Chapter 48: Neither Side Can Sleep

11:00 PM.

Shen Qingyue was lying in bed, but her eyes remained wide open. She wasn’t even playing on her phone; she simply couldn’t fall asleep.

Her phone sat by her pillow, its screen dark.

Qiuqiu was curled up at her feet, sleeping soundly and already snoring.

Shen Qingyue rolled over.

Then she rolled over again.

Qiuqiu was woken by the movement and let out a dissatisfied “Meow.”

“Qiuqiu, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Shen Qingyue whispered, reaching out to stroke its head.

Qiuqiu rolled its eyes, turned its body around, and went back to sleep.

Shen Qingyue stared at its back, her mind starting to whirl again.

That voice call from earlier.

The conversation between her and Lin Mo.

The things he had said.

“If you discovered someone did something very over the line to you… but you only had a suspicion and no evidence…”

(｡•́︿•̀｡)…

‘What was he referring to???’

What did he mean by “the kind that crosses the line”?

She had asked him at the time, “What are you doing with this?”

Looking back now, that question of hers was really stupid.

“What are you doing with this?”

Suddenly, she thought of that popular meme: “What are you… doing?”

(；一_一)…

Shen Qingyue’s face suddenly felt a bit hot.

She was thinking about something she shouldn’t be.

‘No, no, don’t overthink it.’

Lin Mo said “crossed the line,” not that kind of…

But…

His answer had been, “Maybe.”

Maybe.

What did “maybe” mean?

Did it happen or did it not?

Did he not even know himself?

(｡•́︿•́｡)…

Shen Qingyue buried her face in her pillow.

Qiuqiu was woken up again and let out two dissatisfied meows before jumping off the bed to go sleep on the sofa.

Shen Qingyue: “……”

Fine then.

She picked up her phone and opened the chat window with Lin Mo.

The last message was the voice call, marked as ended.

She wanted to send something.

She typed a line: “Are you asleep?”

She deleted it.

‘That’s too freaking deliberate.’

She typed again: “Are you okay?”

She deleted that too.

‘That’s even more deliberate.’

(；一_一)…

She flipped the phone back over by her pillow.

Her mind started whirling again.

“Maybe.”

When he said those words, his tone had been very strange.

It wasn’t an affirmation, nor was it a denial.

It was just that…

The feeling that he couldn’t figure it out himself.

Shen Qingyue remembered him saying before, “A lot has happened recently. It’s a bit of a mess.”

What happened?

What could make a boy say something like “crossed the line”?

(｡•́︿•̀｡)…

She thought back to that day at the Library.

Su Qing’s sudden appearance.

The look in her eyes.

And that sentence: “This poem is written so well.”

She had realized it then—Su Qing understood that poem.

But she hadn’t said anything.

She just smiled.

That smile…

Thinking about it now, Shen Qingyue felt a chill down her spine.

She shook her head.

‘Don’t overthink it.’

Maybe she was just being paranoid.

Maybe the “crossing the line” Lin Mo mentioned was about something else.

Maybe…

(；一_一)…

Forget it.

Time to sleep.

She closed her eyes.

5 minutes later.

She opened them again.

Qiuqiu was snoring on the sofa.

Shen Qingyue started wondering again.

‘What on earth happened on Lin Mo’s end…’

—

At the same time. Lin Mo’s house.

Lin Mo was also lying in bed.

His head felt fuzzy, like a bowl of mush.

His mind was even messier than Shen Qingyue’s.

He picked up his phone and took a look.

The chat window with Su Qing was still stuck on yesterday morning.

She had sent “Good morning,” and he had replied with “Morning.”

And then, nothing.

Right, nothing?

Lin Mo scrolled up through the chat history.

In the past, there were at least a dozen messages every day.

These past 2 days…

Just two messages.

(；一_一)…

He was a bit unaccustomed to it.

But more than that…

Was it relief??

No, it wasn’t relief.

It was…

He couldn’t explain it either.

Anyway… it was just a bit strange.

Lin Mo rolled over.

His mind started revolving around what happened that day again.

That drink.

That dream.

After he woke up.

The clothes were gone.

The sheets were changed.

Those boxers…

(°△°|||)

‘No, no, I can’t think about it anymore.’

‘The more I think, the more—ugh, how annoying!!!’

He had thought about going and asking Su Qing.

But how could he ask?

‘Ugh, annoying, annoying, so annoying!!!’

(；¬＿¬)…

Forget it.

I won’t think about it.

He rolled over and closed his eyes.

5 seconds later.

He opened them again.

‘What has Su Qing been doing these past 2 days?’

She used to come over every day to mooch food; her sudden absence…

Could it be because of what happened that day?

Is she…

Guilty?

Lin Mo was startled by this thought.

‘Guilty?’

‘If she really did something, she’d definitely feel guilty, right?’

But that day, she had clearly acted so normal.

Washing dishes, humming, joking…

She didn’t look like someone with a guilty conscience at all.

(；一_一)….

‘Or… is her acting just that good?’

Lin Mo thought back to all the times she had tricked him over the years.

Pretending to sprain her ankle, pretending to be scared, pretending to be…

Forget it.

The more he thought, the messier it got.

He picked up his phone and opened Su Qing’s chat window.

He typed a line: “Why haven’t you come over these past 2 days?”

Looking at those words, he hesitated for 3 seconds.

He deleted it.

He typed again: “What are you doing?”

‘Eh, forget it.’

(；一_一)…

Lin Mo tossed the phone aside.

Forget it, forget it, forget it. I won’t think about it.

I’ll deal with it tomorrow.

—

The next morning.

Lin Mo was woken up by a knock on the door.

He groggily climbed out of bed and opened the door.

There was no one outside.

A thermal container was sitting on the ground.

There was also a note.

Lin Mo picked it up and looked.

‘Mom has a sudden business trip and is taking me with her. I’ll be back in a while.

—Su Qing’

Lin Mo froze for a moment.

‘A business trip?’

‘Taking her along?’

He picked up the thermal container and opened it.

Inside was a steaming hot breakfast.

Fried eggs, bacon, and his favorite brand of bread.

(；一_一)…

The person was gone, but the breakfast was left behind.

‘What kind of move is this?’

Lin Mo carried the thermal container inside and sat at the dining table.

As he ate, he suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right.

‘She’s gone?’

‘She just left like that?’

‘She didn’t even send a message?’

No, she left a note.

But did a note count as a message?

Lin Mo took out his phone and glanced at the chat window again.

It was still the “Morning” from yesterday morning.

(；一_一)…

Alright then.

He continued eating breakfast.

But his mind began to whirl again.

‘She’s gone.’

‘She won’t be back for a while.’

‘Then these next few days…’

‘He wouldn’t have to face her?’

As soon as this thought surfaced, Lin Mo himself was stunned for a moment.

‘Not having to face her…’

‘Why would I think that?’

(；一_一)…

Because he was afraid.

Yes, afraid. Su Qing’s desire for control was too strong.

He was afraid she would ask about that day.

He was afraid she would bring up that day herself.

He was afraid she would suddenly say “Guess” again.

And even more afraid… that she wouldn’t say anything at all.

Lin Mo put down his chopsticks.

He had lost his appetite.

He walked to the window and looked at the window opposite his.

Su Qing’s window was closed.

The curtains were drawn.

She really was gone.

He stood there and watched for a long time.

Then he went back inside and lay down on the bed.

There was only half a month left until school started.

Going to Haicheng.

2,300 kilometers away.

By then, they wouldn’t have to see each other every day.

He wouldn’t have to be on edge.

He wouldn’t have to guess if she was stalking him again.

He wouldn’t…

(；一_一)…

But why was his heart in such a mess?

Lin Mo didn’t know.

He only knew that right now, there were two voices fighting in his head.

One said: ‘It’s good that she’s gone, saves the headache.’

The other said: ‘What on earth did she do that day???’

The two voices were arguing so much they gave him a headache.

He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.

Forget it.

I won’t think about it.

He would wait until she came back to talk.

Wait until she came back…

(；¬＿¬)…

‘How am I supposed to face her when she gets back…’

‘Someone please tell me what to do!!!!’