Rose in No-Man's Land

20 Are you jealous?

It was a duplex apartment, tastefully decorated in shades of black, white, and gray, with porcelain vases on the table that were all pure white and devoid of patterns.

The only painting on the wall depicted a piano. Initially a complete artwork, it had been sliced in half. The left side featured a new piano against a white background, while the right side was dominated by a black hue, showcasing a guitar that appeared mottled and aged.

Lu Qiurui slumped drunkenly on the sofa, a half-empty bottle of wine clutched in her hand as she gazed at the person beside her.

Tao Ye's figure grew increasingly hazy in her vision, the outlines blurring into double images.

"Elder sister..." Lu Qiurui mumbled, her voice thick with intoxication.

"I like you," she confessed again, having proclaimed her affection for Tao Ye multiple times that day, though today felt different—she repeated it more often than ever.

Tao Ye casually draped one leg over the other, holding a half-filled cup of tea and swaying it gently. Her gaze was distant, seemingly indifferent to all the confessions Lu Qiurui had offered.

Fortunately, Lu Qiurui was so inebriated that she struggled to recognize Tao Ye's lack of engagement.

"Why doesn't she understand... I'm doing this for her own good..." Lu Qiurui sighed deeply, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Is there truly nothing I can do to change...?"

Drunk people often ramble, yet Tao Ye could generally decipher who Lu Qiurui meant by 'she'.

Tao Ye took a sip of water and responded hoarsely, "You believe that treating her well means finding ways to humiliate her?"

Lu Qiurui shot a glance at Tao Ye. Though she was drunk, she grasped the meaning behind Tao Ye's words.

"That's because I hate her."

The weight of the word 'hate' hung heavily in the air, suggesting a depth of resentment.

On one hand, Lu Qiurui claimed it was for her own good, on the other, she admitted her hatred. Tao Ye knew little about the history between Lu Qiurui and Xia Xingmian, but she could sense a complex mix of love and hatred underlying it.

Acknowledging this complexity, Tao Ye remained self-aware and chose not to take any of Lu Qiurui's confessions to heart.

For someone like Lu Qiurui, 'sincerity' was a luxury that belonged only to the realm of imagination.

"You two are arguing, aren't you?" Tao Ye observed slowly. "Your relationship with her seems beyond that of a typical sponsor and a canary. If you genuinely like one another, why inflict pain on each other?"

The drunken haze in Lu Qiurui's eyes diminished slightly as she met Tao Ye's earnest gaze.

"Do you want me to be with her?"

"You like her, and she likely likes you too. You two could be a perfect match," Tao Ye replied with calmness as if merely a bystander in the unfolding drama.

Lu Qiurui suddenly laughed, a fit of shaking that soon turned to tears. Her laughter faded as the doorbell rang.

The smile slipped from Lu Qiurui's face. "Go open it, it's Xia Xingmian."

Tao Ye raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

Lu Qiurui smirked. "Because I know she would come to find me." Her tone was firm and self-assured.

Tao Ye got up and opened the door.

As the door swung open and their eyes met, Tao Ye tightened her grip on the handle.