Chapter 36 – Let’s Go on a Date (Part 3)

Before they set off, the two of them made a quick trip to the supermarket. Since they were prepared for a two-day, one-night stay, it was necessary to stock up on some supplies.

Wen Jialuo received a call from Secretary Nie, informing her that no one lived on the mountain; it was only cleaned regularly. There wouldn’t be any cooking facilities, but he would arrange for meals to be delivered three times a day. If they wanted something specific, they could just call him directly. However, Wen Jialuo declined this arrangement, saying she preferred to cook for herself, and if there were no cooking conditions, they could just bring a few things. Secretary Nie immediately agreed to take care of it.

With someone preparing for them, Wen Jialuo found her trip much easier. However, she lingered a bit longer in the liquor aisle. She suddenly recalled that night at the bar when Xu Shiqi sat beside her, slightly tipsy, and the scent of alcohol wafted around her, intoxicating her as if she too were drunk.

Since they didn’t need Secretary Nie to handle the alcohol, she picked up two bottles of red wine. Though they weren’t as fine as those in her family’s collection, she didn’t have time to go get them.

Meanwhile, Xu Shiqi was indecisively standing in front of the food section. Since they would be there for two days, her top priority was to keep Wen Jialuo well-fed; she mustn’t let her go hungry. As she was selecting items, Wen Jialuo pushed the cart over and started checking the food Xu Shiqi picked out, occasionally putting some packages back with a professional disdain, saying things like one package was nearing its expiration date and another had not been certified.

Xu Shiqi listened in confusion until she suddenly remembered what kind of uniform the girl wore.

“I forgot you have a job,” Xu Shiqi said with a smile.

Wen Jialuo shrugged. “I’m a sought-after civil servant now.”

Xu Shiqi thought for a moment and asked, “With your family’s resources, you could easily not work at all. Even as a civil servant, your salary probably wouldn’t be enough to cover your expenses, right?”

“I just want to be a simple person,” Wen Jialuo said, revealing her small canine teeth, “to live an ordinary life with the person I love.”

The affection in the girl’s eyes was unmasked, causing Xu Shiqi’s cheeks to flush slightly. She turned her head away and continued to pick out food.

Noticing Xu Shiqi selecting more filling foods, Wen Jialuo told her that they could indeed cook on the mountain.

“You could have said that earlier,” Xu Shiqi shot her a glare, finally deciding to leave some snacks behind. When she glanced down and saw the two bottles of wine Wen Jialuo was carrying, she thought it wasn’t unreasonable to bring them along, so she kept quiet.

They moved on to the vegetable section and bought a chicken, beef, fresh fish, and a bit of ready-made food. Throughout, Wen Jialuo was not picky; she saw food merely as sustenance, rarely having excessive desires.

As they left the supermarket, Wen Jialuo had also picked up two decks of cards and a box of checkers. They threw everything into the trunk of the car and then began their journey up the mountain.

What was usually an hour-long drive was slowed down due to the snowfall. Xu Shiqi didn’t actually sleep in the car; instead, she watched the scenery outside the window as it retreated at a steady pace, but she couldn’t quite see the tiny snowflakes that floated down.

Although they were heading up a mountain, it wasn’t a desolate one, as there was a winding road that led upward. The winter trees were not barren but were evergreens, just like those in the Wen family’s old house. Xu Shiqi was aware of this mountain; she had heard that the entire peak belonged to the city, and if they had come to hike in spring, it would merely have been for sightseeing without much thought.

The car continued up to the mountain’s peak and stopped at a small, flat area. In front of them stood a two-story white house that was quite spacious.

Secretary Nie was very considerate; knowing they wanted to cook for themselves, he didn’t want anyone to disturb them. He instructed the city reception staff to keep everyone down the mountain and not to allow anyone up, ensuring they didn’t interrupt the visitors’ enjoyment.

Thus, when Xu Shiqi got out of the car, she found the entire mountain top was extremely quiet, as if the whole world consisted only of her and Wen Jialuo.

Wen Jialuo closed the car door, leaned against it, took a deep breath, and exhaled a cloud of white mist, feeling her spirits lift. “No one will come to disturb us, okay?”

“Okay,” Xu Shiqi smiled and waved. “Let’s go, carry the things inside.”

When they opened the villa door, it was already quite warm inside, though they didn’t know when the air conditioning had been turned on. A set of elegant European-style leather sofas occupied the center of the first floor. Wen Jialuo unceremoniously dumped their belongings at the foot of the sofa and then pulled Xu Shiqi to check if there was water in the hot spring.

If there wasn’t any water, they probably wouldn’t have come. Xu Shiqi chuckled to herself and headed for the kitchen with the items.

The villa’s kitchen was completely open, looking like an exhibition space that had never been used. Many new appliances were set up on the countertop, but they wouldn’t see any packaging materials lying around.

Xu Shiqi was awed as she explored these brand-new products, discovering a fruit juicer, a bean grinder, and a tea set had been prepared. There were also various fruits, a jar of coffee beans, and a box of tea leaves.

It was all laid out for their choosing, so well-prepared. Xu Shiqi knew this was all because Wen Jialuo was coming. She couldn’t help but imagine the expressions of those who prepared everything if they knew it was for two women on a date. She stood there, momentarily stunned, suddenly unable to picture their reactions.

“There really are so many things,” Wen Jialuo came over to look as well. She knew that these items might have only taken Secretary Nie’s word to arrange, but the staff had worked hard to prepare everything. Seeing Xu Shiqi standing there silently, she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her upstairs. “Don’t think about anything else; think about me.”

The villa had more than one bedroom, and each room was furnished to the standards of a star-rated hotel. They chose one with a floor-to-ceiling balcony that offered a view of the thousands of lights below the mountain.

After deciding on their sleeping arrangements, the two of them went back downstairs and unexpectedly discovered a dual pot hidden among the new kitchenware. Wen Jialuo seemed particularly pleased with it, forgetting all about the hot spring they had planned to visit and exclaimed that they should have hot pot for lunch instead.

This was certainly not a difficult task. Xu Shiqi reviewed the ingredients they had bought and decided they could make a chicken soup base, along with sliced beef, fish fillets, and plenty of leafy vegetables. After washing everything, they could set up a table full of food.

Wen Jialuo pointed to the hot pot and said that since Xu Shiqi didn’t eat spicy food, she could handle the clear soup side, while she would take the spicy side.

At that moment, Xu Shiqi recalled the first time she visited the Wen family’s old house, where she had tricked her into eating. It seemed the girl still hadn’t realized that it was just a little scheme. Shaking her head with a smile, Xu Shiqi replied, “If you eat the spicy one, you’ll get a stomachache, so let’s not put any spice in either side.”

“Absolutely not!” Wen Jialuo frowned, insisting, “This is a dual pot, so it must be enjoyed that way.” She leaned forward, grinning mischievously. “I’m envious of the dual pot; I don’t envy the immortals. I wonder who had the idea to send this up; they deserve a reward.”

Seeing her smile reveal her little canine teeth, which made her look a bit childlike, Xu Shiqi felt a warm softness in her heart. This side of the girl was something she had never seen before, likely not something that had suddenly emerged but rather had been suppressed all along. Being able to see the genuine Wen Jialuo in front of her made Xu Shiqi feel a mix of hidden heartache and pride. She reached into the basin to grab the fish that was still flicking its tail and pressed it down on the cutting board, suddenly recalling a saying: like meat on a cutting board, they had no way to escape their fate.

She didn’t know how fate’s hand worked, but being someone who willingly succumbed to love, she felt just as trapped.

If she was to be consumed by fate until nothing was left, then she would willingly do so for this person named Wen Jialuo. Holding a brand-new, sharp kitchen knife, Xu Shiqi steeled her heart, took a deep breath, and with a swift motion, she began to prepare the fish.

Watching Xu Shiqi slice the fish into thin pieces, Wen Jialuo gave up on studying the hot pot and stood beside her, admiring her skills.

In the spacious villa, only this corner of the kitchen housed two women, in silence. The faint smell of fish began to waft through the air, transforming into the most ordinary details of life, not something out of a story.

The chicken soup was already simmering, and when everything else was ready, they looked at the time; it was still before eleven. With nothing pressing to do, Wen Jialuo recalled the things she had bought on a whim.

Back in the room, Xu Shiqi looked at the checkerboard designed for children and couldn’t help but laugh while applying hand cream.

“I don’t really know what to play with two people; chess and Go have a strong competitive flavor, so let’s play something light instead.” Wen Jialuo tugged her down onto the bed. The checkerboard was placed between them, and as they lay there, their heads almost touching while playing, the feeling was quite pleasant.

Last time they went to the mall, Wen Jialuo noticed that Xu Shiqi wasn’t really a person who enjoyed noisy environments; the chaotic atmosphere made it hard for her to relax, so they decided to enjoy their world together.

Xu Shiqi didn’t say anything else as they picked one red and one green checker and started to play.

However, it had been many years since she last played this game. Her family had a set when she was a child, and it was her father who taught her. From rolling the pieces to learning simple numbers, checkers had been her first playmate. Xu Shiqi wondered if Wen Jialuo knew this when she bought the game, but it didn’t seem like it. After just two rounds, Xu Shiqi won by more than three steps, causing Wen Jialuo’s lips to pout in disappointment.

“Let’s play again.” Xu Shiqi smiled as she rolled the pieces.

This time, Wen Jialuo regained her dignity, winning by six steps. She immediately suggested, “Let’s play for stakes.”

Xu Shiqi tilted her head, “What kind of stakes?”

“If you win, you kiss me; if I win, I kiss you,” Wen Jialuo said in one breath and then focused on rolling the first piece.

What kind of stake was that? Xu Shiqi found it amusing, but the girl was already playing seriously, as if she completely didn’t realize that what she said was almost meaningless. Xu Shiqi’s eyes darted around before she smiled and rolled the piece silently.

Winning required brainpower, but losing wasn’t that hard; the difficult part was losing just a few steps when you wanted to. Xu Shiqi managed her moves well again, keeping four steps away from Wen Jialuo. She sighed in regret, “Oh no, I lost again.”

Wen Jialuo pushed the checkerboard aside, ignoring the pieces that rolled onto the bed, colorful and scattered. She scooted forward and cradled Xu Shiqi’s head in her hands.

“Don’t think I don’t know you’re letting me win,” Wen Jialuo said with a playful growl, “but the opportunity is yours to give me.” Saying this, she leaned in to kiss Xu Shiqi.

Clearly, lying like that wasn’t a very suitable position for kissing; their lips hadn’t even fully connected before they were both out of breath. Wen Jialuo adjusted her position, supporting herself with her hands on the bed, and gently indicated to Xu Shiqi to do the same.

It seemed this was the first time they had kissed on the bed.

The soft bed, the soft lips, and the slight biting triggered a hunger that coursed through them, making them feel as if they were returning to a primal state. There were no rules, no methods; the clumsy awkwardness was more alluring than skillful techniques. Wen Jialuo had forgotten all about checkers; all she knew was that the woman before her looked tenderly at her while kissing, with a gaze that lingered longer than the kiss itself, sending shivers through her heart.

Xu Shiqi had never had such a beautiful dream. Having decided to live alone for her entire life, she had eliminated all kinds of fanciful thoughts. Even her spring dreams felt foreign to her; she believed she was so pure-hearted, untouched by any romantic desires. But perhaps in some midnight moment, she had brushed her tongue across her teeth and caressed her cold lips, yet still couldn’t warm herself or find those so-called feelings. Even if she kissed another person, it would only be the same lips; what could she possibly experience? She had her doubts but would never try out of curiosity; her heart was steady as a rock.

But it was indeed different; the body filled with different blood had a heartbeat that outpaced hers. The uncontainable body language, the burning glances—when all of it focused on their lips, it was more brilliant than fireworks.

Just the closeness of their bodies made her want to cry.

No wonder there were so many people in the world, deeply enmeshed in emotions; how could thoughts in their heads ever compare to the real touch that was so intoxicating? People were indeed just animals, not superior to one another.

Perhaps the only difference was the ability to exercise restraint and self-discipline.

Wen Jialuo really did fulfill the promise she made, kissing her and then releasing her. The two of them breathed heavily, gazing at each other, then burst into laughter. At that moment, Xu Shiqi found herself thinking of nothing else, only the person in front of her.

The pieces rolled chaotically as they knelt on the bed, picking them up like children. Seeing they still had a little time left, they raised the stakes—each choosing two colors of pieces to play together. After a while, Wen Jialuo became dizzy from the colors.

But Xu Shiqi still thought carefully about every move. Wen Jialuo took advantage of this time to watch her. With her head slightly bowed, hair cascading, and her pointed nose, she looked so tempting that it made Wen Jialuo want to pinch it. Her eyes were constantly assessing the board, and Wen Jialuo knew she wasn’t thinking about how to attack but rather how to make her own moves smoother.

The person she had chosen had a soft heart, and she was captivated by that, hoping that when it mattered, she would be as resolute as herself.

Xu Shiqi finally placed her piece but created a bridge for her opponent, retreating without leaving a trace. She nodded in satisfaction, only to raise her eyes and see the girl sitting cross-legged, resting her chin on her hand, looking at her.

“Your turn.”

Wen Jialuo lowered her eyes to the complicated, crisscrossed board, casually picked up a piece, jumped two steps, and then lazily stopped.

“Hey, you can jump over here…” Xu Shiqi couldn’t help but point, but was grabbed by Wen Jialuo.

“I’m hungry.” Wen Jialuo bit her finger.

Xu Shiqi’s face reddened uncontrollably; she pulled her hand away and glanced at the shallow bite mark, angrily exclaiming, “I’m going to pull out your little canine teeth!”

Wen Jialuo licked the two “culprits” in her mouth with her tongue and frowned, “My mom also said I should get braces; do you think so too?”

Xu Shiqi was taken aback, “Not really.” After a moment, she said, “I heard that getting braces when you’re older can be bad; I can’t keep letting you eat tofu, right? Maybe… just leave them.”

Wen Jialuo smiled brightly at her response, “When I’m older, I can still eat your tofu. I’m satisfied.”