Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 40

Zhou Qinglang’s heart was pounding. She mixed the strands of hair together and tucked them into her pocket, afraid that Xia Wanshuang would notice. Fortunately, no one was paying attention and no one saw.

It was an unspoken, secret joy.

It felt like she had secretly acquired a treasure, something not to be shared with outsiders, but which she cherished immensely herself.

It was almost dinner time when they left the hair salon. Zhao Tianhang had already notified Jiang Wan that they were eating out, and the group walked slowly together.

“Don’t you guys want to go somewhere else? Staying here all the time is boring. Let’s go travel!” Lin Qiushui eagerly suggested the idea at the dinner table. They were all tired of Tongli.

“Sounds good! Where do you want to go?” Xia Wanshuang agreed. She had actually been planning this for a while, wanting to take Langlang to many places, not just keep her in Tongli.

“How about we go to Haicheng? It’s relatively close and more developed. It’s by the sea, so we can go see the ocean!”

“Okay.” Zhao Tianhang nodded, looking at Zhou Qinglang.

When Xia Wanshuang heard the city’s name, her heart tightened involuntarily. Her impression of the city wasn’t good because it held all of Zhou Qinglang’s bad memories and the mystery of her origins. Xia Wanshuang still wanted to adhere to the plot line if possible. If anything unexpected happened, the System might wake up and then immediately be angered to death again.

When Zhou Qinglang heard the words “Haicheng,” her expression didn’t change at all. She had nearly forgotten that was her birthplace. Zhou Qinglang wasn’t resistant to the place. In fact, she was somewhat grateful for the unpleasantness back then; if not for those reasons, how would she have ended up here, by her sister’s side?

So, after Zhao Tianhang agreed, she also nodded.

The three of them looked at Xia Wanshuang. Since Zhou Qinglang agreed, Xia Wanshuang had no reason to refuse. If it’s just a short planned trip for a few days, there shouldn’t be any complications, right? Xia Wanshuang was actually quite afraid of encountering Zhou Qinglang’s biological parents or relatives and getting dragged into some melodramatic reunion because Zhou Qinglang resembled them.

“Then I’m going back to pack my swimsuit right now! Let’s go tomorrow! Everyone go back and pack their things. We’ll set a time to leave together tomorrow. Ocean, here we come!” Lin Qiushui tried to pump up the atmosphere and get everyone excited.

“It’s best not to swim at the beach. Why pack a swimsuit? Besides, it’s summer—hot and sweltering. The sun is intense. If you don’t want to shed a layer of skin, you’d better dress normally.” Teacher Xia started lecturing, crushing Lin Qiushui’s dream of wearing swim briefs at the beach.

••••

Jiang Wan heard they were going to Haicheng and gave them detailed instructions. “When you get there, I’ll have my friend pick you up. Remember to be obedient, keep in touch, take good care of yourselves, don’t talk to strangers, don’t split up, and don’t randomly give directions to strangers or go to a stranger’s house, understood?”

Xia Wanshuang and the three children listened obediently to Jiang Wan’s safety lesson and nodded.

The person who met them in Haicheng was a girl in her mid-twenties, with a ponytail, looking very young. She introduced herself as Song Zhuxue. Xia Wanshuang suspected this was her editor. After finishing the crime novel three months ago, Xia Wanshuang was in a rest period. Zhuxue had recently been messaging her online, urging her to start a new novel.

Song Zhuxue didn’t know the top-tier writer she longed for was standing right in front of her. She reached out to help Zhao Tianhang with his luggage, but he politely thanked and declined her.

“You must be Sister Jiang’s son! You’re very handsome. Have you decided where you’ll be staying? You can stay at my place if you haven’t!” Song Zhuxue looked at the young man, complimented him, and offered her suggestion. Her compliment wasn’t mere courtesy; she genuinely thought Zhao Tianhang was handsome, a worthy son of Sister Jiang, even though he didn’t look much like her.

“Thank you, but we can find a place to stay ourselves. And you’re very beautiful too, Sister.” Zhao Tianhang was courteous, yet aloof. Although Jiang Wan had told them beforehand that her good friend would pick them up, Zhao Tianhang didn’t know this older sister, so his attitude remained distant.

“I see. Well, if you need any help, you must tell me! And I can be your tour guide.”

“Yes, please! A beautiful older sister as our tour guide? We’d love that!” Lin Qiushui said with a big smile. Zhao Tianhang paused, his eyelashes fluttering, and he looked at Song Zhuxue.

“Then we’ll trouble you, Sister.” Xia Wanshuang thought having a guide was a good idea and smiled from the side.

“No trouble at all! Let me take you to your hotel first.”

They chatted all the way to the hotel and asked for two rooms.

“Only two?” Song Zhuxue asked.

“Mhm. Shuangshuang will stay with Xiao Lang, and Zhao Tianhang and I will share a room.” Lin Qiushui almost said “little vinegar pot” but made a sudden save, hooking his arm over Zhao Tianhang’s shoulder.

After dropping them off, Song Zhuxue left her contact information and smiled as she departed, saying it was late and they should rest. She would go home and plan for the next day’s outing.

“Auntie Jiang’s friend is just as beautiful and gentle as Auntie Jiang!” Lin Qiushui swooned. Zhao Tianhang raised an eyebrow and told Lin Qiushui to get his own luggage.

“She’s 12 years older than you. Don’t get any ideas.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Zhao Dog! Where did your mind go? Am I that kind of person? And even if the beautiful older sister is very cute, she’s not my type. I like girls who are a little younger, the kind that cling to you—that’s what a girl is supposed to be like. The little vinegar pot will probably never find a boyfriend.”

“Why drag me into your talk? I wouldn’t look at someone like you anyway.” Zhou Qinglang sneered and lightly kicked Lin Qiushui’s shin.

Lin Qiushui exaggerated an “Ouch!” and hid next to Xia Wanshuang. “Shuangshuang, look, she’s bullying me again.”

“You provoked her first. Besides, why wouldn’t my Langlang find a boyfriend? Plenty of people like her.” Xia Wanshuang snorted. Her destined match was right there. She didn’t like hearing Lin Qiushui talk like that.

“Fine, fine, she’s likable,” Lin Qiushui conceded, darting into the room while glaring at Zhou Qinglang. “And to add: I like someone like Shuangshuang, too!” Lin Qiushui said, poking his head back out the door, courting death.

Zhou Qinglang’s face instantly changed, her expression terrifying. “Lin Qiushui, if you want to die, you better get out here!”

“Bye!” Lin Qiushui yanked Zhao Tianhang into the room and slammed the door shut, leaving the furious Zhou Qinglang outside.

“Alright, alright, don’t be mad. He’s just teasing you.” Xia Wanshuang pulled Zhou Qinglang’s hand and opened their adjacent door.

“I just want to make sure he knows some jokes aren’t funny,” Zhou Qinglang huffed, setting down her suitcase.

“Lin Qiushui was right about one thing: you really are too clingy.” Xia Wanshuang pinched Zhou Qinglang’s cheek, stopping the girl from staying angry.

“I am clingy to Sister. I don’t want Sister to ever date.”

“What does that have to do with anything? That’s a long way off.”

“But it will happen eventually,” Zhou Qinglang sulked. It was something she didn’t want to admit but couldn’t deny. In the future, her sister would date, marry, and have children, and she wouldn’t be the most important person to her sister anymore. Zhou Qinglang clenched her fists until her knuckles were white. No. Just the thought of it made her furious.

“That’s a long way off. I’m not making that my life goal. Maybe it won’t ever happen. Sister just wants to see you live happily and joyfully.” If the plot didn’t have to follow the original script and she could live here forever, Xia Wanshuang might look for a partner. But it was only a might. If she didn’t meet someone she genuinely liked, being single was fine.

Xia Wanshuang hadn’t dated even at twenty-seven in her previous life. It wasn’t because she was naive or uninterested, nor was it because her standards were too high. She just never felt the spark. She always felt something was missing. When she was around those who were almost right, her heart felt empty. She couldn’t fill the void or ignore it. That feeling clearly reminded Xia Wanshuang that they weren’t the person she was meant to be with.

“Being with Sister makes me the happiest and most joyful person.” Zhou Qinglang leaned against Xia Wanshuang, wrapping her arms around her waist, trying to be affectionate, but accidentally bumped the suitcase. The momentum caused her to fall backward, pulling Xia Wanshuang with her.

Luckily, the bed was right behind them. Zhou Qinglang ended up pinning Xia Wanshuang on the bed, making it shake.

“Sister, did I hurt you?” Zhou Qinglang was initially flustered, then became uncomfortable.

Because they were pressed together, the pressure on their chests was very pronounced.

Since it was summer, they were wearing light, thin clothes, making the sensation even more obvious.

Although she had watched her grow, it had been a long time since they had touched like this because Xia Wanshuang didn’t allow it.

“I’m fine.” Xia Wanshuang propped herself up and sat. She reached back and felt her lower back, turning her head to check even though she knew she couldn’t see anything. Her hair was down, and as she turned her head, it brushed against Zhou Qinglang’s face.

Zhou Qinglang’s heart fluttered.

The spot where Xia Wanshuang’s hair brushed felt numb.

Her face heated up uncontrollably, and she unconsciously rubbed it with her hand.

As she raised her hand, she also caught a strand of Xia Wanshuang’s hair, watching it slide off her finger.

Zhou Qinglang remembered the strand of hair she picked up at the salon. Back at home, she took the hair out of her pocket.

The two tufts of hair were now completely intertwined, slightly different but hard to distinguish completely.

Zhou Qinglang simply tied them together, braiding them with a thin red string.

Her hands weren’t the most dexterous, but she was careful. She then put the result into a small box on top of her desk.

Zhou Qinglang had thought of a response in case Xia Wanshuang asked, but since Xia Wanshuang hadn’t noticed, Zhou Qinglang wouldn’t volunteer the information and would enjoy the secret to herself.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t notice Zhou Qinglang spacing out. She stood by the bed. She had felt a small sting when she fell, but it was fine now.

“Langlang, we’re going to the beach tomorrow. Do you think this dress looks good on me?”

“Sister looks good in everything,” Zhou Qinglang prepared to give her usual compliment, but then looked up and saw the short dress in Xia Wanshuang’s hands.

The words changed mid-sentence: “But I don’t think that one is very good.”