Chapter 9: CH 9

Qin Juran shook her head in frustration as she sat deep in thought. When she glanced at the clock, it was already 2 p.m. Just then, Feng Jing burst through the apartment, towing in an assortment of shopping bags.

Huang Ying’s eyes widened at the sight. She exclaimed, “Feng Jing, did you just throw away your living expenses for the next few months??”

Feng Jing pretended to roll her eyes. “Don’t worry about my living expenses, this is my side hustle money.”

Thinking about how much she must make from whatever side-job she was talking about, Huang Ying felt envious. As she helped Feng Jing lug her bags inside, she asked sweetly, “What kind of side job pays this well? Introduce me, please.”

All the students living in their dorm building were of the middle-class; Huang Ying was the most well-off out of the three of them, while Qin Juran was the worst.

As soon as Qin Juran heard Feng Jing mention this so-called “side-job,” she let out a sharp laugh.

“Wha – what’s so funny?” Feng Jing looked at Qin Juran somewhat uncomfortably. This white lotus was acting awfully cunning these days – Feng Jing even felt wary of taunting her anymore.

Qin Juran shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Oh right, Feng Jing – you’re a local here, do you know of any tattoo shops near our school or by C City?”

“Tattoos? Qin Juran, why are you talking about tattoo shops?” Huang Ying interjected, wide-eyed.

Feng Jing was also taken aback: “You want a tattoo?”

Qin Juran gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

“My God, the bookworm is getting tatted up! I heard it’s very painful, Qin Juran.”

Feng Jing frowned. “Yea, Qin Juran. Aren’t you afraid of pain? Last time you even cried after getting a papercut.”

“…..”

Sometimes, Qin Juran really detested the original owner of this body.

Her eyes crinkled as she replied, “Anyways, do you know of any?”

“Of course – didn’t you say that I’m a local of C City? There’s a parlor by our campus, but I don’t think it’s that great. There’s a shop in the westside, Tattoo Temple – they’re pretty good. But I’m not sure if you could afford the prices…”

“Okay, I got it, thanks.” Qin Juran cut her off and quickly fixed her hair, applied lipstick, and picked up her purse to leave.

As she walked to the door, she caught a glimpse at Feng Jing’s poo-green-colored manicure. “Oh, your new manicure is nice.”

“The color really suits you.”

“…..”

Huang Ying watched Qin Juran walk out, showing no signs of hesitation whatsoever. She sighed longingly, “Jingjing, do you think she’s really getting a tattoo?”

Her green manicured fingers still lingering in the air, Feng Jing gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Probably another way of seducing Fan Chuan, I’ll bet!”

As soon as the name left her mouth, Feng Jing seemed to remember something. She flicked her eyes away and quickly picked up her phone to send some texts.

——

Qin Juran lived on the east side of the city. She reached the campus entrance on her electric scooter, but before she could even make it to the main road, the onslaught of similar scooters and bikes brushing past her make her palms sweat.

Forget it, forget it. She returned her scooter to the parking spot and opened her navigation system, walking to the bus stop.

This was her first time leaving the campus so far. Qin Juran couldn’t even remember the last time she had ridden a public bus…

She sat in the back seat of the bus, watching as the trees and skyscrapers flashed past outside the window. The extravagant scenery constantly reminded her that this indeed was another world.

Just as her thoughts began to drift, the bus arrived at the destination. She got off and immediately noticed the large “Tattoo Temple” sign across the street. She walked towards the shop and saw that it was just as Feng Jin described – neat and clean. When the girl sitting at the front counter saw Qin Juran approaching, she smiled sweetly and said brightly, “Please come in, Miss.”

Qin Juran returned the smile, following the colorful-armed apprentices inside. There were a few artists working at the shop; a young man walked up to her, saying, “Miss, did you have a design in mind, or would you like to select one? Feel free to take a look at the design catalog.”

Qin Juran sat down and lightly flipped towards the “tattoo removal” section.

The young man was startled. “Oh my, tattoo removals are quite painful. I know you young girls like being impulsive, but once it catches up to you…”

His rant was interrupted when the door suddenly flew open with a burst of shouting. His attention quickly switched to the source of the noise, as he raised his head and asked the person beside him, “Sister Zhang, what’s going on?”

The woman beside him answered, “Some big-shot lady just came in. Our little Liu didn’t know how to refuse her, and now she wants to reserve the entire place to herself.”

“Reserve the studio? But our customer here just sat down…”

The shouting outside still didn’t cease, and the two shared a worried glance. Qin Juran rose from her seat and walked towards the entrance, wanting to teach these delinquents a lesson. Once she stepped outside, she noticed a familiar figure: “Ruan Nan?”

Ruan Nan wore her usual black mini-skirt and smoky makeup today. Her hair was recently dyed a striking gray color, further accentuating her pretty features. She wasn’t alone – surrounding her was Zhou Ziqing, Lin Wei, and the rest of her posse.

Hearing Qin Juran call her name, Ruan Nan turned to face her. She raised a brow. “What a coincidence, the nerd is also getting a tattoo.”

From the side, Zhou Ziqing seemed to be afraid that Qin Juran would misunderstand something. He quickly added, “Yea, such a coincidence. We were just watching a movie in the area, and randomly saw you here.”

Lin Wei chirped in agreement, “Right, exactly!”

Qin Juran peered at Ruan Nan, whose face didn’t reveal an ounce of surprise. Her lips twitched as she responded, “Oh~ so it’s like that. It’s also 3 p.m., and a movie is around 1 and a half hours, so including the travel time, you guys must’ve watched the noon showing?”

She flicked an eyebrow: “So refined.”

……

Wang Yuanyuan gave Zhou Ziqing and Lin Wei a tight pinch.

Knowing that she had been exposed, Ruan Nan avoided her gaze and said haughtily, “Qin Juran, you’re getting a tattoo?”

The shop assistant, who was watching this encounter from the side, perked up, “Miss, actually this customer is here for a –”

Qin Juran shot him a piercing glare to shut him up, then took a few steps towards Ruan Nan. “You too?”

“Is this for Fan Chuan? Someone who cries at a papercut is now willingly deciding to get poked by needles? Qin Juran, you’re so strange.”

Although Ruan Nan’s words were mocking, her eyes revealed mixed emotions, stirring an excited feeling within Qin Juran.

She curved lip lips. “What’s really strange is running into Miss Ruan at the same tattoo parlor. Miss Ruan, do you know how painful tattoos are?” She swept her eyes over her smooth, pale legs. “Imprinting a permanent mark on your clean skin, such that you’re forced to bring up memories whenever you look at it.”

“Are you sure about this, Ruan Nan?”

Ruan Nan stilled. Behind her, Wang Yuanyuan lightly tugged at her arm, prompting softly, “Sister Nan, let’s come back another time…”

“Go back if you’re done with your fun.” With this, Qin Juran turned to go back inside.

“I’ll do it!” The stubborn shout rang out from behind her.

Ruan Nan stepped in front of Qin Juran’s path and spoke: “I’ll get a tattoo, but we’re doing it together. Wherever the bookworm gets hers, I’ll get mine; whatever design she chooses will be the design I get.”

She stood firmly in place, hardly a pace between her and Qin Juran.

The afternoon sunlight glared through the French windows, shining on her delicate face and illuminating her gray curls, emanating a striking sense of elegance.

A citrus scent once again flowed through the air, lingering among the rays of light. Together they created an atmosphere akin to drinking bubbly lime soda in the summertime.

Qin Juran’s gaze rested on Ruan Nan’s red lips. Her soft, supple lips were slightly pouted, bright red lipstick painting them like a cherry, tempting you for a taste.

Qin Juran swallowed. “Are you serious?”

“Tell me, when have I ever not been serious?” Ruan Nan lifted a brow.

Qin Juran’s gaze drifted lower, resting on Ruan Nan’s chest. She spoke in a deep voice, “Anywhere is fine?”

Ruan Nan pulled up the sleeve of her dress and jutted her chin. “Anywhere is fine.”

She was just like a small proud leopard.

No – a stray cat.

Qin Juran gave a silent smile, then turned to the young shop assistant. “Then let’s begin.”

The two girls put on masks, entering the work area one after the other. Zhou Ziqing’s expression was like that of a father worried for his daughter. “It’s over, it’s over, Sister Nan’s making another impulsive decision. We were supposed to just come to look!”

Lin Wei rolled his eyes. “Did you have to go and run your mouth like that? If you didn’t provoke Qin Juran, then Sister Nan wouldn’t be in this position!”

Wang Yuanyuan glared at them both. “Shut your mouths – when Sister Nan comes out with who knows what on her skin, it’ll be you two’s fault!”

Zhou Ziqing cried out, “No way – Qin Juran wouldn’t do something that bad, right?!”

“Who knows what she’s up to?!”

Dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, the three of them practically had the words “rich” written on their faces – in response, the shop manager respectfully brought out drinks and snacks to receive these customers. They were waited on until the sun began to set and the streets began to empty; finally, Qin Juran emerged.

Three pairs of eyes immediately latched onto her body, inspecting the skin.

Unfortunately, in her t-shirt and long skirt, they could only make out her bare arms.

It wasn’t there.

Qin Juran went up to the counter to pay, nodding at Zhou Ziqing and the others as she strode outside.

Zhou Ziqing stared at Qin Juran’s receding figure in a daze, while Lin Wei gave him a slap. “Where’s Sister Nan?”

“My god, she didn’t faint from the pain, right?”

“Oh my god – hurry, hurry!”

The three of them rushed into the work area, where Ruan Nan was tugging on some socks that the workers had brought, her face red with embarrassment.

She had only pulled her sock up halfway. The four stared at each other until Lin Wei shouted, “Don’t move!”

He pulled out a translation app.

“Gyosophila” 1

“Gypsophila, like the flower? All that talk and Qin Juran ended up choosing a flower name on the ankle?”

“Ahh, hahahaha! She must’ve wanted something to seduce Fan Chuan with, but Sister Nan forced her to change it.”

“Nice job, Sister Nan! Qin Juran must’ve been furious that her plan failed!” 2

“Wait a second –” Wang Yuanyuan frowned. “Sister Nan, isn’t ‘Gypsophila’ your English name? Did Qin Juran know?”

Lin Wei laughed even harder. “And the flower name she chose turned out to be Sister Nan’s own name, jokes on her! Hahahaha! Ha….”

His laughter died off after he realized the other three were looking at him as if he were a fool.  His laughter gradually became more awkward when he realized, “My God, she chose Sister Nan’s name on purpose?!”

The three underlings stared at each other.

In the short span of an afternoon, Sister Nan and Qin Juran somehow ended up getting matching tattoos, and moreover, of Sister Nan’s own English name???

What…

Just then, Ruan Nan glanced at the tattoo on her own ankle, turning an even deeper shade of red.

Qin Juran was saying something before she left – what was it, again?

Oh, yes, she said:

“Tattoos are indelible marks – whenever you look at it, you’ll have to think of me.”