“How did you end up out so late?” Ji Yuqing asked casually while driving.
“Uh… well…” Tang Yan hemmed and hawed for a moment. She knew there was no hiding anything from Aunt Ji, so she simply told the whole story.
Ji Yuqing was stunned into silence. “So you really had dinner with her tonight.”
Her tone revealed nothing, but Tang Yan’s heart thumped—was Aunt Ji angry?
“If you don’t like it, Aunt Ji, I won’t see her anymore.” Tang Yan blurted it out before she could stop herself; in that moment Aunt Ji’s feelings mattered more than anything.
Ji Yuqing glanced over and suddenly laughed. “Why cut her off? I am me, she is she. Your friends are your own choice, Tang Yan—never sacrifice your social life for my sake. Got it?”
Tang Yan stole another look—did Aunt Ji truly not mind? She knew the history between Aunt Ji and Senior Shen, yet she couldn’t avoid every contact; they were all in Huadu and in the taekwondo club.
“I understand…”
“But…” Ji Yuqing changed tack, “are you sure it’s safe leaving Shen Yuyin alone all night with your friend Xiaoyun?”
That possibility hadn’t crossed Tang Yan’s mind. She scratched her head. “It should be fine. The chauffeur said they went inside together. I’ll call early in the morning—nobody would pick up now anyway.”
“Good. Remember to check.”
That same morning, long before dawn, dim grey light seeped through the curtains of Zhao Xiaoyun’s tiny rented room. Shen Yuyin woke in a fog, assumed she was at home, threw on a random shirt, and shuffled to the bathroom on the left.
She had barely sat down when a half–naked, burly man barged in.
A piercing scream shattered the predawn stillness, echoing through the crowded boardinghouse and jolting tenants awake.
Doors cracked open; one hot-tempered resident shouted, “Who the hell’s screeching at this hour?”
Shen Yuyin bolted out, slammed Xiaoyun’s door, and slapped on the light. Empty beer cans littered the floor, clothes lay everywhere—definitely not her place.
Where on earth was she?
On the bed a lump stirred under the quilt. Memory fragments flashed; her mind went blank. She stepped closer and nudged the sleeper. “Hey—wake up.”
Xiaoyun groaned like a dead pig. After much shaking she cracked her eyes open, skull pounding. She expected the usual post-hangover haze—until she saw someone looming over her and jolted half-awake.
“You?” Shen Yuyin stared in disbelief. Xiaoyun’s bare collarbone suggested she wore nothing underneath. Recalling last night, Shen suspected something had happened that definitely should not have happened. She was into women, yes, but not this reckless.
Things had gone horribly off the rails.
“How are you in my room?” Xiaoyun was equally stunned. She glanced down, then yanked back the quilt and screamed.
Barefoot on the floor, Shen almost jumped out of her skin. “What—stop scaring me!”
“There’s blood on the sheet…” Xiaoyun looked at her with terror.
“It’s not mine—I lost my virginity ages ago,” Shen blurted.
“Then…” Xiaoyun’s trembling fingers clutched the quilt. She peeked again; tears welled. “My… my first time… What happened last night?”
Panic scrambled Shen’s thoughts. “Y-you were still a virgin? We both blacked out… Something must have happened, but we’re adults—we’ll take responsibility…”
Seeing Xiaoyun sobbing into the quilt, the seasoned playgirl was at a total loss. “Look, if you feel wronged I’ll compensate you. Say the word—how much?”
Xiaoyun’s head snapped up, eyes brimming. “Get out! I don’t want your filthy money. Disappear—now!”
Shen was rattled. Usually at this point someone just demanded cash. Rejected twice—utter humiliation.
“Please don’t be mad. I didn’t mean it—we were drunk and it just… happened. I’m not shirking responsibility. We’re both Tang Yan’s friends; an ugly fallout will be awkward.”
Xiaoyun heard nothing, drowning in the shock of losing her virginity—and to a woman. A country girl unused to the city’s wild nights, she drank but kept her boundaries; this blow was too much.
“Please, just go,” she whispered, pleading.
“Fine, fine. I’ll leave. When you calm down we’ll talk.” Shen grabbed her coat, slipped on her shoes, snatched her bag, and fled.
Curious tenants peered out as she hurried past, collar pulled high, head low.
Six flights down she finally emerged into the street. Her red car sat at the curb; the key was still in her coat pocket. How had she driven drunk and parked so neatly? Shaking her head, Shen climbed in and called Tang Yan.
It was just after six; the sky was still dark. Tang Yan shot upright in bed at the caller ID. “Senior, are you two all right?”
“No. Not at all.” Shen slumped over the wheel, mortified. She despised dealing with virgins—too much trouble—and now she’d taken Tang Yan’s best friend’s first time.
“Did something happen? Where are you? I’ll come right away.” Tang Yan’s panic had her halfway into slippers.
Shen doused the fire with one sentence: “I’m in my car downstairs. Xiaoyun’s upstairs. Did you drive us back last night?”
“No, I can’t drive. I hired a chauffeur. She meant to drop you off separately, but said you followed Xiaoyun inside and wouldn’t answer the door. I was worried sick.”
“I… see.” Shen pieced things together. “Look, Tang Yan, I’m heading home for a shower. I’ll explain later.”
“Okay—but drive carefully.”
Call ended, Tang Yan immediately rang Xiaoyun. Surely she was awake by now.
The phone rang and rang until, at last, Xiaoyun answered, voice strange. “Yan-yan, what’s up?”
“Are you okay? You sound off.”
Xiaoyun sniffed, dabbing tears with a tissue. “I’m fine. Did you get home all right?”
“I wanted to take you, but you insisted on Senior’s car. The chauffeur dropped you both off. Did she stay the night?”
“Mm… yes…”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“I’m fine, really—just hung-over. A little rest and I’ll be okay.” Xiaoyun decided not to tell her. She had chosen to drink and climb into that car; it wasn’t Tang Yan’s fault. No need to embarrass her friend, especially since Tang Yan and that girl would still interact.
“If anything’s wrong, promise you’ll tell me. I’m your only friend in Huadu—I’ll always help.”
Xiaoyun forced a laugh. “What could go wrong? I’ve been out in the world longer than you—if anything, I should be looking after you.”
Reassured, Tang Yan’s heart settled.
But the hardest truth for Xiaoyun was that her first time was gone—taken by another woman. And she was straight.