerful. Just hearing it brought to mind a 2D anime girl in a frilly dress, waving energetically.
“I have a question,” Su Qingqing said.
“You’re allowed to ask~”
“If I give up on revenge… does that mean I stop working for you?”
“Yes~ Our core business is your revenge, Qingqing baby.”
“Don’t call me that. It makes me nauseous.”
Pan sounded hurt. “But you talk with that little sweet tone to Ming Xue, don’t you?”
Su Qingqing blinked. “…It’s just a necessary cover.”
“But why the sudden thought of quitting? Weren’t things going well?” Pan hummed thoughtfully. “Besides, even if you don’t actually go through with revenge, it’s okay. I just want someone to play with me. Qingqing baby can pretend to seek revenge and still do whatever she wants.”
“I don’t like pretending.”
Su Qingqing wore the faintest smile—one so subtle it was nearly invisible. “Everything I gain, I pay for. You know I like things with a proper ending.”
“In ancient texts, there weren’t even punctuation marks.” Pan tried to joke. But she could tell Su Qingqing was serious. Her tone shifted too, becoming rare and solemn. “Why don’t you want revenge anymore?”
“She doesn’t even acknowledge our relationship. Whether I was dumped or we just parted peacefully—it doesn’t mean anything.” Su Qingqing spoke lightly, but her steps on the stairs were slow. “Oh, and that Lu Yuan guy? She didn’t acknowledge him either. I guess I wasn’t special after all. I was just the unlucky one before him. He’s the unlucky one after.”
“Bad woman!” Pan shouted fiercely in her cutesy voice.
“Yeah… bad women are best at raising pets.”
“But you’re more like a plant, I think.”
Su Qingqing blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. “What kind of plant?”
“Sunflower.”
“…?”
“Wherever the sun goes, you follow. Yu Zhongmeng gave you sunlight once, and you dedicated your whole life to her. But your last life ended, Su Qin—it ended under the wheels of a big truck! You’re Su Qingqing now!”
“Then I’ll need new sunlight, won’t I? A sunflower with no sun would just wither.”
“Ming Xue is Su Qingqing’s sun. You’ve realized it—you’re just too scared to admit it.” Pan pouted, sounding all-knowing.
“How could anyone truly be someone else’s sun? Even if they are, night always comes.” Su Qingqing sighed. She no longer resisted climbing the stairs. Because now, she had made up her mind: she would say one final thing to Yu Zhongmeng—then disappear, as planned.
“Su Qingqing!”
A crisp, clear voice rang through the stairwell. The noisy hallway fell into an eerie pause—just a second or two of silence before the chatter resumed.
Su Qingqing froze on the third-floor landing and looked back in surprise.
Ming Xue was almost pressed up against her from behind.
But this time, Ming Xue’s face was flushed red with rage. She was holding a small bag—apparently something she’d forgotten to give Su Qingqing, and had returned specially to deliver it—only to overhear the despairing words Su Qingqing had just spoken.
Right now, Ming Xue’s presence was overwhelming. For every step she advanced, Su Qingqing instinctively backed away. Until finally, her back hit the cold tiled wall—nowhere left to go.
“W-What’s wrong…?” Su Qingqing stammered, realizing she was actually being intimidated by Ming Xue’s aura.
“Don’t lose your passion and hope for life,” Ming Xue said seriously. Her slender fingers gently lifted Su Qingqing’s delicate chin. “If you think no one can be your sunlight—then I will.”
“…Huh?” Su Qingqing was completely stunned.
The next moment, Ming Xue’s face loomed closer and closer in her vision—until all that was left were her still-angry eyes.
Something like lightning and thunder exploded in Su Qingqing’s mind. After a brief moment of daze, she finally realized what had happened:
Ming Xue’s lips had kissed her on the cheek.
(End of Chapter)