Shen Qingyue set down the breakfast and checked the messages on her phone.
“I’m going to pick up a package; you two stay here for a bit.” She put on her shoes, pulled open the door, and walked out. The door swung shut automatically behind her.
Only Lin Mo and Su Qianqian remained in the dorm. Both were still sitting on the bed. The blankets were unmade, and the pillows were tossed to one side. Su Qianqian didn’t move. Lin Mo didn’t move either. Neither spoke.
After a few seconds, Su Qianqian suddenly turned her head and looked at him.
“Lin Mo,” she began.
“Yeah?”
“Look into my eyes.”
Lin Mo was momentarily dazed. These words… why did they sound so familiar? Before he could react, her voice turned very soft, carrying a peculiar rhythm.
“You are very tired… you are very tired… you haven’t slept well since last night… relax… now, you are entering a trance…”
Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
Again? Why did he think “again”? Did Su Qianqian have hypnotic abilities too?
Subconsciously, he relaxed his shoulders and let his gaze become vacant. He was more than practiced at this routine; he had been acting this way since high school—acting for Su Qing. He was long accustomed to it.
Su Qianqian stared into his eyes for a few seconds, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.
“Success.”
She put down her phone and leaned closer. So close that Lin Mo could see the curve of her eyelashes and smell her fragrance.
“Brother,” she suddenly called out.
Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Brother? That title… only one person ever called him that. Su Qing. From childhood until now, only she used that name.
Su Qianqian looked at him, her eyes bright and her lips curved. She reached out and lightly brushed his cheek. Her fingers were very cold.
“Brother, do you know who I am?”
Lin Mo maintained a blank expression, but his mind was in a total uproar. She is… she is…
“I am Su Qing,” she whispered.
Lin Mo’s head buzzed. Su Qing. Su Qianqian is Su Qing.
She hadn’t transferred schools. She had been here all along. She had changed her face, her voice, and her identity just to stay by his side. Every day she talked to him, ate with him, and even… slept in the same bed.
He almost broke his poker face, but he held back. He continued to play the part—vacant eyes, dull expression, like a puppet.
Su Qing watched him for a moment and then smiled. That smile was one Lin Mo knew all too well. It was Su Qing’s smile. It wasn’t Su Qianqian’s gentle, harmless smile; it was Su Qing’s—a smile tinged with triumph, cunning, and a hint of obsession.
“Brother, do you know how much I’ve missed you during this time?”
She leaned in, her lips brushing his cheek. They were soft and warm. Lin Mo froze. Her lips moved from his cheek to the corner of his mouth, lingering for a moment before moving onto his lips.
Lin Mo’s breathing stopped.
Her lips were soft against his, moving lightly and slowly, as if confirming something. Then she pulled back slightly and looked at him.
“Don’t you miss me?” she asked.
Lin Mo opened his mouth. He didn’t know what to say. He was supposed to be hypnotized; he wasn’t supposed to remember anything. But he couldn’t stay silent.
“I do,” Lin Mo said, his voice flat. Su Qing’s eyes lit up.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Su Qing smiled. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her lips pressed against his skin. Her hand slid down from his chest and met his. Her fingers were cold as she gripped his hand tightly.
“Brother,” her voice was muffled against his shoulder, “Do you know that I can’t sleep every night? My head is full of you.”
Lin Mo didn’t speak. He didn’t dare move.
Su Qing’s hand slid from his and moved to his waist. Through his T-shirt, he could feel the warmth of her palm. She lifted the hem of his shirt, touching the skin of his waist. Lin Mo’s body tensed. Her fingers traced light circles on his waist, over and over.
“Brother,” she whispered, “Have you been thinking of me?”
“Yes,” Lin Mo said.
Her hand paused for a moment, then continued. It slid down from his waist to his thigh. Lin Mo’s breathing grew heavy. Her hand gently caressed his thigh, moving up and down.
“What were you thinking about me?” she asked.
Lin Mo was stunned. What was he thinking? He thought about why she disappeared, where she had gone, what happened that day, and if she would suddenly reappear. Every night lying in bed, he thought of her—her smile, her voice, the way she called him “Brother.” But he couldn’t say those things. A hypnotized person wouldn’t think of things that complex.
“Thinking of you,” he said.
Su Qing laughed. Her hand stopped on his thigh, pressing down gently.
“Brother, you’re so cute.”
She looked up at him. Her face was so close he could see his own reflection in her eyes. Her eyes were bright, containing things he couldn’t quite decipher.
“Brother,” she whispered, “Can I kiss you?”
Lin Mo’s heart hammered as if it were about to leap out of his chest.
“Yes,” he said.
Su Qing smiled. She leaned in, and this time, the kiss wasn’t light. It was earnest. Her lips were soft, moving slowly against his. Her hand cupped his face, her fingers sliding into his hair.
Lin Mo closed his eyes. He didn’t dare move, fearing that any motion would expose him—or that he would lose control. He could feel her hot breath on his face and her heart thudding against him through their clothes. Her body felt soft and warm against his.
His mind was a mess. Su Qing is Su Qianqian. Su Qianqian is Su Qing. She had been watching him this whole time. Every night she squeezed into the same bed, ate with him, and talked to him. He hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t noticed a thing.
( -_- ) He really was a fool.
Su Qing’s lips moved to the corner of his mouth, his cheek, and then his earlobe. Her hot breath tickled his ear.
“Brother,” her voice was so low only he could hear, “I like you. I’ve liked you since forever. Always.”
Lin Mo’s heart stopped.
“And you? Do you like me?”
Lin Mo opened his mouth. He knew he should answer “I like you,” but the words were stuck. It wasn’t because he didn’t like her—it was because it was too complicated. Did he like her? Of course. He had liked her since they were kids. But her love was too heavy; it made it hard to breathe. She stalked him, hypnotized him, and did those things to him. She scared him, but she also made his heart ache.
“I like you,” he said, his voice level, though his hands were trembling.
Su Qing felt it. She looked up at him. “Brother, your hands are shaking.”
Lin Mo said nothing.
Su Qing watched him for a long time. Then she smiled. She buried her face back into his shoulder.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, “I know even if you don’t say it.”
Her hand slid up from his thigh to his lower abdomen. Through the T-shirt, her palm felt scalding. Lin Mo’s body went rigid. Her fingers pressed gently against his abdomen—once, twice, again.
“Brother,” she whispered, “Lately… have you missed me?”
“Yes,” Lin Mo said.
“Missed doing what?”
Lin Mo was silent for a moment. He thought about it. What did he miss? Her cooking, the way she used to hang around his house for meals, the way she’d pretend to sprain her ankle so he’d support her, the way she was with him in the theater. He thought of the nights after she vanished, lying in bed alone, looking at the closed window across from him.
“Missed…” he paused.
Su Qing’s hand stopped. She looked up, her eyes red and shimmering with tears.
“Me too,” her voice was raspy. “I just… didn’t know how to face you.”
Lin Mo remained silent. Su Qing buried her face back in his shoulder, her hand moving from his abdomen to wrap around his waist, pulling herself into his embrace.
“Brother,” her voice was muffled against his chest, “I missed you so much.”
Lin Mo reached out, hesitated, and then gently placed his hand on her back. Su Qing’s body stiffened for a split second before she hugged him even tighter.
They held each other like that, neither speaking. The sunlight hit the bed and warmed them both. Lin Mo’s mind was still racing. She’s Su Qing. She’s Su Qing. She’s Su Qing.
He should be angry. She had lied to him for so long, stayed by his side under a false identity, watched him be intimate with Shen Qingyue, watched other girls surround him, and watched him sleep between them every night. She had said nothing. She just watched.
But he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Because he had lied to her, too. He had been pretending to be hypnotized this whole time. He knew what she was doing. He had been watching her “performance” in front of him.
( -_- ) They were two of a kind.
Su Qing moved in his arms and looked up. “Brother, can you kiss me?”
Lin Mo looked at her. Her eyes were bright, filled with both anticipation and fear. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. It was light, like a feather.
Su Qing closed her eyes, her lashes trembling. Lin Mo’s lips moved from her forehead to the tip of her nose, her cheek, and finally the corner of her mouth. Su Qing’s breathing grew heavy. Lin Mo’s lips stayed at the corner of her mouth, unmoving, just pressed there. He could feel her rapid heartbeat, and his own was just as fast.
Su Qing gripped his clothes tightly. “Brother,” her voice was barely a whisper.
“Yeah.”
“Can you call me by that name?”
“Call you what?”
“Call me Qing’er.”
Lin Mo hesitated. Qing’er. He had called her that when they were children. As they grew up, he stopped.
“Qing’er,” he said.
Su Qing smiled. She buried her face in his shoulder again. Her tears fell onto his neck, burning hot.
“Brother,” her voice shook, “I’m so happy.”
Lin Mo said nothing. He held her, his hand on her back. The sunlight was warm. He thought to himself—She’s crying. She actually cried. The proud, obsessive, controlling Su Qing was actually crying.
He should feel vindicated or happy. But he didn’t. He only felt a tightness in his chest.
“Brother,” Su Qing’s voice came from his shoulder, muffled. “Yeah.”
“Are you still going to be mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye?”
Lin Mo paused. “No,” he said.
Su Qing gripped his clothes even tighter. “Really?”
“Really.”
Su Qing said nothing more. She buried her face deeper. Her lips pressed against his neck, her breath hot against his skin. Her hand stayed on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat.
They stayed like that as the sunlight grew brighter on the sheets. Lin Mo continued his act, his mind still spinning. She’s Su Qing. What should he do? Could he even send her away? He didn’t want to. But if she stayed, did Shen Qingyue know? These two—one was his childhood friend, the other was… he didn’t even know what to call her.
( -_- ) Forget it. Don’t think about it.
He closed his eyes. Su Qing was warm, soft, and fragrant in his arms. He didn’t want to move.
Outside the door, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Shen Qingyue was likely coming back. Su Qing heard it too. She lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him.
“Brother.”
“Yeah.”
“Our secret—don’t tell Qingyue.”
Lin Mo looked at her. “Okay,” he said.
Su Qing smiled. She leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. Then she pulled away and sat up straight. She wiped her tears, tidied her hair, and transformed back into “Su Qianqian.”
“In one minute, you will wake up and forget everything that just happened.”
After saying that, Su Qing went to wash up. While she was in the bathroom, the door pushed open.
Shen Qingyue walked in carrying the package. She saw Lin Mo just “slowly waking up.”
“What… happened? Where’s Qianqian?”
Su Qianqian’s voice came from the bathroom with a smile. “Qingyue, I’m just washing up.”
“Oh.”
Shen Qingyue placed the package on the table and sat down by the edge of the bed.