Chapter 128 Grocery Shopping and Whispered Promises
After finishing breakfast, Qin Wanshu and Zuo Qinghuan left the hotel together and returned to Zuo Qinghuan's home.
Upon entering the apartment, Qin Wanshu scanned the surroundings—seemingly casual, yet observant. It hadn't changed much from three years ago and showed no signs of anyone else having lived there. Aoba was clearly a meticulous and considerate girl, having left no trace of her stay. Qin Wanshu's already favorable impression of Aoba grew a little stronger.
"Aoba is a good girl," Qin Wanshu remarked, the sentiment coming genuinely from her heart.
"Mn," Zuo Qinghuan simply nodded. Though she had a belly full of praise for Aoba, she knew better than to lavish compliments on another woman in front of her beloved. That was a foolish mistake she wouldn't make.
"We should get a bigger place later, so guests have somewhere to stay when they visit," Zuo Qinghuan added thoughtfully.
"Alright." Although reluctant to leave the place they were in, Qin Wanshu agreed it was a bit too small for two people. Both she and Zuo Qinghuan needed their own space.
"Let's go to the market and buy groceries. How about I cook lunch for you?" Zuo Qinghuan asked softly, wrapping her arms around Qin Wanshu's waist from behind. Holding Qin Wanshu like this filled her with a profound sense of happiness.
"Okay," Qin Wanshu nodded. She had truly missed Zuo Qinghuan, and missed everything Zuo Qinghuan did.
"Just the two of us... are you sure we aren't buying too much?" Qin Wanshu couldn't help but ask, glancing at the overflowing bags in both her hands and Zuo Qinghuan's, who seemed ready to buy even more.
"But I haven't cooked in so long! I want to make everything," Zuo Qinghuan replied. She hadn't stepped into a kitchen for three years, and this first meal back would be for Qin Wanshu. Naturally, she wanted to put extra care into it.
"You didn't cook for Aoba?" Qin Wanshu asked casually, though a part of her didn't want Aoba sharing the privileges Zuo Qinghuan reserved for her.
"No. Aoba's cooking skills are on par with Li Xin's. If anything, she occasionally cooked for me. Besides," Zuo Qinghuan leaned in slightly, "I only want to be Qin Wanshu's personal cook." While it sounded like sweet talk, it was the truth. In Japan, she hadn't had much time to cook, Aoba was a young lady from a prominent family with excellent culinary skills herself, so there had been no real need for Zuo Qinghuan to cook. Moreover, her general interest in cooking wasn't high unless it was for the woman she loved.
"Aoba really is an outstanding girl," Qin Wanshu mused. She thought about how they were both considered 'young ladies,' yet Aoba knew how to cook, and she didn't. If only she had learned some cooking skills back then, she wouldn't be feeling overshadowed by a younger girl now. Qin Wanshu wasn't vain, but at thirty-three, she'd likely never felt quite so inadequate before. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Qin Wanshu, you've praised Aoba twice today! You don't praise me anymore," Zuo Qinghuan complained, pouting slightly. Zuo Qinghuan acknowledged that Aoba was an exceptional woman, perhaps second only to Qin Wanshu and far better than herself in many ways. Even though Aoba was like a sister, she couldn't help but feel a little bit sour.
"Shouldn't you be happy that I'm praising your sister?" Qin Wanshu countered, suspecting Zuo Qinghuan wasn't genuinely jealous but rather trying to shift the focus.
"Well, I can't compare to Aoba. She's so wonderful... I always feel Qin Wanshu deserves the absolute best, so... it makes me feel a bit inadequate," Zuo Qinghuan said, half-joking, half-serious. Although Aoba liked her, and Qin Wanshu liked her too, who knew if Aoba might develop feelings for Qin Wanshu after getting to know her? In Zuo Qinghuan's eyes, Qin Wanshu's charm was irresistible. Aoba was clearly a promising young woman; even Zuo Qinghuan could see her appeal. If Qin Wanshu inadvertently took a liking to Aoba, Zuo Qinghuan would be the one left crying. The probability was low, but a little caution never hurt.
"Aoba and I are similar in some ways," Qin Wanshu stated calmly. "It's like we're both water. Water can mix with water, but there's no reaction. But if you can be drawn to me, there's no guarantee you wouldn't be drawn to her."
Zuo Qinghuan fell silent for a moment, thinking. It's true I have a very good impression of Aoba. If Qin Wanshu wasn't in the picture, perhaps I might have been attracted to Aoba... or maybe not. It's impossible to say since it didn't happen. But with Qin Wanshu here, all hypothetical scenarios collapse. I only have eyes for Qin Wanshu. She knew her feelings clearly; her feelings for Qin Wanshu and her feelings for Aoba were entirely different.
"Then what am I?" Zuo Qinghuan suddenly turned to Qin Wanshu, her gaze serious.
"The fire that makes water boil," Qin Wanshu replied. The fire that makes me boil, and could potentially make Aoba boil too.
"No, that's not right," Zuo Qinghuan countered. "I think I'm a bottle. A bottle completely filled with you, this cup of water. It's perfectly full, no other water can fit inside. Anything extra would just spill out." She felt her analogy was more fitting.
"But isn't Aoba, as your sister, also in your heart? Are you using this bottle for me, and another bottle for her?" Qin Wanshu felt this jealousy was rather pointless, yet she couldn't help but care about Aoba's place in Zuo Qinghuan's heart. Love and familial affection weren't mutually exclusive, but she wanted to press Zuo Qinghuan on this. Seeing Zuo Qinghuan momentarily lost for words strangely lifted her spirits.
Ugh. Zuo Qinghuan was indeed speechless for a moment, quickly racking her brain for a rebuttal.
"Those are two different bottles! One is for love, one is for family affection. They don't conflict. It's like... I feel no desire for her, but I'm filled with desire for you. The moment I see you, I just want..." Zuo Qinghuan trailed off, looking suggestively at Qin Wanshu. Seeing the faint blush rise on Qin Wanshu's cheeks put her in an exceptionally good mood. Zuo Qinghuan thought her response was brilliant – it not only quelled Qin Wanshu's jealousy but also conveyed her deepest feelings and hinted at her intentions for later. "... I just feel desire for you."
"Alright, we should probably head back now," Qin Wanshu cleared her throat, attempting to change the subject. She didn't want Zuo Qinghuan to continue discussing this topic, which she had twisted into something else entirely, right here on the street.
Unfortunately, Zuo Qinghuan had no intention of letting her off the hook. She leaned closer, her lips near Qin Wanshu's ear, whispering intimately, just loud enough for her to hear.
"Qin Wanshu, do you remember the first time we met? When I mistook you for Li Xin and grabbed you? When I realized you were Qin Wanshu, my hand was on your thigh... and I didn't want to let go for the longest time. I remember thinking, how could such an exquisite woman exist? Like a goddess. Back then, I already wanted..." Zuo Qinghuan paused deliberately.
Qin Wanshu's face flushed crimson. She remembered that first meeting vividly—Zuo Qinghuan's burning palm pressed against her thigh, refusing to move. At the time, she had been quite displeased by Zuo Qinghuan's forwardness...
"You have no idea how many nights in Japan I had... heated dreams about being tangled up with you. I'd wake up and find myself..." Zuo Qinghuan's lips moved closer still, breathing warm air onto Qin Wanshu's earlobe. If they weren't on a public street, she definitely would have taken the delicate lobe into her mouth. Passersby saw their closeness but likely assumed they were just sharing secrets.
Qin Wanshu felt a tingling sensitivity spread through her ear, like a faint electric current. She couldn't believe Zuo Qinghuan was saying such shameless things out loud, deliberately trying to arouse her right here. This woman truly was audacious.
"Zuo Qinghuan!" Qin Wanshu warned in a low voice.
"Hm? We've bought enough groceries. Let's go back, and I'll cook for you," Zuo Qinghuan replied smoothly. Her genius lay in knowing exactly how far to tease Qin Wanshu before stopping just at the right moment.