Qin Yinan was just standing outside the bathroom. He hurried over when he saw her and asked with a face full of concern, "Song Song, are you alright?"
Song Qingchun shook her head. "Brother Yinan, I'm fine."
"Really?" Qin Yinan asked again.
Song Qingchun forced a smile at him and used the lightest tone she could manage to reply. "Really, something suddenly came over me just now; I'm sorry for making you worried, Brother Yinan."
"Why did you apologize to me? That's not your fault." Qin Yinan visibly relaxed upon seeing her smile. He reached out to tussle her hair like he used when they were growing up and berated her lightly, "Silly girl."Song Qingchun felt her heart twist slightly with emotions when he said that. An urge rose within her to tell her that this silly girl was the real person writing all those paper notes. Before she could stop herself, his name tumbled out of her mouth. "Brother Yinan."
"Hmm?" Qin Yinan replied in a soft voice, a perpetual smile hanging on his face.
Song Qingchun opened her lips, but she could not find the energy to continue. Over all these years, she had seen with her own eyes just how much Qin Yinan loved and adored Tang Nuan. He loved her to such an extent that Song Qingchun felt she had to give up on her childhood dream.
Tang Nuan was to Qin Yinan, what her Brother Yinan was to her, the best and most treasured existence.
If she was in his place, she would rather be an idiot shielding this false beautiful perception forever than face the ugly truth, because she knew how painful that was… to have oneself cruelly yanked out of one's own carefully constructed dream.
Her biggest wish, ever since she was young, was that Qin Yinan would find his greatest happiness. Even though she had already given up on him, and his happiness was no longer her business, she did not have the heart to expose the truth, to lay the misery on him.
"Why are you stumbling over your words? Just come out with it. Since when did you learn to be so cautious around me?" Qin Yinan said after Song Qingchun stood there silently for a while."It's not that…" Song Qingchun shook her head again at Qin Yinan. With slightly forced smile, she lied. "I just remembered how you liked to tussle my hair like that when we were young."
Qin Yinan laughed and ruffled her hair once more. He even patted her on the top of her head, adding, "Silly girl."
Song Qingchun puffed her cheeks and pretended to be angry at Qin Yinan. "I'm not silly; you're silly."
"At least, not as silly as you." Qin Yinan chuckled. "Alright, it's wonderful that you're feeling better. I have to use the toilet; I'll see you outside."
…
If given the choice, Song Qingchun really did not want to face Tang Nuan alone, so she did not return to the table but hung around the partition close to the bathroom.
There were two pots of green trailing plants placed on top of the partition. It was clear that they were taken good care of from their leaves that trailed almost to the floor.
Song Qingchun pinched one of the stubby leaves and was toying with it when a rhythmic clicking of high heels came from behind the partition.
"Still thinking about the literal poetry book club?" As the familiar female voice rang out, the sound of high heels stopped.
Song Qingchun lowered her gaze and ran her fingers along the green veins of the plant leaf. She ignored the woman's voice.
"However, I do wonder, how devastated will Qin Yinan be if he finds out the person he has been in love with all these years is actually the wrong person?"
