“Did your Yueyue also go to another province to see the peach blossoms?”
“Yeah, and your Ah Chi as well?”
In a massage parlor with a Thai-style decor, two best friends met up for an essential oil spa. Lying face-down on the massage beds, just because of one question—“Where did your kid go for summer vacation?”—the conversation turned to the surprising coincidence that both of their children went to another province to see the peach blossoms.
“Could it really be such a coincidence?” The two elegant women looked at each other and spoke in unison.
“There’s always that possibility.” Again, they exchanged a glance, minds perfectly in sync.
“You think those two kids might have secretly planned this together behind our backs?”
“How should I know~~”
“…….”
“Oh, let’s stop overthinking it. Even if they did plan it, just let them be.” Chen Mengrou buried her head in the hole of the massage bed, calmly enjoying the attentive massage from the young masseuse behind her.
“Four people, two couples. Don’t you think it’s a perfect match?”
“It really is. Just like back when my Honghong and I, you and your Yushu, the four of us went to climb Mount Tai together.” Huang Qingchuan recalled, sighing with nostalgia.
“Remember how we even drew fortune sticks on Mount Tai, and agreed that if we each had a son and a daughter, we’d arrange a childhood engagement for them to try when they grew up?”
“Little Huanghuang, you can’t say things like that anymore, especially not in front of your future daughter-in-law.”
“Hmph~ What’s wrong with talking about it? You don’t know how girls nowadays love shipping couples, especially male-male pairings.”
“Aiyo aiyo~ Don’t tickle me there, hahaha~~” Huang Qingchuan suddenly wriggled on the massage bed, squealing as her face stayed buried in the bed’s opening, making it hard to look back.
“Sis~ Don’t tickle there, don’t tickle there~~”
“Hahaha~~”
Just a moment ago, this essential oil spa was still going perfectly well and so comfortable. But for some reason, the young masseuse suddenly went after her most ticklish spot. Good heavens, she’d only ever told a few people where she was most ticklish.
At some point, Chen Mengrou got off the massage bed, gave a shushing gesture to the young masseuse nearby, and then launched an attack on her best friend, whose body was already slick with essential oil.
“I get it! It was you! Little Rourou!!”
A flash of realization crossed Huang Qingchuan’s face. She immediately flipped over, pounced on her best friend, and pinned her to the ground, mercilessly tickling her.
The two of them played and wrestled, chasing each other around, filling the room with laughter and joy. The fragrance of essential oils drifted through the air, mingling perfectly with their happiness.
For a hundred miles, the fragrance of peach blossoms spreads; their vibrant colors dance across the sky.
Meanwhile, in a peach orchard of another province, pink petals fluttered through the air like falling snow, carpeting the ground in breathtaking beauty.
Jiang Chi finally found a public bench. Just as he sat down and pulled a book from his satchel, a slender hand snatched it away. Next, a girl with her hands on her hips stood before him, cheeks puffed in indignation.
“Is reading really that much fun?”
“If you have time to read, you might as well look at me more.”
“Now, if you don’t look, you won’t get to look at all in the future.”
After saying this, she tilted her head back slightly, stubborn and determined, and neatly stuffed the book into her own small crossbody bag. She pointed to herself with an air of righteous authority.
“The book is confiscated.”
“You’re not allowed to read today. We agreed to see the peach blossoms together.”
Jiang Chi raised his brows, his handsome eyes showing a hint of helplessness as he stretched his hand toward her, his voice low and magnetic, “Give it to me.”
Seeing this, the girl hugged the bag to her chest like a precious treasure, stuck out her tongue at the man, and said, “No way. What are you going to do about it?”
Jiang Chi smiled wryly, stood up, and walked slowly toward her, “Looks like I’ll have to take it myself.”
The girl glared, “You dare!” But as Jiang Chi closed in, she grew flustered and turned to run.
Jiang Chi chased after her through the peach grove. Petals swirled in the air, adding romance to their playful chase.
Finally, Jiang Chi caught up from behind, wrapping his arms around her. But the girl suddenly tripped on level ground, dragging Jiang Chi down with her.
Forehead against forehead, noses brushing, lips and teeth mere inches apart.
Their breaths quickened, gazes locked, time seeming to stop in that instant.
Two blushes bloomed instantly on the girl’s cheeks, as lovely as peach blossoms. Jiang Chi leaned in for a kiss, savoring each other’s warmth and heartbeat.
A breeze drifted by, scattering petals over them, deepening the ambiguous atmosphere.
“Ugh! Stupid man!”
“You ruined my makeup.”
Inside a public restroom, Ji Yueniang stared into the mirror, feigning disgust as she wiped away a man’s saliva from her cheek with a wet wipe, then took out a makeup case to touch up her face.
At first, she didn’t know how to use a makeup case; she only carried cosmetics to maintain her female persona. But after trying them out these past few days, she found herself hooked.
How did the saying go? If you crossdress but don’t do makeup, you’re no real crossdressing enthusiast!!
Jiang Chi’s kissing skills were top notch too. Every time, Ji Yueniang would be sent floating in bliss. But the more he did so, the more jealous she felt, asking him three times a day if he’d ever secretly dated other girls before.
The sun gradually set, the last rays of light slowly pulled away by an invisible hand.
Night crept in, like a giant dark gray curtain, bit by bit and silently covering the whole sky.
After enjoying the peach blossoms to their hearts’ content, the two of them bought some fresh peach petals at the souvenir stand, planning to make peach blossom soup back home.
Walking hand in hand along the way back, Ji Yueniang cocked her head and thought for a moment, finally returning the book to Jiang Chi, though she couldn’t help but joke, “Senior Jiang, you should spend less time on books and more time looking at me. A girlfriend as cute and charming as me is rare even if you search with a lantern~”
“And for this summer break, what I want is a sweet life for two~ If you don’t keep me satisfied, your boyfriend score’s going to go down~~”
“I just want to tightly hold on to what I want.” Jiang Chi gripped the book, muttering softly.
“What did you say?” Ji Yueniang thought she heard something but wasn’t sure.
Jiang Chi gently shook his head, “Nothing, let’s go back.” He looked up, his face once again gentle and warm as usual.
“Okay~” Ji Yueniang nodded.
She didn’t know why, but she kept feeling that Jiang Chi had been acting strangely these past few days.
She’d never felt like this before.
For the next half a month, the two of them explored every scenic spot in the city.
They climbed mountains together, conquering towering peaks and overlooking breathtaking views from the summit;
They went swimming, playing freely in the cool water, feeling the embrace of the waves;
They played with water guns, chasing each other and laughing in the refreshing air;
They enjoyed candlelit dinners, gazing into each other’s eyes in a warm and romantic atmosphere, feelings running deep.
They played all the games couples could possibly play.
For the entire half-month, Jiang Chi always carried that book, pulling it out to read whenever he had a moment, as if he and the book were joined at the hip.
Ji Yueniang couldn’t help but feel sour watching him, muttering, “Why don’t you just spend your whole life with your book?” more times than she could count over those weeks. Yet, every time she said it, Jiang Chi would later play their couple’s games at night until she ended up in tears.