Chapter 30: Wedding Ring (Additional Update 28)
With some difficulty, Lu Zhiyin returned to the apartment, closed the door, and put the chain and the bag of money back in their place. She then struggled to climb back onto the sofa. “…A bit troublesome.”
Leaning against the soft cushion of the sofa, Lu Zhiyin squeezed her left index finger. The consequence of being stepped on was that her fingers were peeling in many places, but her hand back and palm were fine. The knuckles on her fingers have little flesh, essentially just a thin layer of skin. Wounds in such places are always troublesome. Not only do they heal slowly, but they also affect grip, and every time she makes a fist, she feels pain. Of course, pain is no longer that difficult for Lu Zhiyin to accept. What truly troubled her was how to explain to Long Qinxin.
“Hmm… I feel like I can’t lie to her anymore.” The trust that had been hard to rebuild couldn’t collapse easily. Lu Zhiyin felt that perhaps she could tell half the reason and keep half?
Resting idly on the sofa, Lu Zhiyin hesitated before opening Qiuqiu and clicking on the chat window with Long Qinxin. “Long Qinxin, when will you be back? I’m a bit hungry.” She tried her best to make her message sound like a couple’s everyday conversation.
“Soon, just bear with it for a bit.” Long Qinxin replied quickly, with a head-patting emoji at the end of her message.
“Okay.” Hurriedly ending the chat, Lu Zhiyin threw her phone aside. She wasn’t in the mood to send stickers or talk much with anyone. She sat listlessly on the sofa, waiting for Qin An’s message and for Long Qinxin’s return.
Unknowingly, the clock struck noon, and footsteps sounded outside the door. “I’m back, Zhiyin missed me?” Opening the door, Long Qinxin asked with a smile, carrying a bag of cake base. While choosing rings, she saw Lu Zhiyin’s message. The brief, everyday messages made Long Qinxin very happy. She also noticed Lu Zhiyin’s need and, thinking that cooking after returning would make Lu Zhiyin uncomfortably hungry, she brought a cake base to fill her stomach.
“Welcome back, I missed you.” Lu Zhiyin replied with a smile, opening her arms.
Closing the door, Long Qinxin hurried to Lu Zhiyin, placed the cake base on the coffee table, and hugged Lu Zhiyin. Having someone welcome her home, though a very common thing, was something Long Qinxin had longed for and never received.
After a brief hug, Long Qinxin produced a delicate black box from her pocket as if by magic. “Look, it’s a ring, do you like it, Zhiyin?” Opening the box, Long Qinxin revealed two exquisite silver-white rings engraved with lily patterns. The rings were not inlaid with gemstones; as wedding rings, they were meant to be worn long-term, so Long Qinxin chose a design that allowed for easy movement.
“…It’s very beautiful.” Looking at the rings in the box, Lu Zhiyin nodded. The rings were indeed beautiful, but she just didn’t like them.
“Then let me put it on for you, Zhiyin.” Kneeling, Long Qinxin took Lu Zhiyin’s left hand, then furrowed her brow. “…?” Looking at Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin’s eyes held a hint of inquiry.
“I was in the hallway for a while.” Lu Zhiyin placed her left hand in Long Qinxin’s palm and explained.
“Why were you in the hallway? Did you want to leave me?” Long Qinxin’s brow furrowed even deeper.
“No.” Lu Zhiyin shook her head and looked at the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony.
“Then what was the reason?”
“I was feeling a bit stuffy indoors, and it was boring when you weren’t home.” Lu Zhiyin answered each of Long Qinxin’s questions, and the answers were all true. She had indeed stayed in the hallway for a while, and she indeed had no intention of leaving Long Qinxin. At the same time, it was indeed boring, whether Long Qinxin was there or not. She had answered all the questions, without telling a single lie. As for how Long Qinxin interpreted her answers was none of her business.
“…It must have hurt when you got scraped… Don’t go out alone when I’m gone next time, it’s very dangerous.” Long Qinxin calmed down. She interpreted Lu Zhiyin’s words as going to the hallway for fresh air because she was bored, and then accidentally scraping her finger on the rough wall in the hallway. And the reason she felt bored was because she wasn’t there. Thinking of this, Long Qinxin’s worry completely disappeared. She carefully put the wedding ring on Lu Zhiyin’s left ring finger, gently kissed the small wedding ring, and then put on her own ring.
“Zhiyin, rest for a bit. Would you like to eat some cake? I’ll go get some iodine and bandages.” After putting on the rings, Long Qinxin began to worry about the wound on Lu Zhiyin’s hand. She stood up, and just as she was about to leave, Lu Zhiyin grabbed her middle finger.
“What’s wrong?” Turning back, Lu Zhiyin asked softly.
“…Nothing.” Saying that, Lu Zhiyin pulled Long Qinxin’s hand towards her, and just like Long Qinxin, she kissed the wedding ring. This wasn’t all; Lu Zhiyin also gently kissed Long Qinxin’s forehead. “There.” After doing all this, Lu Zhiyin finally let Long Qinxin leave.
Long Qinxin’s heart was filled with sweetness, and even the scenery before her seemed to be covered with a light pink filter. She had done such a hurtful thing to Lu Zhiyin, and yet her Lu Zhiyin was still willing to treat her so gently, even more sweetly than an ordinary couple. Such a reality was truly too surreal. If it weren’t for the faint dampness on her forehead, Long Qinxin would have thought she was dreaming. She walked somewhat dizzily towards the kitchen.
“…Sigh…” After Long Qinxin left, Lu Zhiyin sighed again. She grabbed the bag on the coffee table and took out a piece of cake base. The square cake base was cut very neatly, with a layer of brown skin covering the surface. She squeezed it gently, and the soft cake base was easily flattened. When she released the pressure, it returned to its original shape. Lu Zhiyin brought the cake base in her hand to her mouth and took a bite. As the cake melted in her mouth, a faint sweetness and the aroma of egg yolk spread throughout her mouth. They say sweetness can make people happy, but after eating a piece of the sweet bread base, Lu Zhiyin’s mood did not improve. She grabbed the fruit knife on the coffee table and began to play with the knife that Long Qinxin had so carefully decorated.
Only after Long Qinxin found the iodine and bandages did Lu Zhiyin put down the knife and resume a calm, smiling demeanor. “It might hurt a little.” After a simple reminder, Long Qinxin began to clean the dust from Lu Zhiyin’s wound. The cotton swab dipped in iodine was cool to the touch. While it was comfortable when it touched other areas, it caused a stinging sensation when it touched the wound. Lu Zhiyin remained unmoved, feeling that she was almost immune to these minor pains, and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
