“W-What!?”
Su Yaqing’s ears flushed crimson. Based on her years of experience with her, Lin Xiaojue understood immediately — things had spiraled out of her control.
That was right. Once things were no longer within her grasp, Su Yaqing lost all her usual confidence.
There was no other reason for it. A Great Lady who had never experienced failure would naturally sink into self-reflection or despair the moment she faced the unexpected.
She lacked experience. After all, the older the ginger, the spicier it was — ‘Ahem, I’m not saying I’m old, though.’
As for why she had kissed Su Yaqing, it was because a sasaeng fan was nearby, constantly looking for a chance to photograph Su Yaqing’s face.
It just so happened the scarf Xia Yao gave her could hide her face. If she pulled Su Yaqing into a blind spot, the fan would have to give up.
If she didn’t cover up, there might be news headlines tomorrow like “Shocking! The Daughter of the Su Group is Actually a Lesbian!”
Lin Xiaojue couldn’t bring herself to do something that would damage her friend’s reputation.
Of course, she was thinking of it as a friend, not as a lover. She only kissed her because she thought Su Yaqing’s shy reaction would be fun. It definitely wasn’t because she liked her.
‘Hey! Why are you leaning in again!’
“Xiaojue, you finally…”
Su Yaqing pursed her lips and leaned in closer, while Lin Xiaojue struggled to block her face.
“You’re getting too close!”
“It’s not enough, not enough…”
“Isn’t… isn’t this a bit too close?”
“Not enough! Eh — “
Su Yaqing turned her head in shock. Their relationship had accidentally been discovered by the Clerk Lady.
The Clerk Lady’s voice sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
But the most important thing right now was to avoid letting her think they were being intimate.
Instinctively pulling away from Su Yaqing, she saw the Clerk Lady still maintaining her elegant and appropriate smile.
“The two of you have such a wonderful relationship~ Welcome. I’m the clerk here. Are there any clothes you’d like to buy?”
“Um… we actually…”
“It’s fine. You two can look around the store and try on any clothes that catch your eye.”
The Clerk Lady’s smiling gaze moved to Lin Xiaojue.
“Miss, I recommend you try on the Plaid Wool Coat…”
Su Yaqing stood in front of Lin Xiaojue, causing the Clerk Lady’s eyes to light up.
“I’ll be the one choosing her clothes.”
“Mhm, I think the wool coat would highlight your cuteness perfectly. Well, even if you want to look a bit cooler, I’m sure your lover wouldn’t mind.”
“I’ll buy it.”
After swiping her card, Su Yaqing walked over with a delighted expression.
“Didn’t you say you were going to choose?”
Looking at the bags stuffed between the Golden Retriever’s hands, the store had basically been ransacked by her.
“I chose everything. Is there a problem?”
Su Yaqing held up the clothes. ‘This person is hopeless. Does she not even look at her balance when spending money?’
Lin Xiaojue didn’t speak; she just looked at the Clerk Lady.
“Is there anything you need?”
The Clerk Lady’s smile remained bright. Lin Xiaojue glanced at Su Yaqing and gave an order like a master.
“Yaqing, wait for me here a moment.”
“Okay.”
Leading the Clerk Lady to a corner, Lin Xiaojue scanned the prices. She was truly tight on cash.
“T-That… is there any…”
She stammered, unable to finish. This was too embarrassing.
She wanted to give a gift, but she was dirt poor and couldn’t even reciprocate the other’s kindness.
Lin Xiaojue lowered her head in insecurity and pursed her lips. Her money was only enough to buy a turtleneck sweater here.
It was a dull gray and wouldn’t look good on Su Yaqing, but she couldn’t afford the Plaid Wool Coat she liked.
While she fretted under the warm lights of the clothing rack, a discount tag appeared on the garment before her at some point.
‘Eh?’
Lin Xiaojue took the Plaid Wool Coat. It had a “50% off” sticker. For her current financial situation, it wasn’t unbearable, but it was still a significant amount of money.
‘If I bought this coat, what kind of expression would Su Yaqing make? Hmm, shock? Anticipation? Or would she turn into a total dummy?’
Lin Xiaojue looked forward to it. She would be able to see that arrogant girl’s shy expression again.
‘The only cost is that I’ll have to live frugally for a while after buying it.’
‘Hehehe…’
The Clerk Lady waited quietly at the checkout counter, eyes full of smiles.
“Miss Lin seems very happy.”
“Mhm, something good happened.”
“Would you mind sharing?”
“Hehe, someone’s about to have some bad luck.”
“Then that person is quite pitiful, to be disliked by such a cute woman.”
That sounded a bit strange. It took a moment for Lin Xiaojue to react. This voice sounded a lot like the dominant older sister character in an anime.
“Speaking of which, have I heard your voice somewhere before?”
“Oh my, I’ve been recognized. Yes, I have indeed done voice work.”
“Xiaojue, she just announced her marriage to the female lead’s voice actress not long ago. The two of them are very happy.”
‘Why do you two seem so familiar with each other?!’
Clinging to the bag in her hands, Lin Xiaojue couldn’t help but take a few steps back.
‘This is bad, really bad. I originally thought the Clerk Lady was a gentle person I could be friends with.’
‘On that note, why would a Voice Actress open a clothing store here?!’
“Ah, once I earned enough money, I wanted to stop. What matters most when you’re with a lover is companionship.”
“If I kept doing voice work, I’d always be running between different studios, and it would be hard for us to see each other.”
“So you quit your job, Clerk Lady?”
“Yeah, yeah. She quit too. She was supposed to be the one handling the payments, but well, a little something happened, and she’s resting upstairs now.”
Saying this, the Clerk Lady licked her lips, exactly like her performance in the anime.
“Then… is the Clerk Lady also a lesbian? Did you become one after doing the voice acting?”
Realizing she had said something inappropriate, Lin Xiaojue instinctively covered her mouth.
Fortunately, Su Yaqing was waiting outside after paying. ‘Ugh, today was truly a terrible day. How could it be such a coincidence?’
“I am. Aren’t you, little sister?”
“I-I’m not.”
“You’re not being honest. But I can understand your feelings and thoughts. That girl outside — you cherish her, don’t you?”
A sharp glint flashed in the Clerk Lady’s eyes as her lips curved into a charming arc.
“I-I don’t.”
Even as she said it, Lin Xiaojue avoided the Clerk Lady’s gaze.
She really did cherish Su Yaqing.
If she followed a normal person’s logic, Lin Xiaojue should have given up on her relationship with Su Yaqing during the second Simulation.
Kidnapping a teammate she had fought alongside for five years, along with that incomprehensible possessiveness and obsession…
‘No one would like a person like that in the real world.’
‘So why do I like Su Yaqing? Bah, it’s not like I like her!’
She just wanted to understand why Su Yaqing acted that way. No one would do those things for no reason.
‘Doing that wouldn’t bring happiness; it would only cause pain.’
“You’ve misunderstood. We’re just friends. She’s just been having some issues lately, so I’m helping her out.”
“Is that so?”
The Clerk Lady’s gaze seemed to pierce through Lin Xiaojue’s heart.
“Fine, I understand. You two are just ordinary friends.”
*Beep.*
The sound of the card swiping was calm, yet it felt like a stone dropping into the lake of her heart.
The Clerk Lady placed the folded clothes into a bag and handed it to Lin Xiaojue.
“Um, excuse me.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“The discount tag… was it you who hung it up, Clerk Lady?”
“It wasn’t me.”
Lin Xiaojue blinked.
“Didn’t you say she was sleeping upstairs?”
“She went up while you were hesitating.”
“What kind of talk is that…”
Lin Xiaojue buried her face in her scarf. Her soft, sweet voice drifted through the fabric.
“I mean… do you two also do *that* kind of thing?”
The Clerk Lady’s eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled.
“That’s a bit of a private topic, but we certainly do. And it’s very pleasurable.”
“But isn’t it hard to be understood? Like, the way others look at you… And can it last? Being together for a lifetime like that…”
“Whether love lasts isn’t something you can see right now. It takes a very, very long time. But I can only give you my personal understanding. Why don’t you go ask her yourself?”
The Clerk Lady’s gaze shifted toward Su Yaqing, who was pushing open the door while carrying steaming cups of milk tea.
She spoke in a voice so low that it was audible only to Lin Xiaojue.
“Why don’t you two just do it? You’ll know how each other feels once you try.”
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