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Chu Ran was sitting in the living room, nose buried in a book. Her eyes idly scanned through the words she was now reading for second third, actually time. Pride and Prejudice, it was the perfect romance, one that Chu Ran had secretly dreamed of at the back of her mind. Two people, regardless of social status, families, and differences, manage to overcome both their own pride and their prejudice against each other... and somehow make it work to have a happy ending.
She sighs as she thinks about the tall and dashing Darcy. Well, dashing wasn’t exactly the right word... It had been a long two days, and she wanted nothing more than to relax. Yesterday, her boss had sent her to cover a story about the rising number of factory closures and unemployment in Jing City. Her deadline was morning the next day. She loved her job, and prided herself in helping uncover and spread the truth to help make the city a better place, but from chasing sources, fact-checking, and actually writing the article, Chu Ran was drained.
That’s why she's here, on a Thursday afternoon, in her comfiest sweater and shorts, reading her favorite book while drinking a cup of hot chocolate.
It never got old for her, this book. She fails to smother a grin. She, like any other reader, had been hooked on Elizabeth Bennett’s wit and sarcastic charm, heavily sympathized with Elizabeth’s annoyance with her mother’s matchmaking (Gee, that sure sounded familiar...), and felt righteous fury on her behalf when she was insulted by a man from across the room who hadn’t even spoken a single word to her. (Not handsome enough to tempt you, ey Darcy?)
Like, seriously, Darcy, you clowned yourself so hard there.
Plus, Elizabeth was not only gorgeous, but she was also smart, charming, and every bit deserving to be a book heroine. Who couldn’t fall in love with her?
If Chu Ran was a man, she would have probably fallen in love with her herself.
The door to the apartment suddenly opens, and Zhong Yiren enters, dropping her keys in the cute decorative blue dish by the door and settling her bag on the table as she plops herself down the nearest sofa, sinking into the soft cushions with a sigh.
“Aiyah, I’m so tireddd.”
Chu Ran only “hmms” in acknowledgement.
“There’s been so much work this week, hasn’t there?
“Mmhmm.”
“Ugh, why did I complain last week about the lack of work?? It’s come to bite me back because now there’s twice more!”
“Yup.” Chu Ran flips a page.
A pillow crashes into the book. “Hey! Are you even listening to me?”
She throws the pillow back. “I’m reading.”
“But I’m booored.”, Yiren pokes Chu Ran’s shoulder. “Talk to me, Ran-Ran.”
“No, I’m reading. Don’t disturb me.”
Zhong Yiren crosses her arms and “hmmphs!” loudly. “You’re lucky I like you, I could get another roommate, you know?”
“Weren’t you the one who said before, when you first met me, ‘this is your side of the room, that is mine, we are roommates but we don’t have to have anything to do with each other.’”
“But things have changed! You’re my friend now.”
“Ok.”
She pokes her again, this time on her cheek. “Hey, shouldn’t you tell me that I’m your friend too?”
Chu Ran puts the book down, and deadpans, “You, Yiren, are my best friend, my blood sister, my dearest companion, the butter to my toast-
Yiren hits her shoulder. “Stop! Stop! Ok that’s enough now.”
Chu Ran stifles a snort. Smirking in victory, she goes back to reading her book.
Yiren decides to make tea for herself and heads to the kitchen to boil a kettle. Some moments later, she calls out from the other room.
“Hmmm, by the way, there’s an assignment next week. About the ‘proliferation of vice and degradation of our traditional values due to Western influence’. Any thoughts?”
Chu Ran looks up from the book, her interest piqued. “Seems like a big assignment, huh? Sounds like an article for an editorial, to be honest. Congrats, Yiren, you deserve it.”
“No, no, no, I haven’t got it yet... I just heard about it from Li Min earlier. Apparently, the Boss is looking for two talented journalists to cover this story...“
The way Yiren’s voice trails off and how she emphasized “two talented journalists” made Chu Ran suspicious. She sets the book down and decides to play along.
“So? You’re obviously vying for it, aren’t you?”
“Obviously!” Chu Ran swore she could almost hear that eye roll.
“How are you going to get it? You want to work with Li Min?”
Yiren had just been heading back with a tea tray in her hands as Chu Ran said this. Now she stood in the doorway with the most offended look on her face, like she couldn’t believe Chu Ran could even suggest such a horrendous thing.
“Heck no!” She sets the tray on the table, which had a plate of Chu Ran’s favorite cookies and a small slice of cake. There’s even a couple of strawberries at the side. “There is no way I’m working with that man, even if I was offered a million yuan to. Haven’t you heard about Yizhan?”
Chu Ran couldn’t resist grabbing a cookie and munches on it. “What about Yizhan?”
Lan Yizhan was one of their only female co-workers. Being one of the only 4 female employees at their newspaper, it was hard to miss her. She’d started at the newspaper a month before Chu Ran, and half a year after Zhong Yiren. They weren’t exactly close, but she and Chu Ran got along well enough. Whenever they passed each other in the hallways, they greeted each other, plus Yizhan had gotten Chu Ran that nice scarf last month for her birthday.
Yiren waves a dismissive hand. “Aiyah, you know men. They were paired together for a project. She was excited to learn from a more experienced senior, and maybe hone her skills, but he completely sold her short, and treated her with kid’s gloves. Also, he had these odd comments and constantly invaded her personal space. In the end, he had glossed over her entirely, and took all the credit.”
Chu Ran couldn’t think of anything to say. Yizhan must have been heartbroken.
Yiren’s features were set with an exhausted grimness. “It is what it is, Ran Ran.” She takes a sip of her tea. “We’re lucky already.”
There was a pause. Yiren takes a strawberry by the stem, dipping it in the sugar bowl before popping it into her mouth. “Mm, delicious!”, she exclaims. “Do you know how hard it is to get strawberries in the middle of winter?”, she boasts.
“So how else are you going to get it?”, asks Chu Ran.
Her face lights up, excitement flashing in her eyes. “You”, she says, pointing at her.
Chu Ran’s eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. “Me?” How could she possibly get Yiren this job?
“You, my dear, lovely friend, have connectionsssss.” Yiren rubs her hands together in delight. “And in this industry, it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.” She smirks, giggling. “Li Min won’t know what hit him.”
She scoffs. “What connections? I haven’t even worked for an entire year at Jing City Daily.”
“Commissioner Jiang.”
“How do you think I’m going to use Jiang Yuelou to help you get your story? Have him come to the office and threaten the Boss at gunpoint?”
“Take this seriously, A-Ran!” she huffs. “Remember that time everyone thought you were courting Director Zhan?”
Zhan Junbai. San Ye. Chu Ran still finds herself uneasy at the mention of his name.
“Everyone started greeting you, right? They all even started to respect you– the boss offered you a better desk!”
Chu Ran sputters, incredulous. “So, you… want me… to pretend that Commissioner Jiang is courting me?”
“Tsk, you don’t even need to pretend, everyone thinks that.”
She almost spats out her tea. “What?! But-
“Oh, I know, I know, he’s about as romantic as a rock and you’re just friends… but you’re the only woman people ever see him with, along with that Doctor Chen.” She rests her chin on her palm. “He and Doctor Chen really are such close brothers, hmm?” Yiren sighs dreamily, “I want a friendship like that.”
Chu Ran contemplates, crossing her arms. “So let’s say I help you.”
“Mmmhmm.” Yiren’s smile widens.
“How will you get that story?” Then it occurs to her. “I vouch for you.”
“Two talented journalists, Ran Ran~!”
She raises a questioning eyebrow at her. “Why should I help you?”
“Because I’m your best friend and you love me?”
“Debatable.”
Yiren grabs her hand. “C’mon, Chu Ran! What are sisters for? We girls gotta stick together!” She points at herself, and then points at her. “You do me a favor now and I’ll do the same for you in the future! It’s a fair law of exchange, symbiosis, sis!”
Chu Ran picks up her book and pretends to continue reading again.
“Chu Rannn, I got you a plate of your favorite cookies, got you a slice of that new caramel cream cake they’re selling at the café from across the street, and I got you strawberries in the winter. Strawberries. In the winter. What more do you want?”
So that’s why you got me a plate of my favorite cookies, you wanted to butter me up.
She fakes a yawn, having already agreed to her plan minutes ago. It was a good assignment if they are going to be able to get it. “Okay, Yiren, I’ll help you.”
“Yay!” Yiren pumps her fist in victory. “You won’t regret this!”
“On one condition.”
Yiren deflates. “What more?”
She taps her chin. “Two tickets to the fair this Sunday.”
“You mean, the one that just opened outside the city?”
“Yes, that one.” Sunday coincidentally fell on February 14, and she wanted to invite Jiang Yuelou for an afternoon. It would be nice to spend time with him.
“Aiyah, so expensive…” Her tone becomes suggestive as she smiles knowingly. “Tickets for two, huh? And on the fourteenth of February of all days!” She smirks, teasing, “Anyone special you plan to invite, Ran-Ran?”
Chu Ran’s cheeks flame red. “None of your business or I won’t help you anymore.”, she threatens.
“So how are we going to do this?”
It was Friday the next day, Chu Ran and Zhong Yiren had come to the office together early, ready to hash out their plan.
Yiren pats her back. She points to the Boss’ office. “Later, Li Min is going to go and inquire with the boss about the story.”
“Now”, she smacks her fist against her palm, “We’ve got to beat him to it.”
“We distract him?”
“Yeah”, Yiren confirms. “Something believable, should give us at least 2 minutes-
Chu Ran turns to her. “Tell him the boss sent him to get a file from the archives room?”
“The boss asked him to look over an article for tomorrow’s paper?”
They lock eyes.
“Second one?”
“Second one.” Yiren agrees.
“You go to the Boss’ office, and get us that assignment. Butter him up, remember, he loves it when-”
“-you compliment his children. Yes, yes, I know.”
Yiren pulls out an envelope from her handbag. “I have an article that he can look over. Will it suffice?”
Chu Ran takes the envelope and scans it’s contents, but as she’s about to reply, she spots Li Min walking into the building and ushers Yiren to go after him, pressing the envelope into her palm as she whispers, “Good luck.”
“Ah, Mr. Li? Terribly sorry to trouble you but...”
As Yiren leaves, she walks to the Lead Editor’s office in an unassuming, languid manner, not wanting to arouse suspicion. She wasn’t going to do anything illegal, but rushing to the office excitedly would be rather uncharacteristic of her- and people talk.
She knocks at his door.
“Come in!”
She walks in the office, and he greets her. “Ah, Good morning Ms. Chu!”
“Good morning, Boss Zhang.”
“What brings you to my office so early? Do you have the article already?”, he asks.
She smiles. “Yes sir, here it is.”
She hands him the envelope, which he opens, taking a couple of minutes to read its contents. He nods approvingly, “Good, good, everything seems to be in order.” He waves his hand. “You may take your leave.”
“Boss Zhang.” Chu Ran hesitates.
He looks up from the papers. “Yes, Ms. Chu?”
She takes a deep breath, summoning as much confidence as she could. “I would just like to inquire about a story to be assigned.”
The editor raises an eyebrow, beckoning her to continue.
She clasps her hands behind her back, resisting the urge to fidget. “Um, your children are cute, and I have... heard about an upcoming assignment about traditional values and Western influence.”
He looks at her weirdly. Seriously? His children are cute? “Oh? And where did you hear of this?” He was curious.
“I overheard some chatter about it.”
The editor sighs. “I regret to inform you, Ms. Chu, but someone has already been assigned to this story.”
Her heart drops. “Sir, I believe that you would benefit from someone with a fresh perspective, and -
He cuts her off. “Miss Chu, You are talented, and you have potential, but for an article like this, we were looking for someone with more experience, not novelty.” Seeing her expression, he shrugs, giving her a placating smile. “Fear not, Ms. Chu, maybe, with more experience, you may be able to work on more challenging articles in the years to come.”
She nods. “Thank you, sir.”
“Hmm. Just stick to what you were assigned this week. I'll tell my children that despite being teenagers, newspaper staff believe they're adorable." He laughs. "You'll have your day, hmm?”
“Thank you sir, have a good day.”
“Too late.”
Chu Ran meets Zhong Yiren as she exits the office. Zhong Yiren sighs, not looking surprised. “Yeah, I figured. Li Min was bragging about being “assigned an important story” and having “no time to look over other’s sloppy work”.
Chu Ran snorts at Yiren’s animated story telling, complete with air quotes and a terrible, baby-ish imitation of Li Min’s voice. “What an ass.”, she couldn’t help but say.
Zhong Yiren has a scandalized look on her face. “Oh Ms. Chu, swearing in the office?” She shakes her head disappointedly, but her smile gives her away. “What have the traditional values of society degraded into?”
“...” Hypocrisy.
“Do you want to go out later?” Yiren asks all of a sudden.
“What for?”
“To celebrate. Have fuuun.” Yiren nudges her. “Talk, a chat between friends.”
Chu Ran laughs. “Pfft, what do we celebrate?”
“Our first collaboration?” Yiren grins.
“You mean, a resounding failure?”
“Aiyah, don’t say that, I think ‘brave first attempt’ sounds better.”
“Okay.”, Chu Ran agrees. “Where are you taking me, Yiren?”
“You’ll see.”, Yiren winks at her.
“You ready to go out?” Chu Ran asks.
“Coming!” Yiren yells from her bedroom. She emerges from the room in a soft blue long-sleeved floral printed dress, her hair pinned to the side by a pearl hairclip.
“What do you think?”, she asks, twirling around in her shiny gold heels. “I bought it last month at that Late Autumn sale.”
“Uhh nice.” Chu Ran says. She clears her throat. “You look nice.” And she does. Look nice. The light blue looks great on her, and the pearl hairclip matches perfectly with the white and gold flowers embroidered on the dress. Classy, elegant, but not so flashy. It’s just… so Yiren.
“Am I underdressed?” She straightens out her collar in front of a mirror, and combs her hands through her hair, tucking the stray strands behind her ears. Chu Ran had dressed in her usual turtleneck (white, this time) and a dark blue checkered coat.
“No, you look fine.”, Yiren assures her as she shrugs on a white coat.
“Why can’t you tell me where we’re going, Yiren?”
“I told you, it’s a surprisee.”
“What’s so special about this place that you can’t just tell me outright?”
“You’ll see.” Yiren says again.
Chu Ran sighs, curious, but doesn’t question her further. Yiren can be as tight as a clam when she wants to be.
They step out of the apartment building, walking side by side. At this time of the night, Jing City is rather quiet, and no establishment is awake, aside from a couple of restaurants, the department store (which would close in thirty minutes), and the local hospital (which never closed). The city in the night was rather tame, lacking the vibrant energy and people that usually crowded its streets. Street lamps light their way in the dark, as crickets chirped and chill night air pervaded every space.
They walk for a while in companionable silence before Yiren suddenly makes a turn in an alley, pulling Chu Ran along with her. The area was less lit now, and Chu Ran was growing uneasy.
“Yiren, you’re a journalist, don’t you know people often get murdered in alleys?”
“Oh shush. Trust me.”
“Who exactly did you learn about this place from?”
“A friend.”
“How many times have you-
Yiren stops in front of a small, red brick building with a lit back porch. It was the only establishment with lights still on in this part of town. There wasn’t any sign, and the windows were blocked with curtains. Was this a bar? Standing in front of the door was a woman dressed in men’s clothing. She spots the two of them and asks. “Password?”
“Secret fan.”
The woman lets them in. Chu Ran is greeted by the sounds of slow jazz music and a bright, well lit room packed with dozens of people. Some have taken seats at small, wooden tables, and others danced with each other on the dance floor. Chu Ran could swear that some of the couples dancing were both women.
“Yiren… what is this place?”
“It's the Huli Jing.”, Yiren says ecstatically. “ A place where women from all sorts of places come to gather at night, to talk, associate, and have fun. No men, no pressure of marriage, no nothing! Just a place for us to unwind and let loose after a long week.”
Chu Ran looks around in awe, the building’s exterior was misleading, as the space was spacious and seemed to have a little bit of something for everyone. Aside from the dancers and diners, she could see some women entering a room on the left. Curiosity piqued, she asks Yiren about it.
“Oh, it’s a lounge room! Some women go there to talk about books, read books even- there's a pretty large shelf of them there. I’m pretty sure suffragists convene to discuss their agenda or whatever. Plus they print their flyers- you’ve seen some of those right? They post them around town.”
They take a seat at the bar, and Yiren points to something on the wall. “Ha, here's one now.”
It reads:
NOT AT HOME
“Women’s place is in the home?”
Were you at your children’s school?
(The vote controls the school)
Were you buying your dinner?
(The vote controls food laws and market conditions)
Were you buying ready-made clothing?
(The vote controls conditions under which clothing is made)
Were you seeking a position to support your fatherless children?
(The vote controls conditions of women’s labor)
WOMEN NEED THE VOTE
“It makes sense, really, the both of us work- we both are capable and smart, shouldn’t we get a vote?”
Chu Ran nods along. Growing up, this wasn’t really something that she’s encountered in her upbringing, but in the two years she had spent in Hongkong for her studies, she’s been introduced to a bit of it by her friend Louise. It was… interesting, to say the least.
Yiren greets the bartender, a middle aged woman who had short cropped hair, even shorter than Chu Ran’s. “Hello Wang-jie! How have you been?”
The bartender lights up, “Yiren! Long time no see, looking gorgeous as always.”
“Aww Wang-jie, you make me blush. You’re looking great yourself!”
“You haven’t come to visit in months, dear.”, the amiable bartender fusses. “Has work been keeping you away from us?”
“Ah, same old, same old.”
“Who’s that, by the way? New friend?”
“We work together at the newspaper.” Yiren turns to her. “A-Ran, this is Wang-jie, Wang-jie, this is Chu Ran.”
“Nice to meet you!” They shake hands. “Now, what do you two ladies want to drink?
“What do you want to drink, A- Ran?”
Chu Ran tells Wang-jie, “Mijiu will do, thanks.”
“Ah, I’ll have the same. Two cups of mijiu, please. ”
“With or without brown sugar?”, Wang-jie asks.
“Wang-jie, you know me well enough- Chu Ran, with or without brown sugar?”
“I think I’ll pass on that.”
Wang-jie hums in acknowledgement. “Not one for sweets, huh? Our Yiren here has such a sweet tooth.” She sets the drinks down in front of them. “So what’s the occasion?”
“Celebrating a collaboration!” Yiren holds up her glass to Chu Ran. “Cheers!”, they both say as Yiren clinks their glasses together. Chu Ran couldn’t help but smile, Yiren’s energy was quite contagious.
“How long have you known each other?” In the months she’s known Yiren, this is the first time she’s ever heard of the Huli Jing or Wang-jie.
Wang-jie thinks. “A couple of years or so, right dear?”
“Yeah,” Yiren nods. “I’ve been coming here since an old friend introduced me to this place.”
“Oh, Liang Hua? Now that’s a face I haven’t seen in quite a while.”, Wang-jie comments. “What’s she been up to these days?”
For some reason, Yiren freezes for a second, as if caught off-guard by the inquiry. Her smile is slightly strained as she replies, “We haven’t really been talking, Wang-jie.” She coughs. “Not since last year.”
The older woman frowns. “What a pity, you two were so close!”
Chu Ran looks over at Yiren, concerned. She seemed tense, and her eyes had dimmed. “It is what it is.”
Suddenly, the lights dim, and everyone is called to settle down and take seats. “Oh, Yiren, you’ve come at the perfect time actually! You remember Lei-Lei? She’s going to put on a performance tonight.”
She pats Chu Ran’s shoulder. “As a first-timer, dear, let me tell you that this performance isn’t anything you’d want to miss.”
At the center of the room, where the pairs of dancers were, now stood a figure dressed from head to toe in white. Her back faced the audience who were silently watching in eager anticipation. Then, the music began. Slow taps of piano keys, accompanied by the long, drawn out sounds of a saxophone. The figure turned around, the microphone twirling with her. The suit jacket fit the creature perfectly, along with those carefully pressed slacks. She was an oxymoron, femininely masculine, masculinely feminine. Her lips were dabbed with the slightest hint of rouge, and her eyes were accentuated with liner. This woman, her entire presence beckoned you to stare. Chu Ran was fixated. She gives the audience a wink, then she starts to sing.
“Every kiss, every hug,
Seems to act just like a drug…”
She has a nice voice, not like the ones in operas, nor the ladies you would find in a choir. No, it was deeper, sultry even. This voice called for your attention, and it drew you into her performance, unable to pull away. Chu Ran has heard this song on the radio before, sung by the original artist, yet still, she found this reprise better than the original.
The performer starts to move around the room, approaching nearby tables and serenading their inhabitants in a more intimate manner. She kisses the hands of some of the ladies she passes by, with some of them blushing red or squeeing. In one instance, she tucks a stray lock behind a woman’s ear.
“Let me stay, in your arms
I’m addicted to your charms,
You’re getting to be a habit with me~
At that last part, she leans on a table, tilting back her neck as she infuses those lines with such passion. With that line, the pace of the song begins to pick up, making it something one would generally dance along to. As if feeling her gaze upon her, Chu Ran locks eyes with the woman, who now has a slight smirk as she begins to approach her. Chu Ran turns to Yiren, who only nods at her encouragingly.
“What’s your name, beautiful?”
Chu Ran whips her head around immediately, feeling those intense eyes bore deeply into hers. She is unable to think of a single word. She swallows. “Yes?”
The woman laughs. “Miss Yes… what a lovely name. Would you do me the honor of dancing with you?”
This is a dream, isn’t it.
She panics, holding her hands up to decline. “W-wait, I’m not a very good dancer-
She gives Chu Ran a toothy grin, verging on roguish, or dare she say- flirtatious. “We’ll make it up as we go, trust me.”
She takes her hand, and she leads. Everyone was staring at them, at her. For some odd reason, Chu Ran is nervous, her heartbeat runs wildly as she notes the mole on the side of the woman’s neck, and the way her dark fringe is swept to the left. From this up close, she can feel her breath. It was minty. And she sings, she looks directly at her, as if she were serenading her personally.
“Oh I can’t break away, I must have you everyday,
As regularly as coffee or tea.”
She twirls Chu Ran, who is in a daze. She’s only ever danced with men, and in a less intimate manner at that. She rather liked it, this feeling of lightness. She could see herself like this forever. That she hadn’t messed up a single step to this waltz was a sheer miracle in itself.
“You've got me in your clutches and I can't get free,
You're getting to be a habit with me~”
But it ends. She dips her, and Chu Ran was unprepared for the unexpectedly firm grip on her waist and now all she could think about was how her face was so close, and her lips-
"Thank you", the woman whispers, as she tucks a rose behind her ear and giving her a flying kiss. Before she knew it she was back in her seat, those hands now only a ghost of memory.
The night had passed fast, after that. Yiren and Wang-jie seemed to be catching up once she had returned to the bar. They laughed as the two reminisced about old times- Wang-jie certainly had her fair share of embarrassing stories to spill about Yiren. Yiren’s embarrassment, their riotous laughter- It was a good night. Chu Ran let go of her troubles and worries for the evening, and just let herself exist in this nice, carefree bubble. Later, Yiren had also introduced her to some of her favorite spots at the place, and even led her to see the library. They’d taken some books, laughed about nothing, and laughed some more. They were girls being girls, just for tonight.
At some point, the band started playing her favorite song, and with the alcohol lowering her inhibitions somewhat, Yiren dragged Chu Ran towards the dance floor and danced along to the music. Let it be said- Yiren was not a bad dancer, but having had her own fair share of drinks, her moves lacked her usual control and grace. Chu Ran wished she had brought her camera tonight, to snap a photo of Yiren’s drunken side steps and turns and tease her about it tomorrow. (And so she’d have pictures to remember this night by…)
At about half-past 11, they decided to leave the place and call it a night. They bid Wang-jie goodbye and headed back to their apartment. They were both exhausted.
Yiren fills up a glass with water and hands it to Chu Ran, who had collapsed on the couch. “Drink, you’ll feel less worse in the morning.” She drinks half while Yiren drinks the rest. Yiren motions for her to scoot over, so they could both settle on the couch.
She lets out a big sigh. “Enjoy?”
“Yeah, enjoy.”
“Told you you’d enjoy my surprise.”
“Hmm, yeah it was nice.” Chu Ran yawns.
“How’d you like being twirled around by Lei-Lei?”
“It was new… but it was nice.”
“Nice, nice, nice, only nice, hmm?”
Chu Ran sits up to face her. “What else would you have me say?”
“Amazing, dazzling, enchanting, lovely, ado-
“Okay fine. Yiren, it was amazing, dazzling, enchanting, and lovely.”
“Like me?”
“Yes, like you.” She yawns again. Chu Ran’s eyes were getting heavier.
Yiren giggles. “If only I had a recorder to record what you just said…”
“No evidence. Bleh.” She sticks out her tongue childishly.
“You’re cute.”
“Liar.”, she whispers. Chu Ran is out cold.
“A-Ran… A- Ran…” Yiren tries to wake her up, but Chu Ran’s head was now nestled on her shoulder and she couldn’t find it in herself to disturb her peace. She's sleepy too. She takes a deep breath and lays back on the couch, falling asleep to the steady sound of Chu Ran's breathing.
It was 2 days before Valentine's day, and two girls snuggle on the couch together, keeping each other warm.
THE END (for now)