Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 49

Xia Wanshuang was initially smiling, but then she realized something was wrong.

Zhou Qinglang was only fourteen!

Wasn’t this too early?

They should at least wait until they were adults to confirm a relationship.

Even for an early crush, shouldn’t they be a little older?

Mother Xia began to worry.

She was about to stand up when she saw Zhou Qinglang and Zhao Tianhang pull apart.

She thought for a moment and sat back down.

It wouldn’t be good to interrupt that kind of atmosphere.

Xia Wanshuang could only watch, with a mother’s anxious heart, checking from time to time to make sure they weren’t engaging in any overly intimate behavior.

However, the reality outside the glass door was not the sweet, ambiguous, pink-bubble-filled scene Xia Wanshuang imagined.

On the contrary, it carried a chill of bleakness.

Zhou Qinglang leaned against the wall like Zhao Tianhang, sorting through her thoughts under the bright moon.

Looking down from the balcony, she could see the hotel courtyard with a large tree whose branches swayed in the moonlight.

Zhou Qinglang’s heart swayed with them.

“Langlang, no matter what you’re thinking, you need to be careful.”

Zhao Tianhang actually felt that if Zhou Qinglang and Xia Wanshuang truly ended up together, the path would be easier.

After all, they relied on each other, and if they chose to be together for life, it would be none of anyone else’s business.

Zhao Tianhang’s main concern was that Zhou Qinglang would end up like him, on a path that led nowhere.

“I know.”

Zhou Qinglang’s mind went from heated to calm, and a new layer of anxiety settled in her heart.

She suddenly understood Zhao Tianhang’s involuntary feelings and his sense of helplessness.

Did Zhou Qinglang dare to tell Xia Wanshuang right now that she loved her and wanted to be with her for life?

She didn’t dare.

She only dared to express her former declarations of love through the intimacy of familial affection, as if they only needed to be family forever.

“You…”

Zhou Qinglang started to speak, but didn’t know how to continue.

“Are you really just going to give up like that? You haven’t even made a move.”

Zhou Qinglang urged him with a touch of unwillingness.

Rather than encouraging Zhao Tianhang, she was encouraging her own inaction.

“I’ve done a lot; you just don’t know about it,” Zhao Tianhang said, his expression softening a little.

Just as Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang had plenty of time alone, he and Lin Qiushui also had many opportunities for private moments, where a lot could happen, especially with his deliberate intent.

Lin Qiushui treated him as a good brother, trusting him completely and without any guards up.

In comparison, Zhao Tianhang felt his own intentions were despicable.

“Will it truly be a dead end?”

“It will be.”

Zhao Tianhang wasn’t afraid of anything.

He wasn’t afraid of others’ judgment, and he could convince his loving mother.

But if the person he loved didn’t love him back, no amount of persistence would help.

Lin Qiushui would have his own life; there was no need to be tied down or entangled with anyone.

“Ah, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

Zhao Tianhang took a deep breath, revealing a light smile.

“I’ll just treat it as an unrequited crush. I’m grateful to him.”

He was grateful for the boy’s bright, unclouded care and hugs.

That was good enough.

Zhou Qinglang was worried, but she also knew that this kind of thing couldn’t be forced.

They were both good friends; neither was right nor wrong.

“So, how did you know I liked my sister?”

Zhou Qinglang suddenly thought of this question.

She hadn’t even realized it herself, or rather, she’d felt it but had never thought of it in those terms.

Just like how Lin Qiushui habitually called her “Little Vinegar Pot,” everyone else was also used to her behavior.

The strange feeling hidden in her heart was utterly foreign, and she had never asked anyone about it, so she didn’t know that feeling was called love.

“Before, I just thought you were overly clingy. Then, definitely around the time you graduated from middle school, someone confessed to Shuangshuang. The three of us were there. You didn’t notice your expression at the time…”

Zhao Tianhang recalled it, chuckling as if remembering something amusing.

“It was like you were about to tear that guy apart. It wasn’t the look of a sister seeing her sister’s suitor; it was the look of seeing a love rival. If Shuangshuang hadn’t pulled you home, I suspect you would have gone back and put a sack over the guy’s head and beaten him up.”

“I really did want to,” Zhou Qinglang muttered quietly.

She had genuinely been furious at the time, blood rushing to her head, filled with intense hostility toward the boy whose name she no longer remembered.

She vaguely remembered the boy was quite handsome, and that’s precisely why Zhou Qinglang was even angrier.

If he had been plain, Zhou Qinglang wouldn’t have felt threatened.

“You were like a little fighting rooster back then, just about ready to peck someone.”

“Was it that obvious? Then why didn’t my sister notice?”

Zhou Qinglang picked at her palm, grinding the tips of her toes on the floor.

“She’s already desensitized to you. You’ve always been so clingy; she’s used to it.”

“That’s true.”

Her sister would just think it was her normal behavior.

How would she ever think of anything else?

“What do you think her reaction would be if you told Shuangshuang you loved her right now?”

“Probably… no reaction?”

“Exactly. What would Lin Qiushui’s reaction be if I told him he was a really good person?”

“Are you possessed?”

If Zhao Tianhang really said that, let alone Lin Qiushui, she, as a bystander, would be freaked out, thinking Zhao Tianhang had lost his mind or was abnormal to say something so foolish.

Zhao Tianhang: “…”

“Do you want Shuangshuang to realize your feelings?”

Zhao Tianhang asked.

Zhou Qinglang hesitated, neither nodding nor shaking her head.

She didn’t know.

Emotionally, Zhou Qinglang wanted Xia Wanshuang to know, but her reason told her it wasn’t appropriate.

Even if her sister knew she loved her, what then?

Her sister still saw her as a child.

Based on her understanding of her sister, even if she knew, she would probably maintain her distance.

She might even lecture her that she hadn’t distinguished between dependence and love.

Zhou Qinglang didn’t want to just leave Xia Wanshuang with the image of a childish, clingy person.

Suddenly, she wanted to grow up quickly.

“Then it’s best not to let her know for now. But you can try testing her.”

“How do I test her?”

Zhao Tianhang opened his mouth, then closed it.

He realized his experience might not apply to Zhou Qinglang.

He had wanted to suggest that Zhou Qinglang engage in intimate actions or ambiguous language to express her feelings, but then he remembered that Zhou Qinglang and Xia Wanshuang had been sleeping in the same bed until recently.

When it came to “non-boundary-crossing” intimacy, those two had probably done it all.

“Teacher Zhao, please tell me quickly.”

Zhou Qinglang sought guidance humbly, her dark eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

“Well…”

Zhao Tianhang pondered for a moment.

Seeing Zhou Qinglang’s increasingly expectant expression, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“My experience is useless to you. You’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

“Hey, you’re the teacher who enlightened me! That’s so irresponsible.”

“There’s a saying: ‘The master leads you to the door, the rest is up to you.'”

Zhao Tianhang said with a light, teasing smile.

The atmosphere suddenly relaxed, washing away the sadness that had lingered like smoke.

••••

Xia Wanshuang was multitasking, keeping an eye on her “son and daughter” while replying to the screenwriter.

Xia Wanshuang had set an alarm, and when her phone vibrated, it meant they needed to leave for the train station.

Xia Wanshuang called Lin Qiushui, who groggily sat up from the sofa, his smile still plastered on his face.

Zhou Qinglang opened the door and walked in.

Seeing Lin Qiushui’s idiotic look, she couldn’t help but sigh.

What a mess.

However, her gaze fell upon Xia Wanshuang, and she no longer had the capacity to think about Lin Qiushui and Zhao Tianhang’s situation.

She looked at the floor, her eyes evasive.

Before she knew her true feelings, she could perform those acts of intimacy so easily.

But now, getting close made her hands and heart tremble.

The phrase “I love you,” spoken hundreds of times and never a joke, suddenly became precious, as if saying it now would be an immensely significant event.

Xia Wanshuang noticed Zhou Qinglang’s distraction, but she assumed it was just the young girl being shy after having a private moment with her crush outside.

Xia Wanshuang sighed internally, Is this what youth is like?

“Let’s go, Langlang.”

Xia Wanshuang took Zhou Qinglang’s hand and walked toward the door.

Lin Qiushui put his phone away, draped himself over Zhao Tianhang, and happily told him that the girl he was chatting with had a great personality.

Zhou Qinglang and Zhao Tianhang exchanged a look.

Given the circumstances, Zhou Qinglang felt Zhao Tianhang was suffering more.

The hotel had a spiral staircase. As Zhou Qinglang was led down, she felt like she was walking on clouds.

She squeezed Xia Wanshuang’s hand until their fingers were tightly intertwined.

Although Xia Wanshuang found it a little strange, she indulged her.

When they got into the taxi, Xia Wanshuang let go of her hand.

Zhou Qinglang looked at her hand with regret and sat down next to Xia Wanshuang.

Lin Qiushui sat on her other side, and Zhao Tianhang took the front seat.

Their timing was perfect. They arrived at the train station shortly before their departure time. They had tickets to sit together.

After stowing their belongings, they took their seats.

Xia Wanshuang sat on the innermost side, with Zhou Qinglang next to her.

The train started moving quickly, heading smoothly forward.

It was like a long serpent, driving into the thick darkness.

Outside the window, it was pitch black.

Other than the single bright moon, nothing could be seen.

Occasionally, a village with lights would appear, only to disappear instantly in the eyes of the travelers rushing forward without stopping.

Zhou Qinglang looked at the window, at the reflection of the person beside her.

Xia Wanshuang’s features were indistinct in the light, but Zhou Qinglang preferred to look at the reflection in the glass rather than directly at Xia Wanshuang.

She was afraid that something would jump out of her eyes, something she wouldn’t be able to hide.

It was panic and delight, sweet, sour, and astringent all at once.

Zhou Qinglang meticulously traced Xia Wanshuang’s appearance repeatedly, engraving it into her memory.

She was not like Zhao Tianhang; Zhao Tianhang could give up, but she could not.

In the past, she had been desperate to monopolize her sister’s attention.

Now that she understood her heart, how could she willingly abandon her goal?

The thought of her sister falling in love with some unknown person one day set her chest on fire.

On this ordinary night, Zhou Qinglang made a decision.

She quietly extended her pinky finger and hooked it around Xia Wanshuang’s.

Xia Wanshuang didn’t understand the meaning, taking it as the girl’s usual clingy behavior, and played along, linking their pinkies.

Although she knew Xia Wanshuang was oblivious, Zhou Qinglang couldn’t help but smile.

Sister, I’ll take that as your promise to me.