Early Spring Chill, Plum and Orchid in Rivalry

When Gu Ruoxue stepped out of the elevator, Li Guanqi and Su Cheng were utterly surprised, especially Su Cheng, as Gu Ruoxue had never visited his apartment before—this was a first.

"Minister... What brings you here?" Su Cheng swallowed hard, forcing a stiff smile.

No matter their relationship, having someone see his messy apartment was undeniably embarrassing. After all, who would willingly show off a dirty, cluttered home?

However, Gu Ruoxue merely glanced at Li Guanqi and the crow perched on her shoulder before turning her calm gaze back to Su Cheng. "I followed Li here."

"Oh, right." Su Cheng nodded blankly, then shot a look at Li Guanqi, who seemed just as clueless. He quickly added, "The place is a mess right now. There’s a café nearby—let’s go there instead."

As he spoke, Su Cheng began removing his sleeves and apron, but Gu Ruoxue shook her head. She walked lightly to the doorway and said softly, "No need. I have time to spare. We can clean up together."

Li Guanqi didn’t object either, simply nodding at him as if to say, "I’m here, and I’ve accidentally brought backup."

"Here, let me get you slippers."

Su Cheng hurriedly fetched a pair of brand-new pink slippers and placed them neatly on the floor, bending down to arrange them properly.

"Thank you."

Gu Ruoxue thanked him, then crouched down, gently slipping off her sandals. Her delicate, fair feet stepped into the slippers one by one.

But her eyes lingered on the shoe cabinet, where she noticed there were as many as six pairs of slippers stored inside.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi habitually retrieved a pair for herself, kicked off her little leather shoes, and slipped her black-stockinged feet into the slippers before heading straight for the living room.

The moment she saw the state of the place, her exquisite nose wrinkled in displeasure. She turned to Yaya and asked, "Did you do all this?"

"Waaah—" Yaya let out a timid cry, shrinking back.

"He got drunk and went on a rampage," Su Cheng explained as he led Gu Ruoxue inside.

"Drunk?" Li Guanqi’s brows furrowed. She reached out to stroke Yaya’s head, her tone stern. "No more alcohol. If you drink again, I won’t take care of you."

Yaya seemed to understand, nodding obediently and even nuzzling her palm affectionately.

Gu Ruoxue watched their interaction with quiet amusement but said nothing.

And so, the trio—plus one bird—embarked on a deep-cleaning mission.

They each donned sleeves and aprons, dividing the tasks: Gu Ruoxue and Li Guanqi handled the wiping, while Su Cheng scrubbed the floor with detergent and a steel wool pad to remove bird droppings.

Notably, since the floor was wet, both young women worked barefoot.

Earlier, Li Guanqi had even stepped into Su Cheng’s bedroom to remove her stockings, leaving her feet bare as she stood on the soapy floor, letting the white foam trickle over her smooth skin.

The sight sent a powerful visual impact through Su Cheng, who kept sneaking glances at their delicate feet and toes, swallowing hard.

Just then, Li Guanqi—who had been cleaning the balcony windows—stepped down from the stool, only for her flawless foot to slip on the wet floor. She lost her balance, teetering backward.

Su Cheng whipped his head around at the sound, his heart nearly stopping. He scrambled desperately to cushion her fall.

But he was too late. Fortunately, Gu Ruoxue reacted instantly, reaching out to pull Li Guanqi into her arms before she could hit the ground.

The two ended up pressed closely together.

The living room reeked of citrus-scented detergent.

"Thank you, Senior. I would’ve fallen if not for you."

Li Guanqi straightened up, smoothing her hair as she spoke gratefully.

"Don’t mention it. Be careful."

Gu Ruoxue didn’t dwell on it, simply returning to meticulously wiping the windows.

Su Cheng exhaled in relief, guilt written all over his face. "I should’ve been more careful. I almost let you get hurt."

"It’s not your fault. I wasn’t paying attention."

Li Guanqi shook her head, adjusting her clothes and hair before glancing at Gu Ruoxue. Then, as calm as ever, she bent down to pick up the basin of dirty water and carried it to the bathroom.

About twenty minutes later, the cleaning was finally done.

Su Cheng pulled a few bottles of tea from his storage space and handed them to the girls. "You two really helped out today. Stay for dinner."

"Thank you." Gu Ruoxue accepted the drink with a slight nod, taking a small sip.

Li Guanqi also took a bottle, tasting it before saying, "The fridge is empty. I’ll go buy groceries."

"No need, I’ll handle it. You two rest." Su Cheng quickly stopped her, changing his clothes in a hurry before rushing out.

He figured the two women might have things to discuss, and his absence would give them space. Without him around, they might open up, maybe even improve their relationship.

After all, his dear Guanqi would surely take action for his sake!

Later, he could ask her about Gu Ruoxue’s thoughts.

Once Su Cheng left, only the two girls remained in the apartment.

The air seemed to freeze, the living room unnervingly quiet save for the hum of the washing machine and the distant noise of traffic outside.

Between the two raven-haired beauties, the atmosphere was undeniably awkward.

Li Guanqi busied herself with Yaya, pulling nuts from her bag to feed the crow.

Yaya cleverly nibbled on the treats, savoring them before tilting its head to observe Gu Ruoxue.

It had noticed how scared Su Cheng was of this woman.

A smart bird, Yaya decided this girl was someone worth cozying up to—if Su Cheng ever scolded it again, it would run straight to her.

So, Yaya grabbed a nut in its beak, flew over, and carefully placed it on Gu Ruoxue’s lap, rubbing its head against her affectionately in an attempt to win her favor.

"For me?" Gu Ruoxue looked down at the nut, surprised.

"Waaah!" Yaya nodded vigorously, its big, round eyes shining with anticipation.

"What a clever little thing." Gu Ruoxue smiled faintly, praising it.

Then, she extended her slender, pale fingers, picked up the nut, and brought it to Yaya's beak, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t really like nuts. So, you should eat it yourself."

"Gah~?" Yaya froze for a moment before looking somewhat dejected, opening its mouth to swallow the nut in one gulp. It then nuzzled Gu Ruoxue’s fingers, almost as if acting coquettishly.

"What’s its name?"

Seeing its utterly adorable expression, Gu Ruoxue couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke its feathers—soft and smooth—before asking.

"Yaya. Su Cheng named it," Li Guanqi replied, observing everything quietly.

"It’s very cute." Gu Ruoxue patted Yaya’s head again before her gaze fell on the torn red sweater it was wearing. She turned to Li Guanqi and suggested, "I happen to know a bit of needlework. I could help mend it."

"No need to trouble yourself, senior. When I bought it, the store offered unconditional exchanges. I can just go swap it for a new one," Li Guanqi politely declined.

"Oh, I see. Alright then."

Gu Ruoxue seemed a little disappointed but didn’t insist, retracting the hand she had been about to use to remove the sweater. Seeing this, Yaya flew back to Li Guanqi’s shoulder to continue enjoying its feeding session.

Watching the two interact again, Gu Ruoxue suddenly pulled out her phone and began scrolling through the news.

But the moment Gu Ruoxue seemingly conjured the phone out of thin air, Li Guanqi paused in feeding Yaya, staring at the device for a few seconds before silently signaling the bird to go outside.

Thus, Yaya obediently flew toward the balcony.

Li Guanqi noticed two things:

First, this phone was identical to Su Cheng’s.

Second, it hadn’t been taken out from a pocket.

She realized—this was the one Su Cheng had given her before.

Li Guanqi lowered her head slightly. Though Su Cheng had mentioned it, seeing it firsthand now left a faint unease in her heart.

After all, this was a ring!

What did it mean when a boy gave a girl a ring?

She knew very well.

"Feeling down?"

Suddenly, Gu Ruoxue turned to study her for a moment before asking.

"No."

Li Guanqi instinctively shook her head.

"Really?"

Gu Ruoxue raised an eyebrow, her expression teasing.

"I just didn’t expect you to use the same phone as Su Cheng. It’s an older model—pretty hard to find now."

Li Guanqi deflected with a casual remark.

"Mhm."

Gu Ruoxue nodded lightly, as if unwilling to dwell on the topic, and shifted the conversation instead. "You seemed upset earlier. Do you disagree with how I forced the issue and made him choose?"

Li Guanqi shook her head. "I’ve known you for more than a few days. This approach fits your usual straightforward style. If not for the unexpected turn, I’d have been fine with it. But now, I’m worried he might make an irreversible mistake because of this."

Gu Ruoxue sighed softly. "You always adjust your mindset so quickly. You’re right—I didn’t want to drag everyone into a messy situation where we’d only hurt each other. Without this, things might’ve ended up even worse."

She paused, taking a deep breath. "But it seems none of us will get that chance now."

"Senior…"

Li Guanqi hesitated, ultimately shaking her head lightly. Her gaze fell on the drink on the glass coffee table as she asked, "If we complete the task this Saturday, what will you do?"

"Finishing one doesn’t mean there won’t be more. If we don’t address the root of the problem, it’ll just be like carrying firewood to put out a fire—temporary and futile."

Gu Ruoxue remained composed. Based on her impression of this gentle underclassman, she knew Li Guanqi wasn’t blindly optimistic. Yet she had still said this—if not unintentional, it showed just how much she valued her relationship with that person.

"Since you’re already aware of how threatening this is to him, I suggest you focus on that instead of doing anything unnecessary."

With that, Gu Ruoxue stood and walked to the kitchen, only to shake her head in disappointment at the lack of tea leaves or utensils before turning back.

Lost in thought, Li Guanqi hesitated before speaking up as Gu Ruoxue returned:

"I’m sorry for troubling you, senior. I want to contribute too, but in this matter, I’m practically clueless—an outsider, really."

She paused, looking at Gu Ruoxue with hopeful eyes.

"Could you tell me about what happened between you all before? And your stance now? That way, I can understand the full picture and help properly."

Gu Ruoxue stared at her for a moment before her voice rose slightly in mock exasperation:

"Don’t play clever. Trying to pry, are you? What needs to be said, I’ll say. As for the rest—see if you can figure it out yourself!"

…………………………

Half an hour later

When Su Cheng returned carrying a pile of groceries, he was surprised to find the two women whispering closely together. His curiosity piqued, he decided to ask Li Guanqi about it later via text.

Noticing his return, the two stopped talking. Gu Ruoxue was the first to speak:

"So, you’re really planning to use that clumsy, crude cheating method for tomorrow’s game?"

"Uh…"

Su Cheng blinked, surprised Li Guanqi had even told Gu Ruoxue about this. But he didn’t deny it, nodding honestly instead.

"If we want her to enjoy her victory, this is the only awkward way to cheat."

Gu Ruoxue frowned. "Foolish!"

Her tone sharpened slightly. "Do you really think she won’t notice? Her senses have long surpassed ordinary people’s. This won’t work—it’ll backfire!"