Chapter 3: Testing

ᰔ Black Magic Eyebrow Piercing ᰔ

“I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

Yu Ran sat in her office, carefully considering these words.

From now on, she should strive toward this goal, right?

“Has Xiao Ran been in a relationship recently? Why do you keep staring at your phone? I remember you used to never check your phone except for work?”

Guo Fan sat across from Yu Ran, tossing a large handful of chocolates toward her. “I’m getting married next month. I’ll bring wedding candy for you all.”

“Thank you.” Yu Ran turned her phone face down on the desk. “Please say hi to your wife for me.”

“Ah.” Guo Fan waved his hand dismissively.

Guo Fan was the “big brother” of the department, in his early thirties, recently promoted to deputy director. Though he looked young and sunny, he was steady in both surgery and professional knowledge. He was a bit playful, but when it came to work, he was reliable.

It was almost time to clock out, and there were three interns sitting nearby, chatting. Even though their voices were quiet, Yu Ran could still hear them.

“Did you guys watch the Huaying Grand Ceremony last night? Du Qiuyan really won Best Actress!”

“Not a surprise. I think her acting skills are pretty good. After all, she graduated from the best film academy in the country. She was the top student in both cultural and professional courses during college.”

“But I feel like she probably has a lot of scandals. She’s the type who could have a fall from grace at any time, though every time something leaks, she sends a lawyer’s letter, and it all dies down.”

“I don’t care. She’s beautiful, and her acting is great. I appreciate her. As for what she’s like in private, I’m not concerned.”

“She mentioned in an interview yesterday that she had her first love in high school, and when she talks about it, her expression is still full of longing. I wonder who it was?”

“….”

The three of them chattered on. Yu Ran glanced at her watch; it was time to leave.

The car arrived at the café just around 6:20. Yu Ran didn’t get out right away as her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Xiao Ran…”

The voice on the other end was soft, tinged with guilt.

“I won Best Actress.”

Yu Ran’s right hand rested on the steering wheel, her fingers trembling slightly. “Congratulations.”

Du Qiuyan paused for a moment. “Don’t you have anything else you want to say to me?”

“Well, congratulations on getting what you wanted. You finally got what you desired.”

“No.” Du Qiuyan’s voice shook, and her words made little sense. “I used to think this was what I wanted, but now I realize it’s not. I’m not as happy as I imagined.”

“No, this is the result you wanted,” Yu Ran said, pausing after each word. “You’re not unhappy, you’re unwilling to accept it because you’re too greedy, and no matter how much you get, you always feel it’s not enough.”

“Xiao Ran, is this how you see me?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve offended you. Is there anything else?”

“There is,” Du Qiuyan said. “When are you resting? I want to see you and talk.”

“I don’t think there’s anything for us to talk about…” Yu Ran decisively replied. “Besides, I’m preparing for an exam, and I need to use my day off to study.”

“What exam? Associate Chief Physician? I checked, and that’s scheduled for next June or July.” Du Qiuyan sounded anxious. “Can you give me some time to eat?”

“I’m not going. I already have other plans for that time.”

“Xiao Ran, you weren’t like this before.”

“Don’t mention the past anymore.” Yu Ran’s tone grew colder.

This tone seemed to scare Du Qiuyan. In her memory, Yu Ran had always been gentle. She was never sharp with anyone, and especially kind to her. Now, Du Qiuyan finally understood that Yu Ran’s attitude toward her could never return to how it was before.

“Have you been in a relationship recently?”

“It’s none of your business.” Yu Ran glanced at her watch. “I’ll hang up if there’s nothing else. Goodbye.”

—–

The whole day’s good mood was ruined by this phone call. Yu Ran took out a cigarette, bit off a wine-flavored bead, and lit it.

The car was filled with a faint smell of tobacco.

She had no addictions to anything, easily able to take or leave things. When she was a child, she was disciplined with her gaming habits, and smoking was just something she did when feeling down. But only Du Qiuyan had made her willingly addicted for six years.

Three years of high school, three years of college, and until their breakup in the fourth year.

In high school, she was more outspoken than she was now, and many people knew that she liked Du Qiuyan. After the college entrance exam, she confessed, and they got together.

However, they didn’t go to the same school. During their relationship, they spent little time together, so their relationship didn’t have much opportunity to heat up, and it went on naturally.

Of course, one big reason their relationship didn’t progress was that Du Qiuyan had a severe obsession with cleanliness. During their three years together, she never let Yu Ran touch her. The only intimate gesture was holding hands.

At the time, Yu Ran thought that Plato’s idea was fine. Lovers should respect each other’s quirks, and if the other person wasn’t willing, she wouldn’t force it.

Until she saw Du Qiuyan kissing someone else.

It turned out it wasn’t an obsession with cleanliness, it was dislike.

As the cigarette burned to the end, Yu Ran stubbed it out in the ashtray she always kept in her car. She took a deep breath, fixed her hair, and went to the café.

The café was a bit crowded today. Shen Suhui was making coffee, and the wind chimes rang. At that moment, her gaze met Yu Ran’s.

Even though her mind was in turmoil, when their eyes locked with Shen Suhui’s clear, calm eyes, it instantly brought Yu Ran back to the right track.

It was strange, but comforting.

Yu Ran’s gaze fixed on the black magic eyebrow stud, and she froze.

“Excuse me.”

It wasn’t until someone behind her reminded her that Yu Ran realized she had been blocking the door for a long time.

“Sorry.” She nodded politely.

Walking to the counter, Yu Ran asked Shen Suhui, “Which table? I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.” Shen Suhui smiled at her. The eyebrow stud added a wild, natural charm to her smile, giving her a different style from usual. “Table 6.”

“…Oh.”

Yu Ran turned and walked toward table 6, almost tripping several times.

“You don’t look right. Is something wrong?”

Shen Suhui sat across from her and pushed a special green juice toward her.

Yu Ran smiled. “How did you tell?”

“You look really tired.” Shen Suhui said softly, “Would you like me to heat up some milk? I think you need a good sleep.”

As she spoke, she was about to get up, but Yu Ran grabbed her wrist.

Shen Suhui instantly felt the hairs on her body stand on end from the brief skin contact. Her hand trembled in Yu Ran’s palm, and Yu Ran noticed her reaction.

“Sorry.” Yu Ran released her wrist. “Don’t bother, I’ll sleep well after drinking the juice.”

“Mm…”

Shen Suhui’s ears slowly turned red, and Yu Ran’s expression was awkward as well. Just then, a customer came in to order, temporarily rescuing Shen Suhui from the awkward situation.

“Go ahead.”

The juice Shen Suhui made was a bit sour. Yu Ran liked sour flavors, and coincidentally, Shen Suhui’s drinks were always slightly sour.

Yu Ran looked at academic papers for a while, and her mood gradually returned to normal. When she looked up, the café had quieted down. Shen Suhui was at the counter, smiling and chatting with a customer.

Her eyes were sparkling, listening carefully to what the customer said, occasionally nodding with a smile, so gentle and beautiful.

The black magic eyebrow stud rested perfectly on her delicate brow, pure and noble.

Click—

Yu Ran couldn’t help but open her camera and take a picture of this scene.

The female customer seemed to really like the gentle, intellectual owner. She gestured wildly as she spoke, talking for a long time. Shen Suhui was patient, always looking into the customer’s eyes, offering the fullest response.

Yu Ran finished her drink, but they were still talking.

At this point, she couldn’t focus on the papers anymore. Her fingers tapped the table, feeling a little restless.

As the people in the café began to leave, Shen Suhui finally sat down across from her. “Sorry, a customer friend just told me she’s in love. She’s sharing her joy with me.”

“Really? I also have good news to share.”

Yu Ran took out two pieces of chocolate from her pocket. “Celebratory candy. A male colleague in our department is getting married. Let’s share the joy.”

“Thank you.”

Shen Suhui tore open the chocolate and, in front of Yu Ran, took a bite. The chocolate had a wonderful taste, melting immediately in her mouth. Shen Suhui couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows slightly; it was quite delicious.

“Your little rose on your eyebrow…”

Finally bringing it up! Shen Suhui sat up straight, swallowing the chocolate in one go, and said, “What’s wrong… is it very strange?”

Her heart was beating unusually fast.

“No, it looks really good.”

Actually, this should be a normal polite remark, but when Shen Suhui looked into Yu Ran’s eyes, filled with a smile, she could tell she wasn’t just saying it out of politeness.

Her mood lifted even more, something Shen Suhui rarely experienced.

“You’re the first person to say it looks good.”

“So many people have no taste?” Yu Ran was a bit surprised. “Well, this is good, at least I can be the only one to admire your beauty in the future…”

“…”

Shen Suhui’s ears were burning. Yu Ran was talking about the future.

She lowered her head in embarrassment, her reaction so lively. Yu Ran quietly watched her, not noticing her gaze turning from serious to heated.

Her eyes were so deep. Yu Ran’s eyes were the perfect shape for peach blossoms. Whenever she focused on something seriously, her gaze naturally became affectionate.

A thought popped into her head—she wanted to kiss the eyebrow piercing, to see if it felt hot or cold on Shen Suhui’s face.

“You…”

Shen Suhui had intended to test Yu Ran’s feelings, but now that she was being watched, she regretted it. It felt so awkward!

“By the way, I promised to give you a shoulder massage tonight. There aren’t many people in the shop right now,” Shen Suhui tried to change the subject to distract Yu Ran.

Just as Yu Ran was about to refuse, Shen Suhui quickly stood up and moved behind her, out of her line of sight.

“You must be tired after a whole day. Let’s do it next time.”

“Didn’t your hand get hurt from the surgery? I’m just doing some orders here. It’s not tiring, and there weren’t many people when you arrived. I was free during lunch…”

Yu Ran’s shoulder was firm when Shen Suhui pressed down on it, feeling very bony. She wasn’t a slender woman, but her figure was great, with some muscle. Shen Suhui had to put some force into the massage.

“Do you usually exercise?” Not long into the massage, Shen Suhui’s face turned even redder.

“Mm, before I met you, I used to go to the gym after work. With my job, it’s better to exercise regularly.”

“Then I’m not delaying you now…”

“How is this delaying me?” Yu Ran laughed. “I’m the one who came here. You don’t think you’ve disrupted your routine; instead, you feel like you’re delaying me.”

“Shen Suhui, are you silly?”

“I…” Shen Suhui was at a loss for words. She thought of something and said lightly, “Yeah, I am silly…”