#38: Confirming the ‘Crime’

After the short hot spring trip ended, only four people were left in the car on the way home.

Chu Dad and Chu Mom had gone off to continue their romantic getaway. Song Lang was responsible for driving Huang Yuanbao home, while Tang Xizhou received an urgent call from his father and headed back to his parents’ house.

With fewer people in the car, the atmosphere became quieter and less lively. As soon as Jiang Beibei and Qin Yuan got into the car, they both fell sound asleep. Yan Qingming and Chu Yao took turns driving, chatting idly to keep themselves awake.

Yan Qingming asked, ‘I saw you packing a copy of In Search of Lost Time when we were leaving. Is it for helping you fall asleep?’

‘More or less,’ Chu Yao replied. He glanced at the sleeping Jiang Beibei and lowered his voice. ‘I’m studying it to figure out how I’m like this book in her eyes.’

‘Did you figure it out?’

‘I’ve made some progress,’ Chu Yao said with a smile and a nod. ‘Maybe in her mind, I’m too stream-of-consciousness—hard to understand, disconnected from reality, and chaotic.’

‘You mean… Beibei?’ Yan Qingming yawned and chuckled. ‘I always find your relationship interesting. She compares you to books, and you compare her to them too, right?’

‘Yes,’ Chu Yao answered. ‘I think she’s also like this book.’

Yan Qingming: ‘Oh? Are you saying she’s hard to understand too?’

‘No… It’s more that there’s no clear main thread in her thoughts. She overthinks things but does very little that’s effective.’

Though he didn’t fully understand, Yan Qingming smoothly followed up with a nod. ‘Interesting.’

‘Are you worried about Second Brother going back there?’

‘No,’ Yan Qingming shook his head. ‘Was it that obvious?’

‘A little,’ Chu Yao said. ‘A person’s breathing rhythm can affect those around them. When someone’s mind is restless, their breathing becomes erratic. Sitting next to you, I can feel it too.’

‘Where did you learn that random trivia?’

‘I just made it up,’ Chu Yao laughed. ‘Actually, I was trying to trick you, Eldest Brother.’

‘You’re the most cunning. Back then, it was you who tricked me into revealing what happened between me and Second Brother,’ Yan Qingming said, lighting a cigarette. He opened the car window and turned to Chu Yao, who was driving. ‘By ‘bad,’ I don’t mean it negatively.’

Chu Yao smiled warmly. ‘I know.’

The cold wind rushed into the car, waking Jiang Beibei. She shifted positions, closed her eyes, and listened to their idle chatter.

‘To be honest, I didn’t really want to talk about it—not back then, and not now either,’ Yan Qingming said, pinching the butt of his cigarette. He gave a faint laugh that sounded almost like a sigh. ‘We don’t mingle in social circles, nor do we interact much with others. We just want to live honestly along the natural course of life… But maybe because we’re different, I felt unsettled for days after you tricked it out of me. However, Second Brother wanted to talk about it. He’s stubborn by nature—he understands all the reasons but refuses to accept them… I know what he thinks deep down. He often tells me, ‘What’s the big deal? It’s just life. Why can’t we talk about it?’ Sigh… Sometimes, Second Brother drives me crazy.’

Jiang Beibei was about to chime in when Yan Qingming continued, ‘Beibei is the same. She shouldn’t have encouraged Second Brother blindly. That girl doesn’t fully understand; she only knows what her brothers are thinking, not human nature. This matter truly can’t be discussed openly, nor can we dwell on it too much. We should just know it in our hearts—that’s enough. When people ask, we’ll just say that two single adults in Unit Two have issues, whether emotional or physical, and will remain unmarried for life. I think that’s good enough. When I or Second Brother passes away, the epitaph can simply read, ‘Erected by beloved partner Yan Qingming’ or ‘Erected by beloved partner Tang Xizhou.’ That’s sufficient. As for old age care, my workplace provides well—I’m not worried. Even without children, I’m fine.’

‘Eldest Brother, how likely is it that you’d adopt a child?’

Jiang Beibei suddenly piped up, startling Yan Qingming so much that he dropped ash, burning his hand slightly. His fingers twitched involuntarily.

‘No plans for that,’ Yan Qingming said. ‘Better not ruin another family’s child…’

‘It’s fine, Eldest Brother. I’m still young. You and Second Brother are my real brothers. If you both grow old and can’t walk anymore, I’ll take care of you.’

Yan Qingming stubbed out his cigarette and turned back to smile at her. ‘Sigh, let’s change the subject—it’s too heavy. Yao-ge, drop me off at East Mountain first. I need to go back home.’

He clearly couldn’t help but worry.

________________________________________

After dropping off Yan Qingming, Qin Yuan finally woke up. Hugging his luggage, he sat quietly, resting his head against the car window, looking dazed yet obedient.

‘…I must have hallucinated,’ he muttered.

Jiang Beibei asked curiously, ‘What did you hear?’

Qin Yuan replied, ‘The sound of mahjong tiles clacking together at my house.’

Jiang Beibei burst into laughter.

Qin Yuan sighed, ‘I have to go back to play mahjong again…’

‘Aren’t you excited?’

‘My sixth sense tells me my luck isn’t good today.’

When they arrived at the courtyard, Qin Yuan went upstairs, while Jiang Beibei went to the supermarket at the entrance to buy snacks. With a bag of snacks in hand, munching as she walked, she stamped her feet at the stairwell entrance and called out, ‘Happy New Year!’ The hallway lights flickered on in response.

As Jiang Beibei looked up, she saw Chu Yao standing at her front door.

Still sucking on a candy, she hooked her arm around his neck, breathed grape-scented air into his ear, and teased with a grin, ‘Goodnight kiss—this time, I’ll kiss you.’

After kissing him, Chu Yao didn’t move but gently nibbled her ear and whispered, ‘I didn’t bring my house keys.’

‘What?!’

‘My house keys,’ Chu Yao repeated. ‘My parents didn’t give them to me.’

‘What about yours?’

‘I didn’t bring them.’ Chu Yao smiled. ‘I think… I’ll stay over at Qin Yuan’s place.’

‘No, no, no! Come to my place…’

Chu Yao’s eyes shimmered with tender amusement.

Jiang Beibei coughed lightly, slightly reproaching herself for her lack of restraint, then declared confidently, ‘You have work tomorrow. Third Brother’s house will be noisy with mahjong games—you definitely won’t rest well. Come to my place first. If you feel uncomfortable, you can stay at Fourth Brother’s place once he gets back.’

Chu Yao nodded and leaned against the wall while waiting for her to unlock the door. Jiang Beibei’s heart raced with excitement, her mind already envisioning passionate scenes of being alone with him. Her breathing quickened, and her hands trembled as she fumbled with the keyhole for a long time before finally managing to open the door.

Jiang Beibei had originally intended to open the door wide and give him a warm welcome, but as soon as she opened it, the foul smell inside made her forget everything.

Only then did Jiang Beibei remember that there was still a cat staying at her house: ‘What an invigorating stench... Yao-ge, please have a seat.’

Holding her nose, she went to clean the litter box for the cat named Ao Bai, who strutted confidently. Taking advantage of someone cleaning the litter box, Ao Bai put on a live performance, showcasing how to produce fresh cat poop in a New Year’s special.

Jiang Beibei: ‘Ugh...’

‘Yao-ge, just sit down for now. I’ll go throw the cat poop away.’

After Jiang Beibei left, Chu Yao opened the windows to air out the room. Not seeing the cat around, he followed into the bedroom and found it lying on the bed, eyes half-closed, looking at him with disdain.

‘You just used the bathroom,’ Chu Yao said as he watched it casually rub its butt on Jiang Beibei’s light blue girly bedsheet. His brows furrowed slightly. He took off his coat, folded it neatly over the back of a chair, knelt on the bed, and picked up the cat.

The cat tried to bite him, but he pinched its chin and teased its nose: ‘This isn’t where we should be.’

‘You can stay,’ Jiang Beibei interjected from the doorway. ‘Yao-ge, you can sleep here tonight. Fourth Brother just called and said he wouldn’t be back tonight either, so you can stay at my place. I’ll sleep in Grandma’s room, and this bed is yours. The sheets were changed on the first day of the New Year—they’re clean, so rest assured.’

Chu Yao smiled: ‘Then I might not be able to sleep.’

‘...’ Jiang Beibei almost blurted out, If you can’t sleep, then let’s do something else?

She swallowed the words, feeling a sharp pang in her chest. She fanned her face with her hands to cool down and awkwardly coughed.

After washing up, Jiang Beibei saw Chu Yao tidying the sofa and hesitated before calling out to him.

Chu Yao said: ‘I’ll sleep on the sofa.’

‘The sofa isn’t comfortable.’

‘It’s fine.’

‘It’s not fine!’ Jiang Beibei pouted. ‘If Yao-ge comes to stay at my house, you should feel perfectly comfortable!’

‘Oh, really?’ Chu Yao’s tone and expression became enigmatic, and he gave a cryptic smile.

Jiang Beibei froze, looking up at him with her hand suspended in front of her. After a long pause, she asked, ‘...Were you just thinking about dirty jokes?’

Chu Yao shook his head: ‘No, you’re overthinking things, little girl.’

‘Your eyes told me so!’ Jiang Beibei said. After a brief pause, she asked, ‘Are we boyfriend and girlfriend?’

Chu Yao nodded: ‘Yes.’

‘Then… shouldn’t it be normal for a boyfriend and girlfriend alone in a room to think about some slightly risqué content?’

‘Call me by my name,’ Chu Yao suddenly said. ‘Jiang Beibei, call me by my name.’

‘My name?’ Jiang Beibei hadn’t yet processed how the topic had shifted here. ‘Chu Yao... like this?’

The two syllables of ‘Chu Yao’ felt like a key unlocking the door to the adult world. Chu Yao bent down, scooped her up, hoisted her over his shoulder, placed her on the bed, and closed the bedroom door.

Jiang Beibei: ‘You’re making me start thinking about risqué content now!’

‘Go ahead,’ Chu Yao said, undoing his cufflinks and taking off his shirt.

The soft click of his belt buckle sounded. Jiang Beibei didn’t dare look and instead pulled the blanket over her burning face.

Her heart raced like a drumbeat, pounding so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.

The blanket was lifted, and the bed dipped beside her as Chu Yao slid in.

He said: ‘Let me hold you.’

After a fierce internal battle, the side of Jiang Beibei that lacked shame emerged victorious. She said: ‘Yao-ge, let me tell you something.’

‘Go ahead.’

‘...Cough, my chest... it hasn’t been obedient—it didn’t grow the way I wanted it to. It’s still stuck in puberty. So... you probably don’t mind much, right?’

‘Ah, you mean your breasts,’ Chu Yao said, pulling her into his arms. ‘Don’t worry too much about these things—they’re not that small.’

Jiang Beibei: ‘...Do you know what padded bras are, Yao-ge?’

Chu Yao: ‘...’

So how small are they? Completely flat?

With such doubts and curiosity, Chu Yao rolled over and reached for her bra clasp.

Jiang Beibei struggled briefly, then closed her eyes heroically: ‘Go ahead and unclasp it—it’ll see the light of day sooner or later!’

As Chu Yao’s fingers worked on the clasp, Jiang Beibei suddenly spoke up: ‘Yao-ge, I heard... massaging can make them bigger.’

‘...’ Chu Yao said, ‘I understand what you mean.’

With one arm, he pulled Jiang Beibei close, chest against chest. Bending down, he kissed her forehead and chuckled softly: ‘Everything on you, no matter the size, is perfect.’

Jiang Beibei squirmed slightly, adjusting her position. By accident, her toes brushed against Chu Yao’s lower body. Her face visibly reddened as she heard Chu Yao quietly exclaim, ‘Oh no...’

Jiang Beibei pretended ignorance, trying to gloss over it. ‘Yao-ge, what’s wrong? What’s ‘oh no’ about?’

‘You kicked me,’ Chu Yao laughed. ‘Do you deny it? Do you want to see where you kicked?’

Jiang Beibei was melting under the heat.

However, Jiang Beibei wasn’t entirely defeated. Restarting her focus, she found an odd point of interest: ‘Yao-ge, you don’t sleep naked?’

She’d heard the sound of clothes being removed earlier and assumed he’d stripped completely.

Chu Yao calmly replied, eyes closed: ‘I’m quite reserved.’

‘Then... Yao-ge, what exactly are we doing now?’

‘We’re sleeping,’ Chu Yao said. ‘If you want to do something else—like play games or explore how much I love you—we’ll need to find another time. That requires energy, stamina, and plenty of time... So for now, behave yourself and don’t move around too much. I have to work tomorrow morning, otherwise I’d have to take a leave.’

Jiang Beibei made a soft ‘Oh’ sound.

Chu Yao: ‘Disappointed?’

‘...A little,’ she admitted. The meat was right at the edge of the plate, yet they had to wait for another day to eat it. Though she felt relieved, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

When it came to that kind of thing, she was both afraid and expectant. But if it happened suddenly today... she wouldn’t be able to accept it mentally—it would feel too rushed.

‘I’m a little disappointed too,’ Chu Yao said. ‘But for our first time, I want to do well.’

‘I’ve prepared a chart,’ Jiang Beibei said absentmindedly, her fingers lightly tracing Chu Yao’s bare chest. ‘You know, like daily check-ins.’

Chu Yao opened his eyes, surprised: ‘Every day?’

Amidst the surprise, there was also immense joy.

Because they were so close, his excitement was conveyed directly through their embrace, making Jiang Beibei shrink back again: ‘...Never mind, Yao-ge, don’t overthink it. Good night. Tomorrow’s your first day back at work after the New Year—you shouldn’t take a leave.’

Jiang Beibei anticipated waking up the next morning to a cozy scene. When they remembered last night’s events, they’d exchange glances, and all the happiness would remain unspoken.

However, reality struck differently. Both Jiang Beibei and Chu Yao were awakened by the commotion in the living room.

Jiang Beibei sat bolt upright, her eyes wide with terror: ‘Oh no, Grandma’s back? Didn’t she say she’d return on the sixth day of the New Year?!’

Indeed, Grandma was back—not only that, but from the voices in the living room, Aunt Liu and Aunt Xiaoxiao had also arrived, along with the sound of an unfamiliar man’s voice!

‘Where’s Beibei? Still asleep in her room?’

She heard Aunt Xiaoxiao’s footsteps approaching. Chu Yao sat up calmly, putting on his pants without rushing, and even gave her a faint smile, whispering softly: ‘Not very lucky.’

As the door handle turned and the door opened, Aunt Xiaoxiao exclaimed: ‘Beibei, still asleep...’

Her smile froze.

In Jiang Beibei’s room stood a young man, slowly buttoning up his shirt by the bedside. Meanwhile, Jiang Beibei, her hair tousled, sat on the bed, covering her face and sighing.

Aunt Xiaoxiao screamed: ‘Ah——You two! Oh my god!! Beibei, who is he?! There’s a man in here!! Mom!! Auntie!!’

There was no way to wash away this scandal—even jumping into Heaven’s Pool wouldn’t clear it. Jiang Beibei thought inwardly, If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve actually slept with Chu Yao last night!