Female Consort Modern Chapter 2

Female Consort Modern Chapter 2“Sorry.”

Li Qingwu quickly knelt and apologized, “I didn’t realize it yesterday… Anyway, I’m really sorry.”

Qiu Che took a deep breath.

“It’s okay.” Her expression was calm, giving nothing away, not a hint of the drama brewing inside.

No matter what had happened, she still seemed like the same Teacher Qiu, Li Qingwu remembered: unfazed, composed even when the world was falling apart.

“It’s my own fault for not understanding the situation properly,” Qiu Che said.

“Since it was just a misunderstanding, I’ll take my leave then. Sorry to have bothered you.”

She recalled how yesterday, Qiu Che had come up to her, pulling her into some kind of academic discussion with the demeanor of a senior, probably before Li Qingwu even fully understood what was going on, she was just swept along without question.

They had even asked for a name but never realized she had the wrong person, though Qiu Che thought that was understandable. The two sisters’ names sounded very similar, and Ms. Xu never specified exactly which one it was, so the mix-up was only natural.

Still, it was awkward.

Qiu Che felt her ears burning and wished she could just conjure up a pair of fire-wheels beneath her feet to speed away from this awkward mess.

“Wait, ”

Li Qingwu suddenly blocked her path, as if summoned by some sudden courage.

Qiu Che raised an eyebrow, expression blank, not quite understanding what she meant.

Li Qingwu looked steadily at her. “It’s late, and since you came all this way with your luggage, it would be inconvenient for you to leave now. Why don’t you just stay here?”

Qiu Che: “...”

Do you even realize what you’re saying?

“Came all this way”, is that really how this polite tradition works?

Under Qiu Che’s skeptical gaze, Li Qingwu quickly corrected herself, “Well, at least stay one night. After all, this whole thing was my confusion, I didn’t explain clearly at the time.”

“My mom heard about it yesterday and even wanted to apologize to you in person after she returns to the country. If you don’t accept…” Li Qingwu paused, eyes softening with a pleading look, “we’d all feel uneasy about it.”

Anyone who knew Li Qingwu would be surprised.

Usually, the department’s star student spoke softly and sparingly, but now she was saying so much all at once.

She really was pushing herself.

Qiu Che was silent for a moment.

Maybe this whole misunderstanding had scrambled her brain too, or maybe she really didn’t want to upset this girl who was somewhat to her liking. After a minute, she decided to stay.

Following Li Qingwu’s lead, she pushed her suitcase and walked into the guest room.

“Are you the only one living here?”

Li Qingwu remembered she hadn’t explained the situation yet and was about to start when Qiu Che cut in, “If it’s inconvenient to say, you don’t have to.”

“No, it’s nothing much.”

Li Qingwu gave a brief rundown, explaining, “Ms. Xu is my stepmother, and my younger sister is her daughter. We don’t usually live together, but when my stepmother went abroad on business, she sent my sister here for a couple of days.”

“But I… have been too busy to take care of her, so my stepmother sent her to boarding school a few days ago. She forgot to tell you.”

Qiu Che nodded, but her focus was different: “So this is your place?”

Li Qingwu blinked, then smiled, “I’m a graduate student at J University. I run an art studio and take commissions. It’s been going pretty well.”

Qiu Che said, “I see.”

Still a student at the same university.

So young and already with a three-bedroom apartment, impressive.

Nothing more was said.

They stared at each other for a moment until Qiu Che, feeling a bit awkward, broke the silence, “…Anything else?”

Li Qingwu snapped back to reality. “Have you eaten?”

“I have.”

“Then… Teacher Qiu, you can freshen up. The bathroom has new toiletries ready. I’m just next door, so if you need anything, just call.”

Qiu Che nodded, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Li Qingwu never mentioned the mix-up again, skillfully easing the awkwardness while taking full responsibility for the misunderstanding, handling it with grace and tact.

As Qiu Che reached the door, Li Qingwu suddenly remembered something and turned back.

Qiu Che’s eyes followed the gentle sway of Li Qingwu’s skirt as she moved: “What is it?”

Li Qingwu smiled, “Get some rest. See you tomorrow.”

Qiu Che went into the bathroom and washed her face to calm down.

When she looked up, she noticed a neat row of brand-new, non-disposable toiletries on the sink. Suddenly, her mood turned a bit complicated.

It felt like Li Qingwu had been ready for her to stay all along.

And it didn’t seem like just for a night or two.

Qiu Che shook her head and dismissed the thought.

Meanwhile, Li Qingwu returned to her room and immediately went to the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror, touching her cheek.

Hmm.

Still that face that made every student in the Chinese department swoon. Not a trace of smudged makeup.

Then why did Qiu Che not react at all?

Li Qingwu fell into thought.

She’d known this for a while: her looks were a major advantage in social situations, especially with such a face that easily stirred protective feelings.

Charming yet pure at the same time, utterly bewitching.

But Qiu Che never bought it.

Thinking of this, Li Qingwu took out her phone and sent a message to the contact named “Yao Tai”: Am I pretty?

Soon after, 

Yao Tai: ?

Yao Tai: Babe, after so much painting, you finally lost your mind?

Li Qingwu: ?

Yao Tai: Pretty, pretty, pretty. Of course you are. Why ask?

She sensed something and quickly sent another message:

Yao Tai: What, did your brave confession to your crush get rejected?

Li Qingwu: ...

Yao Tai: !

Yao Tai: Not denying it! Did I guess right?

Yao Tai: So brave! What happened? Didn’t you say you liked Teacher Qiu from our J University history department?

Indeed, Li Qingwu liked Qiu Che.

Qiu Che had started teaching at J University a year ago, quickly becoming popular thanks to her androgynous, strikingly attractive face, her unique lone-wolf aura, and a photo of her that was accidentally posted online, making her famous across the campus.

What made it even more remarkable was that despite her young age, her teaching skills were nothing short of outstanding. She had already won numerous national awards back when she was still a student.

She was a well-known figure throughout J University.

Ever since Li Qingwu’s roommates learned about this person from J University, they were all amazed by that widely circulated photo of her. Almost every free moment, they would drag Li Qingwu along to sneak into her classes.

Gradually, Li Qingwu herself began to care.

Eventually, even when her roommates couldn’t make it, she never missed a single class.

Yet, despite always being present, Qiu Che never once called on her to answer questions in class, nor did he seem to notice her at all.

It seemed like they were always just a bit unlucky in getting to know each other.

To Qiu Che, Li Qingwu was just like any other ordinary student sneaking into his lectures, completely unremarkable.

At first, it was curiosity. Maybe a bit of pride and stubbornness too, she was used to being noticed, but here, Qiu Che repeatedly ignored her.

Later on, she lost control and found her gaze drifting toward him unconsciously.

She looked forward to every one of his public lectures, eager to hear that pleasantly magnetic voice, eager to see that pleasing face.

She longed, above all, for the moments when her own plain gaze would lightly meet Li Qingwu’s under the reflection of his glasses.

Every time, Li Qingwu couldn’t help but tremble under that gaze.

It wasn’t fear.

It was excitement.

Li Qingwu had thought this feeling would remain hidden for a while longer before being discovered.

But she never expected fate to intervene so quickly.

Among all her friends, only Yao Tai knew what she was thinking.

It wasn’t that she had told anyone, it was just that Yao Tai was naturally a gossip queen. No relationship, breakup, or crush ever escaped her sharp eyes.

Thinking of this, Li Qingwu typed out a message, a bit helpless: “I can’t explain it all in a sentence or two.”

Yao Tai: “Then hurry up and tell me! You’re killing me with suspense!”

Li Qingwu pretended not to see it, ignoring the question, and instead asked: “Have you ever been in a relationship? Teach me, what does it mean when someone feels no attraction at all to another person’s looks?”

Yao Tai: “Uh, that depends... it’s hard to say.”

Yao Tai: “From what I gather, if it’s between people of the same sex, and you have no reaction to their face, there are only two possibilities.”

Li Qingwu: “What?”

Yao Tai: “One, she’s your niece.”

Yao Tai: “Two, she’s still in the closet.”

Li Qingwu thought that made a lot of sense.

Li Qingwu: “So how do you figure out which one she is?”

Yao Tai: “?”

Yao Tai: “Sis, I am a niece.”

Yao Tai: “You, a lesbian, are asking me how to spot a lesbian?”

Li Qingwu was silent for two seconds, then calmly put away her phone, pretending she had never asked such a silly question.

Then her phone buzzed again.

Yao Tai: “Just kidding. Actually, I do have a method.”

The next day was Saturday. Qiu Che had no classes but had to get up early for a part-time job at a coffee shop.

As she pushed out her mostly untouched suitcase, she happened to see Li Qingwu come out of the kitchen carrying freshly baked bread and warm milk.

Today, Li Qingwu wore a tight white cropped tank top that showed off her slender, smooth waist. Her faded blue jeans made her legs look long and straight.

She was wearing very light makeup, almost invisible.

She looked youthful and radiant, perfectly fitting the image of a college girl.

Qiu Che noticed her glance back as if she hadn’t seen the suitcase at all, and smiled, greeting her warmly: “Teacher Qiu’s awake? Come eat breakfast.”

Qiu Che almost declined but nodded instead.

They sat quietly together at the table, eating.

Just as Li Qingwu was hesitating on how to ask her to stay, Qiu Che spoke first, sounding a little surprised: “Are you going out today?”

Li Qingwu replied with a “Hmm?” then carefully studied her expression before answering, “No, not really.”

Qiu Che asked, “Then why get up so early and bother with makeup? Isn’t that troublesome?”

Li Qingwu instinctively touched her cheek, thinking Qiu Che had no idea she noticed.

She smiled and said nothing, so Qiu Che assumed it was just youthful energy and quickly changed the subject.

“I’m heading to my part-time job later. Thanks for helping out last night. I didn’t touch much in your room except my toiletries...”

Li Qingwu interrupted, “Teacher Qiu, you’re leaving?”

Qiu Che gave her a puzzled look. Wasn’t it obvious?

Li Qingwu thought of many ways to persuade her but none came out.

She nervously held her milk cup and asked, “Can you... stay here?”

Qiu Che was even more confused: “This is your home.”

Li Qingwu said, “Still, you lost time because of this. I just feel bad and... wanted to...”

“Li Qingwu.”

This time Qiu Che interrupted her.

“I’m not a child. Those words aren’t enough to make me stay here.”

Looking at her calmly, just like when she taught in class, Qiu Che slowly said, “Give me a reason.”

Under that gaze, Li Qingwu shivered again.

Qiu Che noticed and thought maybe her serious tone scared her, understandable, since all her students were a bit intimidated by her strict teacher presence.

She paused, softened her voice: “I mean...”

Before she could finish, Li Qingwu suddenly blurted out:

“I like you.”

Qiu Che: “...”

“You asked why I got up early and dressed up, right?” Li Qingwu recalled Yao Tai’s ‘method.’

To show charm.

To be direct.

To catch her off guard.

This was the easiest way to test the outcome.

If she was straight, it would be over quickly.

If not, Li Qingwu could relax sooner.

Though she thought it sounded ridiculous, she still wanted to try.

Seeing Qiu Che stunned, Li Qingwu’s tense posture relaxed: “, Because I like you. That’s the answer.”

“A woman dresses for the one she admires.”

“I dress for you.”

Yao Tai: “Surprise! I still have a role here!”

The modern-day story is basically a parallel world unrelated to the main plot. Some settings and characters overlap, but the story is independent. Their personalities are more pronounced, with some changes due to the times and family backgrounds.

For example, Qiu Che is lonelier and more straightforward, Li Qingwu is bolder and more scheming. The rest is up to you to savor. (rubs hands.jpg)