Female Consort Modern Chapter 3

After a long, deathly silence,

Qiu Che finally parted her lips.

Li Qingwu’s eyes involuntarily followed her movement, and she instinctively held her breath.

Qiu Che set down her cup, her expression serious as she reproached, “Li, please don’t joke about something like that.”

Li Qingwu was momentarily speechless.

For some reason, Qiu Che’s serious tone actually made her feel relieved.

“I wasn’t joking,” Li Qingwu said.

“We’ve only met once,” Qiu Che replied.

“That’s not true,” Li Qingwu countered.

Catching the look on Qiu Che’s face, she paused, then said, “Including yesterday and the day before, that makes three times.”

Qiu Che was speechless.

She even felt a little amused.

At that moment, she clearly realized that although their ages weren’t far apart, the generation gap between her and today’s students was enormous.

“Does it make any difference?” Qiu Che asked.

Li Qingwu thought for a moment. “The difference is between ‘love at first sight’ and ‘love at third sight.’”

Qiu Che twitched the corner of her mouth.

She put down her unfinished breakfast, stood up deliberately, and wiped her hands as she said, “Too bad I don’t believe in that kind of thing.”

“But you didn’t reject it right away, and you weren’t shocked,” Li Qingwu pressed, suddenly standing up and calling after her, “Does that mean you like girls too?”

Qiu Che answered calmly, “I didn’t say that.”

“What does it mean then?”

“In today’s world, homosexuality doesn’t seem so rare, right?” Qiu Che said naturally. “I’ve never met one myself, but I’m not that old-fashioned.”

“So you’re saying maybe you can accept girls?” Li Qingwu asked.

Qiu Che looked at her with a subtle expression.

Li Qingwu felt shy too but refused to back down.

Holding onto the hem of her clothes without a word, ears flushed red, she looked up at her.

She didn’t realize how powerful that expression was, on that face.

Qiu Che felt like she was bullying a tough girl who was actually fragile inside.

With some helplessness, she said, “No.”

“Even if I like someone, it’s a woman.”

She glanced at her gently and said quietly, “I’m not interested in girls.”

Li Qingwu fell silent.

Qiu Che thought she had made herself clear while still sparing the other’s pride.

This wasn’t the first time someone had confessed to her soon after meeting, but it was the first time a girl had done so.

If it had been a man, Qiu Che probably wouldn’t have been this patient.

She said nothing more, turned, and started pushing her suitcase to leave.

Li Qingwu grabbed her wrist.

“Wait.”

“That thing I said about love at first sight… uh, love at third sight, actually, I lied.”

Qiu Che raised an eyebrow.

Li Qingwu stared at her expressionless face, though the redness had crept up to her ears. “Believe it or not, I’ve known about you for a year… and I’ve liked you all along, but you probably didn’t know. I was afraid it was too soon to say after we really met recently.”

“But you said you don’t believe in love at first sight.”

Qiu Che glanced at the hand still holding hers tightly. “...So?”

“I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

Li Qingwu released her hand, voice soft. “I want to ask you to give me a chance to pursue you.”

Qiu Che frowned. “I don’t do teacher-student relationships.”

“I’m a graduate student, already 24. You don’t have to think I’m a kid,” Li Qingwu retorted calmly. “Besides, we’re just at the same school. You’re not my teacher.”

Qiu Che was speechless.

She found it hard to say anything and just muttered, “You…”

“Please.”

Li Qingwu’s eyelashes trembled. If you looked closely, her lowered eyes seemed a little wet. “I only want one chance to pursue you. Whether you accept or not is up to you.”

Qiu Che was silent for a moment.

Then she turned away.

As they brushed past each other, Li Qingwu heard her voice, light as a feather, “Then let me see how you plan to pursue me.”

After getting Qiu Che’s reluctant agreement, Li Qingwu noticed she appeared in front of her more often.

She never paid much attention to who attended her public lectures before, but now she could always spot Li Qingwu’s figure.

At the end of class, Li Qingwu would leave early, then appear by the door just as the bell rang, holding a cup of milk tea at the perfect temperature, waiting for her.

Like a girlfriend.

The first time, Qiu Che had refused, saying, “I don’t like milk tea.”

Li Qingwu wasn’t angry, just thoughtful. “Then what do you like?”

Qiu Che was about to say she didn’t drink anything, but Li Qingwu raised her chin, looking up at her pitifully, “You promised me a chance to pursue you. You can’t refuse.”

That wasn’t exactly true.

But Qiu Che was suddenly speechless, unable to refuse.

At this moment, Qiu Che didn’t realize that the first stirrings of the heart often began by letting the other get closer.

She simply turned her head, no longer looking at her, but reached out and gently turned Li Qingwu’s face toward her, blocking the gossiping students outside the classroom window.

“Guess.”

Li Qingwu said, “How can I guess that?”

Qiu Che replied lightly, “That just means you’re not sincere in pursuing someone. Why would you ask? You have to figure it out yourself. Asking means you’re cheating. I’m helping you cheat.”

“Is that so?”

Qiu Che walked to a quieter corridor and finally released her hand, expression unreadable. “Yes.”

Li Qingwu gave her a sidelong glance, still feeling the warmth left on one cheek from their recent contact. Her heart was beating faster, and it seemed like her blood was heating up.

She thought to herself, one day, she would make Qiu Che willingly help her cheat in this emotional game.

The very next day, Li Qingwu started bringing all kinds of drinks.

A different one each day, never repeating. Sometimes, when she noticed which drinks Qiu Che liked best, she’d bring the same one again after a few days.

When Qiu Che said she was tired of drinks, Li Qingwu switched to snacks and treats, practically feeding her like a pet hamster.

That would have been fine, after all, under the excuse of “auditing classes,” Qiu Che could ignore curious students and deftly dodge gossiping teachers in the office with vague answers.

But Li Qingwu even showed up at the café where Qiu Che worked weekends!

When Qiu Che saw Li Qingwu sitting by the window, smiling and waving at her, she closed her eyes for a moment, almost wondering if Li Qingwu had secretly planted a tracking device on her.

“What are you doing here?”

Qiu Che’s eyes flicked to the white bag on the table, a thermal lunch box inside.

Was Li Qingwu really here to personally deliver her lunch?

Qiu Che remembered how busy she sometimes got at the café, often too rushed to eat.

Surprisingly, she felt a little excited.

But then Li Qingwu raised her hand and handed over a carefully marked coffee order, blocking Qiu Che’s view.

“I’m a customer now.”

She smiled. “Teacher Qiu, why would you ask a customer why they’re here in a café?”

Qiu Che was silent for a moment, then took the order. She saw Li Qingwu had ordered two lattes.

Two?

Qiu Che didn’t ask further and went back behind the bar, instructing the new employee to make them.

After the coffees were served, Li Qingwu sat alone for quite some time, hugging her digital drawing tablet and pondering colors.

Finally, the café door chimed twice.

A girl walked straight in and ran to the window seat.

“Qingwu!”

“You’re finally here.”

Li Qingwu stood as Yao Tai threw herself into her arms in a big bear hug.

“I’m exhausted! Our adviser suddenly decided to move up the paper deadline from tomorrow to today. It was a mad rush, I didn’t even have time for lunch this weekend...”

As Yao Tai rambled on complaining, Li Qingwu was hugged tight and glanced at Qiu Che behind the bar.

For two awkward seconds, silence hung in the air. Qiu Che turned away with a blank expression.

Yao Tai kept chattering until she noticed Li Qingwu staring behind her. Curious, she followed her gaze.

“What are you looking at?”

Li Qingwu snapped out of it, a faint smile on her lips, subtly blocking the view.

But Qiu Che, dressed professionally in her fitted black dress uniform, approached the table calmly.

She didn’t seem bothered by anyone knowing she worked here.

“Ladies, your lattes have gone cold. Would you like me to warm them up?”

Yao Tai first stared at Qiu Che’s appearance in surprise, then at her words.

“Wait, you can heat them back up?”

Qiu Che shrugged. “No trouble.” The boss wasn’t around anyway.

After Qiu Che left, Yao Tai started to suspect something.

“Wait, why is Teacher Qiu here? Did you ask me to come here just because she works here?”

“No,” Li Qingwu motioned for her to keep quiet, pushing the lunchbox over. “Just passing by after lunch. Here, I guessed you didn’t eat.”

“Thanks, babe!” Yao Tai blew her a flamboyant flying kiss and tried to stretch her arms over the table for a hug.

Li Qingwu just barely raised her hand to stop her, but then Yao Tai suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?”

Yao Tai shivered slightly and whispered, “Look behind you...”

Li Qingwu glanced back.

Qiu Che was still behind the bar, calmly instructing the new employee. It was the busy weekend rush, and the only two staff were swamped.

But nothing unusual was happening.

Yao Tai whispered in disbelief, “Didn’t you see her expression just now? Like I’d stolen her wife or something...”

Qiu Che?

Stealing a wife?

Li Qingwu suspected Yao Tai was teasing her.

Still, her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

Yao Tai caught herself, lowering her voice.

“Alright, seriously, spill it, how far along are you two?”

Since Yao Tai last gave Li Qingwu advice on this, she hadn’t mentioned it again, only saying she was ‘pursuing’ her.

Li Qingwu smiled, “The revolution isn’t over yet. Still working on it.”

“I’m just saying,” Yao Tai lowered her voice more, “I’ve taken Teacher Qiu’s class. She’s scary enough in lectures, how is she even fiercer in private?”

Li Qingwu replied, “No way, she’s not fierce.”

“Not fierce?” Yao Tai laughed. “Look at that work dress. Everyone else wears theirs soft and gentle or sexy and charming, but hers? She gives off this vibe that’s both straight and curved, cool and gorgeous, oh, what do you call it in your circles? ‘Top-tier butch queen’?”

Li Qingwu laughed and gave her a sideways glance, then got up carrying the lattes.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“You eat. I just remembered something I have to do.”

“Wait, didn’t we plan to go shopping this afternoon? Take me with you, ”

“Who told you to badmouth Teacher Qiu,” Li Qingwu huffed proudly. “Nope, not bringing you.”

Yao Tai: “...”

Damn.

Such a scheming lesbian!

Am I just a pawn in your little couple games?

Meanwhile, Teacher Qiu’s lunch circles in eternal resentment: Why isn't lunch meant for me, why why why...