You Sound Sleepy

Bai Jiayi, leaning on her bedroom’s window, furiously tried to call a certain someone. She had called over a dozen times. Around noon, the call had finally gone through.

 The other party picked and, after some rustling sounds, answered with a drawn-out, “Hellooo.” 

On the other end, Lin Mian had just woke up, her voice faint and drowsy. Just as she was about to hang up and go back to sleep, Bai Jaiyi shouted, “Mian Bao, don’t hang up! I have something urgent to tell you!”

Lin Mian sluggishly sat up, sitting at the edge of the bed, her eyes half-closed, her toes struggling to find her slippers. She asked in a soft voice,  “What’s the matter?”

Bai Jiayi anxiously said, “You stayed at Que Qingyan’s place overnight, right?”

Stayed overnight…

Lin Mian remembered that she stayed overnight at Que Qingyan’s place. He had witnessed her “vague” shoujo manhua drawings.

He almost certainly thinks I’m doing inappropriate stuff and that my mind is jumbled with nonsense about chasing him every day. That isn’t true! Right?

Last night was… chaotic. A torrent of shame drowned the now reminiscing Lin Mian. She found one slipper. She didn’t bother to find the other one and turned around, burying herself in her blanket, the phone still in her hands.

“A man and a woman alone in a dark room. How could nothing happen?” Under restrictions from her parents, Miss Bai didn’t really have much of an opportunity to enjoy the juicy gossip that Lin Mian was suffering from. Today, she could. After thinking about it, Bai Jiayi gave Lin Mian some consoling words. “Mian Bao, just forget about it.”

Bai Jiayi had frankley told Lin Mian that he was out of her league. However, based on how whimful Lin Mian’s thinking was, Que Qingyan shouldn’t mean too much to her. How well could she possibly know him? But, if he decides to play with her on a selfish fancy, she would certainly collapse, unable to resist and get eaten up without even knowing it. However, that didn’t sound too bad… – whatever. 

“Think about it. Even if you can’t find men as high-quality as him, there are still good-quality men in the circle. Are you afraid of not finding a partner?” Bai Jiayi subtly nudged her to give up on him. “Wait till you like another person, then you’ll find all your previous loves have faded, just like that time when you wrote dozens of love letters for a guy in high school. You’ve probably forgotten. You see, love can be fickle -”

“That’s him.”

Bai Jiayi was stunned. “Who?”

“ The person who I wrote dozens of love letters to.” Lin Mian paused. “That’s Que Qingyan.”

9 years ago, at the Lin family’s house…

The cards on the table have already been used for three rounds. An aunty entered, carrying a silver-colored food cart with little dishes. She bent down and replaced the cups with new cups of herbal tea. Raun Lishi glanced at her hand and upon seeing the aunty come in asked, “Lan, is little Mian still asleep?”

“She’s still sleeping.” The aunty removed the tiny platters that contained food crumbs and added, “The mister has just called and said he needs to go to a social gathering. He won’t eat dinner at home.

Ruan Lishi responded, “I know, tell aunty Zhang to stew a soup to sober him up when he comes back.” She paused for a little while. “Lan, tell Lin Mian to get up. She slept the entire afternoon. Also, bring some cakes with you.”

There were 4 women at the card table and each of them carried an extravagant air. Although they appeared elderly, they maintained their appearance. The lady closest to her heard her words and decided to banter. “Lishu doesn’t know how much she loves her daughter. It’s probably too much”

“I guess if someone in my family was as cute as Lin Mian, then I’ll hold her close to my heart too.” Another lady entered the conversation. She suddenly remembered something and turned around, asking the only person who hasn’t spoken with a tentative smile, “Mrs. Que, it’s Christmas break. Is Qingyan coming back?”

When there was nothing to do, the ladies would gather around and partake in social activities such as shopping, drinking, chatting, and playing cards. When chit-chatting about the Que’s family son, their tones were more or less envious.

The Que family had a style of personal independence, fully respecting their son’s personal journey of going into law instead of business. Their son had already graduated from the top overseas university with a master’s degree at the age of 20. Hearing that Que was earning impressive academic accomplishments and was going to go for a Ph.D., the lady couldn’t help but compare it to the young master in her family. It was incomparable.

Talking about her son, Mrs. Que gave a comfortable, pleased smile. “Qingyan will get off the plane this afternoon and will visit me soon.”

On the other side of the house, the aunty entered the second-floor bedroom, calling the young miss who was still asleep. Lin Mian was being dragged along by her mother for a few days. After just coming back from a round trip around Brussels, she was suffering from a two-day jet lag.

Three delicate, refined slices of cake, which were served on a small porcelain platter, were brought up by the aunty. Her stomach full from one slice, Lin Mian pushed the other slices to the aunty.

The miss sweetly and softly called out “Aunty Lan.” It was extremely cute. The auntie received the plate. Before closing the door, with a smile, she said, “The lady is playing cards and drinking cards in the teahouse. It was just snowing outside, so the young miss should put on two extra layers of clothing if you’re planning to go outside.” The auntie went downstairs.

Unexpectedly, after the auntie left, the miss sweetly replied “Ok,” and stepped outside into the balcony wearing only pajamas, her feet covered in slippers. She didn’t wear a single extra layer.

It was still in the afternoon, and it was just starting to snow. A thin layer of white snow was painted over the railings of the balcony. One needed to take a closer look to discern the flecks of snow.

Lin Mian leaned on the balcony’s railings and looked down.

She originally wanted to watch the snow from the balcony, but her line of sight caught a person.

The Lin House was an extravagant duplex villa. The building where Lin Mian’s bedroom was and the building where the teahouse was were separated by a garden.  In the snow-topped garden, a man stood below a bare tree. 

Wearing a black coat, his legs slender, his black boots tapping on the snow, he created a striking contrast with the blanket of white.

As the sky began to dim, the young miss stood up on her tippy-toes, trying hard to get the man’s attention.

“He – llo.”

The man heard the voice and raised his gaze, noticing a 16 to 17 year old girl lying over the railings on the second floor. 

Her lips red, her eyes shining, Lin Mian noticed the man. The man paused for two seconds before saying, “Hello.”

His voice was deep and pleasant to the ear. Lin Mian, her hands clenching the railing, asked, “Why are you standing there? Are you waiting for someone?”

“Who are you waiting for? It just started snowing. Do you want to come inside?”

The miss had asked a lot of questions in rapid succession and ended it by whispering, “You are so handsome.”

“…” Que Qingyan, surprised, laughed before pulling back his gaze, not looking back at her again. 

Lin Mian stared blankly at him for a few seconds, her fingers numb. He still hadn’t moved.

As the clouds rolled and fine specks of snow fluttered down from the sky, floating and falling on her nose and eyelashes, Lin Mian shivered and whispered, her voice producing fog, “Are you just going to stay here?”

Que Qingyan checked the time on his watch and then glanced at the girl that was shivering on the balcony. 

Not far away, Lin Mian could see him raise his eyebrows. With a low laugh, he asked, “Why don’t you go in?”

I want to look at you.

Lin Mian one-sidedly answered that question in her heart, but she didn’t dare say it. She thought for a while before stubbornly saying, “How about I get an umbrella for you? I’ll throw it to you soon.”

For fear that he might refuse, she ran inside her bedroom right after she spoke. With a bursting heart, she rummaged through her things, desperately trying to find an umbrella. After a while, she had finally found a long umbrella and slowly walked out onto the balcony.

The 16 year old girl’s heart was thumping furiously. Holding the umbrella, Lin Mian gave a light kiss on the umbrella’s handle.

However, once she returned to the balcony, her face blushing fiercely, he was gone.

Bai Jiayi stared in silence for 2 minutes, finally asking “Those dozens of love letters, did Que Qingyan read them?”

Lin Mian thought to herself, I didn’t even intend to hand him those love letters.

After so many years, Que Qingyan no longer even remembers me.

Reminiscing about the piles of piles of paper she used to make those love letters, Lin Mian bit the toast in her hand guiltily. Act- actually it’s fortunate, yes fortunate he doesn’t remember. 

The number of gutsy things I’ve done so far… pretending to be Xu Tong, sleeping in class, lying to him about the newspaper club paper, blatantly chasing him all the way to his apartment… If Que Qingyan knew my intentions, I – I would be punished. The consequences…

No, no I should not think about that.

It takes one hundred lies to cover up one lie. Author Mu Mian solemnly chewed on her toast, struggling between the option of pursuing love or enjoying life. 

The blank document that was written last night was still on her computer. Lin Mian tore open a bag of milk, staring at 《The Success Rate on Capturing Professor Que’s Fair Heart》. She stared at it for a while. Then, she opened WeChat and sent a message to Xu Zhu.

Even pursuing someone followed a basic rule of life. Practice makes perfect.

This was the truth Lin Mian realized last night.

Lesson 1 of Pursuing Someone: Catch the Opportunity 

Xu Zhu immediately replied with his professor’s whereabouts. 【My boss is going to teach graduate students in the afternoon. The economics course will probably end around 4 or 5. Why are you looking for him?】

Lin Mian thanked him and replied genuinely. 【I want to go see him】

Xu Zhu thought that his old classmate had fallen for his professor’s polished teaching style and wanted to go see his class. He didn’t pay much mind to it.

Lin Mian had indeed fallen for Que Qingyan. 

….She had fallen for him.

It rained lightly when Lin Mian was going to depart, so she grabbed an umbrella.

Her apartment near K university, Lin Mian hurriedly counted when Que Qingyan’s class would end. Her intention was to pick a small corner in the class and secretly watch him finish a lesson. But… Who knew the K University’s layout was so complicated!! Except for the paths she usually takes, the other paths were…

Lin Mian didn’t know how many times she returned to her original position. She turned on her phone, reconfirming the address of the teaching building, which Xu Zhu sent her.

According to the time, he’s already finished with class…

“Junior!”

A clear voice came from behind. In a daze, Lin Mian turned her head, holding her umbrella. She saw a boy not far away.

The boy was in the teaching building to avoid the rain. Lin Mian just realized who he was when she approached.

It was the little boy who reserved a seat for her in the International Economic Law class.

“I thought I recognized you from the back, though I wasn’t certain. Sorry for just suddenly calling out.”  With a smile of embarrassment, the boy asked her, “Why are you here? You also going to class?”

Lin Mian tried to respond with the “formalities necessary for a junior”, struggling. She finally let out a suppressed, “Sen -”

“ Sen…ior.”

The boy: “…” Why was she so reluctant to say that? Are my ears playing tricks on me?

Seeing the address in Lin Mian’s hand, the boy suddenly said, “Junior, having trouble finding a place? Ah, no wonder I saw you come to the same place several times. He pointed to a building 100 meters away. “It’s that one. That old building is the one for graduates. The building plate has been painted over, so it’s a little hard to see.”

Coincidentally, when Lin Mian followed his finger, a few students in pairs of 2 or 3 walked out and were followed by an all too familiar figure.

Alone, Que Qingyan walked out holding his umbrella, standing out from the groups of people.

The corner of her lips  curling unconsciously, she turned to the boy and suddenly solemnly said, “Senior.”

“Since you are hiding from the rain here, do you not have an umbrella?” Without waiting for a response, she closed her umbrella. With a face full of selflessness, she said, “I’ll lend you mine.”

“…” The conversation shifted too fast. The boy was a little confused. “What?”

Two steps away from her, the boy glanced at his junior’s delicate face and took the umbrella. His face blushing, he asked, “Junior, I forgot to ask last time cause you fell asleep, but can I have your WeCh -”

Lin Mian saw Que Qingyn get further and further away. She hurriedly said, “No need to return to it.”

“ That’s not what I -”

“ Thank you.”

Wait, why are you thanking me? Who is thanking who? “Hey, wait oh -”

He had just borrowed an umbrella and got a thank you for it… He saw Lin Mian turn and run into the rain.

Que Qingyan was listening to a student report his progress papers to him. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a person who wasn’t holding an umbrella in the drizzling rain. “Huh.”

He noticed Lin Mian drizzled in the rain. His gaze flickered, his pupils deepening. “Your progress report can be sent to my email tonight. Also, attach the requested essay.”

He spoke these sentences to the student, but his gaze was locked on Lin Mian.

The student hurriedly obeyed, politely thanked him, and left.

There was no one else in sight. Lin Mian saw Que Qingyan walk directly towards her, holding his umbrella. He stopped a step away from her and held the umbrella so it covered both their heads.

As the rain wasn’t heavy, she wasn’t completely soaked yet.

There were students beside him, so Lin Mian didn’t want to interrupt. However, now that there were only two people left, she approached, but she didn’t know what to say.

The rain drizzling, Lin Mian guessed that she must’ve looked pretty miserable, so she unabashedly peeked at him and whispered, “.. Professor Que.”

Que Qingyan’s voice came from above her head. “Did you not bring an umbrella when you went out?”

Lin Mian ambiguously replied, “Eh…”

“I wanted to share an umbrella with you” were words that would get her killed.

After thinking for a while, she looked up and asked, “Professor Que, are you going back to your apartment?”

He stared at her in silence. It was a silent yes.

“Then can I…” Lin Mian became bold, her eyes now glowing like clear water. “Can I please borrow your umbrella and go back together with you?” To demonstrate her sincerity, Lin Mian added some honest words, earnestly saying “I can help you hold the umbrella.”

Lin Mian grabbed Que Qingyans umbrella. The long black handle was a little heavy in her hands.

He was much taller than her. As such, Lin Mian had to keep his height into consideration when holding up the umbrella, stretching her arms so that the umbrella could be over his head.

Que Qingyan stopped. Lin Mian raised her eyes and looked at him. He was looking at her.

Possessing charming eyes, he was normally restrained and frosty when he didn’t smile, yet now his expression was a little different. Was he smiling or not?

Her heart trembling, Lin Mian felt like her thoughts were seen through in an instant.

Touched up with the rain, Lin Mian’s inky black hair was sticking to her face. It looked cute and pretty. Que Qingyan continued to stare at her, raising his hand to help hold the umbrella up.

While Lin Mian was wobbling from trying to hold the umbrella high, she suddenly felt the umbrella was being pulled down along with her hand. 

Que Qingyan was bending down at eye level with her. 

The shadow on top deepened. The umbrella slowly came down and wrapped around both of them. Like a barrier, it covered them, cutting off the noise and bringing the two together.

“Xu Tong.” The rainfall started to get heavier. Que Qingyan was face to face with her, separated by a fist. His voice wasn’t stern, carrying a seductive gentleness. It was deep. “Do you think I would just ignore what you’ve been doing? I’ve given you an inch and you’ve tried to take a mile.”

“Hitting on your professor in the open, eh? Which law teaches this?” A pause. “Can you please tell me?”