63: Qin Lu's unusual behavior

Qin Lu looked at him, the weariness in her eyes deepening.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words.

"Forget it." She stood up. "I'll go see how Qin Ya is doing with her packing."

Yu Heng stood up as well.

As Qin Lu walked past him, he caught a faint scent of cigarette smoke.

It wasn't her usual perfume, nor was it the smell of coffee.

It was cigarette smoke.

Yu Heng narrowed his eyes.

Qin Lu's steps were a bit unsteady as she went upstairs, her hand gripping the banister.

Yu Heng watched her back, his mind starting to race again.

Her makeup was ruined, her eyes were red, her clothes were dirty, and her stockings were snagged.

There was a smell of smoke on her, and red marks on her wrists.

What the hell... they didn't actually do it, did they?

Or did they get into a fight?

Or... banging while fighting?

Yu Heng was amused by his own thoughts and shook his head.

Qin Ya's voice came from upstairs: "Mom, wait! My backpack zipper is stuck!"

Yu Heng sat back down on the sofa and checked the time on his phone.

4:20.

He opened WeChat. Ning Yutong had sent a message a few minutes ago: "I'm back at the dorm! See you tonight! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ"

Yu Heng replied: "Okay."

Just as he put down his phone, the two of them came downstairs.

Qin Ya was carrying her backpack, and Qin Lu followed behind her, her expression calmer than before.

"We're leaving!" Qin Ya waved to Yu Heng.

"Yeah," Yu Heng stood up to see them to the door. "Take it easy on the road."

Qin Lu walked to the door and bent down to change her shoes.

From this angle... he really wanted to see just how far that snag in her stockings went.

"Yu Heng," Qin Lu suddenly called out to him.

"Hmm?" Yu Heng looked up.

Qin Lu had finished changing her shoes and stood up to look at him.

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds.

"It's nothing..." she said. "Good luck in the basketball game."

"Of course," Yu Heng smiled. "I'm still waiting for your reward."

Qin Lu pursed her lips, didn't respond, and turned to open the door.

"Counselor," Yu Heng suddenly called her again.

Qin Lu turned back.

Yu Heng looked at her, his tone unusually serious. "If something really happened, reach out to me anytime."

Qin Lu's eyes flickered, and she nodded. "Mhm."

Yu Heng stood at the door, listening as the two of them walked further away.

He closed the door, turned back to the living room, and sat where Qin Lu had just been sitting.

A bit of warmth still lingered on the sofa.

Along with a faint scent of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke.

Yu Heng leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes.

He began to replay the details in his mind.

Her makeup was definitely ruined from crying.

Her red eyes weren't just from a lack of sleep.

The dust on her clothes... the snag in her stockings... the red marks on her wrists... Yu Heng opened his eyes and clicked his tongue.

Is this really not a post-coital state?

And an intense one at that.

But Qin Lu's expression didn't look like satisfaction or pleasure.

It was more like... exhaustion? Or even humiliation?

Yu Heng thought back to what Qin Ya had said before.

Was Qin Lu actually quite fragile?

Was her outward appearance all just an act?

He rubbed his temples.

So today's ordeal was that she went to the city to see Qin Ya's father and then... was forced?

Or was she half-willing?

Yu Heng didn't know.

But he was sure of one thing.

Qin Lu's current state was very bad.

Yu Heng picked up his phone and tapped on Qin Lu's WeChat profile picture.

The chat history still ended at yesterday, where she asked how Qin Ya's livestream was going.

He hesitated for a few seconds before typing: "Counselor, let me know when you get home."

Yu Heng put down his phone and walked over to the window.

The sky had darkened, and the streetlights were turning on one by one.

Downstairs, Qin Lu and Qin Ya were walking through the residential complex's garden.

Qin Lu was walking very fast, and Qin Ya had to jog to keep up.

The hem of her trench coat fluttered with her steps.

Yu Heng watched them turn the corner until their figures disappeared.

He turned back to the living room and picked up the cup Qin Lu had used from the coffee table.

A faint lip print remained on the rim of the cup.

Yu Heng took the cup to the kitchen and turned on the faucet.

The water washed over the rim, and the lip print quickly vanished.

Water leaves no trace.

At least, on the surface.

Just like today's Qin Lu.

After she goes home and washes up today, she'll probably be back to her usual self tomorrow, right?

Yu Heng turned off the faucet and placed the cup upside down on the drying rack.

He leaned against the kitchen doorframe and lit a cigarette.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the red mark on Qin Lu's wrist flashed through his mind again.

Along with that tiny snag in her stockings.

"Fuck."

He cursed under his breath.

Not knowing who he was cursing... The Film Club's activity room was on the third floor of the Arts Education Building.

When Yu Heng arrived downstairs at the dorm, Ning Yutong was already waiting there.

She had changed her clothes into a light pink sweater and a cream-white midi skirt; her hair was down, making her look gentle and soft under the streetlights.

"Have you been waiting long?" Yu Heng walked over.

"No, I just came down." Ning Yutong smiled and handed him a cup of milk tea. "I bought this for you, it's hot."

Yu Heng took the milk tea, and his fingertips brushed against her hand, which was cold.

"Your hands are so cold?" He frowned. "You're not wearing enough."

"It's fine," Ning Yutong pulled her hands back into her sleeves. "Let's go, we shouldn't be late."

The two of them walked side by side toward the Arts Education Building.

Occasionally, classmates they knew would greet them, their eyes scanning the two of them.

Ning Yutong's face turned slightly red, but she didn't stop.

Yu Heng didn't mind; he took a sip of the milk tea—it was quite sweet.

"I'll edit those three videos we streamed today when I get back tonight," he said. "The final versions should be ready by tomorrow."

"There's no rush," Ning Yutong said softly. "Just take your time."

"The earlier we post, the earlier we get traffic," Yu Heng glanced at her. "With your looks, it'd be a crime if you didn't go viral."

Ning Yutong pursed her lips and smiled, not responding.

She actually quite liked hearing Yu Heng praise her.

Especially this kind of matter-of-fact praise without any ambiguity.

The Arts Education Building was quite lively, with various clubs holding activities.

A poster was stuck on the door of the Film Club's activity room, with "the truman show" written on it.

Yu Heng pushed open the door; about a dozen people were already sitting inside.

The lights were dimmed, and the projector was already on.

"Hurry in!" a boy wearing glasses waved to them, keeping his voice down. "We were just waiting for you!"

Yu Heng and Ning Yutong found seats toward the back.

The chairs were the folding plastic type, creaking when they sat down.

"Sorry," Ning Yutong whispered. "The conditions are a bit simple."

"It's fine," Yu Heng leaned back. "It's a movie; as long as the content is good, it's fine."

"Yu Tong," the boy with glasses turned around. "Your boyfriend is quite good-looking!"

Ning Yutong's face turned slightly red, but she didn't refute him. Yu Heng also felt it wasn't the right time to say they weren't dating.

Since Ning Yutong wasn't explaining, he'd just let the misunderstanding be for now.

The lights went completely dark.

Jim Carrey's face appeared on the screen.

Yu Heng had actually seen this movie in his previous life.

But watching it again was fine; a classic is a classic.

The movie had been playing for about ten minutes.

Truman began to doubt the world he lived in.

Yu Heng was engrossed when the phone in his pocket vibrated.

He frowned, took it out, and glanced at it.

Qin Ya?

Why was this girl calling now?

He muted it and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

Not even half a minute later, the phone started vibrating again.

Yu Heng clicked his tongue and whispered to Ning Yutong, "I'm taking a call."

He crouched low and slipped out of the activity room, answering it in the hallway.

"Hello? What is it?" His tone was a bit blunt.

"Reporting in!" Qin Ya's voice was urgent. "My mom is drunk!"

Yu Heng was stunned for a moment. "Drunk? By herself?"

"Yeah!" Qin Ya spoke quickly. "She started drinking as soon as we got home, and now she's throwing up in the bathroom. I can't support her..."

"Send me the address," Yu Heng said, rubbing his temples. "I'm coming over now."

"Okay! I'll send it to you right away!" Qin Ya hung up.

A few seconds later, a location popped up on WeChat.

Yu Heng opened it; it was a residential complex next to the University Town. It would only take twenty minutes to walk there?

He checked the time; it was 7:20.

Yu Heng turned back to the activity room and patted Ning Yutong on the shoulder.

Ning Yutong turned her head and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"I have to go," Yu Heng lowered his voice. "Something urgent came up."

Ning Yutong was taken aback, a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but she still nodded. "Okay, go ahead then. Be careful on the road!"

"Yeah," Yu Heng paused. "I'll watch it with you another day."

"It's fine," Ning Yutong smiled gently. "Important matters come first."