BL - One Night In Pingjing 46 The Sweetness In The Midst Of Evil

Standing in front of Xuan Tiamei's bed, Su Yang chirped, "Hey, half face. How are you doing today?"

Xuan Tianmei looked up from the novel she was reading. Wearing a pout, she stared at Su Yang pointedly. Then replied, "That's not nice."

"I'm not a nice person." Su Yang said with an indifferent shrug.

"You saved my life. That's what a nice person would do." Xuan Tianmei adamantly pointed out.

"It's part of my job."

"I'm part of your job?"

Su Yang shook her head and sat beside Xuan Tianmei. "Scoot over," she commanded.

When Xuan Tianmei complied, she relaxed on the free side of the bed. Resting her back on the wall. Comfortable, she retrieved her novel from her pocket and continued reading.

"Plus," Xuan Tianmei interrupted her. Gesturing to her romance novel, she continued. "You got me a novel of my own so I won't get bored. That's what a nice person does."

Out of annoyance perhaps, Su Yang sighed. "Why is it so important to you that I'm a nice person?"

"It's... It's... Well, I just think you're nice and you just don't know it."

Lifting her back from the wall, Su Yang sat up. "Sweetheart, the reason I got you your own novel was because I don't want you touching mine. And the reason I went back to help you from the fire was because I had knocked you unconscious. I had no other option but to check on you. If you'd been charred, Boss would never forgive me." 

Xuan Tianmei frowned. "I can't believe you knocked me out because I wanted to comb your hair."

"There's a lesson to learn there. Never touch my hair. Or talk about it." Su Yang swung a warning finger at her as she spoke.

Xuan Tianmei's frown quickly changed into a smile. "You're sensitive about your hair."

"You're one to talk, half-face." Su Yang lifted her chin at Xuan Tianmei.

"Don't call me that." Xuan Tianmei frowned again.

Su Yang smiled. "Let me see your face."

"Are you crazy?" Xuan Tianmei asked. Self-conscious, she raised her hand and pressed the bandage to her face.

"Seriously. I want to see your face." Su Yang insisted.

Xuan Tianmei shook her head adamantly.

"Please, let me see your face." Su Yang said in a pleading tone.

Xuan Tianmei released her face. Although she didn't want to open her face, she found it difficult to resist Su Yang's pleading tone. In a weak, indecisive voice, she replied. "I can't just unwrap it."

"I can." Su Yang's eyes brightened with the prospect of getting her way.

"What?"

"I'm experienced in that kind of thing."

"Of course, you are." Xuan Tianmei wasn't surprised.

Su Yang smirked proudly in reply.

The girl with the burnt face churned out one last retort of resistance. "It looks disgusting. I can't let you see it."

"You think I'll be grossed out?" Su Yang raised a brow at Xuan Tianmei.

"Of course. It's disgusting."

Su Yang shook her head. "It can't be that bad."

"It is."

Su Yang sighed, then handed Xuan Tianmei a small cellophane bag she had retrieved from her pocket.

Xuan Tianmei stared at the bag curiously. Inside it was a small, green item she couldn't recognize. "What's it? Can I take it out?"

Su Yang smiled mischievously. "That's a fingernail."

"What?" Xuan Tianmei didn't believe her ears. She peered at it with a little more curiosity. Once she recognized that it really was a nail, with a disgusted look, she flung the bag at Su Yang. "Eww... What is wrong with you? Why would you give me that?"

Su Yang picked up the bag, then smiled at it. "I actually brought that as a gift for you."

"Why would you bring me someone's nail as a gift?"

"You might be excited if you know whose nail it is."

"No, I won't be."

"Why do you think so?"

"I don't think so. I know so."

"Even if it belongs to the person who burnt down your apartment?"

"You found him?" 

"Sure did."

"Wow! Do you know why he did it yet?"

"Well, what I have found out is indeed very interesting."

"Will you go straight to the point and stop d.i.c.king around?"

"I'm not doing anything until you let me see your face."

Xuan Tianmei sighed. In a subtle surrender, she murmured. "Okay."

With a victorious smile, Su Yang leaned in and gently unwrapped Xuan Tianmei's face. Once she was done, she inspected the damage with her fingers. Finally, she made a face of disgust and cried out, "Eww, it's really gross."

"G.o.d! You said you wouldn't be grossed out." Xuan Tianmei pulled away, trying to hide her face.

Su Yang laughed at her. "You're silly. Of course, I'm not disgusted."

"But you really are," Xuan Tianmei was still hiding her face.

Su Yang laughed. "It's not the worse thing I've seen. It's not even among the top 50 grossest things I've seen. Why would a simple burn irritate me? I was only making fun of you."

Xuan Tianmei believed her immediately. She turned towards Su Yang and said, "You talk tough."

"I am tough." Su Yang corrected her.

"You are." Xuan Tianmei nodded in agreement. "Well, is it among the top 100 grossest things you've seen?"

"Other burns... Perhaps. But not this." Su Yang said thoughtfully. "This one is actually kind of cute. The way your skin climbs each other like it's trying to win some race against itself."

"Eww, Su Yang." Xuan Tianmei raised her hands to cover her face again.

Su Yang laughed.

"Please, cover it up."

"Okay," Su Yang picked up the bandage and started to wrap the face again.

"Are you going to use the same dressing?"

"Oh! Am I supposed to use a different dressing?"

"G.o.d, just cover it up and leave me alone."

In silence, Su Yang covered it up. Mockingly, she said. "Now you want me to leave you alone."

Xuan Tianmei shook her head. "No, I don't. It's nice having you here. Just don't bother me anymore."

Su Yang didn't reply to that. She peered at Xuan Tianmei curiously, then said. "Xuan Tianmei. There's this thing that's been bugging me for a while."

"About what?"

"The reason I went to rescue you was because I thought you were pa.s.sed out and wouldn't know there was a fire in your apartment. But when I went into your apartment, you weren't on the couch where I left you. Instead, you were pa.s.sed out in one of the rooms. Which means you had woken up at some point and definitely knew there was a fire. When you saw the fire, why didn't you run out of the apartment, why did you go up into that room?"

"I... I can't say. It's stupid."

"Stupid? Do you know that until I saw the arsonist on my camera, you were my first suspect for the arson?"

"What? Are you crazy? Why would I set my own apartment on fire?"

"Well, you could tell me why you went into that room..."

"When I woke up and saw the fire, my first instinct was to put it out. So, I opened the windows in the living room and tried to get water from the bathroom."

"You were the one who opened the windows." Su Yang maintained a stern composure. "What happened after you did that?"

"The fire seemed to be getting worse."

Unable to hold back, Su Yang chuckled. "Of course the fire got worse. Fire needs oxygen to burn. When you opened those windows, you literally fed the fire."

"G.o.d! I'm so stupid."

"Yes, you are." Su Yang's mood immediately changed to the previously stern one. "When you saw the fire was getting worse, why didn't you try to leave the apartment?"

"Because I remembered Pun Cho was in Xuan Tianyi's room and I had to save him."

"Your brother's teddy bear?"

"It's not just a teddy. Xuan Tianyi has had it since we were kids. He can't sleep without it. Well, most of the time."

Su Yang smiled. "You know, I had my first kill when I was 15."

Xuan Tianmei's jaw dropped in shock. She tried to say something but no words would come out of her mouth.

"The point I'm trying to make is... I have since lost my innocence. Little acts of innocence like this impress me a lot."

"How many people have you killed?"

Su Yang shrugged. "Don't know. How many times have you had s.e.x?"

"Don't... know..." Xuan Tianmei's face turned red with embarra.s.sment.

Su Yang smiled at the blush on Xuan Tianmei's face. "You've never had s.e.x before, have you?"

"Well... I..." Xuan Tianmei got even redder.

"Jeez! How many people have you dated?"

"I..."

"You've never been in a relations.h.i.+p before?" Su Yang's tone was one of surprise.

Xuan Tianmei shook her head in reply.

"It's hard to believe that. You're so pretty."

"Well, it's true."

"Why not?" Su Yang asked with a small frown.

"Well, all my life... I've always taken care of my brother. I haven't had the time to date."

Su Yang smiled again. Then nodded in understanding.

Xuan Tianmei c.o.c.ked her head at Su Yang. "You're very pretty too. Well, if you'd comb your hair."

"Get over the hair." Su Yang rolled her eyes.

"So, how many people have you dated?"

Su Yang shrugged. "I guess I haven't really been in a relations.h.i.+p either. But one of our mistresses at camp. She had a daughter. And they were both in love with me."

"Mother and daughter both?"

"Well, yes. But for very different reasons and in very different ways. The mother loved me because I was aggressive and ruthless. And she showed it by torturing me and inflicting pain on me. The daughter loved me for she pitied my aggressiveness and ruthlessness. And she showed it by showering me with kindness and compa.s.sion. She was a light in the darkness that was my entire life and I loved her for it. Pa.s.sionately."

Xuan Tianmei smiled at the pa.s.sion in Su Yang's eyes. She had never seen Su Yang in such a mood before.

"She was this... Sweetness in the midst of evil. She cared for everything and everyone a lot. And you... Caring about your brother the way you do... It reminded me of her. Running into a fire to save someone's teddy bear is the exact kind of stupid, innocent and beautiful thing she would do. Without thinking twice about herself first. Do you know? At this moment... I like you a hundredfold better than I did yesterday."

Xuan Tianmei was in cloud nine. "How much did you like me yesterday?"

"1. On a scale of 10."

"It wasn't a lot." Xuan Tianmei pouted.

"No, it wasn't. But before yesterday, it was nothing at all. So 1 is something."

"Well, I've liked you a lot since the first time I saw you."

"You're very impressionable, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. And you saved my brother. He's the one who means the most to me. I can't not-like you after that."

"Well—"

"I'm not done talking."

"Okay?"

"I didn't want to say anything before because you're quite scary and I didn't know for sure if you'd be into girls."

"What—"

"I'm really into you, Su Yang. Would you be my girlfriend?"

Su Yang was stunned into silence. She didn't expect this kind of boldness from Xuan Tianmei. And she definitely didn't expect that question.

Impatient, Xuan Tianmei persisted. "Will you be my girlfriend or you won't date me because my face is burnt?"

"You're silly. Your face doesn't bother me."

"So?"

Su Yang shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Is that a yes?"

"Um uh."

"Oh G.o.d. I'm so happy. What do we do? Kiss?"

Su Yang smiled at Xuan Tianmei. "You're cute."

"So, we don't kiss? To commemorate our getting together or something?" Xuan Tianmei frowned.

"G.o.d, you're so hot for me."

"I'm not."

"You are."

They both fell into an uncomfortable silence. Thinking of how to break the ice, Xuan Tianmei suddenly recalled a piece of rather important information. "Well, can you tell me who's responsible for the fire?"

"I can. But I don't think I should."

"Why not?"

Su Yang sighed. Reluctantly, she said, "If you don't ask me this question again, I'll let you comb my hair."

Xuan Tianmei opened her mouth to say something but couldn't form any words.

"You won't get this kind of opportunity later," Su Yang pointed out.

Xuan Tianmei took a deep breath. Although she knew what her priorities should be, she didn't want to let go of the opportunity to see Su Yang's hair neatly combed.

"If you don't want to—"

"Can I comb it now?"

Su Yang smiled. "Of course, you can."

Xuan Tianmei touched the hair and pulled back. "Can you give me a pen and paper?"

"For what?"

"You need to get some hair products."

Su Yang nodded and gave her a pen and paper. Seeing Xuan Tianmei scribble products down on the paper with so much focus, Su Yang smiled and muttered to herself, "Silly girl."